on this and I assure you… you don’t want to be against me right now.”
“Aye sir.” She said.
“Ami, I care more about the Talbourne that you know and I will gladly give my life for it… if I think there’s even a possibility we can win. Now, make your choice Ami. You’re either with me… or you resign your commission, both as acting Lieutenant and as a member of my forces right now. Ami, can you follow me?”
“Yes sir.” She said.
“…you’re sure?” Shadow asked.
Ami smiled. “…to hell and back if neccesarry sir.”
Shadow smiled. “…alright. Go see all of the Lieutenants and tell them to meet me in this chamber tonight, after everyone is asleep.”
Ami nodded. “Aye sir.” She said. Ami turned and started to walk away.
“…and Ami?” Shadow said.
Ami stopped and turned. “What is it sir?” She asked.
“…do your best to not let our enemies know who the Lieutenants are. They already know about me, but I don’t think they know about the rest of you. …right now, anonymity is our best friend… and be careful.”
Ami nodded. “I will be careful sir.”
Then she and Shadow walked out of the chamber to re-join the rest of the Talbourne.
Chapter 8:
Aleu snuck quietly through the woods that surrounded her home. Raye close by her side. Aleu didn’t like the fact that Raye was here, in the midst of the enemy, but… she couldn’t leave the young wolf in the cave they’d slept in either. For all Aleu knew the Shadow Clan had trailed them there, and might even be trailing them now. Just because they hadn’t been attacked last night didn’t mean they were safe. No where was safe right now.
“The Talbourne should still be engaging them.” Aleu thought. She stepped over a fallin log and turned to the west.
“Where are we going Aleu?” Raye asked quietly. “I thought you said your cave was to the south.”
“It is.” Aleu said, continuing forward.
“…then why are we going west?” Raye asked.
“I’ve got a feeling someone might be following us.” Aleu whispered. “I’m doubling back on our trail to find out.”
“…but if they know where we are then they must’ve known where we were last night.” Raye said. “…why didn’t they attack us then?”
“It may be that there’s only one of them.” Aleu said. “If that’s true then we out number him. The other wolves of his clan would have been busy attacking the Talbourne last night, and by my best guess they should still be engaging them.”
“What if they’re not?” Raye asked. “What if you’re wrong and the Talbourne did fall last night?”
Aleu turned north and started walking forward again. “If that was true then we would have been attacked already.” Aleu said. “…because I’m sure there is someone out there now.”
“…how’s that?” Raye asked.
“Don’t you hear that?” Aleu asked her.
Raye stopped and listened for a moment. “Yeah, barely… what is that?”
Aleu kept walking. “That’s the sound of a wolf’s paws in the snow …and that someone doesn’t want us to know he’s there; he’s trying to be quiet.”
Aleu stopped. “Wait… hear that Raye?”
Raye stopped as well and listened. “ No I don’t hear you anything Aleu.”
Aleu turned east and started walking again. “…exactly.” She said. “He’s stopped. He noticed we weren’t in front of him anymore and he’s looking for us.” Aleu stepped lightly over a branch that was lying in the snow. “…careful of that branch.” She said. “We don’t want to make any sound that might let him know which direction we’re coming from.”
Raye nodded and carefully stepped over the fallen branch.
Aleu started to climb the hill in front of her. “If my guess is correct he stopped somwhere in the small holler just over this hill.” She said. “If I tell you to I wast you to run like your life depends on it Raye.” Aleu said. “…because if I tell you to run it does.”
“…screw that.” Raye said. “I’m not leaving you to face him alone.”
“If I tell you to run, you run.” Aleu said. “…don’t worry about me. I can hold my own. I’ve had lots of training and experience.”
“…so have I.” Raye said.
Aleu sighed. “…look Raye, they’re not after me, they’re after you, now if I tell you to run, you run, got it?”
Raye sighed and nodded. “Yeah Aleu… I got it.”
“…okay.” Aleu said. “We’re going to start crawling here in a minute. Just do what I do and try to be as quiet as possible… with any luck he’ll still be down there trying to figure out where we are.”
Raye nodded and Aleu crouched down, shivering slightly as her belly came into contact with the freezing snow. She climbed slowly up the last ten feet of the hill and Raye followed. Aleu reached the top of the hill and gazed down into the holler, careful to only let about half of her head peek over the crest of the hill. Raye stopped beside her.
“I don’t see anyone.” Raye whispered.
“…neither do I.” Aleu said. “That doesn’t make any sense…”
“…maybe you were wrong.” Raye said. “…maybe there was no one following us…” Raye looked backward, over her shoulder. “…or maybe they did the same thing we did.”
“I heard them stop.” Aleu said. “I know someone is down there.” She kept looking, but all that moved in the holler below was the snow that was drifting down from the heavens. “I’m going to go check it out.” Aleu whispered. “You stay here, and remember, if I tell you to run, run.”
Raye nodded and Aleu stood up and began walking carefully down the hillside, down into the holler. She reached the bottom without incident and looked around once more. …but still nothing moved.
Aleu stepped forward cautiously… and then she saw a blur of movement from inside a hollowed log to her right. “…Raye, run!” aleu yelled. She tried to turn and meet the attack, but she wasn’t quick enough and the wolf crashed into her shoulder, throwing them both to the ground. Aleu found herself pinned by her adversary and reacted instinctively. She kicked the wolf in the stomach and then using her back legs, she threw her opponent into a nearby tree. He got up and shook his head a bit, then froze. “…Aleu?” The read and white wolf asked.
Aleu climbed to her feet. “…oh thank Aniu.” She said.
Just then Raye plowed into the wolf, catching him off guard and throwing him into the tree again.
“…Raye stop!” Aleu said.
Raye sat on top of her opponent and looked back at Aleu. “…but he attacked you.”
Aleu smiled. “Raye I know him. He’s a member of my clan.”
“Oh Raye said, climbing off of him. “I’m sorry. I thought you were attacking Aleu.”
Aleu walked over to the wolf. “Dash, are you alright?” She said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t have time to recognise you.”
Dash smiled and stood up, shaking his head a few times. “I think I’ll be okay if I can get this ringing in my ears to stop.”
Aleu laughed. “Yeah, well I’m real sorry Dash, but… well you did attack me.”
Dash grinned at her and shook his head. “Yeah, sorry about that Aleu.” Then his face turned serious. “…but you weren’t the one I was following.”
Suddenly a black wolf leapt down from the hilltop on the other side of the holler, slamming into Raye’s side. The two of them rolled across the snow. “Ahh… Aleu help!” Raye called. She tried to fend off the wolf, but he was too fast and too strong for her.
Dash turned and leapt at the wolf, but the black wolf turned and caught Dash in the face with a vicious kick. Dash fell to the snow and didn’t move.
“Dash!” Aleu called. She turend and growled at the wolf. Then she jumped at him.
The wolf tried to do the same to Aleu, but she was ready for it. When the wolf kicked at her, she had her jaws open and clamped her sharp teeth into the wolf’s leg. He yelped in pain and Aleu plowed into him, throwing him off of Raye. The wolf rolled over and snapped his own jaws into Raye’s left hip.
Raye squealed in pain and treid to kick the wolf off of her, but he held on.
“Let her go!” Aleu said, placing her paws on the wolf’s back and flashing her teeth at him. The wolf’s response to this ultimatum was to begin to thrash his head from side to side ripping deep into the young wolf’s flank, drawing another screech of pain from his young victim.
Aleu growled at him and snapped her jaws around his neck. The wolf seemed surprised, but kept biting Raye. Aleu picked his head off of the ground and held him for a few seconds… gradually the wolf stopped biting and just kicked… and then he stopped kicking and was still.
As the wolf let go of Raye’s flank she stumbled forward and fell to the ground.
Aleu dropped the dead wolf to the ground and ran over to her. “Raye, are you alright?” She asked.
Raye winced in pain and tried to stand up. Then she fell to the snow with a yelp. “…no… no I don’t think so.” Raye said, gritting her teeth to keep from crying.
Aleu looked at the wound. “Yeah… he got you pretty good… see why I told you to run? You wouldn’t have been here to get hurt if you’d’ve run like I told you to.”
Raye winced again and nodded. “I’m… I’m sorry Aleu… I was just worried about
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