Tersek & Others

Defecting from the Haunters had been a very bad mistake on Coriscan's part. The only reason he had been left alone for so long was because they had other matters to attend to - like the assassination of Vestige. But now that the leader of the Aspen Grove had been rightly executed, Cavan had sent a brigade out to hunt down defectors. While Cortinarri was definitely on this list, his first priority was to wipe out the renegade Lurker blood.

With the large hybrid were several of the Haunter's feline Warriors. Leope, Leopeson, Xuvan, Callholm, Martimoor, Dulsca, Chahaya, and Yarrow. Accounting for the bears was Thunder's Call, the massive grizzly. And of the canines, including one of his own sons, there were Huerosan, Dawning Eclipse, Bergamot, and Donte. And, of course, who ever else happened to come with him.

"You heard Cavan's orders - we need Cor alive. For now." Tersek said, as he lead the group over a hill and paused there. While he didn't know that his own sister had been killed by Nachi for her refusal to 'acclimate', he had little question as what was to happen to Coriscan.

Luke; Kane

Luke and Kane followed Tersek and stopped beside him on the hill. "It seems as though this is a small pack. It shouldn't be too hard to take them out." Luke whispered.

Incalia, Onslaught, Ardeth and Litharaz

Incalia was next to arrive, her muzzle and ruff already bloodied after slaying the last living heir of Vestige. Her pride was huge, and the fact that she felt invincible was very unlucky for the pack they had been sent to destroy. Taking a place beside Tersek, she glanced at him once. He had been a good father for her children, producing good, strong offspring. Infact, along with Heurosan, Ardeth joined his parents in preparation for this massacre.

Onslaught stood slightly behind his mother, his icy yellow eyes looking over the terrain as he sought out the pack, and the traitor, Coriscan.

Litharaz was last of this bunch to arrive, standing to the far right of the group.

Coriscan, Nevven, & Jasper

Sleeping at the top of a grassy knoll, Coriscan was soaking up the sun's rays on the crisp autumn day. Thoughts of the Shadow Haunters and Shadow Lurkers had slowly began to fade from his mind. If they hadn't attacked him by now, he could safely assume that he was safe, right?

Jasper was curled up beside his father, not knowing much about either of the rival groups. So far, his life had been nothing short of peaceful and carefree. This cold weather was taking some getting use to, but other than that... life was good!

Nevven, on the other paw, was out exploring the world while the others rested. The chocolately-colored youngster knew vaguely about the Haunters, but not enough to be able to tell them apart from the average critter. So when he happened across the parade of creatures, he stopped in his tracks and looked on in awe. "Woah...." He breathed out, peeking his head from a stand of young locust trees.

Fanta

Fanta trailed with a halfheart, stopping next to Luke with pride. Vestige was dead, enemy of both Haunters and Lurkers. My home is with the Haunters, even if Lurkers are no longer deep enemies with them. Fanta reminded herself. "They are so...small" Fanta whispered, her blue eyes narrowed with a ripple of evilness. "We shant underestimate them, though. They'll give us hell before they die." Fanta's ebony fur was buffeted by the wind, her sleek frame was tense as she readied to attack. Fanta plan was to take any pup she could, and bring them back to the Haunters. This cruel stealing was only her pleasure. If anyone stood between her and pup, they'd not see light of another day.

It's time...

Tersek & Others

Tersek was not the most subtle of creatures, but he knew that this would have to be done swiftly before the call was sent out for help. The bulky hybrid gave a quick glance to Incalia, with a wicked glint in his duel-colored eyes, "Our first victim..." His gaze shifted to Nevven now, before he suddenly burst into a run. With his tail flagging high in the air, the cocky hybrid bolted down the slope and headed straight for Nevven.

The group of felines were quick to charge after Tersek, as they spanned out on either side of him to close in Nevven's means of escape. If any one of them came near enough to the pup, they'd pounce and try to catch him.

Not so quick as the others, Thunder's Call still made the effort to charge down the hill with the group. He would provide back-up incase the group were to be ambushed.

Huerosan followed after his father, eager not only to prove himself to his sire and dam, but to the rest of the Haunters as well. While Tersek drove straight for Nevven, Huerosan circled around behind the stand of locusts.

Bergamot and Dawning Eclipse quickly caught onto the idea that their friend had, and joined him in circling around back.

Kuro; Shiro; Penguin; Luna; Ajay; Carita; Grace; Faith; Pups

Kuro lifted his head as soon as he caught the scent of the enemy. "Haunters!" He barked out. "Defend the territory! Save the pups!" He raced down the hill and leapt in front of Nevven, blocking Tersek. "I will hang your intestines in a tree for the birds if you touch my nephew!" He snapped, lunging for the enemy's shoulder.

Shiro was frantically racing around, trying to collect her pups. "Dad! I need help!" She howled out. "Children! Come to the den!" Zuno and Ralla immediately ran into the den, while Shiro stood guard.

Shiro's call did not go unanswered. Very soon, Penguin, Luna and four of their older pups were bolting over the territory. The six wolves sprung into action, helping wherever they could.

Grace and Faith circled around Huerosan, jumping forward and snapping at him.

Penguin and Luna struck out at Thunder's face, neck and legs.

Ajay and Carita stood back next to Shiro, in case the others should need backup. They were a family, and families stick together.

Incalia, Litharaz, Onslaught, Ardeth

Catching Tersek's look, and responding with a cocky smirk, Incalia plunged forward with him as they charged for Nevven. However, the rest of the pack soon arrived, and she took it in her stride. Spotting the two wolves heading for her son, Incalia barked out to Ardeth, and mother and son ran to Huerosan's aid.

Incalia aimed to ram Grace into the ground, then seize her throat in her jaws.

Ardeth aimed to slash at Faith's face and eyes, trying to blind her.

Litharaz and Onslaught also followed as the Haunter's launched their attack. They each saw the family gathering round the pups. Onslaught targeted Shiro, aiming for her throat and chest.

Litharaz aimed for Ajay, instead dipping down to slash at his underbelly.

Black Ivory .+. Ghoul .+. Others

Racing in at top speed came Rasheetah as she aimed to snag Nevven out from behind Kuro. Only when she passed by did she slow to accurately catch the pup. If she was able to grab him, she would speed back up without a second thought and sprint straight to the temple. We are just rescuing them. She thought to herself as she watched the poorly situated pack land.

Ghoul came up - although in pain from being ganged up on. He limped his way nearer his mother before catching sight of Kuro attacking Tersek. Without hesitation, the already injured male lunged for the front legs of Kuro, hoping Tersek would get the attention of the others main weaponry.

Black Ivory came in with a graceful air, her black and white body almost a blur as she raced in and aimed for Shiro - hoping to snag the mother wolf and send her to the ground. "Give up and I we will not harm you - we are only here for our Traitor!" She snarled as she attempted to push Shiro into submission.

Heavily built, Riot came in quickly. Training in the water gave her extra strength as well as the ability to defy air resistance: Since water resistance was much stronger. Riot took her aim at the back feet of Luna, trying to trip her and disable her from getting to Thunder.

Double teaming as the forest group, Havik and Demolition raced through the brush and tried to ambush Penguin and knock his trajectory path to the ground. Both came up on the same side, just to reinforce the action of getting the other down.

Dab and Fleet, light on their feet. Came racing in zig zagging each other. One passing in front of the other to confuse the enemy in such a tactic. Their aim was Faith; As Ardeth attacked the other, Dab and Fleet sped up, as they got closer their jaws both opened as if both were going to attack her at the same time, but instead, both gave fake snaps at her face before branching off. Dab took the initiative to turn around and aid Ardeth by attack the back end of Faith while Fleet took quickly to aiding Incalia in assaulting Grace.

The others stayed in the brush until things got a little wilder.

Coriscan, Nevven, & Jasper

Fascination quickly morphed into horror as the parade of animals seemed to diverge on his location. Startled by the sudden transformation, Nevven stood dumbfounded as they rushed for him. Even as his pack swooped in to protect, Nevven was not use to the ferocity that he saw, and it shocked him to his core. While he was saved from Tersek's grap, Rasheetah and the others had come up from behind. Hardly before he knew what was happening, he felt himself being snatched up from the ground in the jaws of the cheetah.

Coriscan finally became aware of the danger. Scrambling up, he gave Jasper a forceful nudge, "Jasp! Wake up!"

"Wha... dad? I'm tired..." The pup groaned, not understanding the dire situation that was playing out in the distance. A sharp nip to his flank got him moving though, as he shot a surprised and angery glare at his father.

"Run to the den, hurry! GO!" Coriscan barked in a voice of savagery that took all the questions out off of Jasper's tounge. While the pup bolted away, the father headed to the scene of the battle.

The hybrid felt his heart sink when he topped the nearest hill and saw the swarm of Haunters in his home. They were hopelessly outnumbered. For a moment, he almost turned and fled himself, but was struck by the pang of guilt; he couldn't flee and leave the others to fight. Giving a defying howl, Coriscan torpedoed down the slope as he picked up momentum. As he tore across the ground, he aimed to tackle Black Ivory, and seize her by the throat...

Kuro; Others

Kuro kept up his attack on Tersek. He put his sister's life above his. If he died, at least he would die defending the white wolf who was so precious to him.

Shiro was unable to defend herself against all these creatures. As soon as the enemies rushed at her, she backed into her den, blocking the Haunters from getting her pups. "Nevven!" She cried out. In an angry rage, she snapped at anyone who was unfortunate enough to be at the mouth of the hole. "Only a demon would steal a pup! Go back to the fires of hell!" She snarled, baring her teeth.

Thankfully, Grace was very lean, like her sisters. She easily dodged Incalia and spun around to snap at the older wolf. However, Fleet took a chuck out of her shoulder.

"Leave my brothers and sisters alone!" Faith snarled as she turned around to see Shiro under attack. "I'll kill you for touching her, sewer rats!" With that, the lean wolfess leapt over Ardeth and swerved around Dab, barreling herself at Litharaz, just as the enemy's claws scraped across Ajay's side. He launched out at Litharaz, snapping at his face.

Penguin and Luna continued running at Thunder, the younger wolves' attacks just missing them.

Rasheetah and others

As soon as soft fur engulfed the space of her mouth, Rasheetah secured her hold before sprinting up to her top speed to leave the land. Only when she was out of sight did she slow her pace to trot and continued toward the temple.

Ghoul continued to snap violently at the legs of Kuro before moving his attack upward toward the other's belly. Attempting to tear into the tender boneless flesh that surrounded his innards.

Occupied with attempting to subdue Shiro, Black Ivory was thrown against the grown by Coriscan. Bewildered by what had just happened she attempted to haul herself up, but her blind actions did very little to aid her in anything: as she lifted herself her throat was abruptly seized by the hybrid and she gave a shivering yelp "H-Help!" Only 100 pounds, she was still growing into her body and not as strong as the rest. Her tail tucked between her legs and she shivered as her life was now in her enemy's jaws.

Violence shook with anticipation as he watched the others fight in the distance. Deep ambers took in the others for those who needed rescuing. His eyes were on Fleet and Dab as they made their move before he heard the loud cry of his pack mate, Black Ivory. Growling his glance switched to see the female in the jaws of the traitor, and as if a demon had possessed him, he snarled dangerously and bolted from his hiding spot. His training would do him little in stealth while he saw one of his own being killed by the one they were sent to retrieve. "Why you son of a -" He aimed to smash into Coriscan's side and knock his grip lose. Then aimed to tear at the others throat but diverted and aimed to break a leg and handicap the perpetrator from doing further harm.

Feeling the chunk of flesh, Fleet gained a new round of energy and heightened his attacks and began to bite at Grace's throat and chest. Hoping to seize something vital in his next round.

Dab grunted with his miss but was determined not to lose his target. Swiftly he stayed just behind Faith and lunched at her when he got close enough. Training in the marsh taught him how to be fast on his feet and maneuverable. His aim was to knock her feet out from under her before she got to her intended target.

Havik and Demolition wheeled around and continued to pursue Penguin and Luna. Both were very large wolves, and very powerful, tried to knock the other's off their course.

Incalia, Ardeth, Onslaught, Litharaz

Onslaught wasn't quick enough to dodge the rogue jaws of Shiro, and her fangs tore across his face. Luckily, they missed his eyes, and he was about to attack again when Black Ivory was attacked by Coriscan. Whirling round at her cry for help, Onslaught bounded for Coriscan, snarling brutally, "Defector!" he snapped, and tried to time his attack. If Violence managed to tackle the target, Onslaught would seize Coriscan's throat, but if Violence missed, her would dive for a hind leg to help hinder the traitor.

Incalia propelled herself into the air to dodge Grace's snap, landing elegantly before pivoting to face her rival. Grinning as Fleet took out a chunk of flesh, Incalia drove forward, dipping down before sending her jaws sharply upwards for a throat hold.

Litharaz found himself double-teamed by Faith and Ajay. Leaping back to avoid Ajay's fangs, he missed being struck by Faith by a hair. However, Ardeth was not far behind Faith, and as Ardeth launched himself at the back of Faith's neck, Litharaz aimed to slide beneath Ajay and tear at his underbelly.

Tersek & Others

Tersek plowed forward into Kuro's attack, taking the bite to the shoulder as he offered a fierce counter with his own fangs. The savage hybrid reared up slightly, snapping for the other's face and muzzle.

Thunder's Call roared in pain as the two wolves assaulted him. The grizzly swung his massive paws at Penguin, trying to slam the wolf to the ground in one deadly blow. His heavy jaws then swung towards Luna, trying to seize any bit of flesh he could and rip it.

Yarrow had other plans. While the others fought, the liger headed for the den and began to use her formidable weight and large paws to work away at the soil near the enterance. If they couldn't get the mother and pups out, she would cave in the tunnel and let them all suffocate in the earthen tomb.

Callholm joined in the assault on Fleet. Backed by Huerosan, the panther and hybrid teamed up as the snapped and slashed at the enemy.

Xuvan joined Ghoul in the attack on Kuro. While the wolf went for Kuro's underbelly, Xuvan went for the hind legs, sending his long canines for the tendons and major veins.

Martimoor and Leopeson sought out Coriscan. Knowing this defector was to be brought back alive, they offered light snaps slashes while circling around him. They would help prevent the hybrid's escape while he was subdued by the other Haunters.

Leope and Dulsca both targeted Ajay. Using fang and claw, the two African lions aimed to tear the enemy to shreds.

Without claws, Chahaya was still a formidable enemy. The siberian tigeress had weight and a nasty set of fangs to attack with. As the enemies were hopelessly surrounded, she set her sights on Grace. Like the others, she was mercilious in her assault, snapping and batting at the wolf if she got close enough, with the intent to kill. Mo< Donte, Dawning Eclipse, and Bergamot all ganged up on Faith. The young hybrid took turns darting in and snapping at the fae.

Fanta

Fanta charged and headed for the den, her fangs barred as she went for Shiro, ready to stop the fae from interferring with the plan to steal the pups. "We don't steal, we save these pups. With the protection of the Haunters, your pups will be much safer then in this hell." Fanta snarled, going for Shiro's neck viciously.

Osprey; Shiro; Black; White; Gray

Shiro snarled at Fanta. "Good parents do not initiate attacks on other packs. You're trying to kill the pups right now! What does that say about you?!" She shot back. She then snapped viciously at Yarrow's paws, trying to keep her from collapsing the den on top of them.

Just when there seemed to be no hope, there were four more wolves. Osprey, Penguin's brother, had come crawling back again. This time, he had three females with him. "Get away from my nephew, meat!" He howled out, rushing for Ghoul and lunging at him.

Black, the massive, 150 pound Mackenzie Valley Wolf, launched herself at Fanta.

White raced straight at Tersek, aiming to plow him over.

Gray leapt at Onslaught, snapping her strong jaws at his spine.

Fanta

Fanta smirked. "We don't kill pups, we aren't killing. Open your eyes." Fanta snarled. Fanta saw Black and turned swiftly to face her. Black slammed into Fanta's chest, the fae snarled grimly. "The Haunters might kill those who can defend themselves, but we are uncivil and kill the young. The young could possibly become our warriors if we manage to clean the poison you bitches put into them." Fanta swerved and snapped at Black's face, her hackles raised. Fanta would have to kill Black before she continued her plans.

Tersek & Others

Under the relentless and whirlwind assault, Coriscan couldn't hope to outmatch his enemies. He tried valiantly though, snarling like a rabid beast as he lunged this way and that to counter their attacks. Leopeson and Martimoor were soon the owners of some nasty flesh wounds about their sides and limbs, and were eager to return the favor.

As Kuro was engaged by Xuvan, Tersek vaulted over the rushing White, while spinning about and offering her a good snap at the hindquarters. "Haunters, fall back! We have what we want!" He ordered, feeling the rush of power and adrenaline that came with directing a wing of powerful warriors. The grizzled hybrid was pulling rank now, even though he was not the highest one in the heirarchy.

The other disenaged from their assaults, some going quickly while others were more reluctant. "Get the traitor and return to the Temple!" Tersek howled out, as he began to run to the west. Like a wave, the others followed suit. Being the largest in the assembly of creatures, Thunder's Call took it upon himself to grab the defeated Coriscan by the nape and haul after Tersek. He got a few good snaps for his efforts, but eventually shifted his hold in a way that prevented the prisoner from reaching him with fangs.