Moonlight Avenger

Answers

Mana was faster than me, despite being so much heavier. He streaked from behind and crashed into the cat creature throwing it into a tree. The tree sizzled and smoked from contact and my eyes narrowed. That burnt odor, the fire that danced across its skin, I knew what I was facing now. “Demons,” I growled.

Mana snarled as he placed a heavy clawed paw on the animal’s chest. Smoke sizzled again, but there was no burnt smell. Instead, Mana glowed a soft silver color, nearly the same color as his fur. “These are what attacked us.”

“Does it speak?” I showed my own fangs at it but it stayed on the ground glaring at us, its tail whipping back and forth setting tufts of grass on fire. “And how are you holding it down without hurting yourself?” True, finding out why it was here was important, but I couldn’t dampen my curiosity. I had remembered my last run-in with demons.

Mana chuckled. “When you have the blessings of the Goddess herself, you need not fear mere demons.” He pressed more weight into the cat until it hissed. “Talk, beast. I heard you with your companions when you attacked my people.”

Instead of answering Mana, it set its eyes on me. “You are the Moonlight Rogue, the one that has been foretold to come after my clan, the only one to stand in our way. Instead of letting you take us out, we came to take you out. I stayed behind to deliver a message, but I will not say another word until you let me up.”

“We don’t negotiate with demons,” Mana said with another snarl.

“Let him speak, I have to know about my people. You can let him up, Mana. If he tries anything, you can go for the throat.”

The zeta stayed in place his eyes flashing at me. “You are not my alpha, I have no desire to listen to you.”

“Now, now, Mana,” Koda rebuked as he and the others jogged onto the scene. He lifted his muzzle as he tasted the air. “Demons again? I thought that the smell was familiar. You know that I wish to make that kitty my Luna, so you should obey her.”

“I’m not yours,” I snorted at him. “No matter, demon, speak or I will let this one tear you apart.”

“You think I fear death?” it purred as it laughed at me. “Silly little doggie.” It flexed its claws. “I am death. Just because you have a moon guardian does not mean you are safe.”

“If you’re not afraid, then speak and answer her questions.” Mana forced more weight to the point we could hear the bones of the feline creak in protest.

“And let a mongrel win?” The hellcat chuckled. “Oh no, we can’t have that. You must know your place. If you really want to know what I have to say, you’re going to have to let me go like a good puppy.”

“Do not mistake the fact that I am blessed by the Goddess as a sign I am good, hairball. I could kill you right here and now. You’re a demon, you’ll just find another body to inhabit.”

“Doesn’t that make you wonder why I’m in a killable body?” the monster was purring again. Its eyes once more going to me. “It’s your decision, Rogue. Do you want to know the message, or will you force us to spell it out in blood?” it paused to lick its lips. “There were so many children we rounded up from both clans, we will delight in gnawing on their bones and sucking the blood off of them.”

I wanted to rip this thing’s face off myself, unlike Mana however, I did not have a built-in way to not be burned by touching the flames. My body remembered the lessons that Gus had burned into me far too well. “Mana, let it go.”

“Do as your future Luna demands.” Koda nodded to the zeta.

“I’m doing this out of protest, but, cat, if you pull anything I will rip you apart. You haven’t seen the full power of a moon warrior, not yet.”

The red panther got to its feet and sat up stretching as if it had just taken a nap. “I know, I know, you’re just such a big scary wolfie. You and that righteous oath to never turn into a human.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t you know? Breaking the rules is so much more fun. You’re so sanctimonious you won’t even ever get a mate. Doomed to be always alone just so you can protect your little alpha. Such a poor fate for a puppy.”

“Enough,” Hades growled. “What is this message you keep rambling about?”

“Oh? Another pooch wants my attention? I’m sorry but this message is only for the Moonlight Rogue. You guys are not invited.”

“We are not leaving her alone with you.” Cya shook his head at the thought. “You’re crazy.”

“Well, crazy is more fun than what you dogs do. But yes, you will leave us be so I can deliver my message, or I won’t do it.”

“Ah, I see you don’t have a message at all and you’re just trying to take my kitty out. Well then, Mana, kill him.”

The brute of a wolf moved faster than I could imagine. He reached down and grabbed the firecat by the back of its neck. It screeched and hissed at the attack but it couldn’t tear itself free. Mana tossed his entire head and the cat went sailing and smashed into the ground. The hisses turned into yowls but Mana wasn’t finished yet. Those giant fangs of his sunk deeper into the fire fur. “You brought this upon yourself, demon.”

“Wait! Don’t you want to know about your packs?” the cat demanded before it was picked up and smashed into the other side. A bright silver glow surrounded Mana and the flames on the demon started to fade until a black panther was revealed. “Please, let me speak!”

“Let him go,” I ordered once more.

On the other side of me, Koda gave a simple shake of his head. The panther went up into the sky this time and Mana leaped after it sinking his teeth into its throat and biting down. One last ear-splitting yowl came from the monster before it went still, and its blood stained Mana’s beautiful coat. “There is no mercy or pity for demons.” He turned toward me and inclined his giant head. “Apologies, Luna, but it had no real information to give. It wanted to torture you, and as a part of my alpha’s pack I’ll never allow that.”

“She’s not your Luna.” Hades put himself between me and the hulking wolf. “She is our alpha, she need not ever drop her head to anyone else.”

“Especially not him,” Cya added with a growl. “You need to leave, Koda. Take your beast and get out of here.”

“Leave?” Koda laughed. “We won’t be leaving, kid. I’m not leaving my kitty alone with two pups. Remember, I knew your dad, you two have a long way to go before you’re of actual use to her. Now that her pack is gone, she needs a real wolf at her side. You know, alphas that have actually done something, and not just been born into it.”

My mates growled and their rage thrummed against our bonds. “Calm down,” I ordered. “Koda, why are you here, really? You killed the only source I have for what this was all about, and you’re taunting my mates. I will never choose you. You might have been my alpha once and while my wolf was cowed enough to always submit, I never will.”

Koda c****d his head and his tongue lolled out. “You could always be the Alpha and me the Luna then if you really insist on it.” He wagged his tail at me.

What kind of deranged nightmare was I having right now? My former alpha was so intent on getting me to join him he was offering me his spot. The wolf inside me was even shocked, and not much shocked her. “Not interested.” I managed to choke out the words and checked the panther. It was still quite dead and no remains of the demon had been left behind.

Mana sniffed the corpse. “As I thought.”

“What is it?” Koda demanded as he turned away from me. “Has the Goddess spoken to you about this situation?”

“In a sense.” Mana nudged the panther’s head with his muzzle. “This is not an ordinary animal. It was possessed by a demon, but this is a shifter. Those demons have taken over their bodies and sent them after us. I wouldn’t doubt if they didn’t give themselves up for the sake of power. That’s what most of these vermin do.” He turned his eyes on me as he inspected me. “You’re not hurt, are you, Luna?”

“Not your Luna.” I would make Koda pay for me having to repeat myself so much. “All we managed to find out is there’s some prophecy and apparently I’m the one it hinges on. What I don’t get though is I never planned to leave this land. I was happy with my pack, so this prophecy of theirs? Was entirely wrong. Or to be more apt, they’re the reason it’s going to be proven right. I don’t care if I have to go against an army of hellcats, I won’t let them take my pack and get away with it.”

“I’m with you, Morgan,” Hades announced as he stood by my side. Keeping eye contact with Koda he reached over and nuzzled me. “Always.”

“Me as well,” Cya repeated the action from the other side. My two giant black wolf protectors really did look like puppies compared to Koda and his mammoth.

“In case it’s not obvious, I’m with you too, Kitty. I might not know where they came from exactly, but I got a hint. Remember how I told you they weren’t from our lands?” I nodded. “That’s because they come from the north. When we were escaping I heard the wolves among them talking about how hot it was here.”

That settled it for me then. I didn’t care who followed me, and I didn’t care what their motives were. I’d travel to the north, I’d find my pack, and I would rip apart those that had done this to me. They might have predicted the Moonlight Rogue would stand in their way, but they were clueless just how much of a mistake it was to attack my pack and my people.

But they would find out, when I made them pay with their lives.