Tipping her wings, Angel completed her third circuit of the town. There was still no sign of trouble, but something was tensed in the air, like an invisible serpent coiling backwards in readiness to strike.

The Shadewylves were coming. There was no physical evidence, no tracks or trails to back it up, but she knew.

Passing over a street, she watched a Flamewylf pace back and forth, orange tail whipping back and to. They all knew it. It was why preperations were so unsettlingly tight. The Wylfire had attacked, and so now the Shadewylves would fight back. A simple act of revenge, except far more fierce.

Suddenly, the Flamewylf froze, his tail growing stiff. Angel slowed her pace and whirled herself around in the sky, angling her wings downwards slightly so that she began drifting steadily downwards. She followed his gaze, peering into the gloom of the forest.

In the suffocating dark of night, it was hard to make out what might be lurking behind the trees. The shifting shadows could be black, stalking bodies, or simple tricks of the eye. The specs of light could be silver beams of stars, or a watching pair of eyes, searching for a victim to pounce on. Perhaps it was even a glint of claws she saw down there.

There was a beat of pure, stinging tension as Angel hovered there, eyes fixed on the patches of shade. But nothing emerged. The Flamewylf shook his head and spun on his hind paws, pacing in the opposite direction.

Beating her wings to keep her aloft, she sighed heavily, and continued her flight. Everything set her so on edge tonight. Her eyes seemed to shape all manner of fearful wolves.

Another few wingbeats, and there was sand below her. A small smile played on her snout. Nearly an hour had passed since she'd stepped from the beach's soft touch and launched herself into her true domain - the sky - but the sight of it picked up her heart's flutter. If she peered carefully, she could make out Morgan's blue form, keeping his own watch not too far from the sea.

Mere steps from where they had shared... whatever had occured in that moment.

Her wings slowed, her gaze more intent on watching the lapping waves now than any flickers of danger. What had it been? She knew that a single moment could change everything, for better or worse. She'd experienced that firsthand. Had it been a moment like that? Only quite the opposite to the moment she had spent with her father; instead a wonderful moment, one so inexplainable she could attribute nothing to it but firmly good.

Had Morgan meant it that way? Or was it simply an ask for comfort, a pass of deepest sympathy between two friends?

Shaking her head, she tugged her head away, refocusing on the trees. Her attention should be on the threat of attack, not on Morgan. She didn't want her life to change if it was going to mean a constant battle against distraction, or the squirm in her chest as she debated within herself.

Thankfully, another, far larger distraction kindly presented itself immediately.

There was movement in the trees. For real this time. A rustling in the leaves, a creaking of the branches, a crunch of the dirt. Someone was in there. Sharp focus drilling through her, she swooped lower, eyes darting between the shadow and Morgan. The stillness in his paws and the force of his stare conveyed he had seen it too.

Empty silence waited, anticipation tangible in the faint wind. Morgan crept closer, so few steps away from the stalked forest. The shadows stilled, and for a brief, breathless second, she wondered whether she'd seen anything at all.

The second after confirmed she most definitely had.

A Shadewylf burst from the trees, claws flashing, immediately met by a blast of water gushing from Morgan's outstretched paw. As it tumbled aside, soaked, two more leapt over its struggling form, both with sharpened fangs glinting in the moonlight.

Angel's paws made contact with the earth. She'd hardly registered her descent. As both Shadewylves pounced towards Morgan, dodging his streams of water, she briefly re-entered the air to sink her claws into one of them. A black body hit the ground with a thump, pinned beneath her forceful paws.

Behind her, she could hear the sounds of Morgan and the other Shadewylf locked in a fierce combat, but she knew to leave him to his fight. She had her own. The Shadewylf she held was already squirming around to face her, claws lashing out towards her snout. She barely dodged their scrape. The lunge backwards let her grip weaken, and so the Shadewylf rose, immediately throwing himself towards her.

Wrapping his paws around her flank was a deadly mistake. While he regained his balance, fighting for a grip enough to force her down, she flicked open her wings and leaped into the air. He should have let go, but he didn't. He clung on.

His claws slashed a deep gash in her side. She hissed but ignored it, doing her best to beat her wings higher. His extra weight made things difficult, but not impossible. The higher she climbed, the more painful the fall would be for her opponent.

The vantage point gave her a view of the rest of the beach. A green-tinged Seawylf was grappling with the soaked Shadewylf at the edge of the sea, throwing wave after wave to further drench them. Her smile hadn't even reached its full height before a gasp was shoving its way out of her chest as she laid eyes on Morgan's battle. It was a far less fortunate sight. The Shadewylf he fought had him pinned in the shallows of the sea, fangs seeking a way to a fatal wound.

Angel let the wolf go. She hadn't flown nearly as high as she'd meant to, but the fall would be enough to wind him while she engaged in a second battle. Morgan had promised that they would fight together, again and again, and she wasn't going to be the one to break that promise.

Her paws splashed into wet sand. She barely had chance to steady herself before she was racing towards Morgan, her momentum carrying her straight into the Shadewylf's side and throwing them both out further into the ocean. Cool water sank beneath her fur as she clawed at the wolf, both of them sending showers of droplets flying in all directions.

The wolf landed a blow, and she staggered backwards, further into the water. The tide beat at her legs, now risen so that as it swelled, it touched her belly fur. For a moment, the fight halted. Another gasp emerged from Angel's jaw, interwoven with fear.

Violet eyes, touched with pink, stared back at her. This was Harisah, the wolf that had bested her twice now. The spark in her gaze tightened Angel's chest.

Harisah's realisation was far less obvious, her eyes only widening for a brief moment. Her snout twisted into a smirk. "We really have to stop running into each other." And she was pouncing again.

Flaring her wings, Angel desperately fought to steady herself as her claws scored lines in wet sand. Harisah's full weight collided with her and her legs gave in, skidding forwards, her body falling as control escaped her grasp. Her claws slashed blindly, meeting nothing but seemless defense.

Her snout slipped beneath the waves. She lashed her tail out, trying to loosen Harisah's hold, but paws remained firmly clasped against her chest, pressing her back into the sand below. Reaching up, she batted at Harisah's shoulders. They only tensed further, trapping Angel beneath the surface.

Panic writhed within her as she squirmed frantically, yet uselessly. She was imprisoned in the water. She stared at the sparkling surface, rippling so close above her, and yet entirely unreachable. Was this how she would die? Slowly suffocated just paces from the place she had felt so peaceful?

Again and again she thumped at Harisah's black form, to no avail. Her strikes were weakening. Her lungs had lit a blazing fire.

Until one strike sent Harisah careening away, and she was hauled towards the surface.

Never had air tasted so perfect. She gulped it in, throat rasping, chest heaving. She found a hold for her paws and swept the ocean with her gaze, locking onto Harisah a few steps further out to sea, battling an unceasing blast of water.

A blast of water. Angel's eyes widened, her gaze darting to follow the spray to its source. Morgan stood beside her, one paw outstretched towards Harisah, the other clamped over Angel's forepaw to steady her. His shoulder was braced against hers, keeping her upright.

"Thank you," she gasped, leaning into his wet flank. He shot her a smile.

"I told you I wouldn't run again," he said, gold eyes fierce.

He lowered his paw, leaving Harisah to struggle only with the natural waves, before turning and dashing diagonally towards shore. Angel soon realised why. The wolf she'd left winded was now on his paws again and tackling the green Seawylf beside another Shadewylf. Though the Seawylf was still using the waves to his advantage, wrapping them in Pelt magic, it was clear he was tiring.

Morgan most likely was too, as Angel noted that he didn't fire his water this time. Instead, his attack was more similar to her own method: a precise, flying dive. He took out one of the Shadewylves, while Angel leapt back on her old opponent, flashing him a fang-filled grin. Missed me?

It wasn't quite as easy a fight as last time. He was wise to her tactics now, and so instead of locking a hold on her his style changed to something a little more disjointed, consisting of running in for a swipe and then backing away again. His claws reached for her right wing, but she twisted out of the way, sliding to the side and scraping her claws across his chest. With a yelp, he darted back.

She made to pounce again, already noting that he seemed rather sensitive about his underbelly area. He had driven his paws towards him, guarding the place she'd just scratched. If she could land a more decisive hit there, things just might tip in her favour.

Yet before she could move, a shout stole her attention.

Morgan had his opponent pinned against the sand, though he was barely managing to contain the Shadewylf's struggles. It was his shout that drew her, but her concern did not latch to him. Instead, she followed the point of his claw as it jabbed the air, reaching for a third battle taking place beside the waves.

Harisah had recovered from her ordeal in the sea, and while she was dripping wet, her claws still glinted with intent. They held down the green Seawylf, blocking every attempt he made to rise.

She was going to kill him.

No, she snarled to herself, flinging open her wings. No-one is dying, not on my watch.

She was airborne before a single second had chance to pass, speeding as fast as she had the day she'd rescued Katana from the cave. Her paws made contact with the sand, but she kept flying, practically throwing herself across the beach.

Harisah's eyes caught hers, a twinkle of pink-purple, like vibrant coral. That same, twisted smile appeared on her snout, her dark ears flicking with a somewhat playful air.

Angel's paws reached the waves. She sprinted, her heart a dart, willing Harisah's claws to hesitate a moment longer. But they wouldn't. Shadewylves didn't hesitate. She was too late.

In a single flourish, Harisah slashed her claws across the Seawylf's neck. Scarlet spirals danced into the waves. His squirms faded.

A low hiss escaped Angel's throat. Claws outstretched, she flung a strike aimed for Harisah's neck, but it was anticipated. She lunged out of Angel's path, sending Angel crashing into the water.

By the time she'd regained her grasp on the ground, Harisah was already vanishing. The other two Shadewylves raced after her, flanking the killer, the shadow already swallowing their black fur. The night carried them away, leaving behind only the evidence of their visit.

Angel didn't move from the water. Her breath came in ragged pants. She bent over the green Seawylf's body, her paw gliding over his chest, searching for some glimmer of hope. But no pulse shuddered through him. His life was stolen so quickly, whisked away by a simple touch of claws.

A single moment really could change everything, and for this wolf, it meant the end.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Angel bent over him, touching her snout to his chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered, hoping somewhere in the stars, he could hear her. "You fought bravely. You didn't deserve to die like this. I should have..." The words trailed away. She didn't know what she should have done. She just wished he hadn't died.

Rising slowly, she met Morgan's gaze, and saw the same sorrowful look shining there. They may have fought together, but they'd failed to protect the wolf who stepped up to fight beside them both.