Runaway - A Survivors Tale

Chapter 1 - The Trial of Rage

The Fierce Dogs had been staying at the Stage House for three days.

A commotion erupted from the front of the theater. Heads swiveled in the direction of the noise, to see half the pack lugging in a withering dog. She was barely more than a pup. She was a Fierce Dog, but her ears weren't cut into perfect triangles, or her tail wasn't a short stub. But there was a fresh tear in her ear: a triangle shaped mark that would never grow back.

The Pack threw her on the hard wooden floor of the stage, and she was immediately cornered, all possible exits blocked. Blade climbed to the top of her throne of ripped-up seat cushions, standing over the trapped young dog.

"Pack! To me!" Blade howled.

Arrow padded slowly to the pile of stuffing, keeping his head low and eyes up. Mace looked at him and let out a warning growl, and to avoid getting snapped at, Arrow raised his head high. He glared at Mace before giving his full attention to Blade.

"A long lost member of the Fierce Dogs has returned to us!" Blade cried. "Lick, sister of Fang. Today she will be competing against him in the Trial of Rage!"

Lick looked like she was totally against that idea.

"First," she growled. "My name is not Lick anymore. It's Storm! Second, I will not be competing in any of your stupid ranking ceremonies!" she spat.

Blade frowned. "Sounds like the Wild Dogs have... contaminated you. But don't worry, we can fix that. Fang!" she called. "Begin the Trial!"

Fang lunged, and he and Storm wrestled on the ground for a while. She obviously didn't want to hurt her brother, and she was trying not to, but she had to defend herself. An idea seemed to come to her mind, and she pinned him down and glared at all the dogs around her.

"I've won!" she snarled. "I don't have to kill him!"

Blade barked a laugh and fixed her cruel eyes on Storm. "To pass the Trial, one dog must kill the other. That's the way it works."

"Well then, Storm will not be completing the Trial!" A voice called. The Fierce Dogs whirled around to see Lucky, the Beta of the Wild Pack, with Sweet, the Alpha, and Bella on each of his flanks. They bared their teeth and flexed their claws, the fur on their backs sticking straight up.

Lucky spotted the new Omega, the Wild Pack's old Alpha. The half-wolf jumped off the stage to stand in front of the Wild Dogs. He growled, his pale yellow eyes narrowed, ready to prove himself to the Fierce Dogs. Bella snarled at him.

"Traitor!" she howled.

"Oh, you've noticed!" Blade called. "A good addition to our Pack, don't you think? A fine Omega, this one." her brown eyes narrowed. "And what makes you think you can just barge in here?"

"Our Pack trusted you!" Sweet snarled. "And in our greatest time of need, you abandoned us! You're no Alpha; you're a coward."

Omega gave her an evil smile. "I think I made the right choice. After all, I'm now on the side that's going to win!"

Arrow heard a skitter of paws, and he whirled around to see that Storm was gone. A tail whisked around the corner, followed by the sound of claws scampering on the slick wood.

Lance, a fellow Fierce Dog, looked curiously at Arrow. Then he noticed the missing prisoner, and he howled, raising the alarm.

Blade and the Fierce Dogs spun around, growling, to see that Storm was gone. Blade shrieked angrily.

"Dagger! Mace! GET THAT PUP!" she howled.

The two Betas shot by at amazing speed, the rest of the Pack right behind them. They leaped off the stage, and charged up the rows of seats. A giant black dog was leading Storm out the door, and Dagger put on an extra burst of speed.

Lucky appeared in front of the Fierce Dogs, and Mace and Dagger skidded to a halt. He shook his golden pelt. "If you want Storm, you'll have to get past me first!"

Dagger stepped forward and simply barked in his face once, and that was enough to send Lucky scampering out of the theater. Mace and Dagger burst out the entrance, but the Wild Dogs were long gone.

"You IDIOTS!" Blade howled. "You let them ESCAPE?!"

"Sorry, Alpha," Mace said, his head low.

"You'd better be." she snarled. "Because the next time you fail me..." she grabbed a tree branch and snapped it in half with one bite of her powerful jaws.