Nightpaw watched nervously as Lumos jumped the length of the cavern. The Absol landed on a ledge next to the cave. Sure enough, blue eyes flashed from the darkness of the cave, and the Zoroark came barreling out. Lumos was ready, she stuck up her front claws and raked Zoroark's stomach. The black Pokemon shrieked, and rammed into Lumos, knocking them both off the edge. The two went spiraling down into the black abyss. Nightpaw took the chance, and soared over the chasm, flapping her newly fixed wing. She landed in front of the cave, looked left and right, and plunged in. She lit up her rings.

"Zapkit?" she whispered to the receding darkness. "Zapkit?"

"m-mama?" came a faint voice from the darkness of the back of the cave. Nightpaw rushed forward, but something pierced her paw. Nightpaw looked down, and jumped into the air with a jolt. She hovered, looking at the floor. It was littered with bones. Nightpaw gulped. She flew to the back of the cave.

"Zapkit?" she whispered again.

"Mama!" the wail came from a bundle in the corner. Nightpaw soared over to it, and scooped it up in her arms. 

"ZAPKIT!!!" she buried her muzzle in his fur. She felt a paw reach up and stroke her cheek.

"Mama.." Nightpaw looked at her kit. A red gash was torn down his side. It looked just like the scar on Lumos. Fury suddenly burned through Nightpaw, momentarily blinding her. She took a deep breath, and licked the gash clean. She was about to leave when she heard a small squeak, almost a mew. Nightpaw paused, and went back to where Zapkit was. "Mama, mama!" Zapkit squeaked, pointing to a white lump that Nightpaw had assumed was just more bones. The "bones" shifted, to reveal a dark blue face. Nightpaw lit up her rings even more, and now she could see a tiny dark blue horn. 

"what the.." Nightpaw muttered aloud. She raced over to the baby absol. "Lumos's kit!"

"Lumos?" whispered the absol, "mom?" Nightpaw realized the absol had to be about as old as her. 

"Your mom saved me," Nightpaw told her, "so i'm here to save you. Can you stand?" The absol shifted a little, showing her stomach, which had a large gash down it. A thin trickle of blood was oozing through the bloodstained fur.

"I, I don't know." She tried to stand, but collapsed down again with a yelp. Nightpaw realized she was still holding Zapkit. She slid the pichu unto her back and felt his little claws grip her fur. 

"Here, lean on me." Nightpaw padded up to the absol. She staggered to her feet and leaned on nightpaw's shoulder. Nightpaw extended her wing over the absol's back.

"Hey, you have wings!" The absol gasped.

"I've noticed. I'm nightpaw, what's your name?" 

"I'm Lithrose, but you can call me Rose." she muttered. "Hey, Nightpaw.. paw.. you're one of the clan eevees!" 

"yea, I am" replied Nightpaw, stepping over a bone. 

"which clan are you from?"

"what do you mean? There's only Lightclan." Nightpaw asked, stopping. Rose stopped too.

"No. Me and mom have met many clans! There's Leafclan, Hydroclan, Flameclan, Soulclan, Joltclan, Darkclan, and Lightclan." Rose replied. Nightpaw's head spun. There are other clans?!  She started walking again. Rose limped alongside. After a moment Rose asked, "Where's my mom?"

"oh, well she tried to come save you, but the Zoroark beat her. She's been living at the bottom of the cliff. The Zoroark dislocated my wing, maimed my tail, and did this," Nightpaw paused, pointing to her face. Rose flinched just seeing it, "So basically I would've drowned without your mom, who saved me. She's fighting the Zoroark."

"Wow, she didn't abandon me? I thought she- AHHH!!!!" Rose screeched. Nightpaw whipped her head around to look where the absol was looking. The Zoroark was standing in the cave entrance.

"Trying to escape my pretties?" It rasped. The Zoroark chuckled. "Ooh, this one has wings!" It seized Nightpaw by her throat with one paw, and extended her wing with the other. Rose wobbled without Nightpaw's support, but she stayed standing. She staggered over to Zapkit and picked him up by his scruff.

"Let me go!" choked Nightpaw, kicking out with her back paws. The Zoroark chuckled and dropped Nightpaw on the ground. Nightpaw tried to run back to her friends, but the Zoroark stepped on her tail. "WHERE'S LUMOS?!?!?!" shrieked Nightpaw, blinking back tears. Zapkit was strangely quiet, and rose was staring at Nightpaw, tears streaming down her face. The Zoroark didn't answer, instead it flipped nightpaw unto her back.

"If you haven't noticed, all my victims have a cut on their side or stomach. Lets just say that's my signature. I see you don't have one." It chuckled and leaned, over, it's claw positioned right over Nightpaw's heart. Rose was frozen, Zapkit was crying, and then, A blinding flash from the cavern filled the cave. The Zoroark froze.

"ABSOL!!" Roared a familiar voice. Dark blue claws suddenly wrapped around the Zoroark's neck, tugging it off Nightpaw, who stood up and scrambled back to stand beside Rose.The Zoroark whipped around to see Lumos, A two horned winged Lumos.

"Lumos, you mega evolved!" gasped Nightpaw. The Zoroark was not as excited to see Lumos's new form.

"You should be at the bottom of the river!" it shrieked, it pointed at Nightpaw, "You should be dead too!" Lumos roared again, and slashed her claws over the Zoroark's face. It screamed in agony.

"That's for Nightpaw!" Lumos yelled. She pushed the Zoroark over unto her back, and raised her clawed paw. "And this, this is for my daughter," slash, "this is for Zapkit," slash, "and this is for me!" She slashed the Zoroark's  stomach a third time, before flinging it over the edge. The Zoroark's shrieking cut off a second before it hit the water. Lumos watched her fall. She turned back to the three, panting. Slowly. the second horn sank back into her fur, Her normal horn shrank back to normal length, and her wings slowly melted into her sides.

"mom?" whispered rose, setting Zapkit down. Lumos looked at her with shining eyes.

"Lithrose.. please don't hate me." Lumos looked away, but Nightpaw saw a big fat tear roll down her cheek. Rose padded over to her and sank her muzzle in her fur.

"I love you mom, I love you, I love you..." She whispered. Lumos curled around her. 

"I love you." she whispered back. Nightpaw picked up Zapkit and set him on her back.

"I'll miss you guys, but i have to get back to my clan," She said, looking up at the sky. Dawn was coming. Lumos looked up.

"Thank you Nightpaw. You saved my daughter." She purred.

"I couldn't have done it without you. You saved my life, twice!" replied Nightpaw. Rose shakily stood up. She padded over to Nightpaw.

"Goodbye," Rose pressed into Nightpaw's fur. Nightpaw wrapped her wing around her for a moment, before padding out onto the ledge.

"Goodbye." she called, before springing off and flying back to her clan.