The Rage (Very rough, rough draft) Chap. 7

“K-katya.” Glass stammered, staring at the dangerous red eyes flashing in the darkness around them, her silver fur bristling anxiously.

“Yeah?” Katya whispered, shrinking back against the remains of a human building, violet eyes huge.

“You were right.” Glass admitted, cringing at the clack of savage jaws in the darkness.

“Bad idea.” Katya suggested again.

“Yep.” Glass murmured, swallowing hard.

“Glass? I’m scared.” Katya muttered, embarrassed.

“So am I.” Glass whimpered, looking over at Katya. The white puppy rested her tail-tip on Glass’s shoulder.

“We’ll be okay.” Katya murmured, but her voice quivered.

“Yeah. Pure Warriors.” Glass sniffed. Katya took a deep breath, then braced her paws like Dake had shown her just that morning, and bore her tiny puppy teeth. One of the Rages cackled madly, like that was the funniest thing it’d even seen, and Katya saw the gleam of white teeth as the pack closed in for the kill. Two puppies wouldn’t stand a chance. Katya swallowed hard. But she was going to try. She would always try. The front Rage, the one Katya thought might’ve been the Alpha Rage, leapt forward with an angry growl. Katya suddenly shouldered Glass to the side and the Rage’s paws scuffed her own flank. Katya squealed and scrambled under the twisted metal beside her. Glass followed, clawing at the dirt. The metal tugged at Katya’s fur, and the Rages didn’t hesitate to lunge after them. They were too big to fit under the metal like the puppies, but they flooded over the metal shambles, ignoring the pain the sharp, torn metal must have caused them. Their teeth clicked over the puppies heads. Katya lunged out from under the metal, with Glass hot on her heels. The pups streaked away from the Rages, across the shredded metal and glass of the Ruins. The Rages easily raced behind the pups, their eyes emitting a strange red glow. The puppies were quickly caught, surrounded by the Rage Pack . They closed in. Katya backed away, ears pinned to her head and the whites of her eyes showing. Glass howled as claws sliced across her tender side. Katya lunged under a crooked but still-standing building behind her, then realized Glass wasn’t with her.

She spun and saw her friend on the ground a few feet away, with Rages circling her. Katya held back a whimper. She sucked in a breath, thought Pure Warrior, and sprang from her hiding spot, grabbing her injured friend by the scruff and closing her violet eyes tightly, dragging Glass under the building with her. The Rages snarled, surging after their prey. Their claws scrabbled at the dirt, making wider the hole the puppies had vanished into.  Katya squirmed forward on her belly, quite aware of the tons of stone and metal above her. Glass grunted and shook herself off, crawling after her friend. The Rages howled behind them, and Katya kicked her hind paws, drawing out a growl from Glass. Katya twisted her head around to look at the silver puppy. They were both panting, and the light from the hole behind them had faded. Katya curled up into a ball, motioning for Glass to stay quiet. Glass’s side was bloody, and Katya couldn’t tell how bad the wound really was.

Katya buried her face under her paws, trying to block out the diseased world she was in. Glass squirmed closer to, nudging her friend comfortingly. Katya raised her head suddenly, casting a panicked glance at Glass. The Rages were now creeping through the dark, flattened on their bellies, eyes flashing red in the dark. They had to move. But there was nowhere to go. Katya tried to surge to her paws, but the stone pressed her down. Glass crouched, eyes wide, then narrow as the Rages squirmed closer. Katya crept forward, her friend beside her, both squinting through the black. The ground was rough under their paws, and the Rages’ were still struggling after them.

At least they were puppies, and could easily fit through these buildings. The darkness completely surrounded them. Katya felt as though she could hardly breath, like the dark was a physical thing, pressing in on all sides. They were going to get lost. If the Rages didn’t get them, they’d get stuck down here, and starve, and never be Pure Warriors! Katya growled and Glass flinched beside her. Katya’s nostrils flared. The scent of Glass’s blood was strong. The Rages would find them no matter what. Katya choked back a hopeless wail. She suddenly burst into a heedless run, ignoring the stone scraping along her back and jabbing her tender paws. Glass yelped behind her. Katya shook her head and ran, pushing herself faster, and closed her eyes. Not like it made any difference. Glass howled desperately from behind her and Katya skidded to a stop, whirling around. What was she doing? She couldn’t just run. Not away from the Rages, and  not away from her friend.

She bolted back to Glass.

“What the heck?” Glass whimpered.

“I’m sorry.” Katya murmured, tugging her friend forward.

“Hey. Are you lost?” a voice called from the darkness. Katya whipped around, crouching, teeth bared.

“Chill. I’m a friend.” The voice sounded slightly irritated. “And I can get you out, if you want.”

“Who are you?” Glass asked.

“Doesn’t matter. Just follow me.”

“How can we trust you?” Katya questioned.

“Well, it’s that or just wander around here until the Rages get here.” The stranger barked.

“We’ll come.” Glass said eagerly, scrambling forward.

The stranger laughed. He sounded young, like a puppy, and kind.

“Come on, then. ‘For the Rages catch up.”

Glass and Katya followed after the stranger, their paws scuffing lightly on the ground. The stranger expertly navigated the underground, confidence practically ebbing from him. He led them to a dead end.

“What the heck?!” Glass screeched, eyes narrowed furiously.

“Is that the thanks I get?” the stranger grumbled, placing his shoulder against the wall, and shoved. The wall fell forwards, revealing the outside world, and the stranger flicked his ears arrogantly at Glass.

Glass was too excited to get away from the Rages to get mad at him. Katya leapt after her, sucking in a breath of air, shaking her pelt as though shaking off the dark and terror.

“Hey, thanks.” She said quietly, turning to the stranger.

“No problem.” The stranger replied softly, turning back to the dark.

“Where’re you going?” Katya demanded, stepping towards him.

“I still have clumsy pups like you to rescue!” the stranger woofed, then vanished.

“Liar.” Katya muttered, then spun as she heard a wolf cry her name.

“Katya!” Dake shouted, racing towards her, his golden pelt spiky with fear. Katya looked for any Rages chasing him. There were none.

He stopped before her and quickly drew her to his chest with a paw, his tongue rasping over her head.

“Are you hurt?” he demanded, green eyes wide.

“No.” Katya answered, burying her face in his fur.

“I was so worried. Don’t you ever dare do that again.” Dake breathed, licking the dirt from her normally pure white fur. Katya nodded numbly, eyes closed.

“Come on. Let’s go home.” Dake whispered after a while, rising to his paws. Katya caught a glimpse of the silver cross around his neck. Oh yeah. Today was the day he’d gone from black cross to silver cross, and she’d given him a heart attack. She became a black cross tomorrow. She sniffled and Dake nudged her.

“It’ll be okay, little sister.” He promised, and Katya saw the Alpha Female, Night, and two Warriors from the pack waiting for them. She padded after Dake, feeling very small and shameful as she approached the Alpha Female.  She expected a scolding, but the Alpha Female simply said, “Let’s go.” And they headed off.

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I wake up trying to figure where the heck I am and what’s going on. A wolf is curled up around me, and though I don’t dare open my eyes yet, I can tell I’m not home. I ache to be home. Actually, I just ache, period.

“Excuse me, I’m the one who just saved her life.”  A wolf is saying, sounding astonished.

“Or the one who endangered it in the first place.” The wolf beside me rumbles angrily. Dake. Definitely Dake.

“What the heck?!” the strange wolf demands, equally angry.

“So what happened, anyway?” a well-recognized voice questions.

“I saved her from the Rage!” the wolf answers Crow.

“You’re wearing a Healer’s collar, but I don’t recognize you from the Healers.” Dake growls.

“I’m from the West. And I’m not an actual Healer, though I received some training. I was sent here in the name of the Western Healers.” The wolf answers stiffly, clearly trying his best to sound calm and collected.

“Why?” Glass asks.

“I received information that the East would have Pure Warriors. Much needed Pure Warriors. There is trouble in my home.” The wolf says evenly.

“And what makes you think we’d help you?” Dake snaps.

“Quit being mean, Dake.” I mumble, stirring slightly, cracking one eye open.

“You’re awake!” Dake mutters, sounding relieved, rasping his tongue over my forehead. “How do you feel?”

“Like I just gotten eaten by a Rage.” I sigh, lifting my five-hundred-pound head and looking around at the others. Glass is standing beside Dake, looking down at me, and Lane is sitting near the entrance to the small cave we’re in, while Crow is standing near to a strange wolf. The strange wolf has dark, red-brown fur, and stony gray eyes. I recognize the eyes. The memories of the Rage attack come flooding back to me. Kyran. Wasn’t that his name?

“Glad to see I didn’t save you for nothing.” Kyran sniffs, sitting and scratching his ear.

“Oh, yeah, thanks.” I answer wearily, flicking my tail.

“So he didn’t hurt you?” Crow asks, eyeing Kyran warily.

“No. He’s…good.” I say, heaving myself unsteadily to my paws. The world swirls.

“Careful.” Dake warns, standing and supporting me with his shoulder. I wait until everything stops spinning, then stretch, wincing at the flash of pain in the back of my neck and shoulders.

“Like, ow.” I growl, twisting my head painfully around to lap at the fresh wound. Most of the blood has already been groomed out of my ruff by Dake. Crow pads over to me and sniffs at the gash.

“I’m not a Healer, but-- hey you’re a Healer! Why don’t ya do something?” He demands, glaring at Kyran.

“I’m not an actual Healer, but I would’ve, if you big, dumb brutes would’ve quit threatening me.” Kyran growls, standing back up. Typical Healer. He pads over to me and copies Crow, sniffing along the gash.

“Not infected yet.” Is all he says, then turns with an arrogant swish of his tail and trots towards the cave entrance. “Now let’s get out of here. There’s Rages all over and it’s not a good place for a bloody she-wolf.”

“This bloody she-wolf will rip your throat out if you think I can’t take care of myself.” I threaten, wagging my tail to let Kyran know I didn’t mean it. Kyran snorts and ducks, slipping out and into the dark.

“And didn’t I tell you to stay?” growls Dake, looking down at me.

“Heh.”  And then I limp fast as possible out of the cave.

Dake takes the lead, guiding us through the tunnels as silently as possible, occasionally stopping when he hears a Rage. But no Rage catches us, and we emerge onto the side of the mountain in the afternoon sunshine. Snow speckles the stones under my paws and I gulp in great breaths of the cold air, clearing my head. Kyran is staring at the sky, his fur bristling as though a dragon hovers overhead, instead of just blue.

“What is it?” Glass asks, eyeing him. Kyran tears his gaze away from the sky, rolling his powerful shoulders. I realize he doesn’t look like a skinny, non-fighting Healer. He looks more like a deadly Warrior.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Kyran answers Glass, shaking out his pelt dismissively. Glass shakes her head and looks at me.

“Ready?” she asks.

“Nah. But let’s go.”

Dake trots ahead, testing the rocks and crags, carving a path down the mountain. Glass and I follow, with me leaning heavily on my friend’s shoulder. Crow and Lane pad after us, talking in undertones, with Crow sounding slightly angry. Oh yeah. Lane still has to explain that whole not a pure Warrior thing, because we’re not dead. Ha! We’re not dead. I finally realize this. Cool. Shouldn’t I be dead? Thought I was, there for a minute.

Kyran walks solemnly at the back, his paws making no noise except for the skitter of stones as he knocks them around, amusing himself. I wonder exactly what his home is like. I wonder if Dake will agree to go there. I wonder if we should. I find myself slowing, and Crows asks from behind me,

“Do you need to rest, Katya?”

“No. I’m fine.” I huff, slightly irritated and embarrassed at being the only one injured and fussed over. I swear I see Crow smile. I growl and Glass laughs softly. I shoulder her playfully, and pathetically, what with my “weakened shoulder”.

“What?”  Glass protests.

“You shut up.”

Glass grins and closes her eyes, tipping her face to the sun. I roll my eyes.

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“So are we going to the West?” I hear Lane ask Dake from my place sprawled out on the ground at the mountain base. I see the twitch of Kyran’s ears and know he’s listening.

“I don’t know.” Dake answers, laying his head on his paws.

“So…Do we just head home for now?” Lane questions.

“I don’t know.” Dake repeats. “But I do know we have to hunt.” He rises to his paws.

“I’ll hunt.” Kyran volunteers, looking over at us.

“Really? A Healer? Hunting?” Crow asks in disbelief.

“I’m not a Healer.” Kyran groans, rolling onto his paws and swiping lazily at Crow. Crow sneers, snapping at his paw. I decide I kind of like Kyran then. He’s okay. For a Healer.

“Alright. Let’s go then.” Dake barks, heading out of our little camp.

“No. I can hunt alone.” Kyran says.

“What?” Dake asks, now disbelieving.

“It’s a trick in the West.” Kyran says, looking straight at Dake.

“Really? Then bring us something to eat by midnight.” Dake agrees, deciding to humor the wolf.

“OK.” Says Kyran, clearly confident in his skills. Dake’s eyes flash.

“Go.” He orders, and Kyran lopes off, his paws drumming the ground.  For a moment I wonder if he’ll actually come back. Then, of course he would. If he came all the way to the East to help his home, why would he give up now? Dake, meanwhile, sets off with Crow in tow on his own hunting trip. Obviously he thinks Kyran won’t catch anything. I climb to my paws, wincing slightly, and circle our camp. Lane is sleeping. Or at least pretending to sleep. Glass glances at me.

“So, think we’ll go West?” she asks.

“Um…I dunno. “

“Think we should?”

“Yeah.”

“Those Rages were pretty scary, huh?” Glass teases.

“They would’ve eaten you if I hadn’t saved your tails!” I boast.

“You’re an idiot.” Glass agrees.