calmness of sleep.
A man stepped into the chamber then, rifle held to his shoulder. Aleu just stood there as the man aimed at her.
"...Aleu!" Shadow yelled. He leapt forward and collided with Aleu just as the shot went off.
Aleu was knocked to the ground. Shadow didn't catch himself, but sprawled on top of her.
She picked up her head and Shadow smiled. "I... I love you." He said.
Aleu felt something wet on her shoulder then and looked down. A large round hole was letting blood squirt in a steady pulse from Shadows neck, where it splashed onto her shoulder.
"...Sh...Sha...Shadow?" Aleu asked.
Shadow laid his head on her shoulder. "I'm... I'm sorry Aleu... sorry... sorry I couldn't save... save you and... and the kids..."
At this Aleu looked up to see the human smile as he raised his rifle again.
"...dad!" Luke yelled.
Aleu shut her eyes as the shot went off. She didn't need to look to know that her son had been killed. The silence was enough.
She sighed and tears continued to poor down her face. She couldn't even speak anymore. She just pulled Shadow close to her and held him as his breathing got more and more shallow. In reality it was only a minute, but to Aleu it seemed much longer until finally she didn't feel his warm breath against her neck anymore.
She looked up to see the human level his rifle at her. Aleu stared down the barrel. "...wait a minute." She thought. "...this... this isn't right."
She looked at Shadow's face.
"...he's dead." Aleu thought. Then she shook her head. "...no, no he's not..."
Aleu jerked her head up as the realization hit her.
"...I am." She thought.
The man smiled and pulled back the hammer on his rifle.
Aleu didn't shut her eyes as she had the hundreds of times before.
She was no longer afraid.
"...it isn't real." She thought.
The man squeezed the trigger.
"This isn't real!" Aleu yelled.
The gun went off and the bullet sped toward her, but something was wrong. Aleu could see it, and it was slowing down. As she watched the bullet stopped mere inches from her face, still spinning slowly. Then the bullet began to break up, the tiny peices sucked back into a vortex beyond the entrance of the chamber. The man started to break up as well, and as Aleu watched in amazement, the same thing happened to Shadow and Thunder.
Soon they had disappeared, leaving Aleu in the chamber alone.
She stood and looked around. "...it wasn't real." She thought. "...but then where am I?" She took a step toward the entrance and leaned outside it. A long hall stretched down in either direction from her chamber. It ended in a T about five hundred yards ahead of her. She turned her head and saw that it was a dead end on that side.
Aleu stepped out of the chamber and turned to the right, heading for the T. She heard something scratching on the rock floor of the wall and turned. She saw a glimpse of a horrific creature slipping into one of the other chambers. Aleu leapt behind a rock in the wall and waited.
A shrill shriek emanated from the chamber and then a high scream of pain. Then it was silent.
Aleu could hear the scratching sound again and crouched a little lower. As she sat there, she got her first look at the creature and gasped.
The creature had once been a wolf, though there wasn't much left of it now. The creature stood on six long shiny legs that ended in two sharp points which dug into the ground whenever it walked. The front half of the creature's torso was wolf. Grayish hair covered its body and a lighter gray fur marked its chest and muzzle. The creature had two very short leg looking appendages growing out of it's chest that moved constantly, as if sensative to the very air around them. The creature's muzzle was full of razor sharp teeth that were far too long to be a wolf's. Toward the back of the creature's body the gray fur ended and grayish scales began. These scales continued as the body narrowed and rose upward over the creature's back in a thick, muscled tail. The end of the tail held a vicious looking blade that looked much like a battle ax.
The creature had no eyes at all... just empty sockets. However Aleu was afraid that it could see all too well.
It turned it's head toward her and growled.
...oh... crap." Aleu thought. Then she turned and ran toward the T at the end of the hall. The creature immediatly gave chase and Aleu found that it was very, very fast.
Aleu looked ahead of her, wondering whhich way she should go. She saw a light to the right and turned, running toward it. The light got blindingly bright, then vanished. Leaving Aleu in another long hall. She glanced behind her and saw the creature still following her.
Aleu cursed and ran again, sprinting for the T at the end of this hall.
Suddenly she felt a burning pain in her left hip and looked over her shoulder.
The creature had fired one of the short leg like appendages from it's chest and it was now sticking completely through her leg. Blood already covered her hip and dripped to the floor.
Then the creature began to pull her toward it, retracting the appendage back into it's chest, dragging Aleu with it.
As soon as she got close enough the creature tried to drive its leg into her head, but Aleu rolled to the side and the leg stuck deep into the rock. Pain shot through Aleu's leg and she yanked herself up and swiped at the appendage with her paw.
Three scratches oozed greenish fluid as she struck.
The creature yelped and Aleu smiled. "...at least you can be hurt."
Aleu scarcely had time to blink before the creature's tail whistled through the air and a blazing pain filled her left foreleg.
Aleu cried out and looked down to find her paw was missing. The blade had completely severed it. She gasped and looked up as the creature took a deep breath and, with a whoosh of compressed air, fired the other appendage into her chest at point blank range.
Aleu felt the wind leave her lungs as the sharp claw lodged itself deep within her. She tried to take a step, but she was too weak, and fell to the ground. She tried to crawl away, but the creature raised one of it's sharp legs and drove it through the center of her back. Aleu heard the clawed leg sink into the rock beneath her and her vision started to get blurry.
The creature ripped the claw out of her hip and took most of her left leg with it. Then it took a deep breath and fired the appendage through the side of Aleu's throat.
Aleu's eyes bulged and her mouth fell open, but nothing came out of it but blood."
Slowly Aleu drifed away as the creature began to tear her apart...
Chapter 14
Achak's eyes snapped open just as the sun peeked its head over the horizon, spilling its brilliant light over the night sky. He blinked a few times and looked around. Finally his eyes adhusted to the chaning light and he saw nick a short distance away, sleeping soundly.
Achak got up and walked up to the young wolf. He stopped beside Nick and watched him for a moment.
Nick didn't move, didn't even stir.
Achak sighed. "What's wrong with the young ones today?" He thought. "If I was an enemy he'd be dead." Achak kicked the young wolf in the soulder and Nick's eyes opened half-way. He saw Achak and sighed.
"What is it Achak?" He asked. Nick yawned an blinked a few times before continuing "...something wrong?"
Achak's face remained emotionless. "The sun is coming up." He said flatly.
Nick looked at the sky and then back down. A confused look came over his face, then he chuckled and yawned. "Yeah, it seems to do that every day Achak." He said.
Achak sighed and resisted the almost overwhelming urge to chastise the young wolf. "We need to get moving." He said.
Nick groaned. "Oh come on Achak." He said. "It's five-thirty in the morning."
"Yes it is." Achak said. We stand much less of a chance of getting tailed now, and if this Shadow Clan is as bad as you say they could be attacking your clan right now."
Nick shook his head and stood up."Okay, okay, I got you." he said. Nick looked over his shoulder and smiled. "You really need to lighten up Achak." He said.
Achak just stared at him for a moment. "My attitude has kept me alive out here." He said. "You would be wise to do the same."
Nick just stared at him. "...are you serious?" He asked. "...what about the fun in life?"
Achak just stared at him and stayed silent, as if unable to believe what the young wolf had said. Then he tossed his head toward the horizon. "...lead the way." He said.
Nick smiled and shook his head. "...sure thing Achak." He said. He turned his nose toward the sky and sniffed a few times until he picked up the trail, then he looked back down and grinned. "...this way." He said. Nick started walking through the woods. Achak followed close behind.
Nick jumped over a fallen log and looked over his shoulder at Achak. "...so were those wolves your family?" He asked.
Achak nodded. "Yes, most of
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