"Alright Helix, one more time" I said to the 10 year old boy in front of me. "Red means?"

"Danger!"he says nodding frantically.

"Yellow means"

"Caution!"

"Green means?"

"All Clear, like its all good you know" he shrugs casually.

"And why do we not yell red when we see a spider?"

"Becaus a spider is not danger" Helix said looking slightly embarrassed.

"Very good Helix" I said giving him a tight squeeze on the shoulder, reassuring him all was well.

We were standing guard at the fifth border, Link, myself and three younglings. Black blood tribes younglings was to start at 10 years of age to train, patrol and hunt. This was to sense out from early on their strengths and weakness, some were natural at hunting and others were more fitt to patrol, others even found other jobs that they were more content with.

And Helix was really strugling with border patrol, actually he strugled a bit with everything. But we would find a place for him eventually, we always do.

"Hey Rex, do you want me to take Alie and Kate to do a patrol run?" Link asked

"Yeah.. that would be great Link, make sure they keep the line straight down to sixth!"

"Yes Rex" Link slightly noddes and shoves the girls with him for a run down the boarder line.

I lean myself on a nearby rock. The fifth border was on the far east side of our land, it was covered in trees and rocks as far as the eyes could see. It was free land from here on out, and a little human town just above the furthest treetops. And a small cliff with a ten foot drop were just nexto our small spot, which Helix was currently swinging his legs mid air from.

"I'm not really afraid of spiders" he said.

"Hmhm" I grunt to him.

"No really, I was just s...." Helix started explaining when the sound of a tree branch snaps my animals attension.

I get up hastily, my cat close to the surface, sniffing the air.

Helix quiet beside me, looking frantically all over.

My eyes are still locked in towards the treeline in front of us, wind blowing towards us, giving me a heavy musk scent. My Lynx tenses. A rogue bear.

"Red" I hunch down and wisper to Helix. Maybe just maybe the bear haven't spotted us yet. "Run as fast as you can to middle patrol, code Red, now!"

My instincts went to protect the pack at all cost. Shifting I let out a "RRROOOAAARRR" giving my pack a solid warning and giving out my location to the rogue bear in front of me.

A brown bear came thundering out from the trees and went straight for me, stopping just infront of my Lynx roaring and snarling intimidly. It was all a show of stength, puffing out its chest it went up on it back legs and shifted it's form.

"We meet again!" the brown bear spoke, now in humanform, and I immediately recognize him from Leo's fight in the Pit. "The price on your head is going to make me rich, and will enjoy ripping you apart boy!" he snarled.

I was ready to dig my teeth in his fatt throat and end his cocky attitude. I knew this rogue, I had seen him fight, and he was all bark and no bite. I knew he would be easy to take down.

He shifted again, and just as I was about to snap my teeth at him my Lynx sense someone behind me and I immidiately role to the side as another bear leaps at me from behind.

Oh fuck! Two bears, and who knew how many more animals where lurking in the woods? Had they gotten to Helix, my heart beating faster than ever before, adrenaline pumping in my veins. I had to protect the pack. Roaring loudly again, trying to make myself the bigger and better target.

Another rogue fox tok the bait and latched onto my back. I quickly shook it of and slam it forcefully into the rock beside me, he slumps down to the ground knocked out.

The brown bear leaps at my throat, but he is clumsy and I stretch my paw against his right leg. He roars in pain, swinging his big clubb paws at me. The other bear leaps into action and bites into my shoulder, I bite my teeth to not skream draging my paw over his snout, making him tumble of me. A big paw scratches down my back, blood pipling down as I now scream in pain, the wounds are deap. Roaring I leap onto the bear and sink my teeth in its troat, hearing a snapp of the bone I release the now dead bear. Suddenly two strong paws are holding me up from the ground, suffocating my lungs and throat from taking a breath of air, I scratch his arms to no use, thinking fast I shift. My now human legs standing ontopp of the small cliff, with all my power I shoved us off the cliff, and we fall heavy on the rocks beneath.

Slowly blinking my eyes I try to hold on. The bear underneath me laying still. Moving slightly pain shoot up everywere, my body cringes from the pain I bite my teeth down. Glimmering light and golden wings were the last thing I saw before pain took over and everything became dark.

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Tingling. My whole body from top to bottom was tingled, like waking up from a long slumber. My body felt warm, newborn in some way. Breathing in air I sense him here, close to me. "mhmm, Leo" my hoarse voice is almost unrecognizable.

"Rex!" Leo's voice made me snap my eyes up and look at him.

My mates eyes was glistening with tears, "Rex, Rex, Rex" he sofly whispered sticking his nose deep down in my neck. "I felt it" he sobbed out, "I felt your pain, I thought you...." he trailed of sobbing deeper into my body.

Blinking again, I come more to my senses. We were in our bedroom, in our bed, wearing only pants, looking down at my shoulder, expecting it to be covered in bandage, only to find a faint red mark of the bear teeth. Did it heal already? How many days have I been out? Dread filled me.

"Is everyone alright? Did Helix make it? how many days since the attack?" I blurt out questions at my mate.

"I didn't know what to do.." he sobs "i thought you died" crying he mushess me down.

"Oh My sweet mate im sorry I scared you" I cooed, holding him tightly, kissing his soft hair. My body feeling slight stiff I ask again "please tell me how many days i've been out?"

"Three"

"Three days!" I sigh.

"Hours" he states. "It's been three hours since I found you on top of the bear in the cliff drop."

"What?" I mean I know shifters heal faster than normal, but the damage done to my shoulder and back was nowhere near possible to heal that fast, unless...."did you...?"

Grabbing Leo's head slightly up to meet my eyes, they were puffy red and deep dark circles underneath, pale skin and slightly shaking a little, he looked like he had been awake several days, he looked tired, worn out, as if he had lost half his energy, half himself.

"I cant lose you Rex" his breathing hitched and he snuggle into me again, "it hurts to much" he sobs.

"Shhshh, there, there" I cooed him, trying to make him relax "Its alright im not leaving you" drawing circles on his back I pull my animal closer, letting my lynx comfort him, sensing my animal he exhales out a long breath, purring my animal gently licks his hair. Shimmering gold he shifts, and a small bunny snuggles into my neck, resting.

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In a steady pace I walk down to the meat hall in search of my father. My red hood sweater hugging me tightly, holding my hands in the big pocket in front. body feeling eager and alive thanks to my dear Leo.

Several head turned my way as I entered. Apparently I was not expected back on my feet this soon.

"Rex!" Helix voice sounded up in front and he came jogging up to me.

"Helix, are you alright?" my eyes scanned him quickly over for any injuries.

"Yes, thanks to you Rex" he bowed his head in respect. "everyone is talking about it how you fought of the rogues all by yourself." he eagerly say in aw.

"Helix, I need to find my father, have you seen him?"

"Yes, yes, he is in the council room."

I make my way hastily towards the room, several of my men bowing their heads at me in respect as I pass.

Entering the room my father walk towards me and hugs my shoulder.

My father glancing behind me I gently close the door behind me, puzzled he asks "Where's Leo?"

"Leo is alright" I say smiling gently to my father.

"Okay son" he hesitantly say "Are you feeling alright boy?"

"Yes, father" I nod my head towards him.

"Come sit down" he gestured to the chair he just had been sitting in. taking it I adjusted the pocked on my sweater and sat down in font of several of the packs leading shifters. "Tell us what happened!"

I told them everything, about the bear from the Pit and what he had said, that there was a price on my head. About their hunting formation and how they attacked, it was strategic, it was something they had learned from someone who knew how to fight, most likely not a rogue.

To my relief, no one else had gotten hurt in the attack, and it was just the three rogues I had been fighting, tho several warnings had been sent out to our neighbour packs, no other rogues had been spotted.

This was a strategic attack, and it was most likely pinning me as the target, and if it hadn't been for Leo, they would probably have succeeded in their mission, to kill me.

"Son, maybe you should lay down again, its not everyday you fight three rogues"

"Im fine dad"

The council men had been going at it for quite som time trying to figure out, which pack was singling me out. Both Micha's pack and Leo's fathers pack stood out from the rest but three other pack were also in bad quarrel with the Black Blood tribe.

Both bears had been dead at the scene, but there was still a chance that the rogue fox I knocked out we're going to wake up. He had knocked his head badly when I had flipped him off my back in the attack. Hopefully he would wake up any time soon for an full on interrogation. But for now we were all merely speculating who led on the attack and we needed to be sure.

Swallowing I blew out a breath of air, suddenly feeling tired.

The door to the council room opened and Omrik entered. He was the packs doctor, and had patched up quite a few shifters in his young age, only a few years older than me.

"Hey, thought I just check inn on you Rex." He said slowly making his way closer to me. "Are you having any pain?"

"No, actually im fine" I grinne to him.

"Hu.. well you look fine" he said lightly tugging down my sweater revealing a fully healed shoulder.

"Maybe I should check on Leo, is he upstairs?"

"Uhm..."

"Yeah.. I dont like you being so long away from him son, he took this attack on you pretty hard." my fathers worried eyes are on me.

Yeah..." I say my voice distant.

"Well I go check on him.."

"No" I state and he abruptly turns and looks at me questioningly.

"Im just going to see if he is alright Rex."

"His not... " I start not really knowing what to say "upstairs"

"Alright then, were is he?"

Luckily the other council men were still heavily debating and barking at each other. Not watching us. I nodded Omlix closer and he obliged, kneeling next to me. Carefully I tucked out my hand from my pocket revealing a sleeping golden bunny on my hand.

"Oh..." Omlix, wisperd.

Sofly stroking his head I smiled down at my beautiful mate. I didn't want to tell anyone, I mean it wasnt my animal to tell about or so to speak, but I also wanted Omlix to check on Leo.

The doctor reached out to touch Leo but stopped mid air "Can I touch him?" he gently asks.

I nod my approval, and he lightly touch the bunny's neck and back side. "Okay, its good he gets a lot of sleep, but make sure you wake him up so he can eat soon, he needs to build up his strength again." Omlix said standing up agsin. "Come find me if you cant make him shift back before dawn, alright!" I nod and gently put Leo back in the sweater, caressing him between my hands again as the doctor walks out of the room.

"A bunny hmm..."

"A cute little bunny" I say with my mushy voice, earning me a wholeheartedly laugh from my dad.

Slapping me on the back he stands up in the room and it immediately went quiet.

"We all had a long day" he sighs, still squeezing my shoulder "tonight we will thank the Dyrisk animal spirit, hug our family and sleep on a solution for tomorrow and meet back here after breakfast lads" they all humming in agreement. "meeting adjourned"

Shuffling out I got up stiffly from the chair. My father steped into me and hugged me from the side, trying not to squeeze Leo in my pocket. "Dont scare me like that again son" he sais, voice firm like a comand.

"Yes, father" I say holding him back.

Yawning we both walked out of the council room. We had yet to come up with a plan and time was of the essence, but a much needed sleep was upon us, and a good night sleep was indeed needed.

I grabbed some food from the meat hall as I walked back to our quarters.

At first Leo didn't want to shift let alone wake up, but taking my animal up to the surface helped, bidding him to change with me back to human form, and to my relief, he did. After we both ate we fell into deep sleep holding each other tightly, snuggling into each other under the cover, completely naked together.