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The Blood War

Chapter Six

Another waking nightmare, a wolf's skeleton, partially cloaked with dark, rotted skin.

He sat completely and utterly still, staring forward directly at Ashsky. A young, silver wolf stood before the beast, frozen by fear. Outlander looked around at the faces of her packmates to answer the question that had been coiling at the bottom of her stomach. The fear, the disbelief, the disgust ... that said it all.

This was no nightmare. This one was real.

Ashsky trembled a bit, clearing her throat before she barked, "Back away, Stormwind." Her quavering voice filled the still clearing. Outlander expected the beast to protest, the launch itslef forward, teeth bared, but it only stood, a silent, stone guardian keeping watch until the time to act.

"I can't..." murmered a small voice.

"Storm."

"I can't move. I can't," the poor young she-wolf whimpered. Her entire body trembled and she spoke in a whisper laced with terror.

"Please, Stormwind. Try. Please, just back away from it."

The word "it" sparked a flame within the skeletal statue. It tilted its head up slightly and as the sun shone on them, those eyes, once dead grey with boredom or exauhstion or both, suddenly shimmered a feirce blue. In one instantaneous motion, it shot the front half of its body forward, snatching Stormwind's neck in its bone jaw. Ashsky and the rest of the pack dropped into battle-stance immediately, ears pinned, tails lashing, and slobbering teeth bared, but none dared close in on the beast.

The silver wolf yelped, trying to break free of the beasts hold, to no avail. Every kick, every bite, every attempt Stormwind made had no effect, other than ruffling the beasts fur a bit. It's eyes shadowed, the blue flame that lit them dying out. It fell still into its statue-like state again. In a low voice that chilled the very air around them, emanating from some place dark and deep within, it growled, "Get rid of me..." The words didn't come out of his mouth. They didn't have to. Nothing about this creature made sense.

There was silence, then the voice boomed again, stronger ... angrier, "Get rid of me?"

"Stop this," Ashsky barked. "Let her go!"

The beast rose to its feet slowly, Stormwind still in its grip. It was a giant compared to the wolves.

Outlander had heard the stories coyote pups had scared each other with, about the death-wolf, the monster made of bones and skin that killed you if you were first to see it that day. Now realization hit her hard. Coyotes didn't bother with ghost-stories; monsters were real, and she was staring right at one.

The blue flame shone again, and the death-wolf lunged.

~CL1

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