Dawn

It was early morning, a time when the sun was just kissing downtown, and everything was cast in a golden glow. She was up at the time of day she was named after, and it seemed like she was the only one. She had bound down from the second floor where she had been sleeping with Lyriani, and had been met with nothing but silence. Disgruntled, the young pup snuck out of the den and into the alleys outside, avoiding the patrolling Kalion with relative ease.

Dawn padded through the alley, her dark coat with its tan patch on her chest tinted gold in the light of the dawning sun. She was bored, with no one to play with. She didn't want to play with Kalion; he wasn't fun because he was too busy with Sequioa. The pup didn't know what to make of Sequioa. Sequioa didn't seem to like her. Still, now that she had escaped, she could find something to do. And that something turned out to be a piece of wood, which she decided to chew on. Picking it up in her jaws, she dragged it a little further down the alleyway into a patch of sunlight, then put it between her paws and began to chew on it. However, knawing on wood did not keep her attention for long, and her bright yellow eyes were quickly caught by a mouse. She was up like a shot, completely forgetting about her wooden toy to chase her new quarry. Luckily, she had inherited her mother and fathers agility, and her speedy reflexes brought her within inches of the mouse before she tripped over her own paws and went tumbling into a bin. The bin fell onto its side, spilling its contents across the alley. Dawn jumped up to her paws and backed away, her heart pounding, but that fear was soon lost when she smelled food in the air. In the next moment, all that could be seen was her rear end with her tail wagging furiously as she dived into the rubbish to find the scraps of food that smelled so good.

Bullet, Pistol, Storm Runner, & Freefall

"Aye, over here!" The sharp trill of a voice came from Storm Runner, one of the four young raptors of Pirqua and Black Feather's clutch this spring. Dropping down from the sky, the gray and mildly spotted falcon dropped neatly onto the edge of the fallen trash can, while his larger brother hit the edge of the can and slid right off onto the ground. "Niiice one, brother." Storm cackled with grinning eyes at Freefall, before he peered over the lip of the can and looked down the pup that was scavenging through the trash.

The fall of paws sounded as Pistol and Bullet came running out of the old building, following the call of Storm Runner after he'd eventually located Dawn. "There you are!" Bullet panted with relief, after having woken up in alarm to find that his daughter was missing. He'd searched the den up and down before sending the raptors out, fearing the worse all the while. But now that he had found her, the panic drained from his eyes and he smiled away the fear that had gripped him, "Enjoying a morning snack, are we?" Pistol hung back while his father sauntered forward to greet his daughter. Part of him wanted to scold her for running around outside without telling anyone, but he was such a softy... the big teddy bear of a hybrid couldn't bring himself to use strict words against his daughter, even if it would have been the wise thing to do.

Dawn

At the shrill call of Storm Runner, Dawn's head was out of the pile of trash and she was on full alert, but when her keen eyes caught the raptor in the air, she shrugged and continued to nose around in her new-found treasure trove to see what she could find. When Freefall thudded onto the ground, Dawn laughed along with Storm, and was about to add her own teasing, when she heard her father's voice behind her. She grinned up at Bullet with all the affection a daughter could have for her father, and a greeting yip was barked at her brother, Pistol.

"Yeah! she announced in agreement, tossing her treat to her dad so he could approve of her handiwork, however much down to pure luck it was at finding this morsel. "I was bored because no one was around to play, so I thought I'd come explore out here." It was then that she noticed she might just be big enough to jump up onto the side of the fallen trash can, and her eyes were lit with a predatory fire. Suddenly, she took a running leap at the trash can, trying to jump up towards the lip of the can and use her muzzle or her paw to swipe the young raptor off his perch to join his brother on the floor.

Pups have such a short attention span!

Bullet, Pistol, Storm Runner, & Freefall

Dawn's enthusiasm won a smile out of Bullet, and a low chuckle as she continued her random burst of antics, from excitedly chucking the morsel his way to making a sudden detour to assault Storm Runner. How could he possible chastise her for leaving the den? In the back of his mind, he was telling himself it was for the best... but he couldn't manage it. "I see you found some food. Are you using your nose like I taught you?" Bullet questioned brightly, not realizing that it had been by pure accident that she'd toppled the can over and found the food in that manner.

Storm Runner was having a hard time balancing on the slick can, and had one wing partially spread out at his side to try and keep his balance as he craned his head past the lid and looked for any rodents that might have been in the trash; he never saw Dawn coming. "Aaayyeee!!!" Down the other brother went, doing a half-flip and landing on his back in the garbage pile, and giving Freefall something to laugh at this time.

"Woah... guys, quiet for a moment." Pistol rumbled in a tone so low it would be difficult for any human to hear. The thin-coated, ebony hybrid dropped his head and slunk forward towards the edge of a building adjascent to the Den, with his floppy ears perked forward and his long tail held stiff, "I thought I heard a two-legger nearby."

Dawn

Dawn burst into raucous laughter when she managed to send Storm flying off the can onto the ground. She licked the raptor affectionately, as if it was some kind of apology for knocking him off his perch, before deciding to answer Bullet. “Yeah, I am!” she lied, but he would never know, and as if to prove herself, she lowered her nose and began to sniff the ground, moving along with her rear end higher than her head as she followed a scent trail that appeared to be near Bullet. Then, she bounded towards him, and tried to jump up to catch his ear to begin a bout of play wrestling.

She quickly froze though when Pistol shushed them. Dawn crouched below Bullet, and stuck beside him, keeping low to the ground and staying silent. She glanced to Pistol, and whispered quietly, “I’m scared. Is it going to hurt us? What’s a two-legger?

Bullet, Pistol, Storm Runner, & Freefall

"Eck, bleh! Alright, alright!" The affection was appreciated, but the wet tongue on his feathers most certainly wasn't, and getting the sudden bath made him jabbering in complaint to Dawn and scrambled to pick himself up and flap out of her range. Freefall was laughing all the harder at seeing his brother go through this, but all too quickly, the two raptors were darted wide-eyed looks towards Pistol. "Should I tell mom?"

Bullet would have been all for a round of wrestling with his daughter, delighting in a game that he was never to busy to stop and engage in with Dawn. Unfortunately, all he managed to do was to swipe a giant but gentle paw at her before his older son called the alarm of a human. Now, the sight and scent of a human was a common enough thing around here, but there was a big difference in a human simply walking down the street, and a human that they could hear but not yet see. For all they knew, it could be a dog catcher. In fact, this particular dilapidated area of town had so few humans that Dawn was young enough not to have seen one yet, "Don't worry Dawn, you're safe with me." Bullet hushed to his daughter, and stood protectively in place, ready to pick her up and whisk her to safety, or to attack if need be. "Freefall, tell your mom, and alert Lyckos. Storm, see if you can't find this human."

The raptors were in the air a second later, one heading for the den to seek out Lyckos and Pirqua, and the other circling high in the sky to locate the noise that Pistol had heard. Meanwhile, Bullet whispered to his daughter to answer her last question, "They are a different breed of animal, that stand on their hind legs when they walk. We leave them alone, and they don't bother us. But we must be careful, because they are very unpredictable."

Lyckos, Camden & Dawn

Lyckos had been on the roof, taking in the morning air while most of the pack lay sleeping. He had, in fact, been talking with the raptor Matriach, so when Freefall came to alert them of a human close to the den, the pair were not difficult to find. Once warned, Lyckos had rushed down through the den, pausing momentarily to wake Camden and drag his son out with him. After all, if this human was a danger to them, he would need an extra set of jaws to ensure the threat would be swiftly eliminated.

Dawn pressed herself low to the ground on her belly, her ears back in fear, as she watched Pistol wide-eyed. Bullet's soothing went some way to stilling her nerves, but the alleys made her feel somehow exposed to danger, and the urgent reaction to the presence of this two-legged creature made her frightened, yet curious. What could cause such a reaction? And she couldn't help but think 'this thing must be bad!', and walking on their hind legs?! That was really wierd!

Lyckos approached Pistol and Bullet with his ears up, and deadly silent. He was listening intently, trying to pick up this human. After all, it could be more than one, and if that was the case, they would need to warn the pack. Lyckos was too busy trying to judge the threat to really acknowledge who was there.

Camden, however, offered a brief nod to his uncle, and his cousin, and even managed a small smile to the young pup, who he now also considered a cousin. His newly-blinded eye had healed well, and now it remained closed, with a scar running across it from Hydras' fangs. His confidence was slowly rebuilding since the attack, but he was still quite skittish, and often turned violent to defend himself. He took up a place beside Pistol, to act as a barrier in front of Bullet and Dawn. "How many of them do you think there are?" he whispered to Pistol, keeping his good eye on the alleyways, in case these humans tried to surprise them.

Lyckos moved to stand at the front of the group, his hazel eyes fixed on the skies to keep the raptors in his sights, whilst his ears and nose tried to track the human on the ground.

Dawn watched her 'uncle' and 'cousin' approach the group and immediately begin trying to seek out this threat. She hunkered further down, pressing herself against Bullet's leg and curling into a ball.

Bullet, Pistol, Storm Runner, & Freefall

Pistol was shifting through this scent and that, trying to hone down the various odors and pinpoint one that might be the two-legger he'd heard. Squint-eyed and almost unmoving with the intensity of his work, the hybrid didn't quiet move until Lyckos and Camden showed up, both of which were greeted with a quick look of acknowledgment. To Cam, he whispered back in a low tone, "I'm not sure yet, but I'm picking up one scent so far. Smells like a male; a middle-aged one, probably." As far as humans went, they seemed to perpetually stuck in their ages; pups remained pups for years, and grow incredibly slow. "He might be in that building over there." His peppered muzzle was pointing to the building adjacent to the den, a smaller brick one that stood at four stories. When next he spoke, it was to Lyckos, "Want to send someone to check it out?"

Bullet lowered himself a little too, but not because he was frightened or being submissive; he wanted his daughter to feel safer, and indeed, he felt safer if Dawn were better covered by his bulky body. "Don't worry, Dawn. I won't let anything happen to you."

Lyckos, Camden, Kane & Dawn

One of Lyckos' brindle ears swung back to listen to Pistol, and he shook his head slowly, the rest of his senses now fixed on the building that was indicated. "We'll go together, Pistol. Camden, you stay out here with Bullet in case the two-legger gets past us and attempts any attacks."

Just as Lyckos was about to walk forward, his nephew Kane appeared from an alleyway near the den, leading a group of canines. Kane approached his uncle, then turned back to face Isabel. "Uncle Lyckos, they are here to see you." Lyckos stepped forward once to greet his allies, but said nothing, waiting to hear what they had to say. Instead, he indicated Pistol and Camden should head into the building the human was supposedly in, while he would remain outside.

Camden looked to his cousin, before heading for the building, however he stopped just outside the door to wait for Pistol to lead in, as he was the best at picking up the position of this human.

Isabel & Others

Isabel led her friends as she followed Kane. They all greatly admired the Lurker King, so they kept their pose submissive despite the fact that most of them also ranked high in their own packs.

Isabel herself was no longer an alpha, but now a beta, though she did most of the alpha duties since Amari was still rather young. It was difficult to explain, but Isabel understood it.

The white coywolf stepped forward and bowed. "It is good to see you, Lyckos." She said submissively, though a bit gravely. She still hadn't gotten over her parents' and nephew's death. Poor Kahvi, killed by his own mate. And that was why they were here today. "I come with a warning and a request for assistance." She paused, thinking about how to word this. "I understand that Ankh has allied himself to an accomplice of Saydin. Were you aware of this? I do not mean any offense; I thought you might like to know this." Her eyes then lost their glimmer. There was a war, and that was nothing to be happy about. "But now I will get to the reason I am here. We are doing a push against Saydin and all her allies. I understand that you are her sworn enemies. I come to ask you for your assistance in this battle. You fighting beside us will surely make a difference, King Lyckos."

She glanced back at her followers for a moment, before turning to face Lyckos again. "It is not only you and me who would be battling, sir. Our allies - many of them also your allies, as I have heard - will be joining us." She nodded to each of her followers as she spoke, "Gavina of the new Shadow Haunters led by Greyfell," pointing at the falcon, "Snow Angel of Toklat Canyon led by Nightshade," pointing at the white canine hybrid, "Rampage, alpha of the Rebels," pointing at the coywolf, "and Rosco of Oak Prairie led by Sasha," pointing at the deer.

Each of the followers bowed in unison. "I fully understand if you reject our cry for help, for I understand what you have been through." Isabel said, then waited for a reply.

Auri

Somehow, Auri had gotten lost. She was following Kobalt, but she lost sight of him. She wandered to the alleys, knowing somebody lived here, but not meaning to intrude. The pup had tears in her eyes. "Kobalt?... Where are you?" She called out. "Kobalt?" She wandered further into the alleys, eventually spotting Bullet and Dawn. "I'm sorry..." She mumbled. "I don't mean to intrude... I'm looking for my brother." The little pup whimpered.

Perhaps the most striking thing about Auri was that she looked exactly like her late grandmother Aurinka. Surprisingly, she acted mostly the same to. It was unknown to her that her grandmother once lived her and grew close to a Shadow Lurkers member, though.

Lyckos & Dawn

Lyckos seemed pleased by the respective submissive postures, and was clearly comfortable in the knowledge they all knew he was in charge, as he made no effort to outwardly promote his status as alpha. Instead, he stood assertively, but relaxed, clearly happy in the company of his allies, but still with the confidence and poise of a leader.

"As it is good to see you too, Isabel," Lyckos replied, and although he did not smile, for he could sense a gravity about the news they brought, his posture was friendly. Needless to say, he was not surprised to hear they brought news, and a request. However, he was surprised to hear about Ankh. Lyckos' eyes narrowed, and his head lifted, as if someone had clapped right in front of his face. He said nothing about it though, not until she had finished. Then, the call for help he knew would come. As each member of the various allied packs stepped forward, Lyckos gave each a nod of companionship, united in war.

"We have all been through much, yet the Lurkers pride themselves on their fighting prowess and tradition. Hydras would have joined you, and so shall I. We Lurkers and our allies are fighters until our dying breath, and we do not fail our friends. I am by your side, each of you, in this battle. Saydin and her pack took from us Sasha, and for that, they will pay with their lives." He inwardly winced, knowing Karitania, a close friend of his, was part of Saydin's pack and would most likely fight beside her. Unless he could talk her round, he realised he would have to rebrand her an enemy. "Along with you and I, my allies, Silver Glades, the Guardians, Aspen Grove and the Ranch Lurkers. Ankh and his pack will be dealt with, and he will be supporting his blood pack. He was most likely unaware of this newcomers ties to Sedge Creek. Now, perhaps before battle begins, the alphas of each side should meet in neutral ground. A battlefield can be chosen, and terms talked-over. I shall head our combined army, if you wish it, but of course each alpha will lead their own pack in the battle."

---

Dawn, crouched beneath Bullet and trying to block out the serious conversation her uncle seemed thoroughly engrossed in, heard someone call out behind her and her father. Whirling round, Dawn saw another pup, roughly about the same age as herself. As she had never known Aurinka, she was not struck by the similarities. Instead, her ears perked up, and she stood up beneath Bullet, curious as to who this new pup was exactly. "Who's Kobalt?" she asked innocently, then changed questions just as quickly, as pups tend to do, "I'm Dawn! Who are you?"

Bullet, Pistol, Storm Runner, & Freefall

"Be careful." Bullet's rumble of warning followed after his son and nephew as they ventured towards the other building, while he himself hung back in order to protect his daughter. The hybrid was just turning and lowering his muzzle to nudge Dawn and encourage her to move with him towards the den when the other pup showed up. For a moment or two, Bullet stared at the youngster in awe, instantly recognizing the image as a spitting replication of his nephew's late mate. "You're awfully young to be by yourself." Bullet's gentler nature quickly worked through his surprise, though it was anyone's guess how Desmon would react to this. "Where are your parents?"

While the others were taking care of various things, Pistol slipped through the doorway and took a second or two to scan the interior of the building. It was somewhat similar to the Aegis Den, in that the lower floor was mostly open, and Pistol had explored this bit of property enough to know it inside and out. "He's upstairs, if I heard right." The hybrid held his head at shoulder level, muzzle sticking forward and tail somewhat tense behind him, showing his wariness as he ascending the old metal steps and made it to the second floor; and that's where the scent grew the strongest. Pistol halted again, once more putting his nose and ears to work before his head dropped a little lower and he proceeded on with all the silence and stealth of a stalking feline. Guard hairs began to bristle up by the time he reached a room second to the last, where his nose told him the two-legger was hiding. Unfortunately, the door to the room was closed, presenting the two canines with an obvious obstacle. "He's in there... I smell only one."

Isabel & Auri

Isabel nodded to the Lurker King. This would be an easy war with Lyckos by their side. He was a god to much of the valley. "Thank you, Lyckos." The coywolf said with a smile. "I'm proud to fight beside you, my closest ally. Your pack must be proud of you too; you've carried them this far, and you're still going." The first daughter of Tahti and Windsong greatly respected Lyckos. "We will gladly follow you into this war against our enemies. Thank you for being by our side through this, Sir Lyckos, and you can be assured that I will never leave your side." She bowed deeply to the King, then raised her head to meet his gaze again. "I and my comrades must leave now, unless you wish to say anything else."

----------

The pup looked at Dawn with fear in her eyes. Nobody was here to protect her anymore. Not Nightshade, not Kobalt, and not her father. Nobody was here to protect her from her mother. "I'm Aurinka..." The pup whimpered, "...but my sister Nightshade calls me Auri." She had heard of her allies, the Shadow Lurkers before, but she never knew where they lived. Little did she know that she had stumbled upon their territory. Her gaze shifted to Bullet. She was a bit nervous around strangers, especially adults, and for good reason. "I'm the daughter of Kavhi and..." There was a song pause before she spoke again. "My parents are Kahvi...and Saydin." She felt dirty just saying that, She thought she'd be killed right here, right now. "Mom killed Dad and I don't have any parents anymore." She didn't consider Saydin to be her mother. Who would? "Nightshade takes care of me."

Like Aurinka, after the initial fear, Auri told them everything and even warmed up to them a bit. There was a soft moan from the pup. "I'm hungry..."

Take me, take me
Out into the night
Show me, show me
Wonders and delights
Faces round a fire
Lights across the sky
The witching hour
They're calling me now
I know who you are

Hold me, hold me
I am like a child
Waiting, waiting
Motionless and wild
For the night to pass
Whispers in the dark
The witching hour
They're calling me now
I know who you are
Who you are

And those I love
Will carry me home