A wild war
~
Accalia
~

It didn't feel enough, not nearly enough. Accalia could say it again and again, but she was still left to wonder, would it be enough? What would it take?

Accalia clutched Lycus's wrist as they stalked deeper through the woods, everything seeming darker than before as the branches blocked out any natural light and were left with the resources of burning fires and filth.

Lycus stopped in his tracks, falling against her as if she had all the power.

"Accalia, what's wrong?" Lycus demanded, searching into her eyes and picking apart what more, besides war, could be evoking so much anxiety within her.

"I love you," Accalia stated simply.

Lycus smiled, a set of teeth showing. "I know, you told me."

Accalia shook her head, ignoring all of the Fenris lycans and wolves shrouding them in a flock — a murder of crows preparing to strike down at their wrongdoers for continuous wrongdoings.

"No, I need you to know that I love you." Accalia pressed, her tone hitching higher. Wholly and truly. She needed him to know before it was too late.

Lycus's smile didn't falter and he brushed his lips across her forehead. "My beloved Accalia, I love you more."

His lips planted against her lips in an aching and slow caress that neither wanted to part from, but once those roars spiked louder into the night, Lycus pulled away, taking the momentary bliss with him.

As Lycus prepared, Accalia followed him, side by side.

Under sunless skies, the ground beneath them began to rumble and the staggering stampede of moon-bound hounds broke through the line of the Fenris lands.

They could not be seen, but from a distance, yowls and screeches could be heard.

Accalia looked over and found the colossal lycan next to her, no Lycus left except for the flecks of torrid amber shining through, reminding not just her, but him that a fragment of humanity remained.

The beast lowered his head to Accalia in recognition and a slight growl of appraisal slipped through his canines the more she stared wondrously at him.

His scarred and muscular form towered every other lycan in sight. Another person saddled next to her and despite her irritable side that was always bound to the full moon, Tala managed to excel in self-control, connecting to her inner wolf that showed in her glowing eyes, sharpened teeth and claws.

Accalia flickered her thoughts to her family, Tristan and Cadence, and how their fierce, wild hearts would take the disasters of war. With silver and sword.

Accalia settled for doubt, a doubt that drifted to Erisa. A fighter despite all the tormenting shadows that dared consume her.

Nina and Gabriel, and their unborn baby blooming in such wretched times. They had granted Accalia such hope, ensuring her to feel safe even when she wanted to escape Lycus. Accalia couldn't bear the thought of their child being parentless, an orphan. She couldn't bear losing either one of them, not for a second.

Finding comfort in lycans ... she would never have imagined.

And Rexton, who lay in the depths of a dungeon for his protection. He concealed again, a different cage, but confinement no less.

Accalia had to remind herself why she was here, her feet planted into the earth as the lands before her became a battleground.

Wolves revealed themselves as they emerged over a hill, a collection of them dotting every inch of the borders.

Lycus didn't need reminding, not as he lunged into the air, into the fearsome night and ripped the first enemy off his feet, killing him instantly.

Lycus's roar channelled through, igniting a ripple effect that invoked the roars of his wolves into mighty howls.

Once he bounded toward his enemies, the Fenris wolves followed after him, fighting alongside the Alpha of Alphas.

~

Cadence
~

An arrow flew past Cadence so quickly she couldn't see it but felt the fast breeze dash by her and the point struck into a werewolf's shoulder from behind her.

Cadence didn't have time to show her appreciation towards her friend, her sword swung around her and swiped, with all her might, the blade across a wolf's neck.

Blood splattered across her face like flicking paint from a brush and the head severed from the wolf's shoulders, plummeting to the ground.

"Ooo, nice one, Cadence," Cole whistled from behind her and Cadence whipped around, flicking her hand across her face and splatting blood onto the Alpha who sat behind the bars.

He was revelling in this, whether that be his wolves being slaughtered or the hunters dropping to their deaths, he writhed in the havoc of death of both parties.

Cole knew the hunters on a first-name basis now and made a point of provoking them with every chance given.

The wolves tried with every ounce of strength they had to break through the line of hunters guarding the Alpha and with every attempt they failed, constant stings of silver would meet their skin, sizzling off the flesh and thus, would be quicker to kill.

Cadence was as thoughtless as her enemies, every wisp of logic and reason went with the fathomless obscure the night brought.

"On your right!" Cole called out.

Claws flashed across Cadence and she ducked, her body slamming into the ground.

A roar bellowed from above and Cadence's ears rang. Without warning, a hand gripped the back of her neck and she flew backwards, her body slamming into silver bars before she met the floor once again.

She numbed all of it out, no surge of pain or infliction to keep her to the floor. Ripping herself back to her feet, Cadence clocked the werewolf straight in the face with her silver rings clashing against his jaw and thrust the sword through his stomach.

"Thatta girl!" Cole's pestering voice rang out.

The wolf's eyes dulled and went lifeless.

Taking her sword back, Cadence stalked through the bodies of fighters and hunters, not stopping until she was back by Erisa's side, exactly where she started.

Erisa was in her own world, threading her fingers to her arrows and feeding them through the bow, letting them run free at every target that came her way. Only the wolves didn't strike at Erisa, they bounded toward Cadence.

She was swift and effortless, her orbs of arctic swimming closer to the depths of the darkest ocean. "They keep coming at you, Cadence!"

Cadence looked back at Cole to find his eyes training on certain wolves that dared come near Erisa.

"That's because Cole is protecting you!" She seethed angrily and took out any being bound to the moon with the precision of her sword, stabbing and cutting anything in her path.

Tristan's shouts broke through the large dungeon, commanding orders at hunters to hold their path against the storming wolves as they drew closer to their Alpha.

Gunshots sounded and a dozen wolves fell to their deaths, their demise quick and sudden.

Tristan jumped in front of the gap bridging the hunters from the wolves and shot a firing array of silver bullets at every incoming wolf.

"On your left, Trissy — in the head, on the—"

"Why are you doing this?" Cadence demanded, shouting over the cries and screams of agony.

Even in a vulnerable state, the Alpha still managed to make his way through the gaps with torment and tease. He was a menace. A tyrant. He hardly cared for his people, his creations died before him and he hadn't shown the slightest revelations of ache toward them despite their undying loyalty.

Cole laughed, shaking his head side to side like he was slowly and irreversibly, losing it. 

"Some of them aren't even my wolves, some aren't even loyal to me," Cole gleamed brightly and his face strayed to Erisa, pupils dilating. "And besides, I can always bite more."

Cadence wanted to stab him then and there, grant him a taste of his own medicine after all the pain he inflicted.

She had nothing to pain him with, he had no one he truly cared for, not even his people or allies. Everyone was disposable to him.

But as quickly as Cadence thought that, one person came to mind and she hoped to the bottomless pits of hell Cole would cower in fear.

"You'll never see Adriana again, Cole Canus. Mark my words." Cadence vowed and turned back to the battle in front of her, able to catch a glimpse of his gleaming expression morphing into downright dread.

She needed him afraid.