The Great Escape

Crash

“Alright,” Crash said, already turning on her tail and leaving Rockhollow Tarn. She worried for Bloom’s stamina, especially since the route she planned on taking was so mountainous. They could detour and splash through a few rivers, circle a few times to confuse the Aryn pursuers, but she had no idea if Bloom could handle that. If she left Bloom at the Nostrils, a place she had been told about, she could turn and try to leave confusing scents.

The land quickly became rocky and perilous, and Crash was forced to slow her pace. She leapt nimbly amongst the rocks, having been there before searching for the way she could take, but she didn’t think Bloom had. “Don’t worry about the pack,” Crash advised Bloom, hoping the younger wolf wouldn’t make a fatal mistake in their haste to get away. “Go as slowly as you need. We’ve got some time…”

At least, she hoped they did. The High Country was almost right across the entire territory, and that was even if Alcatraz could find Seaver there. Nervous, Crash kept hopping from rock to rock, waiting for Bloom to catch up. She tried to keep changing her route, jumping around while Bloom continued in a straightforward manner towards the Nostrils. Intermittently, Crash would backtrace, instructing Bloom to keep going, and would roll over the ground where Bloom had been, trying to disturb the trail.

Bloom

Already breathless by the time they arrived near the Nostrils--by the way, what kind of name was that? Nostrils. Ugh, she couldn’t wait to get home. Bloom tried to keep an even pace, she didn’t want to break out into a full run because who knows when she’ll need the speed. As the soft soil turned to a rocky environment, she stumbled over the rocks. Doing her best to trail beside Crash she hopped from rock to rock, as she clambered over them clumsily.

Crash told her not to worry about the pack, to focus on where she put her paws. It was so hard to not think about the pack that was no doubt trailing behind them. From time to time Bloom would pause to catch her breath and stretch her aching shoulder. Glancing over her shoulder, she raised her nose to the wind. Could she smell water? Turning back to face the Mountains that loomed ominously over the two wolves, she tucked her tail.

This was a dangerous track, would the Aryns really pursue them into it? Glancing over to Crash, she tilted her head slightly watching her disrupt their scent..or her scent. “Thank you, Crash.. For helping and my mom. I know this probably wasn’t easy..”  She told her, then took a deep breath and pressed onward...

“It’s what I do,” Crash replied to Bloom shortly, but not unkindly. The younger wolf looked frightened, and Crash’s head was swimming with all the ways this could go wrong. She tried her best to remain calm and self-assured for Bloom, but comfort wasn’t her strong suit. It took all she had to not just begin barking orders and pushing Bloom to her limits.

Lawson

“Run Seaver, run!” The yell traveled far across the open terrain of the Barrens. The two Coursers were swerving and leaving trails in the grass as they both chased after their hares. This was a nice chance for them to bond, unwind, and have some good old fashioned fun. Granted, when Seaver first suggested the idea, Lawson had been against it - more running? They did enough of that with their hunts! But it was a good chance to spend time with his self-proclaimed best friend. Ever since Seaver’s promotion, there was hardly any time just to hang out!

His black paws pounded against the soil as he ran, doing his best to keep up with the sharp turns of the hare. Between the two, Seaver was the speed and Lawson was the muscle, so it wasn’t too much of a shock when the small mammal darted into the underbrush. “I lost mine!” he hollered between pants then straightened, ears perked forward as a howl ran through their ears. What was that for? Oh crap, were they in trouble? This couldn’t be good.

Seaver

A heavy howl that grew louder as the owner approached made him skid to a distracted halt, causing the hare to disappear within seconds. He panted heavily, heart racing to catch up with his stamina but listened at the same time to tell where the howls were coming from. He recognized them, and confused him at the same time. What did Alcatraz want at a time like this?

Alcatraz

The Gamma Warden felt fury as he reached Seaver and Lawson. He knew right when he saw them unharmed that that he had been tricked. His yellow eyes were livid as they looked upon Seaver, and then Lawson. But the anger was not directed at them, whether they knew it or not. “Come with me. I’ll explain on the way. Now.” With that the huge Gamma Warden turned and raced back toward the way he came. Lawson and Seaver would be able to keep up easily, he expected, for Alcatraz himself was not particularly fast.

He explained the situation in rasping breaths as they ran. ”Crash tricked me!” He snarled, sounding as if he was ready to murder the female. And he just might if he caught her. ”She told me that you needed help fighting off a bear…” Alcatraz shook his head with a snarl. He could punish himself for his stupidity and grumble about trusting new wolves later. Right now they needed to catch Bloom. ”I am sure she took Bloom and they are heading to Blutwald as we speak.” Alcatraz finished as the three raced toward the area where Bloom was kept.

“You two are swifter than me, and surely swifter than the half-starved Bloom. I imagine they will head a straight line toward Blutwald. Lawson, you are to run ahead. You know the territory better than them. Reach the border before they do and secure it.” the dark male ordered. And then to Seaver he said, ”You will come with me to where we kept Bloom, find their scent, and chase them down from behind. I will be right behind you.” The dark wolf said, but he did not want to hold his packmates back. They were made for speed, Alcatraz for strength.

”In the mean time, we must all howl, and alert the rest of the pack that the prisoner has escaped.” Alcatraz then stopped speaking, his pawsteps thundering against the ground, and he waited for their response. He wanted to make sure they were okay with their assignments and there were no other concerns.

Seaver

His jaw tightened and he cast a quick glance back to Lawson as the rage was very very much apparent on their fellow pack mates face. What on Earth peed in his dinner? He reacted almost instantly upon hearing the command, flattening his ears and letting his tail tuck underneath him as he pounded after the much heavier set male. At the pace they were going Seaver considered it a general canter, but obviously their tasks called for different physical aspects, so he had no room to judge. Alcatraz could crush him with a single paw.

Shock struck him and he couldn’t help but exclaiming, his tall ears popping forward in alert. ”What?!” He wasn’t sure what to think at first. Crash had left Blutwald to join them, claiming she wanted to be apart of Aryn’s family and a whole bunch of other nonsense. Lady Athena had welcomed her in with open arms, regardless of her origins, and now this? Betrayal didn’t sit well with him, suddenly he felt a strange emotion pulse through his upper arms as if he wanted to run faster than he had ever run before and punish her for her actions. His brows furrowed into a serious expression, now was time for business. They had to stop the escape at all costs.

Lawson

This was bad. Very, very bad. No one could make him feel this absolute fear like Alcatraz could. His brain desperately scrambled to try to figure out what he did to cause this type of fury. Both Coursers shared a glance before wordlessly taking off after the Warden. His ears were pushed back and tail tucked in submission. He fell easily in stride with the both of them though was a bit behind as they were both Gammas. Now was not the time to be disrespectful.

Lawson nearly tripped in shock at the news. “What?!” he exclaimed in union with Seaver. His mind was racing as they ran. In their time in Aryn, he hadn’t really gotten to know either one of them. Well, that made sense in Bloom’s case since she was a prisoner of war and he wasn’t about to be given the responsibility of watching over her. Crash, on the other hand, had joined a little bit before him. They had only met in passing but from what he knew, she left Blutwald behind to join them. How could she betray the pack like this?! A surge of anger rose from the pit of his stomach and made his throat tight.

Seaver

There was no way Aryn was about to be made fools out of by two Blutwaldians. He nodded firmly and turned to look back at Lawson. ”Hunting stealth. When we get close, form an ambush. You know the drill!” He barked, now taking charge of his new responsibilities as a Gamma. He trusted his friend to make this break count. Once he was off, Seaver kept perfect stride with Alcatraz as they headed towards the Rockhollow Tarn, swiftly dodging fallen debris. I can’t believe this, we trusted her! He growled under his breath as he pointed  his head forward to alert the pack, sounding an alarm howl the loudest he could.

His gold eyes blinked, swallowing painfully at their commands. Alcatraz wanted him to do what? The pressure made his legs feel sluggish and he looked between them with slight  hesitation. No, now was not the time to chicken out. They were counting on him! Besides, there was no way Alcatraz would give him this task if he didn’t believe Lawson could do it. This was his chance to prove his worth and loyalty to his pack. Inwardly, he was thankful for the fighting lessons he just finished with the Warden.

With newfound resolve, he nodded to them both. “I won’t let you down.” Inhaling sharply, he dug deep and pushed off the ground, sprinting ahead the two of them towards the border. As he ran, Seaver’s howl rang in his ears; he tilted his head up and let his own howl join, hoping it would reach anyone nearby.

Alexandro

Today Alexandro had started his Ranger duties as always, but for today the little Varrick wanted to go with him, it seemed that the young one was interested in something related to his task, he enjoyed the company, and before he could answer the little one promised to not hold him back, he didn’t want to waste more time and accepted.

He always was looking back to him, without Varrick noticing of course, he didn’t want to make him feel bad, and he was trying really hard to climb and walk throw the rocks and tricky place they were, Alexandro was of course, use to it, but maybe Varrick being a little fatty and with his size, well, it seemed it was difficult to him, but he never give up and didn’t ask for any help, finally, they reached their destiny, he could see the happiness and satisfaction in Varrick’s face, somehow, it made him remember his younger times in old Aryn.

But the moment was abruptly interrupted when Alexandro saw something in the distance, they were two wolves, from Aryn, running to Blutwald, he could hear the howl of Seaver in the distance, it was the alarm! And there was Bloom! They were escaping, he growled furiously, his pelt puff out, he looked at Varrick, he knew the young one also had notice this, Alexandro let a deep howl came out of his throat, trying to let the others now his location and that he had already notice the runners “There is no time to waste Varrick! We better get does two back to Aryn before they manage to escape!” He said while running down, towards the two females directions “Come on Varrick! We can do this!” His heart was pounding like crazy, he could feel already the adrenaline fill his body, also with fury and anger.

Crash

A sound filtered through the air from a distance away, and Crash paused, breath caught in her throat. It was Seaver, and that was the alarm being raised. Luck, it would seem, were not on their side. As she swung her head around to begin hurrying Bloom, she spotted movement in the dusk air, spying two wolves higher up the mountain. A moment later, Alexandro’s howl filled the air, much louder than Seaver’s.

Crash cursed, loudly and viciously, not bothering to stay and watch the two wolves stumble down the dangerous cliffs. With luck, maybe one or both of them would fall to their deaths. Crash felt no remorse for these thoughts, even though she herself had been the one to save Alexandro when she first infiltrated Aryn. Maybe she could use that against him… If they ever found them. Night had well and truly fallen, and that might be their only saving grace.

Either way, she wasn’t going to be the one to die here, far from her children and her home. Crash had been through worse than this, and come out on top. She just needed to survive. “Come on, Bloom,” Crash ordered, her head emptying of anxiety. A cool rush of calm ran through her, her mind already trying to calculate possibilities. With Alexandro and the other wolf having spotted them, and having heard the alarm, there wasn’t much she could do in ways of lying. “You want to return to your family?” She questioned harshly, trying to spur the smaller wolf into adrenaline fuelled action. Crash knew adrenaline was one hell of a drug, and that a wolf could do unbelievable things while it was coursing through their veins. “Keep moving, stay in the shadows, and keep going west. I’ll be right behind you, but if you don’t spot me, don’t turn back. You understand me?”

Bloom

Stumbling over rocks, and watching the tumble away down the cliff , her concentration broke off as she heard a closer howl. She recognized it as Alexandro. He was once kind to her, but..apparently it wasn’t enough to break orders from his pack. Turning her head around, her eyes searched the cliffs for the wolf. She could two forms on the cliffs above them. The larger one must be Alex. Eyes slitted, she turned back to Crash as she began to speak to her.

“Yes, I want to my family, but..you have family too..” She said, fearing that even if she get out of this Crash might be caught if she fell behind. Bloom whipped her head back and forth, “Crash..I..” Staring into the adult wolf’s face, her mouth fell open but nothing but air came out. Chills ran through her body, she had to do what Crash told her to, she’d do it anyway.

“Don’t..don’t leave me,” she told Crash, then went about following orders, pushing through along through the rocky cliffside, focusing on trying to stand in the shadows of the higher cliffs. Night was falling quickly and soon it’d be hard to see, but hopefully the moon would guide her home to safety..and Crash too.. Above, high above the cliffs she heard the screech of a falcon and spotted it circling above them, then saw it fly off, riding air currents..

Crash

“I won’t leave you,” Crash murmured in reply, before nudging Bloom forward with her snout. No longer did she backtrace and roll around to scatter their scents, instead sticking close to Bloom’s tail, her ears turning constantly to try and pick up sounds in the dark night. She barely even looked where she was going, her light paws picking out the best spots to be placed as they trotted. Her head twisted back every now and then, trying to find their hunters, but both wolves had disappeared from Crash’s eyesight. It wasn’t a reassuring thought. At least they were beginning to near the edge of Aryn’s borders.

Varrick

The ranger’s call to action made Varrick’s fur tingle, and his paws kneaded the ground anxiously as he peered over the cliff’s edge. The two wolves bellow also seemed energized by the cry as their pace quickened through the rough terrain. In a flash Alex had thrown himself down the steep rocks in a snarling frenzie. Varrick danced around the rim, barking and whining in obvious distress. He knew he had to follow the male, but fear kept him from making the first leap. Not being able to go down the pup decided to go the only way he could; forward through the mountain path.

Not taking his eyes off his quarry except the occasional glance forward Varrick tracked the runners movement from the mountain. His thick legs actually maneuvering well along the rocks and narrow path now that his focus was no longer on himself. When a fallen tree blocked his path Varrick didn’t even flinch, but dived under the thick trunk and leapt back into a run on the other side. He did not notice however when his path took a sharp U-turn up, and he went barreling down the steep wooded slope.

Lawson

Every bush, tree, and blade of grass was a blur as the brown wolf ran with all his might. It felt like every muscle and joint were screaming for relief but he kept pushing forward. Who knew what terrible consequences would come if Bloom and Crash escaped! He pinned his eyes shut to get rid of the thought. There was no way they would make it - Aryn had to stop them! They would! Alcatraz and Seaver were probably behind him now to help close in on the trespassers. He had to stay focused and get to the border as fast as he could.

A howl from the west rang through the air and he skidded to a stop. He heaved for breath, gold eyes scanning back and forth to try and pinpoint the howl. It had to be from someone in Aryn; there was no way Bloom and Crash would be stupid enough to give away their location. The elements, unfortunately, were on their side as the sun had set and the mountainous terrain stood before him. After a few more gulps of air, he gritted his teeth and started running towards the call.

It didn’t take him long to scale the steep incline. Adrenaline was pounding through his veins as he once again tried to locate anyone. His gaze and head moved back and forth desperately until they spotted Alexandro and Varrick… and the escapees! Yes! Tilting his head back, he released a long, loud, and almost desperate howl for the Gammas he prayed weren’t too far behind. In an instant though, all his optimism faded away. Alex was charging down the hillside while Varrick, the little omega, was tumbling down towards danger.

Fear seized him instantly and he flailed about wildly trying to regain the advantage. Trees whirled past him in a reeling blur, while sticks and rocks beat against his back and sides. At one point he felt the ground leave his paws, and for a split second he wondered if it was over. Then the ground came crashing into him so hard it took the air out of his lungs. For a moment he just lay there broken and daized. He could hear the commotion of the chase whirling around him, and it lulled him back into consciousness.

Swaying slightly he lifted himself up and looked around. The sight that greeted him snapped him back into reality as he was face to face with the escapees. Dumbfounded he sat there staring at them, not knowing what to do.

Crash

A sudden halt to the movement snapped Crash’s attention from their surroundings, and she edged around Bloom, paws delicately navigating the edge of the cliff. Sitting in front of them, dust still settling around him, was.. “Varrick?” A pup Crash had seen around, but never interacted with. He was sweet enough, if a little quiet. “Are you okay? What…” What was he doing here? She felt bewildered. Why was a juvenile wolf in the hunt to catch them, and more importantly, how had he caught up to them? Even though he was an Aryn wolf, Crash didn’t want to hurt the young boy. Maybe she could use him as a bargaining tool…

Bloom

Jumping backwards  as she heard rocks tumble down the side of a cliff. Crash had moved in front of her, the fur on her scruff began to bristle nervously. As the dust cleared she noticed a young wolf stumbling to his paws. “They’re sendings pups after us?” She looked over at Crash, then back to Varrick and frowned. “Come on, Crash.. Lets go.. We can out run this pup..”

Lawson

“Varrick! Alexandro!” His panic was evident in the words when without a moment’s hesitation he stumbled down the hill. Thankfully, he was lower down than the two of them and closer to the females, as he dug his claws into the rock to get some sort of control. Alcatraz’s words were echoing in his head but he shook it violently; there was no way the Ranger was going to reach in time! Laws couldn’t let Varrick be near those two alone! Instinct took over as he shot forward in front of the black wolf with his lip pulled back, exposing his canines.

Bloom

 She wanted to tug on Crash’s tail to move her. Before she could make any such movements another wolf jumped in front of the pup and began to snarl at them. “LET US GO HOME!” She cried, whimpering sadly. “I want to see my family..” She whined loudly. She didn’t care that she sounded like a pup, she wanted to go home!

Crash

Before she could do anything, all three wolves still staring in shock at each other, another wolf leapt out in front of him, snarling up a storm. Despite the cool front she put on for Bloom, Crash found herself flinching back. She hated conflict. “Lawson,” Crash greeted, her voice tight with barely concealed worry. In a fight with any but the weakest wolf, Crash was likely to lose. The jagged cliffs would be her only way to win here, but she was loathe to shed blood.