The anxiety was growing at an uncontrollable rate within Drifter. His bright blue eyes were scanning the horizon line, watching each one of the dens made in the side of the hills he could see. However, the only thing moving around in those grassy meadows were the bees and the occasional rabbit hopping among the flowers. None of the wolves he knew to be living there were nearby. None of the pups were playing in the grass with their mothers nearby to watch them. There was no training going on between the hunters, the pack was just far too silent for Drifter's liking. By now, someone should have heard him yipping away and came to see what all the noise was about. 

There was nothing. That alone left a sour feeling within Drifter's stomach. 

Risking his hyde, Drifter slowly stood up and silenced all the embarrassing yipping he had been making. Careful steps towards the pack's many dens were made through the lush green grass that stood between himself and the living location of the pack. All the while, his eyes shifted side to side, watching his back with every carefully planned paw-step he decided to make. The last thing he needed was to be ambushed and unable to return to Moondust like he had promised her. 

"Gambit. . ?" 

His voice was no more than a whisper, barely being able to to be heard over the constant buzzing of the bees around him. It was the one thing that Drifter disliked about the location of the pack, all the bees that seemed to flit around on the wildflowers that colored the rolling fields before him. 

Clearing his throat in hopes of speaking a little louder, Drifter opened his jaws to call out for Gambit once more, but was taken by complete surprise. 

From the left, Drifter was slammed by a large brown wolf and pinned to the ground like he was some sort prey ready to be placed upon the buffett stump. His bright blue eyes went wide, his lips peeling back to revealing his teeth while snarling at whatever had the audacity to attack him. Though, realization came in the form of confusion and absolute disbelief when his eyes met with pitch black orbs staring down at him as if he had lost his damned mind. 

"Keep your voice down, it isn't safe within the hills right now." 

Drifter's mind took two seconds to click into working mode, his comprehension of what was being said only sinking in when he tilted his head back enough to look towards the hills. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, nothing seemed dangerous to him, but Drifter knew when to take another wolf's words to heart. Especially when that wolf was part of a pack and was in the process of protecting those they cared dearly for. 

Slowly turning his electric blue eyes back onto Gambit, the brown wolf he considered a friend and close acquaintance, he pinned the male wolf with a quizzical stare. 

"What's going on, where is everyone?" 

Gambit had turned his own black gaze onto the rolling hills before them, the home he had to flee from only recently. However, upon hearing Drifter's question, it took everything within him to look away and back down at his friend. A breathy huff left Gambit, the forced air falling upon Drifter's nose as he backed off of the wolf he was pinning. 

"The humans, they're at it again. They're smoking out our dens and searching us out. They seem to do this around the same time each moon cycle." 

"The human!" 

"Shh, keep it down." 

Ducking his head like a pup that had just gotten scolded, Drifter pinned Gambit with an apologetic look before lowering his head. 

"Sorry, but the humans? They're early this moon cycle, I didn't think they would be out until the rising of the next full moon, not this one." 

Nodding his head in agreement, Gambit jerked his head in the direction that he had just come from in hopes that Drifter would follow him. The last thing he wanted was to be caught out in the open by a hunting human, unable to return back to the pack he called home. At the same time, he didn't want his wandering friend to get caught out there, unable to protect himself from whatever those humans had planned for them. 

Getting the hint, Drifter rolled himself over onto his paws, standing from his earlier pinned position. He shook out his moss covered fur and turned his blue eyed gaze onto his slowly retreating friend. Like Gambit, he lowered his head and began a little trot away from the hills as if they moved too fast anything would spot them. 

Their footsteps were like a tip-toe, quiet steps across the grassy stretch of land and away from the burrows that Gambit's pack used to call home. Their heads remained low, trying to keep themselves hidden to some degree despite the lack of trees that surrounded the area. The grass was tall enough to give some coverage, but even the weakest of eyes could spot the discoloration in the lush green tone that tried to hide them. On high alert, both male wolve's gazes drifted in every direction, watching one another's backs and the area around. They refused to be caught off guard by a human lurking in the nearby bushes that speckled the landscape. 

However, Gambit's delay in answering Drifter's question was delayed no longer; 

"We thought that as well. Normally we plan for the humans to show up and then we return when we are certain that they have left. If they weren't in such large numbers, we would send a group of our hunters out to scare them off." 

With a tilt of his head, Drifter gave a curious look to his friend before glancing over his shoulder with a worried look. Moondust was still out there, he only hoped that she would be alright by herself for a little while longer. 

"Drifter, are you listening?" 

Snapping his head back, Drifter looked back towards Gambit and gave a quick nod of his head. HIs eyes filled with an apology followed closely by a wolfish grin. He hadn't meant for his attention to drift, but he had also promised he would keep Moondust safe and help her find aid for her ailing pack. 

"Yes, sorry. Got caught up in watching our backs." 

Drifter knew it was such a lie, he wasn't caught up in watching their backs, he was caught up in the she-wolf that he left behind to search out Gambit. Though, he's found Gambit, now he needed to talk to him and hopefully get back to Moondust before any humans made it that far and found her. 

He only hoped that the humans hadn't made it out that far yet and Moondust was safe. 

"How large of a group are we talking about?" 

Drifter needed to know how big the group truly was and if Moondust had a chance of defending herself long enough for him to get back to her. If not, he would have to skip out on talking with Gambit and return to his traveling companion as quickly as he possibly could. Though, it wasn't like he didn't trust her enough to keep herself safe, he didn't want it to seem like he had abandoned her for something else. 

A sad look crossed over Gambit's dark eyes, his quietly trotting strides coming to a slow stop. A heavy sigh escaped from Drifter's friend's lips, the large brown wolf looking more exhausted than he did two seconds prior. In fact, he was full of life back at the field, but now it looked completely drained from his as if these humans had just sucked it out of Gambit. 

"We've lost count. It started with maybe four, five tops. Each day, however, more and more came. We didn't stand a chance sending anyone out. The risk was far too large in losing our packmates." 

That was not what Drifter wanted to hear. It only raised his fears for Moondust even more, which was what prompted him to jump subjects and hope that some aid could be given to his new she-wolf friend. 

"I'm sorry to change subjects on you like this Gambit, but I really need to talk to you about something serious. Something more serious and urgent then the humans right now." 

It was now Gambit's turn to be confused and one could see it in his black eyes as his head tilted to the side. He swiveled his body around to face Drifter fully rather than looking over his shoulder, no longer ready to run despite the humans roaming their fields and forests. Insteady, Gambit had a rush of worry flow through his powerful body, hoping all was truly well for his moss covered friend standing before him. 

"Drifter, what is it?" 

"I-" 

Drifter started, glancing over his shoulder in the direction he had left Moondust once more. He too was worried, but for an entirely different reason. Speaking of Moondust and her being on pack territory could go one of two ways for her, just like it could for him. One: Gambit and his back could very well attack her as a warning to her own pack just for being on their territory. Two: and he was hoping for this outcome, but they could gain the assistance needed to help her pack out without much a problem. 

"I left a she-wolf from the riverside pack alone within the thinning trees. She was coming to seek out the help from your medic, but I decided I would speak on her behalf since she is technically trespassing upon your pack's land." 

Turning back to face Gambit, Drifter was surprised to see the wide black eyes of his friend. Disbelief and that are-you-stupid look was plastered upon Gambit's face like it had been there all his life. If Drifter's ears could go flat against his head, they probably would have done so by now. However, the dirty rag of a wrap that circled his head prevented his ears from ever laying down. Instead, his tail sunk and tucked between his legs knowing he was about to get scolded in some way. 

Gambit's wide eyes remained on Drifter, his head shaking back and forth slowly in utter disbelief. He just found out that there was a she-wolf standing around somewhere in their tiny little forest and humans roaming around, trying to hunt them down for some reason. 

"Really Drifter? That has to be the most dangerous and most stupid thing you've ever done to date. We have humans out here trying to do Moon Goddess knows what and you left a she-wolf out there on her own!?" 

"How was I supposed to know there were humans around? I was just trying to keep her safe, make sure she had the best chance of speaking with your medic before bringing her over." 

Understanding where his friend was coming from, Gambit really couldn't be mad at him. However, he still felt the frustrated anger coursing through him over the stupidity of his friend. Even if it would have been dangerous for the she-wolf, at least she would have made herself present like Drifter had. With her out in the open like that, it looked bad. It appeared like Drifter had showed up and his backup was waiting to attack from behind, thankfully, the Moon Goddess was on their side this time. 

"Alright, we go together and get her. The pack is taking refuge on neutral land, so they won't be able to kick either you out of the territory." 

As a sense of relief washed over Drifter, he had to remind himself that they were going out there to get Moondust.  

With a turn of his body, Drifter aimed himself in the direction that Gambit and himself had just come from. A quick glance to his new companion and a nod from Gambit was all he needed to take off at yet another run. The Goddess knew he was going to need a long nap after all the running around he had been doing, but this was a literal race against time to make certain someone was safe and not in trouble with humans. 

Drifter didn't need to look back to know that Gambit was following him. The matching thuds of paws on hard ground was enough to tell him that his brown furred companion was keeping up just fine. Both of them equally determined to get to Moondust, both of them equally determined to make certain she was safe. Though, it was Drifter who was praying to the Moon Goddess the hardest that he hadn't just screwed up and cost a she-wolf that had her entire life ahead of her, her life. 

**** **** ****

It was quiet out there in the wide open forest, the sounds of other animals putting Moondust both on edge and exciting her for a future hunt. She hadn't eaten since before she left that morning and the sound of food was tempting, but she also told Drifter she would stay put so he could come back and find her. The very thought had Moondust pacing back and forth, her thoughts conflicting and agitating her to a small degree. She wasn't one to just sit around for very long in one spot. She was a hunter, she had to be out there doing something, especially now that she was back out in the wild and not stuck in her pack's den. 

Forcing herself to sit down, Moondust tucked her paws and wrapped her tail around her. Her tail still flicked every once in awhile, but it was her eyes that were on the constant move. Every little sound drew her attention, every little shadowy movement from the corner of her eyes pulled her gaze to it. She was both alert and on edge, hoping that Drifter hurried back soon. He had been gone longer than she expected him to be. If this had been a friend or acquaintance of his, she thought he would have returned by now with some sort of answer for her. 

How wrong she was. 

Moondust's thoughts were cut short the moment a stray branch snapped in the distance. Sure, she had been listening to branches snap all around her for the passed few minutes. However, this one sounded as if it had been stepped on by someone or something. This didn't sound like the typical branch snapping from above, falling because some squirrel misjudged their jump and tumbled back down to the earth with the limb they snapped. No, this sounded like one that had long since been on the ground and was too frail to withstand anything stepping upon it. 

Standing once more, her eyes frantically shot around the open space she had been sitting in. There were only so many places that one could choose to hide in, especially with the lack of trees around. What trees did stand tall in the forest were just that, tall and very thin. Most didn't even have a place to crawl under and use for cover. There were some nearby bushes, but she didn't know what could be hiding within them or if they were filled with spiky thorns. 

She had been caught in a thorn filled bush when she was nothing more than a hunting apprentice, Moondust knew how uncomfortable and dangerous that could be. 

Making a quick split decision, Moondust decided she was going to risk the bushes. With her options so limited, she needed to do what she could to hide from whatever was coming in her direction. 

Taking off into the forest a short distance from where she had been standing so she could get to the nearest bush. She never took the chance to look it over, never checked for traps or thorns. Instead, she dove into the thick bushel of leaves, working her way as low as she could get to hide herself underneath it. Her tail tucked under her back paws and front paws were pulled in so tight she looked like she didn't have any at first. Her eyes peered through the thick foliage, watching for any signs of the owner that snapped the branches. Meanwhile, her ears were perked up high, listening for the footsteps making their way towards her. 

Closer. . . closer. . . and closer yet. Moondust nearly held her breath the entire time, her blue eyes wide, heart racing as she listened to the soft thump getting closer with each passing second. 

She hoped she was hidden well enough because she didn't want to be caught with her guard down.