Blend the Light

Challenge Accepted

Hawk clambers up onto Tremor's neck, but he's on the wrong side. The Silver Shock shakes him loose, and rips off part of one of my brother's floppy ears as he throws him off. "You're next, little dog." He growls. I cling to the gray creature's shoulders. Tremor spins in a circle, and falls to the ground. I throw myself off of him just before I'm flattened. The Silver Shock's on his feet in a second and flying at me. Hawk barrels into the gray creature's side, but it only knocks him slightly off course. My claws dig into Tremor's face as I hop onto him and hitch a ride. Sand sprays as the Silver Shock skids across the plain. I claw at his cheek, and my jaws snap onto the bone just above his left eye. My teeth break through his eyelid. Blood drips from my chin. Tremor roars, and thrashes, trying to break free from my grasp. That ought to have blinded him, shouldn't have it. One-eyed Tremor? Eh, Hawk'll come up with some name that thoroughly insults him. More so than old man or chicken. I hold on with my teeth still firmly latched onto Tremor's eye, and my claws still sinking into his cheek, until the Silver Shock rams a forepaw into my chest, nearly dislocating my shoulder. I do a backwards somersault. My shoulder's hit the ground first. I land in an explosion of dust and sand. Tremor shakes his head, and blood falls to the ground. I smile in satisfaction as I look at the bloody mess that was once his eye. Hawk chuckles behind me, and it's easy to imagine his smirk.

I roll and stand up, trying to catch my breath. The reopened wound on my neck has finally stopped bleeding. Thank goodness. Hawk's got his teeth gripping what appears to be Tremor's shoulder blade. He's managing to hang on while the Silver Shock spins in a circle. Tremor rises to his hind legs. No. I bunch my hindquarters and take off at a sprint. The wind blows in my face as I accelerate. Time seems to slow down, just for me. My paws bring me closer and closer to my target. I'm the hunter, and he's the hunted. My prey. I take a stride, then another, and another, before leaping upwards. My paws slam into Tremor's lower jaw, and the force shakes up my forelegs. I watch his body fall to the side, and his spine curve, so he falls on his shoulder rather than his back. "Hawk! You idiot! You were almost squashed! You know, I'm rather fond of my brother not in the form of a furry pancake."

"Ah, Jay. Am I a furry pancake? I think not."

"I hate you, you know that?"

"You love me."

"Just don't let that happen again." I sigh, and shake my head.

"I love all this gushy sibling talk, but I've a challenge to win." Tremor's standing before us, with his red eyes glimmering.

"Then come and get us." Hawk smirks, his orange eyes closing slightly.

I watch the Silver Shock's face bend in a slow smile, and he nods. My brother's muscles go taught beneath his thick coat of fur. Tremor breaks into a sprint, and Hawk races to meet him. I dash after my orange-eyed brother. I leap onto the Silver Shock, my claws tearing at his gray fur. Hawk miss times his jump, so he lands on Tremor's foreleg. He sinks his teeth into the gray creature's paw as Tremor tries to shake him off. Fangs snap just to the side of one of my tall, pointy ears. I flatten them to the sides of my head, and slash my claws at Tremor's jaw. He snarls as I carve lines of red across his mouth and lower jaw. "Get off me, little dog."

"Make me." I growl, baring my teeth. He glares at me through his eye, pure hatred burning in the red depths. I smile, showing all of my pearly whites that end in points.

After glancing down to find my brother, I see that he's dropped to the ground. Hawk shakes himself off, and blood splatters the already red ground. His fur sticks out at all angles, held in place by the drying blood that's soaked most of his body. I don't know how much is his, and how much isn't. I can't say I'm doing much better. Countless cuts and burnishes riddle my body from head to tail, and a claw was torn out, but most of them I'll have forgotten about tomorrow. Tremor growls and starts to move. My head whirls around. A spark of pain ignites of my neck and I cry out. The warm wetness of blood trickles down my throat and chest. I hiss, and a low curse falls from my mouth.