his back. The wolf had his forelegs pinned to the ground and Dash was having trouble figuring out how it had happened.

Suddenly the wolf’s head jerked up and Dash watched as a trickle of blood ran out of his muzzle.

The wolf fell to the side and Dash saw June standing behind him.

Dash rolled to his paws. “Thanks…” He said.

June nodded. “…be careful Dash.”

Dash nodded and turned as a wolf howled and ran at him. He sighed. “…and it begins again.” He thought.

 

Ami was reeling back from several attacks that her latest opponent had thrown at her. He hit her again and she fell to the ground. She rolled to the side as the wolf pounced at her. She sprang to her paws and in the time it took to blink The wolf had covered half the distance between them. Ami felt the shakiness in her legs. She knew she couldn’t possibly withstand another attack so soon. She’d go down. “…and if I go down he’ll kill me.” She thought.

Suddenly she heard a yell and saw a blur intersect the wolf, knocking him to the ground. She blinked again and saw it was Nick rolling on the ground with her assailant.

Nick grabbed the wolf’s head in his paws and snapped his jaws around the wolf’s neck. Blood poured from the mortal wound and Nick threw the wolf off him. He stood and looked around, but Ami had disappeared into the throng of fighting wolves.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 16:

 

Aleu felt a shudder along the floor of the cave-like room she, Steele and Aniu stood in. Behind them a red light split the ceiling and a rushing wind filled their ears.

Souls and demons began to pour from the walls, being sucked out of ***** by something more powerful than all of them.

“That’s a hellgate.” Aniu said. “…and it’s our way out. The Lord has provided again.”

Aleu nodded.

“Just let the wind carry you.” Aniu said.

Aniu closed her eyes and suddenly she was whisked away toward the ceiling.

Aleu took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Suddenely she felt herself rising off the ground, gathering speed as she approached the bright light framing the ceiling.

 

The next time Aleu opened her eyes she stood on a battlefield.

She looked around and recognized wolves of the Talbourne all around her joined in battle with those of the Shadowclan, augmented by Shade’s demonic followers.

She turned and froze.

Shadow was pinned to the ground by one of the demons.

She ran to him and raised her paw, finding it still charged by the blue flame. She swung it at the wolf’s head and it exploded.

Shadow blinked and looked up.

Aleu smiled.

Shadow’s eyes grew larger.

She reached out and touched his paw and the blue flame traveled from hers to his, engulfing both of them.

“…fight Shadow.” She said. “The battle is yours.”

Shadow climbed to his paws. “…how?” He asked.

“…later.” She said. “You have the spirit of our creator in your paws, pass it on.” She smiled. “We have a battle to win.”

 

Balto ducked under a flaming beam as it fell from the ceiling. He looked through the burning flames at Jason’s sneering face. He tried to see the cheerful pup he’d known such a short time ago in his mind’s eye.

He could not.

“Jason, look at yourself!” Balto yelled. “Look at what you’ve become!”

“No!” Jason yelled. “Look at what you made me!”

“I didn’t make you anything!” Balto yelled. “You did this to yourself. You and this… Fairbourne character! You allowed him to twist your mind against me! …for what reason I don’t know, but he used you to get at me!”

“You killed his mate.” Jason said. “Just as you killed my father.”

Balto shook his head. “Jason, I did not kill Draco, he attacked me.”

“…but why?” Jason asked. “Why wouldn’t anyone kill one who was sleeping around with his mate? Tell me, did you tell Jenna? Did you tell her?”

“Tell her what?” Balto asked. “There’s nothing to tell her?”

“Why did you both lie to me then?!” Jason yelled.

Balto sighed. “We… we did lie to you Jason.” Balto said. “…but not because we were sleeping together. I love Jenna. How can you think such a thing?”

“Then what happened?” Jason asked. “What’s the truth?”

“We lied to you… to protect you.” Balto said.

“…to protect me from what?” Jason asked.

“…from the guilt over your father’s death.” Balto said.

“Why would I feel guilty for my father’s death?” Jason asked.

Balto sighed. “Jason… remember that night he told you to come home and you were late?”

Jason nodded.

“He… he came to my home. He thought that I had kidnapped you because of his decision in Jenna’s case.”

“…no.” Jason said.

“He attacked me. He was going to kill me. My owner came down and he… he shot your father.”

Jason shook his head. “You’re lying!” He yelled.

“Look at me!” Balto yelled. “Am I?”

Jason looked at him.

A beam from the ceiling fell to the floor in flames.

“…but…”

“…you killed your own mother!” Balto yelled. “You killed her, she did nothing to you and you killed her!”

Jason stepped backward. He looked at the floor and paused a second.

Then he looked back up at Balto. “I’m sorry.” He said. Then he turned and ran.

Balto ducked another flaming piece of wood as it fell from the ceiling. He looked and saw the stairway was clear. Then he ran at it, choking on the smoke.

He sprinted down the stairs and burst through the door, rolling to the snow outside.

He stood up and saw Jason sprinting down the street, a black dog at his side.

Balto turned and fell exhausted to the snow as the building behind him burned.

 

Ami swung her paw hard at her opponent’s face. The demon’s glowering muzzle disintegrated.

She looked down at the blue flame that covered her paw. She could scarcely believe that faith could make her this strong. She looked out over the battlefield and saw hundreds of blue flames flitting to and fro across the battlefield destroying demons and killing the members of the Shadowclan. “We’re going to win.” She thought. Shadow’s words earlier came back to her. “Do not fear Ami. The battle is ours.”

It was soon after this that he had touched her paw and the blue flame had spread onto it.

As she stood there she saw a spirit flit in front of her. She did not even strike the demon in her way, yet he still disintegrated.

The spirit stopped and hovered there for a moment. Then it turned and set itself upon the ground. It was a wolf whose fur The spirit coalesced and looked up.

Ami gasped. “It’s… it’s you.” She said.

The wolf smiled and Ami heard a sweet voice in her mind. “Yes my child. I am returned and this battle is over. You have been faithful. You and all my children. For this, you have been given your enemies.”

Ami nodded slowly. She was unable to look away from the apparition.

Then, as quickly as it had come it had gone.

Ami looked around, but the spirit was nowhere to be found.

 

Nick was on the far side of the battlefield. He too saw a great white wolf striding through the battlefield. The black wolves of the Shadowclan that stood in her way fell dead, the demons simply exploded.

The wolf looked at Nick and though he had never seen her he knew immediately who she was.

“…the Great Aniu.” He whispered. “…but how… you were killed. They all said it was so.”

Aniu smiled. “My child, the reports you had heard were true. I was killed and cast into hell for my arrogance against our creator, but he felt it right to offer me a second chance and I was freed from its fiery chains.”

Nick smiled and nodded slowly, as if in a trance.

“My child I know that you are troubled. You have spoken to me, and I have heard you. All those nights that you cried out your soul to me; I heard, but was unable to answer. Now, I have the solution for you.”

Aniu opened her mouth and a great wind blew past Nick’s face.

Nick closed his eyes and heard a voice singing in his mind. For only a moment he was standing, not on a bloody battlefield, but a field on a warm summer’s day. He closed his eyes and basked in that warmth.

He opened his eyes. “…of course.” He said quietly. Then he blinked and looked around frantically.

She was gone.

Nick smiled. “Thank you Aniu.” He said. “…thank you.”

 

Lytion leapt fifteen feet to his next opponent. He threw the wolf on the ground and ripped his throat out, spitting the blood onto the ground. He snarled and then a great voice filled the battlefield.

“…STOP!”

The voice traveled like a great whirlwind and instantly everything on the battlefield stopped.

The wolves of both the Talbourne and the Shadow clan looked around, searching for the source of the voice. The wolves of the Talbourne started to step back, the Shadowclan members began to drop dead as a white wolf strode through the narrow canal of wolves, her vision cast to the ground, watching her paws advance one after another.

Lytion growled. “It cannot be you.” He said. “My father has you in chains.” He smiled. “I have seen it, and I have reveled in it.”

Aniu’s face remained unemotional. “Son of my enemy your time is up. It is true that your father had me in chains in the pit of fire. …but neither you, nor he ever had power over me that was not given to you by he who created me.” She grinned. “…but now, my father has given you to me.”

Aniu stepped forward again and Lytion stepped back…

…or tried to. He found that he was unable to move at all. He looked back at Aniu and snarled.

“…fight!” He screamed. “…of course you can defeat me when I am unable to move. How about you make this a fair fight! Let me go and let’s finish this!”

Aniu smiled. “Your ideal that this is a fight at all is mistaken. When I say that my father has given you to me; I mean exactly that. The battle has already been waged… and you have lost.”

Aniu looked up and her blue eyes flashed a fearsome ray of blue.

Lytion screamed as the blue enveloped him and he burned

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