The Patrol

The Patrol


Kelly walked in the house, tossing her backpack on a chair near the door. She had just returned from school because she had been feeling ill. Her mother, Grace, followed her into the living room.
“Go lie down, Kelly, I’ll get you something cold to drink.” Kelly dropped down on the coach. Her stomach was feeling dreadful. Kelly gave out a low moan. Her hands and feet started to tingle; she felt energy rushing through her body.
“Mom! Mom!” Kelly cried frantically. Her mother rushed out of the kitchen. To her amazement, Kelly’s physical form started to change. Kelly was changing into a wolf.
“She has it too,” Grace murmured quietly. “John, John, get down here!” yelled Grace. There was a thumping upstairs, then Kelly’s father joined them.
“What’s wrong?” asked John. Then he saw Kelly, her transformation just finished. She sat there, stunned. Her father laid a hand on her shoulder, energy emanatinglkk from his hand. Kelly started to change back to her normal body.
“What happened?” asked Kelly. Her parents looked at each other, both trying to think of a way to explain what happened. They sat on either side of their daughter.
“Kelly, there’s something you need to know,” John paused, trying to think of a way to break the news. “Your mom and I have special powers.” Kelly looked at him blankly. “With this power we can change our forms, go to different places, grow stronger, and other things. We didn’t know you had the power too.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?”
“We didn’t want to worry you. We were hoping that you didn’t have the power. We didn’t want your life to be as dangerous as ours,” replied John. Kelly sat there, deep in thought.
“If you want, we can train you to use your powers in the ways we do,” said Grace.
“When do we start training?” asked Kelly with a smile. Her parents hugged her.
“First we’re going to take a trip; you have to see the station,” answered Grace.
“The what?”
“The station, where other people that can use this power meet,” replied John.
“There are more people?”
“Yes, right now we number eleven, including your father and me,” responded Grace.
“When do we leave and how do we get there?” asked Kelly excitedly.
“We have to use power to get there and we can leave right now,” answered John. He grabbed Kelly’s hand as her mother did the same.
“Are you ready?” inquired John. Kelly nodded.
Power traveling, as her dad called it, was exhilarating for Kelly. First it was dark for about three seconds. She saw a flash of light and they were at their destination. They appeared in a large room with computers and technical boards lining the walls. At one of the computers sat a tall man with blonde hair that touched his shoulders.
“Hey John,” said the man. He turned around and Kelly realized he was an elf not a man. He spotted Kelly, “Who’s this?” he asked.
“Jack, this is my daughter, Kelly,” replied John.
“Hello, Kelly.” said Jack in a friendly tone, “Let me be the first to welcome you to the Power Station.” Kelly liked Jack immediately.
“Hi, Jack, and thank you for welcoming me.” Through a door at the other end of the room a cougar bounded in.
“Jack, would you...” she was interrupted by Jack.
“Nill, this is Kelly.”
“Hi, Kelly,” replied Nill pleasantly, “you must be John’s daughter.”
“Hello, Nill,” answered Kelly.
“Are you new to the Power?” asked Nill. Kelly nodded. “Well, would you like to see the station?” inquired Nill.
“Sure. Dad, may I go with Nill?” she called over her shoulder.
“Yes. See you at lunch,” he responded. Nill and Kelly exited the room. They started down a long hall way that seemed to run the length of the entire building. On the right were bedrooms, on the left there was a kitchen and dining hall where meals where served and meetings were held. There was also a weapons room and a training center. When they reached the end of the hall, they doubled back and entered the kitchen. Kelly easily picked out her father from the motley assortment of otters, squirrels, elves, and humans that were eating lunch. Her father was sitting with Jack and an otter. He saw her and motioned for her to come over. She walked over.
“Joe, I want you to meet my daughter Kelly.” The otter, to Kelly’s surprise, changed his form to one of an elf.
“Hello, Kelly. I saw that Nill took you on a tour of the station. What do you think of our establishment?”
“It’s great! How did you mange to build such a large building?” asked Kelly.
“Many friends helped us,” responded Joe. Nill came up carrying two bowls of soup. At first Kelly did not recognize her, Nill had changed forms. She was now an otter. They sat down together and started eating. John stood up, the clamor died down.
“Friends,” her father opened warmly, “today Grace and I discovered my daughter Kelly has the Power. She will begin training at once. I would ask that you help her in her training.” The assembly nodded. John returned to his seat. At once, people began introducing themselves to Kelly. After lunch, John and an otter called Tim took her to the training room.
“We are going to work on your sword skills,” stated John. He handed Kelly a wooden sword. “Attack me,” ordered John. She started circling her father. She swung at his shoulder, but found herself blocked. Instead, she sustained a smarting blow from her father’s sword.
“Always be prepared for a counterattack,” cried Tim, the otter. This time it was her father’s turn to attack. He came in quickly. He went for the shoulder; she barely blocked him. Their swords were still engaged. With a neat flick of his sword, Kelly’s sword flew out of her hands.
“How did you do that?” asked Kelly in surprise.
“A simple trick,” he said with amusement. For two hours John and Tim helped Kelly to perfect the disarming trick and how to guard against it.
That night she went to her room in the station exhausted. She was asleep instantly. In the morning she was awakened by someone knocking hard on her door.
“Come in,” said Kelly.
“Hi, Kelly.” It was her Mom. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, I was tired from Dad’s training session.”
Grace laughed, “You will learn a lot from him even if he is tough. Kelly, we are going on what you might call a ‘mission’.” The tone of her voice became serious. “Joe wants us to patrol the borders of a land called Lenen. We were hoping that you would come along.”
“Yes. It will give me a chance to learn about a new place,” said Kelly excitedly.
“Come, let’s find you a sword. You probably won’t use it, but you should be prepared.” They started down the hall and entered the weapons room. John was waiting there. He had a sword slung over his back and a pack sitting on the ground. Grace went over and picked a sword off a rack by the door. Kelly started examining swords. The one she chose was double-edged with a sapphire embedded on the hilt, and runes engraved on the blade. Kelly could not read them. When she asked her dad what they meant, he said they stood for the words freedom and truth, in an ancient tongue. She slung the sword over her shoulder.
“Ready to go?” asked John. Kelly nodded. Power traveling always exhilarated Kelly. This time it seemed slightly longer than her first experience. They arrived on a grassy green hill. There was a small forest below them; it appeared to be made up of primarily elm and fir trees.
“So this is Lenen. It looks beautiful.”
“Yes. It is very beautiful, though it brings back many memories,” said Grace quietly. Her eyes were full of grief.
“What happened here?” asked Kelly softly.
“The Battle of Lenen was fought here,” answered John. “It has a sad tale behind it. The Power group helped the people of Lenen fight off a ruler who sought to destroy them. Our leader died to save this place,” a note of sadness entered his voice. “His name was Jake. I had the honor of knowing him; I fought next to him in this battle. One thing about him I will never forget was his battle cry- “FREEDOM.” He was a brave man and will never be forgotten.”
John looked down at Kelly, “Come on, let’s start patrolling.” John and Grace both changed into beautiful dapple gray horses.
“Hop on,” whinnied Grace. Kelly grabbed a fistful of the silky smooth mane and hoisted herself up. John and Grace trotted down the hill and into the forest. While they were in the forest, her father taught her a simple usage of her power to make her self stronger. They were still in the forest when they made camp. Kelly was watching her dad make a fire when her mom came up holding two wooden swords.
“Now it is my turn to teach you the ways of a swordsman,” said Grace with a smile. She ran at Kelly. Kelly blocked the blow and tried to do the disarming trick, but her mom guarded against it. Her mother came on again and again. Kelly could not get a blow in edge wise. Finally, her mother stopped the bombardment of blows. By then Kelly was drenched with sweat, yet her mom seemed just as fresh as ever.
“You’re learning fast. One day you will be a great swordsman.” By the time they were done John had cooked some vegetable soup, and it smelled delicious. It tasted as good as it smelled. It appeared to be made of carrots, potatoes and a few other vegetables she did not recognize. When she had finished, her dad helped her practice making herself stronger.
“Time to get some sleep,” said John. Kelly grabbed a blanket and tried to find a comfortable place; everywhere there was a rock jabbing her back. Finally she drifted off to sleep. Her sleep was full of unwelcome dark dreams. Terrible things happened in her dreams, but when she awoke they vanished. John was putting out the fire, Grace was nowhere to be seen.
“Good morning,” said her dad cheerfully.
“Where is Mom?”
“Trying to find some food,” replied her dad. Grace walked into the clearing carrying three pieces of fruit. They had the shape of an apple, but their color was brown. She tossed one to Kelly.
“What is it?” asked Kelly with doubtful look.
“They are called lings. They have a sweet sugary taste,” explained her father. He bit in to one. Kelly took a small bite, then took another one.
“They are good!” she exclaimed grinning. After finishing her ling, she mounted Grace and they headed through the hills. Most of the hills were barren, no shrubs or grass grew on them.
“How come the hills are bare?”
“This was a section of a battlefield. The enemy placed watch fires on the hills, and the grass never grew back,” responded Grace. They rode through the rest of the battleground in silence. John halted unexpectedly, Grace almost bumped into him.
“What’s wrong?” questioned Kelly.
John uttered a single word, “Cannan.” Grace immediately examined the ground in front of her hooves.
“Yes, cannan have been here, though the scent is old,” she pawed the ground in anger.
“What is a cannan?” asked Kelly nervously.
“They are strong ugly men with long arms and tough leathery skin. Their hair is long and black. Their favorite weapon is a club. If you ever have to battle one, do not try to block the club, avoid it,” warned her father. “I don’t think we have much to worry about, these signs are weeks old.” Kelly knew her Dad was trying to ease her worries, but she still felt uneasy. They saw no more signs of cannan. They made camp by a small stream, but lit no fire. Kelly knew it was because of what they had seen earlier that day. Before dinner John practiced with Kelly, he ended up with his share of bruises. Dinner consisted of dried fruits and vegetables.
“Tomorrow we will finish the patrol,” announced John.
“Good. I’m ready to be back at the station,” replied Kelly.
That night she found it easier to fall asleep, though it did not last long. She awoke to the sound of someone calling her name. When she opened her eyes, she thought that she was dreaming. Her parents where fighting what looked like her father’s description of cannan.
“Kelly, run!” cried her mother. Kelly could not move, horror rooted her to the spot. Her mind was saying run but her feet would not obey.
John had just killed a cannan. He looked at her, and said in a commanding voice, “Go.” Her feet obeyed, she turned and ran. She kept on running until a branch snagged her foot and she tripped. She stayed where she had fallen trying to catch her breath. Unwanted tears ran down her cheeks as she realized what had happened. She got up and headed back for camp, afraid of what she might find.
It took her an hour to find the campsite. Several dead cannan bodies where strewn across the forest floor, but she did not find her parents. That comforted her a little.
“At least they are alive,” Kelly said aloud. She wished she would have stayed, maybe she could have saved them. Thoughts such as these ran through her mind until morning. Then the thought entered her mind go save them.
“Why didn’t I think if that before,” she cried as hope flickered in her heart. First, she hid her parent’s swords. Then she grabbed her own. Bounding across the stream she followed the tracks of the cannan.


John saw Kelly running through the trees. Good. She is safe, thought John. He turned in time to see a cannan preparing to swing his mighty club. John tried to dodge the blow, but it was too late. The club hit him on the side of the head and he fell to the bloodstained ground unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he seemed to be in a fog. The cannan were half carrying, half dragging him through the woods. He couldn’t sense his powers. I must be drugged. he thought dazedly. He looked for Grace, but he could not find her among the cannan. They went about another three miles. Then they halted at a stone wall that surrounded a granite fortress. The drug was starting to wear off a little. He now realized where he was. He had seen this fortress from a hilltop during the Battle of Lenen. It was twelve miles from the border of the forest. A cannan was pushing him down some stairs. He appeared to be in a dungeon. He was pushed into a dark cell. His hands had been bound earlier. He gave himself strength and broke the rope. As he was massaging his wrists he tried to look at his surroundings; but, he was in complete darkness. Leaning his back against a wall he waited for someone to come, he would be ready.


Grace saw John collapse. She stopped resisting once John went down, not wanting to put him in danger. They were separated at once. The group that held Grace took the left path at a cross road. Once they were a little ways down the path, Grace started to struggle furiously. First she broke the rope by using her power to give her strength, then she changed her form to that of a wolf. Yowls of pain came from the cannan as Grace set about with tooth and claw, trying to get out of the main body of cannan. Another cannan fell to her teeth, and there was the forest; she was almost there. She ran for the trees, but she didn’t see the cannan waiting behind a tree. Her heart beat faster, she was in the shadow of the forest. She let out a startled howl as the club of the hidden cannan slammed into her side. Grace landed in a broken heap at a base of a tree. She changed back to human form. It felt like she had several broken ribs. She let out a cry of pain as the cannan that had given the blow hauled her roughly to her feet. The cannan started marching. Grace took a few staggering steps, but the pain was too great, she collapsed. A cannan shouted at her and prodded her with his bone tipped spear. She could not stand the pain from her ribs, she lost consciousness.



Kelly had reached the crossroads.
“Which way should I go?” she pondered aloud. It was hard to tell, but among the cannan footprints on the left path she thought she saw a human footprint. Kelly decided to take the left path. It looked as if she had chosen the right path. She saw more human footprints. She came to the battle scene and saw cannan blood everywhere, but she did not find her parents. A crashing sound came from the forest. Before Kelly could react, an animal bolted out of the forest colliding with her. Kelly scrambled to her feet, drawing her sword. She looked for her would-be attacker. There it lay, blood oozing from a open wound on its shoulder. What had been chasing it emerged from the trees. It was a good size cannan. It stopped, looking slightly bewildered at this girl barring his path. He advanced slowly, so did Kelly. She was mentally reviewing what her parents had taught her. Anger flared up in Kelly at all the hurt the cannan had caused her family. She leaped. Dodging a swing of his club, she plunged her sword deep in his side. He fell to the floor, his body writhing as death seeped through his veins. Kelly gazed in horror at the dead cannan at her feet. A whimper brought her out of her shock, the animal was trying to stand up. Kelly walked over to him.
“Don’t come any closer!” growled the animal. Kelly was surprised that it could talk, but she did not let it show. Now that she had gotten a good look at this animal, she saw it was four foot high and looked like a grey wolf, the only difference being he had wings. They were folded along the length his body.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” reasoned Kelly. Hoping that he was not dangerous, she continued walking toward him.
“Stay away!” He tried to scramble backwards but failed miserably, fear shone in his eyes. Kelly stopped. She had an idea.
“Think about it,” she said in a soothing tone, “if I had wanted to kill you I could have done it by now.” He relaxed a little. “Now let me look at that wound.” She advanced again. He made no move to stop her. She knelt beside him as he looked up fearfully. Blood oozed from the fresh wound. Kelly tore a strip of cloth from the hem of her shirt to bind the wound.
“This is going to hurt.” The animal nodded for her to proceed. She bound the cloth tightly around the wound. He gritted his teeth in pain. Kelly backed away from the creature. He sank his head and rested it on his massive paws, watching Kelly’s every move. As Kelly gazed at her surroundings, hunger and exhaustion began to set in. She spotted a ling tree, or at least it bore fruit that resembled a ling. She plucked one off a low hanging branch and took a bite. Sweet sugary goodness entered her mouth. This was a ling tree alright. She picked another piece of fruit and brought it to the animal. He sniffed it and took a bite.
“What do you call yourself?” asked Kelly.
“My name is Lance, I’m a draolf,” he replied. His fear of Kelly had left him.
“What’s a draolf?”
“We are also called winged wolves,” answered Lance.
“I see, and by the way my name is Kelly. Why was that cannan chasing you?”
“A group of cannan attacked my pack, they had orders to kill us all. I fought until I was the only one left. I tried to fly away but was shot down. That’s when I found you.” He rested his head on his paws and let out a mournful sigh.
“I’m so sorry, Lance.”
Before she could say more he asked, “What are you doing here? Why are you in the forest?” Kelly saw that he was trying to change the subject, so she complied and proceeded to tell her story of what had happened since they entered Lenen. Afterward they sat in silence.
“Lance, I’m going to lie down.” He nodded. They both moved to separate ends of the campsite and slept.
She woke to see Lance hobbling around stretching his wounded leg.
“Is it feeling better?” asked Kelly.
“Yes. It feels much better! Thank you, Kelly.” He dipped his head in gratitude.
“Can you manage on your own?” asked Kelly, as she hurriedly slung her sword on her back.
“I think so, why?” asked Lance gazing at Kelly suspiciously.
“I have to find my parents. I hope you find another pack.”
“You’re leaving? Ok, I’m coming,” retorted Lance.
“No, this is my problem-” she was interrupted by Lance.
“This may be your burden, but that does not mean I can’t share it,” he stood there barring the path. Kelly stood there staring at the ground, wondering what her dad would have done.
Lance spoke up, “This trail leads to a small fortress at the border of the forest. That is where the cannan would be taking your parents.” Kelly looked at Lance. She knew he would come even if she said no. Kelly walked over and stood beside him.
“How long will it take us to get there,” asked Kelly.
He knew Kelly was letting him come, “I’m not sure. I have never been that way, I’ve only heard of it.” He bounded off down the path.
“Wait!” Kelly ran after him.


John’s eyes snapped open as he heard a key being turned in the lock. He gazed at the door. He was blinded for a moment as the door opened. Two cannan stepped in and grabbed him roughly. He was pushed out in the hallway and a knife pricked his back. John knew it was not worth trying to escape now, they had him covered. He was forced up some stairs. They stopped at a barred entrance as the lead cannan fumbled with the key. John stared out through the bars at a massive stone arena. The cannan opened the gate and shoved John through; across from him stood another barred gate. As he watched, a black silhouette appeared.
“Hello, John,” said the man in a smooth tone. John had heard it before, it was a voice from the past. The silhouette moved in to the light.
“Rinel.” John stared in amazement.
“I see you remember me,” answered the man. He circled John.
“You did this? But why? You were so respected in Lenen.”
“Yes, but I hungered for more. After the war, I helped the cannan rebuild their armies and in return they made me their leader. Now that I have you John, I will ensnare the rest of your group,” he smiled wickedly.
“You will never subdue us. There will always be more.”
“Who will oppose me once I control you and your friends?” shouted Rinel. He lowered his voice as he continued, “But first I need you to tell me the location of your precious station.”
“Never!” John spat.
“I don’t think you understand. You see, I have Grace.” He stood with his back facing John.
“No!” shouted John. He leaped at Rinel’s exposed back. Rinel spun around, and pointed his hand at John. A beam of electricity exploded from it. John fell short of his target, dropping on his hands and knees as electricity surged through his body.
“You are not the only one that has power. You have two days. Then you must tell me or she dies.” He walked briskly to the exit, and John was left alone. One thought comforted him, Rinel had not mentioned Kelly.


Kelly and Lance had made their first camp by a stream. When Kelly awoke, she found the ground covered in a blanket of fog. Lance lifted his head at the sound of Kelly’s stirring.
“Good morning,” said Lance in a sleepy tone.
“Get up, Lance, we have a lot of ground to cover,” said Kelly trying to sound irritated, but she could not help smiling. Lance picked himself up, shaking his coat ruefully. As they walked down the trail the fog thickened so much that they could barely see the path. Lance came up beside Kelly.
“Grab my fur or we will get separated.” Kelly did so. By evening the fog was beginning to clear. That night was peaceful enough, but Kelly’s dreams were dark. An uneasy feeling had been growing inside her, and in the morning she realized why. They had camped very close to the fortress wall. During the morning they watched and examined the fortress. They discovered the only way in was through the front gate and it was guarded by three cannan and had a portcullis.
“Any ideas how to get through that?” asked Lance.
“The three cannan will be easy, and I have an idea of how to get through the portcullis.” Lance looked doubtfully at Kelly.
They waited until nightfall before they made their move. The plan was to scare the three cannan off then Kelly would use her power to lift the portcullis. Lance started howling and advanced toward the three cannan with his wings outstretched. He threw his head back, let out another mournful howl, and stood on his hind legs towering above them. That was all they could take. The cannan fled from the ghastly sight. Kelly came out of the shadows.
“Good job, Lance,” she congratulated her friend. She placed her hands on the bottom bar of the portcullis. She felt the power flowing through her and she lifted. It started rising and Kelly lifted it to shoulder height. Lance slipped under it, she could not hold it any longer. She pushed herself through as the portcullis fell with a thud behind her.
“How did you do that?” asked Lance in an astonished whisper.
“Tricks of the trade,” whispered Kelly. Lance nodded. The courtyard was deserted. They prowled toward the main building. As they opened the door, the hinges screeched, still no one.
“This is eerie,” whispered Kelly. They explored the top half of the fortress and they found no trace of Kelly’s parents. They started investigating the dungeon. There were signs that someone had been there recently. They looked in each cell, finding nothing. Kelly had reached the last one and was just about to open the door when she heard a noise. She motioned Lance over; the door was locked. There was a key hanging beside the door, it fit perfectly. She opened the door. There, lying where the cannan had thrown her, was Grace.
“Mom!” shouted Kelly joyfully. Grace lifted her head at the sound of her daughter’s voice.
“Kelly! Oh, Kelly, are you ok?” Kelly was hugging Grace. Her hand brushed against one of Grace’s broken ribs and Grace groaned.
“What’s wrong Mom?”
“Nothing, just a couple broken ribs.” A creaking noise sounded from outside.
“That was the portcullis! We have to leave!” said Lance as he entered the cell.
“A draolf?” said Grace in surprise.
“Lance is right, we must leave. Can you walk?” Grace shook her head. “Lance, can Mom ride on your back?” asked Kelly.
“Sure,” replied Lance as he knelt beside Grace. She gingerly pulled herself up and they ran off down the hallway.
“How are we going to get out? You can’t pull that stunt again,” stated Lance with a worried look.
“I have to,” responded Kelly. There were ten cannan standing in the courtyard. They stared as the group burst through the door and ran past. Kelly reached the portcullis first, the power began to flow through her. The portcullis was rising, and cannan were dashing across the courtyard. It had risen four feet when Lance ducked through. He turned around, grabbing a mouthful of Kelly’s shirt and pulled her through. The portcullis dropped right in front of the first cannan. Lance was running through the forest as Kelly was stumbling behind. The exertion of her power had weakened her. Lance knew his friend was weakening, he had to find a place where she and Grace could rest.
“I’ll be back in a moment,” he said to Kelly. He ran with wings unfolded and in a moment his feet had left the ground. He gritted his teeth as the tree limbs and wind buffeted his wounded shoulder. He landed gracefully on a large tree limb. Grace slid off his back and onto the limb. Lance glided down to Kelly.
“Your turn.” Kelly climbed on his back. Lance launched into the air; it was an amazing experience for Kelly, but was over too soon. The forest was deathly still as they waited perched on the branch. They did not wait long before the main body of cannan appeared below them marching through the forest, scouts could also be seen in the forest. Once all was quiet again Grace spoke.
“Kelly, have you seen your father?”
“I thought you knew where he was,” reasoned Kelly with a worried look.
“After we were captured they separated us immediately.”
“It is kind of late for introductions, but this is Lance. Lance, this is, Grace, my mom.” Lance dipped his head, and Grace nodded.
“Where do you think they are keeping Dad?” asked Kelly looking hopefully at Grace.
“At the crossroads, by the camp, you took the left path which led you to me.” Kelly nodded. “If you had taken the right road it would have taken you to the Rine fortress. The cannan that took your father went toward the Rine fortress.”
“But that’s on the other side of Lenen!” interrupted Lance loudly, “It will take a good week to get there.”
“Not if we travel cross-country and at a good pace. Mom, you must teach me shape changing. That is the only way we can get there fast enough to save Dad.”
Grace nodded. She taught Kelly how to release her power and change her shape.

The next morning they were off. Kelly had changed her shape to that of a horse, and Grace was riding her because of her broken ribs. Lance was trotting along beside her, preoccupied with his own thoughts. He was worried about the cannan seeing them. The only precaution they took was traveling cross-country and that, he knew, was to save time. By the time they halted the moon had risen.
“Where are we? I have never been this way,” asked Lance as he viewed his surroundings.
“I figure we are three days ride from the Rine,” responded Grace as she too looked at her surroundings. Kelly carried her worries to bed with her that night. What am I going to face, is Dad still alive? Even her mother did not know.
The sun had not risen when Kelly woke. Grace was unwinding the cloth that bound Lance’s wound.
“It has healed remarkably fast,” said Grace as the draolf examined his shoulder. Lance opened his wings and propelled himself into the air. Making a sharp turn he landed.
“It is a little sore, but I can fly,” he said happily, as he stretched his sore leg.
“Good morning,” said Grace. Kelly grabbed her sword.
“I see you’re ready,” said Lance, “let’s go.” Grace was riding Kelly, and Lance was flying just above them when suddenly Lance swooped in front of them.
“Cannan are on the path ahead of us,” he said as he landed beside Kelly.
“Are they coming this way?” asked Grace looking worried.
“Yes, though there are only a few.”
“Scouting party,” suggested Kelly.
“Probably,” responded Grace. “We will have to go around. There is a swamp about three miles to the right. It will lead us to the Rine, but will take time.”
“Do we have a choice?” asked Lance. The next morning they were ready to cross the swamp. Kelly had turned into a cougar; Grace hoisted herself onto Kelly’s back and they headed into the marsh. They were three-fourths of the way through when the path vanished.
“How far are we from the end of the swamp?” asked Kelly.
“Not very far. If you can get to that stone,” she pointed to a large stone a couple yards away, “there should be stepping stones on the other side, they might be visible,” responded Grace.
Kelly placed her paw on what appeared to be a piece of solid ground. It held for a moment then gave way. She leaped, landing on another piece of soggy ground. She leaped again as it began to give way. This time she landed on the large stone.
“Kelly, are you alright?” asked Lance when he landed beside her.
“Yes. I’m alright.” she took a couple of deep breaths, “but that was too close.”
“Below us are the stepping stones; if I’m correct, they continue to the end of the marsh,”said Grace.
She was right, the stepping stones led the way through the swamp. By nightfall they were safely on the other side. They spent the following day trying to get their bearings, since going through the swamp had led them off course. The moon had risen when Grace finally figured out where they were. Lance had spotted a stone, with letters from the lenen tongue engraved on one side. Grace had identified it as a marker. It said they were ten miles from the fortress. They reached the Rine about midday. Once they had a good look at the fortress they devised their plan.
“The only possible entrance is the front gate and that is guarded too well. That’s where you come in, Lance,” said Grace, “you will have to fly us in. Once we are in, we will have to look around.” finished Grace. The moon had risen when Lance flew them up and over the wall.
“Where do you want to start?” whispered Lance.
“Let’s try the tower,” whispered Grace. Sneaking very carefully past a guard house, they entered the tower and climbed up a set of stairs. Upon reaching the top, they saw two cannan guards.
“Something important must be in that room,” whispered Lance. Kelly and the draolf sprang out, crashing the cannan’s heads against the wall. The cannan fell quietly to the ground, unconscious. Grace appeared from around the corner.
“Good job,” she congratulated them. Kelly peered through a barred window in the door.
“Great, more cannan,” she whispered. Four cannan blocked another barred door. She drew her sword as Lance prepared to charge. They thrust the door open, and cannan drew their swords as Kelly and Lance advanced. Kelly finished one off. Shock tried to take over but she thrust it down as a second cannan swung his sword at her. She nimbly dodged it and finished him off. She turned around and saw Lance had killed the other two cannan. Kelly peered through the bars. There was John leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.
“Dad!” cried Kelly. John opened his eyes and saw Kelly.
“Kelly!” he said in amazement. He ran toward the gate. Dropping to his knees, he grabbed Kelly’s hands as Grace came up behind Kelly.
“John!” she cried joyfully. A ferocious growl came from Lance as cannan poured through the open door. Kelly whirled around, but she could do nothing. A line of archers had bows drawn and arrows aimed.
“Lay down your weapons,” said a voice. Rinel appeared, Grace recognized him immediately.
“Rinel,” she spat.
“Hello, Grace. Who is this? Your daughter I presume,” he smiled cruelly. He said something in a different language, and a cannan pushed forward and unlocked the barred door. Several cannan pushed them in and then backed out. Rinel stepped forward.
“I think we have some important business to discuss.”
“Now!” John and Grace leaped forward as one, their forms changing to that of wolves. Kelly watched as Rinel lifted up his hand and power emanated from it. He flung both her parents against the wall using his power. They hit the wall and then fell; neither moved. Kelly and Lance were left. Lance growled as Rinel stepped toward them. Kelly jumped, but Rinel raised his hand and Kelly was blown on her back. Kelly rolled over as Rinel sent a streak of lightning to where she had lain moments before. Lance had flown into the air, he let out a howl as he dove at Rinel, pulling up just before he collided with him. That was all Kelly need. As soon as Rinel looked up she ran, she had to gain some time. Rinel was getting closer, Kelly prepared her self for another attack. Lance swooped in front of her.
“Get on.” With a yell Rinel sent two lightning bolts at Lance, but he was too late they were airborne.
“What now?” asked Lance, he looked slightly worried. He flew to the right, barely missing the lightning bolt.
“I want you to drop me on him,” answered Kelly. Lance gave her a look which clearly said your crazy.
“Just do it!” Lance nodded and swooped towards Rinel. Rinel was caught off guard by this action and was shouldered over as Kelly crashed into him. He was up faster than Kelly had expected and she could not react to the lighting bolt he sent. It hit her right shoulder, as electricity engulfed her arm Rinel raised his hand for the final blow. Before he could send the lightning, Lance let out a howl and dove towards him, taking the lightning bolt straight in the chest. He slammed into Rinel, pushing him to the floor. Lance secured a death grip on Rinel’s throat Rinel screeched as death took over, he lay still. Kelly crawled over to Lance, she could see that death had taken Lance as well, she lay her head on his shoulder, lamenting for her friend. She stayed with Lance for only a minute, she had to tend to her parents. She got up, cradling her right arm, she walked to where she had seen her father hit the wall. When she found him he had not regained consciousness. His arm was twisted, laying in an unnatural angle. Otherwise he seemed to be alright, Kelly went to check on Grace. She was doing better than her father, she was sitting up and rubbing her head dazedly. She saw Kelly, she got up and limped toward her.
“Kelly are you alright?” she demanded, her eyes flicking over Kelly’s wounded arm.
“I don’t know,” emitted Kelly, “I was hit by a lightning bolt. My arm does not hurt, but I think it is numb.” Grace gazed at around the room.
“Where’s John?” she questioned worriedly.
“Over here, I think he has a broken arm, but other wise he looks fine.” When they reached him John was beginning to stir. He had opened his eyes and was trying sit up.
“Are you ok?” he asked weekly.
“Yes, except for my arm,” responded Kelly. John sat up, supporting his broken arm. On the other side of the arena a door opened, all of the members of the power rushed in. They immediately hurried to help. Nill was among them and ran over to Kelly.
“Are you alright?” she asked as her gaze flicked around the room. Her gaze rested on the body of Lance. Kelly noticed and her heart ached for Lance.
“What happened? When you did not contact us, we knew something was wrong.” Kelly told the events of the last few days while Nill examined her arm. John approached, he had a splint on his arm.
“We are going to bury Lance, we thought you would like to help.” Kelly nodded and followed them outside, she and Nill carrying Lance between them. As was custom when burying the dead, they all turned into wolves and began to dig. Once the hole was deep enough, Kelly gently lowered Lance down into the ground. She turned back to a wolf and pushed the first pawfull of the freshly dug earth back into the hole.
It all took about an hour, Joe had stationed guards around them to make sure they were not attacked, even though when they had arrived they had subdued the cannan. The members had left, but Kelly lingered.
“Good bye, Lance. I will never forget you.” She turned her back on the grave. She found the others back in the arena. Joe was bent over the body of Rinel. When she approached Joe turned.
“I want you and your family to return to the Station.” Kelly nodded and walked over to her parents. They were back at the Station in a few moments. She saw Nill appear beside her along with Tim.
“Come to my room, I need to get a better look at your arm.” Nill turned into a cougar and sauntered down the hall. Kelly had never been in Nill’s room, she found it filled with healing implements.
“How does it feel?”
“Cold, and numb. I can hardly feel it,”responded Kelly. Nill wrapped the arm tightly in cloth with some herbs. They sat quietly each with her thoughts. Nill broke the silence.
“What was he like?” she asked softly.
“Well, he was kind and for the time I knew him he was a good friend.” She stared off into space, in her mind’s eye she could see him. He was flying through the air, he landed gracefully. He immediately lay down, resting his head on his large paws. The vision began to fade away. She was back in Nills room.
“How does it feel?” questioned Nill. Kelly flexed her arm.
“The feeling is coming back,” stated Kelly.
“Good, now all you need is rest and food and your arm will be like new.”
“Ok,” was Kelly’s only answer, she walked out of the room and down the hall to her room. She lay on her bed, thinking of the days past events. The battle kept play over and over in her head, she wanted to block it out, but she couldn’t. She began to drift of when a picture of Lance and her flying through the air. She dwelt on that picture as she strayed into the realms of sleep.