with his paw, knocking her to the deck. He hit her again, and again and again, till she didn’t leap at him anymore.

Her face was streaked with tears when the dog pulled her muzzle up to look at him. “Look sweetheart,” He said. “…big brother isn’t here to save your sorry tail anymore. Bite me again and I’ll rip your heart right out of your pretty little body.”

Then he hit her again, throwing her against the wall of the wheel house.

The door slammed shut and the big dog laid down across it, blocking her in. He looked at the others. “Hey Kale.” He said to the other big dog. “Go down there and make sure she doesn’t get out any other entrance.”

The dog nodded and ran down the ramp.

Shanaea climbed to her paws and ran at the door. She slammed into it hard, but it didn’t budge. “…no, no, no.” She cried. Then she ran to the window and put her paws up on the sill. Through the small window she could just see the dogs carrying Tiembe toward the jagged black outline of the outskirts. She slid down the wall to the floor and cried.

Chapter 7:

Ami smiled and pulled her tail further over her eyes to hide the light streaming through the cave opening. Inwardly she sighed and knew that she should wake up, but she knew that Dash would simply force her back to her chambers until she was well. She sighed again and cursed herself for being sick.

Nick stood at the door, indecisively. He turned, almost fleeing back down the corridor he'd come, then stood, arguing mentally with himself. Finally, he closed his eyes and cleared his throat. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was a small squeak. He cleared his throat again, before speaking. "May I come in, ma'am?"

Ami flicked her tail away from her eyes and opened them slowly, blinking a few times as they adjusted to the light. "Sure.." She said. She yawned and stretched slightly. "...come on in Nick." She grinned and stood, walking shakily toward him. "..and you know you don't have to call me Ma'am... I think we talked about that last night, didn't we?"

"Yes, ma'am," Nick said automatically. "I...I mean..yes" Nick stammered to a halt, momentarily flustered. "Are you feeling better this morning?" he said, forcing himself not to add ma'am to the end of the sentence

Ami sighed. "...not really." She smiled. "Well better I guess, yeah, but still pretty weak. I hate it." She frowned. "I should be out there leading my unit, instead the other lieutenants have to work twice as hard to pick up my slack. It's despicable.

Nick smiled sympathetically, "You know it's not your fault, Ami. Everyone gets sick...it just happened that you got sick at an inconvenient time. You need to take your rest, so you can get better and lead us again." He put a reassuring paw on her shoulder, before remembering that she was still his superior. His eyes widened in alarm. "I beg your pardon ma'am. I forgot my place."

Ami smiled and slowly raised her paw, wobbling a little before she regained her balance, and placed it on Nick's shoulder. "...your place?" She asked. She chuckled. "Nick, since when have you cared about military bearing? ...and you seem to be fairly nervous, something up?"

Nick sighed, and glanced at th paw on his shoulder, before chuckling half-heartedly. "You know me so well. But then, I guess you should. We've known each other a long time. We grew up together, entered the service together, and we're in the same unit..." Nick trailed off, chewing his words almost like they were physical objects which might choke him. He laughed again, "And you're right, I don't care much about military bearing."

Ami chuckled and moved her paw up to nudge his cheek before dropping it back to the floor of the cave. "I recognize that look." She said. "You're in love aren't you Nick?" She smiled and winked at him. "Don't worry, I can keep a secret, so, who's the lucky gal?"

Nick laughed again at her apt words. She really could read him like a book, in every way but the most important one. "Well...she's a lucky girl alright. Smart, capable, beautiful....you're right. I am in love." Nick dragged his gaze up to her eyes. "You'll have to forgive me... I seem to have forgotten my place again. Because...I think....Aniu forgive me, but I'm in love with you, Ami"

Ami's eyes widened and her muzzle fell open slightly. She mouthed words, but they didn't come out. She turned around and walked toward the center of the chamber, then turned around. There were tears in her eyes. "...Oh... oh nick..." she said.

Nick dropped his eyes to the floor, drawing himself up to attention. "I'm sorry ma'am. I shouldn't have said anything." He fumbled for more words, but was unable to find them, and trailed off.

She sniffled and looked up at him. "Nick... no, my goodness no, something like that... you can't keep it secret. I... I just didn't expect it is all." She sighed. "...and... and well... I know you aren't much for military bearing, but... well I'm an officer now... not that that makes much difference to me, but..." She fell silent and then started walking toward him.

"I understand of course," he said, scarcely bearing to look up, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. "With your permission, I will request a transfer to another unit. Conflict of duty or..or..or..." His tail drooped even lower and it would have been obvious to anyone that he didn't really want this.

She shook her head and leaned down and nuzzled the quaking wolf. "I don't want you to leave, and I'll not approve a transfer." She said. "You're too good a wolf, a soldier, and a friend for this unit... for me to lose you." She sighed. "Look... Nick, I really like you too. I have... I have for a long, long time... but... but how can we? ...do you know of a way?"

Nick's heart fairly leapt at her words, and he inhaled his breath sharply. "You....you.....you have?" he asked incredulously. He accepted the nuzzle gratefully. "I don't know....perhaps...maybe after this war...you...I...we..." He trailed off, his eyes closing softly as he ventured to nuzzle his commanding officer's shoulder.

Ami sighed and took a step back. "Nick... with the war going on... well I don't know how Dash will handle it, but Shadow's punishment for fratnerization was... well was rather permanent... and it was directed toward your end, not mine.

Nick grimaced and looked at the floor, knowing full well the penalties for what he felt. "Well....does Dash have to know?" he said, an almost pleading look in his eye.

Ami sighed. "Nick, I've..." she looked at him and sighed again. "...I don't suppose..." She stopped again. "Oh dammit all this is so unfair!" She yelled. Then she winced and looked around, wondering who'd heard her outburst.

Nick took a quick look around, nervous for a moment. "I know it is..." He moved in quickly, and gave her a soft lick on the muzzle. "I do care about you, Ami. It's going to be very hard."

She smiled. "I know Nick." She said, nuzzling him. "In public... at least for now..." She sighed. "...***** it." She said. "I want to be with you Nick but... I don't want it like this... what if we get caught?"

Nick smiled softly, almost sadly. "I'd love to say that we'd run away together and start a new life." His eyes dropped to his paws. "But I really don't think that's how it would happen. We can't abandon the pack, even if we were given the option to." He sighed, and nuzzled Ami again.. "I really don't see a good way for this to work."

Ami sighed and pulled him close. He could feel her trembling beside him; her warm breath through the fur of his neck. "Nick I... I want it to." She said. "I do, but... if anyone found out... they'd report us and I'd lose my commission, but... that's not half of what you'd lose." She gulped and glanced at his tail. "...I mean... I don't want to see you get hurt because of me... I'd... I'd feel awful..."

Nick looked into Ami's eyes. "Well....if I can't be with you now...then I'll wait...if I have to." He nuzzled her again. "What if we make this...sort of... our little secret? If we wait until after the war...then....then...maybe it will be ok."

Ami smiled and a tear ran down her muzzle to slide down his nose. "I suppose that could work." She said. She sniffled. "It'll give us some more time to come up with a plan.. but it seems so far away... like an eternity."

Nick nuzzled the side of her muzzle before licking away a tear on her cheek. "Aw, Ami, don't cry. It'll be ok... we'll find a way to make things work..." He looked away briefly, to hide the tears lurking at the corners of his own eyes.

She frowned and sighed. "Nick what if... what if one of us... doesn't make it?" She asked. "I mean... you know how bad Lytion is... what if..." She sniffled again, unable to say it a second time. "I... I've been waiting so long to hear you say that that... now I don't think I could live if I lost you."

Nick let out a shuddery sigh. "I know, I've been thinking of that too. And I don't have a good answer for you. If one of us... doesn't make it.. then.. well.. the other will have to carry on." At this point, his voice cracked like a teenagers and he trailed off. "I don't know how I'd stand it either"

Ami nodded. "I... I suppose so. It was hard enough ordering my best friend into battle... now... can I do it? ...maybe you should just be put on permanent cave guard or something... at least that way you're out of harms way..."

Nick frowned and sighed. "As my commanding officer, you have that option. But I'm not going to cry off my duty to my alpha or my pack."

Amy sighed. "...I suppose... I suppose that's kind of... well... unfair to the others, isn't it?"

Nick replied, "Well... they all have loved ones too.. I swear though, I'll do