Shadewylf

38 - Fighter

Lexi was growing to hate the dark.

As a young pup, she'd feared it. It represented all things mysterious, all unknowns, all unfamiliarities, everything she knew nothing of. You never knew what was lurking in the dark, and that was what made it so unnerving.

Now, she knew exactly what hid in the darkness, and she despised that knowledge.

A Flamewylf had earlier lit a lamp above their heads, hanging down in a spiral from the lab's roof, just as dusk had begun to set in. Night had since taken a firm hold, and while the flame illuminated enough for Lexi to scan her immediate surroundings and make out Storm's pacing form, there were still far too many shadows for her liking.

Unlike Storm, who hadn't stood still since the sun had set, Lexi's paws were set rigidly just outside the door to her lab. It gave her the best view of the plaza, patched with light, as well as allowing her to sweep her gaze both in the direction of the Wylfire headquarters and the scroll storage.

It was the latter where she fixed her stare now. The scrolls were what she and Storm had been assigned to guard - or, at least, to watch and alert the nearby Wylfire if any dark shapes approached. It made perfect sense to Lexi. Enclosed within that storage room was everything they knew, or had known in the past, about Shadewylves. It documented every shred of history possible that hadn't already been destroyed. If they had any smarts at all, the Shadewylves would certainly realise that the destruction of that knowledge would give them a far better element of surprise.

Lexi's chest tied itself in knots over the thought. If it was certain they would come here, then it was certain she would have to fight them again.

And if Toivo showed up, she'd have to fight him too.

Gritting her teeth, she flicked her tail with unnecessary force, whacking it into the lab's side. Her paws itched as her heart thrummed with anxiety. It was part of the reason she'd chosen to stay here. If she began pacing, she'd never stop.

She could only hope that Toivo wouldn't be deemed responsible enough for such a task. Or maybe he'd refuse to. Maybe he'd stand up to them and tell them that he wouldn't fight his old town, because it was wrong. So, so wrong.

She released a quiet sigh. It was futile hope, but she clung to it. Calder had told her to have faith in Toivo, and she was doing her best to follow that advice. He wasn't a bad wolf. He never had been. She had to believe that in the end, he would do the right thing.

Her eyes drifted to the sky. She'd noticed Angel pass over the labs a couple of times already tonight, looping as she searched for danger. Though the Airewylf's fur blended perfectly with the starry blanket, her white wings were easy to make out when you looked properly. Streaks of brightness against a dark backdrop.

A frown creased her snout. It had been a little while since Angel's last appearance, however. Could she have run into trouble? Had the night's battle already begun in another part of town, with Lexi helpless to stop it?

She cast a glance at Storm, and slowly shook her head. Such worries were pointless, even if they were warranted. Perhaps she'd merely been looking elsewhere when Angel last passed over. Or maybe the fearful chill of night was making the moments drag on longer than usual.

Tongue flicking over her fangs, she glanced back towards the plaza. The other side was cloaked in velvet black; she could barely even make out the stage at its centre, where Toivo had first appeared with his troublesome Pelt. The Chroma Pool's swirls were darkened, so that they seemed from here to be various shades of grey and silver rather than the bright colour they usually were.

Lexi shivered. She'd never believed in ghosts, but she was beginning to fear them regardless.

Perhaps Shadewylves themselves were ghosts. According to what Storm had discovered, there was a possibility that at least some of them had the power to become invisible. Stalking enemies, even the glow of their eyes hidden from view, impossible to anticipate.