Kiyiya wanted to call out to Maheegan that she was crazy, and that she shouldn't be trying to take on any of these monsters, but the words wouldn't come out. He was frozen with shock and fear and despair and helplessness. When Maheegan lunged at the brown wolf, he thought for sure that he was about to witness his best friend die along with his village. He sniffed her feverishly and nudged her when she returned to him, thankful she was alive and making sure she wasn't hurt. When he turned back around, the same brown wolf was standing over them with a fierce expression.

Before Kiyiya could run and haul tail, or do anything to protect Maheegan, the brown wolf had snatched him up by his nape in between her teeth. Kiyiya yelped and screamed as the wolf ran with him in the direction of the chaos, straight into the slaughtering. He thought that she might throw him into the middle of the village to be savagely torn to bits by each of the wolves, but to his surprise, she brought him straight to the giant, black wolf. The black wolf was sitting calmly, watching the villagers fight and sometimes kill her pack members. The brown wolf set Kiyiya down at her feet, bowed its head, and backed away.

Kiyiya couldn't and wouldn't look at the black wolf. She was larger than any wolf he'd seen in his life, which had been quite a lot. She was almost taller than some of the buildings in the village. Kiyiya lay with his head resting on his front paws, snout pointed toward the ground. Every now and then, he'd peek at her, waiting for her to do something. Soon, the brown wolf returned with Maheegan.

Maheegan had tried to run from the brown wolf, but her short juvenile legs were no match for the long and graceful strides of the adult canine. With a terrified yelp, she was lifted into the air with her oversized paws flailing and scrabbling for anything to scratch. No! There was nothing. Icy certainty settled into her gut that she was going to be killed just like Kiyiya likely had been. Or they'd slaughter him in front of her eyes. The thought made Maheegan struggle more, but the wolf's jaws were firm and didn't give at all.

The brown wolf dropped her beside Kiyiya under the shadow of a massive black wolf. She was relieved that he was alive, but it looked like now they had a bigger problem (literally). Terrified even more of this one than the last, Maheegan huddled beside her friend and looked at her paws, focusing intensely on them to distract herself from what she was sure was imminent death. Briefly it crossed her mind to escape, but from this creature she thought it impossible. That wolf could probably cross half the village in a single bound, while Maheegan on her clumsy paws had a hard time on bad days going ten paces without flopping over.

In spite of her fear, tiny teeth bared. Her pride, she thought vaguely, would likely be the death of her. But if it meant that she wouldn't have to watch Kiyiya die, then so be it. She stepped in front of him and faced the black wolf, though she didn't dare look at more than her paws.

Relief, panic, and regret settled in when Maheegan was plopped down beside him. He kept quiet, though unconsciously whimpering lightly. The large, black wolf was just staring at them, as if visually inspecting them. Her nostrils flared repeatedly, as if she could smell them from all the way up there. Then again, she probably could. Kiyiya's nose didn't work as well as he thought it should have.

His ears perked up and he lifted his head when Maheegan stepped in front of him. He tilted his head and had the urge to roll his eyes. Maheegan didn't stand a chance against this beast. Enough to cause pain but not harm her, Kiyiya gnawed on Maheegan's back leg.

Maheegan whined softly and retreated just a little in response so that she stood beside Kiyiya, though still a bit in front of him. Down thumped her butt onto the ground. She pawed the dirt anxiously and pressed closer to Kiyiya. It was partially to reassure herself that he was still there next to her, and partially because he was very simply the only person--or whatever--around that she was sure wouldn't rip her to pieces.

To make the creepiness of the scene worse, the black wolf before them seemed to break out in a wide, malevolent grin. So it seemed to Kiyiya, from where he kept peeking from the ground to the wolf. Betraying his gut, he let his eyes drift up to the black wolf's, and it felt like at that moment she was actually happy and radiating a kind aura. Kiyiya wouldn't take a chance to trust her.

Then, all at once, the black wolf grabbed he and Maheegan both in her mouth. Actually in her mouth. It was hot and sticky and moist and Kiyiya began to panic because he thought they were about to be eaten. This thought evaporated when the black wolf's mouth opened partially, enough to let cool and breathable air to them. Kiyiya was too afraid to look out, and besides, the wolf was running so fast into the forest that everything was a huge blur.

Maheegan whined softly and squirmed. She held her breath to keep from inhaling the wolf's hot breath, and scrabbled weakly in a half-hearted attempt to escape. It was a relief to feel some cool air, but she was still gripped entirely with fear. What was this wolf doing? Perhaps it was taking them to the den so that she could have her meal in peace. Her small chest heaved with panic. She didn't want to die like this. She didn't want to die at all. She didn't think it would be so soon...

She ended up passing out.