AVP: The Intruder

Chapter 13

The next day, I awoke to a strange swaying rhythm. To my surprise and slight embarrassment, I was still being carried by Ale'con. Wait, still? Abruptly, the previous days incident flew back to me, and I was suddenly glad Ale'con was carrying me, or else I may have collapsed. Instead, I moaned, and wrapped my tail tighter around Ale'con. He looked down, surprised.

"I didn't see you awaken. How do you feel? I'm sorry I had to hit your head, but it was the only-" Abrptly, he became quiet, obviously not wanting to remind me of yesterday. I appreciated that, but I had already remembered. I sighed, and laid my head back down.

"Where are we?" I asked. I sniffed the air and smelled trees and dirt, stagnant water, and weeds.

"We're crossing a small swamp." replied Ale'con. I sighed. More walking. Ale'con snorted.

"You mean carrying for you." he purred. I flicked him with my tail weakly. I sighed and laid my head back down. Sharphand and Six padded up to Ale'cons side, looking up at me. I greeted them with a small hiss.

"How you feeling?" asked Six. His wound seemed better, I realized, as he wasn't limping as much.

"Oh I feel great, my best friend is dead and we have no home. How the hell do you think I feel?" I hissed sarcastically. Sharphand chuckled as he leaped a log. Finally they reached the edge of the swamp.

"Can you walk?" asked Ale'con, I nodded and he let me down. I stood up, my legs shaking slightly. I took a small step forward, then another. I stretched, arching my back and curling my tail over my back. I then rolled over and squirmed in the leaves. Ale'con and the others purred. I stood up, shaking the dirt off me.

"Alright, where to now?" I asked. Ale'con and Six looked around. There wasn't much choice where to go; fields to the right, a forest to the left, and a kind of mix in front. I looked at Ale'con.

"Are we even going the right way still?" I hissed. Ale'con turned, judging our position to the sun.

"I think we should be going the right way still." he replied. I bared my teeth.

"You think?" I growled. He nodded and turned to the forest. I sent an exashperated sigh at Sharphand and Six who just purred and nudged me forward. I flicked my tail and padded on. I slid under the trees, welcoming the shade and darkness from the blaring sun. Six stumbled and grunted as he tripped on a rock. Snarling I lashed my tail free of several pricker bushes. I lashed my tail several times. Ale'con bared his teeth and let out a hissing snarl as he hit a branch. By now, Sharphand was on the ground howling in laughter. We all turned on him snarling and hissing.

"Look its been a while since we've been in a forest!" I snarled. Sharphand just kept laughing and I hissed. I lunged, dragging him down to the dirt and wrestling with him, trapping his tail beneath my foot and his other leg under my other foot, his arms pinned by mine. I placed my tail over his chest.

"You'd be dead right now." purred Ale'con. Sharphand twisted his head and bared his teeth at him. I let him up and he shook the dirt off. We continued on through the forest. Ale'con stepped past a bunch of bushes, and immidiatly yowls and screeches erupted. Ale'con leapt out of the bushes, with a roar of shock. Several panthers stalked out. I froze, stepping back. Sharphand and Six hissed lashing their tails. Ale'con reared, and let out a full blown roar, teeth bared, claws spread wide, legs apart, and tail raised in the greatest threat display he could muster. One panther screeched in fear and spun around and fled. I leaped halfway to another panther in s mock charge hissing in anger. It leaped back snarling, but crept forward. Just then a black blur blew past me and crashed into one of the panthers. It was Six, he was clawing at its side as it screeched in pain. Yowling, I leaped at the second panther as it ran to help its companion. I cannoned into it and tumbled it onto its side. Immidiatly, I grabbed its head and pinned it, wriggling, and snapped my inner jaws into its head. Blood exploded and the panther fell limp. Ale'con and Sharphand came over and helped us to dismbowl the prey to eat. We crouched, in the shade of the bushes were the panthers had made their den. Abruptly, the bushes exploded again and another panther raced past us, something in its mouth. I stiffened with shock, it was a cub! Another, maybe half grown, pelted out behind the mother. They raced in to the forest and didn't look back. I shrugged and continued nomming. It didn't matter as long as they didn't come back.

"That was strange, normally panthers don't stay in large family groups like that." mused Ale'con. Six shrugged and tore a chunk of meat from his meal. Swallowing, he tossed his head back like a bird. I snorted with amusement at his growl.

"Meet Six, the brave Xenobird." snickered Sharphand. Six lunged at him dragging him down on his side. Sharphand went limp and let Six fall with him, then rolled and shoved Six off with a strong heave of his legs. Ale'con stood and padded off. I sighed and rolled over. Six sat down and Sharphand cleaned the meat in his teeth with his tail. Ale'con turned and looked at us.

"Come on." he ordered. I shook my head.

"Ale'con we just fought 3 panthers and ate, I think we deserve a break!" I hissed. Ale'con paused, then relented and padded over and sat back down. But I could tell by the twitching of his tail that he wasn't happy about it. I purred with satisfaction and rolled over. Squirming, I nestled into the leaf litter and curled up. Six crawled into a tree and sat on a low branch, tail draping over the side. Sharphand leaped onto a tall boulder and sat down. I turned to Ale'con.

"Where to next?" asked Six. Ale'con tilted his head.

"We going to head north still. There is a Hive there and we can see if they will accept us." Ale'con answered. I stiffened.

"Our rivals?!" I hissed in fury. Sharphand growled and lashed his tail. Ale'con growled.

"Do you want a home, or to wander around as rouges?" he hissed. I birsitled.

"I just want this to be over with!" I snarled. I wanted my old home back. Ale'con sighed and curled his tail around his feet.

"We all do," murmured Six. "But we can't."

I just growled and turned my back on them, leaping into a tree and climbing to the top. Once their I glared down at the others. I groaned and rested my head against the bark. Life was so unfair.