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

Hey, no fair!! I want to go on vacation! Braincells, come pick me up! Your president deserves a break!

- President Loki

I didn't even notice I signed twice XD. Don't know what that was about. Braincells on vacation.

~CL1 2x

If you're talking about chapter seven, I see it!

~CL1

Did my chapter not post- MY CHAPTER BETTER HAVE POSTED.

- President Loki

Just realized I wrote "Outlander" as "Outcast" in chapter four. To clarify, Outcast was my original name for Outlander, so they are the same character, just made a mistake. Most of my braincells are busy when I write so I only work off about ten when posting. Guess I was working off of just two when I wrote that, heh.

Thanks.

~CL1 has had coffee now. All better.

Uuuuhm, sure! Whoever you want to make it. That can tie Bone in right away :D

- President Loki

The Blood War

(A President Loki and CL1 collaboration)

Prologue (Outlander's POV)

Outlander pressed her nose to the cold ground, sniffing at a small pawprint imprinted in the damp soil. The print matched Scavenger's small stature as did the scent. She tried to pick it out of the myriad of smells that rode towards her on the wind, including the scents of her packmates around her, but an overpowering scent of decay and wolf was severley hindering her ability to track. The scent was stale, likely a wolf pack's hunting grounds a few days ago.

A gruff bark from the hill behind her caught her attention. Commander, the alpha of the small coyote pack, was glaring at her with his ears pinned back. "Back in line," he growled. "This is a hunt."

Not a game of hide and seek, Outlander finished the sentence in her head. She had been searching for Scavenger for days, and Commander always said the same thing when Outlander went looking. Her adoptive sister had gone to scout for food a week ago and hadn't returned. Outlander was determined to keep looking before rain washed the trail away, but Commander's sharp gaze narrowed further and he bared his teeth as he took a step closer.

Outlander narrowed her eyes in return and stalked up the ridge, stopping directly in front of the alpha. At this distance, she loomed over him, her size a clear indicator of what he liked to remind her. She wasn't a coyote, she was half wolf as well.

A monster under his command.

Commander stood his ground, daring Outlander to challenge him, something he knew would never come. For the longest, the pack waited in silence, watching with wide eyes to see which would snap at the other first. Then Outlander let out a frustrated puff of air and took her place in line, directly in front of the omega. Commander gave her one final look of smug triumph before leading the pack forward through the brush. As the passed, Outlander cast one last glance at the foot print in the dirt, hoping the decay she had smelled didn't belong to Scavenger's carcass.

~CL1

hello what the hell happened here

RIGHT!

A LONE Howl. Totally didn't make that joke so much that I forgot the original name... haha...

It's in black dye. Go read it.

~CL1

The Blood War

Chapter Twenty-seven

(Ha, I got it right this time)

“So, what’s our plan?” Outlander asked as they padded through the trees, back in the direction of the pack’s camp. Winks trailed a few paces behind them, having insisted that he wanted to ‘watch Bone as he walked’ and ‘make sure the leg was fine’.

“Our plan?” Bone snorted without looking over, hopping around a patch of swarming briars and keeping his pads clear of the thorns. “No, it’s MY plan. You’re taking no part in this.”

That answer resulted in Outlander nipping his tail, and he hopped forward a step, shooting her a glare. She shot it right back, irritation etched into her face. “I’m helping,” she said in a tone that refused to be argued with. “Snowblind hurt me more than he’s hurt you. I want to take part in watching him die. So I’m helping.”

Bone let out a sigh, wind whisking between his clenched teeth, as he lashed his tail. “Pretty sure you’re related to Journey,” he muttered, ears angling back. “Must have inherited her stubbornness.”

“So you expect me to know what that means, then,” Outlander grunted, but the conversation didn’t continue further from then. The camp was in sight.

They reached the surrounding tree line, peering out from the undergrowth and looking into the camp. It was deserted, with no wolves in sight, presumably out on a hunting patrol.

“Stay here,” Bone ordered, looking over at Outlander. When she began to protest, he spoke over her. “Snowblind is dangerous, and I need to keep you safe. I NEED to keep you safe, Outlander.” At that moment his jaw trembled, hesitation clutching his vocal cords. He wanted to tell her why; he wanted to tell her that Scavenger was in the Forever Grounds, watching over her adopted sister, and that he had promised to keep the coywolf safe until they could be reunited. But something kept his mouth closed; something kept him from telling her the truth. He just didn’t know what.

He turned back to the clearing. “Stay here,” he repeated insistently, before stepping out of the undergrowth. He crossed the stretch of unbroken grass, reached the alpha’s den, and ducked inside.

Cool air met him as he entered, eyes adjusting to the dim light of the small cave. He scanned the rock, hoping to see the white silhouette of Snowblind inside, but found that the cave was empty.

And then he heard a yelp from outside.

Bone turned, darting back out the entrance, and found himself looking at Snowblind, holding Outlander down by the neck, claws slowly curling into the half-healed wound that Bone had given her. His eyes were cold and calculative, and his smile twisted in bitter satisfaction as he saw the look on Bone’s face.

“Poor, poor murder beast,” he sighed with a shake of his head, pressing Outlander further into the ground. “You dared try to strike up an alliance- a FRIENDSHIP, even- with the traitor. The outcast.” He flashed his teeth. “You thought it would be different, didn’t you? Different from everyone else. You thought that you could, what, RELATE to her?”

Bone resisted the urge to let his paws tremble. He wouldn’t be able to reach Outlander in time; Snowblind’s claws were seconds away from breaking into her throat and tearing her life away. Nothing that he could do would save her.

“You wanted a chance at being accepted,” Snowblind continued, his voice harsh. “At being seen as a wolf, not a monster. You had hoped that Outlander would be your chance at maybe, hopefully, possibly living a somewhat normal life, around someone who accepted you.” Bone kept silent, fighting against allowing emotion to show on his face. He kept still, his pale eyes slowly narrowing the longer that Snowblind spoke.

“But now, you’re going to watch that chance die. And then you’re going to join her.”

- President Loki

The Blood War

Chapter Twenty-three

The herd of elk broke from the trees, pounding quickly with deadly hooves in their direction, before either of them could even blink. Flashes of wolves pursuing them were faintly visible as they escaped the tree line, but the pack quickly peeled off, leaving the elk to run alone, straight towards Outlander and Bone.

“Curses!” Bone shouted, taking a step back, and then another. “Flea-ridden rotting rats! Opposite-fleshed bats of-” he was interrupted of his shouting as Outlander rammed herself into him. “Yelling isn’t helping!” she barked. “Run!”

The elk were upon them in a few passing heartbeats, giving them barely any time to shift where they stood. The lead buck, rack of antlers towering and hooves sharp, bore down on top of them with the others close behind. Bone launched up from his place beside Outlander, teeth gnashing over the elk’s throat and causing it to collapse.

He dodged away as the now-dead prey collapsed to the ground, barely pulling himself away in time. Outlander was already running, bounding for the distant tree line where Bone had come from earlier. He followed, dodging around pounding hooves and avoiding their stomping legs, breath coming quick and painful.

An elk bore down suddenly on Outlander paces ahead of him, sharp hooves looming above her, coming down to bring her death. With a burst of speed he lunged, catching her by the scruff and shoving her away from the prey-turned-predator, just as hooves crushed down on the back half of his spine.

A piercing cry leapt from his jaws as he was driven into the ground, pinned by the heavy weight of the elk, sharp hooves digging into his flanks and back. In barely a passing moment the weight was gone, leaving him pressed painfully to the earth. Through the pounding of his own ears and the hooves around him he could hear Outlander cry his name, but he was only dimly aware.

Bone managed to pull himself to his feet, feeling the sting of blood lace itself into his fur. Elk were dodging around him now, or at least trying to; occasionally a kick would strike him in the sides or jaw, leaving his ears ringing and pain stinging his body.

Outlander’s side, warm and full of life, suddenly pressed against his as she urged him the rest of the way, into the outskirts of the trees. The elk continued their stampede, the last of them disappearing into the forest on the opposite side of the field, leaving them alone.

That’s when Bone wobbled on his feet and collapsed into the dirt.

- President Loki

You think green dyes bad?

Check out mud dye.

-Apex

Maybe not dark Extinction, but Twisted Sands will continue at some point. Still working on Genesis Tales

Swamp Guy

Swamp, are you planning on finishing twisted sands and dark extinction?

-Apex

Yay! More stories!

-Seasnake

GENESIS TALES RELEASES TODAY!!! LOOK IN MEGACHELON SECTION

Swamp Guy

So...after Twisted Sands and Dark Extinction, I’m going to stop that storyline for a little bit (I’ll continue it eventually.) For now, I’m working on two new series. The first one (Genesis Tales) will have the first story posted in Megachelon eventually.

Swamp Guy

Sorry, I forgot to put ‘-Apex’ after that post asking about your stories.

-Apex

It came out as blue or yellow pls help i’m trying to make a background for my tame’s family photoshoots-