Forest of Life

Forest at foot of the Mountains.

The meadow was filled with lush flowers. They blew softly in the breeze, carrying their scent throughout the territory. Bees and butterflies flew around, taking in the sweet necter from the bounty of flowers. There was a sudden rustle through the yellow and green. A pause, then more movement. A young wolf was moving quickly through the field. He stopped to smell if there were any pursuers, then continued on. In his jaws hung a strand of a deer's pelt. It was pulled out thinly and brought around to form a necklace from which a blue amulet was attached. The amulet glowed brightly and emitted a low hum. The wolf poked his head from the flowers, which were taller than him when he crouched, and looked around intensely. His eyes sought every detail of the land. He didn't want to be caught...

A sudden rustle to his right announced a silent assassin. A large wolf appeared from the ocean of flowers and lunged for the young wolf, who was snarling and cowering from his sudden appearance. The assassin grabbed the wolf's neck and pulled him to the ground. He shook the young wolf as though he were a tiny pup. The wolf snarled and whimpered in fear and pain. The assassin growled and slammed the young wolf's head into the ground. A crunching sound and a red splatter on the dirt announced a fractured skull.

The young wolf stared at his enemy for a moment, then his eyes closed as he passed out from the blow. His jaws became loose and the amulet was dropped on the ground. The assassin dropped the wolf harshly and looked at the amulet, his eyes filled with awe and desire.

The assassin walked closer to the amulet, its low and constant hum drawing him. The wolf took the deer hide in his teeth and picked it up. He could feel the power emanating from it. He smiled crudely. "So this is the Water Amulet, huh? With this power, the world would have to bend before our will..." he said coldly. His self-victory was short lived as the young wolf appeared at his throat suddenly, trying to tackle him. He dug his fangs deep into the assassin's jugular, causing blood to spurt forth. The assassin gasped from the impact but stayed on his feet. He shook off the young wolf and dropped the amulet to grab him by the scruff.

The young wolf cried out again. "Damn it! Let me go! You'll never get the amulet; it belonged to my family!!" he shouted at the assassin. He was thrown into the nearby river, though it wasn't deep enough to pull him under.

The assassin approached him, the amulet once again dangling from his mouth. He smiled wickedly. "Give up, Elan. This amulet will be a present for my master. When I give it to him, I will be rewarded greatly. Master will lead us to freedom; he will help us conquer over our enemies; he will help us gain more territory. We will become the greatest pack in existence! And as for you and any enemy of Master's...you will perish..." he said coldly. As he said it, he whipped the deer hide and caught the amulet in his mouth. Elan's eyes widened in terror as he began to slowly bite down. Though the assassin didn't bite very hard, it served its purpose well enough. Elan began to writhe in pain. He coughed blue blood as the assassin wolf came and bit him on his skull's fracture point. Elan fell into darkness again and lay in the river, his blood mingling with the river's swift current.

Silence came over the land again, and the birds began singing again as Elan layed still in the river. The assassin stared at him and growled thoughtfully. He set down the amulet and went to Elan, nudging him into deeper waters. Elan was taken suddenly, and the assassin smiled with grim pleasure.

Kiba came into his territory and sniffed around. He went over a hill and noticed two figures in the distance. When he saw the bigger figure pushing the smaller figure into the river, he snarled and rushed over to them. Just as the assassin was about to leave, Kiba came and tackled him into the river. They struggled for minutes, biting and clawing at each other. Kiba finally sent the assassin running, and he stood for a moment with his fangs bared and tail raised, forgetting about the smaller wolf. When he remembered, he turned to run after him. He spotted the Water amulet and stood still, its low hum finally audible in his ears. Kiba's eyes slowly began to glow as his demon strained towards it. Kiba shook it off and grabbed the amulet, thinking that it would be best to keep the strange object safe.

Kiba rushed alongside the river and followed it downstream, searching for the young wolf who was taken in its waters. When he spotted him, Kiba jumped into the strong waters and began making his way over to the stranger. He grabbed the wolf by its scruff and tried to pull him to shore. They began approaching a waterfall, and the rapids became too fierce to oppose their will. They were pulled over and sent to the river below. Kiba burst to the surface after they landed, gasping for air. He quickly hauled himself and the young wolf to shore. He pulled the wolf to a nearby cave and set him inside. He turned around and collapsed at the entrance, his side bleeding from the drop when he struck a large rock hidden in the river's waters. Kiba looked at the amulet in front of him, his eyes halfway shut as he listened to its quiet song. Kiba's eyes closed, weighted from the forces of sleep. He slipped into darkness as a small pool of blood began to form around his side.

Kiba's eyes opened slightly and he smiled at her voice. "So, Deathey, decided to join us, eh?" he said, chuckling slightly.

Kiba chuckled at her response. "Yeah, it's not so bad. You should try it sometime..." he whispered. He coughed suddenly, and blue blood appeared. He smiled slightly. "I feel so tired, sister..." Kiba whispered, his eyes slowly closing.

Kiba growled and tried to push her away. "Damn it, Deathrow, I told you not to waste your life on me," he said.

Kiba growled at her again, then he sat up and coughed a little. He looked at her again. "Why did you come here?" he asked.

Kiba looked back at the young wolf curled up in a ball. "I'm not sure. When I had left you, I saw him floating unconcious in the river," he said. "That's why I took my little 'tumble'; I went to rescue him.." Kiba coughed again.