It was surreal.

That's how it felt to her, poor young enamored Blossom. Time felt like it had stopped, and there wasn't even a sound to suggest otherwise. Of course that was the moment when something went flying over her. "Feathers! I can't belie-"

She wanted to run but once she realized it was just Tiberius, she ignored it.

It was then Fang looked towards the young She-Wolf and just laughed at her question. "Fang! What happened here!? Who are these Wolves!?" Mydnyte questioned. Fang looked over to his fellow Kamarian. "Oh, Mydnyte! Aren't I glad to see you!" Fang then looked past the Wolf. "Where's Durandel and Blue, don't tell me you couldn't find them! Or worse!?" Fang spoke concernedly. "I did find them, but I had to leave Durandel a few feet back when I heard the sounds of trouble." Mydnyte answered. "As for these Wolves...well, to be honest I haven't a clue. One of them was about to be attacked by this Fire Wolf, and so I jumped in and rescued her." Fang explained. Mydnyte snorted as he walked up to the pair of misfits. "Alright talk, who are you?" Mydnyte questioned.

Blossom stayed on the ground, her eyes moving back and forth between the angel of death, who she now knows is called Fang. And the other? Well he was Mydnyte and he sounded like nothing but a grumps. Kind of like Drais. Everything felt totally normal to her now.

"I'm Blossom and fish breathe over there-" She tilted her head in the direction of Tiberius, "is Tiberius. I'm also an Aven and he's a water wolf." She spoke freely and almost seemed carefree about the situation. She was almost smiling. "Thanks for saving my life."

Tiberius

His disgust with his cadaver dive still fresh, Tiberius nevertheless held his peace as the new set of wolves approached. Unlike Chaz, these wolves seemed to be capable of speaking with confidence. Seeing that they were black wolves, Tiberius didn't suppose they were Tenneth's either. Why any wolf would want to be in another pack's city when it seemed to be burning down was beyond him, but he didn't think the reason would be too friendly.

Hearing Feathers chime in to introduce him, the Arlyne was quick to speak up for himself. "Fish breath?! I haven't had fish in like a season, Feathers!" he argued, as if they were the only ones present. "Though I'd love to have one. I ain't heard of lava fish before, but if there were one, I'd eat it no matter how spicy it was, yeah? Maybe they exist! Be quicker to find out than to get off this volcano!"

Remembering that they were with uncertainly friendly company, despite whatever hoopla Blossom was saying about having her life saved, Tiberius nudged his friend to start pulling away. "Sorry though, can't stay! We gotta city tah go see, embassies tah go embassy, and a guide back there who's really right anxious about us!" he exclaimed, falling back on their default story.

Mydnyte looked at two youngsters whom both seemed rather antsy. Especially the one that was covered in that Tenneth's blood. The other seemed paralyzed by the sight of both of them. These two aren't a couple of warriors by any means, that much was clear to the Kamarian. Still doesn't explain why two non-Tenneths are here in the city or how they got this far without much trouble til now. He could chalk it up to their recent exploits but he figures they would've ran into some bogeys much earlier. During his musings the one-winged wolf introduced herself as Blossom, the other as Tiberius. It was then Mydnyte's head tilted to the side. For some strange and confusing reason, the Kamarian swore he's heard those names before.

It could've been anyone though and he's certain he would've remembered seeing a couple of oddball wolves like these two. They're pretty distinctive physically after all. It was then the finned wolf, Tiberius spoke up trying to usher his friend along. It was then Tiberius mentioned something interesting, "Embassy? Guide?" He echoed. "Wait! Whose guiding you!?" Mydnyte barked as he looked behind the two. Mydnyte stomped past the two to see a cowering Tenneth lying down in the dirt. "Fang watch those two!" He barked as he walked around to reach the other wolf. "Hey you there!" He barked. With a yip, the cowardly Chaz shot up only to see the most unpleasant sight he's ever saw.

The black wolf was much bigger than him and looked like death itself. "AAAAAAHHHHHH!!! Please don't hurt me!!!" Chaz bawled. "A Tenneth!?" Mydnyte growled as he lunged at Chaz and pinned him to the ground. Chaz did nothing but cry his poor eyes out. "Who are you!? A spy!? An assassin!? Talk!?" Mydnyte shouted. "P-P-P-P-Please!!!! I'm not any of those things!!! I'm Ch-Chaz!!! Just Chaaaaaazzzzz." He whined. "Hmph." Mydnyte then took his paw off him. He could tell that this Tenneth was no warrior, in fact he seemed even wimpier than those two over there. Chaz looked up at Mydnyte tears streaming down. "P-Please mister....d-don't k-kill poor Chaz...Chaz has never done anything wrong!" He pleaded. The Kamarian just looked at the posturing Tenneth and could only sigh. "Why do we keep running into weirdos?" He griped. "Look, I'm not gonna kill you so stop groveling! It's unbecoming of a Wolf!!" He barked causing Chaz to cry louder. He then growled, "Will you shut up already?! I said I WASN'T going to kill you!"


At this point Chaz seemed to be inconsolable. Mydnyte then looked back over at the others. "Hey! Could one of you shut him up?! He's getting on my nerves!" Mydnyte barked at Blossom and Tiberius. "Grah! I'm not in the mood to deal with any of this crap!" Mydnyte barked as he stormed off. "Fang, I'm going back for Durandel, take care of this will ya?" He said in a huff. "Sure, no problem." Fang responded as Mydnyte took off. Fang then looked back at these oddball Wolves and smiled. "Sorry, Mydnyte doesn't have the most patience in the world, but don't let that fool ya, he's a good guy underneath all of that grumpiness." Fang chuckled. "Anyway, since you guys are not the enemy, I suggest we all head inside. You guys wouldn't know this but we kind of caused a big mess, and, well, that dead Tenneth was just the beginning. There will be more like him and I really don't want to fight if I don't have to." Fang said as he pointed his nose to the abandoned shop. "You can bring that other Wolf too, if Mydnyte didn't kill him then he must be alright." Fang added. The Kamarian then went on ahead and entered through the side.

***

Elsewhere, Mydnyte returned to where he had left Durandel, thankfully the Canicus was alright. "Still no sign of Blue?" Mydnyte asked. Durandel just shook his head. "Damn that She-Wolf, she's going to get herself caught or worse." Mydnyte grumbled. "Well, I better get you back to the hideout. Once I do, I'll come back out for her, you have my word." Mydnyte promised. Durandel did not protest. Mydnyte then helped Durandel to stand once again as the two trekked on reaching the hideout in a few minutes. Mydnyte entered with the injured Durandel in toe, he decided to bring him down to where Nova was. Across from the injured Ausi, Mydnyte laid the Canicus down. "Alright, I'll be back." Mydnyte spoke as he went outside. Durandel looked over towards Nova and said, "You look like crap."

"Sorry though, can't stay! We gotta city tah go see, embassies tah go embassy, and a guide back there who's really right anxious about us!" Tiberius exclaimed, falling back on their default story.

Blossom was just about to object to Tiberius's actions when Mydnyte did it for her.

"Embassy? Guide?" Mydnyte echoed. "Wait! Whose guiding you!?" Mydnyte barked as he looked behind the two and stomped past the two to see a cowering Tenneth lying down in the dirt. "Fang watch those two!"

Blossom turned back and smiled, ignoring the screaming Tenneth and the angry Mydnyte to whisper into Tiberius's ear. "This is it Tiberius! I'm sure this is why we came here!"

"Sorry, Mydnyte doesn't have the most patience in the world, but don't let that fool ya, he's a good guy underneath all of that grumpiness." Fang chuckled. "Anyway, since you guys are not the enemy, I suggest we all head inside. You guys wouldn't know this but we kind of caused a big mess, and, well, that dead Tenneth was just the beginning. There will be more like him and I really don't want to fight if I don't have to." Fang said as he pointed his nose to the abandoned ship. "You can bring that other Wolf too, if Mydnyte didn't kill him then he must be alright." Fang added. The Kamarian then went on ahead and entered through the side.

Blossom was ecstatic! She got up on shaky legs and followed Fang inside the building like a lamb to slaughter. She didn't bother to wait on Tiberius since she knew he wouldn't ever leave her.

Inside she was shocked to see a bloodied up wolf. Her heart twisted and without thinking she went up to him to get a good look. "S-Sir, how bad are your eyes?"

The blood that seeped from his eyes was partially caked with dirt and debrief. His muzzle was also badly scratched up. If you call these battle wounds 'scratches.' Not much time passed before another battered up wolf was brought inside by Mydnyte. She whined to Fang, "I think it was fate that brought us here."

She walked around the small tan wolf with the bleeding eyes and then looked over the big burly fire wolf. She then sat to pull the plant she had been growing down in the caves, out of her wing. It was now bigger, a luscious plant with orange petals that were just about to bloom. "It's a Calendula plant. I don't have yarrow with me but... this will help you both heal faster."

Without hesitation Blossom snapped it up and began to chew on it. It didn't taste good at all! Yet, she stayed strong and kept chewing until it was a greenish-orange paste that she put on some of Durandel's worst wounds. There wasn't a lot of it so she spread it between the two injured wolves, barely having enough to cover the blind Wolf's bad scratches. She however didn't put any on his eyes, as she wasn't sure if it was safe for this plant to get in his eyes should it reduce the swelling. "I'm sorry but that's all I can do for now. I w-wish I could do something for your eyes, Mister."

She backed away with a sad look on her face before speaking to Fang, "I know this may be strange, but do you know a blue wolf? We've been looking for her cause we have a message for her."

The world was off-balance, and Blue wasn't even sure if she was on the scale. Maybe she fell off? Or was her future still sliding back and forth between the two sides, sliding dangerously between them? Her ears were ringing. "Where? Where are you?"

"I'm lost! Someone... please," Tears were falling from her eyes, only to drop to the floor and sizzle away in this arid heat. She sniffled and wiped her face before continuing to stumble further from where she had left Khan and Mydnyte... "I have to find it. I have to... BattleDemon... and... I just have to. Summanus...."

She tripped on a rock and her already fuzzy vision, faded away... "I'm sorry..." Before her eyes closed though, she thought she saw paws standing in front of her. Was she hallucinating? She whimpered and her eyes shut completely.



Her body laid on the ground somewhere in the city, unconscious and barely breathing. Her adrenaline had run out, and her exhausted body had finally had enough.

Nova stirred from his half-lucidity with a groan. He had shrugged off the mutterings of those strangers around him, but hearing familiar voices nearby forced him to be interested. Mydnyte he could hear, making a gravely promise, followed by a too familiar grunt. The same grunt he had heard after every ambush, mudslide, earthquake, and firestorm they had been through together.

"You look like crap."

Nova couldn't stop a quick chuckle. He hadn't expected that from Durandel. The Ausi tried to push the levity forward, if only to stave off more serious questions. "My poker face must be pretty bad then, mate. Was hoping you wouldn't notice," Nova replied, drawing a deep breath between thoughts. "I'm sure this heat just amped you right up though. But to be fair to Rashid, let's have him meet us somewhere cooler next time."

"S-Sir, how bad are your eyes?"

The question startled him. He had been too focused on the sound sound of his own raspy voice that he hadn't heard the new wolf come padding up. She sounded young. That usually meant cute. But right now he couldn't enjoy even that one small perk of being tended to. "They're doing a good job of keeping the birds from nestin' in my skull, but not much else right now," Nova said after a moment. Wasn't really a reason to downplay how he was feeling, even to this random nurse, alchemist, passerby, whoever she was. Her pity, while well-meaning, didn't add much. He had enough of his own that the addition of a strangers threatened to make him depressed. Maybe if he just imagined her as his sister talking to him. That would make the sympathy at least seem more genuine.

The paste she spread on his maw burned, but that usually meant that the medicine was working. Nova let her apply it with minimal grimace. He could hear her withdrawing after muttering a brief apology about not being able to do more. It took him a moment to think to request something, and he spoke up with a cough. "Miss, can you get me some water? Or anything wet, really."

Mydnyte braved the outside, looking around the city as best he could. It wasn't easy, the Tenneth were out in force as he could hear the Fire Wolves chatter while they searched for the Rebels. Mydnyte had to use what shadows he could find to avoid being detected by the Guards. If it was already becoming hard for him to move about then he could only think how much more difficult it must be for Blue. He had to find her and quick before any of the Tenneth do. Thanks to the smoke it was difficult to get a scent on her but after sometime he got something. Hanging off that scent like hanging on a ledge, Mydnyte followed as best he could. It was then he found her.

He saw the She-Wolf lying down on the ground in plain view. He was lucky no one else had found her yet. "Blue!? Blue!" Mydnyte spoke as he went up to her body. She was still breathing but she wasn't getting up. Mydnyte had no other choice but to drag her away to safety. Mydnyte bit down her scruff, not hard to hurt her but hard enough to establish a grip. Mydnyte then did his best to move her body but this was going to be tough. The Kamarian wasn't sure how he was going to get her back to the hideout. With more Tenneth crawling about the city it would take a miracle to get there without incident. Mydnyte couldn't think about that, he had to do it. He did his best to hug the darkened street corners and alleyways of the city. Yet even these empty areas were starting to get traffic.

Down one of the alleys he saw a couple of Tenneth talking. "Did you see what happened at the Factory?" One asked. "No, I didn't get there until after the explosion." The other answered. "That was insane...I never would've thought the Rebels would blow up their own home." "This just proves that Prometheus is right, the Resistance is ran by bunch of Tenneth hating, foreigner loving anarchists!" The Fire Wolf barked. "I guess so...never thought our own people would do such a thing. But what about the Borak? They're foreigners yet I see them walk about like they own the place!" "I don't much care for them either! Stupid Wolves, they think just because their Element is so powerful, they can look down on the rest of us!" "Why is Prometheus even working with them? We don't need their help!"

As tense as the situation was, it would seem the two were heavily involved in their own conversation. Hopefully the Kamarian can just, it was then he knocked over a trash can. "Huh!? What was that?" One of them asked. "I don't know." The other responded. "You think it could be the Rebels?" "I don't know but we better check it out." Great! Now he's raised their suspicion...looks like he may have to kill them. Mydnyte then tucked Blue's body safely way in case this gets ugly. "Whose back there huh? Come out now unless you wanna end up as ashes!" The Tenneth threatened. Just a little closer, and they'll be with Mydnyte's range. That was when more Wolves showed up. "Hey there yo two, stop lazying about! We just found some Rebels in the Market District! We've been ordered to take them in!" The new Tenneth barked. The others stopped in their tracks and turned around. "Good, we were getting antsy!" One of them spoke as they went on ahead. That was a bit of good fortune for Mydnyte even if it is at the cost of some good Wolves.

The Kamarian can't think about stuff like that right now, he needs to focus on getting Blue out of here. He picked her back up and continued on his way.





"My poker face must be pretty bad then, mate. Was hoping you wouldn't notice," "I'm sure this heat just amped you right up though. But to be fair to Rashid, let's have him meet us somewhere cooler next time."

Durandel chuckled as well even though his sides hurt. "Not much of a gambling Wolf myself. Though I wish I could say I was amped but I just feel horrible." Durandel responded. He then noticed the new Wolf that just wandered in. He wasn't sure who she was, could be another rebel though he seriously doubts it. The Wing alone made him feel both confused and curious about this Wolf. Just who was she? He's never seen her before. But the more burning question is what was she doing here? He assumes she must be alright, if she's in here with them even though he finds the decision of letting a complete stranger near them questionable.

"It's a Calendula plant. I don't have yarrow with me but... this will help you both heal faster."

Durandel was surprised by this. He thought her an Avira with that wing but she knows of Aven medicine? Most Aven don't share their medicinal secrets with just anyone. Just who or what is she? Still the Canicus did not protest to her medical aid, he was badly injured after all. Anything to help him get back on his feet again he will gladly accept. The paste she applied did sting some but hopefully it will work as fast as she says it will. They need to get back in the fight, Prometheus must be feeling the blow of losing his little project. They need to keep pressing the offense while momentum is on their side.

That was when Nova asked for some water, a relief that sounds good right about now. "I'll take some too if that's alright?" Durandel asked. If Fang is letting her treat them, then he might as well get all the benefits he can get right?



Fang looked towards the young She-Wolf who spoke of fate. He wasn't sure if it was fate or some other force but the Kamarian was not so unwise to deny such a thing. After all it was the will of the Gods that he is here. "Perhaps it was fate but it could very well be the Gods themselves." Fang responded. He was happy to have saved someone who had some medical knowledge since Nova and Durandel are no worse for wear. Still even if it he could chalk it up to the work of mysterious forces he was curious about these young Wolves. Who are they? Where did they come from? And why are they here?

After she was doing tending to Nova and Durandel she asked a curious question. "A blue wolf?" Fang repeated. He thought for a moment. "Sorry, I don't know any blue wolves. I would try the Falls if you're looking for a Wolf with such an exotic fur coloration." Fang answered.

"Perhaps it was fate but it could very well be the Gods themselves." Fang responded. "A blue wolf? Sorry, I don't know any blue wolves. I would try the Falls if you're looking for a Wolf with such an exotic fur coloration."

Blossom felt her stomach drop, and she dropped her head, "I'm sorry, but I had to ask. We were told to look for her here, and thought it would be easy. Especially since she wears a lightning pendant and travels with an ice wolf and a fire wolf." She let out a sigh, despite having thought this was fate she now thought it was a mistake. Where was this blue she-wolf? "I guess it wasn't fate or the Gods that made this situation. It was a mistake."

"Tibe-" she was just about to tell him they made a mistake coming here, when instead, she was interrupted by the blind wolf.

"Miss, can you get me some water? Or anything wet, really."

Blossom walked over to him and immediately thought this wolf was onto something. I guess if we had water.... We could flush the debris out of his eyes...? Her spirit seemed to lighten up at that thought. Maybe this adventure wasn't for nothing. "Tiberius, can you find some water? Please...." She wanted to look for the water herself, but if anyone had a chance at finding water in this inferno it would be a water wolf, exactly like Tiberius. "He needs it and I-I think we do too." Her eyes were pleading with him.





As dangerous and hazardous as the situation was, Blue was asleep. She hadn't slept all that well the past several days and her mental state hadn't been all that great either what with having to go through such emotional turmoil. Everything had weighed down on her, and despite forcing her body to keep going, it had finally had enough and now, she was asleep. She really needed the rest and it showed by how she didn't even twitch when Mydnye began moving her body. Not even the rocks or uneven ground stirred her from her slumber.

She had just been that tired.

Tiberius had kept off to the side of proceedings, feeling out of place. Blossom had seemed to find her calling in a snap, but he knew next to nothing about nursing. Besides, he had no idea who these wolves were, nor they him. So when Blossom beckoned him to go find some water, he was more than happy to oblige. "Sure Feathers, I'll be right back!" Tiberius said perkily. Helping his friend, helping these wolves, and getting out of that room. A trifecta of problems solved.

He had lost track of Chaz, but Tiberius figured that if he saw him he would pull him along. A scatterbrain still had eyes after all. The Arlyne didn't know anything about the city of the fire wolves; the only source of water he had seen was from that busted pipe. He figured that was a good place to start. It was darker outside than he remembered, so either he had been in that infirmary longer than he had thought, or the soot-choked air had shifted. Either way, visibility was down. Tiberius hoped that the way to the pipe had been as straight a shot as he remembered. An occasional howl breaking through the air staved off the otherwise silent walk, and it took a few for the young wolf to stop flinching. This side of town was clearly abandoned, he kept telling himself.

After a bit of scrounging, the water wolf was able to find his way back to he broken main. Steaming water still gushed from the aperture, a rusty lightning bolt-shaped slit that came out of the side of the buckled pipe. There wasn't a terrible amount of pressure left, so the water wasn't airborne for more than a couple claws lengths before seeping into the sodden soil. Tiberius has fortunately found a pail along the way, which he promptly filled, careful to keep the heated water from getting too close to the rim and hence his carrying jaw. Hopefully it would cool down along the way.

The Arlyne had not made it far from his improvised well when he almost tripped into two black wolves emerging in the ashy streets. With something one iota more dignified than a scream, Tiberius dropped his pail, spilling the scalding water. It was a Kamarian carrying another, and only a well-timed recollection let him recognize the gruff wolf from the hideout. "S-sorry mista' Dark. Jus' gettin' water for your friends, yeah? I'll-ah, get some more, yeah? Don't let me get in your way, just keep bein' heroes and stuff, yeah?" Tiberius said quickly, scrambling to get the bucket so he could turn tail.


Nova listened to hear if his request had been heard after Durandel chimed in, and was content to settle back into his cot with a sigh as he heard the task delegated. Of course they didn't have any on paw. But he's had waited this long, what was another few minutes. To keep his mind out of the recess of his own thoughts, he decided to keep up his conversation with Durandel, turning to a bit more serious tone. "So'd who came out of this, mate? I heard Vesta and the Kamarians moving about, what about Blue? Summanus?" Nova asked, finding little way to ask the tough question besides straightly.

"I know that none of my team made it out. All...blasted by Boraks. I don't even know if those plans they died for made it out," Nova continued, remembering the few he had known for such a short time. He still remembered the look on that young Tenneth's face as the thunderbolt jumped from the metal cabinet to the pendant about his neck. It had probably been a good luck charm. Given by a sister or a fawning shewolf. Some luck it brought him.

Fang was sad to see the young She-Wolf feel so down on herself. It seemed really important for her to find the blue-furred wolf, and it must be if they braved the Vulcans to find the Wolf. Fang wished he could help her out but he's got an important mission himself to carry out. Prometheus is still a problem that needs resolving especially since he's connected to Rashid. It's just a matter of figuring out how to expose him. That was when Blossom said something he didn't expect to hear.

"I'm sorry, but I had to ask. We were told to look for her here, and thought it would be easy. Especially since she wears a lightning pendant and travels with an ice wolf and a fire wolf."

Wait a minute!? Did she just describe Blue? Then it hit the Kamarian like a ton of bricks. How could he be so dense? What if isn't looking for a blue wolf but a Wolf named Blue? To be certain Fang spoke up, "Wait, Blossom! Are you sure it's a blue wolf you're looking for or are you looking for a Wolf that's named Blue?" Fang asked with all seriousness.




Durandel was relieved that water was being attended to, even Lava Wolves need water. Durandel looked towards the wounds that Blossom attended to. Whatever she did, the pain is starting to numb so that must be a good sign. She was a mystery though, she looks like an Avira but knows the Aven Element. Could she be a halfbreed? Durandel hasn't meet too many of those and the ones he had were often mistreated. Not quite belonging to any one Pack they are treated like Omegas in a lot of Wolven societies. Not an easy existence for sure.

Then his attention was brought back to Nova who spoke of the Factory raid. Durandel was saddened to hear his whole team had perished. Durandel sighed, "Yeah, my team was decimated by the Boraks as well. They all would've died if I hadn't put myself in harm's way to distract them. I think I fought their leader too. He was highly trained and would've killed me if it wasn't for that explosion. I don't know who did that, but they really saved my hide." Durandel spoke. Durandel then pondered Nova's earlier question about the others. "Well...everyone's here except Blue, I know Mydnyte's out looking for her, and...," That was when Durandel's eyes went wide.

"Wait...that is a good question...Fang!" Durandel spoke up. Fang's head turned towards Durandel. "Where is Summanus!? He went in first but I didn't see him anywhere! Did you!?" Durandel asked. Fang then thought about and then his heart dropped. "N-No...I, I didn't...I don't even know if he made it out or not!!" Fang said jaw agaped. He then looked towards the window looking around for any sign of the Borak. Nothing. "Where is he!? Why hasn't he shown up yet?! It doesn't make any sense! Did he go to a different hideout or something?" Fang asked to no one in particular. Durandel then looked towards the Kamarian with a grim look on his face and spoke, "You don't think he?" "N-No! I-I don't believe it! If anyone could make it out of their alive it would be him! No, he must still be out there!" Fang interjected. Mydnyte hadn't returned yet, making the Kamarian feel extra nervous. "Oh, where is Mydnyte?" Fang muttered.

"That's it...I guess I'm going to have to go back to the factory and look for him." Fang concluded. "What about Mydnyte? Aren't you supposed to be looking out for him?" Durandel asked. "I'm sure he would understand if guys explained it to him. Besides Vesta or Amarok could be the look out, you don't need me for that." Fang retorted. "I understand but going back to the factory would be a seriously stupid idea. The area must be crawling with Prometheans." Durandel noted. "I gotta start somewhere!" Fang argued. "Look maybe he made his way to a safehouse and he's just lying low for a moment. This is the rendezvous point, maybe he'll turn up in a bit?" Durandel speculated. "While that is a possibility....I would just feel better if we made the attempt to look for him." Fang spoke. "Then maybe you should wait for Mydnyte first. Who knows? He and Blue could be out there looking for him and that's why they are taking so long." Durandel rationalized.

Fang turned to the Canicus and nodded. "I hope your right, but if I don't see them in the next ten minutes, I'm going out there." Fang determined as he sat back down. Now it was a matter of time as the group sat anxiously, waiting for their friends to return.




This was turning out harder than he would've liked. With the patrols doubling, and tripling in number, one could hardly skulk about without a Tenneth breathing down their neck. The only reason he hasn't been caught yet was thanks to him moving towards the more secluded part of town. Soon the sounds of voices drifted further and further away. He wasn't sure how long it would take them to scour this side of town but he hoped it will be after they've returned to HQ. He then looked towards the unconscious body of Blue. "You'd better be grateful I did this." He said, his voice muffled by her fur. He continued to heave the She-Wolf along when suddenly.

BOP!

Mydnyte dropped Blue when someone stumbled into him. Mydnyte turned fangs bared when he saw that it was that weird pup from earlier.

"S-sorry mista' Dark. Jus' gettin' water for your friends, yeah? I'll-ah, get some more, yeah? Don't let me get in your way, just keep bein' heroes and stuff, yeah?

Mydnyte growled. "Be more careful!! I almost took a bite right out of ya!" He barked. He saw that the water found it's way on to Blue causing the Kamarian to groan. "Now look you got her all wet." He said as he bit down on her scruff once more. "Just watch it, alright?" He said though his voice was muffled. Mydnyte continued on taking him running into that Tiberius as a good sign. That means he was almost there. A few minutes later, Mydnyte had returned with Blue resting her on a cot with the other injured. Mydnyte then took a breath of relief. "Finally." He huffed. Fang then walked up to Mydnyte, "Hey, Mydnyte we got another problem...we don't know where Summanus is...you didn't happen to see him did you?" Mydnyte stood there with a defeated look and just shook his head.

Blossom was waiting in between the blind wolf and the big fiery one, when Fang spoke up, "Wait, Blossom! Are you sure it's a blue wolf you're looking for or are you looking for a Wolf that's named Blue?"

She made a puzzle face, "Of course a wolf named Blue." She wondered why he had to ask that when she realized her mistake. Darn it... I should have remembered to say it was her name not her coat color. She then perked up, seeing where Fang was going with this talk when the whole group started talking. They were talking about some Summons and something about Blue when the big scary wolf that reminded her of Drais came back. With a what Blossom thought was a wounded wolf.

The one who like Drais, Mydnyte carried the wolf further back where there were cots. Without thinking, Blossom scurried over to them when with a start, she realized the wound wolf who she had thought was male... was actually a female. She was big! Bigger than Blossom and her paws were so much larger. Amazed, blossom got back to checking the wolf only to find her asleep. Other than her slightly bleeding paws, scratches and some singed fur, this she-wolf was in much better condition than the other two. "She's asleep!"

Fang then walked up to Mydnyte, "Hey, Mydnyte we got another problem...we don't know where Summanus is...you didn't happen to see him did you?" Mydnyte stood there with a defeated look and just shook his head.

Awed at whatever this was, Blossom poked Fang with a paw, "I'm sorry your other friends are missing, but the one Mister Mydnyte brought back is fine, she's just asleep. And for some reason, wet." She pointed in the big sleeping she-wolf's direction when she immediately asked him a question. "So does this mean you know the wolf named Blue?"

Nova regretted causing the cacophony of concern over Summanus, the raised voices inflamed a headache of his that had been buried beneath other sources of more pressing pain. Though they had shared the same breathing space for the better part of a season, Nova had never been particularly close to the lightning wolf. Of course he was a terrible asset to lose, Summanus was one of the more skilled and determined fighters in their motley pack. Certainly more than himself. But right now Nova just wanted the others to shut up. Summanus would drag himself back in here like every wolf else, or be dragged by Mydnyte.

Relief arrived in the softer voice of one of those young wolves that had been scrounged, announcing he had returned with water. This was the male, an Arlyne he gathered from listening to the others. Nova waited anxiously for the wolf to arrive at his side. Water was brought to his lips in a gentle stream, a curling rivulet brought up from the bucket it had been brought in. Blind to the wonder, Nova lapped at the stencil of water greedily, the rivulets tracking down his cracked throat and tongue like spring rains flooding down a desert riverbed. He was hardly aware of the pup speaking to him, nervously, and with a bit of a strain. It sounded like this basic bit of Aquakinesis was a struggle for the young one. Too soon the water was stopped, leaving behind a metallic aftertaste and a yearning for more.

"Its all I can give you, sah. Gotta save some for the others, yeah?"

Nova wanted to open his mouth to complain. Didin't this welp know how long he had been waiting for this, and how much he deserved it for going so far out of his element? It was hardly fair! But Nova also didn't want to dry out his mouth by yapping with it. So he rolled onto his side with a groan, listening to the water wolf pick up his pail and pad over to Durandel.

Yous need some too, yeah fire wolf?

It's amazing how quickly things can turn. Here he was muzzled and bound being hand delivered by Atalanta and Shimmer Doom to the big bad wolf himself, Prometheus. He never intended to meet the reigning Alpha this way but he supposes that's his luck in life. Summanus shifted his gaze over to Atalanta, his haughty rival, she was definitely enjoying this. He could tell by that smirk of smug satisfaction. She truly believes she's finally bested him, and while he'll admit she's hasn't been slouching around, if it weren't for Shimmer being there, he might've won. He looked over to Shimmer who hasn't made eye contact with him since capturing him back at the Factory. Apparently she seems focus on the task ahead.

Of course her accomplice is different, Atalanta has already taken jabs at him while on the road to the palace. She likes to get underneath a Wolf's pelt but Summanus has never been one to react to such childish antics. He supposes that's why she targets him ruthlessly, she wants to get a rise out of him. The trip to the palace gates were rather uneventful, it would seem the Factory raid has drawn most of the attention of the present military. He hoped his comrades had brought that metal abomination down root and stem. He wasn't quite sure what Prometheus had planned to do with that device but whatever it was, it wasn't good. He was more worried however if his capturing jeopardized their mission. He would have to make his escape soon to be certain.

Unfortunately, he was sure his opportunity wouldn't come until he was taken out of Shimmer and Atalanta's care. That would probably mean he would have to wait until he is thrown into Prometheus's dungeons to get a chance. It was then Atalanta's voice jarred him from his plotting. "Hey wake up lazy ass! We're here!" She jeered. Summanus looked up to see the wide gates of the palace open for Shimmer and her cronies to enter. They pushed Summanus along as they walked in. The Two-Tailed Borak looked around him as he saw the Tenneth growl and stare maliciously at him. One could smell the aire of murderous intent on these Wolves. These are obviously the most fanatical Tenneth he's seen as he could see iconography of Prometheus everywhere. "Well aren't you mister popular all of a sudden? Bet you never had so many Wolves stop and stare at you, huh?" Atalanta giggled. Summanus didn't care, they could stare and growl and bare their fangs, he's seen it all before. Soon they headed deeper into the Palace until they came upon the Alpha's Hall.

Soon the group was stopped by two, rather, menacing looking Wolves. They appeared to be identical, the same size, face, scent, except one's fur was mostly red and while the other's was mostly blue. An odd fur color for a Tenneth but not many Wolves are born with two tails either, so who's he to judge? "Hold it." The Red one spoke. "Bero, Borvo." Shimmer spoke to the twin Wolves. "Where is Prometheus?" She asked. "Prometheus is in his chambers right now, he asked not to be disturbed." Bero answered. "Oh? Not even for me?" Shimmer replied. "Well, if you tell us what brings you here, we might be inclined to reach him." Bero responded. "I've brought him a choice prisoner." Shimmer said as she stepped aside to reveal Summanus. "Why brother, would you look at this? He's a rather serious looking Wolf ain't he?" Borvo chuckled as she circled around Summanus. "What's so special about this one?" Bero asked. "Hey brother look! He's got two tails!! What a freak!" Borvo laughed.

"He's Summanus the Stray. I'm sure you've heard tales of that mercenary before, have you not?" Shimmer asked. "A merc?" Bero spat at Summanus. "We had to kill quite a few of you bastards, haven't we Borvo?" "Oh yes, before we met Prometheus we were just common criminals, though we did make quite a name for ourselves." Borvo responded. "Yeah, the old government hired some mercs from the Trade to take care of us since we killed every Tenneth they sent our way. They too fell." Bero smirked. "It's too bad they didn't hire this one, he looks like a worthy opponent." Borvo commented. "Compared to you two idiots, I'm sure he does." Atalanta spoke. "What was that?!" Borvo sneered. "I'm just saying, you two are overlooking the most deadliest mercenary out there...me!" She bragged. "Atalanta!" Shimmer scolded. Atalanta grew silent. "Not only is he Summanus, he is also working for the Rebels and I'm sure he knows where they are hiding." Shimmer said as the brothers looked at each other. "If that's the case then Lord Prometheus should be quite pleased." Bero spoke. "Borvo, entertain our guests while I summon our Alpha." Bero spoke as he walked off towards the Alpha's Chambers. "Would you ladies like some water? Perhaps some wine or ale?" Borvo asked.

***

After a few moments of Borvo being a host Bero had returned with their precious leader, Prometheus. It would seem the legends didn't lie, he was a big Wolf, even compared with himself. He was at least three to four inches taller and had a good sixty pounds over him. Prometheus walked up to Shimmer as she bowed her head. "Greetings Lord Prometheus." "And you, General." Prometheus said as he nodded. Prometheus then looked over the general to view Summanus as his blazing blue eyes pierced the Borak, Summanus felt somewhat uneasy. Those eyes were striking as they stood out from his ash white fur with the only other thing more distracting are his facial scars. "So this is the rebel you've brought me?" Prometheus spoke as he walked up to Summanus. Imposing, Prometheus seemed to tower above Summanus, yet the Borak did not look away from the Tenneth Alpha. Prometheus snorted in Summanus's face before turning his tail to him. "So then, Summanus, I'll offer you a chance to redeem yourself. Why don't you come and work for me?" Atalanta along with the Twins left their maws agape. "Whatever the Resistance is paying you I can more than triple what they offered you. Not only that but I will pardon your transgression against the Tenneth Pack and after the war is over and done with you may retire on any Tenneth land we hold along with a generous severance." Prometheus spoke furthering the surprise from those present. Prometheus then turned back to face Summanus. "How about it? Wealth, land, and a place for the Stray to call home, not a bad offer is it?" Prometheus finished.

The tyrant then turned to Shimmer, "Now General, could you be so kind as to remove the muzzle? So I can hear his answer." Prometheus asked. Atalanta looked to Shimmer, "Wait you can't! What if he attacks?!" She proclaimed. Shimmer did not heed her subordinate's plea and removed the muzzle. The iron bindings then dropped to the ground as Summanus snorted. The Borak looked to the Alpha and yes, striking him down with a bolt of lightning sounded like a good idea. But he knew that wouldn't end well and there wasn't a guarantee he could summon a bolt strong enough to down someone of Prometheus's build before he's killed by Atalanta's blade. "What's the catch?" He asked. "No catch...of course if you agree then you would have to out your former employers, but as a merc, money is worth more than honor." Prometheus spoke. "Then I'm afraid you don't know Mercs very well. We may fight for money but when everything is said and done, honor is what makes a Merc truly valuable." Summanus answered. "I had an inkling you would say that, muzzle him." Prometheus ordered as Atalanta and Shimmer fasten the muzzle back on him. "I guess we will have to do this the hard way then. Take him to the dungeons and prepare the torture chamber! I want to know where those rebels are before they relocate, now hurry! Time is of the essence!" Prometheus ordered as Bero and Borvo took Summanus and herded him to the dungeons. "Get a move on merc trash!" Borvo spat. "You're going to regret your answer very shortly." Bero said in Summanus's ear.

***

Summanus was quite, unceremoniously tossed into a cell. "Tell our Alpha no eh!?" Borvo spat as he slashed Summanus's haunches. Summanus winced as he shoved off his attacker. "Why you!" Borvo bit down on Summanus's ear as ringed it about. After words Borvo knocked Summanus down to the ground and began to kick at him. "Don't get too ahead of yourself brother, we have some torturing to do." Bero spoke. "Of course, just a little warm up." He said as he kicked him once more. "I'll save the rest for later." Borvo mocked as the brothers walked out and closed the cell behind them. The Twins then disappeared down the hall leaving Summanus alone with his thoughts. Immediately the Borak surveyed the cell, looking for any imperfections that he could exploit. Unfortunately the cell was rather immaculate, it would seem the Tenneth Alphas spared no expense when crafting their dungeons. It would take considerable time to claw at the walls to create an exit, time he most certainly did not have. The bars were made of high quality iron, he's not going to be able to just bust right through them. Besides he was still chained and muzzle, leaving the poor Borak defenseless...well not entirely. His static disperse is his only attack and defense but he needs to be smart, he can't just whip that move out when he feels like it. It will trip anyone up but only once, so he's going to have to make it count.

"Damn, it would seem I will be tortured before I can make it out of here." The Wolf thought to himself. "Unless a miracle happens...I might have to wait for a rescue...except, I do hope they aren't foolish enough to try something so drastic as to raid the pala-," Summanus then stopped in mid thought ,"Actually they probably are." It wasn't long before Summanus's new friends showed up to have their fun. "It's time, Merc." Bero spoke sinisterly.


***

What seemed like days, was but an hour or two, but one loses sense of time when constantly subjected to pain. Of course the Borak was resilient enough to endure the pain. No matter what those two did, he did not budge, he did not speak, not a word. That didn't stop the two from trying but their game was about to come to a sudden halt. One of the Prometheans informed the Twins that the factory housing the drill project was in fact destroyed along with a good portion of the industrial sector. This of course displeased his captors but they didn't seem much to concern. "You must think this some victory Merc? But you'd be wrong. You see, I'll let you in on a secret," Bero leaned in close, " We have another drill that's being worked on, right below us right now. It's the Alpha's personal forgeworks! Soon the project will be completed on time. I'll leave you with that for now, the Alpha is summoning us. Let's go." Bero finished as he and his brother left Summanus strapped to a table. This wasn't good, all of that effort for nothing?

No, not for nothing, that's one drill left for Prometheus to use. Yet what Bero said did bug him, on time, that sounds like their plans aren't delayed in the slightest. So whatever it is, it apparently doesn't need two drills, Prometheus must have been cautious and asked for two to be made. Being left alone, all he could think of where the others rather than his own pain. After awhile only Borvo returned. "Oh boy, aren't you a lucky Wolf!" Borvo snickered. "You were about to get it! Prometheus was in quite a mood and I'm pretty sure he would've taken it out on you! Then he received some good news and decided to just let me handle it. Isn't that great? It's just you and me buddy! HAHAHAHAHA!" Borvo laughed. Summanus then sensed his chance was closer than he thought.

___________

The message was received. As soon as the words were heard by his ears himself, Prometheus had asked for the Wolf where he got the message from. He was told the message came from a wolf in the barracks near the industrial sector. Knowing this Prometheus sends Bero out to fetch this wolf, quickly and carefully. Handed with this task Bero quickly headed out. It wasn't before long when Bero appeared at the barracks asking around for the mystery wolf. It was then the commanding officer at the barracks led him to Vesta.

"This is the one?" Bero asked. "That she is." The Officer responded. Bero then walked up to Vesta, "Hello, the Alpha requests your presence and I've been ordered to escort you there, personally." Bero spoke. "When you're ready please come with me, Lord Prometheus is anxious to speak with you." He said.

Blue slept for the entire duration it took Mydnyte to carry her back to the hideout. She even slept through the hot water being splashed on her by Tiberius, but after several minutes or so of being on the cot and having a higher than normal temp... she woke up.

At first, she was wondering why her nose was dry and cracked, and not to mention her throat. It hurt to swallow! She grimaced and blinked her droopy eyes for a few seconds before raising her head. She licked her lips and panted, "Why am I soaked in warm water?" It was an out of the blue question, but it seems no one had heard her speak.

They were all busy talking about Summanus and of course, this was the moment Vesta and Amarok rushed out from underneath a cot! It spooked her somewhat, but being so exhausted and dehydrated, Blue could only blink. Did anyone even bother to notice them bolting out and away? Guess not. Well, maybe the wolf that had been laying in the cot above where they had been.... "Nova!"

Blue coughed, trying to wet the insides of her mouth, "What happened to you? And your eyes..." She had stood up and stepped off her cot to get closer to Nova.... and Khan apparently. "How did you even make it here?" She nudged Nova's neck with her nose as if trying to make sure he was real and alive. Her amazement at Nova and Khan being so brutally wounded kept her from mourning over her lost pendant.

"I can't beli-" Her voice cut off once she saw Tiberius... She wanted to growl at him but instead, an inkling of a memory flitted across her mind. It was brief but... It kept her from becoming aggressive toward him for no reason. "Do I know you, fishscales?" Her brows knitted together at the familiarity of this strange wolf as she tried hard to place him. Fishscales. Blue water. Green fea-

Blue shook her head and winced, "Ah, nevermind this place is far too hot. It's making me dizzy." She sat beside Durandel, "Why couldn't you have been a flower wolf, Khan? That way we'd be fighting in a field of flowers instead of this hot mess." Her voice was raspy and her eyes were red hinting, at tears she had shed moments earlier. She looked defeated in every aspect. This talk of hers was just automatic behavior that she couldn't help.

Inside, Blue's soul had seemed to shrivel up and disappear the moment she had realized the hard truth.

Finding her pendant was... unlikely.

Finding her way out of this mess... was unlikely.

There was a hollowness in her chest, as she closed her eyes. "It is likely that after all of this is over, not all of us will be able to group together like this. That being said," Blue looked up towards Fang and Mydnyte, "What are we going to do now?"

She wanted the most dangerous mission there was, knowing the more dangerous it was, the likelihood that she would not come out of it alive.

When Vesta and Amarok burst from beneath his caught, Nova had been flirting with unconsciousness. Though the water wolf had left just moments before, and he hadn't felt any particularly tiredness distinct from his general discomfort, something about laying in a world of darkness made drifting to sleep seem natural. Not so after two shewolves shot out from under his bed. Vesta's disturbance had been fairly benign compared to Amarok's, who jostled him hard enough that his head knocked into the wall with a thud. From the speed of their flight, he doubted that his subsequent swearing even caught up with their ears.

Trying to return his new status quo, Nova settled back in a degree grumpier. Although he had tuned the general bickering about Summanus out, one word pierced his mental block. His own name. "Nova!" It was Blue's voice. It was a pleasant shock to hear her awake, from the general mutterings of the others the Ausi had supposed that she had been rather hurt. Perhaps it was worse than he had thought, he had never heard her sound concerned for him. What he would give to see that.

"Don't worry, dearest Dey," Nova responded, unable to resist the old callback, "it ain't as bad for me as you think. I'll never have to stay up to take watch again." He wondered how she looked, her voice sounded rather weak. At least in comparison to Durandel, anyway, but perhaps he wasn't the best standard for comparison. After feeling her nudging, thankfully more gentle than that nurse wolf had been, he heard her grunting at the water wolf. Good. If it made him feel uncomfortable enough, maybe he would go and get more water.

"It is likely that after all of this is over, not all of us will be able to group together like this. That being said, what are we going to do now?" Sleep, drink, and be weary. That was his vote. Hadn't they done enough damage to the enemy and themselves for one day? Besides, how many knew where they were? They had to be relatively safe here.


He had nearly finished giving the fire wolf his share of water when the black wolf startled him. "Do I know you, fishscales?" No, of course she didn't. No one here knew him, and he didn't know any of them. He thought this awkward situation had already been established. "N-no. I'm jus' here ta help, though I ain't the best..." Tiberius said, his voice trailing off as he saw her visibly lose interest. Quickly finishing his work, he grabbed the pail between his teeth and shuffled back towards Blossom.

"We shouldn't be here, Feathers..." the water wolf said, more wearily than uneasily. He couldn't shake the black wolf's question. Fishscales. It was a unique enough nickname, and not really that accurate. It's not like he had any fish skin...at least that he could see. Just a fin. Maybe that's why no wolf ever called him that since had they had been with Drais.

Durandel watched as Nova seemed to have finally passed out. The Ausi was beat and the heat isn't doing him any favors in regards to his condition. That was when Vesta and Amarok had suddenly rushed out causing things to be worse for his poor friend. He would run after them if it didn't hurt so much to move. Yet this greatly troubled Mydnyte who barked after the pair. "NO!! Now is NOT the time for your antics!!" He barked to no avail. He growled as Vesta lit up part of the shop, just what was she doing!? Not to mention he was greatly concerned about Amarok, whom he considered to be the last member of his Pack. "Fang we have to go after them." He said. "Yeah but we gotta put out the fire first." Fang mentioned.

As the two Kamaria went up to the front they heard someone on the otherside of the fire. "No, no, no, stop! Stop burning!" The voice cried. Fang went over to the vantage point to see that Tenneth from earlier putting out the fire with his own body. "Hey, what are you doing!?" Fang called out. Chaz however wasn't focused on the voice that called towards him. He was more concerned with putting out the flames. He stomped on the fire with paws over and over and over again. "Just hold on, we're coming to help!" Fang said as he went out the side entrance. He looked to see that Chaz had snuffed out most the fire and with a couple more stomps he had killed it. "Are you alright?" Fang had asked. Chaz looked over to him panting, "Y-Yeah..." Chaz wheezed. "Here come inside we've got a Wolf here that might help with any burns." Fang spoke. Chaz nodded his head and went inside.

Mydnyte looked at the Tenneth quizzically as if trying to gauge him as a Wolf. "You won't believe it but this Wolf put out the flames with his own paws." Fang said to Mydnyte. "W-Well...Tenneth don't burn like other Wolves...so Chaz thought he should be able to snuff it out himself." He said. "Hm, did you see where those other Wolves went?" Mydnyte asked. Chaz was a little put off by the question. "W-Well," Chaz paused feeling nervous about the answer, since he didn't get a clear look at which direction they went. He was scared the black wolf will yell at him again. "Well, out with it!" Mydnyte growled. Chaz yipped. "I-I-I'm sorry! Chaz didn't get a good look at where they ran! C-Chaz was scared that his friends would've burned alive! That's why I put out the flames!! I-I'm sorry, I know Chaz is useless!" He cried. Then Fang tried to calm him down. "No, your not useless, you helped to stop the fire from becoming a huge problem. Thank you." Chaz perked up as he looked towards Fang surprised.

"You...don't think Chaz is useless?" He asked with big puppy dog eyes. Fang a little off put by the look nervously responded, "No, not particularly." Fang chuckled. "That's the nicest thing anyone has said to me! You're a good Wolf!" Chaz said nearly to tears. "Please, don't, don't blubber like that." Fang asked nearly embarrassed by the Wolf. "Good grief! You really are pathetic aren't you?" Mydnyte groaned. "Well what should we do now? Try and find them?" Fang asked. "Vesta should know her way around, I'm sure she'll be fine but Amarok, we need to find her right away." Mydnyte said as he walked past Fang and Chaz. "You stay here Fang...most of the Wolves here are injured and they are going to need protection, I'll go at it alone." Mydnyte decided. "You sure?" Fang asked. Mydnyte turned and nodded to Fang before running off himself.

Durandel looked over to see the commotion. "Never a dull moment...huh, Nova? You alright by the way?" He asked. That was when Blue came to. Almost immediately she went over to check on the poor Ausi. Durandel will admit, it was good to see her up and around.

"Ah, nevermind this place is far too hot. It's making me dizzy." She sat beside Durandel, "Why couldn't you have been a flower wolf, Khan? That way we'd be fighting in a field of flowers instead of this hot mess."

"If we were all flower wolves then the world would be a better place." Durandel responded. "I'm glad to see your still with us. Seeing all of his on death's door was starting to bring me down." Durandel spoke as he looked over to Nova. "I wish we didn't have to fight anymore...I wish we could all just come together and talk through our problems rather than commit to bloodshed." He spoke mopingly. Durandel looked over to the recent commotion talking about an apparent fire and it's subsequent quenching. It would seem they found a friendly Tenneth for once, though this new Tenneth sounded wimpy. That's pretty funny in an ironic sort of way. It would seem Vesta and Amarok are the source for this new development, Durandel could only sigh. If he wasn't so hurt he would help but right now his best option to wait it out. Though he was beginning to believe that waiting it out here was becoming a worse idea by the minute.


There was a hollowness in her chest, as she closed her eyes. "It is likely that after all of this is over, not all of us will be able to group together like this. That being said," Blue looked up towards Fang and Mydnyte, "What are we going to do now?"

Fang just scratched at his ear and gave a sigh. "It's too dangerous to get up and move around, we've already had two of our group just bolt off for no good reason. Right now, we need to regroup with the rest of the Resistance if we're going to do anything else. Except it's going to be difficult to move when quite a bit of you are injured. I can't carry all of you by myself." Fang answered.


***

Mydnyte did his best to follow Amarok's scent as he looked around for the young She-Wolf. He heard some of the Tenneth wandering around, it seems like they've about gained control of the situation. That was when he heard a howl, some of the nearby Tenneth were being called. He overheard one of them say about cutting off a fugitive that was heading in this direction. He could only assume they must be talking about Amarok. Which was unfortunate for her, for a Kamarian she wasn't very good at being stealthy. Now more than twice the amount of Wolves was after her. Too many for her to fight off, even with Mydnyte which he would come to find out in a few moments.

Mydnyte tried his best to move ahead of the incoming Prometheans but it was hard since he had to keep from revealing his position as well. That was when he decided he need a better sight of where she was. Mydnyte ducked into a nearby two-story building. It would seem the Wolves inside had been evacuated in light of the recent attack. Mydnyte climbed the stairs and made his way to the roof to get a better look. There he saw her, Amarok was being chased by somewhere around a dozen Wolves. "By the fang! Did she have to get the whole army after her?!" Mydnyte cursed underneath his breath. Luckily she was faster then the pursuing Wolves but she was about to be cut off by a squad of Tenneth. Seeing this, Mydnyte decided to manipulate what little shadows were there in a nearby alley. Creating his best shadow decoy, he had the image of a Wolf step out from behind the wall and then quickly turn and bolt away. "There, there's the rebel trash!" One of the Tenneth shouted. The squad then bounded down the alleyway running after his decoy. This cleared the way for Amarok but now they have to shake the rest of them. Mydnyte lept from roof to roof to get ahead of Amarok so he could cut her off.

After leaping down a few rooftops he was able to get ahead of Amarok quite a ways down. That was he called out to her from a nearby alley before she ran past him. "Amarok over here!" He called out to her.

Fang just scratched at his ear and gave a sigh. "It's too dangerous to get up and move around, we've already had two of our group just bolt off for no good reason. Right now, we need to regroup with the rest of the Resistance if we're going to do anything else. Except it's going to be difficult to move when quite a bit of you are injured. I can't carry all of you by myself." Fang answered.

Blue was itching to move, and give her stress a physical outlet but everything was working against her. By the time anything actually happens, I'll be dead from all this stress. Why won't things ever go my way for once!? Her ears twitched, the only outward sign of her irritation.

With a quick sniff. "I know your in there Resistance, this is one of the rendezvous points. I'm coming in and I'm not looking for a fight. Don't worry no one else is around." As Augue finishes talking, he walks up to the front door and looks in before entering.

Blue got to her paws instantly, save for a small moment where she swayed, she thought she looked intimidating. She was growling and baring her teeth like an honest warrior however... it really didn't suit her. Especially since her teeth were only half bared and the growl she had hoped to sound aggressive ended up... Well, sounding like a young cub trying to snarl. It all ended in a cough. Yeah, Blue pretending to be half heartedly aggressive at any other time would make even the most serious wolf laugh, yet in this situation it showed her dedication to her part as a spy.

Had she actually taken this seriously, she would have proven her mother's bloodline in ferocity alone. That aside, even though she was a spy and a soldier, deep inside she just wished for all the fighting to stop. She was not bloodthirsty or war hungry like the rest of her siblings were. Though the instincts of a predatory wolf did live in her, she wasn't so quick to act on it... What a poor excuse of an Alvan she would be.

"Fang, what do we do?" Blue barked the question at the young rookie of a leader. With Mydnyte gone, she had assumed he held the power of a leader. "Shouldnt we kill him? What if he's a spy?"

Blue wanted them to fight amongst themselves.

Blossom really hoped Fang knew this Blue wolf and that he would tell her quickly when Tiberius appeared beside her. With an empty pail. "We shouldn't be here, Feathers..." The pail is empty...

Blossom looked back at the blind wolf known as Mister Nova and looked back at Tiberius. She did this several times before a feeling of frustration made her want to pluck her feathers out. Of course she didn't do this, nor did she take her anger out on Tiberius but... she couldn't help but grind her teeth. "Just think of it as an adventure, 'Berius. And please can you get some more water? But this time take it to Mister Nova so he can wash out his eyes?" Without waiting for an answer, she tried to grab Mister Fang's attention but he was awfully busy situating everyone and just talking about things that couldn't hold her attention at all.

Blossom was irked with not being able to get anyone to talk to her... since they were all talking! Sometimes at once and apparently two strange she wolves had decided to leave against their leader's commands... And mister Nova fell unconscious! And Mister Mydnyte left, too! Blossom felt like the world was moving in a giant swirl around her and her breathing was... getting to heavy... not enough air...

With a quick sniff. "I know your in there Resistance, this is one of the rendezvous points. I'm coming in and I'm not looking for a fight. Don't worry no one else is around." As Augue finishes talking, he walks up to the front door and looks in before entering.

He looked scarier than the big fire wolf besides Mister Nova, but that was.... Everything was... moving! And the ground was spinning away!

"Fang, what do we do?" Blue barked the question at Mister Fang. "Shouldnt we kill him? What if he's a spy?"

Blossom had had enough of this nonsense, her fur and feathers revealing her annoyance with the way they puffed up.

She snapped, "EVERYONE SHUT YOUR YAPS! WE HAVE HURT WOLVES HERE WHO NEED IT TO BE QUIET! AND NO ONE IS KILLING OR FIGHTING ANYONE!" She raged at the black she wolf who had suggested killing the new scary wolf before turning to face Chaz, "CHAZ YOU'RE NOT USELESS SO PLEASE STOP CRYING! NOW! NO ONE ELSE IS LEAVING THIS PLACE UNTIL I CHECK EVERYONE FOR SERIOUS OWIES." The little she wolf stood strong and confident for once. Maybe it's cause she was emulating a mad Drais? If she really was trying be like Drais, then even the biggest wolf here would be afraid of her and do as she said, regardless of her size and age. "Now, I'm sorry for shouting but Mister Fang," she cleared her throat, "I'm sure this stranger isn't so scary but please, can you answer my earlier question?"

The salve given to him by the young nurse seemed to be working, as some of the swelling had begun to recede. Having applied a bit of the excess goop to the pad of his paw, Nova picked at some of the glass that he had stepped on with his teeth. He managed to pull a couple shards out while he listened to Durandel pine.

"I'm glad to see your still with us. Seeing all of his on death's door was starting to bring me down. I wish we didn't have to fight anymore...I wish we could all just come together and talk through our problems rather than commit to bloodshed."

Nova spat out particularly nasty shard before pressing his paw into his fur to stem the bleeding. "Might be sadder, but sure is a lot easier to fight, mate. Have you ever heard two wolves argue without getting angry? The strong don't need to reason. Wolves like to prove they're strong rather than preach it," Nova responded with a grimace. His pad felt like it was on fire, but perhaps he would be able walk on it without causing further damage.

"In fact you know what happened when I tried to talk to my pack about Rashid? It was right after our prison break. It was almost like they didn't want to believe all this was because of him, because that would mean that we would have to stop our-" Nova continued, before he was decisively interrupted by all sorts of snarling and shrieking. It was the little healer wolf that ultimately won the noise war, but Nova was more focused on wishing she would snap her yap than wondering why she raged. Something about owies.

After she quieted down, Nova returned to his first thought. "Case in point mate. It'd be much easier to deal with a screamin' pup like that with a quick swipe of the claws than talking it out."


Tiberius had just begun to reluctantly follow his friend's wishes to go back out to the street for more water when he was stopped by the sight of the new fire wolf approaching. As he still counted new wolves as hostiles until proven otherwise, the Arlyne quickly ducked back inside the hospital to wait for the stranger to pass. However, the Tenneth followed him in, and so Tiberius slunk back towards Blossom. A mistake apparently.

After dropping the bucket in visible shock of his friend's outburst, it took Tiberius a moment before he sprang to action. Scared for her safety, especially since she probably just ticked off every wolf present, the Arlyne tried to get between her and Fang, the nearest wolf to her. "S-sorry sah!" Tiberius said quickly, backing his rump into Blossom to try and open some distance between her and the Kamarian. "S-she's just crazy, okay? Feathers hasn't had water in a good long while, an' you've all been so kind ta' us, I-I'll jus' take her an' me out the back an' we'll get out of your furs, yeah?"

He turned to try and body-block his friend from getting back into the fray, trying to encourage her through gritted teeth. "C'mon, Feathers. We don't belong here..."

Fang Hunter and Durandel

He didn't like to hear it and would like to tell Nova, "Now that's just the pessimism talking", but he's right. As far as he wants that for himself or anyone else he knows, he understands why. After all of the things they've seen and experienced...he could feel himself starting to think the same way. All of their struggles have been answered by one thing, fighting. And if it wasn't fighting one thing, then it's fighting with each other like right now. He was getting tired of it too and being injured didn't help much with that either. That was when Nova went into this reminiscence about a prison break when the wolf with the one wing decided to just yell at everyone. Nice one.

Durandel then half-expected to hear Mydnyte yell back at the outburster until he remembered Fang was in charge for the moment. Of course, they hardly listened to Mydnyte it seemed for half the time, so will anyone even listen to Fang? That was when Nova leaned in with his last words.

"Case in point mate. It'd be much easier to deal with a screamin' pup like that with a quick swipe of the claws than talking it out."

Durandel wasn't quite sure what to say to that. All he could think of was, "We just got to find another way." He spoke as he shook his head and sigh. Fang was quite surprised to hear all of that come from the young Wolf that had just entered their presence. He could see why Mydnyte could be so grouchy all the time. This is some tough work. Fang scratched behind the ear again. He was worried about the new sudden voice of a stranger, where any wolf in his position, would not trust. Yet, he didn't believe killing everyone outright isn't right. He just looked over to Blossom as Tiberius was trying to shove her away. "You want to know who Blue is? She's the Wolf you just yelled at." Fang answered as he pointed his nose towards Blue. That was then Fang walked past her to go and meet this mysterious Wolf.

"Alright, but if you want to talk, you'll stay right there." Fang said to the stranger. He looked back to the others. "Blue, I'm going to go talk to him. If you hear anything strange, then I want you to get everyone out and keep them safe alright?" He told Blue, a tone of seriousness that you wouldn't expect to hear from out of Fang. Fang then turned to the door and said, "Alright stranger, you have my attention but you better not try anything suspicious. I may not look it, but I'm fast and I can stop you dead before you could do anything else. And I would really hate for it to have to come to that." Fang warned. "So, then, what do you want?" Fang asked.


_________________________




Mydnyte was quite relieved to see Amarok alright. She was pretty good with her shadow play so it wasn't as bad as he thought to lose those guards. Still they could have her scent, once they get back they will have to leave right away. He then watched as the young Kamarian walked up to him to say her thanks.

"Well that was fun. Good job finding me. Still no sign of Vesta. Hope she is ok. So you wouldn't happen to know were to go from here would you? I got kinda turned around. And when are we going to meet up with the rest of the resistance?

"What in the hell where you thinking!? Huh!? Running off like that!? Did you know you could have gotten yourself captured or worse, killed!?" Mydnyte barked at Amarok while keeping his voice low and quiet. Mydnyte then quickly calmed himself as he let out a breath. "Look, just don't run off like that again, unless we tell you. Alright?" He said finishing his reprimand. "Come on let's go, I know how to get back to the others." He said as he walked on expecting Amarok to follow. As Mydnyte moved on, he made his way back towards the hideout without any notable problem. That was until he returned to see a strange wolf standing before the shop.

Backtracking, Mydnyte stooped low and hid behind a corner wall. He looked on, sizing up the newcomer and seeing what kind of threat he imposed. That was when Mydnyte could smell the scent of fresh blood in the air. He followed his nose only to lead his gaze towards a pair of dead Tenneth. Those corpses certainly weren't there when he left but there was something off about it. He didn't see any signs of battle. Not only is there no scorch marks around but judging by the looks on their faces, they were taken by surprise. Now the question is who did them in? Was it one of there's or was it this stranger? If he did turn on his comrades does that make him a friend or foe? He could be an ally or a spy. In Mydnyte's eyes, to turn on one's packmates like that, the reason had better be a good one.

Then Mydnyte stretched out his right front paw signaling for Amarok to stay back. He wanted to observe this newcomer for a bit. See if he could spot out his intentions before attacking. That was when Fang had stopped him by the door to speak with the strange wolf. "What are you doing Fang!?" Mydnyte thought to himself. He had thought he taught him better than to be within striking distance of another Wolf, especially if you suspect he could be a hostile! Now he can only hope, that if he turns out to be a foe, Mydnyte could quickly close the gap between them before serious harm comes to Fang. Mydnyte eyed him carefully looking for any signs of attack, the situation was tense indeed.

"S-sorry sah!" Tiberius said quickly, backing his rump into Blossom to try and open some distance between her and the Kamarian. "S-she's just crazy, okay? Feathers hasn't had water in a good long while, an' you've all been so kind ta' us, I-I'll jus' take her an' me out the back an' we'll get out of your furs, yeah?"
"C'mon, Feathers. We don't belong here..."

Blossom's face was strangely distorted in what one could assume was anger and indignation, an unusual look for a wolf such as the happy go lucky Blossom. "What? No, Tiberius we can't leave now..."

"You want to know who Blue is? She's the Wolf you just yelled at."

Blue, who had been glaring the Tenneth stranger, was startled by the sudden mention of her name to one of the new wolves she hadn't been introduced to. It however didn't bother her enough to look away from Augue. Her emotions needed to be expressed and if it meant attacking this wolf then so be it... though her ulterior motives kept her from outright attacking him in front of the group of rebels. But maybe he could be provoked? Or if he decided on his own to attack, she could attack? No, he looks too smart for that.

Blossom looked toward Blue, and her ears went up while her tail wagged tiredly. Her annoyance and frustration disappeared in an instance as she realized she had kept her promise to Riko.

She wanted to bounce right up to Blue and deliver the message right then and there, but the rising tension in the room got the better of her. "Berius, we found her we can't leave now!" The whisper was directed at Tiberius and hopefully, her friend would stop trying to leave. Couldn't he see how amazing this was? Wolves of fire, ice and shadows were grouped together. And they were fighting together instead of trying to kill each other! Wouldn't Drais, their previous caretaker, think this was amazing as well? "I bet Drais would join them if he met them."

"Blue, I'm going to go talk to him. If you hear anything strange, then I want you to get everyone out and keep them safe alright?" He told Blue, a tone of seriousness that you wouldn't expect to hear from out of Fang. Fang then turned to the door and said, "Alright stranger, you have my attention but you better not try anything suspicious. I may not look it, but I'm fast and I can stop you dead before you could do anything else. And I would really hate for it to have to come to that." Fang warned. "So, then, what do you want?" Fang asked.

Blue flowered, well, she was already glowering and if anything, the area around her just darkened some more. She really wore her moods well.

"Fang, we should just kill him or torture him. I bet he would know what happened to Summanus. We could torture it as well as other secrets out of him," she growled menacingly, ignoring Blossom's earlier outburst about not killing anyone. Blue was not one to be easily swayed. Not this time.

It seemed nothing Tiberius did was getting through to his friend. It was past point of being unsettling. Never before had the two of them been so at odds with what they wanted to do, what their goals were. They had always been a fire-forged team on just about everything. Where to camp, what to play, how to survive, they always did the smart thing. Together. Now, it felt like he was trying to hold her back by the tail from jumping into a fire. Even as she fought him every step of the way.

But it seemed for a moment that finally this dangerously silly sideshow was at an end, and they could finally get off this hellacious mountain. They found Blue. Blossom could finally give her mystery message she had been so fanatical about. The job was done. But her next words killed that hope.

"I bet Drais would join them if he met them."

The words hit like a claw swipe to the face. She couldn't seriously consider joining this rotten pack of wounded mercenaries a good idea! There was no way Drais would have, either. This lot honestly didn't look much different than the group of brutes that kept them locked up in the mines -- and if that Blue one was anything to show for it, spoke like them too. Tiberius didn't care that a few wolves from different packs were getting along in magic racial harmony. That just meant more types of weapons. All he saw was a bunch of wolves who could kill him and Blossom in any conceivable way if they so much as came in the door at the wrong time. He wasn't looking for a new pack. He already had one of those, with Feathers and someday his parents. He just wanted to go home.

A hollow look sat on his features as he looked after Blossom. He couldn't bear to argue with her anymore, he knew he'd say something hurtful if he did. The normally talkative wolf just managed a meek whisper, "P-please jus' say your thing to her, F-featha"

The intensity in the room was growing, and like an inferno waiting to erupt, Blossom was finding it difficult to control herself. Waiting was never her forte.

"P-please jus' say your thing to her, F-featha" Tiberius whispered pitifully.

She hadn't noticed it untill then.

Her best friend looked.... Upset? No, 'Berius couldn't be upset.

She blinked and tilted her head, whispering, "What's wrong 'Berius? You look sick to your stomach."

She cast out the idea of Tiberius being upset and immediately thought maybe that he was sick from the journey or something. He couldn't possibly be upset about the wolves around them, right? Didn't they both need friends? And these wolves here could be their friends, right? Her mind wasn't picking up on his unsettled behavior. Scratch that. It was, but she was denying it. As she was so desperate to keep this newfound feeling of being... Needed. Like she had a purpose and that there was more to this suffering of life then hiding and surviving. These wolves were filling her with hope.

"Maybe you should drink some water?" She half-heartedly smiled. "I know I'm a lil thirsty. Don't worry, I'll tell Blue the message but after all this funny business is over." She poked Tiberius with her nose before turning her attention back to the Conversation about whether or not to kill the fiery stranger.