Chapter 9: the twilight hunt and apprehension

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Chapter 9

The twilight hunt

And apprehension

 

 

 

     Running fast, we all spread out from each other, of course to make it harder to catch us. Topaz went with Rikku, Nikita ran with Zorah, Shadow and Kalkan ran together, Oakami left alone, and Spirit came with me. Five different directions would help our escape it hey followed, but with all Bruce had to track us, it would be very difficult to escape.

     “Now do you believe me you idiots! Get’em! If you don’t come back with something then don’t come back! Cause you’ll be fired! Now go! Track’em down team! They wanna play the game? Then we do too! Go!” that was the speech Bruce gave before we could hear engines revving up in the distance. Smoke and grime filled the air. The hunt was on, and we were on the wrong side of it.

     There was no time to rest; we scampered away as far as we could. We mainly headed to the densest part of the forest for safety. It would be harder to see us by air over the full-bloomed treetops, and it was near impossible to get the big machinery through the thick layers of tree and bush.

     We could still hear engines roar and feel the earth shake lightly as before. Luckily, in our wolf forms, we had senses enhanced better than them and anyone. We still had the few secret weapons with that.

     The most of my worries was who their prime target would be. Swiftly speeding in between tree and stump Spirit and I made our way deeper into the forest. We ran into Oakami along the way. “I didn’t see them along the way. I don’t think they’re after us specifically. We’re too fast and stealthy to them.” he said.

     We thought on it a moment. “Well,” I started, “I know when I go on a hunt, I want the easiest to catch, especially if I am not going to kill it. Maybe Bruce has a weaker target…..” Then I knew what he was doing. “We have to find Topaz!” I frantically said. “What of her? She is with Rikku. She will be fine.” Oakami said. “Don’t you see? He will first and foremost go for the weakest of us!” I said. “Topaz…..” Spirit whispered. At least she understood what I was saying.

     “Fine. You guys get her. I am going to meet up with the others. Where shall we meet again?” Oakami asked. “The riverside caves, in the most desolate part of the forest. Through the barren lands, ok?” I said. It was agreed. We shifted back to wolves and headed eastward while Oakami went south.

     Sniffing along as we went, we were finally able to pick up their scent and was able to follow it. It led far off, in circles and straight walks. Apparently they had run around everywhere. We discovered tracks minutes after our departure from Oakami. They were in mud and sand and led to the river. Where they stopped altogether. They must have swam across from there.

     We shifted to human for a short rest. We needed it bad. “Should we go across too?” I asked. No time to answer, explosions were heard in the distance. Then the winds picked up, but it was a very unnatural wind. Then we noticed the two helicopters flying towards us.

     There was a guy hanging by wires on each of the helicopters feet. They each held a side of a large net. That was bad. It came close and stopped directly above us. The men dropped the net dead above our standing spot. I jumped and rolled out of the way. Spirit didn’t get that chance.

     The net covered her, and then her legs were knocked out from beneath her as they violently started to pull the net back up. She was trapped in it. I shifted to my timber wolf form and jumped up high near the net and was able to snag it with my teeth. The one area I go ripped, and then the net slowly started to unravel. Spirit plummeted to the ground and landed on her side. She lie motionless. With a broken net and no other way to capture, the helicopters turned around and flew back over the treetops and out of site, I hoped Spirit was ok.

     Elsewhere, Oakami had found Shadow, Kalkan, Nikita, and Zorah. He told them where to go and the instructions we had gave. All of them left for the cave except Kalkan. “I’m staying with you.” he told Oakami. “What? No. Scram already, I have to go!” he said. “Shut up! Your going to need help and I am here to do it!” Oakami growled when Kalkan said that. “There is no time for fighting. You’re not as tough as you seem. I am coming with you no matter what you do.” “Fine!” Oakami finally said, “You come, but stay out of my way and keep up. Got it?” Oakami said. He really didn’t like the fact that someone else was trying to order him around.

     Immediately they were off to search. It may have been too late by then. They had no idea that who they were looking for was merely around the corner. They found them almost no sooner after they left. In a clearing, further down the river, there is where Rikku and Topaz stood.

     They were surrounded by men on bikes, all from the team Bruce had told to come. All of them wielded guns. Another explosion in the distance, throwing the humans’ focus off from our sisters. Rikku and Topaz slipped through them to Oakami and Kalkan waiting on the other side near the edge of the clearing.

     The men returned their attention to the empty circle. Then they span around and spotted the escapers. They started chasing them on their motorcycles. Their speed on foot was no match for the machines. The boys split sides and Rikku went to the left with Kalkan. But poor Topaz, caught up in the moment, did not follow.

     The motorcycles neared her and one went on either side as she ran. She tried to go faster in her wolf form, but she just couldn’t. The men took their hands off the handles and readied a net between themselves as they rode. Then, as the other three feared they would do, with their aim directly over Topaz, they dropped the net on her.

     Again in the meanwhile, back at the caves that the others had went to, Nikita, Zorah, and Shadow sit with wide eyes and open ears for any howls of good news. That noise would never come. “We should go help.” Zorah suggested. “What? No! You always want to help something, regardless of the situation.” Nikita said, “Besides, we were told to stay here where it is safe. We are being hunted Zorah, the forest is a damn war zone! Do you really want to go out there? We could be injured, killed, or captured. We cannot aid them anymore than we can help ourselves. This is a grave situation as is.” “I just hope they return soon.” Shadow said, staring out from the mouth of the cave. The other two hoped so as well.

     “Spirit!” I yelled as I knelt to her side, “ are you alright? Can you hear me?” No response. I shook her lightly, careful not to cause any more damage to her than what may have already been done. She was limp and her eyes remained closed. But her faint heart beat and breathing brought me hope. I got a handful of cold water from the river and splashed it over her. She twitched, but nothing much more.

     She was alive, but unconscious from the accident at the moment. I grabbed her arms and once more carefully dragged her away towards the tree filled areas to hide her for now. How was I too help otherwise? I slowly put her in between two trees and covered her with dry leaves besides her head. She would be ok there for now. I transformed and ran off to the cave to join the others. We would be needing them. I could not do it all on my own.

     “Topaz!” Kalkan called as he net fell. It was as direct hit. She was trapped in it. The boys rushed out and tried to free her, but ultimately failed when the motorcycles chased them with another net. They were able to escape, but they still returned for their catch.

     They tied the net up and put it into one of the containment cars they had brought with them. They closed their doors and locked them up tight so she couldn’t escape, and we couldn’t get in. That was one caught, how many more would they get?

     “She’s here!” Shadow shouted to the others in the cave. He had sight of me. They all rushed out to greet me. Oakami and Shadow were with them already. “Sakura! Where’s Spirit?” Oakami asked. I was surprised he even cared.

     “We need to retrieve her. We fought with some of the humans and she was nearly caught. I was able to free her and get away, but she is badly injured. Come now! We need go quickly.” They didn’t argue or question. They knew time was essential to ours and Spirit’s survival as they followed me to the site of the incident.

     Arriving there quickly as I knew we would, we discovered a dread awful thing. There were trees cut down and brush trampled where I had left Spirit. Footsteps were visible and tire marks in the dirt too. She was no longer there. She had been taken too.

     Another explosion in the distance disturbed our shock. There was no time to think about it; after all, we were still being hunted by those evil humans.