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Wow, I wonder if anyone is still reading this, hopefully, people are. Sorry it took so long for the update. Well here's ch.29 hope you guys like it.

Chapter Twenty Nine

They ran through the seemingly empty forest.

Legs ached but Liolyn didn't slow down. He could feel Adiah behind him, completely silent and carrying the bleeding Daemon. Both cats knew that their fallen comrade would lead any enemy their way. Both knew he was holding them back. And both knew that he was not to be left behind.

"Leo..."

His name sounded like a whisper from the wind but he knew it was the Huntress. He wasn't going to acknowledge her. He had nothing to say to her.

Unfortunately, his protector had other things in mind.

There was a flash of black and Liolyn was staring into milky blue eyes.

Liolyn yelped, trying to come to an abrupt stop on branches to avoid colliding with the panther. The end result was him tripping over a branch, crashing through a lower one, and landing on the snow face first with an audible SPLAT.

The Prince of Cats made a cat-thrown-in-water growl, raising his snow-caked face. He spat out ice, shaking his head to get off the powder.

"Leo, you cannot be thinking of taking that man's offer." Adiah purred in their language.

"Does it really concern you?" He hissed back.

She landed gracefully and threateningly before him, animal feet making a faint crunch. Blind eyes were closed so a black face glared down at him. Short dark brown strands that were almost ebony shadowed her face even more. "Of course it does."

He stood up, brushing the snow off his clothes. He glared at her before looking at his injured friend in her arms. His face softened, sadness shimmering in those golden depths. He brushed back a bronze strand that was caked with dried blood the color of burgundy. "This is my fault, isn't it?"

Adiah didn't respond, didn't even move.

Liolyn sighed, leaning down and nuzzling his best friend. "I hurt everyone that I love. Even you, Huntress. I've let down everyone."

"You can't ever let me down, Leo." She whispered.

"But I hurt you."

Liolyn backed up, eyes not looking at the pure blood even though he knew she wouldn't be able to tell. "I refuse to let her down."

Adiah hissed, desperate and irritated. "If you don't want to let the Tigress down then LIVE! LIVE, LEO! Live and move on!"

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?" Liolyn roared. "How can you just let it go and move ON?!"

"Because it is what she would've wanted."

He growled. "How do you know that?"

"Because I loved her and she told me."

"YOU DON'T LOVE HER!"

The panther sucked in breath, almost taking a step back. "Do-"

"IF YOU LOVED HER-"

Her hackles rose. "-n't-"

"-THEN YOU WOULD BE JOINING ME!"

She roared. "SILENCE, LEO!"

Birds took flight, wildlife fled. Liolyn immediately backed down. The huntress panted, lips curled back to reveal dangerous fangs and powerful teeth. There was something about her roar, the roar of all pure bloods. It made him feel like he was five again.

Liolyn took a step back, regaining his composure. "Take Daemon back."

"L-"

"Take him back and get him help. That's an order, Adiah."

"No-"

"Stop before you disgrace the woman you claim to have loved even further."

And with that he leapt into the trees and disappeared.

The full blood followed the soft noises of movement she heard before bowing her head in defeat and shame.

Raklyn had the most wicked grin on that Katsu had ever seen. It made the latter's skin crawl and hackles rise. He wasn't sure what to do or say. All he could think of was how much he loathed the golden eyed cat demon that just got away.

"Why did you let him go, master?" He tried to keep the growl out but failed.

Raklyn chuckled, grin still in place. He looked like the devil himself after signing a contract for the purest soul alive. "Because there are better things to be had. And besides, you couldn't take the Prince of Cats and the Huntress at the same time. We need to seclude him... draw him out... and make sure we have the whole pack with us."

Raklyn chuckled again, drumming his fingers together in a steeple. Katsu recognized that behavior. His leader was scheming something nasty.

"Is the Tigress's murderer really alive?" He ventured to ask.

"Hmm?" Raklyn replied distractedly. "Oh, I can't tell you that. That would be going against all pacts that I have made."

"But you just told that c-"

"I never told anyone anything. Stop making things up, Katsu. It's unbecoming."

Katsu sighed in defeat, curiosity still gnawing at him. Oh how he wished he could've sunk his claws into that cat demon. He hated him. He never met him before but he hated him. The rage boiled and bubbled inside of him and ached to come out somehow. Where was Moku, again? Oh, right. The brat, Derek, was protecting that whore.

Speaking of full bloods...

"Where is Gira?"

Raklyn paused in his scheming-induced pacing and became fully aware of the carnage around him. "This cannot be good. Look for survivors. We'll take as many back to the den as possible. We'll come back for the dead later." His followers immediately obeyed, checking each one of the wolves. "And call for assistance." Katsu took a deep breath and howled, head tilting back with the long sad cry. "And where is Gira?!"

Adiah sat on the tip of a cliff that overlooked the wolf demon's territory. One leg dangled over the great expanse of nothing while the other propped up her elbow. Her other hand reached back, bracing the rest of her weight. She couldn't see but she could smell small scents that the wind carried. The faintest of these scents were fox demons and that gave her a small hope. Foxes were neither wolf nor cat but they shared the same dominant language as the wolves. At times it seemed like they knew every language and every secret. Sly tricksters they were, but useful when correctly bribed.

A deep sigh escaped her lips, a ripple of movement going down her furred body. Times like these she felt her age and wondered if life was really worth it. She had bred, producing kits of her own, some full blood while others were only half. Few still survived, only two full bloods, but the ones who had passed on left children of their own. Her bloodline was secured; there was one other panther left but her age prohibited her from successfully producing a litter with him. There was nothing else to be done. She could pass on into the next life and leave the sadness and heartache of this world behind her.

Heartache.

That produced another painful sting.

Her greatest love was dead and now the son was about to join the mother. A soft mewl escaped her throat as memories began to overwhelm her.

Sometime during the war...

"The Tigress has returned!"

There was a roar of cheering, every kind of cat breed letting loose their unique cries. The movement all around was almost blinding, tails whipping every which way.

But throughout the chaos a clear path was still able to be created.

White light shone at the farthest end of the path but Adiah knew it wasn't light. A white goddess strode down it, her army following her at a distance. The sun reflected off her glorious pure white hair, golden eyes shining with magnificence. She wasn't beaming like usual but had a small smirk on. Her head was held high, long tresses tickling her lower back.

The army behind her was caked with crimson blood and dark mud. Some were supported by others while others were carried. They all had a dazed look to them; not one looked disheartened, not even the ones missing limbs. They all smiled, eyes fixed on the radiating beauty before them.

Their Queen.

The Tigress.

Adiah stood at the farthest end, waiting for her queen. The Tigress' golden cat eyes landed on the panther and her eyes almost had a wicked look to them. It was a flash, no longer than a second. No one seemed to notice it but the full blood waiting. Her body shivered even though it was a warm day and she was covered with fur.

The Tigress stood a mere five feet from the Huntress, stopping her progression. She turned, clawed hand in the air and the entire clan went silent.

"My brothers and sisters!" Her strong voice boomed over the silence. "Another victory for the Tigress Clan! Those mangy wolves had no idea what hit them."

The silence abruptly went into an uproar and a passerby could've sworn a volcano erupted.

The White Tiger turned towards her friend, her warm smile beaming. Adiah felt like the sun was shining at her horizontally instead of vertically. "I think they like me."

Adiah got a whiff of lilies and something exotic. It was like spring when all the flowers were in bloom. It reminded her of lazy summer afternoons full of lounging in field while Kittens romped around. There was also a distinct recollection of warm nights of grooming and play of a different sort. The sort that had musk and panting.

She realized that the Tigress had walked past her.

A white tail whipped and smacked across her backside. A snicker reached her ears and she growled. "Of course they 'like' you." Irritation dripped over every vowel. "They positively adore you. I see people worshipping the ground after you've walked on it."

"You sound annoyed, full blood." The Tigress purred.

"No... how can you tell?" She growled, hackles up and tail puffed.

"MAHDE!"

The Tigress laughed, grabbing her charging son off the ground. "Leo, my darling! Oh how I've missed you!"

Leo, crushed by the pressure of his mother's hug, nuzzled the soft fur that lined her neck. "Sheesh, mom. It's only been a day. No need to go psycho on me."

"Mmm." She responded, nuzzling her son's face. "How can I help it when I have such a delectable," she nipped him playfully, "morsel like you waiting for me here?"

She carried him towards her generals, his multicolored tail wrapped around her supporting arm, face buried in her neck. He purred softly, her free hand coming up to stroke his messy locks.

Adiah followed silently, knowing that nothing good could come of this.

Out of the five commanding generals, three of them were full bloods, two too many in Adiah's opinion. The other two represented the nomad cats of the west and the arctic cats of the north. Those two Adiah trusted. Leo's father had been a nomad so they were completely loyal to the Tigress, while the arctic cats felt like this war was personal. Wolves had been killing their kind for years and the first cat demon to be killed in over a century had been the daughter of the general now before Adiah. His name was Lython and his devotion to seeing every wolf annihilated was shown in each one of his scars.

The three full blood generals were Darien the Tiger, Rren the Bobcat, and Canthus the Lion.

Adiah felt fur stand on end at the sight of Canthus. She trusted him the least, loathed him the most. Darien followed Canthus' word like it was a religion while Rren was just a sweet girl. She had no strong feelings toward either side, not caring who the Tigress mated with as long as there was someone to carry on the bloodline.

Canthus glared at Leo, lips curling back slightly to show the tips of very powerful fangs. Leo represented everything he despised about the Tigress, not to mention it was supposed to be Canthus' son to mate with the Tigress, not the nomad.

Adiah's claws automatically flexed, her partially blind eyes narrowing with challenge. Leo whimpered softly, small hand gripping his mother's shirt.

"LION!"

Canthus immediately snapped out of his glare, startled by the Tigress' roar.

"Would you care to give me the Fang Tribe's movements or would you rather stare at my son as if he were a wounded antelope during a food shortage?"

A low growl came from Canthus' throat, his large mane flattening as if he was going to strike. But Adiah knew he wouldn't dare. The Tigress made no move, her claws not even flexed. Her eyes were almost white with golden threat and that was enough to back the proud lion down.

"They're regrouping near the falls." Canthus growled out. "Their numbers are dwindling."

"A section of their guard around their den is missing." Rren added, unrolling a map on the table. "Probably due to their sudden increase in casualties."

"They're falling under our combined force." Darien chipped in. "It's only a matter of weeks now."

"Victory," Canthus smirked, "is in our grasp."

The Tigress looked through the reports. "Lython, Druin... What do you think?"

The snow leopard and nomad glanced at each other. Druin was first to speak. "The Fangs are relentless. They fight with the same intensity as before, even when faced with full bloods." He glared at the three other generals, or more specifically two, because Rren was off slipping Leo chocolate.

Lython concluded. "The Fang's roar is as loud as ever. He takes out five of our men to every one of his. His son shows equal strength and vigor when on the battle field. They have two pure bloods compared to our one, not to mention the few who have the blood but not the spirit. Cerberus' family, even without the Wolf's spirit in them, is a force to be reckoned with. We do not think they will give up so easily."

Canthus laughed; the smug glare that was directed at the two cat demons was one of pure venom. "Please. I've seen those wolves tremble when faced with my army. They will run away in fear soon enough."

"There's no need to be overly cocky, lion." The Tigress said thoughtfully. "The Fang Tribe will not run off so easily. Their love of territory and hunger for more outweighs any fear they might feel. They're pack demons. The pack is the most important thing to them... You said that a section of the guards is missing?"

Rren confirmed it.

"Odd... Why would Cerberus remove some of the guard? Did he replace them?"

"No."

"Strange. Keep the bobcats posted near the main den and watch their guard level. If it drops more, then it shows Cerberus might be getting desperate. If it increases then that means the drop meant nothing."

"What if it stays the same?"

"I don't know... Keep me posted."

She left, Canthus glowering after her. Adiah went to follow but a strong and painful grip grabbed her upper arm.

"Remember your place and family, Adiah." Canthus hissed in her ear.

"I know my place." She growled back.

"LION!" The Tigress roared a second time. "Do you mind letting go of my second-in-command or do I need to slice off your hand?"

The grip released but the pain it caused remained.

"What did he say to you?" The Tigress inquired once they were close to her tent.

"Nothing of importance." Adiah replied in clipped tones.

The White Tiger looked at her worriedly before butting her head against her son's. "Why don't you go run and play with Daemon? I need to talk to Adiah in private."

"But, Mahde!"

"I'll be done soon, ok?" She pressed their foreheads together. "I just need to finish some business and I'll come and play with you."

Leo nodded.

"That's my good boy." She nuzzled him before gently placing him down. "Be safe."

Gold eyes trailed after the scampering child before immediately flicking to entrance to her quarters. "In my tent."

"What if I don't want to?" Adiah snapped back but she was already entering it.

The Tigress crossed her arms. "What's wrong?"

The panther glared, a low growl rumbling in her throat.

"Come on, Adiah. Spit it out."

"Second-in-command?" She hissed through gritted teeth. "Some second-in-command I am. I stay here and baby-sit your child while you leave camp with the army! Leaving me behind! AGAIN!"

"Oh." She sucked on a claw to get some dried blood out from under the nail. "That again."

"YES! I'M A SIX-FOOT BABYSITTER!"

"Please, Adiah. Give yourself some credit. You're more like seven feet."

Adiah roared but it was only a fraction of the power she usually had.

The Tigress chuckled, advancing on the upset pure blood. "Oh, Adiah. Adiah, Adiah, Adiah... Don't you see? You have the most important job."

Adiah nuzzled her broad head into those perfect bronzed hands that stroked her face. That beautiful face nudged her flat nose, a soft purr coming from her.

"You protect the most important thing to me. You are the one I trust most, the one I love most because I place my most precious treasure into..." She took Adiah's hand and held it up to her face. "Your very capable and large hands." She nuzzled the full blood's palm, the rumbling purr vibrating through Adiah's hand and up her arm to echo in her own chest.

"Tigress-"

"Say my name..." The Tigress whispered, golden eyes closed.

Adiah whimpered, on the verge of tears. "Miki..."

Her hand curled around her queen's face, amazed at how big it was in comparison. She slid her hand across and turned it to slide into those long, blinding white strands. The full blood cradled the back of the Tigress' head, about to lean down.

"You're the only one I can trust, Adiah."

She froze, half way down. "I know."

Gold eyes opened, depths shimmering with emotion and desperation. "Promise me that you'll take care of Leo, no matter what. Keep him alive and safe."

The full blood couldn't tear her eyes away. Those golden irises were burning her retinas. Her voice was lost.

"Promise me, Adiah." She whispered urgently, hand taking the other's from her hair again. "No matter what. Protect him. Kill any who try to take his life when I am unable."

"But-"

"No buts. Protect him."

"Tig-"

"Say my name."

"No." She shook her head, trying to get this insanity away from her. "I won't."

"A long time ago you promised me your life."

"I would die for you."

"Then protect Leo. He is my life. Do you understand? If he dies, then everything I am goes with him. I will bear no other heir. I will surrender to the wolves. I will abandon our clan. You love me?"

"With everything that I am."

"Then will you do this for me?"

Adiah swallowed, pushing down her sadness. "I swear to you. I will protect him, in this life and when I move to the next."

The Tigress smiled, kissing Adiah's knuckles. "Thank you. Now..." Her smile changed to something devious, arms coming up to wrap around the full blood's neck. "Leo will be plenty entertained for a while..."

Present...

Her entire body felt numb and empty. That vast void where her heart once was ached, pining and hungering, yearning to be filled again with that magnificent white light called the Tigress.

She opened her eyes to reveal milky depths and still saw nothing but black. But she didn't care. The last thing she saw was the flame of the funeral fire and the endless sea of blood and gore that was once a strong and proud tribe. She didn't need sight. She could remember what she had seen and that blinding white was enough to warm her in her life of darkness.

The Tigress made her promise to protect Liolyn at all costs. She didn't know if she could keep that promise for much longer.

"No... blood... stop the blood... claws thin... can't check... can't check... organs..."

Katsu stared at the sight before him. There knelt Gira, covered in blood that was not her own. Below her was a sliced up mess that could've once been a man. He couldn't recognize the face because Gira was blocking it but the scent was distinctive.

Adrex.

"Oh god."

Gira was trembling, hands moving fast. The furs that once covered her were torn and shredded, used as bandages and clots. Her skin, the parts that weren't caked in her mate's blood, was tinted blue from the cold. She was trembling from the temperature or the shock or both.

Raklyn approached and stopped when he was level with his second-in-command. "Now this... is a problem."

Katsu swallowed down the bile that had crept up his throat and dared to speak. "Gira."

Her only response was to move more franticly, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

"Restrain her." Raklyn said softly, another wolf coming up behind him. "And check to see if he's actually alive."

It was easier said than done.

The moment Katsu touched her arm she roared, lashing out with her claws. Her eyes were pure white, fury pulsing through her veins. The other wolf grabbed her arm and she punched him with the other before using it to back fist Katsu. It took some time but they managed to drag her away from the motionless body, her own body wracked with sobs and trembling roars.

Raklyn knelt by the fallen wolf and felt his pulse. "It's very weak but there. I doubt he'll make it back to the den."

Gira coughed, hiccupping from her tears. "Kad... Kadell... he's... n-near... l-liv-ves... K-Kad-d-DEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLL!!!" She flung her head back and roared, screaming her brother's name desperately, tears still streaming down her face.

Kadell stood on an overhang, eyes glued on the spot where his demon eyes could see the carnage. His baby sister's desperate calls rang in his ears. He could smell Adrex's blood along with blood of his pack. He knew what she wanted. His hearing could pick up her trembling words and heartbroken sobs. And yet all he could think about was Liolyn and where he could be and if he was in the same shape.

Silver eyes closed shut, his head bowing as he turned his back on his kind.

He walked away.