I'm Still Standing (Private)

[nightblood]

Zuka let out a fierce snarl as she awoke from her dream. She growled at the noise that had roused her at the moment she had NightShade's throat in her powerful jaws. She had had her begging for mercy! How dare something wake her when her revenge was within her very grasp! At a flash of eye-glow in the shadows, the young wolfess jumped up and was about to attack the rat when she noticed what color the eyes were. Aqua green. The color of her foster fathers'. A glint of white near the floor of her den revealed that the pup was carrying her mother's necklace.

"Don't wake me when I'm dreaming, Kuruk," she ordered without apologizing to her half-brother. The two had been sharing their mother's den along with Orem, Sure'thim, and RogueBane. The rest were probably sleeping in their mother's first den. The one she had been kidnapped from by humans. It was taking a chance, but perhaps they were using the symbolism. NightBlood had come back from that event. Maybe they felt better thinking about that.

"I can't dream with your growling all into the night. I'd like to have my own chance at the bitch's throat-"

"KURUK!," another of the older ones snarled, bearing his fangs, "I won't hear that from your mouth again!"

"Leave him alone, Orem," Sure'thim growled, "He has just as much right to be pissed off as we do."

The grey-brown male grunted at the retort, but said no more to his younger siblings. However immoral he was, Sure'thim was right. Every one of them was entitled to their own brand of wrath. Orem preferred to let it fester like an open wound.

~You'll have your chance. I promise you that...~
-... I'll make her suffer...-

"I'll have her head mounted on this wall... With her own tail stuffed in her mouth..."

"I want to gouge out her eyes before anyone kills her..."

"Let me chew her ears up too," RogueBane pipped up.

"Rip off all four legs and break all her ribs..."

[Electus]

One last hurrah.

What do you intend?

To rend their borders.[/color]

No one leaves Arnlan and lives. You know what that means, do you not?[/color]

I do. But I am a Master. Nightblood is gone. It is my duty to show Sallin that Arnlan will not let this lay. Blood will be spilled.[/color]

Mortil strode with purpose, his single golden eye gleaming chillingly in the moonlight. His footsteps made no noise as he moved implacably through the land he had come to love. But there was duty to be done. He owed it upon his honor. By the moon, Sallin would pay dearly with blood.

He had made up his mind the night his foster sister passed into the void. Tonight, the stars shone above like cold ice, and all creatures skirted the ash-gray warrior's path.

Tonight, he was not Mortil.

Tonight, he was not Mortilitas Umbra.

Tonight, he was simply Umbra.

Simply a demon. Simply a terror. He was the shade, the shadow, and none would stand in his path.

"One last hurrah."

[nightblood]

"One last hurrah."

Orem's brow furrowed at the voice, remembering the night when he found out who it belonged to. A growl escaped his muzzle, but he made no other movement to suggest he would attack. Sure'thim looked curiously toward the mouth of the cave, wondering what had roused the dark side of his uncle. Zuka, however, lowered her head and closed her eyes, knowing full well how close Mortil had been to her mother. It was most likely that he had let Umbra out for one specific reason: Revenge.

The younger pups flicked their ears and followed Sure'thim's gaze out of the cave.

"Who's that?" RogueBane asked curiously.

"Umbra..." his sister answered simply, eyes flying open to reveal glint of flaming anger. There was no way she'd let him steal her victory! Growling with little more than annoyance, she stood up and headed out into the night, her heals kicking up dirt and rock.

"Damn it... ZUKA!!" Orem jumped up to chase her followed by his brother. Their curiosity peeked, the pups followed.

It took little effort for the female to find her adoptive uncle. Even with Umbra's heightened abilities to blend in with the shadows, she knew his favorite haunts and what paths led directly toward the Sallin border. Finally sensing him, she leaped out from the bushes and stopped in front of his tail. It would have been a mistake to block Umbra, so Zuka stood on the sidelines, but made it clear that he wouldn't get rid of her without letting her speak. It wasn't long before the boys caught up

"You are not bound by blood to take revenge, Mortilitas Umbra. In due time, we will kill her..."

[Electus]

"You are not bound by blood to take revenge, Mortilitas Umbra. In due time, we will kill her..."

Umbra stopped for a moment, his eye glinting. "Hmph. And you, and your brothers, presume to stop me? I, who have taken now over four hundred skulls in battle? I see."

Umbra circled slowly in place, his entire body a bundle of barely-restrained energy. "True. I am not bound by blood...but duty...honour. No one attacks Arnlan and lives."

The dread wolf turned to face Mortil's students. "If you dare face me, then come."

"Zuka..." Mortil whispered so that only she could hear, "I'm sorry. I love you...all of you. But..."

"None shall stop me."

[nightblood]

"Hmph. And you, and your brothers, presume to stop me? I, who have taken now over four hundred skulls in battle? I see. True. I am not bound by blood...but duty...honour. No one attacks Arnlan and lives. If you dare face me, then come."

"You would kill her for your own gain? Shade's Blood! You can't take this kill! Let it be our first, Umbra! Let her death be our warrior rite!"

"Zuka..."

The female of the group growled as she heard her name uttered by the sane side. So he wasn't even trying to control him...

"I'm sorry. I love you...all of you. But..."

"None shall stop me."

"Stop you?" Zuka echoed, an idea coming to her mind, "You'll be taking us with you, at least. When you're almost finished with her, let us kill her."

In the background, Kuruk let a sickly smile grace his features. His tail wagged at the thought of hearing the Sallin leader's pained cries and begs for forgiveness and mercy... or a quicker finish. It was likely that his mother's death had hurt him the most. Zuka, Orem, and Sure'thim might have been with her longer, but he had been stripped of her presence barely a day after he had been fully weaned. The bitch would pay. Oh, how that demon bitch would pay...

[Electus]

"You'll be taking us with you, at least. When you're almost finished with her, let us kill her."

That did it. Zuka had absolutely no idea of the enormous mistake that she had just made. Of course, it wasn't really her fault. Nightblood had simply forgotten to inform her young of one very important rule when dealing with Umbra.

Never, ever, tell Umbra to let someone else kill his mark.

Right then and there, Umbra's pupil narrowed. His fangs shone bright and cruel in the moonlight as he bared them, and an aura of pure malice bled from him.

Time for your test, young ones. You should not have angered me.

The howling roar that the warrior unleashed was nothing short of inhuman. The very trees shook with the volume, and all around, the wild animals screamed in mad terror.

Umbra had uttered that unearthly scream but once. And only once. That day, none survived.

"You...YOU. You DARE to presume to suggest such a thing?" he hissed, his voice like acid, "You go too far. Prepare yourself."

Like a bolt of lightning, Umbra was upon them, fangs and claws whirling in the darkness.

"Blood and thunder!"

[nightblood]

"You...YOU. You DARE to presume to suggest such a thing?" he hissed, his voice like acid, "You go too far. Prepare yourself."

-Kill...-
~No. Hold him.
-One of these days, you won't hold me back.
~When we kill NightShade.

"Left, Sure'thim," Orem's shadow growled.

His brother nodded, knowing the secret to his order. Orem waited for Umbra to get close enough before skirting to the side and jumping at his right shoulder. As soon as Umbra was preoccupied, Sure'thim would jump forward and catch him off guard. Using his front paws, he would keep his uncle's jaw pinned to the ground as he concentrated all of his weight and force on keeping his teeth below everyone's ankles while Orem pinned his shoulders. If this didn't work, it was likely that the pups would have to high-tail it back to their mother's den in hopes that the scent of NightBlood would make Mortil take over again.

"This would not have been the first time, Uncle. You let our mother kill someone. That was one of my favorite stories about you."

[Electus]

"This would not have been the first time, Uncle. You let our mother kill someone. That was one of my favorite stories about you."

"RraaaAAAGGHHH!" Umbra launched himself at the trio, laughter ripping out of his lungs like stabbing daggers. So long, it had been too long! How long had he held back, showed restraint? How long had it been, biding his time? The rider was thrown, Umbra was master!

He contemptuously lashed a single claw at Orem, cackling at the transparent attempt of group combat. Such a shame...Albireo did not teach them well if this was all they could muster.

Putting up an extra burst of speed, Umbra surged towards Sure'thim, his eye bloodshot and red.

"It's not ENOUGH! IT'S NOT ENOUGH! I WANT MORE! BLOOD! REND! TEAR! KILL!"

He snapped and slashed all around, his movements graceful and fluid- a dancer lost in the whirlwind of death. Albireo could not stop him now, no one could! He would strike the sky and the gods would tremble! Four hundred skulls he had taken in battle! Four hundred carcasses riveted in blood!

"I WANT MORE BLOOD!"

[nightblood]

"I WANT MORE BLOOD!"

"...Kill him."

Sure'thim had no time to feel the emotion in his sister's order. He could only react. Orem's shadow took the order with pure glee, while his true self battled with his feelings. He didn't want to kill anyone, but having Umbra dead would be the best thing. The pair danced around him, dodging what they could and dealing with the blows they could live with. Only when they could see an opening did they dare get close enough to attack. They were young and both hadn't payed enough attention to Mortil's teachings. They could tell how pleased Umbra was with this fact by his insane laugh.

"You're both so incompetent! Rogue, Kuruk, get back to the den."

Terrified by the cold look in their sister's eye, the pups did as they were told, running back to their mother's sleeping quarters like their lives depended on it.

Sneering at the mess of a fight, Zuka narrowed her eyes, clearly disgusted at her brothers' combat abilities.

"Mother's gunna be mad when she finds all of you on the other side," she spat as she waited for a good time to join the fight, tapping her tail on the ground in annoyance.

[Electus]

"...Kill him."

"KILL ME? YOU CAN'T KILL ME!" Umbra laughed, tearing the words from his throat, "NO ONE CAN! AND NO ONE WILL!"

He drifted backwards, like a tree bending in the wind, avoiding Orem and Sure'thim's attacks. This was boring! His first real fight in so many moons, and it bored him! He wanted a real fight! He wanted to claw at Sallin's borders and laugh as they fell before him! But these pups...these foolish pups thought that they could follow. Oh, how they irked him...he would have loved nothing more than to dismember them.

But he would not...Albireo had given him freedom...on the condition that he drive the pups off, not hurt them.

Albireo knew they would follow. Albireo knew they would try to stop them. Quite clever, Albireo. But too gentle. Too soft to be a warrior.

"You think you know me, do you? All these months that I've held back? You know he bargained his life for yours? Albireo did! And now, you throw that gift away! BUT THAT'S FINE WITH ME!"

[nightblood]

"You think you know me, do you? All these months that I've held back? You know he bargained his life for yours? Albireo did! And now, you throw that gift away! BUT THAT'S FINE WITH ME!"

"You want a fight, you old windbag?!" Zuka shouted as she stood, her fangs bared, "Fine! Sure'thim, Orem! Off with you! Back to the den!"

At her order, the pair took up protected seats on a high boulder and an exposed tree root. Blood dripped from Orem's mouth as he spoke.

"He's not the only one who's held back. Why can't we kill him?"

"He won't survive all of Sallin. Who will train us?"

"Fool. Anek, Armageddon, the Alphas? They won't let their prized set of warriors go on without instruction. Let him abandon us. Mother will have a talk with both of them in the other world while we continue our training and teach Sallin a lesson. No one screws with Arnlan."

Sure'thim scoffed as he stepped down from his boulder. "They'll make a fine mess of you, Umbra. I'll visit someday and ask for your bones."

Orem's shadow shifted, letting the gentle side out. He jumped off of the root in silence and followed his brother back to the den while Zuka growled out her displeasure.

"Go on. Fight your battles alone. If you live, gods forbid, and you ever cross our border again, I swear to you, you won't be welcome. The Alphas will see to that."

For a moment, a cloud rolled over the full moon, letting only the stars shine down upon them. Her pelt darkened under the shadows, taking on her mother's appearance. Zuka's eyes flashed a fierce red as she snarled at her gray uncle.

"Get out of my sight."

[Electus]

"Get out of my sight."

It's time. You've had your fun. We have to do it. NOW.

Ergh...Fine.

Mortilitas tensed his muscles, his single golden eye gleaming enigmatically as he faced off with Zuka. Inside, Mortil was tearing his heart to pieces.

"Not without a fight."

He circled, his eye never leaving Zuka. "So much potential...yet so much like your mother."

There was no laugh, no smile. There was only the matter-of-fact deadpan that was the real warrior.

"You know, he loved you. More than anything in the world. He's willing to trade that love in order to do his duty. I'm not sure if it's worth it...but it's not my place to say."

The fierce warrior stopped moving, his wild mane flying in the sudden gust of wind. For just a moment, he looked majestic, a god amongst wretches, a warrior who would shake the very foundations of the earth with his footsteps. For just a moment...he was who he wanted to be.

"Let us dance, child of Nightblood."

[nightblood]

"Not without a fight."

"FIGHT, FIGHT, DEATH, BLOOD, FIGHT! THAT'S ALL YOU DO, SLIME!!" Zuka snarled as she turned to leave, shaking her head in defiance.

Her path was cut off when Umbra started circling her. She flattened her ears and bared her fangs, glaring at him with her mother's icy gaze.

"So much potential...yet so much like your mother."

"What's that supposed to mean, you waste of fur?" she growled, clawing the ground as she dug her nails into the dirt, daring him to make the first move.

"You know, he loved you. More than anything in the world. He's willing to trade that love in order to do his duty. I'm not sure if it's worth it...but it's not my place to say."

"He's a fool, then. And his love never existed. If this was his choice, then he deserves to die. He's selfish. It's probably you who wants the pleasure of killing NightShade more, but if he really loved me, he'd stay and train me to take the bitch's life on my own. He's a coward for letting you take over."

It was then that he stopped moving, the wind in his fur giving him the only proof that there was life under his powerful, statuesque pose. She spat at the ground before him, willing him away. Umbra was nothing but a curse in this territory. Mortil was kind, but she couldn't see how he could have ever loved her with the way he was acting now.

"Let us dance, child of Nightblood."

"No."

Planting her hind feet on the ground behind her, she lifted off and landed on the boulder which Sure'thim had taken as his own off-battle site. She sat down and curled her tail around her paws, glaring at the warrior with a gaze that would make most adults tremble in their fur.

"We both know I'd lose."

[Electus]

"We both know I'd lose."

"Do I? I'm not sure." Mortilitas mused to himself. "But I guess it's typical for you to sell yourself short."

So she had skirted her lessons as well. Had she not, she might have detected his shift in stance, his change of tone...but oh well. Mortilitas shrugged to himself. It was not his place to meddle in the affairs of his split sides. His duty was clear: retribution of Sallin.

"He's a fool, then. And his love never existed. If this was his choice, then he deserves to die. He's selfish. It's probably you who wants the pleasure of killing NightShade more, but if he really loved me, he'd stay and train me to take the bitch's life on my own. He's a coward for letting you take over."

"So I was not mistaken...there is much left for you to learn."

Mortilitas paused, straining to maintain the balance inside. The yin and the yang. Black and white. Shades of grey. His golden eye rolled wildly for a moment before settling upon Zuka again.

"Perhaps a proper introduction is in order, despite the circumstances. I am the Death Shade, Mortilitas Umbra. It is a pleasure."

The ash-grey warrior turned towards the border, tilting his head over his shoulder.

"If you intend to leave, then farewell for now."

He started to move quietly towards Sallin, his gait purposeful and alert.

"I personally would not stop you from following. It is not my duty nor my affair."

In a few more steps, the enigmatic wolf vanished into the shadows, the same way he had come to Arnlan, so many moons ago.

"But whatever your choice, know that I, Mortilitas Umbra, union of both Mortil and Umbra, wish you happiness in whatever you do. Farewell. One day, when the screams of Sallin cease, I will return."

[nightblood]

"Do I? I'm not sure. But I guess it's typical for you to sell yourself short."

"I'm still just a pup, you old bruiser! I couldn't take you if my life depended on it!" she growled in retort.

"So I was not mistaken...there is much left for you to learn."

Zuka rolled her eyes. No duh, smart one, she thought to herself.

"Perhaps a proper introduction is in order, despite the circumstances. I am the Death Shade, Mortilitas Umbra. It is a pleasure."

The pup snorted in response, still disgusted with him. So in all technicality, there were three sides to this brute? Joyous.

"If you intend to leave, then farewell for now. I personally would not stop you from following. It is not my duty nor my affair. But whatever your choice, know that I, Mortilitas Umbra, union of both Mortil and Umbra, wish you happiness in whatever you do. Farewell. One day, when the screams of Sallin cease, I will return."

"Not while I'm around," Zuka scoffed as she jumped down from her perch and headed home. The Death Shade had proven that he was a threat to the pups of Arnlan. Not to mention, leaving the territory without the Alphas' order meant death. Since Mortilitas Umbra was a much fiercer enemy than most, it was likely that they'd let him live, but he would not be welcomed back.