Shadow of all the restless young bucks of the Order. He was one that the wolves liked to keep a close eye on - they were concerned Kivel himself might be the Shadow. "C'mon. Let's go." he turned sharply, glaring at the bird.

The others followed readily. "What was that all about?" Lyr asked quietly, looking very concerned. She was the quiet type, and was an exellent judge of character. It was quite clear that Malice was a shifty one.

"Dunno," Lerah looked a bit uncomforted himself. "I don't like that little hawk one bit, though."

---

 That night, Hyzenthay wandered through the forest. She sighed, looking up through the leaves at the stars. Eventually, a shadow flickered at the edge of her vision. She turnedtoward it sharply. It was a deer... a buck. It stood a distance off, and watched her. He said nothing, as if he was waiting on her to speak. Sheslowly approached him. "Are you...?" His ears went forward a bit. "You are... the Shadow. You're the Shadow. I didn't think I'd see you again..."

"But you have." he spoke quietly, glancing around. He was taking a risk by stopping here. He'd never held a casual chat before, not once in his life.

The two spoke for awhile, Hyzenthay asking many questions, the Shadow seeming inclined to answer, but with little detail. Watching the exchange was a bird, silent like the night. Watching them, he only had eyes for malice, waiting for something - anything - to expose this buck's identity. Suddenly, the full moon broke the clouds, giving him just what he wanted - it only lasted a second, and the Shadow turned away sharply to keep Hyzenthay from identifying him - but it didn't stop the bird.

He immediately recognized Lerah, and waited to follow him so he could bring back evidence to the wolves for a ransome.

Chapter 8 - The Capture

Malice flew down and landed near Lindri. "Alpha Lindri, I bring you great news," he said excitedly.

"What?" snarled the wolf, violent as ever. "Be quick!"

"Your NightSpoils, they've failed," Malice reported. "They en't got nothing to show, and I know who the Shadow is."

"Tell me!" Lindri stepped closer to the bird.

"What's in it for me?" Malice narrowed his eyes.

"Your life," Lindri growled, lowering his head toward the bird, who's feathers fluffed out in sudden fear of the maddening alpha.

"It's that buck who's been hangin' 'roung that doe Hyzenthay," Malice said. "That Lerah one."

"What?" Aydryn had approached unnoticed. "My son?"

"Yeh. En't that a shocker?" Malice looked almost amused at the shock of the deer. "He be the one. Call off them search parties. I seen it."

"Good." Lindri's lips slid back into a horrid grin. "Bring him here, Yonira." A pale white she-wolf took off from behind the badger-marked alpha. Now, it might be odd that he'd act this way, so willing to believe a bird with the name Malice. As untrustable a source he may seem, remember that the alpha is growing old and is maddened by hate for the Shadow. He was desperate and insane.

---

"Let me go!!! Stop, I didn't do anything!" Lerah was being corralled into a large, rocky area in a forested gourge.His legs bled from being nipped by the wolves. "What'm I here for? Tell me!"

"You know very well!" Yelled Lindri as he decended from the upper levels. "You are to be on trial for the murder of the High Gaurd Yoric, the Mid Gaurd Keil, and the Alpha's Heir, Homba!"
 

Chapter 9: The Trial of the Shadow

Lerah was horrified. "I never did that! You're crazy!!"

"Then why have sources confirmed you are the Shadow, and you were seen speaking to the doe, Hyzenthay last night?" by this time, deer and wolves alike had gathered. Suddenly, the murmuring seized.

"He was right there walking by me all along..." Kivel looked up, his eyes widening in disbelief. "I can't... ths isn't..."

"Lerah?" Hyzenthay slowly took a step forward. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because there was nothing to say," Lerah insisted. "I'm not the Shadow. I can't be."

"Then who is?" Aydryn stepped forward. "Hyzenthay, what colour was the Shadow?"

"From what I saw? He was brown..." Hyzenthay slowly looked at Lerah. "And that was drenched at night..."

"And his eye colour?" added Yonira, a young tracker wolf.

"A stormy... blue..." her eyes glazed over in sudden understanding. Hyzenthay stepped back, understanding what was happening. An eye-colour like Lerah's, stormy blue, was excedingly rare. And you see, for a maddened wolf, this was evidence enough.

"Then he is guilty," snarled Lindri. "I have decreed public execusion!"

"Deathmatch, deathmatch!" wolves began chanting.

"Deathmatch." Lindri smiled brutally and Lerah's eyes widened further.

"Allow it be me," Aydryn spoke, adding to Lerah's growing horror. It was overpowering - the buck felt like the air was being dragged from his lungs. "I want this honor. The Order demands it of me."

"Yes, Aydryn. Allow it to be you." Lindri stood back.

A ragged ring formed. Lerah's head had dropped low, his eyes dull. Now, slowly, he raised his head, his eyes like stones. "By Frith*, Aydryn," Lerah began, his voice hardened. He was fully concious, but his voice and body had been taken once more by the Shadow. "I will fight. The Order is breaking down. Three times now it has demanded I stand and allow myself be killed. Three times now I have denied the Order. Let this be the fourth. Need it be, I will kill you."

Footnote: Frith is the Lapine sun spirit.

 Chapter 10 - The Battle of Shadows

The father and son locked antlers, shaking their heads  and fighting feircely to stay on their feet. Eventually they stood pushing against eachother in silence, the tension like thunder about to break. Kivel looked behind him at the other deer. They all looked tense, their muscles tight. They hated this. They wanted to help. Then it hit him.

They feel it too. That feeling. The desperate need to drive out the wolves... The instinct telling us to break the Order. He'd use it to his advantage in a simple way. He muttered things: "Why must it be like this?" "They're strong..." "We could fight if we needed to." "Look at them. If they're that strong, we'd be able to take care of ourselves, too..." "We can manage the same things the Shadow - Lerah - has managed... why have we never tried?" He felt it was making the others more restless. Just what he was hoping for. They were close to the edge.

Then, one wolf gave them a nudge. That was all it took. An over-eager wolf darted out and nipped the Shadow's leg, making him fall. Aydryn reared up over him, ready to strike him as he had to Homba. The rest of the deer leaped up from where they were, sick of being oppressed by the wolves, leaping into a battle. The moment of distraction was all the Shadow needed - he rolledout of the way of his father's hooves just before they crashed down to the ground. Leaping up, he jumped at Lindri. "You will die here, Lindri, with no heir, and no Order. We are deer. We are free."

"No!" Lindri leaped at Hyzenthay, circling her. "Attack me, and she dies. You are but a shadow. You can't protect her."

The Shadow glanced from Hyzenthay to Lindri. "Kill him, Lerah," Hyzenthay told him desperately. "Forget about me."

"No." the Shadow looked down. "I can't..."

"Yes, you can," Kivel ran up, sliding, spinning around and kicking Lindri. "You can too kill him!"
Lindri lay on the ground, panting as the Shadow approached. When he didn't rear up, Lindri looked at him. "Well?"

"Leave." the one word issued from deep in the buck's chest. "You must leave here. The Order is gone."

This was enough for the old wolf, who slowly got up and ordered a retreat. He ran off into the shadows of the gourge.

"Leyrin." Aydryn approached. The Shadow turned, his head high. "I am proud, my son."

Chapter 11 - The Separation of Shadows: Freedom

"What...?" Lerah stared at his father, back in control. He was aware of everything that had just happened. "How...? You..."

"I am proud. That is all that matters." Aydryn nodded at Lerah, turning slightly.

"Thank you, father." The voice was slightly different from Lerah's. It was a bit more mature, more confident. Next to him was a shadow, barely visible, a buck with eight points - two more than Lerah. He had the same glowing eyes, but it was almost like he wasn't really there.

It was the Shadow - he had left Lerah with only one personality.

"What..." Aydryn stopped. "How..."

"I was always there, father. I will always be there. I won't leave my brother." the Shadow smiled. "Even though I never will breath."

With that, the Shadow turned and leaped off into the woods, a spirit of the night.

"What...? Father?" Lerah turned.

"Lerah... you had a brother at birth, but he died very young," Aydryn said. "That was him... all of it was. He was apart of you, Lerah. And now he is at peace.

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