Betrayal~The Lost One

Chapter 9~Action

     Blackheart stared in astonishment at Cassie. "Dammit! There are plenty of gray wolves in the packs! We would never know the murderer!" 

     Cassie shook her head. "That's just it, Blackheart! It wasn't a wolf from one of your packs. I swear! I went around in circles in the other territories when I got the nerve to come back here. It wasn't pack scent!" Shimmer's eyes were as wide as full moons. 

     "So what your saying is there is a pack of murderers near the territories." He said slow and menacingly. 

     "Easy there Alpha, getting angry isn't going to help!" Shimmer scolded. "What we need to do is call a all pack maglock. They need to know!" She offered. Blackheart stared in astonishment for the second time in one day. 

     "A maglock that size hasn't been called ion seasons upon seasons!" He yelped in surprise. Shimmer glared at him. 

     "WE NEED TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR THE PACKS!" She countered. "As for the stray..." Cassie's hackles rose. 

     "You got something against dogs you hag?" She snarled. Shimmer glanced over her. "Needs to come back to our encampment.It's two dangerous to travel now. And she might be of use." Shimmer admitted grudgingly. "

     Cassie nodded. "I'll come, if your this worked up, I don't want to travel!"

     "Then lets go!" Shimmer replied.

     "We need to gather scouts as soon as we get back." Blackheartordered. Shimmered padded along side Cassie, with Blackheart bringing up the rear, back to the camp.

     "Everyone! Out of their dens now!" Blackheart howled, not bothering to use the alpha words used in pack maglocks. Heads popped out of holes everywhere. Caius padded out of the hollowed standing redwood where he kept all his supplies and patients. The redwood was very young and was not as big as others in the Pack of No Stars' territory. It was only 30 tail lengths long inside at every angle. A stream ran through the left side where it had cut through the bark. Callister was staying in the den till his wounds healed.

     "What is this about?" Caius asked as he sat down beside Blackheart. 

      Callister let out a menacing howl. "You heard him! OUT!" He growled. 

    "There is much to explain, you will figure everything out in the meeting. " He whispered to Caius.  

      Ashheart bounced into the clearing with his brothers and sisters, staring questioningly at his mentor. Jinx and Shimmer took their places, Jinx onBlackheart's right, Shimmer beside Caius. This was an ancient ritual during meetings, no wolf would dare break it. Jinx's place represented a sign of power and ability. Caius's place represented healing and life. Shimmer's place represented agility and stamina. Blackheart's place was for the male alpha alone. It represented compasion and understanding.  

   "What is this about?" Flower growled. "You interrupted my nap!" 

   "If knowing about what happened to your son is less important than your nap, you don't deserve to be in this pack!" Cassie snarled.

   Flower looked surprised. "And who is this, may I ask? She smells like a wolf, but the scent is tainted." She said snidely. 

   "I'll show you tainted, you bitch!" Cassie snarled. Blackheart shook his head. It must be some human thing she picked up on.

   Flower let out a long snarl, launching herself at Cassie. As she leaped onto Cassie's back, Cassie rolled over shaking her off. "I fought a wolf hybrid twice your size and strength in a dog fight arena. You can try to kill me but it won't work." She said calmly. Flower looked in surprise at the retaliation. Blackheart leaped forward.

   "Flower! I am sick of this shit!" He said, useing a human word he had learned from Cassie. "You have given everybody pure hell since your son died and I'm sick of it! Keep it up and I will personaly deny you five times right in front of every wolf here!" He snarled in her face. 

    Flower flinched at the words. Gasps sounded around the clearing. To deny a wolf 5 times was to make them a out cast in the pack. They were lower than omegas. They lost their mate, ate scraps, and were given eternal shame on their shoulders. 

   "Now, if you would please stand down, Cassie has news to give. We have a witness to Lupis's murderer."   

   "I was walking through the forest when I noticed two wolves strolling along together. One's name was Lupis, the other Foxglove. They apparently didn't want to be seen. The she-wolf had that forest pack's scent, the other this one's scent. They were obviously in love the way they looked at each other!" She began. Whispers of astonishment arose from the crowd. 

   "Then, up from behind came a strange gray wolf. His voice was chilling.

   "I am Skullcrush, and I have been sent by Fang to elimanate the one called Lupis!"

    Lupis nodded for Foxglove to go but she wouldn't leave. I hopped out of the bracken, taking a stand beside him. Lupis gave me a questioning look, but did not object. We snarled at the wolf. 

   "I see this is going to be harder than I thought!" He said smiling. "Deveraux, Mint! You shall join this!" He called. Out of the bracken stepped two baddly scarred wolves. Deveraux was pure black. He seemed a shadow. Mint was a light gray she wolf. 

   "I'll take Deveraux. You two handle Mint and Skullcrush!" I whispered so the enemy wolves couldn't hear. I padded forward, taking offensive position  in front of Deveraux. He smiled.

   "This shoudl be easy." He said coldly, not showing any emotion. His voice was as cold and barren as cursed lands. I let out a warning snarl. 

   "I'm not as easy as you think. I've been in fights way worse than you and killed most of them before the upwalkers could stop me!" I threatened. Deveraux stared at her. A flash of interest caught his eye, but it went away as fast at it had come. I leapt forward, catching him off guard. I bit into his neck, a vantage point that had ended many battles early. Deveraux shoved upward, thrusting me into a tree. 

   "You leave her be!" Foxglove shreiked, buying me enough time to get up. I slowly snuck behind him, knocking his back legs out from under him. Taking the chance, I scratched at his belly, only to be rolled over by him. And the nerve! He flirted with me! 

   "I'm sorry sweet goddess, I'm being forced to do this!" He said saddly. I admit the look he gave me made me believe him. 

   "Oh for heavens sake!" Mint snorted, galloping over. She smacked me in the face, knocking me out. 

   "Afterward, I woke up to find Lupis beside me, and the other wolves gone. 'Lupis! Wake up! I said nudging his head. Then I noticed it. It was only his head. I screamed and stumbled backwards. I didn't smell Foxglove's blood so she must have gotten away. That is all I know!" She whispered the last part. She was keeping one thing. Just out of reach of the blood, a flower was laying on the ground. Deveraux's scent was all over it. 'He is so disturbing!' She thought. 

     "