The Journey

Chapter 4

    Holly's paw-steps skidded through the dirt path as she chased after Tyler. The prairie around them soon turned from a grass hill to a dehydrated desert. Cactuses passed them every paw-step closer they got to her home.  Holly bounded with excitement, while Tyler just hung his head in annoyance.
    "I just don't know how you can hunt already! My father-Can you please just be quiet?!" Tyler interrupted.
    "Well at least I have a father." Tyler stared at Holly in astonishment. She smirked that stupid little smirk she does when she thinks she's so cool. "My smack talks getting better- sorry, was I supposed to be offended? The only thing offending me is your face."
    Tyler smirked the same smirk she smirked at him and they went on in silence till one of them apologized. Surprise, it was me.
   Tyler went off into his mind as Holly blabbed about something ridiculous for 15 minutes. She was about to say something "interesting," for once*, when he spotted a rabbit. "Holly, if you can be quiet then I can get us some dinner." He barked. He slowly got into his hunters crouch and stalked his prey.
The wind was blowing East, so the rabbit wouldn't catch his scent. "Perfect." He whispered.
Finally, he was close enough, and decided to make his move. He readied his paws, and bursted through the dead grass. He flung himself at the rabbit, but the rabbit knew better. It sprung out of the way and there started their high-speed chase.
     Tyler sprinted for the rabbit, drool dripping down his chin.

(*Jk)
He pounced again and this time he jumped in front of the rabbit which was perfectly on target. He held the rabbit as it struggled and reared up to kill it when something bursted into him. It was Holly.
   "What did you just do!? I almost had him!?" He barked with anger. "Ya right," she mumbled. "Listen just get down and hide. Humans are coming."

    Tyler gasped. Very cautiously and alert, the pups ran to a bramble bush and they both peeked out.
Over the dirt road, a van pulled up a couple of fox-lengths away from their hiding place and three full grown two-legs stepped out and waddled to the back of the van.
    They looked at each other and mumbled something, then put their paws on the handle. They didn't seem to spot them yet, but Tyler still shivered with anticipation. They tugged at the door and it went flying open, and along with it three full grown cats.
   Tyler couldn't tell what kind they were because Holly was blocking his view, so he butted her side and she skirted a few paw-steps. "Hey," she mumbled. Tyler just ignored her and watched cautiously.
    As they hopped out fear crossed through the men's eyes, and they darted for the van. They tussled for the front seat and finally they just collided into the van. Then they speeded away, leaving it to them and the cheetahs.
   The cats started scavenging for prey, and Tyler was afraid that they were their next victims.

    "Halt!" One said to a passing coyote. "You... get food... juicy, plump goes down throat!" Said another one, shaking and bobbing his head up and down. His fur was tight around his ribs and his belly was as flat as a pancake.
     "Shut up, bird brain. Leave this to me and Kennedy." The biggest one suddenly passed through them both, her chest puffed out and a glare in her eyes.
   "Under the contract of the Three Assassins any passing creature that doesn't bow down and obeys will be sent to the Lab." She bared her teeth.
    The coyote shakily bowed down. "Yes m'mam Kennedy. "Yes Kennedy." Then he ran off the other direction, clearly fooled. "Pshh" he whispered. Kennedy perked up her head and pointed with her tail right to their bush. They stumbled toward them, and Tyler's breath went still...

    "Holly, run." "Where to?" "Just go!!" They shot out of the bush and sprinted the other way. Tyler looked back to see them hot on their tails, and the one had drool slobbering out of his mouth uncontrollably.
   Tyler focused on running and shot forward, passing Holly. They ripped free of the broken trees and came to a field of dead grass and a big stream. As they came closer, Tyler stumbled to a halt. He realized, "Its not a stream" Holly echoed his thoughts.  Water rushing down into a pond below, they soon realized they weren't facing a stream - they were facing a waterfall.
    "We're gonna have to jump." Tyler bursted out. "What!? We can't - we could die!" Holly's fur rippled in the wind, giving her a fierce look. She looked into the distance, then down at the falls. Then she looked at him.        
     "What?" She retorted. "Hm?" He barked. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "Oh. Oh sorry you had a ... bug in your fur." 'Saved it!' He thought "Right... look were running out of time I think we should split up." Her eyes were so determined, and Tyler looked back at their predators.
    "No time." They were a few fox-lengths from them when Tyler took her by the scruff and threw her down. He shortly followed and looked back to see Kennedy's jaws snapped tight on his tail. "Orrrrow!!" He yowled.
     He was hanging by his tail, and he started to swing. He screeched in pain as Kennedy bit down harder. He looked down. It was either fall down a waterfall and hope you don't die, or be savagely tortured by big cats. She started slowly hauling him up. "Holly!" He yowled. "Ha! Your girlfriend can't help you now!" Tyler took out his claws and ripped at her flesh, causing her to let go.
    He soared through the air, and right then, he felt fearless. None of his fears could overtake him, nothing. Until he realized he could die. But he pointed his head down and raised his feet up, and he slipped through the water. Uninjured.
    'Holly,' he thought. With his eyes burning, he looked under water for the fired fox. He saw her sinking to the ground, unconscious. He swam over to her and steadied himself as she flopped on his back. Tyler swam her to safety and they both laid on the bank. Tyler let out a breath of air as Holly's sides started heaving.
    "Wahoo! We're alive!" She barked. "We did it!" They celebrated with a warm squirrel and some clear water.
     They started walking toward a small hill, and it suddenly started to rain. "Let's have a race!"Holly suggested
Tyler slowly stumbled to a halt, eyes racing through the terrain. "Holly, I need you to run in the opposite direction without one question when I give the signal." He whispered frozen in fear.
Holly bounced over to him with not a care in the world and barked with playfulness, "Why you need a head start?" She got down in a hunters crouch and launched herself at him, sending them down the hill. "Holly run!" He yowled. Tyler knew there was no chance she would make it, so he gave her a head start and launched her down the path.
    "Run!" He howled as the first attack came. A big body weight crashed into his, and he was thrown against a tree. He got a quick look at the beast, and he recognized the features as a panther.
    But soon after he got a look another one came and took him by the neck and threw him into a box, which tightly closed and strangled him, with no space between him and the top.
     'Holly,' he thought, and he looked through the breathing hole. There. She was heaving her body to the lake, but not long before a black blur raced on top of her. "Holly!" He yowled. She tried running, then was yanked back down as they stomped on her tail.
    They cackled and tripped her, laughing some more. Tyler rocked his box back and forth, back and forth, thinking of how enraged those panthers made him.
     Tyler did one last final push and was finally ripped free, but only to summersault downhill. Everything was blurred as he tumbled in circles, until he finally splashed into a pond. He shook off all the water droplets and rushed out.
    He ran up the hill about 3 fox lengths only to tumble back down it. It was full of mud, and rain started to rush down, making it even more slippery. "Holly!!!" He howled.
He turned around giving up when a strange log started floating towards him.
      He slowly stalked forward, eyeing it with suspicion. Suddenly, an alligator that he thought was a log jumped out and snapped his jaws at Tyler, making him skudder across the lake.
     More alligators snapped at him, and he dodged them by a hair. Another one chomped at him and tore a whisker, and went to strike again.
     In all this chaos, he didn't notice the big animal that was looming over him. It crashed his predators against the wall and reared up to slam another one with its adnormally long neck. Tyler ducked as she swung her neck into the alligators stomach and it went flying. Finally, it took one last swung and hauled Tyler out of the swamp. Tyler scrambled his paws as the shadowy animal slowly hauled him into the air.
     She galloped away and Tyler looked back at the crocodiles, sticking his tongue out at them. 'What a great story this will be to tell my grandchildren,' he thought and snorted with laughter.
...