Story snippets

[DarkHououmon]

I wrote a series of short scenes for an alimon story I started to write back in November for NanoWrimo. These scenes were written with the purpose of trying to world build a little, figure out some of the plot, and to develop the characters a little.Try to get a feel of what hey are like. Nothing is concrete yet as I'm still developing the story and the characters.

The story itself involves my invented dinosaur species, the alimon (ingottosaurus, their scientific name I came up with that means copycat lizard, due to them being a theropod that looks like a sauropod). I haven't written too many scenes. I'll post the first one today. I'll add the rest later.






Blackhole relaxed in her favorite spot. High on the mountains, her stomach laying across a rock. She did not have much to worry about today. She had gotten all her duties finished about an hour ago. Now was the time to rest and relax her mind.

It was not like anyone was going to come up here and disturb her. Everyone was down below, discussing other matters of day to day life. Not many would venture up here. She went up a difficult path. Winding and spikey and sharp. It was a dangerous path to travel on. Most would think she was insane for using this pathway, and wonder why she did not choose some place safer.

Well, she had her reasons. Did not everyone? Different motivations, everyone had for what they did. No one had found out about her actions, and if they did, she would bet they would jump to conclusions instead of asking her.

She came here to enjoy some solitude. Away from the others, where she could relax. Sure, she had her own place that was high and secluded from the others. But sometimes, it was just nice to really get away from it all. Her place could still be visited by some alimons, such as the leaders, Icane and Pound. She may not be able to relax long before someone would show up and ask her for some assistance.

There were some downsides to being the advisor of the pack, as well as the seer. Many looked up to her for her knowledge and wisdom when it came to aspects she knew most about. Not everyone was given the same level of knowledge. Specialization was common practice among the pack. It was not something she questionsed, although this resulted in her constantly sought after, for she knew the most about stellar objects, and whatever else they needed. Her own name, Blackhole, was a testament to that.

But here, away from the others, she could relax and settle herself down. She could relax and avoid the constant ramblings of the other alimons, and avoid having to divulge more information, taking away her chance to relax.

Sometimes she wondered if the other alimons even understood how hard it was for her to study and retain all that information. Her head still ached from time to time as she recalled how difficult it was. A pleasant experience, it was not.

She closed her eyes softly, taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly. She could barely hear anyone else besides herself. The ramblings and talk of the other alimons was so faded, no words could be comprehended. Even the distant calls of eagles and falcons sounded more like lullabies than the usual warning calls that they were.

She opened her jaws and let out a loud yawn, her lips pulling back slightly, exposing her sharp teeth and her pink gums for a few seconds. She could feel the heaviness of exhaustion push down onto her shoulders. It was time for her to get some real rest. She might be up all night again doing some work. She needed take this chance now befor she forgot.

Her eyes closed slowly. The blackness immediately overcame her vision. She tilted her head to one side, her tail curving inward. Slowly, she began to descend into the comforting dark silence that was sleep.

Just then, before she could get too far in her sleep, she could hear something. A crack. A rubble. Her eyes snapped open and she shot her head up. She looked left and right, her eyes scanning the grooves and twists of the mountain. She did not see anything, and at first, it was possible she just heard things. But she knew better than that. Time to pull out her next sensory organ.

Her nose. Always reliable, it was. An advantage to being a meat-eating being. Its power rivaled some of the animals of the area, perhaps even surpassing them. She lifted her head up, her head in a diagonal slant, and began to sniff.

The scents assaulted her nose immediately. The wind wafered through it, tingling the inside of her muzzle and sending rapid signals to her brain. With that single sniff, she was able to detect the dank smell of the recent rain, the wet rocks around her, a sour-smelling berry patch not far, and even a carcass being fed on by vultures.

It was not difficult for her to pinpoint the foreign smell. One scent stood out among the others. Even in an area filled with rotting flesh and tasty blood, she would still be able to recognize this scent, for it would be hard to miss. She had known this smell since she was little.

Her eyes narrowed slowly. The more she sniffed, the more she realized that she had been followed. And not by someone she had particularly wanted to see right now. She lifted up her head and turned it to where the smell was coming from.

Of all the alimons, it had to be him.

“Embertinker..” Blackhole said as she lifted her body off the ground. “What an unpleasant surprise.”

A tall, skinny alimon appeared from the side of the mountain. He almost slinked along the wall, as if he were a part of it. His feathers were at their neutral height, this tail held up in greeting. Despite how cold she sounded, Embertinker still looked happy to see her. It was as if she had not tried to show how displeased she was to see him.

Embertinker moved forward, making his way towards her. Soon he stood a few feet away from her. His side was exposed to her. A gesture that was two fold. Show a side to an enemy, and it was a challenge, a way of showing how big they were. Show a side without the accompaniment of growls and snarls, and it was a ëI will not harm you’ gesture. After all, the side and flank were among the most vulnerable parts on an alimon. They were hard to defend, which was why they were a major focus when it came to armor.

“I thought I might find you up here.” Embertinker said, a broad grin spreading across his face. “It was just a matter of following your scent.”

Blackhole snorted at this. She gave a half smile. In a bemused tone of voice, she said, “I take it the herbal rememdy I used before did nothing to hide my smell?”

Embertinker shook his head. “Nope. You are pretty easy to find, sister. Then again..are you surprised?” Embertinker put his head close to hers. She moved her head away, glaring softly at him. “I was always so good at finding you! Even as a cubbie!” He chuckled at this. “Those were good times.”

“Yeah, sure.” Blackhole was deadpan, rolling her eyes. “A real riot.”

She was going to have to talk to Nightherb about that remedy she was given. She had specifically asked for something that would mask her scent. She did not tell Nightherb what it was for, just that it was part of an experiment. Nightherb insisted it would work.

Well it was clear as a sun day that it was not. She would not be able to talk to her again as it was going to be tomorrow soon. And moon days were not a good time to speak to anyone, as those were the days people slept around here. She would have to wait until the next sun day.

Luckily, that is not a terribly long wait. She just had to be patient. She hoped that Nightherb could come up with something better this time around. Something that could fool even Embertinker and his wonder snout.

“So..why are you up here, anyway?” Embertinker asked as he moved closer to his sister. He settled down beside her. She inched herself away. Embertinker tilted his head to one side. “Is this where you have been disappearing to?”

Blackhole was silent for a moment. She thought about lying to her brother. She did not want him following her whenever she disappeared. Her hiding spot had been put in jeopardy because of him. What was going to stop him from telling the other alimons?

But she knew that she would not get far with lying. Embertinker was often good at picking out lies. Something about how he could smell it or something. She knew a lot of things, but that was something that still alluded her comprehension.

“I just want to get away from the others. Take a break and relax.” Blackhole said. She lowered her head to the ground, her paws splaying out at her sides. Her chin on the ground, she gave a sigh. “I do not think you can comprehend what it is like having so many alimons come at you day after day, asking for information on this and that. Being the advisor and seer of this pack can take its toll on you. Believe me. It is not as glamorous as some may say.”

“Some alimons strive for your position. You should consider yourself lucky that you have this.” Embertinker looked over at her. His green eyes rested on her. “It is hard getting into this position at all. You could have gone your whole life without having this opportunity.”

Blackhole gave a bitter smirk. “If they want my job so badly, they can take it.” She lifted her head slightly. Her muzzle pointed downward. “They have no idea what they would be getting themselves into. That is why I would be happy to alleviate myself of that duty.”

“And you would give others the burden just because you want a break from it?” Embertinker stared at her in shock. “Blackhole, I am surprised at you! I would think that you would be better than this!”

Blackhole turned her head away. A low growl eminated from her through.”You do not know my burden, Embertinker. You do not know how much I just want to throw it all away, to run and flee from my job just for a day of normality.” She closed her eyes tightly, squeezing them shut. “How I miss the old days...”

She felt a hard nudge against her. Something soft moved against her body. There was slight pain from the force. She rose her head up and looked over. It took her only moments to realize that Embertinker had pushed her with his snout. He was looking down at her, a soft glare plastered over his eyes.

“What?” She hissed through her clenched teeth. “What do you want?”

“You think you are so special, do you not? You think you are the only one in this pack that has to contribute? You think you are the only one with such burdens placed upon you? You think you are the only one who is looked to day in, day out, with no end in sight?” Embertinker growled uncharactistically, his tail and feathers raising up.

Blackhole glared back at him. She climbed up to her feet. She had her back arched and her head lowered. Some sense of hostility began to cling to the air as the two of them stared at one another. Tails swished in agitation, their eyes locked onto each other. After a few moments, Blackhole hissed, “You are wrong. That is not what I am saying at all. It is just that...”

“Many go through what you are feeling, Blackhole. Many share a similiar burden.” Embertinker said in a stern voice. “Have you ever thought about Icane and Pound? They are our leaders, Blackhole. They are in charge of everything. All the information pathways lead to them, as they need to know all this stuff to run things around here. And they are the ones who have the final word on everything, and the ones we must follow in a crisis.”

Blackhole continued to glare at her brother. She panted a few times as his words entered her mind, sifting through. But none of the words fully registered with her head. Anger still clung to her, preventing her from realizing the point that her brother was trying to make.

“They have help. They have each other.” Blackhole said. “They all have help. Me? I have no one!” Her teeth flashed, glinting off the evening light as the sun was setting, the moon rising up for the start of the moon day. “I only have myself as person after person comes in for my advice! And I am the one stuck running the schedules here! I have to keep track of the days and let everyone know how much time had passed! Do you think that is easy for me to do alone?!”

Embertinker’s eyes widened sightly. They then relaxed, and he obtained a more neutral posture. His tail relaxed behind him, lowering towards the ground. He gave his head a slight shake. “No. I do not think that.” His voice was calm and gentle this time. “I just feel upset that you overlook a single factor right before your eyes.”

“Oh? And what is that?” Blackhole asked in a sullen voice. “What has your fantastic snout detected in the air this time?”

Embertinker replied almost immediately. “I know how you feel.”

Blackhole glared softly at him. “Oh really now?”

Embertinker glared back at her. “What? You think I cannot understand?” He placed his paw against his chest, his palm curving slightly over his chest ridge. “You think that I have not felt the stress when it came to my job? Being in charge of inventing and creating?”

Blackhole rolled her eyes at this. “So you have to make something new every once in a while. That is not as bad as having to keep track of things day after day.”

The orange and yellow alimon that was her brother before her did not appear to agree with her. His lip curled up into a slight snarl. Not anger, but frustration. It was clear that Embertinker was not happy with her right now. Then again, she was not happy with him.

How could he possibly understand what she has to go through? He was not given assignments as often. He did not have to deal with the stress of expectation every day. He only needed to help push their technology forward. Despite his silly attitude that he displayed off and on, he was quite brilliant in several aspects. And that intelligent mind of his allowed him to create things to help the pack as a whole.

She wondered if this was just a cheap attempt at him getting her to see that she ëwas not alone’. If that were the case, she hoped that he would trample off soon. She did not need to hear his pathetic attempts at cheering her up if this was what he was going to do.

“I understand how you feel more than you are realizing, Blackhole. Yes, I am only tasked with a new invention when required. So on the surface, it looks like I am not doing as much work.” Embertinker said. “But...” He raised his claw up at this. “There is more to it than that.”

“Oh?”  Blackhole muttered softly. “Like what?”

“Who do you think has to handle all the troubleshooting and proofing of the new device? Who do you think everyone turns to when it comes to new inventions? Who do you think everyone turns to when the devices break down? Who do you think is responsible for mass producing the inventions? In case you have forgotten, sister, I work alone. I have no one to back me up.” Embertinker leaned towards his black and white sibling. “Just like you...”

Blackhole blinked her eyes a couple of times at this. Slowly, she widened them. She could feel her anger start to leave her. Slowly, but surely, she could feel her blood cooling d own. Realization began to strike at her, and she felt angered with herself for not seeing this before.

She could not argue with her brother on that. She knew that he was right. She had not thought about it before. She had dismissed this part of his job, not bothering to consider what he must be going through each and every day. The job of an inventor was not all roses and petals. She could not believe she did not see it before.

It was true. He really was the only inventor in this pack. Well the only progressive one able to come up with amazing new concepts. He was so smart and intelligent, and he was the go to alimon for all kinds of new gear. She was well aware of this. What she did not take into considering was the fact that he might be alone in all of this. She had never seen him with any other alimons while he invents. She should have realized it then. But she did not.

Now it was laid bare before her. And she could not feel more ashamed of herself. She lowered her head. She did not want to look at her brother in the eyes. She did not deserve it. She had pushed him away when he had only wanted to help. What kind of sister was she? How could she not have seen that he suffered just as she had?

Speaking in a soft, calm voice, she said, “I am...sorry. I had no idea...”

Embertinker’s expression softened up at this, she imagined. He moved a couple steps towards her, indicated by the footfalls he was making. “That is because you never asked. You and I used to hang out so much when we were little. Now it seems like you do not have much time for me at all. Understandable. We have gone our separate ways.”

Blackhole lifted up her head. She looked towards her sibling. “That is not an excuse, though. I should have been paying more attention. I should have talked to you more, so I would understand how you felt.” Her eyes widened as realization dawned on her. “Is that why you came to find me?”

Embertinker stared at her for a moment. He then smiled slightly and nodded. “You can say that, yes. It gets...lonely by myself. I want to, you know..sometimes relax like you.” He lifted his head and looked up towards the sky. “This is a nice spot. I can tell that you are able to relax here.”

Blackhole did not answer right away. She looked down in shame once more. The realization that her brother came to her because he, too, wanted to escape the stress, hit her like a wild beast. He just wanted to relax like that, for his heart, too, was twisted in frustration of all the responsibilities he had been dumped with.

And for her to even think of sending him way because of it, that was so cruel of her. How could she even think like that?

She knew she had to make it up to him somehow. She had to show him how sorry she was. A simple apology would not work. No, she needed to do something to really let him know that she was apologetic for her actions and her words.

And she knew just the thing.

“Well I best be going.” Embertinker’s voice said, cutting Blackhole from her thoughts. “I do not wish to disturb your resting time.” The orange alimon began to head back down the mountain. “I do hope you are able to relax.”

“Wait!” Blackhole called out. She reached her paw out towards him. Embertinker paused and waited. “Would you..uh...like to join me?”

Embertinker looked behind him. His expression was that of bewilderment. “Really?”

Blackhole nodded her head a few times. “Well sure. I mean..there is plenty of room around here.” Indeed, there were plenty of places for them to rest. There was more than enough room for her brother to pick a spot and just lay down and relax. “And...well..I am kind of lonely myself.” With a nervous smile, she rubbed the side of her face. “It..would be nice to have the company at least.”

Embertinker looked down at his sibling. His tail moved slowly from side to side as silence fell upon the air. He looked surprised by her offer. At first, with the lack of a response, Blackhole wondered if she had upset her brother too much for him to want to join her. If that were the case, she would feel so bad. She never meant for him to get that upset.

She was proven wrong with this when Embertinker turned around to face her. His surprised look was replaced with a smile, which she gladly returned. He raised his feathers up in greeting, and he lowered his head, his feathers drooping in the way that males do to greet a loved one.

Pressing his face against hers, nuzzling her, Embertinker said, “I would love to keep you company, dear sister.”

Embertinker settled down beside Blackhole. He pressed his flank against hers, the way a loved one does to another loved one. He rested his head on top of her back, one paw dropping across her.

Blackhole smiled at this. The warmth of her brother seeped through her body, providing her with a level of comfort she had not experienced before during her outings alone. She laid her head on the ground and closed her eyes. Soon, the only thing that she could hear was the calm breathings from her brother and herself. It became a lullaby that made her tired, unable to reopen her eyes.

Soon, like her brother, she was engulfed in a peaceful silence, her relaxed mind becoming devoid of all thoughts. At last, peaceful sleep was upon them.

[DarkHououmon]

Another scene.





“You cannot be serious, sir.” Stormcrack said as he stared down at the plans. His eyes skimmed left to right. This could not possibly be correct. “There has to be some mistake. This tells me that you are...”

“Taking the more cautious route, yes.” Icane said sternly, his eyes narrowed into slits. “You must understand, Stormcrack. I cannot afford to make any rash choices right now. We must wait and assess the situation first.”

Stormcrack shot him a glare. “We have already ëassessed’ it enough! Now is the time for action!”

“No, Stormcrack. It is still time of observation. We must wait.” Icane said.

Stormcrack snarled at this. He glared at his leader, unable to control the angered features moving over his face, covering it up. He did not bother hiding his rage. Icane already knew that he was upset with him. So why bother to hide it?

He did his best to control himself. Instinct was telling him to lunge at the alimon and pin him to the ground, then shake him to knock some sense into his head. He could not believe that Icane would be this complacent and just let this continue to happen. Even with the last sneak attack, Icane still would not do the right thing and strike back.

Icane’s reasoning is that a full scale war may not be required, and that what they needed to do first was observe and figure things out. Well they have been doing that the past several weeks and Icane still had not made a move. Some of the alimons were growing impatient, most obviously, himself.

Stormcrack was not sure what Icane was waiting for now. They had gathered enough information to justify an attack against Unam and his lot. They had been asking for it for a long time. Countless days. He and many others were more than ready to attack.

Yet Icane never told them to make a move. And it was beginning to grate on everyone’s nerves.

What was he waiting for? A written invitation? What could be slowing him down? Yes, he said that they needed more information, but how much more did he need? How much had to be damaged and how many had to get hurt, even die, before he would actually do something?

“I know you are upset with me. Even my own partner, Pound, has disagreed with me on this.” Icane said calmly. His paw crossed over his leg and his tail twitched from side to side. “I do still stand by my decision. I feel it is the best one, given the circumstances.”

Stormcrack snarled at this. He slammed his foot into the ground and shouted, “Oh bite my tail, you old timer!”

At this, Icane snapped his head back. He stared at the younger alimon in shock. Stormcrack held his ground, his tail raised up and his body arched. This was not something he would do under normal circumstances. Had Icane have his partner around, or other alimons, he would not have dared tried this. He would have been punished.

With Icane alone, he had more leeway. Icane was not the type to aggressively attack any pack member, and he and Icane had a little bit of history. Not much, but it was enough to allow him to say some more things to Icane and get away with it. That was the only reason he felt safe in this posture around him. The knowledge that Icane was not going to try to harm him.

Icane blinked his eyes a few times. He shook his head. “Oh, Stormcrack... I do wish that you would listen to reason once in a while.”

“To reason?!” Stormcrack bellowed. “You think I am overreacting?!” At Icane’s single, calm nod, Stormcrack’s eyes widened, his pupils shrunk, and he gritted his teeth. “Why you...” He took a step forward. He slammed his tail agianst the ground. “You are the one who is unreasonable!”

“How so?” Icane asked.

“Are you kidding me?!” Snapped Stormcrack.

“No. Please, tell me why you think I am the one being illogical.” Icane said calmly. He moved his paw out in front of him. “You have the floor before me. Now you may speak.”

Stormcrack could not believe it. Was his leader being serious? Was he really not aware of what he was doing? Of why he was upset? Stormcrack had to resist the urge to slap himself in the face. His leader could not seriously be this confused, right?

Yet, Icane’s expression never changed. It still held that level of confusion, and he was silently asking him to continue speaking. No more words came out of the alimon’s mouth. Just a simple stare at him. The rest was up to him. Like Icane said, he had the floor now. It was his turn to speak.

Stormcrack cleared his throat. “Well, sir...” He tried his best to sound as respectful as he could, despite the anger raging through him. “You already know about the reports. You know about the injuries that have occurred. Some of our people are even missing, but you...you will not do anything! Why?!”

Icane slowly rose up to his feet. “It is a rather complicated matter.” The alimon’s head was risen up. He stared straight ahead at Stormcrack. The two brown alimons looked at one another, their gaze never leaving the other. “Stormcrack, it is quite easy to rush into things. But often the best strategy is just to wait.”

“Wait?!” Stormcrack snapped.

Icane gave a single, confident nod with his head. “Yes. Wait.” He looked up towards the ceiling of the cave home that they were in. “That is the best battle strategy. Learn as much as you can about your opponents, and then plan a strike.”

Stormcrack could understand his leader’s perspective. That did sound like a good idea.  But what still got him was how long it was taking. How long was Icane going to wait through this? How much was it going to take ot convince him to do something about the enemies?

“You might think I’m waiting too long.”

Stormcrack stared at Icane in surprise. Had he read his mind? Did he sense what his thought process was just by looking at him? Icane can be creepy like that at times.

   Icane continued, “I assure you, I know what I am doing. Once our scouts have een able to study their place well enough, we can go in for the attack.” His eyes narrowed into slits. “Do not think for a second that I am going to let them get away for long with what they did.”

“We should go now. We have enough information!” Stormcrack took a step towards his leader. “Please, if you let me, I will...”

Icane raised up his paw. Stormcrack shut his jaws, knowing that Icane wanted to speak up. Icane said, “No need, Stormcrack. We will wait a few more days, and then we will make our move.” He held up his paw in gesture. “Now is too early, I think.  I believe that we can get a bit more information regarding our enemy’s activities and the place they live in. Then we can...”

Stormcrack cut him off. “But what about those who end up getting hurt? Should we not do something about that?”

Icane shook his head. “Getting information that we need to stop our foes is more important.”

Stormcrack felt himself give a sharp intake of air. He stared at Icane for several seconds, silent, unsure of what to make of what he had heard. Did Icane really say that? Nothing the older alimon did indicated that he was being untruthful. He was being serious. This realization made his eyes narrow into slits.

A wave of anger swept through his body. He could feel his body start to shiver. He dug his claws into the ground, scraping it. He bared his razor sharp teeth at Icane. If he were not the leader, he likely would have attacked him the nand there.

How could he say such a thing? How could he dismiss the needs of others like that? He was the leader for crying out loud. It was his responsibility to make sure that everyone was safe. If he did not perform this duty, if he did not care about them as much as he did his enemies, then how can he be trusted with leadership? Had Stormcrack known he would be like this, he would not have accepted him as leader.

“How can you...?” Stormcrack’s voice was growly and deep. “So many rely on you... How can you turn your back on them in their hour of need?”

Icane stared at him. He tilted his head to one side. “What are you talking about, Stormcrack? Of course I care about my people.” He straightened his head and looked into the confused Stormcrack’s eyes. “That is why I place so much value on stopping them first.”

“But...the others...” Stormcrack started to say.

“Do you think I do not feel regret? Do you believe that I am complacent about my people getting hurt?” Icane did not look angry. More disappointed than anything. “I would think you would know me better than that, Stormcrack.” He closed his eyes lightly. “I do realize that more inaction is causing more to get hurt.” He reopened them. They seemed to almost glow with intense determination. “But if I let this slide...many more might perish.”

“We should try to do something else.” Stormcrack said. He took another step forward. “We have enough information now. We cannot afford to keep giving them opportunity after opportunity to attack us. We need to take action, Icane. Otherwise, all of this is just going to get worse. Please, let us just go and...”

“No.” Icane was firm in his statement. There was no sign of him wafering from his choice. “My decision is final.” He climbed up to his feet. He pressed his foot against the ground. Not as hard as he had earlier, but enough that he was able to show to Stormcrack how serious he was being. “We will not be safe until we have stopped our enemies. And we cannot do that until we do some more research. I will not allow any harm to come if I can help it.”

Stormcrack could not believe it. He could not believe that Icane was being this serious. How could he not see what he was doing? Yes, it was true that none of them were going to be safe if he allowed their enemies to continue to get away with this. They needed to focus on stopping them to ensure prolonged safety for everyone.

But what about their allies? Their friends? Was it really worth their sacrifice to catch these guys? Could they really go about spying and gathering information while at the same time putting the others at risk of capture and torture? Would it not be better to keep them safe so they will not get hurt?

Stormcrack might be a hard tail at times, and he can be rough on others. But he did not want to see anyone get hurt if he could help it. To him, prioritizing the safety of their fellow comrades should be their concern, not spending a great deal learning about their enemies’ home. It was a miracle that they had not yet been spotted.

But what if they were spotted? What if they were planning an assault against them? They needed to be ready or else they would suffer the dire consequences. If they were attacked, it would be because Icane was too much of a coward to fight back sooner.

He felt a pang of shame. He realized he was being unfair to him. Icane certainly did care about his people. He had proven this time and again for the years he had been ruling. He had even put his own life at risk just to make sure that they were safe. Stormcrack felt ashamed that he had pushed that aside all because of the anger that clouded his judgment.

Icane’s methods were also pretty valid. Icane probably wanted to learn as much as he can about their foes so he can exploit whatever weaknesses may come. Knowledge was power indeed. The more they knew, the greater advantage that they would have.

And he was right that they would be in trouble so long as the enemies were still out there, waiting and laying in wait. They would do well in trying to stop them and focus how much effort they could spare on them. If they were able to stop their enemies, then they could rest easy on moondays, no longer having to worry about an attack while they slept.

Some might say that focusing too much on the enemies might be a mistake, and that treating fallen allies and taking care of those in danger was the right thing to do. On some level, that was right. They needed to ensure the safety of their allies. At the same time, however, too much focus on that will only prolong the danger. If they focused enough time and effort into stopping the enemies, even if it results in the loss of a few, they could stop the enemies before they cause too much destruction.

He still could not bring himself to fully agree with his leader. He understood him more now, but there was a part of him that could not agree on this. Though he at least understood his leader’s motivations now, a part of him was still convinced they should be paying more attention to keeping their loved ones and allies safe. He still could not bring himself to justify this obsessive research into Unam’s pack.

Stormcrack narrowed his eyes. He knew what he had to do. If his leader was not going to do what needed to be done, then he would. Someone had to do something to make sure that the other pack members would not get harmed further.

Glaring at Icane, he said, “I am going to organize a small group of our people and discuss how we can raise the defenses to protect the others, since you are still focused on learning about the enemy’s location.”

Icane narrowed his eyes at this. He moved towards the edge of his platform. He looked so much taller than he really was on that ledge, especially with how he straightened his head into the air. It was a challenging gesture, and Icane looked at him for any signs of backing down.

Stormcrack held his ground. He needed to show his leader how serious he was in wanting to do this. He knew that this needed to be done. No matter what Icane said, he could not back down from this.

“You would do that without my orders?” Icane asked. “Without my permission...?”

Stormcrack swallowed, then nodded his head once. “Yes, sir. I would.” He stomped his foot on the groudn. “I will not allow this to continue on. If you feel that getting more knowledge is important, then fine. I will not argue with that.” He pointed a claw at him. “But..someone needs to take up to bat the consideration for security for our people. If you are busy doing that, then I will take over this department.”

Icane stared at him for several moments. Then he said, “What if I decide to send you elsewhere?”

“I would remain firm in my decision.” Stormcrack growled softly. “I will not back down from it.”

“Hmmph...”

Icane jumped down from his platform. He moved in closer to Stormcrack. The younger alimon stifled the urge to cringe as the older alimon came up towards him. The leader being so close to him made him feel uncomfortable, and the way he was looking at him, he could barely look at him in the eyes.

But he did not back down. He did not step away. He cringed and moved his head back. But he still refused to take a step backwards, glaringat his leader. He did what he could to show him that he was going to go through with this. He kept glaring at him, kept baring his teeth. He flexed his claws, showing that he was willing to fight if need be. He was not backing down.

Icane soon sighed. His expression softened up. “Very well then... I cannot stop you.” He took a small step backwards. “Okay then, Stormcrack. I grant you permission to do as you please to keep our people safe.”

Stormcrack stared at his leader in shock. He had not expected him to cave in like that. He thought he was going to put up a bigger fight than that. He had all this tension  built up when he thought that he was going to need to force him to listen. He felt a heavy burden lift from his shoulders when he realized that may not be necessary.

Stormcrack’s muzzle ticked into a smile. “Thank you...” He lowered his head, bowing to him. The anger from earlier seeped through his claws and practically vaporized into the air. “I will not let you or the rest of the pack down.”

Icane smiled at this. “I know you will not.”

Giving his leader one final nod, Stormcrack turned and took off. It was time to begin his mission. He will not fail. He will see to that.

[jansenov]

The way you describe cahracters is believable, but the way you describe them when they are annoyed or angry is fantastic. The questions that pop up from reading these two pieces alone are: what happened to the humans, and what kind of technological society the alimons are, and what are they fighting over.

[DarkHououmon]

Thanks.

I'm still developing their society and still trying to think of what the story is going to be about. I do plan on including humans, but for these scenes, I just focused on the alimons as they needed some more development. I'll be posting the remaining scenes over time.

[DarkHououmon]

Another scene. Oh and I'll mention this before I forget. These scens aren't in any chronological order.







It was really strange. Unam never thought he would be in this position before. He had been getting nothing but issues from this pack. He had been generous in the past and tried to offer an alliance. However, Icane had always refused, stating that his vision was ëinsane’. He growled softly at the memory of their last meeting.

But now, there appeared to be an unexpected breakthrough in the case. One of the alimons from Icane’s pack had stepped forward to speak to him. The alimon in question appeared to be a middle aged female. That was good; he was sorely lacking in females. Most of his pack were males and that would not sustain the group for long.

The appearance of Rootwater still surprised him, and yet, here she stood before him. Her green-colored body matched her surroundings quite well, and her pink eyes looked so full of depth. Even before she said a word, she had the appearance of an intelligent being.

Yes, he was going to enjoy her company so much. It was going to be nice listening to someone who was actually going to take the time to hear him out. The other alimons in this pack rejected him as soon as they heard a whiff of his plans.

But not Rootwater. In fact, she was more intrigued by his plans than anything. She did not look at him with disgust, but instead curiosity. He could see a lot of promise with her. Maybe she could even convince some other pack members to leave with them, or get Icane to agree to join.

He was not going to hold out for that for long. He had been disappointed time and time again. There was no way he was going to build up some false hope on the pretense of getting more pack members. There was always room for failure, and he was prepared for that. Perhaps more so than actually getting what he hoped for. He had learned early on just how painful failure can be, and that accepting the possibility is better than being in denial.

He had his own ideals as far back as when he was a cubbie. He had heard great tales of when the multiple packs used to be one. A gigantic pack located in the middle of the island. However, due to conflicts and resources, the pack split off into seperate locations. He had been told it was just a story and it was never true, but that did not stop him or discourage him in any way. He had decided, at such a young age, that he would make this a reality.

The idea of uniting all the packs, he regarded it as a noble cause. Most would call him insane. Most would say that they cannot support a single large pack. He would say poppycock to all of them. After all, they had been able to live here with multiple packs and nobody was ever in derth, in trouble of starving. There was enough food for everyone.

So why was a single large pack so much of a problem for these other alimons?

Rejection was the most common response he had. When he first brought up the idea with his fellow packmates when he was a young adult, he had many an alimon turn their backs on him. Undaunted by this, he attempted to take over leadership so he could further pursue his ideals. That got him kicked out of the pack.

He was not one to give up, though. He kept searching high and low for followers. He went to the other packs. One by one, alimons joined him. Defectors from the pack came to him, and they soon forged a new pack. One made up entirely of idealists who saw things his way, who believe that uniting all the packs was the best route to go.

The only pack that he had no luck with was Icane’s pack. And for good reason.

This was the pack he had originally came from.

Icane was not exactly happy to see him again. He was the one that he had tried to usurp. Icane still held a grudge about that, even years later. He had never forgiven him.

Icane’s words had affected his pack members deeply, and it was difficult getting anyone to try to see things his way. They were too steadfast in their own beliefs, and in what Icane wanted, they never tried to see things his way. This boiled his blood, but he could not storm in there and take them by force. He felt he should look for another way.

Seeing Rootwater was definitely awkward. She had been one of the guards that had been told to chase him out. Their last meeting with each other was not exactly very pleasant. The female alimon had tried to get his neck, only stopped when one of the other guards called her off. To see her standing before him, wanting to give his ideals a shot, well it certainly was a shock to the system.

Despite his confusion, he was not going to turn her away. She was the first member of his old pack that appeared to see reason. He was not certain what made her change her mind. But he was glad she did. It was nice talking to an old pack member that did not want to tear out his throat.

“Hello, Rootwater. I am surprised and pleased to have your company.” Unam said, breaking the silence that has wept through the area. “Please...” He raised his paw up in gesture. “Have a seat.”

“There is not much place to sit around here.” Rootwater noted. She turned her head from one side to the other. “This place could use some...work.”

Unam narrowed his eyes at her. But he did not doubt her words. She was correct. Their meeting place was not especially elaborate. It was an ummarked territory he found. A small cave just on the outside of Icane’s territory. He had wanted Rootwater to meet him here so they could discuss things without having to worry about territoriality.

But perhaps another place could have been used. This cave was not very large and most of the area was covered with rocky formations. This made the act of sitting down rather difficult. He could see why Rootwater did not look pleased.

Unam’s eyes settled on a spot not too far from him. A few feet away. It looked roomy enough for her. He used his tail to pat down where he wanted her, saying, “You can sit over here.”

Rootwater seemed to hesitate at this. She looked at the spot, and she appeared to mentally note how close it was to him. She looked from it, and then to Unam. Her expression was that of uncertainty, her eyes narrowed.

Unam felt a pang at this. Perhaps he shoud have picked a better spot. They might be former pack mates, but he and Rootwater never got to know each other that well. It would definitely feel awkward if they sat this close to one another.

Thinking quickly, waving his paw in gesture, he said, “Or you can just sit there. I mean, there is room where you are now. No need to come over.”

Rootwater stared at him for a few moments. She looked down at the ground she was currently on. A thin pathway. Not much room, but enough that she could lay there if she wanted to. She then looked back at him. Her expression was, presently, unreadable. Unam was not sure what she was thinking, and he dare not interrupt her.

He expected her to just lay there. She had not looked pleased with the idea of sitting down next to him. So perhaps this would be the next best thing. She was still close enough to him that she could listen to what he had to say. No need to get closer.

Then, something unexpected happened.

The green female glanced down at the groud. At first, as her legs bent and moved, he thought she was going to sit down. Instead, she moved towards him. Slowly, but surely, she approached until she was right in front of him. She stared at him for a few seconds before she settled down next to him.

The feel of her body next to him startled him. He did not expect this, not after the way she had looked at him earlier. He could feel her warmth at his flanks, and her ribcage moving as she breathed. He detected no abnormality, and he guessed that she felt comfortable next to him, despite what it might have looked like before.

For a few minutes, she just laid there next to him. None of them said a word. They were quiet, staring off into the distance. The silence permeated Unam’s mind, making him wonder just what Rootwater was thinking. With no reaction, no emotion, nothing being said, he was not sure what to think of this.

Then she finally spoke, breaking the silence.

“So...your plan was to unite the packs, if I remember right.” Rootwater spoke up.

Unam nodded his head a couple of times. “That is correct.” He narrowed his eyes slightlly. “As I recall, you were not too big on the idea. You helped kick me out.”

“Yes, I did. I will not deny that.” Rootwater lowered her head. She gave a sigh. There was some kind of vibe to that. Regret perhaps? “Well now I am willing to listen.”

“What changed your mind?” Unam asked. “What made you want to listen to me?”

Rootwater shrugged. “I just...felt I should at least let you talk. I figured it was unfair of me and the pack to chase you out without letting you explain more. I guess I realized....” She tilted her head upwards. “...that I was so determined to listen to Icane...” She turned her gaze to him. “...that I did not give your ideas any second thoughts.”

Unam nodded his head once. “I can see how taht could happen. Icane can be...very convincing.”

Rootwater said, “Yes, he can be.” She narrowed her eyes slightly. “I listened to him through and through. And he makes some good points.” She closed her eyes. “But I should have listened to you. I should have given you a chance to tell your side.” She reopened her eyes. “But at least...now I am. So tell me, Unam... why do you feel this way?”

Unam said, “Are you sure you want to hear the story?”

Rootwater nodded. “Yes. I am.”

“Very well then..” Unam said softly.

Unam took a moment to collect his thoughts. He needed a bit of time to think of just what he was going to say. He did not want to slip this up. Rootwater coming to him was the best luck he has had with this pack so far. If he screwed up, there goes his chance at recruiting anyone here.

Unam spoke up at last. “Have you ever heard of the stories and legends of long ago?” Rootwater shook her head. “The ones about how all the packs were united at one point?”

Again, Rootwater shook her head. “No. I am not.”

Unam blinked his eyes a few times. “I am shocked by that.”

Rootwater gave a small, wry smile. “Perhaps you should enlighten me?”

“Well, legend goes that, long before any of us were hatched, before even our great grandparents were around, the packs were one and the same. Gathered in the center, and there they had stayed. There were separate factions that worked on different areas. But they were still united as one, and lived as one.”

Rootwater nodded her head in understanding. She did not interrupt. Instead, she moved her head closer towards him. A sign that she was interested.

“Well one day, there was a disagreement that broke out among one of the factions. They wanted more control, and more resources. Soon others began to bargain for more rights as well. The pack, once united, now found itself in the midst of a civil war. The fighting resulted in the deaths of many. With sides rationing their own resources, it became harder and harder for them to live that way. So they split.”

“And broke off into separate packs and scattered?” Asked Rootwater.

“Exactly. Each faction became its own group. The survivors of each group went off their own directions and their own ways. They secured their own patch of land, and created their own rules.” Unam looked up towards the ceiling. “They did eventually open up trades, right in the spot where the pack was once one.”

Rootwater nodded. “Yes. The Gathering Place, where we go and exchange and buy items.” She held up her paw in gesture. “I have been there once or twice. It certainly seems large enough to hold a single large pack.”

Unam smiled at this. “Indeed it does. I had hoped, ever since I was a cubbie, to go back to the way things used to be. To combine our packs as one and return to how things should be.” He looked over at Rootwater. “We should not be separated. We should be one. A single unit. A mass of alimons moving throughout the land. To share in our discoveries, resources, and food. Not barred by territorial lines.”

Rootwater looked at him for a moment, then turned away. She crossed one paw over the other. She took in a deep breath and sighed. “So you think the pack will benefit from being united?”

“Yes.”

“You are not concernerd about resources growing low?”

Unam shook his head. “No. If the pack of long ago could do it...so can we.”

Rootwater narrowed her eyes at him. “You are forgetting one thing.”

Unam blinked a few times. “What is that?”

“The united pack you speak of..they likely were smaller than all the packs now combined. They had more room. But if we united everyone now...” She furrowed her eyes further. “There may not be as much room. We could overpopulate.” She lifted up her head and looked at him. “What then?”

Unam had not thought about that. He did not take it into consideration. He felt embarrassed that he did not. How could he have missed it? It was such an easy thing. He wondered if this was part of the reason Icane was so opposed to the idea.

Resources would indeed be problematic now. The packs may have indeed gotten larger since they separated. Granted, none of the packs was huge, but combined, it may indeed be hard to feed everyone. And homes would be an issue, too. Would they be able to produce enough homes? Store enough food and water?

He narrowed his eyes in determination. He would figure something out. He was certain of that. There was always a solution to a problem. It just required some extra thinking. Yes, he just needed some time to figure all of this stuff out. He was glad that he had spoken to Rootwater. He and his pack of assembled defectors could discuss this matter and come up with a solution.

“Thank you for that.” Unam said. “Something else to add to my to do list.”

Rootwater stared out ahead for a moment. She gritted her teeth. “I am...conflicted.”

“Oh?” Unam looked down at her. His expression was that of curiosity. “About what?”

She held up her paw and motioned around her. “All of...this.” She sighed as she placed her paw on the ground. “I understand where my leader is coming from. I mean...he did make valid points.” She looked back at him. “But you seem willing to fix that. And if you are willing to fix it, then...” She lowered her gaze, turning her head away. “Well..perhaps we should give you a chance.”

Unam could not help but smile at this. It was nice that someone in the pack was finally listening to him. It was nice that Rootwater went from helping to chase him out, to actually hear what he had to say.

And if she coud be convinced, maybe some of the others could as well. Maybe she could speak to some of the other alimons, and get more and more of them to join. Perhaps she could talk to Icane, and convince him to listen to him more thoroughly. Who knows? Maybe Icane could be, at long last, convinced.

He was not going to hold his breath, however. He had to remind himself of the failure he had went through in the past. He could not let himself get too complacent with success. Failure was always around the corner and there was nothing he could do about that.

Except, of course, trying to be more persuasive. But even then, it was a long shot. But if he had to, he would try.

“I know we have had our...issues.” Rootwater flinched as she said that. She was clearly remembering when she had gone after him upon Icane’s orders. “But I hope you are willing to put all of that behind you.”

“Well sure, I would be. I would try at least.” Unam said. There was a bit of hesitation in his voice. He could not help it. A part of him was always going to remember that mental image of Rootwater coming after him with those snapping jaws and narrowed, angered eyes. “If you are willing to give me a chance, I see no reason why we cannot start over.”

“Do I have to to reearn your trust?” Rootwater said with something of a playful smile.

Unam chuckled at this. “No, I suppose not.” He looked at himself up and down. Twitching his tail to one said, he said, “You have not tried to rip me up yet.”

The two shared a quick laugh at this. It was nice to look back on that incident and laugh about it. Certainly better than the bitter memories that he had held onto. He did not enjoy being chased from his own home. Regardless of Icane’s reasons, it could have gone better than that. It was of some comfort that Rootwater seemed at least apologetic for her actions.

Then all went silent. None of them said a word. Both were lost in their own thoughts. Unam stared out ahead, gritting his teeth as he tried to think of what he was going to do next. He knew he had to convince Rootwater to speak to Icane. That was the best, most logical choice they could take. If Icane could be convinced, then this whole mission could be saved.

But could Rootwater be convincing enough? Would she be able to get Icane to listen? Would she be the turning point that he needed? Or was Icane not going ot listen? Was he going to turn against her? Would he chase her out?

He gritted his teeth at this. That was the last thing he would have wanted for Rootwater. He did not want to see her get chased out of her home. His old home. He knew what that felt like. She did not deserve that. She had done more for that pack than he himself had. He hoped that Icane would remember that.

Only time would tell if Icane would listen. They would need to confront him. He had thought of sending her off alone. But no. That would not do at all. That would make him look like he was just sending her out like some puppet. He should go with her. He should confront Icane again. He had to do this himself as well.

He could only hope that the addition of Rootwater by his side was going to help. He hoped that her presence would help Icane rethink his decision before, and reconsider his position. If he did not, then his plans of uniting all the packs would fail. If he could somehow convince the most stubborn of leaders, he stood a chance at convincing all of them.

Then, at long last, his dream would come true. The factions all uniting as a single pack. He would long for that day. He hoped that, if they worked hard enough, they would succeed. He truly believed that things would change for the better if they would recombine together. The separation was the worst mistake they have ever made.

“So...” Rootwater spoke up, breaking the silence. “How do you feel about having a new member?”

At this, Unam’s eyes widened in shock. He shifted his head and looked at her in surprise. He wondered if he had misheard what she said, or misunderstood it somehow. But the look in her eyes, it certainly seemed genuine. Could it really be possible that he had found a new pack mate? A female one at that?

“Well, I have not thought about it. I mean, yes I have...” Unam stammered. He was tripping over his own tongue. How embarrassing. “Yeah, a new member would be great. We are short on females.” Rootwater glared at this. “Wait! I did not mean it! I mean..”

Oh great, he had gone and blew it. He screwed up big time. Why did he have to say that? Why did he have to say that thing about not many female members? Now Rootwater was going to think that the only reason he would want her on his side was because she was female. He wanted to slap himself in the face.

Rootwater glared at him for several moments. This made him feel immensely guilty. He must have offended her. He looked away from her for a few seconds. He could not believe that he was so insensitive towards her. He had not meant to say that. He needed to apologize to her. He looked back at her and opened his mouth.

He froze when he saw that her expression had changed. She was no longer frowning at him. Instead, she appeared to be smiling. A chuckle escaped her throat, her mouth ticking into a smile.

“You mean to say that your pack is a mere sausage fest?” Rootwater said jokingly. Unam’s eyes widened at this. “I bet things can get real interesting...”

Unam blinked at this. “So..you are not angry?”

“Eh...not really.” Rootwater shrugged her shoulders. “If you are in that much need of a female’s touch...I suppose I can help you with that.” She grinned and pressed the top of her head against his neck. It was like an affectionate gesture, but not. In this case, it was more a teasing gesture. “I am sure you and your pack mates would like to have something other than another sausage to count.”
Unam chuckled at this. “Well yes.. I am sure they would.”

Chuckling softly, Rootwater climbed up to her feet. “So... When did you want to meet up with my ëglorious’ leader?” She shook her body. Unam winced at the small pebbles that had clung to her skin. She gave him a downwards glance. “I will deliver the message to him.”

Unam smiled at this. “As soon as possible would be nice. If he agrees, tell him I thank him.”

“Will do.” Rootwater began to head out of the cave. She paused for a moment. She then looked behind her. The smile stretched a bit further. “I will also inform him of my...retirement of this pack. I will come back here regardless of the news. If he rejects an audience with you, then we can just head back to your pack. I would like to see what my new home will be like. That sound fair?”

Unam nodded his head. “Yeah, that will be fine.” He paused for a moment. “Oh, and Rootwater?” He rubbed the back of his head nervously. “...thank you..for being understanding.”

Rootwater smiled at this. “You are welcome.”

With that, Rootwater turned and walked away. Unam watched in silence as she disappeared out of the cave. While there was no guarantee that this was going to work, he hoped that Rootwater could turn the tides.

For the first time, he felt some level of hope of turning his situation with his old pack around. If Rootwater is able to convince them, then he would have a shot at the remaining members of the other packs. Then they could unite as one, and live under the same roof, eat together, share together. It would be the beginning of a new golden age.

Even if Rootwater failed, or he himself failed, at convincing Icane, the green alimon was still going to join. He had maybe two other females in the pack and that was it. There were too many males. Having a new female was going to help their pack out immensely. So it was going to be a win situation no matter what the outcome with Icane was going to be.

Today was a day of celebration indeed.

[DarkHououmon]

Pound was not sure why she came here. She often ignored this place. Everyone did. Many did not know about it. But those who did, they tended to stay away. During the sun day hours, no one really paid attention to this spot in the museum, even if they did know about it. It was considered a ëno-no’ area and was left alone.

And here she was, wandering through the tunnels. They were not exactly forbidden, but that did not make her enjoy coming here any more. If she could, she would turn around and walk away now.

But she could not. It was important that she get this done and over with. She had some important business to take care of. There had been some trouble brewing up in the pack lately. Rootwater leaving was only one of the several concerns that her mate and partner, Icane, had. It seemed that Unam’s influence was starting to spread, and she heard talk of at least two other alimons wanting to leave. This was problematic indeed.

Visiting Flicker was not something she though she would be doing for this situation. Flicker usually wanted to be left alone, and she did not exactly play well with others. She was still a pack member. But she almost always stayed here, in this spot. Strange, but she would not question it.

She did not know if Flicker would divulge any information to her. She may just look at her like she was nuts. She may just laugh in her face. She might feel insulted that she went to her first. With Flicker, it was often hard to tellhow she would react to something. An unfortunate fact, but true nonetheless.

She felt that Flicker needed to know about Rootwater. With her hiding all the time, she likely did not know of what Rootwater was doing. A member leaving the pack for another is something that all pack members needed to be aware of. She needed to keep Flicker on the up and up about that.

The other thing was that she needed to ask Flicker something important in relation to what was going on. Finding the right words for it was not going to be easy. Thoughts swirled through her head as she tried to think of how she was going to word her question to whenever she ran into Flicker.

At least she had a bit of time to think. She noticed that the tunnel was pretty long. It would take a few more minutes to reach Flicker’s place. She took this opportunity to think about what she was going to say to her.

As she thought about her word choices, she could not help but look around, left and right, at her surroundings. The tunnels wound in here, and the pathway was not smooth. Plenty of ridges and curves, it was difficult not to trip over any of them. She found her claw banging against the ground as she walked.

A few times, she ended up tripping, her foot catching underneath another one. Her legs bent at odd angles, and she hissed in pain. She managed to right herself up and continue walking. She took extra care to look where she was going.

She wondered if these paths were ëmessy’ on purpose. She would not doubt if Flicker did not try to clear these paths and tunnels up. She did not like the company that much. She could see her actively trying to discourage people from coming down these tunnels so she could be alone.

That did little to stop her, though. Pound was determined to visit her and speak with her, and she was not going to give up so easily. Flicker was going to have to try a lot harder than that to keep her out.

It did not take her as long as she thought to reach the end of the tunnels. She was soon in a large, underground cave. She had to pause for a moment, looking around in awe. The place looked like it had been naturally formed, yet it still looked comfortable and roomy enough for an alimon to live in. There were some stalactites and stalagmites, but they were few and far between. There were other formations, but they were either out of the way or they helped to accentuate the scene.

She could see why Flicker liked being down here. It was a beautiful place. So nice and quiet. She could say there for hours herself if she was not on a mission right now. Part of her wondered if she was going to find Flicker sleeping despite it still being a sun day.

She looked left and right as she tried to see where Flicker was. She tilted her head up to try to smell her, but no luck. Her nostrils were bombarded with scents, but most of them were related to the wet rocks and various items around her. Flicker’s scent could not be detected anywhere here. Perhaps she was away?

Then she heard something. A footstep. A scrape. Then a shadow moving. She lowered her head, gritting her teeth. She looked left and right. She could not detect the intruder’s scent. Was it danger? Was it Flicker? Was it another pack member? She could not take the risk, and she adopted a hostile stance.

“Whoever you are...” She growled. “Show yourself!”

There was no answer. There was an unsettling chuckle that seemed to almost echo off the walls around her. She stiffened her body. She turned her head from one side to the other. She was not going to allow this person to scare her so easily. She was not going to permit it. No, she would not let her guard down.

There was a woosh and she felt a rush of air over her. She flinched, moving herself to one side. There was no pain. Just a brief chill. Then, from behind her, she felt something jump over her. Another rush of air. This time, she felt something tap against her. A slight sting, but nothing worse than that.

Again and again this happened. The frequency was random. The places ëattacked’ were also random, unpredictable. She looked every which way, and still she could not see the intruder. Only glimpses of a shadow, and the dark echo of laughter.

She bared her sharp teeth. She pulled her head back and let out a loud roar. A signal for help. She hoped that Flicker was near enough to hear this. The sound echoed off the walls around her, reverberating, becoming louder, more intense. This would ensure that Flicker would certainly hear it. There was another reason she roared so loud, as well.

She heard a yelp of pain, and a slip of claws and paws. She heard something thud against the wall. She whipped herself around. She could see a dark shadow near one of the tunnels. Someone was leaning against it. Another alimon.

Pound’s mind immediately thought of Unam. Had he decided to take it to the next level? Had he decided to use force? Or was this just an unrelated intruder? She had heard stories of loner alimons who refused to join a pack and would steal to make a living. They were not much well liked, and she would do nothing to change that.

She bared her sharp teeth. Her body arched into a defensive posture. She glared at her potential foe, her tail swishing from side to side. She would not allow this intruder to get away that easily.

The intruder leaned against the wall. One paw on the wall, hand against face, groaning. She could tell this was a female alimon. Just great. Females were often a bit bigger than males and were harder to fight off. That made her job that much harder. Still, she would try.

“Stay right there!” Pound raised her tail in the air and preparing herself to show the intruder why she was known as ëPound’. “Show me your teeth or lower your claws.”

A standard greeting with alimons when facing an unknown adversary. The response from the alimon before her would reveal her intentions. She kept her defensive posture, waiting for the unknown female to answer her command.

The alimon froze, her body still mostly in shadow. She turned her head. There was a slight glint of ight, but not enough to fully make out her features. There was a bit of silence as they merely looked at one another. Then, without warning, something unexpected happened.

The alimon laughed.

The chuckling returned with a vengeance. It permeated through the walls and her mind. But unlike the previous chuckling, this was not a threat. Rather, it was more light-hearted and friendly.

Pound looked on in confusion. Just what had caused this alimon to react this way? Why was she laughing so much? What was so funny?

A sense of frustration began to grow in her chest. She raised her tail up further, slamming it into the ground. This alimon was insulting her. She had given an understandable command and she was ignored. Though she detested violence and considered herself a pacifist, that did not mean she would not seek out action if she had to.

She accepted this as one of those times.

“You...!”

Pound rushed towards the intruder. Her feet slammed against the ground multiple times. She felt her heart rate pick up very quickly, threatening to explode in his chest. She launched herself off the ground, leaping towards her adversary.

The alimon in shadow took on a surprised posture as she saw Pound lunging towards her. There was no time for her to respond or react. In seconds, their bodies collided.

The two alimons rolled across the ground. Pound ignored the pain as she hit against the wall and ground a few times. She glared at her foe before her. Her mind was racing so much that she did not fully process what her adversary looked like. She was only aware of flashing teeth, paws hitting paws, and the fight for dominance on the ground.

Soon it was all over. Pound, showing just how skilled she was at fighting, managed to push her foe into the ground. She stood over the alimon, panting heavily, her mouth wide open. She glared down at the intruder.

A triumphant smile ticking at the side of her face, Pound said, “And that is why they call me Pound!”

“Oh I already knew that. I did not think you would remind me.”

Pound froze at that voice. Could it be possible? Did she do what she thought she did? Pound shook her head, blinking a few times. She looked back down at who she had pinned. She blinked a few times, and then she sucked in a sharp breath when she recognized who it was.

“F-F-Flicker?!” Pound cried out in shock.

The old white and grey alimon chuckled. “Why yes, it is me. Who did you think it was?”

Pound’s mind reeled at this information. She stumbled back away from Flicker, her eyes wide in shock. She stared at Flicker for several moments. Her shaken mind began to piece together what had happened.

It was her. It had been Flicker the whole time. That laughter. The footfalls. The fake ëattacks’. It was her this whole time. This realization twisted her heart and she felt a sense of guilt. To attack another pack member was a shameful thing. She had violated her trust, She knew she would have to report her actions to her mate. It did not matter if she was leader or not. She was not exempt from the rules.

A bitter pang yanked at her stomach as another realization came to her. Flicker had been toying with her. Did she not realize what kind of trouble she could have been in? What if she was not able to stop before it was too late? What if she had gotten hurt?

Her eyes narrowing into slits, she cried, “What were you thinking?!” She took a step forward. “I could have seriously hurt you!”

Flicker chuckled at this. “Ah, but you did not, am I right?”

Pound growled at this. “That does not matter! Do you have any idea what I coud have done to you?! Do you know how easily I could have ripped my claws into you?! You were lucky I did not do anything extreme!”

Flicker just smiled at her. Smiling as if nothing bad had happened. “Oh why do you not relax? Take a break, and chill!”

“What?!” Pound spluttered. “Are you being serious right now? Did you lick a fern or something?”

“Oh no. I am fine.” Flicker shook her head. She tapped a claw against her chin. Her smile broadened. “I am just thinking of how amusing it was to scare you.” She chuckled softly. “I really must do that more often.”

Pound hissed at this. “I came here to talk to you and this is how you act?!”

Flicker tilted her head to one said. “Relax. It was all in good fun. Although...” She closed her eyes. “There was another purpose to it.”

At this, Pound looked confused. “What do you mean?”

Flicker took a few steps forward. She paused when she was a few feet away from Pound. She looked to one side. She appeared to stare into nothingness until Pound realized she was examining her home. Her eyes moved across, taking everything in. It appeared as though she was judging her own place. But why?

Flicker soon looked back at her. This time, her expression was not of bemusement like it was before. Instead, there was some clear sadness and worry in those eyes. Pound suddenly realized that Flicker’s decision to do what she did was not just to mess with her. There was a real, serious problem she had been trying to fix. She felt bad for assuming that she would just goof off.

The old alimon motioned her paw towards a raised spot close by. She did not need to say a word for Pound to understand where she was going with this. She immediately turned and walked over towards the raised platform. She settled down on it. A bit uncomfortable. Some areas of it jetted up into her stomach. It would do.

Pound watched as Flicker approached. Soon she stepped into a stream of light and she could see her features more clearly. It was ony then that she was reminded of just how old Flicker was. She had some missing patches of feathers on her neck, a clear sign of aging. Alimons only began to lose their feathers when they get very old. Flicker was one of the very few alimons to reach this advanced age. Some consider her lucky.

“So...what were you doing then?” Pound said, getting back onto the subject. “What were your intentions, if you did not do that just to mess with me?”

“I admit, it was fun. Not like I expected it to be, though. It just helped to take my mind off of things.” Flicker said. She turned her head upwards for a moment. “Humor can sometimes be our best counselor.” She looked back at Pound. “My intention was to get myself back into shape, and to figure out an intimidation tactic.”

Pound blinked at this. Flicker was preparing herself for an assault? Why? It was not like she or Icane had made any declarations yet. Unam had not made a hostile move. Neither did any of his followers. There was no reason to initiate an atack. Avoiding conflict if possible was a number one priority.

“Not that I am saying you were wrong for doing this, but..why?”

Flicker turned her head to give Pound a sideways glance. Her mouth was ticked into what appeared to be a knowing smile. “I do not suspect that our little peace is going to last for long.”

“What makes you believe that, Flicker? I mean...Unam has not attacked us...” Pound started to say.

“...yet.” Flicker finished for her.

Pound did not respond immediately to that. She realized that Flicker was simply being overprotective of herself. A bit on the cautious side. Not that she coud blame her. How could she? They were all in a similiar situation. Should a battle occur, they could all be affected.

And Flicker, well, she was alone here. No one was around to help her out. No one was going to come to her aid. No one would hear her. Flicker would not accept help, nor would she come up to the surface with them.  She prided herself in her independence from the pack, and only when she needed to did she leave.

If Unam decided to attack, if his followers came in here, Flicker would be outnumbered and outmatched. She might still be a good fighter despite her age, but that woud catch up very quickly. Her body’s machine was rundown, and would eventually collapse under the pressure of battle.

That was why it was important for her to learn how to intimidate. If she could scare away potential fighters, then she would be safe. Alimons, like any predator, would not fight something that they feel has the advantage. It was not worth the risk to get hurt and being no longer able to hunt. In this case, Flicker’s speed and the ability to stay hidden would be her greatest asset.

But there was one question that needed to be asked.

Would it even work?

“Do you think that..there is a chance that..”

Pound did not get a chance to finish. Flicker cut her off.

“I do not know. But I will try.” Flicker put on a brave front. She smiled with determination. “I will show them that I still have some fight left in these old bones. They are not going to get me that easily.”

Pound smiled back. “That is good. I would hate for you to be targeted and ripped to shreds.” She felt her smile wafer. “I know that you do not like being with us much. But I hope you know...we still consider you a pack member.”

Flicker smiled. “Oh do not worry. I understand. It is mostly my choice to be alone.” She held up her paw in gesture. “I am still willing to offer a defense for the pack. I still live here. I will still help.”

Pound kept on smiling. She was glad that Flicker still considered herself one of the pack, even if she did live apart from the others. Her willingness to help defend them was proof of that. It was the main piece of evidence separating Flicker from a mere rogue alimon. And it was proof of her loyalty towards Icane’s pack.

She then remembered something. There were some reasons she came over to see Flicker. More than one, she thought? If there were the case, she forgotten one of them. But she did not forget the other. Before she would forget, she took a step forward and brought the subject to her attention.

“Flicker, have you heard the news about Rootwater?” Pound asked.

The old white alimon tilted her head to one side. At first, it appeared as though she did not know. Before Pound could say more, Flicker cut her off. “Why yes. I was on a stroll earlier today and I overheard something about...leaving the pack I think...?”

Pound nodded her head. “Yes.”

Flicker narrowed her eyes slightly. “So..itis true then?”

“I am afraid so.” Pound lowered her head. She felt some pang of shame knowing that she was not able to stop a pack member from turning loyalties to another. “She walks with Unam now.”

Flicker curled her lip up into a snarl. “I knew that she would turn her tail on us sooner or later.”

Pound stared at her in surprise. “How did you know? She had never shown interest in joining Unam before. It was only recently that she had expressed this desire. Unam came for a meeting and that was when...”

“When you are as old as me,” Flicker said. “...you learn how to spot when a fellow alimon is going to begin following another.” She placed a claw against her snout. “It is all in the nose...” Then she moved her paw until two digits were faced towards her eyes. “And in the sight.”

Pound tilted her head in confusion. “What are you going on about?”

Flicker chuckled. “It is something that you learn more so in old age, or if you are observant enough. Do not worryif you do not get it that quickly. No shame.” She frowned slightly as she began to enter a more thoughtful state. “How do describe it..” She tilted her head to one side, her eyes facing upward. She appeared to search her mind as she tried to figure this out. “Well..” She lowered her paw to the ground. “You could say that the way someone speaks can reveal a lot of their intentions. The way they move and the way they smell also help.”

Pound nodded her head once. “Yes...that kind of does make sense.” She frowned and turned her head to one side. “Still confusing...” She looked back. “But I think I understand.”

“I am glad to hear that. Not all you youngsters are able to contemplate this.” Flicker said. She ignored Pound’s glare. “It can be difficult to learn.”

“I am not that young.” Pound placed a paw against her chest. “You know full well that I am one hundred twenty seasons old.”

“So?” Flicker shrugged. She waved her paw dismissively as she turned her head to the side. “To me, that is still very young.” She grinned at Pound’s direction. “Do not make me constantly remind you that I am four hundred seasons old.” She raised her tail up and flicked it once. “No one around me is near that age. You are all hatchlings to me.”

Pound growled softly at this. But she did not say anything. She knew that Flicker was not saying this to be rude or anything. She was simply pointing out as imple fact. One that she herself could not merely dismiss. Flicker really was older than anyone else in the pack. All the alimons she was born with and grew up with had died, leaving only her.

That was one downside of long age. You can easily lose the ones closest to you. Perhaps that was part of the reason she secluded herself. To keep herself from being hurt again. She could not begin to imagine how much pain she went through.

Deciding to drop the subject, Pound said, “So...what do you think should be done about Rootwater? Should we stop her?”

Flicker shook her head. “No, let her leave. If she stays here, she could become a threat.” She looked down at her paw, flexing her claws. “So long as she is outside the pack, should she decide, she would not be able to carry about an attack.”

“What makes you think she would do that?” Pound was confused.

“If she is desperate, or if Unam orders it..” Flicker placed her paw on the ground. She looked over at Pound. “She would.” She flexed her dew claws at this in agitation. “Trust me. She would.”

Pound was not sure if Flicker really knew any of that. She could not question her, however. She was a wise alimon with more years of experience than any of them. If she really believed that Rootwater could become a real threat, they would have to listen to her.

It did make sense. The fact that Unam came back to his hold back to try to recruit made it most convincing. He was a determined alimon who did not know when to quit. Sure, his ideals might seem good, but he was ignoring the problems that would come with it. And if he gets too determined, he might resort to more drastic measures.

Especially if Rootwater was involved.

Pound coud not ignore the fact that Rootwater can be desperate at times. She also had a bit of a temper, though that was the least of her worries. If Rootwater became focused on this idealogy of Unam’s, she might convince him to be more drastic. If that happened, they were all in trouble.

She narrowed her eyes. Whatever was going to come, she would be sure that they were ready for it. Whatever the future may bring, she would stand her ground, as would the others.

They would not back down to unknown fate that easily.

[DarkHououmon]

This is the last scene I wrote so far.





Nightherb moved along the forest ground. She took long, slow strides, her toes touching the grass lightly. She occassionally looked at her surroundings to make sure that she was not traveling too far, and to make sure that no one else was following her.

It was not a common thing for her to be out on her own. She knew of the consequences. It was against pack law to do this. It was a common rule spread among all the packs. Border crossing could be dangerous. Not many people would appreciate their territory being invaded.

Not that she was careless. She kept an eye on her surroundings, ensuring that she did not cross border lines. Besides, she had to be here. She did not have much of a choice. It would not take her long. She would be in and out before anyone would notice. Or so she hoped.

She was in need of some more herbs for her medicine collection. She needed to make sure she was ready. She was the nurse in charge. She knew all to well what could happen if she neglected her duties. A person could get badly hurt and she would not be able to treat them well enough. Not many would be happy with her for this.

It difficult at times, trying to keep up with everything, making sure that there was enough medicine for all, keeping inventory. She was glad that at least some of the burden was relieved since she was not the only nurse alimon in the pack. There were a number of them. They all pitched in and helped the best that they could. Nightherb knew that there was no way the pack could survive with just one nurse.

However, she could not neglect her duties. She was still the leader of the nurses. She was still mainly responsible for restock and making sure they had everything they could need. She knew the pressures of leadership would get to her, but she still accepted. She would rather take charge and do things right than to allow someone incompetent take over.

She had to be extra vigilant to day. There was talk in the pack ever since Rootwater left with Unam. That had been several days ago. She did not think anything would come of it, but Icane and Pound ordered her to make sure they were on full stock of medicine. Many alimons were agitated and there was the fear that something big might be coming.

The fear of a battle. She had never thought she would feel such a sensation. She was not unfamiliar with it, but one on a grand scale was almost unheard of. A few skirmishes between two alimons, maybe even four, she could handle. But a huge battle, with tens of alimons? Twenties? She was not sure if she would be prepared for a larger scale battle like that.

But she could not focus on that right now. She had to keep her mind on finding some herbs. She needed to gather up as much as she could. She could not take the chance of screwing this up. For all she knew, the battle was going to start in a few minutes, and there would already be injured comrades when she got back. She was not going to let them down. That would be the last thing she would do.

A part of her felt disappointed with Rootwater. She could not help but feel a pang of betrayal. How could she do this to her? How could she turn her back on her duties? She thought she could trust her, and then she goes around and does this.

Rootwater was one of their finest healers. An outstanding nurse. She had a lot of promise and potential. She was well on her way to becoming the leader of the nurses after she retired. Rootwater really could have put her talents towards helping others, and she could have easily been remembered as one of the best nurses of the pack. This was an honor that was hard to achieve, and Rootwater had looked forward to claim the title.

So what would possess her to turn her back on it? What would make her change her mind, and go with someone that she hardly knew? She wished she knew the answer to this. It was not something that could be easily answered. There could be many reasons for Rootwater’s decision. But that did not make it any easier.

She had looked to Rootwater as a good friend. She had always been there for her. She had helped her get out of trouble if she needed, and she would return the favor. She had seen Rootwater do some great things for the pack, even stand up to Unam in the past.

Well she could not dwell on the past. Not anymore. What was done was done. It was clear that Rootwater no longer wanted to be a part of them. Somewhere along the lines, she had become convinced of Unam’s ideals and left to join with him, and even tried to covince Icane to consider Unam’s proposition. It was clear where her loyalties now lied. As much as it hurts her, she had to let Rootwater go. She was not the same alimon that she knew a couple years back. Times change, and Rootwater was a different person now. If she wanted to make this decision then she could not stop her.

Pushing the bitter thoughts aside, Nightherb focused her attention on gathering some herbs. She had finally found a patch of some small green plants that she uses for treating wounds. It was just one of many herbs she was trying to find, but it was still a good start. She needed these.

She reached up with her paw and unhooked a small bag that was attached around her throat. She pulled it out and, resting on her tail, she undid the string carefully. She then moved towards the patch of small green plants. She began to pluck them one by one, dropping them into her bag.

Suddenly, she detected a smell in the air. She stopped what she was doing. She might not have heard anything, but the nose would give everything away. Without looking too conspicuous, she put her nose to work and began to sniff the air.

There was some new scent in the air. A smell she had not detected before. She looked left and right slowly. She looked for any sign of movement. She found none. The smell was definitely an alimon, but that was all that she could get out of it. The first thing that came to her mind was that it was a stranger coming in and invading her territory. She growled, getting ready for a fight.

“To who that dares enter, this is my territory. Either make your presence known or leave!”

Nightherb did not get a response. She growled softly. She looked left and right, hoping to see any sign of the intruder. She found no one. She pulled her lips back into a snarl. Whoever was doing this may be just toying with her. An act that she did not take very kindly to.

“Whoever is there, show yourself!” She stomped on the ground. “Have you no respect for territorial boundaries?”

“Oh I am well aware...”

Nightherb froze as a distinctly male voice sounded out. She felt the short feathers in her mane raise up on end. Her brain was brought to full altertness as she looked around, trying to figure out where that voice was coming from.

Then she felt something whoosh past her. She winced as she felt something sharp against her flank. She pulled her head back and let out a cry of pain. She staggered to the side as she tried to regain her footing. Before she had a chance to, she felt another blow, this one harder, deeper. She screamed and she was flung against the dirt and grass, her back colliding with a tree trunk.

She laid there, moaning softly, her body quivering in pain. She could feel her blood seeping over her body, covering it in its thick warmth. She opened her eyes and looked up at where the attacks had come from. She blinked a few times, clearing up her vision so that she could make out the shapes.

There was an alimon approaching her. He appeared pretty short for an alimon, with feathers thicker than even Stormcrack’s. He was covered in red skin, his eyes seeming to almost blaze at whatever he was thinking as he approached her.

“Well well...look what I have got here...” The male said. There was a venomous edge to his voice. She could tell that he did not have the best intentions for her. He lowered his head and examined her, looking at the gashes he himself had created. “A nurse who had strayed a bit too far from home.”

“Th-This is still part of m-my territory...” Nightherb said. She pushed herself onto her front paws. She gripped the ground tightly, curling her tail inward. She glared at the male’s direction. “It is you who needs to pay the price for tresspassing.”

The male chuckled at this. “Perhaps. But...how can you tell that I crossed the  border?”

“The scent marks!”

“Scent marks? I found none of those here.” The red alimon said. He held up his paw in a dismissive manner. “I guess you must be mistaken. This could be my territory and you came over here.” He sighed and shook his heasd. “Which is a darn shame. Because you know what can happen if you violate the territorial treaties...”

Nightherb felt her heart skip a beat. “No! I did not tresspass!”

“If you say so.” The alimon shrugged his shoulders. “I am certain you can be a...trust worthy person. Perhaps you are telling the truth.”

“Of course I’m telling the truth! Why w-would I...” Nightherb tried to say.

She was cut off by the alimon’s cold laughter. “I am not sure. Maybe so you can get out of trouble?” He then glared softly at her. He approached and began to pace in front of her. “I am my pack’s border patroller. We have our territory marked. I know for a fact that you...” He pointed his claw at her. “..tresspassed. So you should consider yourself lucky you are still breathing.”

Nightherb’s eyes widened at this. “Territory?! You think this is your territory, you crimson tail?!”

“First of all, my name is Crimsonflare.” The male narrowed his eyes. “And second, yes. If you paid enough attention, you would know that this territory had been claimed.” He tapped the ground with his claws. “Or did you get so comfortable in your little hole that you did not notice that?”

“Bite off your tail!” Nightherb hissed without thinking.

Crimsonflare snapped his head back in surprise. He stared at her for several moments before he gave a quick chuckle. “My..my...! Are you not the funny one?!” He chuckled as his shoulders shook in rhythmn. “You think you have authority over me, as if this is your hunk of land...”

“It is! This is my pack’s territory!” Though she was shaky on her feet, she still stood firm, looking at her adversary in the eyes. “I am not going to leave my own territory!”

Crimsonflare shrugged his shoulders. He looked at her standing, curling his lip up, unimpressed. He seemed to take notice of her wobbling as she struggled to keep herself from slipping down. He gave a small chuckle, as if he felt that this meant she would not be a match for him. If that is the case, then he was going to be in for one big rude awakening.

“I do not know why you are angry. If you would take the time and look around you, then you would see that you are not in your territory anymore.” Crimsonflare said. He tilted his head to one side, giving her an amused smirk. “Though do please keep trying to call my bluff. I do so miss entertainment nowadays.”

“You dirt ball!” Snapped the nurse. “You have no idea what you are talking about! Now leave before I am forced to partake in the customary discipling of intruders! You know that would happen to you if I did that..”

“Or to you.” Crimsonflare narrowed his eyes. “After all, you are on my territory. If you continue this, then I will be the one forced to take action, and it would be all your fault.” Nightherb shackled at this. “Now, now..no need to get upset. I am merely...speaking the truth..”

Nightherb took on a defensive posture. She ignored the pain from her wounds, her tail swishing from side to side. She was not going to turn and run away from this guy. He was invading on her pack’s territory and that violated the treaties all the packs carried. The borders were specifically marked.

How dare he try to claim this land as his own. How dare he say that she was the one in trouble of being killed over a territorial dispute. How dare he try to indicate it would be her fault if it happened. No, not indicate. He flat out told her it would be his fault. She had no idea where he got off on trying to say what territory belonged to who, but right now, she did not care. She might be just a nurse alimon, but she knew she had to get him out of here, or else face persecution back in her own pack.

She attempted to charge at her foe, but he had side stepped too quickly for her to get a good blow against him. Snarling, she turned herself around and jumped towards him. The red alimon merely jumped back, causing her to miss him entirely. She tried a third time, swiping out with her claws. This did not even graze the male. He just ran around behind her, and then jumped back as she whirled around as quickly as she could. She charged towards him, her mouth split wide open for an attack.

This did not go over well for her. Before her jaws could reach their intended target, the male alimon pulled his paw back and struck at her. The claws and digits pushed against the side of her jaw, knocking her head askew. She yelped as she felt the claws dig into her skin, making blood leak out and stain the side of her face. Before she had time to recover from that, another paw struck down on her nose. The gashes blood profusely, and the blood got into her nostrils. She sneezed painfully a few times before she looked up at him with an expression of mixed emotion.

Crimsonflare glared coldly at her. He did not appear to react much to the blood getting into her nose, or her flinches of pain. The only thing he did react to was her expression of shock. To this, he countered with something that barely qualified as a smile.

“You think you are all that, do you not? You, a mere nurse, trying to enforce fake rules on me.” Crimsonflare was clearly trying to sound calm and rational. But his tone of voice gave away how he really felt. Even if that did not, then his piercing glare did. “I do not want to have to kill you, and I will not if you leave now.” He placed a claw against his chin. “Or...”

Nightherb gave a couple of weak pants. “Or...or what...?”

“You could..join us...” Crimsonflare held out his paw in gesture. He smiled at her, his expression softening up as if to make himself appear more approachable. “I am sure that Unam can find a place for you. We could use more females. We are kind of a..sausage fest right now.”

Nightherb grimaced at this. “Why would I want to join him? He is the one who is clinging onto some fairy tale.”

Crimsonflare’s glare returned. “You think that our packs were always divided?” Nightherb simply glared at him. Her eyes told him her answer. “I see.” His voice did not sound angry, more just disappointed. “I am sorry you feel that way.”

“No you are not! You are just saying that so I will lower my guard and beg to come with you!” Nightherb swiped her paw sideways in front of her. “It is not going to work! I will not permit you to...”

Crimsonflare charged towards her. Her eyes widened and she raised herself up to try to attack. She gagged as he seized her by the neck. With as much force as he could muster, he slammed her against the tree. She gripped his paw and pushed back, trying to make him let go. He would not relent.

“I do not think you understand the position that you are in, nurse.” Crimsonflare’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “If I were you, I would seriously reconsider my position. You would be part of a grander scheme of things if you would just join. Or better yet, talk sense into your leader.”

“What? You mean like that traitor Rootwater did?!” Nightherb made no attempt to hide the hurt in her voice. She knew that sting of betrayal would not go away any time soon.

“Rootwater was an intelligent individual who saw past her own bias to consider Unam’s proposition.” Crimsonflare tightened his grip on her neck. “And apparently, she is the smartest one of you lot!” Mustering up as much strength as he could, he tossed the female to the side. He watched as she rolled on the ground. “If you had even a fraction of her intelligence, you would join!”

Nightherb hit the ground painfully. She pushed herself up on her front paws. She gasped and coughed as some dirt got into her mouth. She shook herself as she climbed back to her feet. She looked back at Crimsonflare. She panted a few times, her body wracking in pain.

Was this guy for real? Did he really think she would turn her back on her own people that easily? Did he think that Rootwater’s utter betrayal meant that she was smart? Did he think that Unam’s ideals had any merit? She knew that some alimons were crazy, but she never thought she would meet someone quite like this guy. He took the roots, that was for certain.

“Come on now... I do hope that we can avoid a fight.” Crimsonflare said in a calmer voice. He took a step towards her. “At least consider. We could get things back to the way they used to be and...”

“Things were never that way! The pack was never united as one!” Nightherb snapped at him.

Crimsonflare said, “How are you so certain? You are so convinced that the pack was never united...yet you never even considered the possibility of you being wrong.” He shook his head sadly. “For shame... You should at least give it a chance.”

Nightherb growled at this. “Oh yeah? What makes you so sure that it did happen?”

“Because it all adds up. If you listen to the story, it epxlains a lot about how we are...and the pieces fit in quite well with our history.” The red male’s tail swished slowly from side to side. “Think about it, nurse.” He held his paw out in gesture. “Why do we have a meeting place where it is? How come it is large enough to hold all our packs? How come we are spread out in an almost even circle around?”

Nightherb turned her head away. “That means nothing.”

“I wish you would try to think harder than that. Our history is much more rich than that. Why...I remember the stories well.” Crimsonflare placed a paw against his chest. A smile spread across his face. “We all originated as a single pack. Long ago, before any of us were born. Then it broke into two warring factions. Blood was shed for a long time. The pack soon reunited, and then later broke into several factions, which leads to us.”

Nightherb scoffed. “That is some fancy tale you told. But that is not what happened.” Crimsonflare raised an eyebrow at this. “There was no single great pack. There was no division, then a uniting, then another division.” She slammed her foot against the ground. “It has always been this way. There were always multiple packs. Uniting the pack into a singularity would be disastrous! We were not meant to live in packs that large!”

“Or so you think. Our ancestors did it.” Crimsonflare held up his paw. “So why not us?”

“Our ancestors did not do that!” Nightherb cried. “Why can you not see that you are being duped by some fairy tale?!”

There was a bit of uncomfortable silence before Crimsonflare responded with, “Excuse me...? Did you just say..fairy tale?”

“Yes.” Nightherb nodded once. “A fairy tale.”

Crimsonflare growled at this. Although a bit unnerved considering what this guy was capable of, the purple and blue nurse still held her ground. She was not going to let him intimidate her into submission. There was no way she was going to concede to this lie, and she could not believe that Rootwater fell for it.

She was aware of the stories. She knew of a great pack, which did divide, rejoin, and then divided again. She remembered all the details that Crimsonflare had told her. She was not a stranger to the story.

But that is all that it was. A story. Nothing more than a fairy tale relegated to being told a bedtimes to young cubbies. Such a pack never existed. They had always lived separate lives in separate packs. No great united pack had ever existed before. And for good reason. And for good reason.

There was no way that a large pack could sustain itself. A pack could not only be too small. It could also be too large. A larger pack could fall under its weight. Resources and food aside, there was also shelter to consider, and leadership. Could a pack that size really be run by an individual or two? She had her doubts. There would be conflicts and attempts to usurp power. More dominant alimons would fight for control, and she imagined this would happen more often in a larger pack.

It would take a total idiot to buy into that rotten wood. And she was looking right at one. Crimsonflare did not look like he was the brightest of alimons, and that clearly showed if he believed in a fairy tale like that.

It hurt her to think of Rootwater this way. She had a lot of promise. But she still threw all of that away for utter nonsense. And there was little she could do to persuade Rootwater away from it. The female had already left. It was too late to stop her.

She gritted her teeth, grinding her teeth together. She may have lost a friend to this craziness. She would not lose another. Especially not herself.

“I am telling you for the last time.” Nightherb said. “Leave. Or else.”

Crimsonflare narrowed his eyes at this. “You seem to forget that you are on my territory.”

“Again with that ridiculous claim!” Barked Nightherb. She swung her head around, frustration finally reaching its boiling point inside of her. “Why do you insist on that?! This is my territory!” She paused and corrected herself. “My pack’s!”

“You are delusional.” Crimsonflare looked at the ground. He patted it a few times. “This here belongs to Unam.” He raised his head up. He made an effort to look from one side to the other in a long swoop. He then looked back at her. “You are the one who is trespassing. You are jsut too blind to see it.”

Nightherb snarled at this. How dare he say such things. Was he trying to insinuate that she did not know her own territory? That she would not recognize the scents of her own land? This trespasser had a lot of nerve to say that.

So much of her mind was telling her to just attack the guy and get it over with. It was obvious that he was not going to admit his mistake and leave any time soon. It was probably better if she just attempted to chase him off.

Still, she hesitated. She tried to figure out of there was a better, less aggressive way of dealing with him. She was injured right now. Her ëgame’, as it were, was going to be off. He would have the upperhand. There would be no way for her to counter easily. She would just end up even more hurt than before. She did not know how much he was holding back, if at all. She did not know what his next move would result in.

A broken limb?

A broken tail?

Perhaps a broken neck?

She was not interested in finding out. Plus, she was not sure how Icane would feel about her attacking someone from Unam’s group. He was probably trying his best to avoid a fight. She would not help if she provoked a member and gave Unam a reason to attack.

No, she would not attack. As much as she wanted to, she would not. There was simply no benefit for her from it. She could easily make things worse. That was something she would rather avoid. True, he did attack her, but still, she knew that it would not be very beneficial for her to escalate the fight as she was right now.

That left her with only one option.

“Very well then...” Nightherb straightened herself up. She raised her head up high. “I do not agree that these are your lands. But considering that you will not leave.ll” She lifted up her leg and examined the small scrapes on it. “...and I am not fit to fight you...” She made sure to avoid directly blaming him as that would send off the wrong signals. “I suppose I have no choice but to back down.”

She turned around. She regretted having to leave the herbs behind. But it was not like she had much of a choice. How was she going to get them with that red alimon blocking her? She could always find herbs elsewhere, and she did get a good number anyway.

“I will see you around.” She said as she began to walk away. She did not get far when there was a flash of red and she nearly ran into Crimsonflare. Her feet slipped as she struggled to stop. “What do you think you are doing?! I told you that I was leaving!”

Crimsonflare gave her an almost charismatic smile. “I was just thinking....” He held himself highly, walking around her, filled with confidence. “Why do you not reconsider my offer? You would be much appreciated in Unam’s pack.”

It only took Nightherb a second to come up with an answer. “No.”

“You are turning down an opportunity.” Crimsonflare raised his claw up, the tip of it glinting in the light. “I would suggest that you rethink of what you are doing. You should not act out of emotion, but of logic.” He turned his body so he was facing her completely. “You are a fine female. You would be most welcomed in our...sausage fest.” He rubbed alongside of her, his tail trailing along her body. “Oh yes...” He grinned at her as she growled. “I do not think anyone would object.”

Nightherb growled in disgust at Crimsonflare’s advancements on her. She snorted and pushed him away with her paw. He moved back away from her, staring at her in surprise. He then rubbed the spot that she had pushed against, a smile spreading across his face.

Nightherb returned this gesture with a growl. She placed herself in an aggressive bow, her claws digging the ground. She arched her tail up, the tip flicked to one side as a way of showing she meant business. She watched the alimon intently as he remained standing before her. His smile never faded. His interest never waned. She could not help but feel a sense of nausea at the thought of this male thinking he could court her.

“Back off...” She hissed under her breath. “You are violating the law. You know that one alimon cannot be with one from another pack. Rules are rules.”

Crimsonflare chortled at this, his shoulders shaking. He moved closer to her. He put his face close to hers. “Oh, but dear... Once the packs unite...” His eyes glinted. “..that law will have no more relevance.”

Nightherb responded to this by snapping her jaws close to his face. His eyes widened and he moved his head back. Her jaws slammed shut a few inches from his face. He looked shocked at first, then that sickening smile returned. He reached up and pressed a claw against her chin, scratching it gently.

“A fiesty nurse. I like that.” Crimsonflare cooed gently, continuing to rub his claw under her chin. “I am sure you will impress the pack. Many of them do not regard nurses as being violent.” He slipped his paw across her shoulder and pulled her close. “You could change their perspectives..”

“No!” Nightherb snarled. “Let go of me!”

With that, Nightherb jumped away from the red male. She used her long tail to strike against him. She heard him make a grunt as he was flung into the ground. He hit against the surface of the floor, giving off a loud thud. She did not stop running until she was several feet away. Then she stopped and looked behind her.

Crimsonflare was laying on his side. His legs were sprawled out underneath him, to one side. His tail was bent towards his back. His feathers were a bit eskew, some bending in ways that they were not previously. His eyes were wide in surprise, and he was staring at her, locking eye contact with her. He remained like this for several moments before he finally gave a reaction.

He narrowed his eyes into slits. His lips curled up into a snarl. He climbed back up to his feet. His tail twitched in agitation. He adopted a posture that was similar to Nightherb’s. He uttered a low growl, his mouth opening up partially, showing off his lower set of teeth to her.

Sensing a possible battle coming, Nightherb tensed her body up. She prepared herself for a lunge. She watched Crimsonflare carefully. She kept her eyes focused on him, making sure that he did not get a chance to make a move without her seeing it. She would not let herself be caught unawares.

Then, without warning, Crimsonflare relaxed. To her surprise, his lax body settled down on its haunches, his body curving downward, his tail resting on the ground. The aggressive expression from before faded away entirely. Now, all that remained was a vacant expression. This, somehow, was more unnerving than his glare or his smile. At least then, she could understand his intentions more. But here, a vacant expression gives away nothing. He would be unpredictable.

“I see you will continue to reject me. I am surprised. I thought you would at least take it as a compliment.” The red alimon said. “You do not wish to walk with someone?”

“If I do, it will not be with a member of another pack.” Nightherb growled. “It would most certainly not be with you.”

“...I see.” His voice was eerily calm. There was some hidden message behind it, but she was not sure what that was. “Very well then. If you reject me, I suppose there is nothing I can do about that. I know the law.”

Nightherb gave a firm nod at this. “I think you are a bit too attached to life to jeopardize that.”

“Indeed.” Crimsonflare took a step forward. It was at this point that his expression finally changed. His eyes narrowed, not from anger, but more seriousness than anything. “But I still think you should consider joining us. It might be better joining now than later. The others will join sometime later. You will not miss your friends for very long.”

Nightherb let out a low hiss at this. He was still going on about that? He must either be pretty stupid or really determined. She imagined it was a bit of both. She was aware that some people will not stop until they got want they wanted. Crimsonflare wanted her to join, and he would stop at nothing until he got what he wanted. She knew what his main reason for wanting her to join was, and she was going to make sure she left him disappointed.

“I mean this in the kindest way imaginable, but...” Nightherb’s pupils shrank. “Go shove it up your...”

“Point taken.” Crimsonflare said coolly. “I will leave you be. But shoud you decide to change your mind...” He gave a low chuckle as he looked at her up and down. He licked his lips slowly. “I will...keep the offer open.”

“Yuck...” Nightherb grimaced, turning herself partially to one side. “That is not necessary.”

“Oh...but I insist....” Crimsonflare’s grin spread across his face. “After all, you never know when you might just happen to...have second thoughts.” He grinned at her in satisfaction for a few seconds, his smile clearly hiding another kind of message. He then turned his side to her, giving her a sideways glance. “See you later, sweetie tail.”

A shudder of disgust swept through Nightherb’s body as the red male turned and walked away. She glared off after him for a few seconds. Not wanting to spend another second there, she turned herself around and began to head back towards her home. As much as she would want to continue picking for herbs, she knew that informing Icane of this encounter was of utmost importance. He had to know about this.

A pang of fear welled up in her chest. She could still see that unnerving smile in her head. The vision of it would not go away. That alimon, he was determined to have her. There was no doubts about that. She knew that some alimons can be determined when it came to attracting someone that they cared about.While she was not afraid of him taking drastic action due to the death penalty that was a universal punishment for this action, it still left her at unease.

How far was he willing to go with this? How much effort was he going to put into trying to get her to join up? What was he going to do when she kept refusing?

She pushed those thoughts in the back of her head. Right now, that was not what she should be worried about. Something bigger was going down. Unam was trying to get alimons to defect from Icane’s group, likely to make him buckle under the pressure. She knew that, while Icane was strong willed, even he had his limits. If the pack lost enough vital members, it could begin to collapse.

They needed a course of action. They needed to decide what they were going to do about Unam. If they failed to come up with a strategy, then they had a future of  being walked over to look forward to.

She was confident that it would not resort to that. She was certain that, after delivering her information and letting the leaders talk, that they woud figure out a plan to stop Unam’s attempts at taking them over.

If they failed, it would be the beginning of an inevitable disaster that could tear the species apart.