Fluffy POV -

The night had gone by slowly, like the progression of grains of sand through open paws. I spent almost all of it alternating between quietly observing the walls I had erected in pure hatred, or howling my sorrow and desperation toward the Moon, toward Mother.

She did not answer, and for the first time I felt a flare of anger toward her. It was short lived, but it shamed me all the same. Mother was not physical, she could not aid me in so simple a manner. She would come, I knew this within my heart. But I feared it would be too late for my little Shura. That was the root of my anger flash, and like with any of my offspring, the cause of most outbursts I ever had. Their safety had always been paramount in my life.

Now that I had to choose between one and my Packs, knowing the winner and yet bound by the shackles of Duty to the Packs I felt true helplessness once more. I felt it all the more as the dawn crested the horizon, and the Hunting Pack had not yet returned.

I tried to soothe my fears, rationalizing that they may have had to go to ground, or take a different route home. Though I feared they had met a far worse fate. My Son was too injured to go out, and I would not risk him even if he said he could do it, the same with my other Daughter. They would be the backbone of the Packs should I fall, and regardless of whether Shura was alive, or not, they must remain alive to lead in my stead in the worst case scenario.

I sighed, trying hard to shake my worries from me. It was not an easy task, but I did manage to put them aside to focus on the goal. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do as well, but it needed done before we took on our task.

Returning to the interior of the Den, I made my way back toward the Central chamber and the War Council. I met the little female that had made the plan that would, in all likelihood, lead to my own death. It was no wonder she maintained leadership of a Pack of Dark Hounds, and Orthos combined.

The majority of the three Species of my people tended to separate into Packs that would understand them, Hellhounds went into the Packs they were Born and waited to be strong enough to Evolve, or they bred more for the future. But her Pack had maintained a balance of power between the Orthos and Hellhounds, something seen mostly in my Offsprings Packs. It made me somewhat wary of her, for a Hellhound to be this cunning could be dangerous if we survived. But for now, it gave us our best chance of surviving.

Upon arriving at the War Council within the Central Chamber I saw that the majority were prepared for the coming confrontation. The Den was packed with so many of the Packs Warriors. Each of our surviving Packs had called all available Warriors for the coming fight. My own part in this plan was both the largest, and the smallest. I had to gather all as many of the Dark Ones as I could, as well as their Leader into the Gorge for our trap.

Furra and his entire Pack, pregnant females and the few cubs aside, would be with me in the bait portion of the little ones plan. I had my issues with the biased Orthos, but he was one of my strongest Pack Leaders, and his Pack the most battle hardened. I could not truly ask for better to accompany me into what would become a very bloody and pitched battle while hoping that as many as could survive did so.

I went to the center, taking one last look at the private Chamber that held my Eldest Son and Daughter. My Eldest was in and out of consciousness, while my Daughter was worried for Shura. She was my obedient offspring though, and understood the need to have her and her Brother remain behind with what few Defenders we could spare along with the Females heavy with Cubs, and the Cubs that survived so far.

I regarded everyone within the Chamber, and addressed them through both my mouths. It made my growls and barks seem to echo outward.

“We march today, to what may be the last battle our People can muster. We must succeed as well. If we fail in stopping the Dark Ones today, those remaining that cannot fight will be cut down like so much chaff. Or need to run for the remainder of their lives just to survive in a land where they are always hunted, or be killed by those we kept from our Lands. You all know what needs to be done, you all know our Packs and Cubs are at stake...Take them with you if you fall, but strive to return.” I paused a moment, and then raised both my heads and howled in the Chamber.

Slowly each and every single one of the several Hundred within the Den and those outside waiting to move out joined me. It was a Howl of Hunting, a call to all that heard that we would move out to fight, and to kill as well as die. Fear was purged from my kind, a simple fact of what we were denied us it for the most part when entering battle. So I howled our hunting song, and moved out of the Den with Furra and his Pack, while the rest went in another direction toward the Gorge. I only hoped my Daughter and our missing Hunting Party were still alive….

We had arrived at the Gorge, and I saw along the tops the others, led by a few Pack Leaders each, were almost in position. They would begin calling forth the stone needed to tumble down upon all of the ones we managed to get to chase us into the Gorge.

They were far enough from the battle lines where all the small Packs not present at the War Council were fighting and dying to buy time. I had sent a runner forward and had them clear the Gorge area a few hours prior to our arrival. It was not a place that required defence since the Dark Ones never wandered into it willingly.

It would allow us to continue our plan without arousing suspicion, just in case they thought to wonder why it remained guarded as well. I hoped they continued to display no signs of actual intelligence beyond animalistic cunning. It would make what we were about to begin go much smoother.

We ran between the narrow and twisting walls of the Gorge toward the other side. It was a long trail that had a great deal of blind spots. Every thirty feet I would have two or three of Furra’s Pack split off and lay in the bend of a blind spot to ambush the first of the Dark Ones that made it around any bend. They would likely die in the resulting wave that I hoped followed, but they would have antagonized them further and in their anger the Dark Ones should continue the chase, regardless of the obvious ambushes and hit and run tactics employed.

I growled lightly when Furra walked up beside me, reminding him to remain just behind my head and slightly lower. The Lower was not an issue, I was almost twice the size of the large Orthos as is. Slightly behind was what he always ‘forgot’. I could not allow for any form of dissention now, least of all if it was to be my last day.

He stayed just behind me, growling in return and baring his fangs. They were growing in aggression, they could smell the blood up ahead at the end of the Gorge, both our own and the Dark Ones. If I strained my ears I even heard the faint yips and howls of both sides in their pitched fighting.

It bothered me, that the Packs of the War Council and myself could not join the smaller Packs that held the line, but if this worked they could return home and the loss of life would have been worth it. I ignored the cruel whisper within my mind asking if my own Daughter's death would be as well. That answer I could not even think now. It would be a distraction.

I shook my right head, while keeping my left straight as we got closer to the end of the Gorge. It created a very disorienting feeling, more so when I saw two things, and one of them was shaking somewhat. I had grown use to it after all this time however and adapted quickly.

When we finally reached the end of the Gorge I could smell all the death that had happened on the battle lines. I had been here often before, sowing death among the Dark Ones seemingly never ending tide of chaos and destruction, but the smell had grown worse in the time I had been gone.

The worse part, judging by the stench, it was mostly my people that have been doing the dying. It lends credit to a report that the Three Headed Beast had been making a larger presence along the front lines. Whether that was good, or bad would be decided before long.

I had Furra remain behind in the Gorge and went out alone. It would take some time, and a little bit of force to grab the attention of a large number of the Dark Ones, and their was no sense in losing to many of the Pack when I could kill countless with my Poison and gather them, with luck this would include their leader.

“Stay, be prepared.” I said at length, and Furra growled, his frenzied red eyes appearing to glow in the noon sun. He wanted blood and flesh, it was an almost physical manifestation of his desire to kill the Dark Ones. He would wait, to wait meant more Dark Ones to kill.

I took off at a run toward the lines of the Dark Ones, a few were meandering mindlessly at the mass of dead bodies, decaying and fresh. That was when one looked up and saw me. I saw the madness within its glowing red eyes, the rage and hunger. It let out a sharp bark to get the attention of its brethren. When he noticed just who I was, the barking became full out rabid noises of excitement and anger. It drew more over, and they charge.

Just five right now, not enough. I had to draw more of them in, that meant a fight. I met the five in battle, I took one of them in my left jaws and shook while snapping my right set at another two. I needed to keep all of them in front of me. To many and they would surround me and act like the jackels they were by trying to take out my hind quarters.

Regardless of how many I could kill, in this low a number using my poison was nothing but a waste of energy. Fighting them normally would draw it out and attract more over time. It was also a bit more dangerous. My size was most certainly not an advantage in this case. I was large, but not so large I could ignore their fangs and claws.

The one in my left jaws was bit in two, and I nipped another's hind leg with my right while lashing out again to try and snatch another with my left. All while continuing to move, and circle. I barked, growled, and yipped as I faced off against the five, and I saw more and more coming toward our fight at a run out of the corner of my eye.

I would have likely smiled, if I were not so busy trying to keep my throat and hind quarters protected from the snapping jaws of these Dark Ones. It appeared none of them were capable of using their Demonic Energy actively, it kept the advantage to that of physical strength and endurance.

Both of these I had in abundance, but judging by the few coming toward my fight, and the oddly large dust trail not far behind I would be putting it to the test very soon. I growled, and took the head of one into my right jaws, and snapped them shut fully, biting the head off, and losing a chunk of my own tongue there to the vicious savagery of the now dead beast.

I felt a rush of pain and kicked out as hard as I could with my hind leg. I had lost track of one, a small Dark One that now had its jaw locked onto my rear left haunch. I growled, and snapped him in half. I could not get his jaws off me however, they were in a death grip and removing them would cause more damage, and take more time than I could afford.

I had grown careless, and I did my best to pretend it was not the constant worm of worry in the back of my mind that caused it. I launched a stream of boiling water at the two in front of me. The water so hot it melted fur and flesh from bone causing yips of pain before death to echo out.

It allowed me to turn around and face the ones that had managed to get behind me. The numbers were growing, and the savage fight increasing in size. There were several dozen on the way, and I now faced ten alone. I could not retreat yet though, not until more came, not until that three headed beast showed up to chase me. I could not risk my life for such a small prize as this. I needed more, more.

ten minutes of fierce fighting went by, it felt like an eternity. I was covered in wounds, unable to use my poison, and only my water for now, to few to waste my poison on, too many to rely on just brute strength and centuries of skill. Numbers would always beat skill, thousands of weaklings that were easily replaced would wear down even the most powerful of beasts, unless he could instil pure fear into them early on.

That option was not available to me, these creatures did not know fear, nor did my own people. We knew more beyond our original nature now, but these creatures were a mass of pure rage and anger.

I was surrounded now, always moving, never standing still, diving into the dozens surrounding me and taking a few with me while receiving multiple new wounds. My blood flowed freely, but I had enough to go longer yet. Longer, I needed to go longer. I could see more, when I took the time to look up, an entire Pack, nearly one hundred or more. But it was a fraction, the real cause to begin moving was the massive shadow moving apace and just behind. The three headed one was coming at last.

I did not understand its, or its kinds fascination with myself or my offspring, but today I would make them all pay for my son, and anything else...no, shove it from my mind, I must not think of my youngest now. I could not afford it.

I dodged a strike aimed at my front paw and smashed a skull beneath my back left paw and began slowly working my way toward the Gorge, I made it seem like I was trying to escape, and was injured. It urged the surrounding Dark Ones on further, and their barks and growls urges the coming mass on further.

Closer, they were closer with every passing second. They moved fast as they realized I was trying to flee. They did not, could not, know of the trap.

I had just entered the Gorge when the Dark Ones, and their Leader arrived en mass at my previous location, and seemed to falter. I stumbled, pretending, somewhat, that the injuries had brought me low. It made them forget their hesitation at such a narrow space. They charge forward, and I went behind the ben.

They followed, and were met by the most savage Pack within my people. Furra, and his Orthos tore into the Hellhounds, and died in turn while retreating slowly. Five died in a matter of seconds, the three heads of the massive beast, larger than myself, slew them with abandon. It freely used its powers without a care. It cost my people their lives, but it wasted his energy. Good, good.

We continued our method, kill, die, fall back slowly. Each new bend we fell back toward another five or eight Orthos dove into the ever growing mass of Dark Ones and more and more flooding the Gorge, drawn by the scent of my blood, and the call of their brothers.

We were halfway through the Gorge, almost in place when I felt it, the warmth, the worry, the love. Mother had come at last. I howled in welcome, ignoring my pain and tore into a Dark One to show Mother I still lived, and would not give up.

I could swear I heard the faintest of whispers, just outside my understanding, and hearing. It sounded so sorry, and forlorn. It was as if Mother blamed herself for all the death. She felt each one, in her own way and it tore her apart within. I could feel the heaviness of her heart.

I tried to send thoughts of comfort to Mother, but I had none to spare while we fought. She had not taken control in so long either, it was so foreign now. More so because I could feel that the actions starting to take place were not my own. Mother had taken hold of my body and I felt a surge of strength as her warmth slowly healed and comforted me. Even in her sadness, she tried to keep me safe.

I freely gave Mother control, and tried to send suggestions by feelings, her words and communications well and truly beyond me, though I could sense what she felt herself. She would save my people, I knew Mother could do it, even with her pure kindness, and then she would be able to find Shura, and help me bring her home.

Hello all my lovely Readers. This is the part where I have good news, and bad news. First is my good news. You will be getting daily, chapter releases, or two every two day releases depending on how it goes. As well as the Fourth Chapter later this evening.

The Bad News, I had an issue that kept me from finishing all 10 Chapters in time for Christmas. Deals with my work so I will not go into it. Needless to say, these chapters will still be released, but over the weekend rather than all today. For that I am sorry. As for a second bit, it would have been eight, but my computer decided to die and lose all my chapters that were not saved online because I had lost net the other night.

But expect one more Chapter later as I finish it, today, and the Christmas Special will be over the weekend, Late, but still meant for that, along with all the Chapters that lead up to it. It will be worth the wait, I can promise that.

One last thing, I am sorry for the relative shortness of the Chapters. Still decent, but not the length I wanted. I may change this later. PR Credit goes to Forgotten Bliss, though this Chapter is not yet PR'd.

As always, much love and cookies.