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The Blood War

Chapter seventeen

Journey’s face was there and then gone on the white wolf that lunged at him. This was not her; this was Snowbank, a rabbit pretending to be a wolf. His jaws widened as he plummeted towards him, paws outstretched. Outlander was shouting his name, but not in attempt to save Bone; this coywolf would never save him. She was, despite not liking the alpha heir, trying to save Snowbank.

So don’t kill him, his mind said. Prove you’re not a monster. Bloom, Bone. BLOOM, IDIOT! BLOOM!

He dodged away from Snowbank’s snapping jaws a split-second before the wolf reached him. He hit the ground running, spinning on his heels and leaping again, this time landing his blow and knocking Bone backwards. His head and shoulders were pinned to the dirt before he could regain his breath, but as Snowbank went to kill him, he seemed to hesitate.

“There isn’t a throat to rip, is there?” he snarled almost mockingly. He surged out from under him, kicking him away with one powerful blow to the neck. Snowbank staggered back, focus fading from his eyes. Outlander made no move to save him, made no move to attack; she simply stood, her eyes wide. “Kill him,” her eyes seemed to command. “Prove that you’re a monster. Slaughter another innocent soul.”

NO! Bone’s head shouted as he spun away from Snowbank’s violent attacks again. As he lurched backwards, a flash of white caught in the corner of his eye. Snowblind.

“Brother!” Snowblind shouted as Snowbank rammed into Bone with full force, sending him tumbling into a tree. “Brother, stop! He’s too dangerous to attack alone!”

Bone’s vision faltered. Smears of blood flickered in and out of his line of sight, and he saw the twisted body of a corpse. A corpse that he had taken the life of.

He surged up, rage instilling him. He loomed over Snowbank, and beneath him, he saw the heir tremble.

Teeth plunged into Snowbank’s throat, and a heartbeat later his innards were open to the air. Blood pumped from the wound like a garden hose, and Bone planted a paw on the wolf’s head. The crunch of a skull crushing inward echoed through the forest, and blood, for the millionth time, smudged his fur.

His eyes drifted upward and met Outlander’s.

- President Loki

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