The Packs of Dusk: Book 1: Mystical Wings

Chapter Seven Part Two (Ch 8 if you wish): The Unsuccessful First Clue

"Alright," began Marmi, my mother, who was going to lead the group. "The clues each came with their own personal note. We will read the first clue's note -- the leaf -- and go from there."

"We can't write, so how can they?" Quipped Rae. Rae, Shale, Tweedle, me and mother made up our group, as assigned by Flare earlier in the day.

"Simple magic," replied mother. "Now, I'll read the note: 'As blood as red and night as black. Find the bloody wolf.'"

"Can I interject here?" Asked Shale, raising his tail. Mother nodded. "I thought this was real life, not a mystery tale?" We laughed, but then looking at Mother's stern face, abruptly stopped.

"The color MUST mean something," Tweedle pointed out, her soft green and white coat appearing dull in the dim cave. Rae was purple and black, while Shale was a light red. I had the shades of blue on the end of my wings, and Mother was just entirely soft green, with strikingly dark green ears and eyes.

"Leave it be, Tweed," I said, licking her.

"Ahem," coughed Rae, "Blood as red and night as black? The bloody wolf? Someone explain!" She groaned at the end, rolling her head. Shale gasped, perking up.

"My mentor made me study DarkOnes with him once. 'The Bloody Wolf' is DarkOne slang for Bloodfangs. There are five types of DarkOnes: Bloodfangs, DarkOnes, Winged, Wielders, and Powerfuls. Powerfuls are extremely rare and they rule the DarkOnes. Winged ones have wings, but they cannot fly. They can glide. Wielders have no-claw items strapped to their backs. DarkOnes are like regular wolves, but they can use magic. Bloodfangs are like regular DarkOnes, but their teeth are extremely sharp. That is most likely what we will be dealing with on this first item."

Rae groaned. "You know so much about DarkOnes you might as well be one."

Shale glared at her, "Shut up."

"Quit it," said Mother, bringing us back to focus. "I suspect we will have to defeat this Bloodfang. Leave the item here so we do not lose it, and we shall embark now."

TIMESKIP

We wandered around the forest for quite a while, being careful to conceal ourselves among the dense foliage.

We neared the back of the forest, coming upon a brief stretch of beach, and found a stone hill. We climbed atop of it.

We searched around the top. "Hey, guys, I found something!" Shouted Shale, and we gathered around him. There was a hole -- big enough for each of us. "Let's go in, I suspected the Blood will be down here."

We agreed wearily but unsurely -- half of the agreement was just wanting to get it over with and go home.

We crawled in, one-by-one. Once we were all piled in, we roamed the long, wide cave a slight bit. We came at the end, and, hastily, made our way back to the hole for some light. All of a sudden, the cave sparked and lit up brightly, and the hole became covered by a strange dark substance.

There was a black shimmering at the end of the cave, which then formed a red and black wolf, who bared his fangs -- as sharp as a dagger they were. Rae cowered beneath the hole. "No, no, I don't want to, no..." She whimpered mindlessly.

"So you came," began the wolf, "to defeat me?" We looked at one another and nodded.

"Bloodfangs can use magic, despite their unique title," warned Shale in a whisper, "Please be careful of yourself and what you do."

We counted in our heads, somewhat synchronized, and charged all at once at the Blood. I was in the center, charging at him, but he swung to the side just as I came up on him.

His move was bad, though, because he fell right into Mother's jaw. She clamped down on his fur, growling. He wriggled free from her hold and went charging at Tweedle.

"Tweed!" I screamed and jumped right in front of Tweedle, protecting her. His fangs clashed right up against my back, and I yelped and fell weakly to the stone cold floor. I groaned, his fangs appearing right above me.

Shale came, knocking him over in a blur of red. He growled under his breath, but I was close so I could hear any words exchanged.

"Don't touch her," he growled and began to rip and tear at the fur of the DarkOne.

Despite my fatal wound, I stood up. I knocked Shale to the side as the Bloodfang laid weakly, practically bare like a no-claw.

"You hurt me," I said, "I hurt you." I slashed his face just as he rolled over and leaped up. He charged for Rae, who sat whimpering in the background, and she yelped as he grasped her neck. He clamped down on it, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She went limp, her lifeless body hanging from his jaw.

I turned to look at my back. I was now red and blue, the blood seeping from the gash. I snapped my head back to Rae.

"No! You beast!" I shouted, and launched at him, successfully pinning him down. I bit his neck fiercely and with rage.

"You! Killed! Rae!" With one final growl and clamp, the lifeless body of the Blood shattering away.

"Rae..." I cried. "No..." Just then, we heard the same shimmering sound and all our heads snapped back. The Blood was there again.

"Reincarnation doesn't exist..." Whispered Shale, wide-eyed.

"Rae did not belong to The Colors, therefore she had to die. Think of the color of the item," the Blood snarled, then nodded at Shale. Then he shattered way with two words, "Try again."

Shale, Mother and Tweedle looked at Rae's now-white body. "Can you carry her back, Naomi, since you can fly?" Tweedle asked softly, tears brimming in all our eyes.

I nodded and grabbed Rae in my jaw and leaped up out of the cave, the black substance now gone. The wound on my back has gone numb -- I cannot feel past this grave emotion that we all seem to be feeling.

TIMESKIP

"We will all remember Rae as a quiet, gentle person. She has served well in The Void and in the system of the Mystics. She has died heroically, and will never be forgotten," said Flare, focusing her magic on floating Rae's white body. At the end of her speech, she shattered into a single flower, which no one could never touch.

We all cried along with Rae's mother.

Rae was gone, dead, and it was hard to accept. But we had to, we had other things on our paws.

Goodbye, Rae.