OMG guys, look, LOOK! A dead topic!
Yeah... Sorry it took an eternity (literally) to update again, but I suppose, along with my year-long break from the GoF, I kinda lost interest in writing this for a while. I was especially unhappy with how Chapter 13 turned out in the end (I kinda wish I stuck to the darker version now, but I suppose that can still be amended) and that really put me off continuing this, but I guess you gotta just take what you have and carry on. So anyway, enough random rambling and reflecting on regrets (if that's not good enough alliteration for ya, I don't know what is
), let's just get going on this.
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Chapter 14: The Fight for Family“Thunderfoot! Thunderfoot!”
He opened his eyes, surprised to hear that voice.
“Tosa? What are you doing? It's not time yet.”
“Change of plan,” said Tosa. “We're going now.”
“...we are?” Saro grunted as he hoisted himself onto his feet. “But it's still kinda early...”
“Doesn't matter,” said Patrice. “Rye's father has died and he has withdrawn most of his forces. I'd still stick with the plan of Tosa and Linnaea going with you, Saro, and myself going a different way with Thunderfoot.”
The males nodded.
“But, how did you know that Rye's father died?” Thunderfoot questioned. “You look like you've just woken up yourself.”
“That would be me.” A small being came from underneath Tosa. “I swear, it's best that if you're going to escape, you'd better do it now. Rye has something even more despicable planned.”
“Oh, yes,” said Tosa. “You never told us what that was.”
“I assure you, I will only say once you are all safe,” Alvarez answered.
“Hold on just a moment,” said Saro, glaring at the fast biter. “How exactly can we trust his words? He could easily be lying to us.”
At this everyone just stared at Alvarez, waiting for his answer. In turn, he stared back at Tosa. It seemed that, like her daughter, she had taken most of her father's looks.
“I was asked to come here,” he finally said.
“By who?” Thunderfoot demanded. “Your pack leader?”
“I wasn't in a pack before I came here,” Alvarez calmly explained. “No, I was asked to come here by some else. Someone most of you should know.”
Everyone glanced at each other, confused, before they turned back to face Alvarez again.
“What was their name?” Patrice asked.
Alvarez grinned, his teeth gleaming in the moonlight.
“Sorrel.”
The two older females gasped in shock. Not only was Sorrel still alive, but had he actually sent them help in the form of Alvarez?
“He wouldn't leave you two completely without help and protection, y'know,” Alvarez continued, a look of amusement on his face as he watched the longnecks' looks of utter disbelief. “I did relay information to him from time to time, but one of the other fast biters noticed me sneaking out and threatened to tell Rye, since he was one of those who could speak Leaf-Eater. So, I had to stop. However, he knows most of the important stuff, such as what Rye did to Tosa and Linnaea's existence.”
Tosa suddenly looked uneasy. “H-how did he react to that?” she stammered.
“He was furious with Rye, of course,” Alvarez said quietly. “He actually wanted me to help him break in so that he could attack, but I politely refused. He could've easily gotten himself killed and I was doing a good enough job as a spy, and spies don't blow their cover.”
“So you were just pretending to be on Rye's side, then...” Thunderfoot said thoughtfully.
Alvarez nodded. “That I was.” He turned to Tosa and Patrice. “He's worried about you three. And no, he's not going to hate Linnaea when he sees her, if that's what you're thinking.”
Tosa turned her head to look over to her daughter, who was still fast asleep and seemingly undisturbed on her back. She decided not to wake her until they got into the cavern.
“Anyway...” Saro started. “What are we still doing here chatting? We need to be getting out of here while Rye's distracted.”
“You're right,” said Alvarez. “Thunderfoot and Patrice, I'll be going with you. That way I'll be able to show you the best exit to use.”
Thunderfoot just nodded and turned to Tosa. “Good luck,” he said.
“You too,” she answered, giving him a faint smile.
“We'll meet up outside the exit of the cavern,” said Saro, and everyone nodded in agreement.
“And after that we find Sorrel,” said Patrice.
“Yes,” Thunderfoot agreed. “We should get moving. Good luck everyone.”
They said their goodbyes before heading off in different directions. Saro and Tosa didn't hesitate to get to the cavern as soon as possible.
“I don't remember that being there,” Tosa said as Saro started to push to boulder away from the entrance.
“Yeah, well,” Saro grunted as he pushed with all his might. “I thought it was undiscovered, and I felt uneasy when I first got in, so I-”
“Covered it up,” Tosa finished for him. “Need some help there?”
“It's okay, I've got it,” Saro answered. He finally managed to get the boulder completely out of the way so that they could both get through. “I'll go first,” he said when he had finished panting. “It'll be dark in there, so hold onto my tail. If anyone crashes into anything, it'll be me.”
“Okay,” said Tosa. “Just be careful.” She carefully nudged Linnaea to wake her up, just in case she needed to hold onto something. The hatchling was both surprised and elated to hear that they were leaving early.
Finally, they entered the cavern. The night circle dimly lit it for a short part of the way into it, but it wasn't long before they were in complete darkness. Saro did indeed keep bumping into things, but warned Tosa about any large dips or steps in the ground and when to lower her head. After what felt like hours of stumbling around, they finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
“There!” Saro cried out with relief. “At last.”
Suddenly, they felt a small tremor in the ground, and then shouting and roaring could be heard. Tosa let out a petrified gasp as she became more and more terrified.
“Rye? He knows?” she whispered fearfully. She could feel Linnaea's grip tighten on her skin; clearly the hatchling was also terrified.
Saro, too, looked scared. “Right, then we're getting out of here as soon as possible!” He quickened his pace now that he could see the direction he needed to go in, with Tosa following swiftly behind him.
~
Thunderfoot hoisted his large body onto another ledge.
“Need a tail?” he offered, watching sympathetically as an out-of-breath Patrice followed him. The female looked exhausted from all of the climbing.
“Thanks.” She panted as she grabbed his tail with her blunt teeth and hoisted her larger body up with his help. “Any chance... we can stop... for a quick rest?”
“Of course,” Thunderfoot answered softly. He was feeling quite tired himself.
Alvarez had held on to Patrice's tail on the way up, trying not to dig his claws into her skin too much. Patrice had been interrogating him about Sorrel for most of the journey, and only stopped a few moments ago. Whether it was because she now trusted his word or she was too tired to ask anything else, Alvarez didn't know.
He and Thunderfoot checked the view from the ledge to make sure nobody was following them. Thankfully, it seemed that Rye and the other fast biters hadn't noticed their departure just yet.
“I hope they're still there,” Thunderfoot said quietly. “I'm worried that they've all gone after Tosa, Saro and Linnaea.”
“No...” Alvarez answered. “I believe they'd be more likely to come after us. They can probably see where we are and we're an easier target than they are.”
Thunderfoot just nodded, before asking another question. “Why exactly did you follow Sorrel's orders, anyway?”
“I... well, I just came across him... and to be honest, I felt sorry for him,” Alvarez explained. “I know what it feels like to have lost one's family. He was... really depressed. He felt like an idiot for getting protective of his family and getting himself banished. Of course, he was even worse when he found out the price Tosa had paid for it. He said he'll never forgive himself. I wanted to help get his family back to him so that he could be happier again, but... I fear that every time he even looks at Patrice, Tosa or Linnaea, he'll just feel more guilty.”
Thunderfoot said nothing as he thought about Alvarez's words.
“He had lost some serious weight when I last saw him,” Alvarez continued. “To be honest, I'm not sure if he's even around any more... but I dare not say anything to the girls, especially his mate.”
“I'm sure he is,” Thunderfoot answered as he continued to keep watch, still thinking about the figure he had seen before entering the crater. Suddenly, a shadow came into view, followed by another, and another...
“They're coming,” Alvarez growled. “Let's go!”
The two went back to Patrice and warned her, and thankfully, she was able to get up and dash off with them. Luckily, they weren't too far from the exit, but now they had to go downhill.
“Be careful not to trip!” Thunderfoot warned as they stormed down the other side. None of them cared how tired they were; the adrenaline kept them going for now.
The longnecks gasped for air when they finally reached the bottom, their huge bodies not made for running. Patrice collapsed on the ground with exhaustion, but was terrified into getting up again when they saw the shadows approaching, including the shadow of a longneck.
“Rye!” Thunderfoot snarled. “How did he get up there so fast?”
“Let's not dwindle on that!” Patrice answered. “We should get out of here and find the others!”
“Yeah!” Alvarez agreed, and they all sped off towards to exit of the tunnel Saro and Thunderfoot used to get in.
~
When Tosa, Saro and Linnaea finally got out, they were relived to see that the other three were already there.
“Where in the world have you been?!” Thunderfoot exclaimed. “We need to get moving, now!”
“Yes we do!” Tosa agreed. “Rye's after us! He was chasing us through the cavern.”
Alvarez gave her a confused look. “But Rye was chasing us,” he said. “He can't be in two places at the same time. Perhaps he sent some of his fast biters after you.”
“Either way, we'd better shift ourselves,” Patrice suggested. “They'll be on our tails soon. Let's get to that forest over there.”
They hurried towards the area of green as quickly as they could, hoping to lose Rye and the fast biters in the foliage.
Alvarez kept behind them, and flinched when he turned his head around. “I really don't recommend turning around right now.”
“Are they gaining on us?” Thunderfoot asked frantically.
“Well, yes... and quite quickly, too,” Alvarez answered. “Just keep going!”
They quickened their pace as much as they could, despite them already being so exhausted and out of breath. Finally, they crossed over the small stream and found themselves at the border of the forest, but they were too late.
Most of the fast biters pounced on Alvarez, who was furthest behind, pinning him to the ground, whilst avoiding the furious tails of Patrice and the males, who now saw that Tosa and Linnaea were in need of the most protection. Their distraction gave Rye enough time to reach them, and he looked enraged.
“Let him go,” he snarled to the other fast biters. One of them understood and translated to the others, who immediately unpinned Alvarez.
Rye just stared sharp rocks at him. “So, you helped them out?”
Alvarez she gave him an arrogant grin in reply. “Sorrel's orders. Sorry if I forgot to mention that, sir.”
The longnecks used Alvarez's distraction wisely, and cautiously backed off towards the foliage that was close behind them.
Rye let out a horrifyingly load roar out of pure rage, which could have easily been heard for miles around. It would prove to be another mistake, as another being would also hear him, and head in that direction.
“You were helping SORREL?!” Rye yelled, extremely agitated by what he had just heard. The longnecks backed off a bit more, until Tosa was safely among the green.
“Must've slipped my mind when I was taking the job,” Alvarez said mockingly.
Rye just snarled and snapped his head towards the other longnecks, who froze on the spot.
“Tosa.”
She didn't come out from her little hiding spot, instead grabbing Linnaea and placing her gently onto the ground, near some thick bushes.
“Listen to me, little one,” she whispered. “Stay here. If anything breaks out, just run... run as fast as you can.”
“TOSA!”
Linnaea just answered her mother with a terrified nod, before she watched her turn and exit back into the open land.
The two stared at each other, Tosa with intense hatred.
“What do you want, Rye?”
“You're coming back with me.”
Tosa just rolled her eyes. “Tough, because I won't. I don't remember you being my boss or either of my parents.”
“I'm your mate, that makes me your boss,” Rye growled at her. “Get back to the crater.”
“No,” Tosa answered sternly.
“Fine.” Everyone was quite surprised to hear Rye say that. “I'll let you and your mother go on one condition: give me the child.”
Tosa laughed as if it were a joke. “You must be kidding me. Hand Linnaea over to YOU?!”
“It's either that, come back to the crater, or I'll make sure all five of you just die.”
“You're demented,” said Patrice.
“Am I now?”
“Yes!” everyone answered simultaneously.
“...This is dragging,” he muttered. One of the fast biters was standing next to him, and the longneck whispered something.
“No!” Alvarez cried when he heard the fast biter translate the order. “Linnaea, run!”
He had just confirmed that the hatchling was close by, and though they desperately tried to fight them off, some of the little carnivores escaped the wrath of the adult longnecks.
She didn't hesitate. Linnaea ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, though that wasn't fast enough. They were gaining on her... closer and closer...
It seemed like things only got worse when she crashed into something large and grey, sending her flying backwards. The carnivores reached her. That was it...
Meanwhile, the others fought with both Rye and the fast biters in a battle of anger, sorrow, and revenge. Thunderfoot took it upon himself to take on the larger longneck on his own, and his size was not in his favour at all. Furthermore, he hadn't had to fight any longnecks before, and it was proving difficult. Rye managed several strong blows on him, including on his left hind leg and his face, resulting in deep cuts that were dripping blood.
Despite Thunderfoot's pure rage giving him strength, he was still no match against the brown longneck in front of him.
He could taste the blood in his mouth, and after a while he was beginning to feel woozy from the blood loss, but he wasn't going to give up. He wouldn't give up as long as he breathed...
“THUNDERFOOT!” He could hear the screams of his female friend, but right now he wasn't sure if it was real or if he was just imagining it. Either way, he wasn't distracted, and answered with a strong blow against Rye's side with his tail. The other male roared in pain, and answered by giving Thunderfoot another bleeding wound.
Then, a fast biter came to his aid, further injuring the grey longneck by sinking his teeth into Thunderfoot's flesh.
~
Linnaea could only glance at the giant in front of her before she heard the snapping of the fast biters' jaws, and she ran behind what she realised was another adult longneck, bearing the same colours as her mother.
He knew who that young girl was, of course he did. But how she had gotten here, he had no idea, considering how secure her home was. Knowing not to focus on that for now, he quickly managed to dispose of the fast biters that were trying to attack her with a few swift swipes of his tail which sent them flying. Even though they weren't defeated, the look on the male's face told them that if they tried to be brave and attack, they would sorely regret it, so they began to back off.
Linnaea, too, was unnerved by the longneck in front of her, but when his eyes met hers, they softened and showed much kindness, allowing her to relax a little around him. He reminded her much of her mother, as he shared a strong resemblance with her.
“Linnaea?”
The short-lived comfort turned to complete distrust again as the little one's eyes widened in shock.
“H-how do you know my name?” she asked fearfully, not calmed one bit by the concerned look of the other longneck in front of her.
“I know much about you, little one.” The male chuckled briefly, before he suddenly looked even more concerned. “Don't you have your mother and grandmother with you?”
Linnaea nodded, but she too, looked distressed.
“Where are they?” he demanded.
“...I-In trouble,” Linnaea stuttered. Horrified, the male quickly picked her up by the tail and headed back in the direction she came from, the direction he had heard a threatening roar coming from just a few moments earlier. Just when he could see what was happening with his own eyes, he carefully placed Linnaea on a high branch that was covered with leaves so that the fast biters wouldn't reach her and most of the others wouldn't see her. That, and most of the battle was also shielded from her eyes.
“Stay there,” he instructed, before briefly looking back at the battle taking place in front of them. Linnaea just wondered how she would be able to move from the branch, anyway.
His reddish-brown eyes widened in astonishment, disbelief and anger when he saw what was in front of him. Indeed, his wife and daughter had both managed to escape, but Rye was there too, looking ready to kill. Someone else was fighting him, and while the Sorrel couldn't make out exactly who it was, he guessed that it was someone whom he had firmly believed to be dead, and the same person he had seen a couple of days earlier. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard the other male – who was unknown to him – scream out his name.
Suddenly, things turned even worse. The fast biters that had been trying to attack Tosa, Patrice and the other male scattered everywhere, and then suddenly headed straight for Thunderfoot. Tosa could only watch in despair as some of them distracted Saro and Patrice, stopping them from reaching the longneck in peril, while the others went straight for her already injured friend. Alvarez tried to get in their way, but he was too small to do much damage, and he ended up with only more injuries. When he tried to stop one of the larger biters, he got a shocking bite in return. He collapsed on the spot in pain, knowing that it was one he probably would never recover from...
Sorrel could no longer hide in the trees. He had to act. Even though he had lost a considerable amount of weight, he had still kept most of his physical strength over the period of time in which he was banished. He did have the occasional sharptooth to deal with, after all.
They downed him, their razor sharp teeth digging into his body. Thunderfoot cried out in pain, but nobody could help him. Tosa, Saro and Patrice were too far away to do anything effective, and had several fast biters in his way. It seemed like this was it...
“You know, Thunderfoot... it's a shame, this,” Rye said calmly as he watched the longneck being torn apart by his lackeys. “Really, it should be Tosa in this position.”
“Shut up,” Thunderfoot growled, fighting the excruciating pain in his left side as he felt many sharp teeth digging in. “I'm glad to be in her place, then.”
Rye chuckled, then ordered the fast biters to stop digging in for now; they could kill Thunderfoot before he got his say. “Your death will be in vain. Tosa will be coming back with me, and I'll make sure she never sees Linnaea again.”
Suddenly, he was pushed into by someone. Hardly anybody had noticed a long lost loved one quickly emerging from the trees. Sorrel had used Rye's distraction to make his way over to Rye and Thunderfoot, and right now, he was furious. Rye's eyes widened in dread when he saw who was in front of him, but soon his twisted smile returned.
“Well, well, well...” he said mockingly, taking a good look at Sorrel as Tosa and Patrice stared at him with their mouths hanging open. “If it isn't the deadbeat dad of the family.”
“I think that award goes to you, does it not?” Sorrel tried to sound calm, but his anger at Rye was overwhelming. It took all of his willpower not to slam him to the ground and snap his neck.
Soon enough, the battle between the longnecks and fast biters re-commenced, but Tosa abandoned her mother and Saro in order to make her way towards her father and Rye, with a look in her eyes that had not been seen before. She was going to end this once and for all.
“I'm surprised that you're still alive, considering the grief that the little traitor must have told you about,” Rye admitted, looking frustratingly smug. “But no matter. Looks like you know you have a granddaughter, then? Too bad you'll never see her, though. She's coming back with me and I'm going to make sure that if you are ever killed, it is by her tail! And I'll make her do the same to your mate and your pathetic daughter!”
Abruptly, something else crashed into Rye, this time making him completely topple to the ground. Tosa had reached them, enraged by what she had heard coming from Rye's mouth. Even Sorrel, who was usually the most infuriated by such threats, seemed calm in comparison to his outraged daughter, and even he was disturbed by the livid look in her usually kind eyes. He hoped that Linnaea was seeing none of this.
“Don't you dare make threats about my child or my family,” she said coldly. Though not many of the carnivores that were close to Thunderfoot could understand what she was saying, the ice in her voice sent shivers up their spine.
They were even more shocked when she used all of her weight to pin him onto the ground, and she placed her foot precariously over his neck. Her snarling continued as her temper was ready to explode in his face. Rye could do whatever he wanted to her, but there was no way she would ever let him hurt her family or friends.
“Tosa!” She ignored her father's voice and she glared down at the male in front of her, fire in her eyes. For the first time, she looked ready to kill.
The fast biters backed off from Thunderfoot, only to be struck by a deadly tail. Saro had reached them, after managing to fight off most of the fast biters that were distracted by what was happening to their leader, leaving Patrice to deal with the last couple left.
For the first time in years, something flashed in Rye's eyes. He was fearful. There were only two things he was ever scared of: his father, and death. Was Tosa really going to kill him right here, right now? He had never seen such a trait in her, and never thought that he would. Nobody did.
Even though he had wanted to do this himself, Tosa's rage calmed Sorrel's own, and he had to stop his daughter from doing what she was about to do.
“Tosa,” Sorrel spoke softly, despite his own anger. “Tosa... let him go.”
She didn't answer, still growling at the downed longneck in front of her. Sorrel calmly walked up next to her. Rye had pressed his eyes shut, his breath shaky.
“Linnaea is safe. She's in a tree at the edge, and while I did try to put her in a covered spot, she still could be seeing this. Don't let Linnaea see you like this, dear,” said the older male. “Don't let her see her mother get out of control.”
At this, Tosa looked up at him, the fire slowly fading as she took a good look at her father after such a long time. She may have looked awful but he looked much worse. It was as if he had starved himself out here, and he looked tired, like he had not gotten a good night's sleep for ages. Finally, she lifted her foot away from Rye's neck and walked towards her father as Rye rolled onto his belly, breathing a sigh of relief.
When she reached him, she just wrapped her neck over his and buried her head into his skin, sobbing heavily.
Neither exchanged any words as they embraced each other, and it felt like they were in the embrace for many long minutes. Eventually, they whispered words of encouragement to each other as if they had never been separated at all. Tosa looked devastated when she eventually pulled away: firstly because her father looked so much worse since she had last saw him, and also because of what she had nearly done.
She looked at Thunderfoot briefly, who was covered in blood and was collapsed on his side. He gave her a weak smile and looked towards a tree where he could see a brown blob moving. Patrice, having fought off the remaining fast biters with relative ease, had already gone there and was retrieving Linnaea from her hiding spot.
“Go to her,” he whispered. Blood may have been dripping out from the numerous wounds on his body and he was feeling weaker and weaker as time went by, but he no longer cared. He watched her as she rushed over to her daughter and pulled her close, tears rushing down her face. Thunderfoot could only watch for a few seconds before his injuries started to get the better of him...
Saro soon dealt with any remaining fast biters and rushed to his friend's side. By then, Thunderfoot had already passed out, but his heavy breathing confirmed that he was still alive... for now.
Rye got up, relieved that he was spared, but that didn't mean he was let off. Sorrel pushed him down to the ground again, and pinned him down.
“I may have stopped Tosa,” he growled. “But I'm telling you now; you don't leave us alone, and I'll make sure your death is slow and painful. I'm not as easy to stop as she is. The only reason I didn't let her kill you is because there was an innocent child who got caught up into this who may have been watching, so you're extremely lucky. You got that?”
Rye merely nodded, and quickly headed back to the crater when Sorrel finally let him go, but that didn't stop him glaring at him as he left.
The females quickly rushed to Thunderfoot's side, only now seeing just how bad of a state he was in.
“Thunderfoot...” Gone was the pure anger and hatred Tosa had felt earlier, now replaced with guilt and grief. “Thunderfoot!” She kept crying out his name as if she were expecting him to answer, but he didn't shift a muscle.
Patrice decided that the only thing she could do was try to help Thunderfoot as much as she could. She licked his many wounds clean, despite the terrible taste of the huge amount of blood still oozing out of some of the fast biter bites and tail-whip cuts Rye had given him. Saro eventually decided to help her, and Sorrel re-joined the group and helped, too, after a brief reunion with his mate. Tosa was the only one who did nothing as she collapsed with grief. No amount of comfort from any of her family members could calm her down once she started crying.
“I only... just found him...” she sobbed at one point. “I can't... lose him... now... not again...”
Linnaea watched helplessly as her mother cried desperately. She eventually just hugged her mother's face as silent tears also fell down her face. She didn't want this tragedy after seeing such a bright future ahead of her.
“Where's Alvarez?” Sorrel finally asked, only now noticing that the little carnivore was not there. Patrice had told him about how he helped them to escape, fulfilling his promise to Sorrel.
Saro and Patrice exchanged questionable looks, but weren't sure how to answer him. Sorrel, knowing that most of Thunderfoot's injuries had been dealt with for now, left to find him, and it didn't take long. Among other downed fast biters, in a small pool of blood, Alvarez lay, his feathers tattered, his eyes barely open, and his breathing slow and heavy.
“Hiya,” he greeted with a weak grin, surprising Sorrel. “Good fight, huh?”
Sorrel didn't answer, instead looking at a heavily bleeding spot on Alvarez's chest. The longneck knew – as would any creature – that an injury such as that on a small being would probably be impossible to survive.
“Alvarez... I'm sorry,” he said quietly, feeling even more guilty for sending the fast biter in to do such dangerous work. “This shouldn't have happened.”
“I'm just glad to have been of help,” Alvarez whispered.
“Thank you,” said Sorrel. “I mean it... thank you...”
“It was my pleasure,” Alvarez answered. “It's not all bad, y'know. I'll be with my own family soon... you just go and enjoy yours.”
Sorrel just stood in silence as the fast biter's eyes slowly closed, and the smile faded from his face. The longneck stood in silence for a few moments in remembrance, then turned away from the lifeless body, feeling even worse than ever before. Never before would he have asked a fast biter of all things to help, especially not after the attack that had left him with many old scars, some of which still hurt. But Alvarez was very willing to help, and he had not let Sorrel down. He left the body there for the time being and headed back to Thunderfoot. Patrice had now found some leaves and was covering the wounds to stop any bad stuff getting in.
“We've done all we can,” Patrice admitted when her mate came back. “All we can do now is wait and hope for the best. I'd say the wounds that Rye gave to him were the worst. The fast biters luckily didn't manage to rip much flesh away, but he does have some pretty bad teeth marks.”
“Damn him,” Sorrel growled, his anger boiling up inside him again when he saw what Rye had done to his daughter's best friend. His mate could see him tensing up.
“All right, dear,” Patrice said calmly, nuzzling him. “I'm actually surprised you didn't end up killing him.”
“I honestly don't know why now,” Sorrel answered with a frown.
“For Linnaea's sake?” his mate suggested. Sorrel just nodded in reply, before looking over to his granddaughter. She had left her weeping mother alone, knowing she needed time to herself, and she was sitting silently by a small stream, looking at her reflection intently. The male's expression softened as he felt his heart beginning to break.
“Go and talk to her,” said Patrice. “I'll talk to Tosa and try and get her to calm down. Saro, will you be okay watching Thunderfoot for the time being?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure,” Saro answered, lying down next to his best friend, who was still unconscious.
Sorrel and Patrice just exchanged concerned glances before they went over to the girls, both ready for a lengthy chat.
----------
So there you have it! That was... intense. :blink:
Well, you guys won't be seeing Rye again in this fanfic (yay!), but that's not to say you've seen the last of him just yet...
Well, lots happening here. The girls got out, fast biters were killed, Alvarez was also unfortunately killed (RIP little guy), Linnaea found Sorrel, Sorrel RETURNZ, Thunderfoot almost dies and- OH S*** ANGRY MOTHER ALERT, RUN AND HIDE!
Damn, Tosa's pretty darn scary when she's mad.
Rye didn't get all that was coming to him, but he got a shock. Bye, you little... something!
Aww... poor Thundie. Lucky he's got Patrice there to pamper him, though. I'm sure he'll be okay (if he isn't then there's absolutely no point of me writing this fic up to this point
).
There you go, until next chapter (don't ask me when that'll be uploaded)! It's done but I've gotta still make a good few amendments to it.
Fun fact: Sorrel was originally meant to be dead by this point, but I thought, 'Tosa's been through enough crap as it is, and I also really like this guy.' So he's staying around for a while.
Fun Fact #2: Rye was going to have a change of heart in this chapter (yes, I'm serious). He was going to just let them go when Tosa shouted in his face about the importance of family, but I decided to make things more exciting by having the fight scene instead. That, and he might have a role in another story...
