Aurinka/Kahvi

Aurinka ran back to the Alleys, hopefully followed by Bloodlust and Desmon. She had three pups now. She set Kahvi down behind a box, then sat down to catch her breath.

Bloodlust & Avara

Bloodlust was tired, she set down Avara next to Kahvi. Breathing heavily she laid down. "Where is everyone?" Bloodlust quarried.

Aurinka

Aurinka looked around. "I..I think they're out at war, maybe. Maybe they're just hunting." She stated, lying next to her pups.

Bloodlust

"Now you see that not all Shadow Haunters are bastards." Bloodlust smiled. "Of course, your mother never was. Tahti was strong willed, compassionate...she must be proud of you."

Aurinka

Aurinka nodded. "Just most of them." She joked. "I respect my mother. She's done things that I don't like, but when it comes down to it she's a good creature. And while Risen was my alpha for most of my puphood, I really can't stand her. No offense, but she's a bit harsh."

Bloodlust

"Yeah." Bloodlust responded. "No one cared for me. I was replacable if I died. As is most of the warriors in that pack. If we die, no one will care..."

Ino

The small bird came fluttering up to the aegis den. Landing in a window high up but keeping an eye on the group. Every now and again checking behind her to make sure the Lurker's birds would not go after her.

Aurinka

Aurinka sighed and let her head rest on the ground. "I agree. There you're not seen as a unique creature with your own thoughts and needs. There you're seen as, well, like a number." She looked at Kahvi, who was asleep now, then back at Bloodlust. "You're a good friend. I hope that Desmon got out in time." She was really beginning to like Desmon. Tahti surely wouldn't approve if Aurinka was still a Haunter. The mother coyote believed that love was a dangerous emotion.

Bloodlust

"Yeah." Bloodlust replied. "Maybe we should go find him." Bloodlust shrugged. Looking at Aurinka with soft eyes. Bloodlust had one love, but he was killed by her own sister and her bloodthirsty killers. That was past, now.

Avara was asleep, soudly.

Aurinka

Aurinka closed her eyes. Going back there would be suicide, but she just wanted to make sure Des and Susi were alright. "I-I don't know...I think we should wait at the Ruins, and if there's any trouble we'll help him." She suggested.

Bloodlust

"Yeah. Leave the pups...where?" Bloodlust asked.

Aurinka

Aurinka managed to smile. "We'll leave them with the other pups." She replied. Then she lifted her head high and howled for the Lurker pups. "We will be going away..." She told them. "Just for a little while. We're going to find Desmon. I'd appreciate it if you could stay with my pups until I get back. Alright?" She wagged her tail as she spoke to them before looking at Bloodlust again. "Ready?"

Bloodlust

"Yes. Let's go." Bloodlust nodded.

Desmon & Others

The alligator bites were really beginning to take their tole. His muscles shivered and strained as he moved, getting slower as he went. It wasn't long before Aurinka and Bloodlust were far ahead of him in their desperate escape from the Temple. But finally, Des made it home.

His wounded legs were shaking and felt like dead weight, but he was alive and free, and it felt great. More than that, Aurinka and her new pups were free, and they had a potential new member... well, if Hydras and Lyckos agreed anyway.

Staggering into the Den, Des set Susi down with the other pups and sat back heavily onto his haunches, "We're home, at last." He breathed out, smiling.

Aurinka

Aurinka smiled and wagged her tail when she saw Desmon. "Des! We were just about to go back and look for you." She said excitedly. Desmon and Bloodlust were the only real friends she's had for a long time, and she was very close to Des. She looked down at the wounds on his legs and shivered. "I think we need to get some help for you. Quilikahm only taught me a bit before I left...I know she used hypericum leaves on my brother's cuts. I'll be right back." With that, she bounded off, trying to remember what the deer had told her. She remembered fuzzy yellow flowers.

After a long time or a short time, the coywolf came back with a mouthful of leaves. She crushed them up with her teeth and then moved to apply it to her friend's wounds. "I'll kill that gator..." She said to herself.

Desmon & Others

His smile brightened, though the mention of his wounds made him shudder. He hated fighting, and now he really hated alligators. "Hyper-what?" The strange name was totally knew to him, but he trusted in her knowledge.

A while after Aurinka ran off, Skeil came padding down the stairs, head held low. She had lost one of her children to a human. She had wanted to go after him... but she couldn't abandon the other pups. She had been in the same dilemna that Des had been in earlier.

"Skeil!" Desmon yipped, though his greeting was edges with concern, seeing that something was obviously bothering his good friend.

The pitbull reached the lower level, and her eyes widened at the sight of blood; and that of an enemy, "Desmon, what's going on... who's she?" The dog's hackles rose now as she stalked closer to Bloodlust, beginning to snarl.

Des stood up suddenly, "It's alright, she's on our side! She helped Aurinka and I escape." He explained quickly, trying to stop any potential fighting.

Skeil's hackles remained up, but she stilled her snarling as she looked the Haunter over. "We'll see what the alphas have to say." The dog said at last. At this time, Aurinka had made her way back and began to apply the leaves. "That's an interesting skill.." The pitbull commented quitely, having never seen such a thing done before.

Aurinka

Aurinka stepped back after she had applied the leaves. She looked over her work, then stepped up beside Des again and nuzzled him. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I should have been more careful at the Dump." She said softly.

While Susi had fallen asleep, Kahvi had woken up. He whined when he couldn't feel his mother next to him. Aurinka smiled at Desmon and then walked to where her pups where and sat down next to them. However, she kept her eyes on Des. "The male is Kahvi and the females are Susi and Avara." She informed. Something seemed to be bothering her, as she stared down at the ground. "I just don't know what to tell them when they ask who their father is."

Desmon & Others

He shook his head, "No, it was my responsibility to watch after you all." Des gave a sad sort of smile, "Something bad always happens when I volunteer to go exploring with pups." He could still remember that encounter with the humans when they were pups.

Skeil seemed shaken by what Aurinka had said. Little did she know that she and Aurinka had been attacked by the same wolf.

Aurinka

Aurinka let her head rest on the ground, tears running down her face. "Windsong was evil. He acted like he was better than me." She said between sobs. "I hope my children aren't like him." She feared that her pups, being Windsong's children as well, would grow up to be like him. She didn't want that.

Desmon & Others

Desmon rested beside Aurinka, placing his muzzle near to her's. "Don't worry, Aurinka. If they are anything like you, we won't have anything to worry about." The hybrid said, trying to assure her.

The name Windsong really made Skeil jump, "What did you say...?" She asked, looking hard at Aurinka. "What did this wolf look like?" Could it really be the same one? Oh, she just wanted to rip his throat out so badly...

Aurinka

Aurinka looked up at Desmon and managed to smile. But before she could say anything, Skeil spoke up. "He was pure white. He was evil, too. Every word that came out of his mouth stung like venom." She said, eyes wide, before standing up and leaning against Des.

Desmon & Others

"He is the father of my pups." She said coldly, spitting out the words like they weren't worth the effort to say. "I will kill him!" She did not care that they were the father of her pups; she knew he would be a bad influence anyway.

Desmon growled lightly, "Is that all the Haunters care about? Producing as many soldiers as possible?" He shivered at the thought. How cold it sounded!

Aurinka

Aurinka sighed. "I'd kill him too, but I'm not exactly the strongest coywolf around." She said, then looked at Des. "My father is like that. And my mother bred willingly! She...uh...likes to have pups." She growled at the thought of it. While she loved Tahti, she didn't agree with most of what she did.

Hydras & Pack

The battle had gone relatively well this time, with no fatalities and no serious wounds. Hydras carried a few, but they were nothing to trouble over and she hardly gave them any thought as she headed towards the Den. Behind her followed Bullet and Honthale.

"Hydras, Lyckos!" Dapplewing called out as she glided down from a nearby window ledge. She had not noticed the spy bird, or at least not as a threat. The young Peregrine had never seen the other bird before. "Aurinka and Desmon were nearly captured by the Haunters, but they got back safely...."

Hydras stopped in her tracks, looking down at the falcon with narrowed eyes, "Is everyone alright? How did this happen?" Bullet inched forward, worry drawn on his face as he listened anxiously to Dapple's report.

The young falcon went on, "Iridia has been taken by a human. He had a gun... there wasn't anything we could do... but Black Feather has gone out to scout for her." She explained, almost squirming under the furious glare of Hydras, "Des was hurt, but it is nothing serious. And... Aurinka had pups; three of them."

"Is that everything?" Hydras asked shortly, then shook her head and took a deep breath to still her fury, "I'm sorry, my anger is misplaced." Bullet and Honthale exchanged glanced, while Bullet decided to take a step back. Hydras was certainly doing much better with her temper now that she had a mate and offspring, but he was always careful around her. If ever she needed a scapegoat, he was it.

Dapplewing perked her head up a little bit, "A Haunter has come back with them..." The falcon's voice was quite, as if she were afraid to divulge this bit of information, "...I believe she is a defector though; she seems sincere enough. And she helped them escape."

----------

Back in the Den, Skeil felt a growl rise in her throat, "We'll slay him together. Magnet, Maladay!" She barked, turning her head to look up at the nearby staircase. "Quaidah, bring the rest of the pups down."

Soon enough, Quaidah came trotting down the stairs with a mass of pups and adolescents following him. Argolis went right over to Susi and sniffed at the little pup, nudging her with his nose. "They're awfully tiny."

"Argolis! Be careful with them!" Lerna yipped, scrambling over to shove her brother away from Aurinka's young. "You're a big oaf sometimes, you know?"

Kambode Jr. stalked past the group and peeked his head outside. "When can we go exploring again?"

Quaidah was quick to hurry over and haul his little brother back inside, "Not for a while, Kam. You five will be going home soon anyway."

"Awww, I wanna stay here and play!" Caraway complained, looking up at her big brother, "Can't we stay a little longer?"

Quaidah sighed, "That's up to your aunt Hydras and uncle Lyckos. For now, stay in our sights and behave."

Aurinka

Aurinka smiled just barely when the pack returned. She listened in on their conversation. How she hated humans. If that man had taken her own pup, she would have beheaded him right then and there. And how she hated the Haunters, after what they did to her. She despised her father and was beginning to doubt her mother. Tahti just wasn't the same after Liekki's death. She turned to Skeil again and spoke up. "Windsong is first on the list of enemies who I would kill if I got the chance. The second being a tie between Kalaber and Rajsa." She hated that wolf and that tiger. They hurt her mother and killed her brother. She sunk back next to Desmon when she realized what she had just said. She was speaking like her parents. She looked up at Des. He seemed pretty smart. "Des? Do you think I'll ever mess up and become like my father? Like Vicious?" She asked, afraid. "Somebody said that pups are always like their parents."

Desmon & Others

Aurinka's words caused an uneasy feeling to settle in his gut, but he could not blame her. "Aurinka, you have to keep quiet about Kalaber. Hydras... I'm not sure how'd she react to hearing such things." He felt badly for her situation, but for her own safety, she couldn't speak of killing their best ally. Then came her next question, and he gave a hopeful smile, "No, I don't believe that for one seconds. Look at me!" He gave a little laugh at that. His father was hot-headed and arrogant, while his mother was an out-spoken alpha.

Aurinka

Aurinka sighed, tears streaming from her eyes. "He tried to kill my mom for no reason. And my brother..." She whispered. Liekki would still be alive if it weren't for Kalaber. He could have run from Rajsa if he didn't have broken legs. What kind of cruel beast would kill a defenseless pup like that? The more she thought of her brother's death, the sadder she got. She fell to the ground, sobbing. "He's dead, Desmon!" She cried. Aurinka was known for being particularly timid, and it wasn't hard to make her cry.

Desmon & Others

Desmon nuzzled Aurinka, not sure what he should say to make her feel any better. It was a touchy thing to talk about, but he sympathized with her. His own brother had been killed by someone who use to be his father's friend. "In these times of war, some do foolish things. War... it can blind you from reality." He sighed, resting his head on his forepaws, but keeping them very near to Aurinka as well. "How about this; we will make it our mission to see Risen's downfall. If anything, she is to blame for all of this madness. If not for her, families wouldn't be torn apart as they are."

Aurinka

Aurinka looked up at Desmon. This was a hard time for her. She didn't know where she should be right now. Her mother believed it was fate that Aurinka joined the Lurkers. But she wondered what the others thought. She was sure they hated her now for betraying them. But that was the past. Now she has good friends and even some pups. She cringed when Des spoke of Risen's downfall. It was hard to think about killing her former alpha. But she believed it was the only right thing to do. "Alright..." She said, then lowered her voice. "If Kalaber comes, don't tell him who my parents are." She whispered softly. She feared that she would be killed by that wolf, if he knew she was a daughter of Tahti and Vicious.

Bloodlust, Arget & Suenga

Bloodlust was asleep, but woke up and stared at Desmon. "I don't think I'll be getting any trust soon. Aurinka...how long did it take you to gain trust?" Bloodlust asked softly.

Arget and Suenga flopped down heavily. "Dammit, here in the hell is mom?" Arget snorted. Suenga shrugged.

"Fanta?" Bloodlust questioned. She stammered. "She's a hostage under the Shadow Haunters."

Arget and Suenga fell silent. There mom was missing.

Aurinka

Aurinka looked at Bloodlust, tears in her eyes. "It didn't take too long, but I was just a pup. Don't worry. They'll trust you soon enough..." She replied in a shaky voice. Then she looked at Arget and Suenga. "If I tell my mom that Fanta is my friend, she'll try to protect her. I don't know when I'll see my dear mother again, though. She's being held captive by the humans."

Achak

The pup ran through the alleys and stopped when she saw the group. "The...The Haunters are attacking Aspen Grove." He gasped, taking a quick look around. "Where's Rex?"

Hydras & Pack

Hydras had reached the Aegis den now, knowing full well what to expect. Her wolvish eyes lit on Bloodlust firstly, as her ruff expanded to frame her high-held head. "I would like to know..." Interrupting the alpha's question, Achak came bounding in with more grave news. Would this fighting ever end?

As much as she would rather not help, Hydras was obliged to keep her end of the temporary alliance. That, and Aminita was still blood, and although exiled, needed to be protected from enemies. "Desmon, Aurinka. Get the pups to the Woodland Farm. The rest of us are going to the Aspen Grove!" Orders went out instantly, "Pirqua, alert Lost Valley and the Ochotonas." She was tempted to call upon the Silver Glades, but she didn't know how stable the fragmented family was. And on the same note, she didn't call upon the Sedge Creek; they had their own issues to deal with at the time being.

No sooner had the pack converged then they had to depart. Keeping her head and tail up, Hydras led the pack back out of the Den and towards the Aspen Grove.

Desmon pulled himself wearily up. He was by no means happy about the call to war, but at least it drew attention off of Bloddlust for the time being, and would give her a chance to prove her loyalties. Des knew that his aunt wouldn't readily take in someone from the Haunters unless, as in Aurinka's case, she were a pup, or if she were shown their loyalty.

While Skeil and Bullet followed Hydras out, Desmon gave a bark to call the pups down. Very slowly, he began to make his way to the Woodland Farm.

Oraiyus .+ Ino

Ino's beaty eyes stared strong at the three she had followed at first, then the request to back up the enemy. The bird squawked loudly before her head twitched to the side. Fluttering up she left the building, only be replaced by one of the more new Hauntr members, a prairie falcon by the name of Oraiyus.

The falcon screeched out to the one who was to alert the allies. "Pirqua, is it? Risen wishes to comprimise with Hydras first. The Lurkers do not need to fight, and their family will remain safe. Lead my to hydras to negociate!" She new she was open for attacks, but she had to relay this bit of information before lurkers joined the fight.

Aurinka; Pups

Aurinka nodded to Hydras, then turned to the pups. "Come, we must go to the farm! We are not safe here." She said urgently. Kahvi approached his mother. He had no idea what was going on, for he was but a pup. But he knew that his mother knew what's best for him. Susi came up beside her brother. Aurinka quickly counted the pups, then called out once more. "Follow me and Desmon, and stay close."

Then the bird spoke. Aurinka growled up at Oraiyus, baring her fangs in a deadly manner. "Devil Risen initiates a war, and she tries to keep us from assisting our allies? She is a dishonorable coward." She snarled. This would certainly be the first time Des had seen Aurinka this defensive. Now she had something to protect. She had pups.