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Zara
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    "Where is Zach?" I asked for the millionth time.

    Jay rolled his eyes. "He's probably off having a good time with his new girlfriend."

    I frowned. "That's not like him."

    Jay shuffled uncomfortably, which he had been doing for the past five hours. I could tell something was on his mind but I didn't know what, and even though he was blind he always seemed to be staring at me.

    "Hey, what's up?" I asked, honestly preferring if he would just tell me.

    The morning sun glinted off the freshly fallen snow. Lysander was doing a little better. There was a small den being constructed for him so he could be out of the snow. Sierra had stayed with him, even though he had wanted to go out and search for his student.

Feurige had left shortly after Zach did to rally the Auqa pack, and maybe the Ignis pack if he could. He would be back soon. I was patrolling the woods while Jay was looking for some more plants.

"I've known you for a long time Zara." He started.

"Yeah, remember when we first met? I had twisted my paw on that rock and you actually knew how to make it better? I mean I still had to see Wynola, you should have seen her face when she laid eyes on the tiny splint you made."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I remember that."

Silence.

    "What I'm trying to say is you've really impacted my life Zara. I like being around you, you're fun to hang out with, you don't let anyone stand in your way. I love how fierce you are, you were destined to be a warrior. I will stand by you until the day I die...and I hope that you'll stand by me." He smiled wide.

    "What are you saying?" I asked, my heart was beating very fast, my blood was full of adrenaline. Jay flashed his beautiful clear glass eyes at me.

    "I love you, more than a friend." He breathed in almost a whisper, his breath tickled my ear.

    I felt overwhelmed by the sudden war of feeling that came over me. Jay loved me? Was that a good thing? If it was a bad thing then why did I feel so happy? I certainly wasn't sad about it, or repulsed. I was just...confused.

    "Jay, no you don't." The words felt cold leaving my lips.

    "What? Yes I do, I love you!" He winced, face a mask of pain, ears back, and tail drooped between his legs.

    "No you don't, you can't."

    "Why not? Why can't I love you?" He grasped.

    "Because, just, I can't do this right now Jay I can't." I breathed, wishing for once I could block out his voice.

    "That's okay, I...I understand. It wasn't a good time. I'll wait, I promise."

"Jay..." I started.

He was walking away, not angry, not in a huff. He didn't even stray that far. Camp was coming up ahead, I was about to confront Jay again when I spotted a certain white and brown figure.

    "Zach! Oh thank Glamora!" I praised, bouncing through the snow towards him.

    His face lit up when he saw me and I tackled him, feeling slightly hyper and kit-like. He laughed though and we rolled around in the snow.

    "Hey, where were you?" I asked. "Where's Skylark?"

    He flinched, his smile dropping and shriveling like a dry weed. "She was...captured by Tenebris, and it's all my fault."

    "What?"

    "She told me she loved me Zara, I had no idea. What was I supposed to say?" He moaned.

    "Well do you like her?" I questioned.

    "No! I mean, just as a friend! I don't have time for romance right now." He sighed.

    I frowned and pushed his shoulder. "The feeling is mutual."

    His eyes widened. "Jay?"

    My jaw dropped. "How did you know?"

    "He told me a while ago. he was so scared we weren't going to find you again." I pointed out.

    "Oh great well now I feel terrible." I groaned, rolling over dramatically.

    "You turned him down?" He asked with an incredulous look on his face.

    "I'm not ready for that kind of stuff, or responsibility. Maybe sometime after this is all over, and we can just hang out together without any drama. I mean I definitely like him, sometimes maybe more then a friend, but..." I glanced over at him, but Zach was staring bitterly at the ground.

    "Hey what is it? I lost you." I batted his ear, trying to lighten the mood.

    He crunched the snow with his paws. "It's nothing, you shouldn't worry about me."

    I frowned, deeply disturbed. "Oh come on, of course I worry about you, how could I not? We're twins!"

    He smiled weakly.

    All of a sudden a low howl flowed off the ground. Feurige came running into camp, spraying snow everywhere. Accompanying him was Maddy, and Gregory.

    Sarah came out of Lysander's den, so did Sierra. Ipa arose from what looked like a nap on the ground, and Fulgura stopped wrestling with Jelu.

    "We're ready to go." Feurige started. "Tenebris has his army lined up at the huge clearing a ways off from here. The Ignis and Aqua pack are waiting, we just need you guys."

    "I'm ready." Zach replied, rising to his feet with a determined glare.

    "I'm a little rusty, but I'll fight." I agreed.

    Sierra immediately stepped forward. "I'll come too."

    Sarah slammed her paw into the freshly packed snow. "NO! I forbid you leave this camp."

    "I have to protect them." She insisted. "They're not trained enough-"

    "Sierra, you leave this camp and those kits of yours will die, you hear me! You're not going."

    "We'll be fine." Zach assured.

    Sierra wrestled internally. "Don't you dare go on the front lines you hear me, stay behind the main attack and for Glamora's sake don't do anything that will get yourselves killed."

    Her tone was sharp and fierce, a clear warning. "We won't." I promised.

    "Suka will protect me." Jelu assured Jay, who had walked into our conversation.

    "Suka doesn't need to protect you, because I'm coming." He snarled.

    "Jay-" I started.

    "No, you can't stop me. I'll protect both of you." He insisted.

    "Jay I need you here." Sarah begged.

    "Yeah, are you really sure..." Feurige started once again.

    Jay waltzed forward and laid a wing protectively over my shoulder.

    "I'd follow you to the ends of the earth and back." He whispered, in a voice so low only I could hear.

    "Sarah I have taught you everything Excelsior taught me. I can fight, and I will." he announced stubbornly.

    "Are you blind?" Gregory asked, legitimately concerned.

    "I've seen him fight, he's pretty good." Feurige shrugged.

    "I'm coming too." Kennon shouted, joining us. "My brother is out there. Annabeth and Ocaso will stay with you Sarah."

    "It's settled then." Gregory commanded. "I hope you're ready for war."

    My breath was cold with anticipation as those of us with wings took to the sky, besides all the wolves could run faster than we could.

    Then I laid eyes on the battle ground.

    It was a huge expanse of land that was clear of trees. Running down the middle of the slit shaped clearing was a giant crack that seemed to be pulsing a deep orange color. A sudden updraft of hot air hit us and I got a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.

    We joined the lines of wolves waiting in the shadows of the trees. From our vantage point we could see Tenebris on the other side of the gaping chasm. With him was a small boy in rags, his giant, broken and tattered wings fawned out to the sides of his body, as he stretched his wrist in the sky, covered in his own blood, with Tenebris in claw form flying above him. Xanthos was taken too. It looked like Tenebris was getting bigger. Her black body was poised elegantly next the Xanthos's wrist as she pumped her dark ashen wing up and down, spraying bits of condensed shadow everywhere.

    Feurige stiffened, lifting his tail, then charged forward, howling from deep within his throat. As is controlled by the same puppet master, Jelu, Ipa, and Fulgura were right next to him. They looked different.

    Their wings were spread wide, and their eyes glowed with a luminosity that sent shivers down my spine.

    "They've become one with the Great Beasts." Zach whispered to me.

    Their markings shone too, and as soon as they broke the tree cover the rest of the wolves joined the howl and exploded form the trees. The giant moving column of terror broke into two around the chasm of fire and met face to face with the opposing Anguis pack.

    Amidst the chaos, something soon became clear to me.

    "They're not dying." I choked. "Tenebris has trapped their souls in their bodies so they cannot die."

"Gah..." Zach agreed.

"We need to attack Tenebris directly is this war is ever going to end." Jay muttered.

"I can do that." Zach volunteered.

I gaped at him. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Without me? Glamora Zach I thought you were better then this."

He frowned. I turned my attention back to the protective circle Tenebris seemed to be making around Xanthos.

"Give me the facts guys." Jay asked.

"Tenebris is in claw form, flying in low sweeping circles around Xanthos." I supplied.

"I remember tou told me about him, what does he look like?"

"He looks like he hasn't eaten anything substantial in month, his hair is white, pale skin. Great Glamora someone cut up his wings!" Zach gasped.

I dug my claws deeper into the snow. "I bet I know who, and I personally want dibs on slaughtering her."

"There's something on his wrist, it's hurting him." Zach breathed.

Jay bristled. "I can feel it, it's an evil thing."

I gasped. "Guys. I bet Tenebris is protecting that, whatever it is, which is why she's not fighting."

"Maybe if we destroy that, Tenebris will be stopped once and for all, nobody has to die!" Zach realized, with a certain giddiness to his voice I thought inappropriate for this situation.

"Not with us at your back." Jay assured, directing his attention towards me on purpose.

I smiled gruesomely and stretched out my claws, feeling them ache and stretch. It has been a long time since I had been able to use these babies.

"You ready to go kick some evil butt?"

"Glamora yes!" the both agreed with me.

I slid forward.

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Oh deer (😏) the golden trio is off being awesome again.
We're all going to die.