"Seriously, Lexi, can we move yet?"

Twisting in the direction of the words, Lexi crawled through a gap in the tight branches, careful not to shake the bush. Storm stared back at her, paws tangled amongst the leaves. Her expression was less than content.

Offering her friend a resigned smile, Lexi shook her head. "Not yet. We've got to wait until the sun is fully up."

"But isn't it bright enough already?" Storm jabbed a claw towards the dappled sunlight managing to squeeze into their hiding place.

"There'll still be enough dark spots to give us a disadvantage." Lexi ducked lower, making sure to keep her voice at a bare whisper. "And Joeonto's group are going first before they signal to us. We've got to wait a little longer."

"Fine," Storm growled. She smiled grimly and yanked her paw towards her. "I think I'd rather return to paperwork than be stuck in here."

Lexi's smile widened. "Not much longer," she said again, before manouvring herself around to face away from Storm once more.

She couldn't see Nefaris from here, but she knew its gaping mouth lay before her. She was mostly sure that they were far enough away that Shadewylf guards wouldn't catch their mutterings or notice rustles in the bushes, though they kept their conversations short and quiet and their movements slight just in case.

Her and Storm's group were all gathered in the undergrowth around here, some in bushes like them whilst those with a little more agility had climbed the trees. They were all to move at Lexi's command. Even the thought brought a smile, tainted my nerves but reinforced by confident excitement.

It was surprising how accepting the Wylfire had been of her plan. Joeonto had helped her finalise the details, but it was mostly a move of her making. Though Storm had helped a lot by being her usual demanding self, her casual flickers of lightning just bordering on threatening.

Damon had been less helpful, though by no fault of their own. The majority of the Wylfire hadn't been keen for a pup who failed their tests to join in on an important mission, but there was no other option. He was here now, and unless they stashed him in some burrow somewhere and left him, it was safer for him to stay and help them.

But none of that mattered now. Lexi was here, with the powerful force of the Wylfire beside her, and together they would save Toivo.

As she gazed through the branches and willed the growing light to rise faster, Toivo was at the forefront of her mind. His absence had been eating away at her, even with the comfort of being back in Borealton, and now the hope of finding him again lit a blaze in her heart.

Perhaps, when he returned with her, his father would be more kind to him? Sarai had been as cold as always, but Maynard did seem to feel some sort of remorse, mixed as it was. Maybe they could settle their differences, and Toivo wouldn't hate his home so much. He and his father could start over.

After all of this rescue, the town had to accept Toivo. Shadewylf or not, he'd fought bravely, and stood against those of his own Pelt. If nothing else, he deserved to live amongst them once more.

With a silent sigh, Lexi planted her paws firmly into the earth. Things were so wildly different now. Everything had changed within a matter of days, and she doubted normality would return any time soon. The fight against the Shadewylves, drawn right from the historic files, was real and unfolding right before her eyes. It seemed she might be becoming one of those war heroes she'd read about after all.

Slowly, she shook her head. But there was no time to think about what was to come, not right now. In this moment, all she had to think about was this rescue, and she wouldn't stop thinking about that until Toivo was safely beside her.

Her gaze tilted to the sky once more. The sun had cleared the ground, now obscured only by the mass of forest. Its rays cut through the leaves and swept the forest floor in disjointed patches. Even the smallest specs of light managed to filter through the undergrowth to sparkle amongst the gold of Lexi's fur.

She set her jaw, staring with dagger-like force in the cave's direction. It was time.

"Now?" Storm whispered hopefully from behind, probably noticing Lexi's change in posture.

Not even glancing back, Lexi replied, "Not yet."

But her ears were bolt upright, stretched as much as they could, ready to grasp for the slightest of sounds.

It didn't take long for them to occur. Several paws crunched against bracken, the force heavy from high leaps and pounces. They moved as once, no longer concerned for stealth, their pace clearly audible.

Far ahead, a howl pierced the air. An alarm call, signifying the incoming attack. Though Lexi remained stationary, her heart thumped along with the Flamewylves' paws, willing them to drive forward and clash with whatever Shadewylf had made the call.

Even though it took place a fair distance away, the sound of claws meeting fur was distinct, impossible to miss. Several yelps paired with triumphant growls resonated through the forest, shattering the fragile peace of early morning. Even the sun's rays seemed to shrink away for a moment, ducking behind some far-off tree, waiting with bated breath.

Lexi pictured Joeonto's coral-coloured paws, nearly twice the size of her own. The shudder that had always passed through her at his entry. The claws that protruded from those paws, thick and sharp, shaped for slicing opponents.

Come on, Joeonto. You can do this.

Another howl. More cries. The forces of flame and shadow had crashed in their entirety now, locked deep in combat. One tone of yelp Lexi detected was eerily similar to Joeonto's growl. It felt wrong to remain here, but she reminded herself that charging out now would only increase the likelihood of them getting hurt. She had another task.

She allowed a few more seconds to tick by, feeling the dragging sting of each one, until something clicked in her mind. Now was their time.

Nothing needed to be said to Storm. As Lexi shuffled her paws forward, ducking her head to slide out of the bush, the pad of her friend's paws followed instantly. In silence, they emerged into the open.

One sweep of her gaze was all it took to uncover the wolves hidden in the forest. Strips of fire-stained fur tore away from the trees and flashed out of the undergrowth, though these paws were placed more carefully than Joeonto's team. Only soft thumps could be heard, and even that sound made Lexi wince. The Wylfire were not made for quiet. But they had to try.

She hoped the beat of their paws was masked by the sounds of battle. She hoped that Shadewylf ears were not twitching in their direction, too focused on the enemy before their eyes. So much of this relied on fragile hopes, but she kept her step light and her gaze hard, strengthening that hope with fierce determination.

This would work because she willed it so. Because she didn't know what she'd do if it didn't.

With all the skill they could manage, Lexi's team wound through the forest, edging a circle around the noise of battle. The cave's side loomed closer. Lexi allowed herself to glance back, drawing strength from the sight of Storm stood beside her. Faith shone in her gaze, and the beginnings of a smirk tugged at her snout. The sort of expression that said I'm proud of you, but this is still sort of funny.

It was just the look Lexi needed.

With anxious excitement coursing through her muscles, she stepped forward, and the others followed, like pups trailing a parent. They shadowed her as she moved forward, bending as she did, pausing beside her. But she forced herself to pull her attention from the thrill that thought gave her and dive into her memory.

On another morning like this, only two days ago, she had stood by the side of a cave. In the minutes she'd waited there, nerves raking her insides, she'd stared at a wall of grass-covered rock. There was heaps of that same appearence everywhere she turned here, but from the depths of her mind she drew detail, picturing the lines her eyes had traced. It had to be near here. This looked familiar. But not quite right.

She moved on, her steps disjointed, her eyes straining to make out every imperfection in the rock. The sound of claws on claws faded to the edge of her conciousness. She barely noticed the grass at her paws. Toivo was close, tantalizingly close, and she wasn't about to let him slip away.

There. A spit of rock peeking from its grassy cloak, shaped crudely like a wolf's snout, with a stripe of grey visible beneath green. This is it. She remembered gazing at that the moment before Angel had emerged from the ground, just a few steps away from it. It had made her jump at the time. Now she was still as stone.

"That's it," she whispered, unable to prevent the words from emerging. Only Storm seemed to hear. Her nod brushed the edges of Lexi's vision, and moments later a golden paw was sliding a curved stick towards her.

A slight smile of satisfaction curved Lexi's snout as she bent down to retrieve the stick. Unlike Konrad's metallic tool, which had been icy cold to the touch, this one thrummed with gentle heat. She held it delicately between her fangs.

This time, when she moved forward, no-one followed. This final task was for her alone.

She adjusted the tool in her jaw as she approached the outcrop of rock, tilting it sideways. By the time she reached the hillside, it was a simple case of touching the stick's wooden tip and marking a line through the thin layer of earth. Dirt fell away, and she felt rock shrink back beneath the tool's touch. When she pulled away, a much less natural stripe of stone-grey had appeared, along with a groove slicing into the hill.

Her eyes strayed sideways, where her group still awaited. Storm slowly shook her head in answer to the unsaid question.Good. She could work away a little more.

A few more swipes of the tool shaped the entrance to a tunnel large enough for an average sized wolf to squeeze into. Lifting a paw, she peered into the gap. This was the more nerve-wracking bit. Climbing in was not inviting in the slightest, but every step had to be smoothly performed.

The front half of her body was pulled into the hole. Retracting her head, she prepared to dig more, only for a shout to shatter her concentration.

"Lexi! They've found us!"

Her heart dropped. Time and time again, she'd run over scenarios where she heard those words, but the fear they brought could never be subdued. The tool falling from her jaw, Lexi sprung from the hole, racing back in the direction of the others.

"Come on, quickly, before they catch up!" Storm yelled, waving her paw while her tail flicked towards a group of approaching dark shapes. They were already close enough for black snouts to be visible against black fur. Heart hammering in her chest, Lexi reached Storm, and together with the Flamewylves they sprinted for the forest.

Lightning danced in her veins as she raced beside the others, clearing a log in one leap, darting around trees with as much speed as she could manage. All the time, Storm was right beside her, and the orange stripe of Flamewylves ahead. She forced her head to stay straight, eyes narrowed, focused only on running. It would do her no good to look back.

But she heard them, and the sound enough lent her fear-driven speed. A Shadewylf shout. The thump of a Shadewylf paw. Growing louder, growing closer, gaining with every breath.

Lexi's chest heaved. She'd run too much in the last few days, and her muscles begged for her to stop just for a moment, to allow a few precious seconds of rest. Yet that was all it would take for dark claws to find her.

She dared a glance back, though she knew it was pointless. A flashing glimpse of red eyes, sparking with the blood they hoped to shed, was enough to spur her on ever faster.

She gazed into the depths of the forest. If only they could make it. If only the Shadewylves would tire and leave them, and they could vanish into the shade of the trees, safe once more.

A single sound shattered that hope.

A wolf pounced close behind, the thump of paws right behind her. A snarl sliced the air, easily piercing her ear.

She and Storm shared one final look, resignation passing over their eyes in matching terror. There was no more running. If they kept going, the run would be their downfall.

The others had the same thought a moment before them. Lexi stumbled as a Flamewylf halted before her, then ducked low as he leaped right over her head. A resulting yelp followed from behind her. She spun around just in time to see the Shadewylf fall beneath orange paws.

Storm's paws had already left the ground as she sprung towards another chasing Shadewylf. Dodging away from the brawling Flamewylf, Lexi followed, golden sparks travelling down her paws. It still didn't feel quite right to release them so freely, but amid this split-second battle, she knew it was the only weapon that gave her a fighting chance.

All she had to do - all any of them had to do - was hold on. They'd run as far as they could, but they always knew that a fight would occur. It was only a question of how long they had to fight before the final part of Lexi's plan clicked into place.

Gritting her teeth, Lexi dived towards the Shadewylf as he tried to pin down Storm, channelling lightning to the ends of her claws as she dug them into his dark fur. His body jolted beneath her, and she winced along with him. He reached the ground beneath her, and though he struggled, the shocks were enough to hold him.

She didn't like any of this. A part of her had hoped that perhaps Shadewylves were not as perceptive or intelligent as she presumed, and they would invest all of their resources in battling Joeonto's team, completely distracted. At least then it could have been Lexi herself who crawled through the tunnel with the tool and released Toivo from his cell. She could have crept away again without having to lay a claw on any wolf. But she'd known it wouldn't happen that way. The Shadewylves were always going to find them. It was just a question of whether they had anticipated a third group.

From the number of wolves swamping the forest, it seemed they had assumed one distraction to be enough. Or maybe that was just hope talking.

The Shadewylf swiped at her, and she hurriedly shoved her prayers to the back of her mind, focusing on diving out of the way. His claws sliced over her snout. Leaning forwards again, she fought to regain balance and pin him down again, but another near miss was enough to topple her to the ground.

Black paws reached her chest within seconds, pressing down into her lungs, making her gasp and struggle. His claws slid into her fur, and she yelped, letting loose a charge of lightning once more.

Sparks crackled amongst her belly fur. His grip faltered enough for her to slide from it and scramble to her paws just in time to meet the next pounce. They grappled, and she felt claws sting her shoulder, thankfully only grazing the skin as she slashed at her chest. She was far from an experienced fighter, but she had at least learned something about strikes and force from her brief skirmishes with Shadewylves preivously.

There was a science to it, she had realised. It was all about applying the right pressure to the right point. Tensing, she ducked another swipe, rolling across the ground, before springing up and pushing at the centre of his chest.

It was supposed to wind him. But the strength simply wasn't there. She tried to combine the strike with another jolt of electricity, but her lightning was almost spent, and the sparks that emerged weren't enough to slow him down. He was wise to her little shocks now. Before she could react, he was leaping back at her, fangs exposed.

Lexi had only a second to prepare for the hit. She tried to flee backwards, but he was already upon her. She tried to claw back at him, but he was stronger, fiercer, sharper.

His fangs would have sliced her neck, had a wave of orange not flashed across her vision and released the pressure of his claws.

Her back met the earth. Her eyes darted across the battlefield, searching for her missing opponent and the saviour who had snatched him from her.

It was Joeonto. Coral-coloured paws clasped against the Shadewylf's chest, firmly pinning him down, rendering him harmless. A small smile curved Lexi's snout as she climbed to her paws.

In one swipe, Joeonto knocked the Shadewylf from conciousness and leaped over to meet her. Behind him, she saw more Flamewylves emerging from the woods, some launching into battle while others, their steps slower, limped behind the trees. The first group had made it back.

"Their fighters thinned after they discovered your group, as you said they might," Joeonto murmured, his eyes sweeping the battlefield. Lexi's smile widened a little; he almost seemed to stand over her, as if prepared to protect her from attack. She nodded in reply.

"Any sign of the third group yet?"

"None." His eyes flashed with a brief reassurance. "Which is the way it should be. I think we've bought enough time now," he added after a moment, his gaze locking onto the grappling wolves. With the help of the first group, they were at least reinforced, though Lexi doubted the fighting would continue in their favour much longer. From his grim look, Joeonto thought the same.

"Time to retreat," she supplied, and he nodded.

She stayed at his side as he called to the others, marking a circle around the battle, demanding every wolf fall back. Those that could did so without question, before rushing in to free those more locked in their brawls from Shadewylf claws. Storm's eyes were specked with reluctance as she backed away from her own opponent, lashing a trail of lightning to slow the wolf as he tried to follow.

Most of the army fled to the forest, their route already drilled into their heads, but Joeonto's retreat was slower. A couple of other wolves moved in to flank him as they backed away. He hissed for Lexi to run with the others, but she shook her head. There was no time for him to argue.

Two Shadewylves sprung from behind the trees, but they were instantly engaged by Flamewylves, shoved to the earth. Joeonto slashed at a wolf of his own, while Lexi rolled out of the way, tensed and ready to run at his command.

Joeonto sliced claws across the Shadewylf's chest. The wolf snarled and made to return the action, but Joeonto dived to the side and came up with another sharp strike.

Hissing with pain and rage, the Shadewylf leapt into the air in retaliation. Claws reached for the Wylfire leader's neck.

Lexi didn't hesitate. In that single second, she sprung from her place, the energy she'd readied for running now channelled into fight. Her last surge of Pelt energy emerged as a bolt of electricity to sting the Shadewylf's dark fur as her paws drove the danger away from Joeonto.

No sooner had she hit the ground, atop the Shadewylf, was Joeonto yelling for them to run. She didn't have chance to check if the attacker was dazed enough. She could only jump, spinning in midair, and spur her paws into the fastest sprint they'd ever produced.

At least, it felt that fast. The barrier of exhaustion slammed into her, but she slashed through it, determined to escape beside Joeonto.

Then the running stopped, and she fell sideways.

Something crashed into her, pushing her down. Her head swum. She must have hit it, and painfully hard. Fighting against the urge to lie still, she flailed her claws, and heard a yelp of pain above her. The haze of black that cloaked her vision jolted away momentarily, before coming down hard again, pressing her back into uncomfortably rigid dirt.

Her body didn't feel real. Nothing did. She gasped for air, finding it hard to swallow. Her chest wouldn't expand the way it should.

This squirming was futile. Perhaps if she lay still, the world would regain its focus.

Or maybe it would vanish forever.

No. She pushed her claws forward. They felt as if they cut through thick sludge, but they moved at her command, and she would make them meet their target. I'm not going to die. Not before I see Toivo again.

As her claws drove forward, her senses sharpened, and the smudges of colour became the world once more. Everything was still blurred at the edges. But she could do this. Her claws sank through black fur, slicing into skin. A trio of red trails slid after them. Scarlet stains, of her doing.

If she struck again, and again, maybe she could survive this. No, she would survive this. All for Toivo.

She slashed her claws again, the movement less sluggish this time, though the wolf dodged before she could strike. Try again. She reached for the paw, but it too pulled away, and with its release came an odd realisation.

The Shadewylf wasn't fighting her anymore.

She should be dead by now. She shouldn't have been allowed to so easily wound him. Her vision hadn't returned because of some vague determination, but because the pressure on her chest had relaxed, and now it was gone entirely.

One blink, and true focus returned. The forest was there, in shades of dappled green. The sky shone bright above. And the wolf before her, with fur as black as night, loomed over it all. Motionless. Wide-eyed, passively staring.

Lexi froze. That one look seized every nerve in her body and clamped down, extinguishing the fight in her muscles, calming the fear in her bones.

That one, gentle, blue-eyed look.

"Toivo?" she whispered, hardly daring to believe. Perhaps she had died. Perhaps he had, too. But death wouldn't make her heart flutter like this.

"Lexi," he responded. The name was barely a sound. It was shaped by his snout, sitting on the tip of his tongue, yet it wouldn't quite take flight. She heard it regardless. Its tone was faint, but it was there, and what she detected unsettled her.

This voice wasn't made to fly. It was the sort that dropped from his jaw, falling flatly, weighed by the heaviest of emotions. On its way up, it would have scraped at his throat. Its second syllable stung. She heard it as clearly as she'd learned to hear every sound that came from him.

Its effects were mirrored in his eyes. They were shining pools of blue water, rippling, droplets forming. He staggered back, blinking the tears away, but they only dampened the base of his snout. She rose, eyes fixed on his. Neither of them would leave the other's gaze.

"Lexi," he repeated. "Lexi, I'm sorry."

She would have died a thousand times, if only to avoid hearing those words.

The heaviness of Toivo's voice leaked into her own throat, clogging it, leaving only a faint choked sound to emerge. It flooded into her eyes, and she too stumbled away. All this time of wishing to stand by her best friend, and now all she wanted to do was run from him.

And run she did.

Tearing her gaze from him hurt more than any strike of claws, or slice of fangs, or thumping blow. The pound of her paws masked the sound of her heart. Its beat had faded, hurried but quiet, the hope it held snuffed out.

With each step, all she could see was his paws on her chest. His fangs reaching for her neck. The look in his eyes, the note in his voice, replayed over and over in the space of every passing second. Never had she hated more how well she knew him. Because she knew what that look meant, and that knowledge stabbed her heart over and over.

Why else would he attack her? Why else would they have become opponents on the battlefield they once dreamed to rule, side by side?

Her pace was barely a sprint, but she didn't care. He wasn't chasing. She could walk, and still he'd stay there, because his path didn't follow her. Not anymore.

There was no rescue today. She was leaving him behind, but only because he'd already chosen to leave her first.