The Shadowed

Story Written By: Syra (Raz20030) 
Chapter 1
(POV: 3rd Person Omniscient)
 
Jet stood silently in the desolate forest, her senses hightened as she was on the hunt for a doe.  A faint rustle sounded from a nearby bramble, Jet jerked her head towards the source of the sound. A sinking feeling crept up her spine as she padded closer towards the twitching bramble, her muscles tightened with every pawstep. As she approached the ominous bramble, everything fell silent and eerie. Jet lifted her head abruptly, scanning her environment carefully. She felt her heart thump in her chest as the blood pounded in her ears. A vivid crunch escaped the bramble that rest beside her flank, she turned to lunge at it, but Jet was too late. A shadowed figure had her pinned on her stomach, compressed against the damp earth. Jet squirmed and tried to free herself from their powerful grasp, but a heavy object cracked against her temple and her vision went black...
 
An Hour Has Past.
 
Nyx was seen pacing around his throne anxiously, mumbling to himself quietly. Celsius and Ala came bounding up the steps playfully and rolled around at Nyx's forepaws. 
"Hello Celsius and Ala. What brings you here?" Nyx questioned as he watched the Novice wrestle gently with Ala.
"Oh we're just waiting for Jet to get back! We want to play with her!" barked Celsius as she nuzzled Ala. Ala smiled warmly at Nyx as she wagged her tail. She attempted to speak, but an extremely quiet grunt came out. Arya and Jenna padded towards Nyx and the two young wolves, a concerned expression crossed both their faces as they approached The Head Sovereign. Nyx's tail dropped slightly before he quickly removed Ala and Celsius from the thrones. 
"Nyx, I am afraid we bring bad news." Jenna spoke in a hushed tone. 
"Jet still hasn't returned from her small hunting trip." Ayra chimed in, her eyes shaded with worry. Nyx stared out into the clearing blankly, observing his pack silently.
"I will call a Pack Meeting and inform The Paws of this." Nyx echoed quietly before lifting his colossal head, releasing a howl into the chilly atmosphere. Instantly, wolves began filing into Heiarchy Hall and taking their places at the steps below the thrones. Nyx sat calmly, no trace of worry could he seen on his face. The Hall fell silent as they awaited for Nyx to speak. A few moments passed before The Lead Sovereign's powerful voice broke the silence.
"I have gathered all of you here this afternoon to inform you of recent news I've found out about Jet." A hushed murmur fell across the crowd, Evie and Koi were whispering discreetly to each other before a boisterous bark silenced them.
"As I was saying, Jet has yet to return from her small hunting trip. It has been almost 2 hours since she departed the camp. I intend on finding her before the sun sets. I will have Arya send out a small patrol to the last known area Jet was in, and have them track her scent. We also need to eat tonight, so Arya will also send out a hunting party to provide us dinner. This meeting will be dismissed after Arya has established the patrols." Nyx motioned for Arya to speak with the flick of his tail. Arya nodded briefly before facing the massive crowd of Paws.
"Alright, as Nyx has just said... I will send one hunting party to provide dinner tonight, and a small patrol to find Jet. Apollo, you will lead the Hunting Patrol and you will take Ballad, Evie, Shadow, and Onyx." Apollo nodded and the wolves whose names were called followed her as she left the camp. Arya continued, "Koi, you will lead the Patrol that will search for Jet. Please take Syra and Azul with you." All three wolves rose from their places and sprinted from the camp. Arya turned to the remaining wolves, "As for the rest that are still here, you may do as you wish. I request that no other wolves leave camp until the parties return. Meeting dismissed." Arya nodded, and the crowd of wolves dispersed. Arya turned to Nyx and Jenna as Nyx spoke in a hushed tone, 
"I fear that Jet didn't just get lost in the forest..."
 
Chapter 2
Apollo padded quietly through a maze of massive trees, the rest of her wolves padding close behind. The frigid breeze shot through the forest, obstructing the silence as an upoar of leaves and branches rustled and slapped against themselves. Ballad quickened his pace to match with Apollo's as he spoke silently into her ear,
"Do you think it was a good idea to send Koi, Syra, and Azul into the same area as Jet? I mean afterall, I am sure that Jet didn't lose her bearings and just wander off." Apollo stopped, her gaze hardened as she nodded to the other wolves in her party. They quickly seperated, their ears perked and noses lifted as they began to hunt. Moments later, Apollo and Ballad were alone. Apollo stared at Ballad for a moment, her eyes glazed with worry, before speaking quietly into his ear;
"I have the same doubts as you. Jet knows where she is all the time, I have a feeling that something or someone compromised her hunt. And to settle your suspicions about Koi's patrol... Koi knows what he's doing and won't walk into something blindly. As for Syra and Azul, they're skilled fighters and they too, aren't absent-minded. Now, we need to care for the pack. Let's get hunting." Apollo turned from Ballad and stalked after Onyx to help her hunt. Ballad stood silently for a moment, staring off into the trees, before running off to help Shadow. 
Onyx spotted a young bull foraging along the roots of an elder pine tree. She waited silently for Apollo to reach her position before engaging her target. Apollo crept around the young bull, her pawsteps placed carefully as she walked along the soil. Onyx, took up the opposite side of their prey's flank. She smirked as she awaited Apollo's signal to engage. Moments afterwards, a scuffle between the bull and Apollo signaled Onyx to move in. She broke into a sprint and snapped at the bull's hindlegs causing it to collapse. Apollo locked her jaws onto the windpipe while Onyx ravanged it's flank. Shortly afterwards, their quarry had been finished and they dragged it back towards the meeting point. 
Onyx and Apollo pushed past a thick wall of ferns and leaves and dropped their catch onto a pile in the center of their meeting point. Evie was sitting quietly beside a large rabbit, a proud expression slewn across her muzzle. Apollo laid down beside her kill and waited for Shadow and Ballad to return. Onyx paced around anxiously, lifting her gaze to the vast forest occasionally. The eerie silence of the environment was shattered as Ballad stumbled onto the terrain, panting heavily with a gruesome gash across his flank, thick, hot, vermillion blood oozed from his wound and soaked the soil. Onyx raced towards him as Apollo and Evie rose to their paws in shock. Onyx lapped quickly at his wound, trying to clean the blood. Ballad mumbled quietly towards Onyx,
"Large, black creature... It got Shad-..." Ballad cut off as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Onyx whimpered and snarled to the trees as she continued to lap his oozing wound. Apollo turned to Evie, her eyes blazing with rage,
"Go get Nyx, now! Don't stop running until you reach Nyx! Go!" Apollo barked fiercely. Evie nodded and broke into a sprint as she shot through the trees. 
Onyx turned to Apollo, Ballad's blood stained her muzzle, 
"What is Syra going to say when she finds out that Ballad's on the brink of death?" Onyx shuddered as tears rolled down her cheeks. Apollo stared out into the forest, watching Evie leave her view, before turning to Onyx.
"I am wondering about what happened to Shadow and Jet, now..."
 
Chapter 3
Koi led Syra and Azul through the forest, the scent of rain mixed with that of Jet's hung in the air. Azul walked beside Koi, his ears perked as he peered through a dense clump of brambles and ferns. Syra huffed heavily, she was growing impatient as they searched the forest for Jet.
After padding across the damp soil for a while, with still no sign of Jet, Syra turned to face Koi.
"What are we trying to accomplish here? I think it's pretty obvious that Jet is gone. I mean, I love her as much as everyone else, but why are we risking our lives for a lost cause?" Syra snarled with impatience and agitation. Koi stopped, and just as Koi was about to open his jaws to speak a whimper sounded from Azul as he was being pulled by his scruff into the thick bramble. Immeditately, Syra and Koi lept to rescue Azul, Koi clenched his jaws onto Azul's tail and tugged, Azul whimpering and whining in agony. Syra burst through the bramble in hopes of defeating their mystery enemy, but collided with a colossal, masculine, ink-black wolf. Syra didn't hesitate to attack this wolf, she viciously lunged at his trachea. The male wolf snarled and pinned Syra to the soil. She struggled under the weight of this wolf's paws, he smirked and clenched his jaws around Syra's nape and shredded tissue. Syra snarled, holding back the pure agony she was experiencing. The male wolf released his grip and clenched his sovereign jaws onto her hind leg and jerked his head backwards. Syra wailed in agony and kicked the male in his snout, causing him to stumble off of Syra.
Suddenly, the masculine wolf fled through the trees, a trail of blood left behind. Syra gasped heavily, her mind whirled as she laid against the blood-soaked earth. Koi limped towards Syra, his back leg contorted in an abnormal direction. Syra heaved herself to her paws, vermillion blood streamed from her abdomen and nape onto the soil. Koi coughed as he struggles to speak,
"That... thing, got Azul. I tried to pull him away, but a large female wolf tackled me. I had to fight her, but she just ran away..." Syra nodded slowly, her blue eyes shadowed with curiosity and pain. She limped towards Koi and heaved herself against him, Koi leaned against Syra for support with his leg. Syra spoke slowly, her tone hostile and vicious;
"We need to report this to Nyx. But I promise by the Nova Wolves, I will tear that creature apart... Limb from limb, and make that thing's minion wolves watch." She stared out into the endless array of trees, Koi stared at Syra briefly in shock at her comment, before nodding slightly.
Together, they limped through the trees and were on their way back to camp.
 
Chapter 4
 
 
TO BE CONTINUED... 
Category:Canines