demons…”

“For that’s what they are.” Aleu thought. “Shade’s demons…”

… had a tail that arched over their back, and split into two, each one ended in a wicked looking blade.

Balto whistled, as the group tightened.

“This looks fun…” Kodi said.

Aleu looked at Shadow.

Then the creatures attacked.

They were amazingly fast. Balto and Kodi had to move very fast to keep ahead of them. Though the group was holding their own for now, they were losing.

The demon wolf Kodi was fighting hit him with its tail, and Kodi howled in pain.

Aleu saw the cut on his leg was deep.

Balto had been hit a few times himself, but he was holding his own.

Shadow had actually killed one of his, and was concentrating on the next one.

Aleu wasn’t paying enough attention though, and the demon she was fighting got her down on the ground.

It stood over her, and raised both of its tails.

Aleu stared up at them, determined to meet death with a steady gaze.

Then the demon threw his tails downward.

Aleu flinched, but the tails hit Shadow, and stuck through him, as he leapt over her.

Aleu could see massive amounts of blood pouring from Shadow’s shoulder and neck, where the blades had hit him.

“NO!” she yelled.

She jumped to her feet just as the demon threw his tails sideways, and in the process, threw Shadow to the snow.

Aleu looked at him.

He didn’t move.

Aleu fixed her gaze on the flaming eyes of the demon.

When she attacked, she found she was faster, stronger, than she’d ever been.

The next thing she knew, she had the demon pinned, and looked down on it.

“You can burn in hell!” She screamed, as she hit it viciously in the face.

Its head collapsed, and it shrieked.

The demon vanished, and the clearing was calm.

Aleu ran to Shadow.

He wasn’t breathing very much, and what he was were ragged gasps.

“Shadow…” Aleu said, tears coming to her eyes.

He looked up at her and smiled.

Blood ran out of his mouth.

“I… I did it Aleu… I… I did… did my duty…”

Aleu closed her eyes and nodded.

“Oh Shadow!” She said.

She laid down beside him.

Shadow rolled his head over, and looked into her eyes.

“I… I love…. love you…. Al… Ale… Aleu.”

Then his head fell to the ground, and he was still.

No more ragged gasps, nothing.

Aleu stared in shock.

“No…” She said.

Balto walked over, and shut Shadow’s eyes with his paw.

“Aleu, come here.”

She looked up at him.

“Dad….”

She ran to him, feeling like a little puppy again, and bawled her eyes out, unable to stop.

She looked up at the night sky, tears still flowing down her face.

“Why?” She said. “Why…”

Aleu’s eyes snapped open.

Her face was wet with tears she’d shed during her sleep.

She began sobbing, and closed her eyes.

The sight was still there.

Aleu could see it as if she was there.

Aleu opened her eyes and felt bile rise in her throat.

Shadow rolled over then, awakened by her crying.

“Aleu…” He began, but he stopped, as Aleu turned her head, and threw up on the ground.

“Aleu!”

He slid over next to her.

“Are you okay?”

Aleu looked up at him.

He looked concerned.

She almost smiled, then the horrible image came to her mind, and she threw up again.

Shadow stood up then, and put his paw on her shoulder.

“Aleu what’s wrong?”

When she stopped, she kept her head down for a while, not wanting to meet his gaze with her tears.

“Aleu look at me.” Shadow said.

She looked up at him.

“Aleu, really, tell me what’s wrong.”

“I… I had… had the most… most hor… horrible dream.” Aleu said, “and I’m.. I’m a.. afraid.. that.. that…”

Shadow put his paw on the sides of her face and wiped away her tears.

“Aleu, take a minute, and catch your breath.”

Aleu stopped talking, and in a few minutes, the tears stopped.

“Now what was it.” Shadow said.

Aleu took a deep breath.

“Shadow, you have to promise me, right here and now, promise me that you won’t go anywhere near the cave until this is over.”

Shadow frowned.

“Why? Aleu, I have to do my duty…”

He stopped.

Tears welled up in Aleu’s eyes again, and she looked at the ground.

“What?” Shadow asked. “What did I say?”

Aleu paused, and took another deep breath before continuing.

“That’s what you said in my dream…”

Shadow cut her off.

“And what does that matter.”

“… just before you died right in front of me.” Aleu finished.

“Oh.” Shadow said. “Well, Aleu, nothing is going to happen to me.”

Aleu smiled, and shook her head.

“I wish it were true.” She said, “but it’s not.”

She looked up at him.

“Shadow, if you go with us… you won’t come back. I don’t know why, but I seem to be… sensitive to these things. It’s happened before, you know that.”

Shadow nodded.

“Shadow,” Aleu said, “I’ll not lose you, either you promise me you won’t go, or I won’t, and Aniu will kill her.”

Shadow frowned again.

‘Aleu, do you have any idea what you’re asking me to do?”

Aleu nodded and nuzzled him.

“I’m asking you to stay alive.”

Shadow sighed.

“Alright,” He said, “I won’t go, but I don’t like it.”

Aleu smiled.

“That’s fine, you can be alive and not like it.”

Shadow smiled and Aleu sighed.

She laid her head down on his shoulder.

“I love you so much.” She said.

She looked up at him.

“Even in the dream, I almost died, with you. I think in real life I would.”

“Aleu!” Shadow said abruptly. “You have to promise me something too. Promise me that if anything ever does happen to me, that you’ll live on, I don’t want you to suffer for the rest of your life, or do something stupid and end it, promise me you’ll try.”

“Shadow…” Aleu started.

Shadow pulled away from her.

“No Aleu, promise.”

She sighed.

“Alright I promise.”

Shadow moved next to her again and the two of them laid down.

“… but I’m not going to have to worry about that,” Aleu said, laying her head on his shoulder, “because you’re going to stay away from the cave.”

Shadow nodded and laid his head on the snow.

He wrapped his paw around her side, and pulled her close.

“Everything will be alright Aleu, you’ll see.”

Aleu closed her eyes, and buried her face into his shoulder.

“I hope so.” She said.

She sighed.

“I hope so…”

Chapter 7

Dusty sat in the cave, shaking.

Her life had turned upside down. Never before had anyone treated her the way these wolves had.

Dusty looked at the cave floor and sobbed.

“How am I going to go back to Kodi after this?” She thought.

Then with a pang of guilt, she remembered.

“I don’t have to go back to Kodi. I’ll never see him again.”

And it was just as well, after what the wolves had done to her.

She could remember it as if she were there, and the images that haunted her mind made her sob all the more.

She thought back, and shook with the sorrow that had enveloped her.

The wolves brought Dusty before their leader as soon as she came to in the cave.

“No!” he yelled. “You fools!”

“It’s not Aleu then?” James asked.

Gareth hit him, sending him sprawling.

“No!”

He looked down at her.

“I have no idea who this is!”

The five wolves smiled to themselves, careful not to let their leader see.

“I can’t believe you!” Gareth boomed. “Don’t you know what our enemy looks like!”

The wolves shook slightly.

Last week Gareth had killed a wolf for falling asleep on guard duty.

Tyrel stepped forward, unwilling to let his unit take the beating.

“Sir, it was my fault. I’m the one who decided to attack her.”

“What do you suggest we do with her now?!” Gareth asked, his voice echoing off the rock walls of his chamber.

Tyrel shrugged.

“Well do SOMETHING with her!” He yelled.

He stopped and pulled Tyrel close.

“She knows where the pack is located now, make sure she does not share that information.”

Tyrel stepped back and nodded.

“Now go!” Gareth said. “I don’t want to see you again until you bring me Aleu’s head!”

Tyrel nodded.

Gareth turned to start walking away.

Tyrel stepped forward again.

“Sir…”

Gareth turned.

“What do you want us to do with her?”

“I told you I don’t care!” Gareth said.

“Now go!”

Tyrel and his band walked out of the chamber, dragging Dusty along with them.

They took her to the base of the cave in a chamber all