Crossfire

Chapter 7 - Shadron Sightings

A darkly colored canine approached Star, they seemed to be slightly limping. He had a blindfold over his eyes, and black, brown, and sand colored patterns on his body. There was a bandage wrapped around his back left leg.
"I'm not letting Cryo leave this forest, I know what dangerous creatures are outside this forest," he said. Cryo flattened her ears and Star noticed she was angry and upset.
"I can go out on my own," Cryo said.
"No, you can't. You don't know how to defend yourself," the canine responded in an angry tone.
Star watched as the two argued back and forth, not knowing what to say before Zach stepped in.
"What if I teach her how to fight?" Zach offered. Star immediately shot him a confused glance, but he wasn't looking in her direction.
I've never seen him fight someone, or something, before.
She remembered the times he would offer to hunt alone, she's never even seen him hunt before.
The canine studied Zach before turning to study Star as well, then faced Zach again.
"Do you know how to fight a direwolf?" The canine asked him.
She imagined what would happen if they really did come across a shadow direwolf.
"I hope we never do, but yes, I know how to fight one," Zach responded. "I also know how to kill one."
Star couldn't process the conversation. Zach never talked about anything involving mayfliers or direwolves, let alone knowing how to kill a direwolf. Even she didn't exactly know how to kill one.
I probably should find out how in case I really do come across one.
"Fine. I'll let you teach Cryo how to defend herself, but she can't join you until I know exactly what she's joining for," the canine explained. "And nice to meet you, my name is Icarus, Cryo's half brother."
"My name is Zach," he said, introducing himself. Star introduced herself as well. The sun was beginning to set, and less creatures were hanging around the willow tree. Star heard others calling it the "Grand Tree" on the way into the forest.
"Icarus, you and I will go alone and sit somewhere under that big grand lantern tree to talk, Zach, could you go find somewhere we can sleep for the night please?" She asked. He seemed to have hesitated before leaving into the forest to search.
"Cryo, go help him," Icarus told Cryo, and she nodded and followed Zach.
Star followed closely with Icarus to the tree and the two sat down facing eachother.
"What is it Cryo wants to join?" Icarus asked in a tense tone.
Star shuffled her paws and began to tell him about the time she encountered a shadron, and how she needed to get more information about them and if there have been any other possible sightings.
"I've seen a pack of shadrons recently," Icarus admitted. Star's eyes widened and her heart began to race.
"A pack? So there's several?" She asked, trying to stay calm.
"Yes, I saw four or five of them near the forest before winter arrived. I think they're looking for something, or else they should've killed me," Icarus said. "I'm blind, and I didn't expect anything dangerous to be so close to the forest's border. I was trying to find some food to bring back to Cryo, she was only a pup then."
"What happened?" Star asked, curiously.
"All they did was fly away, well all except one, it came up to me and made a high pitched roar, like a screeching sound, then flew away," he replied.
That doesn't make any sense. The one I saw didn't just fly away.
"But they're mindless, they were created to kill, yet they spared someone?" She asked, confused and a little upset.
"They weren't only created to kill, the prince of the mayfliers wanted them to obey him," Icarus explained. "He made those anklets to make them obey whoever wears them."
A cold breeze swept through the forest, the sky was getting darker as the sun met the horizon.
Star gazed down at her paws, recalling the murderous shadron she saw while she was young.
"I think I get it," she replied to Icarus. "Someone must've commanded the shadrons to find something, perhaps kill anyone in their way of getting it? My mother was also looking for something."
Icarus nodded and flicked his tail.
"Maybe she was looking for the same thing they're looking for," he concluded. Stars began to light up the sky, but there was no moon in sight. The golden yellow lanterns hung around the trees of the forest provided the only light.
"Thanks Icarus, that's the kind of information I was hoping to get," she said. She sat up, but Icarus pawed her before she began to leave.
"You never told me why Cryo wants to join you."
She almost forgot to tell him, and felt stupid.
"My bad, I'm forgetful. Cryo wanted to come with us outside the forest. We were going to look for shadrons, in case there were more than one, but now I know that there are," she explained. She was hoping Icarus will still allow Cryo to come along.
"What will you do now that you know there's more? You don't plan on trying to kill them all right?" Icarus asked with some concern in his voice.
"No, not at all," she responded, trying to reassure him. "I still have to talk to Zach about it, but I think it would be better to find out what they're looking for and who's controlling them."
She didn't know if that plan was any less dangerous, but Icarus seemed to like it better.
"Then you better do it before the shadrons come back. In a few weeks, it'll probably be warm enough for them to start showing up again," he warned. She wasn't very thrilled that they'll be around again in just a few weeks, and she knew she had to hurry but she thanked Icarus and headed back to where Zach and Cryo were for the night.
Where do we even start.