ONE

Chapter 26 Everything You Knew

     DreadThunder paced back and forth in the hallway, stiff and nervous, waiting for his leader to walk out of that door and to tell him what his punishment was for disservice. They had just got back from retrieving Tigerfang.
     The door creaked open and the white wolf trotted out to meet him.
     "Dread." She surveyed coldly, raising her head to look down at him.
     He bowed as low as he could. "My leader." He answered back smoothly, biting back the racing animal inside of him telling him to run.
     "I have made my decision, Dread. You've made a lot of mistakes, my warrior. But I'm still too fond of my best assassin to let you slip away, just for a few mistakes." She had a smile tugging at the edge of her mouth, so he wasn't quite sure where this was going yet.
     "Go back to the forest. Return to your pup and mate, and keep the elves under control." He breathed a sigh of relief.
     Then she walked into him, pushing him against the ornamented castle wall.
     "But I'm warning you, DreadThunder. I will not hesitate next time. I like my subjects loyal, and you are anything but. I'm letting it go this time because I need you. And when this is all over, you'd better still make me need you."
     Her hot breath and the smell of blood on it made him choke.
     "Of course, Your Majesty." He squeaked, the panic now rising in his throat.
     She released him. "Good. Go home now, and hope Evening will still want you as well."
     FeatherMoon was at the bottom of the stairs as he approached the front doors of the castle.
     "So what'd she say?" The winged wolf asked in her lilting voice.
     "I'm going home. To take care of Mange and the elves." Feather nodded. "Well that's good." She answered, walking along beside him.
     "Yeah." He said, trotting to pass her. He wanted to be alone to think about what he had just heard.
     *****
     "ShadowBird." Sky called. Her deputy slunk through the open door of her room seconds later.
     "You were outside." She said. "Of course. I wouldn't let you be without guard." He said with a pleased smile.
     "Your mind works well, then. Unlike Dread's. I was thinking of punishing him."
     "What for?" ShadowBird asked, walking over to stand in front of her.
     "I can't exactly put my paw on it. Little things. Cringing while Redeye screamed. Looking away when I met the pups for the first time. Lusting for Pendragon's companionship when he could have any Fort she-wolf he wanted." Shadow nodded.
     "I have noticed these things as well, my leader. He doesn't seem to mold to this idea of a perfect, wolf-led world as everyone else in the Fort does." The oil-black wolf agreed.
     "He is much to rebellious. I have told him he has one more chance." Sky said. "One more chance to show me he can be valuable enough to live."
     ShadowBird smiled with pleasure. "Of course. I will keep a close eye on him, Your Majesty." The bone-white wolf smiled back. "Thank you, ShadowBird. Would you go get our guest? I'm ready for my meeting with the people."
*****
     The rebel wolves that helped  Redeye and Thorn into the sky that morbid night were racing towards the castle in the heart of the Division.
     They slid in through the doors of the Great Hall, blending into the gathering crowd, who were all watching Queen SkyFire, surrounded by her wolves, sitting on the throne.
     She was in her human form, already talking about her plan for a peaceful world again.
     "You citizens have had so much heartache for so long, relying on the Great Three to solve your problems. But together we can solve these issues together, like a country should." She said loudly, standing up to face them.
     "If you want peace, stop sending your bloody wolves to murder people left and right!" A man yelled from somewhere in the audience.
     Several people shouted in agreement. Sky flicked her head to ShadowBird, who was at the edge of the stage.
     He jumped down, along with two other Fort wolves, and together they dragged the man by his shirt onto the platform.
     He looked scared but determined to stay calm.
     Flurry danced from paw to paw in apprehension, watching with horror spilled across her face.
     Sky stared down at the unnamed man. "You may think I'm going to kill you, but you are wrong. Because the Fort Pack is here to bring peace!" She called.
     "ShadowBird, please escort this man to a room in the castle. Make sure he has food, all right?" She said kindly, loud enough, however, for everyone to hear.
     "She doesn't seem too terrible." Flurry whispered to Hope.
     "Don't believe her. That man is going to die." Flint explained. Flurry suddenly felt very cold.
     "Okay. Now that that is over with, I'd like to present to you all, a member of the Great Three who would like to speak to you."
     You could've heard a pin drop in the crowded hall. Not a child nor adult spoke or breathed.
     Sky snatched away the thick maroon curtain behind the throne.
     Flurry expected to see the hung body of Whitefang or something equally terrible, but Tigerfang Gray stepped from the shadows.
     She craned her neck to look, but there were no chains, no whip-holding Fort warrior keeping her in place.    
     "What's wrong with her?" Yapped Steel, distress in his intelligent orange eyes.
     "Shh!" Hissed Flint. Hope glanced at EagleEyes, and they shared a solemn look.
     Sparks whined nervously as the crowd parted, making way for Sky to walk down the middle, Tigerfang padding along beside her like a dog.
     Suddenly she opened her mouth and spoke.
     "You may all know me as a rebel, as a wolf who wants the Fort wolves to fall beneath my pack's paws. But now I have seen the light as well. The Fortress Pack is really here to help us. And I am a loyal subject of Sky, and I hope you all have this realization as well." Tigerfang announced.
     Several Fort wolves onstage for the sake of keeping the crowd from rioting laughed as they watched the horrified faces of people and wolves alike.
     Flint started to bay lividly and leap towards the Queen. "Enough!" Hope snarled, seizing the two-year old by the scruff and pulling him to her side.
     "What's happening?" Flint howled. "She's not in her right mind. We need to get out of here." EagleEyes hissed, panicked.
     "I don't understand, where's Redeye?" Hope breathed, glancing around.
     "We don't have time, we need to go!" Steel snarled.
     The crowd was starting to get loud again, converging towards the doors.
     The rebel wolves were exposed, and Sky saw them.
     She leaned down and whispered in Tigerfang's pricked ears.
     Chaos broke loose.
     Fort wolves seemed to be raining from the sky, racing from doors and stairs and taking down wolves and humans, all who looked suspicious and scared.
     Tigerfang was nowhere in sight. "Let's go!" Flint screamed.
     The small pack tore out the doors, evading the Fort wolves the best they could.
     Then Tigerfang became visible again. On their heels.
     "Wait, she'll help us!" Steel whined, out of breath.
     "No, no, no, no, she won't! Keep running!" EagleEyes urged.
     They finally escaped into the night, racing towards he forest. The sound of their leader's howl behind them, a sound that would usually make them run towards her, kept them racing for their lives.