Grey clouds swallowed the sky, spitting rain hard onto the ground. It'd been two weeks ever since you had gotten caught up in all the madness revolving around twelve wolf boys, and to be honest, you loved every moment of it.

From the shelter of the cave, you and the boys watched the downpour continue along with the slap of thunder and slivers of lightning. Each action made the pups on either side of you quiver and jump a little. But eventually they would relax as you comforted them, and as soon as the next round would hit, the cycle would start all over. Although meals so far had just consisted of berries, you didn't mind, and were thankful they bothered to feed you despite the weather.
 Every now and then, boys would come and go as they pleased. Entering the cave with a shake of fur or leaving to be soaked in seconds. You got up suddenly, the urge for some fresh air getting the best of you. Nine other heads turned to you.
"I'm just going out to use the bathroom," you said, blushing at the formality in your words despite the setting. They all nodded, quickly turning away in to prevent you from feeling embarrassed.

The air was crisp and the rain, though pouring, felt light and refreshing to your bare skin. Your hood was down, however, still remained on your shoulders. You walked slowly past the den, taking in quietness of the forest. Making sure that no wolf was in sight, you quickly relieved yourself before treading to the stream.
The surface of the water rippled in many large dissonant movements, distorting any reflections to unrecognizable forms. Your fingers skimmed across the top before emerging themselves completely. Bringing the water in your hands up to you lips, you took a long gulp letting the rest splash back into the stream. Eyes closed, for a long moment you stayed there in bliss before a sudden jerk yanked you up from your sitting position. Your arms were torn from yours sides and forced behind your back. Any voice left in you seemed to be trapped in your throat. Daring to turn your head, you caught a glimpse of dark fur and yellow cat eyes. A masculine voice whispered,
"Hold on and don't let go."
Without any time to react the figure practically threw you on his back while you clung to the scruff of his animal neck. There was the dash of footsteps and and light splash of puddles. You were among the trees now, as the stranger bounded across the sturdy oak branches in an almost dream-like motion. Beams of fire shot at you and the stranger, only missing their target by a few hairs. You looked back to see cloaked figures rushing toward you at an admirable speed. From their gloved hands, flames came hurdling while igniting small patches of woods. As if feeling your discomfort, your captor assured,
"Don't worry, if they aim for you..then all they will hit is me,"

His words however, only upset you by the thought of your safety at the cost of other's. You let your nose touch the fur of his neck and you mumbled,
"Who are you? Why are you saving me?"

"Max, just a friend of Hero-or Jaejoong as you know him."

"So this was him.."

"Jaejoong sent the rest of us out to scout for you, because he knew the Shadows would make another move soon. Please keep in mind, he's doing this for your sake."

"I don't understand," you gripped onto him a bit tighter. Looking back again, you noted you had traveled deeper into the forest, further away from the den..

"Don't you get it? You should know, as a Fli-" he stopped mid-sentence, or rather in a sudden motion as he staggered to get to the next branch. You could feel the new heat that attached itself to his right hind left. Gasping, you  began to swat out the sparks that remained on the now evident burn. Max hissed in pain, as he tried to regained his balance but failed as another wave or fire shot towards you. He shifted is weight to the best of his ability, making sure to keep as many attacks off of you as he could. You began falling, as he stumbled to each branch. As you sank lower, the brush grew thicker until it was almost impossible to see through the foliage. The iron grip you held on Max before, was dissolving quickly and you found yourself unwillingly releasing any last grasp on him.
You plummeted, back to the ground, the turbulence of the fall sending a wave of nausea through your entire being. With your remaining strength, you desperately searched for your captor-now-savior only to see the green foliage above. You just hoped that Max was alright, wherever he too had landed.



The large cat stealthily maneuvered through the silent forest. 'Dammit, I can't believe I lost ~~~...' He looked around '...however, if I were to loose her, that would be the safest place to do so. No animals but those of the Regulars or Flighted may enter those grounds, so even the Shadows, as powerful as they've grown, cannot step foot into the sacred land,". They were probably still hot on his trail, so Max knew he needed to drawl them away from your location by any means. He swallowed, the dryness in his throat adding to his discomfort with the situation.
Jaejoong was going to be pissed.
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I'm such a slow updater:/ This chapter definitely picks up the story pace, so I'm sorry to all who don't favor anything too intense however for story purposes I need to pick up into the major premise. Thanks to all who subscribe, comment, vote, and read! Your support means the world to me! ! !

~Toasty