Luna of Rogues

Part 11 - The Sky Comes Falling Down

Okay firstly, about the title, that was a completely unintended pun (and no, Skye doesn't actually fall off anything in this chapter), I was just thinking of song lyrics.

Secondly, can I just take a minute to thank all of you for commenting and voting? It really makes my day to get home, click on Wattpad and see that you've been sharing the love. 

I was woken by the sound of screaming. It's actually an effective way to get lazy teenagers out of bed. Feel free to try it on your sleepy brothers, sisters and offspring. But be warned it only works once, depending on the mental capabilities of whoever you're trying to wake.

Within seconds I was on my feet, brandishing the knife I kept under my pillow. Screaming, shouting and snarling echoed around the camp. Rhys looked half-asleep still, but he was on his feet and back-to-back with me, while Fion sat up and looked around with bleary, reddened eyes.

"What the...?" Rhys started to ask as several rogues from our pack ran past, heading for the forest.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, we're obviously under attack. The only question is who's behind it. I don't think New Dawn have the brains or the ability to track us back here, so I guess that leaves ... I don't know. Do we have any enemies?"

Fion shook her head and started to shift, projecting her thoughts mentally, "Let's go find out."

I picked out a lone child amongst the shrieking runners. It was Sammy, a five-year-old who hero-worshipped Rhys. His father had been killed in front of me, on a raid years ago. He changed direction towards us, recognising friends. My brother caught hold of his hand.

"What's going on?" I asked him.

"The bad men are here. Mummy told me to run, but now I don't know where to go." He spoke quietly, trying to choke back tears. Angry, but also young and terrified. He reminded me of a half-starved child who had tried so hard to be brave. And that child would one day be the most powerful shifter in the north.

Rhys ruffled up his hair, then crouched to be at eye-level. "You go with the others to the river island. I'll come find you when it's safe."

Sammy nodded solemnly and ran off with the other children, and I was glad to see him sticking with one of the young mothers who often looked after him. We all took it in turns to play babysitter to the pack of rogue children, and consequently, we all knew them well.

I shifted on the spot and sprinted towards the screams. When I arrived in the main courtyard, I was surrounded by a scene which wouldn't have been out of place in a horror movie. Piled everywhere were bloodied corpses. A few were still alive, but not for long. In lakes of blood, our rogues battled with the attacking wolves.

It was obvious as soon as you entered who was winning. Our fighters were disorganised and caught off guard.

"Where's dad?" Rhys demanded instantly through the link. "He should be taking charge."

Rhodric quite often disappeared for weeks at a time, chasing after some old foe. We rarely got any warning of those escapades, so it wasn't unusual to find him missing. I had heard rumours he was hunting hunters, but I didn't quite believe them. Although werewolf hunters were a common legend, I had never once encountered one. Ignorance really is bliss.

"We can worry about that later." I dove into the fray without any further ado. My wolf relished the combat, sinking her teeth into flesh and bone with an unnerving enthusiasm. It was an effort not to get too carried away.

But our combat was cut short, because even as I snapped the neck of my first opponent, the few remaining defenders realised they were going to lose, and routed, leaving the injured behind to die.