~Jay~

Great guardian foxes, these guys are looking for a fight! I tense up, my fur ruffling as my tail stiffens.

"I-is this really necessary?" I call to the Sunpack foxes. They growl in return, my ears flatten against my head, them twitching slightly. My eyes narrow into slits.

"If it is what we must do to keep our home." Ray snarled, venom and a bit of regret lacing her voice. I press my lips in a thin line. A bald pelt with fur pointed at Joy, Whisper and I.

"Attack!" It screamed in its foreign language. Whisper and Joy look at me, mouth attack at them, their gazes darken. My trio looks at the pack of foxes, their tails hanging high in the air and crouch down, like scorpions.

"They are treating you like pets! The bald pelt world is no life for a fox! You're being used! They are making you do their labor!" I state persuasively, their pupils diminish.

"Don't try to pull this around Jay Fire." An orange fox with white and gray dapples sneered. I shake my head, ignoring the She.

"You shouldn't be here, you should be running free in the forests, catching prey! Not here laying around doing bald pelt work, this isn't right!" I continue to try to reason.

"Silence!" Ray snaps, I wince at the sudden noise. "Your facts are pointless Jay, we have to kill you. We can make it quick and painless, or, you can make it hard and painful."

I gulp,

"I prefer no death at all." Joy mumbles loud enough for the pack to hear.

"That is no option, now chose." The Sunpack leader howls, I narrow my eyes. I open my mouth without speaking.

"Three to a pack is unfair, send out three of your to fight against us." I command.

The Sunpack foxes glance at each other, gazes of agreement and disagreement shooting around. Ray's ear twitches,

"Still not an option." Ray shakes her head in disapproval.

"How about......" Whisper offers trailing off.

"Run!" He bellows, my legs taking off under me as I nimbly maneuvered around the Sunpack foxes, them howling as they chased after us. Air roared in my ears, the shouts of bald pelts cutting the air, them to muffled for me to hear. Whisper took the lead, bringing our trio to a cave, a musky scent hanging in the air.

"Whisper, I don't think this is a—." Joy was cut off, a screech breaking the silence as the three of us darted away, passing Sunpack.

"Hah, cowa-" the silver fox sneered before helping in surprise.

"Badger!" A fox warned.

Foxes darted onto positions, raking their claws against the badgers pelt, both animals dripping with blood. A cry sounds, me whipping around.

A pup! My legs start with my permission, running as fast I've ever had before. The pup was black with gray highlights and leafy green eyes. I scooped the pup up by his scuff, earning a small help from the pup. The infant trembled in my grasp. A thump churning on the ground as the badger gave in, its lifeless eyes boring into my skull. I set the pup on the ground, giving him a reassuring lick.

"Coal!" The dappled She from earlier yelped with relief, pulling Coal in a warm embrace coating the pup with licks.

"I'm alright She." The so called Coal squeaked,

"Jay saved me." He explained, gesturing towards me. The She looks at me, her gaze softening.

"Jay, thank you. I am Morning." She greeted with thankfulness. I dipped my head in respect for the She.

"I lost my She and He. It was heartbreaking." I sorrowfully tell Morning. "I don't want to imagine what heartbreak a She would feel for her pup." My eyes felt a bit glossy but I blinked away the tears.

"I'm...sorry." She apologized, I pressed my lips in a thin line.

"It's alright." I give her a shy smile, I just realized how quiet it was, I turn around to see the eyes of my friends and Sunpack. I look at Ray, the ginger fox opened her mouth.

"I'm-" she started. Crack! A boom stick ripped through the air, its boom causing the foxes to shrink down in fear, Joy burying her head in Whisper's chest as the fighter peeled his lips into a snarl.

"Those bald pelts." He growled. I nod at him in agreement. A mob of bald pelt's appear, weapons of their own as many carried boom sticks while others held their held claws. I shuddered, the held claws the bald pelts held were for close combat. However, with a single stab, you'd lose plenty of blood and earn a new scar.

The bald pelt shouted.

"Get the traps! Ready your weapons! These scoundrels have turned on us! We've offered them food and shelter, but they weren't grateful! Kill them!" The bald pelt with red hair bellowed in rough voice. I repeat the sentence to the foxes, them all quivering in fear and caution.

"We have to attack!" A light gray fox pointed out. I shake my head swiftly.

"No!" I say desperately, my voice cracking slightly, I clear my throat.

"No, they will just shoot or stab you!" I explain, the gray fox thinks before stepping back.

"We will run." Ray commands, bodies flex ready to flee.

"Three." The bald pelt counts, my eyes widen.

"Two." The world goes slow.

"One." The word makes my blood run cold,

"No!" I shriek, throwing my body in front of Joy, I brace my self for pain. Ready for the burning coming to my pelt, a sharp point puncturing the side of my stomach. The feelings of ripping in a bald pelt's grasp. It doesn't come, the only thing  that comes.

Is black.