Butterflies in Winter

::Chapter 4:: Danger

"Do you think it's possible?" Max said in a low voice. His face neutral, but his tone full of anger and fear.

For years, Kit and his friends had worked alone. Unsure if there was even anyone left alive outside of their little island after the explosion. Communications had been cut, and it wasn't as though any of them could just up and leave.

Yet the news that humans had come to the island, real humans. Not the monsters that Kit and his friends had become. Seemed impossible, after years of hoping that someone would find them, it was terrifying that it might have happened.

Especially considering the kind of first impression that these strangers had made.

Kit couldn't bring himself to answer, but there was a mutual understanding between the two. As much as they hated to admit it, this might not be the knight in shining armour that they had been waiting for. This was going to be dangerous.

If it means that we might be able to save our friends, I don't care if we have to go head to head with Satan himself.

"Guess we're just going to have to find out," Kit replied as bravely as he could manage. He knew Max would probably be able to smell his lie from a mile away. However, it was the sentiment which counted.

"Because winging it was always our forte," retorted Max. Compensating for his terror with sarcasm. Any other time Kit would have laughed at the terrible pun, but now he barely acknowledged it.

He straightened from where he had been kneeling down. Kit pretended not to notice the pain which rippled across his back, everything still hurting. Yet his accelerated healing would kick in soon enough, and he'd soon not notice the pain.

As much as he wanted to just lie down and sleep, there wasn't time for it. The two needed to set to work, they didn't know what these strangers wanted with their friends. However, from the destruction they had left the camp in, Kit didn't need to make too many wild guesses in order to think that they didn't have friendly intentions.

Now it was up to the two friends to make them think twice about ever trying to hurt a member of their group. "We need to make sure we're right, we need to find one of them, put the fear of God in them, and make them give us their location."

"Whatever it takes," Max added. His voice full of hate. As much as Kit hated to agree with him, he did. The humans wouldn't understand the importance of their work here, and Kit wasn't about to take the time to negotiate with someone who had threatened the people he cared about, and killed one of them.

"Are you ready?" Kit asked, his eyes scouring across the younger man. Taking in his wounds and condition, concerned for his health above all. In spite of his own urge to take off running, and find what vile creature had taken his friends and killed Marlene.

"Born ready," replied Max. Though his tone didn't exactly put great enthusiasm in Kit, he wasn't about to go out alone after all which had happened. Especially considering the great possibility that their was still someone out their. Waiting for them.

"Good, come on then."

The shift was slow and painful, and he could feel every bone breaking and snapping into place but he didn't notice. His mind was too busy concentrating on what had to be done to think about the agony rippling through him. Reopening his wounds and making his eyes water as he did so, but he lifted himself to his paws after and looked over at his friend. Twitching his ears at Max.

With a leap, he was skidding back down the hill face and towards the horizon. He didn't look back to see if Max was following him.

He lifted his head to the sky, now becoming lit with the morning sun. Searching for any scent which might have given them hope. He set off running, his body screaming at him to stop, but he pushed past it. His feathered tail darting from side to side as he threw himself through bushes and foliage.

By the time the pair had been running for about half an hour, the sun was lighting the island and warming Kit's spine. He could feel his wounds at last beginning to heal, but the fear was still at the forefront of his mind. He raced after Max, struggling to keep up with the flight of the eagle.

The beating of his friend's wings was the only sound other then the thudding of his own paws. He was thankful that today of all days, the monsters had seemed to retreated to their dens, and were leaving them alone. He didn't know for how long, if they wanted it to stay this way, they were going to have to be quick.

Kit had to make an emergency stop when Max suddenly plunged to the ground beside him. Landing with a surprisng amount of elegance in spite of the sudden drop from the skies and he looked back at the wolf.

"West, about four hundred metres. There's something in the grass, I couldn't see what it was, but it wasn't moving."

Pausing for a moment, he thought about this news, allowing it to sink in as he froze in pace for half a second. Kit turned around to look at his friend properly, his ears pinned to his head until they were almost flat against his skull. He exhaled slowly.

"Let's go." He said as definitively as he could manage, he waited for Max's nod. However, the eagle only lifted back into the sky, leading the way towards whatever he had seen.

Following through the long grass, the young wolf tried to keep up as best as he could. His heart racing to the point where it felt as though it was going to explode from his chest. He let himself fall behind just a little, to be able to see how the eagle reacted to whatever might be on the ground.

Max stopped midflight and glided down to the ground, where he waited for Kit to catch up to where he was settling. "Well?" he whispered, more impatiently then he had intended to sound but he didn't care all too much.

"It's a woman," muttered Max. It was the simplest phrase in the world, but one which set a jolt of terror down his spine.

"By herself?" Kit asked lowly, trying to catch sight of whatever lay hidden in the grass, but he couldn't see anything but the long green strands.

"As far as I can tell," Max replied with a shrug of his wings. The eagle shifted it's weight from one leg to another, trying to get comfortable. Relieve himself of the terror which was running through his system. "But I can't be sure."

Kit didn't respond after that, instead he lifted himself to his paws and began to make his way through the long grass. He barely dared to let himself breathe for fear that he would be heard. Until he could finally see the stranger through the grass.

His friend had been correct, it was a young woman. None that he recognised from the others on the island, he narrowed his eyes. Stalking his way in a circle around her, putting enough distance between himself and her that he wouldn't be heard. Yet close enough that he could see her.

She had long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, pained eyes. She clutched at her ankle, which was bent at an unnatural angle.

It had been a long time since he had seen a face that he didn't recognise, and it was a weird feeling to be face to face with a stranger.

He took a step forward.

That was when she revealed the gun.

::Author's Note::

So thanks so much for taking the time to read these five chapters, and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed them. I'd love to know what you thought about it, so feel free to tell me in the comments! You can expect this to be updated every Wednesday.

Also, I should have Nomad finished by this Friday and reposted, so do keep an eye out for that. I hope you enjoy both.

Have a lovely day

Madelynn