| The Pack stood under the night sky and listened to the mad howling
of the Forsaken. "They're murdering each other," someone whispered. Carradene
still stood by the tree at the edge of the clearing around the hillock.
He said nothing, but watched what Fred would do. Watched for what his people
would expect Fred to do.
"The moon is almost upon us," Fred said to the crowd that hemmed in around him. The faint sounds of slaughter that reached his ears sickened him. "Though we are brothers and sisters, the beast within us keeps us apart during the Cycle of the Moon. But tonight is the last night that we shall have to suffer this fate trapped on this cursed isle. Tomorrow we shall be free to seek out our own destinies, and perhaps find a cure for this damnable disease. Tonight is the last night that we shall have to suffer the company of the Forsaken. Now run, all of you, to your chosen dens. Keep close to your families and do not stray too far into the dark." Fred gazed at the faces around him and smiled, "I have no fear that tomorrow I will see you all safe and sound. We may be at the whim of our animal natures when the moon is full, but animals know how to survive when predators roam the land. Now go, and tomorrow we shall celebrate under the palms that dot the beach where the pirate ship is anchored. Tomorrow we shall be free." Faces filled with new confidence nodded at Fred's words. He had spoken true and tomorrow would see them all safe and sound. The Pack scattered into its animal tribes and soon the clearing was empty. ************************************************************************ The moon rose, its slow climb heralding an unstoppable pull against Fred's body and mind. He was running with the other foxes. Running toward the hills and grasses that they called their own. And a fog crept into his brain and thinking became difficult. His body warped and changed. Fred was no longer Fred. He was Swift Foot. And beside him ran Leaping Stream, and beyond her Hopper and Moon Glow. But something was different. Like last night, something was not quite...normal. Leaping Stream looked at him. She was feeling it too. Whatever was happening, he wasn't the only one that felt it. It was so vague. His fox mind found it impossible to form words to describe it. Foxes didn't use words. They thought in images. But there was no image to describe what Swift Foot was feeling now. But there were words. And somehow, against all the laws of nature, Swift Foot remembered words. Two words. Fred (he wondered what that meant) and Alicia. Alicia. He ran by Leaping Stream's side and remembered the word Alicia. ************************************************************************ In the morning, Fred awoke with Alicia in his arms. Her open eyes were clear and bright; she had been waiting for him to awake. "Fred..." she said hesitantly, "do you remember something about last night?" Fred stared down at her and an image flashed in his mind. An image of a beautiful red fox leaping over a stream. He shook his head, "I...I don't know." Fred wondered what was hiding inside his mind, but it seemed to be wrapped in fog. And right now he couldn't afford to let his own personal questions get in the way of his duty to the Pack. The sun was less than an hour in the sky. It was time to head to the beach. Go Back
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