War is Upon Us by Silver Sky (reading e books .TXT) 📕

Shifting into Human form, she elbowed her attacker in the stomach and twisted her fist round into his face. Staggering back, his legs hit the chest and he used it to spring towards her. Grabbing her arm he flipped her over his shoulder and she thumped onto the bed. Growling, she sprang at him and wrestled him to the ground. Locking his arms around her shoulders, he squeezed and caught her in a bear hug. Throwing her head forward, she smacked her forehead into him causing him to release with a grunt. Moving his arm upwards, he caught her in a choke hold.
"C'mon play nice," he grunted as she repeatedly hammered her elbow into his stomach.
"Let me go!" she yelled, kicking at him.
Removing his arm, freeing up her neck, he caught her fist and twisted it around her back.
"I will if you tell me why you're here." Smirking, he teased, "Couldn't you wait to see me again?" Hissing in anger, Ira shifted into wolf and sank her teeth into his leg. He yelled in pain before freezing.
"Xiomara, sir! Where are you?" a voice shouted.
Swearing, he hastily called back, "I'm in my father's room... sorting some... things. Now go away!" There was an affirmative shout back.
Confused, Ira wrenched her teeth out of his leg and turned back to human.
"What are you up to?" she growled at him.
Shrugging, he smirked at her, "I've been bored all day, I've finally found someone to spar with. It's fun. Now come on!" Grinning he beckoned for her to come at him. "They're all morons!" Ri screamed setting her hands on her hips, then waited for screaming of death to come. Nothing did. Suddenly a hand rapped around her mouth, she kicked and tried to scream as she was dragged into the forest, deeper and deeper.

"Would you shut up!" I male voice whispered harshly,

"You're trying to kill me! Why would I let you do that?!" Ri screamed back, but with this guys hand over her mouth it came out disoriented and jabber-like.

"What?" The man said, letting go of her. An instant reaction was to kick him between his legs and run, but once she turned they stared at each other. And Yuri came back.

"Phoenix?" Yuri asked, "Is that really you?"
Yuri squealed as she jumped up and down. 'Ugh! Kill me now!' Ri moaned, but Yuri ignored her as she jumped into Phoenix's arms. He hugged her and spun her around.

"What are you doing here?" She asked as he put her down.

"I could ask you the same thing!" He laughed. She hesitated, she wasn't sure if she should tell him what she did. Leaving the Eastern Pack, killing two innocent people, 'Would you get over that! That girl wasn't innocent! She attacked you, you would be dead right now if I hadn't done something.' Ri said. "Shut up!" Yuri yelled,

"What?" Phoenix asked shock written on his facial features.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I- uh..." She trailed off. How exactly did you make an excuse for yelling shut up just out of the blue? So Yuri brushed it off and went on with their conversation, "I'm in a new pack now!" She exclaimed. Phoenix beamed.

"So am I! I'm in the Southern (Or Northern. I don't remember) Pack now." Yuri frowned

"What? You're in this pack?" Ri laughed, 'Talk about back stabber huh. Didn't you guys always say how this Pack was the most dangerous and violent? Ha Ha! This is too funny. Come'on let me out now!' Ri whined. And instenctievly Yuri let her.

"Why'd you come into this Pack? Don't you remember all the things we used to talk about, about this group?" Ri asked, letting a tiny, almost invisible grin play on her face as her mind began to fill with so many things she could do to him in the curtain of trees that surrounded them.
Blood splashed on the floor as Ira and Xiomara fought. They froze again. Blood could be scented. Someone might have picked it up already.
"I think we should stop now," Xiomara whispered, listening hard. "I'll let you go back to your friends if you promise to come fight me again. Hey, I won't even tell anyone about it." Suddenly, he frowned, "Why did you come here, anyway? Let me guess, it was to find out our war efforts."
Bemused, Ira stared at him, "That occurs to you only now?" Grumbling, Xiomara shrugged,"Yeah, well... This war is stupid anyway. It's all about Politics. The higher ups want to spark a war with you so that their Western pack allies would attack you guys; leaving their land unprotected and ready for the taking. Apparently they're hiding something there that my father wants to get his hands on."
Ira stared at him with wide eyes, "Come with me, right now. You could be really useful to us."
Eyes narrowed, he contemplated the idea, "What's in it for me?"
"If you help us and we survive the war; I'll fight you again," she already knew what his answer would be.
Grinning, he stuck out his hand, "It's a deal!" They shook. This was very good for Ira. They now had an ally they could probably trust.
Swinging back the wall hanging to return, she started when she saw London hiding in the passage. Ira came tumbling down the passage with a guy behind her... the Alpha?! A small grin played on my face as I laughed. "My my, look at what we have here... And you're supposed to be Alpha, Ira? Which side are you on, exactly?!"
They stared at her for a moment then Xiomara laughed.
"I'm not the Alpha! Why would I want such a stuffy job anyway? My father is the Alpha. Oh and I'm gonna help you so you had better be nice to me."
Rolling her eyes, Ira gave him a stare, "I think you will offend less people if you kept that flapping mouth of your's closed."
'Sorry' he mouthed at London.
"Anyway," Ira said loudly, "let's get moving before people start wondering where you are." Nodding he followed her up the passage and out into the open light.
Aris and Yuri were there along with another guy Ira didn't recognise.
"Hey guys!" she called, "I've got someone that Vera will wanna speak to. Who's that guy?" She indicated the man standing beside Yuri. Ri even, she corrected herself. I went through the passage fully before heading back. Inside I was amazed to find a CLEAN den. My hands ran over a piece of wood by the corner...a dagger. My best weapon. I picked it up and ran out the passage, letting the cloth in the door fall behind me. Then I kept going until I met up with the others. Ri and the guy she was with were actually a little into the trees and deep in conversation, so Ira left them to it. She led Xiomara over to Jaz who was hunched up on a rock in human form.
"Hey, Jaz," Ira grinned at her, "do you think you could patch us up?"
She nodded smiling and worked quickly on Ira's wounds; cleaning them, bathing them with ointment and binding them. After that she turned to Xiomara. Most of his wounds were dealt with the same until she got to his leg. Ira's bite was deep.
"That's gonna need stitches," Jaz told him taking a needle and thread from her bag.
"Aww man!" he groaned. Grumpily, he complied, wincing slightly as the needle made steady progress on his wound. Ira raised an eyebrow at him.
"You don't even blink when I throw you across the room but needles hurt you?" her stare was incredulous, "I think you need to get your pain priorities in check."
He shrugged, "When I'm fighting the adrenaline's pumping and it doesn't really hurt that much."
Shaking her head, Ira glanced around, London was just exiting the tunnel.
"Hey London," she called, "everything alright?"
I hurried into wolf form and followed. Ira was proving to be a great wolf but... was she someone to trust? The question kept playing in my mind until we made it about halfway. I caught a scent and nudged Ira. "The scouts," I said and moved my head towards the direction they were. They were coming from the South. Growling, she swore silently, they were flanking them.
"We can't risk a fight," she whispered, "this is their territory. Reinforcements from our pack will take to long to get here." Glancing around, she tried to look for an escape root. Face brightening, she grinned as an idea occurred to her.
"Okay," she whispered, "we're travelling tree-top." This was basically, climbing a tree to the very top then jumping from tree top to tree top till you reached your destination. It was dangerous but it was safer than being on the ground. Hopefully the Northern Pack scouts wouldn't see them as worth the effort.
"Let's go!" she began scaling the nearest tree, Xiomara followed her with Jaz clinging to his neck.
"You people are crazy!" he hissed at her. London switched from wolf form to human form and started to climb the tree immediately and jumping, from branch to branch. "Someone should make a movie about a man doing this," she whispered under her breath. She kept going, ignoring the cuts and bruises. "Yuri are you alright?" Phoenix asked. His face was filled with worry and Ri could tell he had seen the change once she had taken over. Yuri was, as usual, demanding for control again. She was probably regretting it since she could see all of Ri's thoughts.

"I'm fine, what would make you think otherwise?" She asked, stepping a little closer. "Do you now trust me Phoenix?" Still walking toward him, he started to walk backwards.

"Yuri stop. I don't know what happened to you just now but you need to control yourself." Yuri started to break through at that point, but Ri fought back. She needed this, a dead body a day was her agenda. She needed to shed some blood, since Ira hadn't let them invade the enemy camp. Turning into wolf form Ri growled, and leaped for Phoenix. Instinctively he turned into a wolf as well and dodges Ri's attack. 'This is going to be fun' She thought as she took another blow at Phoenix. I didn't hesitate. I knew that it was Ri and not Yuri. I launched myself towards her, making sure to wound her but not kill her. From nearly, the top of the tree. Ira watched the fight begin to take hold.
"For goodness sake!" she hissed, "you guys go on ahead," she told Xiomara and Jaz, "she knows the way." With that she quickly abseiled down the tree till her feet thwacked against the floor. Running over to the grappling pair, she gripped London's shoulders and threw her off.
"What the hell is going on!?" she growled at them, "do you want to give away our position? Now get your arses up that tree now!"
She turned away, fuming. Ri turned back to London, she wanted to fight her back. But Yuri would take over for sure if she tried. She looked to Phoenix. Then back to London and Ira,

"Before you go, this guy is from the enemy pack. What should we do with him?" Ri asked, before Ira and London could leave. Freezing, she glanced back, "I've already made an ally, he has valuable information. If your... friend?... has information or would be a useful ally, I suggest we get him to cover for both us and Xiomara. However," she gave the boy a hard stare, "if he is a danger then... dispose of him, quietly and without mess. We've wasted too much time already."