Chapter 3

Ash and Dusty continued to stare at Flame and Moon. They both planned to attack the two canines while they had the opportunity. Although Dusty hated the idea. He could not imagine himself fighting such innocent prey. The thought of it disgusted him.

"When do we make our move?" He asked Ash, as he stared directly at Flame.

"Whenever you're ready," The black bear replied.

Dusty did not believe he had the courage to attack the two animals. What if he had to kill them? What would he do then? The grizzly could not think like this and didn't know what to do.

"Then what are we waiting for?" He asked while facing Ash.

"Let's teach those canines a lesson."

Ash faced him and happily said "I'm glad we could come to an agreement."

Without warning, the two large bears charged at Flame and Moon. The two canines slowly turned their heads and faced the scary mammals. They never expected two angry bears to show up and were terrified.

Ash and Dusty continued to run. Moon took one good look at them and knew he could not outrun such massive animals. If he and Flame were to run away, they would probably die. And if they did nothing, the result might be the same.

Before Moon could think of a strategy, Ash violently scratched the wolf's muzzle. Flame noticed a large red scar spread across his face and almost screamed. She and him were no match against two large bears.

"I guess this it," Flame thought.

She had not intended to die like this. However, there was no escaping it. Every animal awaited death. Whether they were carnivores or herbivores. Instead of fighting, Flame slowly closed her eyes and awaited her painful death.

Instead of fighting Moon, Ash fixed his gaze on Flame and decided to attack her. He lunged forward and prepared to kill the young fox. Dusty could not bear to watch and covered his hazel brown eyes with his giant paws.

Just as Ash was about to land, Moon quickly unsheathed his claws and stabbed the black bear's large belly. Flame wondered why she had not died yet and opened her eyes. The fox watched as Ash plummeted down and landed on the ground. Large amounts of blood gushed out of the bear's belly and splattered blades of green grass.

Dusty wondered what was going on and removed his paws. He found Ash lying in a puddle of blood and roared "Ash!"

The grizzly quickly ran towards Ash and turned the black bear over on his back. Dusty did not know if Ash had survived or not. In order to find out, the grizzly rested his head against the black bear's chest.

He soon heard the sounds of Ash's heart beating and happily smiled. The black bear had survived a fatal attack. Luckily, his injuries weren't too serious.

Dusty gladly lifted his head and said, "Ash, can you hear me."

The grizzly waited for him to answer. Unfortunately, the black bear didn't respond. Perhaps he was resting. If so, Dusty would wait until he woke up.

Moon did not dare rest. He stood in front of the two bears and stared directly into Dusty's eyes. If that grizzly attempted to attack him or Flame, he would not hesitate to fight. The white wolf would never lower his guard.

Flame looked at him, as if he were a cold killer. How could he violently attack an animal without hesitating. Even though Ash and Dusty tried to kill Moon and her, she could never harm them.

"Flame," Moon said as he continued to stare at Dusty.

The young fox remained silent and shuddered in fear.

"Yes Moon?" She asked, looking as scared as ever.

"Run away while you have the chance."

She glanced at Ash and pitied him. Flame could not believe Moon had slaughtered the black bear and wondered if she could trust him.

"No," Flame replied.

Moon noticed a cold look in her eyes and wondered if he had said anything wrong. She had never looked at him like this before.

"Why not?" the white wolf asked Flame, as if he knew nothing about her.

"Because..." She said, trying to find an explanation to tell Moon.

As confused as he was, he patiently waited for her to respond. Moon hoped she still had faith in him. Despite his aggressive behavior.

"Because unlike you, she's not a killer," Dusty stated as he walked towards Moon.

The white wolf bared his sharp fangs and angrily growled. He would not allow a grizzly bear to judge him, as if he were a cold-blooded killer.

"Quit acting like you know me!" Moon barked, as if he were a vicious wolf.

Flame feared that Moon would attack Dusty and burst out shouting "Moon! Don't you dare hurt him?"

The white wolf faced her, as if she were threatening him. Why did she suddenly care about predators? Did she not care if she lived or died? Or did it have something to do with him?

"Why do you suddenly care about these bears?" He asked as if he did not trust Flame.

"Because all animals deserve to live," The proud fox boldly stated as she stared at Dusty.

The grizzly looked confused and wondered if he had been having hallucinations. Did she really care that much about apex predators such as himself? Whatever the reason, he assumed Flame was right and decided to believe her.

"How do you expect to survive with that attitude?" Moon ferociously barked.

Flame could not believe he had yelled at her. The fox's pupils suddenly grew large as tears flowed down her cheeks. If Moon kept yelling, she would definitely cry.

The white wolf felt bad for yelling at her. His fluffy ears flattened as he stared at the ground. How could Moon hurt an innocent fox like Flame? He never intended for her to see his bad side. If only he could control his temper?

"Please don't cry," Dusty kindly spoke, trying to cheer up Flame.

He slowly walked towards her and smiled.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Moon didn't like how the grizzly bear looked at Flame. The aggressive white wolf stared at Dusty, as if he were an enemy of his. He could never trust a bear after everything he went through.

"Why should I trust you?" Flame nervously asked, hoping he would stay true to his word.

"Because unlike that vicious wolf..."

He paused and stared into Moon's cold blue eyes.

"I can be reasoned with," The grizzly smirked, as if he were right about everything.

Moon would not stand by and allow Dusty to talk to Flame. As long as that bear lived, he would always remain a threat. Unless Moon killed him.

The grizzly quickly turned his head and faced Flame. The two animals smiled, hoping they could reach an understanding. Unlike them, Moon did not smile. He bared his fangs and unsheathed his claws, ready to strike his large opponent.

Dusty knew Moon would attack him and could only think of one solution. Without hesitating, he quickly opened his mouth and snatched the scruff of Flame's neck. Moon could no longer control himself. He would not allow the grizzly to maul an innocent fox.

Without thinking, Moon dashed towards Dusty and sank his fangs into the bear's hindleg. The grizzly roared as blood trickled down the back of his leg. He had never experienced so much pain in his life.

Moon tasted the grizzly bear's blood and felt as brave as ever. He had never attacked a predator in such a vigorous way. Without a second thought, the white wolf unsheathed his sharp silver claws and prepared to stab the large bear's rear.

Just as Moon was about to attack, Dusty leaned forward and kicked the wolf with his hindlegs. Moon immediately fell down and landed on the soft green grass. Blood dripped from the wolf's fangs and trickled down his white furry chest. This gave Dusty the perfect opportunity to run away.

While Moon lay helplessly on the ground, The grizzly picked up Flame and sprinted through the forest. Before Moon had the chance to chase after them, Ash awoke and slowly stood on all fours.

Moon could smell the black bear and did not dare move. If he could not kill a strong predator such as Ash, what hope did he have at surviving? The angry black bear slowly walked towards the white wolf stared down at the canine's face.

Moon looked up and spotted a scary look on Ash's face. The black bear angrily growled and wrinkled his snout. He stared at the wolf, as if he planned on eating him for dinner. Instead of attacking, Moon just froze, just as any frightened animal would. He had never been so terrified of a predator before and looked at Ash, as if he had seen a monster.