223 Shadowflash Returns

After half an hour, Vigil and his friends were exhausted and zonked out, barely able to remain conscious.

Shadowflash barked a low laugh, more amused than anything else at their efforts. [All right, you've tried your best. Now go call the pack. Who leads it now?]

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[That would be Mama.] Vigil answered.

[Then go call her. Have her bring some of the Elders over.]

To that, Vigil could only groan. All the efforts of himself and his friends didn't seem to do any good at all. The Spectre didn't even seem to notice. Only Shadowflash held it down, and only Shadowflash seemed to receive any of its attention. That was probably a good thing; had it actually struck out at the little ones directly, they probably wouldn't survive. Then again, with Shadowflash there, how could it have reached them?

The three little cubs made their painstaking journey back up the cliff, sneaking past many a deadly denizen, mentally exhausted from their earlier efforts, but bouyed with the excitement of finding Shadowflash and urged on with the hope of helping him out.

Carrie was quite astounded at seeing Vigil when he finally reached her. He was thoroughly worn out, but thoroughly happy, seemingly even happier than Cheery for once, and he was all but bouncing in excitement. [Mama! We found Papa! We have to help!!]

It took a bit of explaining, but after an hour of much-needed rest, nine of the most powerful wolfcats in the pack followed Vigil and gang back down the chasm.

[Shadowflash!] Carrie leapt to his side the moment she laid eyes on him.

[Carrie. You have come.] Shadowflash welcomed her with a warm nuzzle. [I have missed you.]

[I'm here. We're all here.] Carrie gathered Psionic power, as did the other eight elder wolfcats that accompanied her.

[So many? You brought in the elders from the two Misty Mountains packs as well?] Shadowflash was amazed.

[They have joined us now, since Remian…]

[Who or what is Remian?]

[I'll explain later.]

The combined power of nine elder wolfcats rose up like a tidal wave and crashed down on the Spectre.

[Moooorreee….?] The Spectral Beast howled. [You will regret this! You will never be able to… to…]

BOOM! A second combined crash slammed it face-first into the dirt.

POW! Shadowflash added his powers to the third wave, crushing the Spectre beneath so much force, they left a small crater in the floor.

BAM! Tired as he was, Vigil and his friends threw in their little cups of power, adding even their little bit into the tidal wave of combined might hammering down on the Spectral Beast.

Combining powers like that was a feat not easily accomplished by most Wilds, but the ability to work together was an intrinsic part of wolfcat nature. It was sheer instinct for them to combine their efforts. It was their way, their culture, and their code to work together; it was true when they hunted, it was true when they fought. It was true here and now too.

This was the strength of the pack. Before it, the strength and stubbornness of the Spectral Beast crumbled. As wave after wave smashed down on it, the creature let out a final roar of rage before it broke down, shattering into millions of tiny pieces that faded away and disappeared like smoke.

Oddly enough, something of it remained. Like a little pulsing lamp, a small gray orb rolled to a stop at Shadowflash's feet.

Shadowflash considered that orb for a moment, then warned. [Nobody touch it! Don't get too close.]

[What is it?] Vigil asked.

Snaps sniffed, cautiously inspecting it with a hungry look.

[It is the Spectre's Core. It is poison. Don't eat it.] Shadowflash told him.

[Would I die?] Snaps didn't appear convinced.

[Worse.] Shadowflash summarized. [Just don't.]

[Then what do we do with it? Are we just going to leave it here?] Vigil asked.

Shadowflash shook his head. A wisp of shadow curled around the Spectral Core and then in a flicker, both the Core and Shadowflash himself was gone.

[Papa…?!] Vigil gasped.

[Up there. He's already going up.] Carrie picked Vigil up by the scruff of his neck. [Let's go back too.]

***

Topside, Shadowflash was baffled by everything he saw. [What… happened?]

The Misty Mountains had herb fields, there were mining towns in the distance, crazed Wilds in a Tide surging over from the west, and signs of human habitation all over the place… there were even pieces of airship wreckage right on top of the slope they used to exit the Gorge!

[Is it the humans?! Are they attacking us?] Shadowflash growled.

[No, no, they're… friends, actually.] Carrie grimaced. [It's a bit of a long story.]

But then again, sharing memories psionically didn't take very long at all.

Afterward, as they were sharing a meal together as a pack, Carrie asked, [What do you intend to do with the humans? Already, there is a Tide, and now that you're back, we should be able to intervene one way or the other.]

Shadowflash nodded. [I will indeed intervene.]

[But what do you intend to do? Save them, or destroy them?] Carrie asked.

Shadowflash paused. [I haven't decided yet. I'll know when I meet them for myself.]

With a flicker of darkness, Shadowflash disappeared again.

***

Let's be honest. All things considered, George was having a bad day. A very bad day indeed.

"Heave!" Equipped with ME-Frames, he and three others finally managed to haul the oversized rock pinning Markus down. "All together, now! To the left! MY left!"

They were up to their necks in clearing rubble when the report came in. "The main body of the Tide is on us! They're digging at the main entrances!"

"Which one?" George asked.

"Both of them!" the messenger reported. "They're digging fast! It won't be long before they get to the tunnels!"

"How did they even know where to find us?" George groaned. "Status report!"

"In deep trouble!" The messenger summarized.

"Details! Casualties! How many troopers in ME-Frames do we have left?" George asked. "What is the condition of all the other squads?"

"Casualties are roughly 20% dead, 70% injured. There are only five troopers left with functional ME-Frames! The condition of all the other squads is… miserable!"

George's face fell. "Other than the two ballistae and the five ME-Frames, what do we have left that can stop a Tier 5 Wild?"

The messenger hesitated. "I don't think there's anything else, sir!"

"How many Tier 5's are coming at us?" George asked then. "Leaving out those who ignored us and passed by, just those digging at our doors. How many?"

"At last report… about twenty, sir!"

Twenty Tier 5's against five ME-Frames and two ballistae. The odds did not look good. George didn't even count the other squads. Everyone was already in 'miserable' condition. Asking them to fight Tier 5's at this point was likely asking them to throw away their lives for just a little more time. In George's opinion, that sort of trade-off wasn't worth it.

"Just when we were doing so well, too!" George sighed, a long, deep sigh. "Ready the airport for emergency evacuation."

"Uh… sir, that's really not a good idea." The messenger said.

"Why not?" George asked, puzzled.

"Because, sir, they have dragons." The messenger replied. "Tier 5 and 6 flyers are all over the place. It's a death-trap out there."

George paled. "Then, the tunnels…"

Just then, there was a flicker of shadow, and a black wolfcat appeared by George's side, sniffing at him, then sniffing at Markus who was lying unconscious half-under the rubble.

"A wolfcat?" George blinked. "Hey, your pack's gone over to the Herb Fields at Misty Mountain. You should go there too. We don't want you guys to get caught between us and the Tide."

The black wolfcat turned to regard him slowly.

"You're…" George frowned. "You're not part of the Tide, are you? That can't be. Wolfcats are our friends. You wouldn't attack us."

That last bit was said with certainty. George didn't so much as consider the possibility of this wolfcat being hostile toward him. The fact that it wasn't already attacking was proof enough.

"Listen, I'm happy you're trying to help us. Goodness knows we could use a good digger right about now. But the Tide is coming for us, you understand? If you stay here, your pack might get dragged into this too!" George warned the wolfcat again. "So, please… don't get caught up in our mess!"

[And if I insist?] the wolfcat asked, sounding amused.

"Uh…" George scratched his head. He turned to the messenger.

The messenger shook his head. "Don't look at me. I don't know anything about this. It's never happened before."

The black wolfcat barked a laugh, and then there was a flicker of shadow and before anyone knew it, Markus was free. He was held in the wolfcat's teeth, dragged right to George's feet and quite clear of any rubble.

"Markus!" George checked him over for injuries. He was still breathing, but a lot of his bones looked broken and he was bleeding all over. "Medics! One more for the infirmary! Put him in the bed next to Max!"

That should assure Max somewhat. When they got him out, the last thing Max had said before falling unconscious was Markus' name.

"Thank you." George said to the wolfcat. "I don't know how you did it, but you were awesome. We owe you one. What's your name?"

To that, the wolfcat barked another laugh. Suddenly, he swelled in size until he filled the entire tunnel to bursting.

[My name is Shadowflash.] He introduced himself at last. [And I am the Lord of this Fief.]