Chapter 41: Two Wolves

After everyone was full and ready, Masang hopped toward the entrance.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" He said, "let's head off."
The patrol walked towards Masang, who waited in place.
Suddenly, there was a streak of black, with a bit of orange following it. In a heartbeat, Ash saw that a black wolf had pinned Masang.
"Get off me!" Masang wailed.
"A rabbit that talks?" The black wolf turned to the orange. "Never saw one before."
"Mm," the orange wolf mumbled.
"Hey!" Airia growled. She rammed into the black wolf and pinned it.
Ash noticed that the black wolf looked extremely thin - and so did the orange wolf. The orange wolf was smaller than Rusty. It had a yellow underbelly and red and yellow fire marks.
"Watch it!" The black wolf snarled, "Flare and I need to eat something!"
"Well, you can't eat this rabbit!" Charlotte snapped.
"So you want us to starve?" The black wolf pressed her ears against her head.
"We'd rather you do that than eat Masang," Dust growled, "who are you?"
"I'm Crystal," the black wolf growled, "and that's Flare," she nodded at the orange wolf.
Slice became wide-eyed. "Crystal? Flare?" Her eyes sparkled with happiness. "You're alive?"
"Why wouldn't we be?" Flare smiled. "We escaped."
"I...I thought Ironfang had killed you!" Slice sighed with relief.
"We escaped the falling post," Crystal nodded.
"Let's get moving," Stone sighed with annoyance.
"Yeah. Bye Crystal and...er...Flare," Airia walked towards the entrance.
Rude, Ash thought, and he followed her.
"Hey!" Crystal ran to Airia. Then she stopped. "Er...can we go with you?"
"Why in the name of the Peacebenders would you?" Stone growled.
"Because," Crystal walked closed to Stone, their noses a mouse-length away. "Maybe we'll give away someone's secret."
Stone grew wide-eyed. Ash exchanged confused looks with Rusty and Dust.
Finally, Stone gulped and nodded. "You can come..."

Author's Note:
Blackmail....something we all use to get our ways. Thanks to Eeveelord for Crystal and Flare!