Morgan walked cautiously through the forest. Each foot was placed onto the soft earth with the lightest touch. He didn’t want to break any twigs for fear it may give away their position. The men coming behind him were fidgety already.

His arms were hidden within his coat, hands resting on the handles of the flintlocks. He was ready to draw them at a moments notice, and knew it might come to that. The men on either side of him had muskets at the ready, and were aiming them at different positions with every step.

Noise carried from within the forest. It had started nearly an hour after they had entered the trees. Always seeming to be just ahead of them. The echoes making it harder to find. They seemed to be getting no closer though. The sounds just kept going on, and the men were freaked out by now.

There was howling. Growling deep and low, mixed with barking. Branches snapping, leaves rustling. The sound of running feet. Normally it wouldn’t be a problem. Just the regular sounds of a forest. But his men knew otherwise. They knew what was hiding out in the darkness.

He had forsaken lanterns, worried they would give away their position too quickly. Instead they had been relying on the light from the moon. Early on they had stumbled, but now they could see clearly, and then men were thanking him for his foresight. But it would still be hard to see the creatures ahead of them.

Then the sound changed. It shifted. It moved off to their right, further north of where they were. It seemed to distance itself from them with every step they took. This pleased him greatly. Morgan raised a fist into the air, signally for them to halt. They stopped as quietly as they could and listened.

The noises were definitely getting further away. This was his chance. Whatever was holding the creatures attention sounded like it could hold it for a little longer. They needed to push on quickly. He pointed forwards with his finger and started moving with pace into the forest further.

His men followed, they weren’t trying to be quiet now, and the forest filled with only the sound of their crashing feet. They tried to put as much distance between the sounds and themselves as they could. Maybe they might even come across something that signified there were more creatures around. Maybe even a den.

* * *

Kabian’s breath was coming a little ragged now. He was exerting himself past the limits of endurance. As were many of the wolves surrounding him right now.

They had withdrawn for a moment, pulling back from the main fight. They had made a circle around him, protecting him while he tried to recover his stamina. The fight had not been going well and they needed all the help they could get now.

The other wolves had appeared out of nowhere and surprised them. Too focused had they been on the creatures that were now on the move, that they hadn’t smelt the wolves approaching. Then they had just attacked.

They didn’t even speak with Kabian, they attacked relentlessly. It seemed too, that there were more wolves attacking them than he had been left with. He wished Koga had stayed around for longer, and then they would not have had this problem.

Estumi came to him as he rested.

“I am sorry to say this Kabian,” her head was hung low as she growled in a soft voice at him, “but I recognise the scents on the wolves attacking us. They are Oak Wood and Crystal Glade clans.”

“Both?” His head whipped up as he heard this. Last he had known the two clans had been at each others throats, fighting over the land originally controlled by the Hot Sands Clan.

“Yes, both clans are attacking us. Not the whole clan though, thankfully. It seems more like hunting parties from both. So roughly fourteen wolves are chasing us nine down. And we are losing ground on them too.”

“I do not understand why Kamide would do this…” Kabian ignored the last bit of information that Estumi had told him. His mind was focused on what he viewed as an impossibility. Kamide may not like him, but he didn’t seem the type to go against Ohenoki.

Estumi nipped him on his ear.

“Kabian, snap out of it. We need your head clear for this.”

“Thankyou Estumi. But you know you’re the brains here. Without you, we would already have lost.”

“That is of no consequence. If you’re lost, then I believe we will lose completely.”

“Don’t place so much importance on me Estumi.”

“We have lost the creatures. We do not know where they have gone.”

The last words struck a blow to Kabian like none he had known before.

“But… how?... they can’t have…”

He couldn’t find the words to express what he was feeling. His mouth sat partly open and his eyes were bewildered.

“We lost them while we were focused on the wolves. It is not your fault. And we will find them again. What we need to do, though, is focus on keeping you alive.”

She looked around and sniffed the air. Kabian did the same. He could smell it now. The wolves were still near. Two scents betrayed their position, two different scents, and he realised these were two clan scents.

He then took the time to look at the wolves with him. Surprisingly they had not lost a single wolf yet, though some were suffering from serious injuries. On last count they had downed two of their opponents permanently, and the rest were carrying wounds just as serious.

It would keep them at the same pace. But the wolves with Kabian were feeling the weight of the night dragging on. They were weary to the bone now, and wouldn’t be able to sustain the fight for much longer. They had no choice but to pull out of the area.

“Estumi, we must leave. Even I know we are on the verge of losing.”

“You are finally starting to think like a warrior.”

“No, I’m just trying to keep wolves alive here.”

“Even so, you see it’s useless to stay here. We’ll pull back to the edge of the forest. They won’t dare come all the way down there.”

“Let’s go then!” Kabian barked his command to those around him.

All the wolves looked behind them before they turned to run towards the Sands.

Kabian was struggling; he had never had to run so much. Estumi and a few of the others pulled ahead of him quickly, but one or two stayed back to keep an eye on him.

It didn’t take long, but behind them the three wolves making up the back of the fleeing clan could hear their pursuers. Kabian was holding them back, and the other wolves were catching up already. He tried to urge himself on, but he could push no more. He had reached the limits of his body.

The two wolves on either side of him exchanged brief worried glances, but didn’t lose sight of what their purpose was. The sounds were getting closer quickly, and they looked over their shoulders to see what was going on behind. Kabian took the same moment to look behind; he wanted to be sure he knew what they knew. And he was now wishing he hadn’t.

As they rounded a tree he could see that there were four wolves on their trail, running fast. They dodged around each other and pushed their way forward, edging ever closer to the three wolves. They seemed to be injured, but not so much it could stop them running.

He faced forward again and redoubled his efforts. He was sure he could push a little more speed from his legs. It just didn’t seem to want to happen though. It wasn’t long before he could hear the snapping of jaws from behind him as they were almost close enough to grab his tail.

He swerved a little and glanced sideways. One of the wolves was coming up the left hand side, outside his guard thankfully. But he watched as its nose dived down, teeth snapping at the legs of his bodyguard, catching a heel with its sharp teeth.

The wolf to Kabian’s left suddenly went down in a heap, feet tangling together. It fell on top of the other wolf though, trapping its head under its body. The two wolves started rolling, their forward momentum dragging them across the ground for a few more metres before they finally came to a halt.

Another wolf pulled up on his left, directly next to him now.

“Jump!”

The wolf to his right barked at him sharply, and instinctively he lifted into the air, pulling his body high. The enemy wolf next to him was about to do the same when his second bodyguard rushed through the space he had vacated and charged into it with his shoulder.

The enemy wolf was jolted to the side and collided with a tree, causing it to spin sharply. At the speed they had been running, it most likely had smashed its shoulder blade too.

Kabian tripped up slightly and began to slow a little. Thinking he wouldn’t waste the opportunity he turned sideways and planted his paws sharply into the ground. He skidded to a halt very quickly, and one of the wolves behind him didn’t react in time.

It ran legs first into his back as he brought himself close to the ground. With its legs taken from under its body it dived headfirst into the ground on the other side of Kabian, and then tumbled for a bit. Kabian’s second bodyguard stopped and turned to see what was going on when the enemy wolf collected him and the two tumbled for a bit.

Kabian gave a short laugh and stood up. He looked around to see where the last wolf was. And he wasn’t hard to find. He stood not too far away, walking very slowly and deliberately in Kabian’s direction. His eyes glittered gold in the moon light.

“Well well. What is it we have here then?” The enemy wolf’s voice was deep and menacing, its teeth were barred, “Looks like it’s just you and me now. Your little bodyguards are out of the way now. I’ll be rewarded greatly for this you know.”

Kabian pulled himself backwards, head raised and looking all around for a way out, tail between his legs. He slid himself back a bit, trying to move as far from whoever this wolf before him was. He had never seen the wolf before, but somehow it knew exactly who he was.

“Time to go to Monok’s Halls, Kabian!”

With a pace or two the wolf charged forward and leap into the air. Kabian had no choice, he had nowhere to go. He quickly put himself into a fighting stance and pushed off the ground.

The two collided in the air, the weight of each turning them around a little as they snapped at each others throats. They landed heavily. The enemy wolf was obviously just as tired as he was. Kabian didn’t think there would be much of a fight, no matter how tired the other wolf was, Kabian was near exhaustion, near collapsing.

It ran forward again, Kabian leaping with it as they again tried to tear into the others throat. Kabian landed a little wrong though and he nearly lost his footing.

The enemy took advantage of that and came charging again quickly. Kabian had no time to leap this time around, so he just pulled himself close to the ground and closed his eyes.

He heard a noise above his head and opened one eye.

Estumi had come back and leapt at the wolf as it was bearing down on Kabian. She caught it clear in the side with her back paws and pushed her body off it as if it was a rock she was leaping from.

The enemy wolf had the wind knocked out of him and landed with a great thud on his side as he was driven into the ground.

Estumi, on the other hand, gracefully turned herself in the air and twisted as she came down to land. He front paws touched the ground just in front of Kabian’s eyes, rasing a small amount of dust. She leaned forward and pushed him a little with her nose.

He opened his other eye and stood up. He looked around, but could only see one of the guards who had come with him. The guard was kicking dirt onto an enemy wolf with a couple of flicks of his hind legs.

“Are you alright Kabian?” Estumi looked at him, checking for any major injuries, as if she was his mother or elder sister.

“I am fine Estumi.” He snapped back.

“Then let us continue.”

They started off again, catching up to where the others were waiting, and then making their way towards the tree line.

“I wasn’t aware of it until I lost sight of you. But they were the only wolves who could catch us. The others are just as wounded as we are, and don’t seem to be making much effort to chase us down. If I had known of this before, then I would have stopped to fight them, maybe then we would have lost Kitsuko. But there is no time to worry on what could have been.”

“It was not your fault Estumi. You were not to know of it.”

“But it is my fault I let you out of my sight. I am supposed to be looking after you while Koga is not here. And so far I am not doing a very good job.”

Kabian shook his head slightly at her.

“How can you say that? I am still alive. Now, once we evade our pursuers, then we need to find the creatures again.”

“We should lose them soon. I cannot hear them anymore. And then it should not be hard to pick up the creatures trail again. A lot of them had moved through. I just hope they didn’t come across any other wolves yet. Especially not from those two clan, or there might be trouble.”

“I sure hope they haven’t Estumi. I sure hope they are well hidden.”

* * *

Morgan looked to his left and right. The men carrying the wooden pieces they had assembled earlier had stopped just to his side, placing the item on the ground. They would be needing it soon. They had found what they had been seeking all night.

They had left the sounds of animals fighting far behind and continued on. Finding what appeared to be a deer trail they followed it until the tracks had appeared. The tracks had headed off deeper into the woods, eventually the trees had begun to thin.

Morgan brought the men on the down wind side of the clearing, knowing full well how sensitive a dog nose was. He wanted to remain hidden for as long as he could. Once safely away from the wind they had moved forward a little so they could see into the clearing.

The moon shone down on it clearly, but it was obvious dawn would not be far away. They would be safer when it came, but until then they needed to be on their guard.

In the centre of the clearing was a sight Morgan had seen before. A small rise in the ground covered in grass and peaked with a few mismatched boulders. He took the time to study it, finding the entrance that must lead to their den.

Some of the creatures were on the knoll, but didn’t seem aware that the humans were so close. He watched as one slowly made its way into the den. The others were just relaxing in various positions. Most of them were lying down on the knoll. A couple were keeping an eye on the surroundings from atop the boulders.

He counted them and realised there weren’t as many here as there had been last time. Maybe the others were off somewhere else. Maybe that sound had been the creatures from this knoll. But he couldn’t think on that, he had to focus on what was here and now.

He motioned for the men carrying the wooden item to move around towards the entrance to the cave. The remaining sailors came with them too. These creatures seemed like animals, so he would treat them such, and use tactics usually reserved for other dangerous animals.

The direct approach last time had been dangerous. And all had nearly come undone when the creatures had charged back up the knoll at them. He didn’t want to even give them the chance. That had been broad daylight too. At night it was hard to even seen the creatures, their coats blending in well with the half-light from the moon. They only had a few moments to make this work, and if it didn’t, then there would be problems.

He came around to face the cave and drew his two pistols. He held them before him, and had a quick look to make sure they would still fire. It seemed the moisture hadn’t touched them. He was thankful for his oiled coat. It kept all moisture from him.

He checked to see that everyone was in position then motioned with his gun to move forward.

The sailors charged out into the clearing on either side of the cave, yelling and screaming incoherently. One fired his musket and the noise echoed throughout the clearing. The men carrying the wooden item of his moved forward. Morgan took two men with muskets and made his way into the cave.

* * *

Tobi shook when the blast sounded outside. It echoed right down into the cave and set her hairs on end. She glanced to her side where Kamide lay. His eyes opened from the sound, and he looked around groggily. He was tired, and had been sleeping when the noises started.

Tobi moved closer to him as he tried to stand, providing support for him. She could hear the sounds from above continuing, the entrance to the den out of sight due to the slope of the tunnel. Wolves were running in all directions by the sound of it. They would scatter and come back into together when they were safely in the trees.

Where was Poi? She thought as Kamide was slowly bringing himself to a standing position.

She didn’t like Poi, but when Kamide was in such a fragile state, he was running the clan. He had gone on a hunt earlier, which she found strange, as they had brought down a deer only a few days ago.

Kamide finally got himself standing and looked at her with his groggy eyes.

“What is going on Tobi? There is so much noise out there. I was dreaming so well.”

His words came weakly, and they were barely above a whisper. He didn’t seem long for this world, but they tried their hardest to keep him here.

“I do not know Kamide. It has only just started. I have not left your side yet.”

“Tobi, you are too good to a dying old wolf.”

“That I may be, father, but I am worried about you. You have worsened, and I do not wish Poi to take over yet.”

“Neither do I. He would be a strong leader. But he is rash and head strong. I fear he may endanger us. Has there been word from Kabian yet?”

“Not that I know of. But Poi has been dealing with everything lately, and I have no idea whets going on.”

They were about to started walking when the sound of a foot falling on the cave floor caught her attention. It was far too loud and heavy to be a wolf. She looked up to see three strange creatures coming down from the cave entrance.

All she could see at first was their feet, but she quickly stepped backwards, trying to bring Kamide back to the ground. He lay down willing, he energy had been lost long ago, and standing tired him a lot. He collapsed onto his good side, and she stood over him.

The creatures paused for a moment with the sound of Kamide falling on the ground, but continued on quickly enough. They came into sight more, and she could tell now these were the creatures Kabian had told her about. He hadn’t liked reliving the day, but he had told her. He had also warned her about the sticks they carried. Thunder sticks he had called them.

She tried to cover Kamide as much as she could, but knew it would be no use against the thunder sticks. From what Kabian had said, they could kill the both of them without the creatures coming anywhere near.

The creatures stopped well short of them, and she let out a low and menacing growl, trying to dissuade them from coming any closer. It didn’t seem to do any good though, as the creature in the middle took another step forward.

She barred her teeth, increasing her growl, and raised the hackles on the back of her neck. The creature stopped for a moment, looking a little shaken, but it didn’t stop it from coming any closer. It held two small items before it and they were both pointed at Tobi.

It was only a few paces away now, and Tobi could have easily ducked forward and tore the creature’s throat out. But she would be leaving Kamide exposed, and with the two creatures behind with the thunder sticks she was sure they would both die.

She held her ground, and shifted back a little. The creature crouched down, resting on its heels. It looked at her deeply, and then tilted its head so it could look at Kamide.

One of its hands started to move forward to touch Kamide, and Tobi snapped at it. The creature pulled his hand back sharply, and Tobi couldn’t get her teeth around it. It pointed its arm off to the side then and a noise like thunder echoed in the den.

Sparks flew as something hit the other wall, in clear sight on Tobi. She stepped back a bit. The creature reached within itself with the small thunder stick and then it came back out holding nothing. The other hand was still pointing the second thunder stick at her though.

It reached its arm out again, but this time she backed off a little, knowing full well if he used the thunder sticks again, she would not survive to protect Kamide. The creature touched her father, feeling through the thick fur around his neck. It then came closer and moved its hand near the wound.

It pulled away and motioned to the other two. Slowly they came around the back of Tobi. The creature before her moved out of the way and motioned up to the cave entrance.

Even though she couldn’t understand any of the sounds it was making, she was sure it wanted her to leave the den. She stepped off Kamide and waited for him to get up. He had woken again before, but was still too tired to do much more than lay still. Even when the creature had reached forward, he didn’t have the strength to snap at its arm.

Kamide tried to stand though. And Tobi stood to one side, waiting to collect his weight. The creature saw him struggling and went down beside him. To her surprise, rather than killing Kamide where he half stood, he pushed against Kamide’s good side. The effort from the creature helped him to stand, and soon they were moving slowly out of the den.

The light of predawn was well in the sky now, lighting the end of the tunnel. As they drew closer to the entrance, the creatures trailing just behind her and Kamide, they could see more of the foul beasts. They were not looking in her direction though, but out into the clearing surrounding the knoll. They must be keeping the other wolves at bay.

She let out a small howl, trying to warn the others to keep away. Something prodded her in the rear though, and she stopped. She just hoped none of the wolves would be silly enough to try and take the den back. There seemed to be more of the creatures than wolves. If only Poi hadn’t taken all the young, fit wolves and gone hunting.

There was a small gap between the creatures above her, and Tobi made for it. She knew too well that they wouldn’t be able to outrun the creatures before getting killed. Well, she might be able to, but Kamide wouldn’t make three steps before he was killed. And she wouldn’t be able to live with herself after that. So instead she just did as she thought she was instructed.

Something wooden was waiting between the creatures, and they prodded her to step into it with Kamide. She did so, but against her will. A crash behind her said something had closed. She looked around. They had caged her and Kamide.

She let out a loud and long howl of anguish, telling any who could hear that she had been captured. Then she threw herself against the side of the cage. But the wooden beams just bent slightly before springing back into their regular position. She went to try gnawing at them, but there was a strange taste to the wood. They had coated it in something, and she had no idea what.

She threw herself at the bars again.

* * *

Morgan laughed as the creature threw itself against the wooden bars of the cage again. The effort was futile, he hadn’t bought the cage without knowing it could hold. It was the same sort of cage used to trap tigers. There would be no easy escape from this one.

“Why did you have to bring two Cap’n?”

One of the sailors brought the question up, whining about the fact that it would take twice the effort to carry it now.

“It intrigued me is why. The lively one seems to be protecting the weaker one. The weak one looks like a male too. It’s got part of an antler sticking out of its side too. Tells me there must be deer around these parts.”

He scratched the stubble on his chin. His thoughts of these creatures were changing. This seemed like some sort of loyalty. The lively one had defended the injured creature.

“And I am sure, if they both stay alive, we will all be payed double. We were asked to bring one back, but bringing two back would be better. Now drag it back into the cave a bit and stand guard. We’ll move out when dawn breaks, it won’t be far off.

When daylight finally breaks I want half of you to head back to base camp. Take the creatures with you. You should be fine; they will be easy to see in the daylight. The rest of us are going to make for the cliffs. We’ll wait there to see if the other groups make it there. Then we will head back to the camp.”

The men around him nodded their agreement.