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"We're nearly there, Kalgorn," Balto replied just as quietly, "We'll run into the border guard in a little while."

Jenna walked beside him trying to hide her nervousness. This cat-and-mouse game they were playing was not something she enjoyed at all. She'd much rather be at home with Rosie, or better yet, watching the sun set with Balto on the beach. That was where she'd rather be.

Balto noticed Jenna's anxiety and nuzzled her softly to try to calm her fears.
"Not much further now."

Balto stopped as he heard a rustling in the bushes ahead. His ears perked up, and he just barely heard it. The scraping of claws in the dirt. He pawed the earth with his own claws, and a moment later a white wolf padded emerged from the bushes and padded toward them.
"Balto, it's been a long time," he said, leading them further along the river bank, "Aniu's blessing be with you."
"And with you, Echo," Balto replied, "Listen, I know this is short notice, but we think we have a follower. His name is Keso."
Echo's head snapped around.
"Keso?" he whispered angrily, "Why would he be following you?"
"I don't know," Balto admitted.
"I'll double the guard," Echo replied. A brown and tan wolf came into view and moved up beside his leader. "Gunther, call out Milo and Ryder. You're all doing watch tonight."
Gunther nodded and sped off among the trees.
"All this over one wolf?" Jenna said, a bit confused, "Is he really that dangerous?"
Echo turned and said, "There are many things you do not know about him."

Balto and Jenna sat with Kalgorn in the common area of Echo's den, a small series of interconnected caves behind the warterfall that fed the river. They had laid in silence for a while, and eventually Jenna had nodded off to sleep again. As she lay on his shoulder, Balto felt himself growing tired and was almost asleep when his ears twitched at a sound from outside.

It almost sounded like paws on snow, but it was over too quickly. Then, he heard it again. A quick, almost inaudible sound like that of a shifting snowbank. He peered out through the fading light to where Gunther, Milor, and Ryder stood watch. At first, he nearly panicked when he couldn't see Ryder on the left, but his fears subsided when the shadow of a wolf rose from the shrubs.
He probably just fell asleep again,Balto thought, curling up beside Jenna and closing his eyes.
....
Near the border, Ryder's eyes closed for the last time as his heart beat slower and slower...and stopped.

OOC: For clarrification, the wolf Balto is seeing is, unfortunately, Keso.

Jenna's eyes blinked open and she lifted her head slowly. A quickly glance at Balto told her that he was still quite asleep. She laid her head down again, and tried to sleep, but after several minutes she found it impossible. Now wishing she'd never woken up, she decided to go for a quick walk. For a moment, she hesitated, but then she padded out into the cool night air.
It's only for a moment, she assured herself, And after all, we're safe here.

Keso froze where he was in the shadows as first Kalgorn, then Jenna exited the den. He watched them both and then glanced over his shoulder where the two remaining sentries still stood. Cale had not yet made his move. 'Ah, well, soon enough they'll be down.' A third figure had taken Ryder's place now and Keso grinned, then turned back to watch Kalgorn and Jenna. This was becoming ridiculously easy. After all the effort that he'd just put forth, why shouldn't he just go ahead and take Echo's pack now? His bonus for doing so: three extra trouble makers.

Cale had called only five others to come back with him. For the moment, one had slunk off to fill Ryder's position on the line. Cale smirked and then signaled quietly to one of the others. Each picking out their own path, they both crept up to the two remaining sentries. Cale took the middle one, Milor, staying out of sight until he was just below his neck. As soon as he knew the sentry would have to see and hear him, he struck, moving his maw directly upwards towards the throat. If he managed to catch his neck, he would clamp down and rip, much as Keso had done. The other Hailstorm wolf used the same tactic on Gunther, attempting the same feat.

Jenna noticed with some relief that Kalgorn was also up, but was a little put off.
"Kalgorn, we're perfectly safe here. Echo assured us," she said, moving past him and then looking back, "But if it makes you feel better, I'll go back inside in a moment. I just want a few minutes of fresh air."
She stopped and sat down just behind the waterfall, taking in a few deep breaths of the forest air. Had her sense of smell been keener, she might have scented Keso or the six other wolves moving toward the den, but she did not catch even so much as a hint of their presence on the wind. Instead, she sat gazing sleepily into the sky, watching as a few thin gray clouds obscured the moon and darkened the land before her eyes.

Gunther leapt backward in surprise. The scent of his attacker had come to his nostrils all too late to be of use, but he managed to dodge the wolf's first attack. He gave a low growl and lashed out at his attacker, but the wolf skillfully dodged and landed a paw across his eyes. Gunther stumbled back, momentarily blinded, and tried to regain his footing as he shook his head angrily. But this moment of pause was all his attacker needed. Gunther gave a last desperate bark of pain as he felt teeth at his throat.

Milo, however, had not been as lucky as Gunther, and the last thing he saw was a flash of teeth.

Jenna's ears perked up at the sound of a bark from further into the forest. She staggered to her paws and scanned the treeline frantically, and saw the shadow in the middle fall. Milo, she thought. Off to her right, Gunther's shadow was already on the ground. Jenn looked to her left at the shadowy form of Milo.
Why doesn't he do anything? she thought desperately.

Her question was answered when the 'Milo' turned and advanced slowly toward the den with the others. Only a hundred yards or so seperated them from her and the den behind her.

OOC: Sorry if I started controlling your character's Aniu_blade. I kinda got carried away there. ...Wow, that was long.