killer.”
“Because of you.” Kal responded.
Demon looked at Kal and gasped. Kal’s fur was no longer red, black, and white. It was now completely black. His eye was completely red, except for the pupil. Demon frowned and walked away, limping.
Kal stood there for what seemed like hours, before he was able to move again.
“I won’t rest until I make you feel my pain, Demon.” He said, “I won’t rest…until I kill you. I shall no longer be Kal, but Dagger. As of now, there never was a Kal, and there never will be.”
With that, he turned and bit at his back leg. He pulled away, and a black barbed wire hung in his mouth. He tossed it to the side and as he walked away he muttered.
“I renounce my lineage as a Guardian wolf.”
Kasha looked at Dagger, her head cocked to one side.
“Guardian wolf?” She asked.
He nodded.
“A Guardian wolf is an old bloodline of wolves, meant to protect what ever pack they were in. My entire family was in Demon’s pack. Well, before it became his. My father, grandfather, and grandmother served under a wolf called Kript.” Dagger explained.
“I thought that there weren’t anymore Guardian wolves? That the bloodline died when Storm did.” Saphire said.
“No, Demon didn’t realize that I was actually a Guardian wolf until The Fright took over my body.”
“How did you get it to back off?”
“I didn’t.”
Kasha and Saphire looked at each other and then back to Dagger.
“No, you had to of.” Saphire said, “Somehow you had to have gotten it to release its hold on you.”
Dagger shook his head. “You both must remember how I vowed to never rest until I killed Demon.”
“What about it?” Kasha asked.
“The Fright does not go away until you kill the creature or thing that made it take over in the first place. In my case, it wanted revenge for my family’s death. Numerous times after that it should have taken over. The Battle of The Fern for example, I killed twenty creatures by myself and I can remember that entire battle.”
“You remembered it? What does that mean?”
“It means The Fright never took over. Even though I was vastly outnumbered and was feeling very threatened, not once did it even try to.”
“I still don’t understand.”
This time Saphire answered Kasha, “It means that when The Fright would take over the wolf in question wouldn’t be able to remember what happened. While under control of course.”
Dagger nodded. “Exactly. The only way I can remember the fight with Demon is because it didn’t have full control. Of course…I had realized long before that there is only one way that it didn’t take over during other fights was simple.”
He paused and watched both Kasha and Saphire before continuing. “It has a permanent hold on me.”
“What?” They both said together.
“Its not that difficult to understand is it? My anger and want for revenge towards Demon, caused it to permanently take over my body. It hasn’t released itself sense. I’m also guessing that is why my fur changed.”
“Sir, I have one more question.” Saphire asked.
“I thought you would.”
“The barbed wire bracelet. I thought it was just a marking on the Guardian Wolfs leg? And wasn’t it always above a white paw?”
“It was always above a white paw. It was the same leg for me and my grandfather and my father’s was the same as his mother.”
“Wasn’t it just a marking?”
“No, it was actually piece of barbed wire wrapped around our ankles. We only said it was a marking.”
“Why?”
“Superstition. Many wolves believed that the Guardians had a tremendous power, and that the barbed wire only increased that power. They also thought it had something to do with our hair.”
“Hair?”
“Guardian Wolfs had what the humans called, Mohawks. Each one was different also. My grandparents were more spiked. My fathers was more smooth, or in better words, not spiked, but you could still see it. And mine,”
He shook his head, so that a large tuft of fur on his head swung back and forth, “Is hardly there.”
“Why is yours different?”
“Mine is different because my mother was not of the Guardian Wolf blood line, other wise it wouldn’t be as small.”
“Sir,” Kasha asked quietly, “in The Battle of The Fern…”
“Yes?”
“You said you found me there and that I was only about five months old.”
“Yes, I did.”
“What happened to my mother?”
Dagger was quiet. He had never told Kasha that her mother had been in that battle, and that he had killed her. He looked at the young cougar and sighed.
“Your mother…I do not know.”
Kasha hung her head a little. “Oh. I thought that because I was found there, maybe something had happened to her.”
“Who was your mother?” Saphire asked.
“Kija.”
Saphire swung her head around towards Dagger, her eyes wide. Kasha paid no attention to them lost in her own thoughts. Saphire glanced at her and then back to Dagger, pure venom in her eyes, and Dagger scooted backwards.
“Sir can I talk to you for a second?”
He nodded and they both stood and walked into the forest. Once they were far enough away, Saphire whispered.
“You didn’t tell her!”
“Of course not, what was I supposed to do? Let her know that her master killed her mother!”
“Yes! You are.”
“I can’t do that.”
“And why not?”
“I need her help.”
“Oh that’s right. I forgot about your ‘mission’ to get revenge on Demon. Well, I think it’s more important that she knows what happened to her mother, than killing Demon.”
She turned and started to go back. Dagger ran quickly and jumped in front of her.
“You wouldn’t dare tell her.”
“Why shouldn’t I? If you won’t whom else will? She needs to know Dagger.”
Both grew silent. Saphire had just called Dagger by his name and not sir, like she usually did. She clamped her mouth shut and looked at him with wide eyes. He stared at her back. He suddenly felt nervous around her, and was glad he no longer had white fur on his face, for it felt like he was constantly blushing. He was staring right into her blue eyes, and had the sudden urge to nuzzle her.
A twig snapped behind them and Dagger broke from his trance. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kasha standing there. She was looking at them both, with a curious look on her face. Saphire walked past Dagger. She stopped in front of Kasha and inclined her head a little, then looked back at Dagger and walked away. Dagger watched her leave and then looked at Kasha. She had a smile on her face.
“What?” He said.
“You like her.”
“Don’t be absurd.”
“You do. Admit it.”
“I do not. Now…” he paused and started walking away, “return to your training.”
Kasha smiled more as he walked away, “Sir.”
“Yes.”
“Training was over an hour ago.”
Chapter 5
For the next few days Dagger spent more and more time away from the cave. He was determined to keep away from Saphire, hoping that his feelings for her would eventually go away. Even though he knew Kasha was right, he would never admit that he liked Saphire.
However, Kasha was determined to get the two together.
On one sunny afternoon, Dagger had left yet again. Saphire was dozing in the sun after training and Kasha layed in the shade. She watched the wolf, and stretched her claws. Saphire’s ears flicked. Kasha smiled and yawned.
“So…Saphire. What do you think of master?”
“Must we use formalities when he’s gone?”
“Fine, what do you think of Dagger?”
She opened her eyes and stared into the forest. Kasha could tell she was thinking. Patiently Kasha waited for her answer. Saphire yawned and lifted her head up.
“Well…I think he’s a tough teacher. And I kinda wonder why he’s been avoiding us, but I know it’s not my place to pry.”
Kasha smiled. “He hasn’t been avoiding us. He’s been avoiding you.”
“What? Why?”
“He won’t admit it, but I think he is avoiding you so that he doesn’t let his feelings get in the way of your training.”
“His feelings?”
“I think he likes you.”
Saphire was silent. Kasha watched her closely and smiled. She had a look of pure happiness on her face. She looked at Kasha, her eyes sparkling.
“He is a handsome wolf.”
“Even with his….”
“Eye? I don’t care about that. It makes him look…I dunno, rebellious.”
“No not his eye, his background.”
Saphire was quiet again. Kasha watched her and let her eyes wander the forest. She spotted a black figure lurking in the shadows. She stared at it for a while before it noticed her and slowly wandered away. She turned back to Saphire and watched the wolf, waiting for her answer.
“I don’t know.” Saphire said in a whisper, “I guess…it kinda…”
“Kinda what?”
Saphire looked at Kasha. “Helps me understand him better…I’m not sure.”
Kasha yawned again, “Well, yes it does that. For me it helps me understand why he’s been training us so hard.”
Saphire nodded and rested her head back down. She shut her eyes. Kasha continued to watch her until Dagger walked in the clearing. The two looked up at him. He looked at Kasha and then Saphire. When he looked at her, his eyes quickly darted away and his ears bent back slightly. Kasha perked her ears forward and caught his eye. Dagger quickly went back to his original stance and walked across the clearing and back into the forest.
Saphire watched him go. She turned back to Kasha and rested her head down. She shut her eyes and pinned back her ears, her mind full of what Kasha had said.
“I think he likes you.”
“He hasn’t been avoiding us. He’s been avoiding you.”
“…He doesn’t want his feelings to get in the way of your training.”
“Go after him.”
Saphire jerked out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw Kasha staring at her.
“Go after him.” She repeated.
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