something, comfort her, praise her, but then they stares met. She knew she was dying, but she wanted to go further. “I won’t fail you, chief.” Said her eyes.

“Go!” gasped Steele and set off to run. Avengers followed him.

In next kilometre they heard a sound of chase. It was some random squad, patrolling valley due to Lightning’s orders, but it was dangerous anyway. It picked the trail of assassins and followed it with steel decisiveness. Those were young and inexperienced wolves, but they knew the area and moreover were fresh and rested.

“January?” asked Steele.

“Still with you, sir.” Replied wolfess.

“We must run.” Said dog with gentle voice. “They are just after us.”

“I know that, sir.” Said former omega. “I can’t accompany you, but I will slow them down a little.” Venn, walking next to her gasped. “It must be this way, my love.”

“Boss, could I stay here too?” asked wolf.

“I hoped you propose that.” Smiled Steele with bitter smile. “January, February, let them taste your fangs!”

“Will be done!” called first two months.

Steele showed Kostan the direction, than let pack to overrun him. He came to two standing wolves and with unclear impulse nestled to unhurt side of young female. Then he licked her cheek, saying with serious voice.

“Now it became a bit harder, but I really wish to name my son January.”

“If that is a girl, will you name her Sno?” asked former omega, smiling in spite of pain.

“Sure I will!” assure her leader. “I hope she will be brave as her godmother.”

“Go, boss. You have a job to do.” Hastened him Venn. “We will do our, hoping for you to do the same.”

“Take care…” called Steele.

“…for them!” finished Sno and Anned, bursting with laughter. In spite that cause another torrent of blood from January’s mouth, her laughter was honest and airy. Malamute turned back and left them here, having the last memory of fragile and gentle bitch, laughing at incoming death.

“I hope to have enough courage to end in such way.” Thought dog, running to rest of pack.

In next two hours they ran in silence. Even triumphal calls from behind, most likely cries after winning with two left guards. Steele just clenched his jaws tighter, not knowing he actually had nothing to regret. Alone, surrounded and wounded January and February managed to take down four attackers. Not bad as for omega and low ranked pack member.

So silence lasted to about midday, when Regne called. “Boss, I’m seeing funny things.”

“The Home Cave at your feet?” jested Steele, but he knew what she meant. “How bad it is?”

“Very bad.” Said wolfess. “My second eyes is fading too. Let me be another countermeasure…”

“You know you won’t be able to catch us?” asked Kostan.

“I want to catch them.” Smiled wolfess. “To say seriously – as I’m blind I can’t fight with you. But I still could run and I will run for you!”

“I allow.” Said Steele. “Good hunting, March!”

“See you on the other side.” Replied Regne, turning left, more down the slope. “There I will see you properly again…” Those were last words they heard from March’s lips.

About two hours after sun zenith, they encountered line of sentries. The position of attackers was favourable, because they were running almost on the top of valley slope. So just a few Talbourne were on their altitude. When yells of pain made by unfortunate troops who happened to meet Avengers alarmed sergeant Miray, he howled for alarm and sent all his wolves up. But running uphill in dense forest was not a easiest thing to do even for skilled soldier.

Finally Miray got to the end of narrow path coming up. Then he froze in place, seeing lone wolf standing on his route and bodies of his three soldiers lying in front of him. He gasped with fury and started up, to stop just before the range of enemy’s attack. Talbourne understood that he – as almost winded – had limited chance against adversary standing over him.

“You are dead!” he gasped. “Twenty more of my soldiers will be here in a moment.”

“So we have a moment to talk.” Smiled Brann. Then he added. “Don’t worry, those are not only my kills. May and August took those two. I finished just that white one. Come here, I need second one to my record!”

Miray noticed that pointed wolf was his best friend, Marko. He rushed to furious charge, not caring that April had a clear advantage over him. When about ten minutes later Avenger was killed by Miray’s squad, he fell on the rock, but just after body of sergeant. He was lucky too – he traded his life for two foes.

*

Avengers ran until the dusk. About sunset they reached the place above Home Cave. So then only thing to do was to came down and strike on enemy’s lair from slope. Steele knew that their hard route took much time and allowed defenders to regroup. But in the same time attackers took a most favourable position to attack. From then on they had only to go down. With impetus of easy run they could easily breach through tired and confused defenders, looking at random for invisible foe.

Malamute noticed as one of bigger groups was running on river’s bed. When he asked Kostan, old wolf recognised part of Shadow’s army. So they had been overrun, however Steele wasn’t terrified about that.

“The chaos spread throughout Talbourne.” He said, when they had a short break before entering the valley. “They are searching for us still east from here. It will take some time before they pick up our trail again. And when they do, it would be too late. Now they are scattered on wide area and disoriented. That is the opportunity we sought.”

“So what’s the plan?” asked Elske.

“The simplest one – we go down, killing everyone who cross our path.” Replied Steele. “This is the work you all accustomed to.” They laughed and dog gave order to set off. “We can’t fail! Four of our companions gave their lives for us to be here. Use that sacrifice well!”

Then they formed a line and started to ran down. It was a hellish run. Because they were just above the Home Cave, they had before them about kilometre of way down the slope in dense forest. Then was an almost vertical wall, more than fifty metres high, where cave complex had its entrances. Steele hoped that slope had some paths down too.

But before that they marched thought the forest. Soon on their path appeared first patrols. Soldiers - sent in small squads at random - had to find and alarm rest of forces about enemy’s location. In fact they alarmed, however not with communication howls but with yells of pain. Avengers formed a half-circle formation, where Steele and Kostan were on front and in centre. That living tank was crushing any resistance in the way. Wolves – alarmed by calls of friends – encountered at random deadly marching and died on fangs of Avengers. Fresh – because coming down – attackers where clashing with winded defenders, who just had made a climb up in search of enemy. The combat was easy, however not without losses.

One of quick Talbourne managed to surprise May, walking on right edge of formation. He just pounced from side, grabbing her paw and rolling right to overturn enemy. May fell down, wrestling with soldier. She was skilled with martial arts, but earlier wounds weakened her strength.

“Go!” she called, pressing her foe to the ground. “I will take him down.” Steele howled with warrior salute, but he even didn’t slow down his steps.

“Thank you, sister.” He thought.

May kept her promise, because he managed to bite wolf’s side and tore more than pound of living flesh out of his body. Few seconds after a wave of sentries, companions of unfortunate soldier, deluged fighting female, quickly biting her to death. But private Roam – because that was the name of one who wounded Hviske’s paw – died two days later, after general wounds-infection. I think you should know about it.

But meanwhile seven remaining Avengers were coming down with impetus. Forest became thinner and thinner, so Steele ordered to speed up. Finally they noticed a brink of bluff where stood about fifteen regular soldiers. Those were Remer’s guards.

“No!” gasped dog. “It impossible, that they are so stupid.” But guardians were – standing on the edge of cliff with eyes look to kill.

Avengers clashed into line of defenders like boulder falling to the ground. Some of guardians fell instantly, some after agile hits of attackers. Fighting his was to entrance on path down, malamute noticed as his foes were clearly drugged. Red eyes with unnaturally extended pupils, saliva on lips and blood on tongues called to world that Talbournes were not acting rationally but driven by mad impulses of narcotic haze.

“Leave them!” called malamute. “Follow me, we are going down!”

It was too late for Blad – wolf got into fight with three guardians and after getting a hit in desperate move he pushed himself to the edge. Mass of four bodies disappeared behind the edge and soon after everyone there heard a sound of warriors hitting the ground. There was no chance to survive that fall. June didn’t hope for that.

“Go!” growled Steele and entered the path down.

It was a narrow pass, coming in lengthwise, but also a bit down. On the other side, there vertical wall became scattered and cracked, started another long ledge back, to path went lower almost to the bottom, where on bigger ledge where entrances to caverns. So that way happened to be only route down. And that pass Remer decided to block.

He was standing on ledge below Avengers, waiting for attackers enter his range. His mouth was dripping with blood and his eyes were all black, due to maximum extended pupils. He was shouting something partially incomprehensible, but when he noticed Steele and his companions, he called with louder voice.

“That’s you! You killed them.”

“Be precise.” Replied Steele. “Whom I killed exactly? In total, that’s a rather long list.”

“You shall not pass!” cried Remer with anger.

“Screw

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