Spirit's Journey

CHAPTER 76-Aspen: Blood Everywhere

The snarling is a mass of chaos; me and Storm are caught up in it fighting for our lives. As soon as we meet the wolves they spread out and try to surround us, leaving me and the giant cat to fight back-to-back. Their teeth flash and snap, instantly setting my neck-fur on end.

"There's more than us," Storm yowls over the sounds of snarling and shrieking. A wolf is snapping at his heels just as one aims for my ear, but I swipe it away with sharp claws that slice through it's muzzle. Though it may seem easier to work in teams for us because we've practiced, some of the other prides don't sound like their doing well.

I hear a shriek from behind me and turn quickly, breathing in deeply. Stone, a duller colored cheetah with wide paws, is on the ground with a wolf barking in his face. Stone is Sand's mate, who is one of the Pride's leaders. I paid close attention when the plans were being made and the leaders were talking, because I knew this was a life-or-death fight.

"Storm. We have to help that cheetah!" My friend doesn't need told twice because he ducks a flash of wolf teeth and aims right for the wolf's eyes, blinding him. The wolf howls in pain and Storm grimaces, making me feel a shudder of mercy for him.

"It's okay. We have to fight harder than they do," I reminded him just as Sand growls low and deep from across the grass. Immediantly we're both on our paws, racing straight across the hill to where her mate is laid upon the ground.

Two wolves are surrounding the wounded cheetah who cannot stand, glaring at Sand without mercy. Hackles high and teeth bared, Sand lunges for the biggest who is much larger than her. Storm follows, shoving the wolf roughly away. Soon I have my own problems, though, because the other wolf, a female, lunges.

"Get away!" I hiss and flick out all four paws in a move that Storm taught me, causing the gray creature to back off with lips peeled. Before the wolf re-counters I'm on the ground and against the bleeding male cheetah again. He has a horrible shoulder-wound, which I take care not to look at very closely.

"How cute. A human-cat protecting a cheetah. And I thought they were worthless!" She taunts and I glare up into the cold yellow eyes. It seems like they have no shred of guilt in them for attacking, wounding a cat, and trying to drive me away to kill Stone now.

"I'm not a human-cat anymore," I spit to the wolf. "And you can feel my claws if you thought they were worthless." The wolf licks her jaws for a moment, as if she's considering. Then she whips around and leaps on Storm, who was gripping the second wolf already. Sand immediantly rips the she-wolf off his back while I run up and freeze in horror. The huge male has his fangs sunk into Storm's back leg.

Hissing, I fling myself on it's face and sink my claws in. Blood wells up and fur gets ripped from the wolf's scalp until he yelps and lets go. Sand, obviosuly even more enraged now, leaps on the wolf and topples it over in a flurry of claws.

"Storm! Are you okay?" I ask but Spirit's mate is already standing up again. He holds his back leg off the ground in a way that Fallan does, but blood is pooling from it already.

"I'm fine. I have to get Sand's mate to where Fallan and Hazl are hiding so he doesn't die out here. Go find Spirit and help them fight."

"But-." We were supposed to stay in teams.

"Just go! I'll find you all when I get back."

It takes a lot of will-power, but eventually I nod and watch Storm as he lifts Stone onto his back. Storm's leg is bleeding pretty bad but I know he'll come back to fight no matter what I say, so I watch him go.

Dodging between the legs of fighting wolves, cheetahs, cats and dogs is hard. Without meaning to, I trip once and start to become frantic because I can't find Midnight and Spirit. If either Midnight or Storm's mate were hurt, then so would they be on the inside. I felt the tug of needing to know if my mate was safe already.