The Last Moon

"Sasha, hurry up! She has to go now! They are on the way!"

"I'm trying to go as fast as I can."

"Sasha, you don't have to pack everything. Just enough to get her through the next couple of days."

"We have plenty of supplies already at home. Please, we have to leave Sasha. This isn't safe for us or the girl."

"But I can't just give her up like this, Rosa."

"I understand it must be difficult. But this is war. This is for her own protection."

"Sasha now! Give her up now!"

"Okay, Felix. Calm down, give her another moment."

"Goodbye, my sweet baby girl. I love you. I've loved you even before I ever saw you. You will always have my heart. Please always remember me and your father."

She handed the toddler over to her sister before she was placed safely into a car seat.

"Please protect her."

"You know we will love her as if she was our own. I love you, Sasha."

"I love you too, Rosa."

Tears fell as the howls in the night grew louder.

"You have to leave now!"

Phil and Rosa raced to the car and got in before speeding off down the dark dirt road and off into the night.

"She will be fine, Sasha. We are doing what's best for her."

"I know. It just hurts so much."

Felix froze on the spot as a mindlink came through.

"What is it, Felix?"

"They've breached the borders. It's time!"

With one final embrace, they both raced out of the house and shifted while running to meet with the rest of the pack. Felix and Sasha stood front and center while the rest lined up in rows behind.

"I want to say thank you to you all for fighting for this pack. We may be small, but we can be mighty. This is for the Full Moon Pack! We won't ever let the Cresent Moon Pack take away our strength, our love, or our family values. We fight together, and we will die together."

The support and love Felix and Sasha felt at that moment from the pack made it all that much easier to know they made the right choice to fight. They knew they wouldn't win, but the fact they were willing to sacrifice their lives for the pack made it all worth it.

They could hear the paws thundering on the ground in front of them. They could feel the ground shake as the Cresent Moon Pack grew closer.

The first sight of the other wolves Felix leaped into the air and took down the first of many. But they kept coming. Sasha kept trying to keep her eye on Felix and any others that needed help when suddenly a wolf jumped and grabbed her neck. His teeth sunk deeply in as he shook her body around ripping flesh and allowing Sasha to bleed out.

"Sasha!" Felix growled. He ran over, jumping over bodies and other fights till he got to her lifeless body just laying there.

"I love you, Sasha. Please wake up."

He nudged her body with his snout, but nothing. That's when a wolf grabbed him by the ankle, while another bit down on his neck. He became weak in that moment.

"Surrender and survive. Keep the pack alive and keep us in your hearts. Save those who are left," Felix said through the mindlink before being killed. His body falling atop Sashas.

The pack lowered themselves into submission, baring their necks to the other pack as Alpha Tristan stepped forward from the shadows.

"Welcome to the Cresent Moon Pack. Please pledge your loyalty to us. Any of you who do not will be punished and exiled. Our borders have expanded, and we will take over into your land. You may address me as Alpha. Your new Luna here is Luna Tina Lake and should be addressed accordingly. For those of you who don't know, we have a son who will one day be your leader." A young pup came forward with Luna Tina. "His name is Krewe. Please respect him as such. We will treat you with respect, but you must work hard and show us your loyalty to earn that respect. We run a tight ship. Now, where are the bodies of Alpha and Luna Moon?"

Several wolves whined and lowered their heads in the direction of their fallen leader.

"I will have none of that!" He strode over to the bodies, snarling. "Where is the girl?"

Everyone shifted uncomfortably.

"I said, where is the girl!?"

"We have not found her. We are still looking through the pack but have not caught any scent of her."

"Who knows where the girl is!?"

A lone wolf stepped forward, "I would like to apologize to my old pack for this betrayal, but I believe the girl fled with her aunt and uncle."

"We will continue the search for her. She will be found and killed too."

All the wolves started howling, and those from the Full Moon Pack joined in to show their loyalty in fear of being reprimanded for not doing so.

Meanwhile, several miles away, Rosa and Phil had covered a lot of ground getting away from the pack while the toddler slept in the back.

"Do you think they will make it?"

"I doubt it," Rosa said as she lowered her head, "The Cresent Moon Pack is much larger and stronger. Alpha Tristan is ruthless, and the only way for his reign to come to end is if their son doesn't follow in his footsteps. He needs to let go of grudges and live a happier and more peaceful life. I feel sorry for the Full Moon Pack."

"Well, you came from there, so there was some good within that pack."

"That's because everyone lives in fear. Everyone is good. It's just the way Alpha Tristan runs the pack. Everyone fears, so they work harder. No one is truly happy. That's why Sasha and I left when we had the chance."

Phil rested his hand upon Rosa's. They remained quiet for the rest of the ride.