The Outside

[shila]

Shila followed Raffa all the way to an Oak Forest. The new smells were just overwhelming and exciting. The beautiful scene was breath taking and the smell of prey was strong.

"This is incredible! I wish pups were allowed to leave camp whenever they want because this is awesome!"

Shila began to jump and roll in the scattered leaves on the forest floor. A nearby squirrel triggere dher chase instinct and Shila dashed after the little creture with glee. The squirrel got away and Shila wagged her tail happily and bounded all about. She almost forgot Raffa took her here for training.

"Oh sorry I guess I got carried away now um....what did you want to do?"

[♫Flisk♫]

Raffa was pleased that Shila liked it outside camp. He snuffled through a laugh when she started chasing a squirrel. Wow...she was pretty agile. Straining to keep sight of her, he watched the squirrel scramble up a tree. Shila then raced over to him and apologized, but he shook his head.

"Your pretty good."

Sniffing in, he arched his back. He wasn't supposed to be out here...but you know...he did that alot. Curse him for scaring the gaurd so bad...he'd probably be punished when he got back. Ehh...whatever. Smiling, he told her what the first lesson would be. He had been learning from another wolf recently, one that he actually listened to.

"Ok...hunting. Now...what can you smell?"

[shila]

Shila felt immensly happy when Raffa complemented her on her running. When Raffa ordered her to see what she could smell, excitement quivered through her body. She closed her eyes to concentrate on the smells.

"I can smell lots of things. I smell the forest for one thing, birds, the squirrel, and.....something else?"

Shila re-opened her eyes pondering the strange smell. She followed the scents into some ferns hiding a pretty big hole in the ground. Tilting her head, Shila gazed upon the hole that gave off the strange smell.

"Raffa come here I want to know what this is?"

Shila pawed at the hole she inhaled the air again and let out a gasping, rough cough sound.

"That smells terrible!"

[♫Flisk♫]

Raffa nodded slowly as Shila listed many different things. She smelled the forest, which she would soon get used to, and that squirrel, and some birds. He decided that she would start on the squirrel to hunt. Stretching, he let out a silent yawn so that he wouldn't scare the prey away. Shila started walking away and he followed her for a bit. She stopped at a hole with a very unpleasurable smell. A jolt of alarm rushed through Raffa as he sniffed it, and he quietly stalked towards it. Badgers...and at least 3 of them.

Now badgers did not pose a threat too much to Raffa, but three? Partner fighting...a male and 2 females. With Shila, he could get in trouble. He turned to her, his nose wrinkled up with alertness.

"Badgers. Nasty creatures. Will kill. It...I mean they just settled here...and they'll be prepared to fight. We must get out of here quickly."

Raffa pushed her with his powerful tail and started walking forward at a brisk pace. As he rounded a thicket, he ran headlong into a badger. The choking, ugly smell of it filled his nostrils and he backed up, in defense mode. Without looking back, he snarled to Shila.

"Get somewhere safe. If you must, watch...but make sure that if they get me you run."

The badger pawed at him with a blood crusted paw and he ducked, eyes wide and ears back. He bit into the badger's neck and it snarled, eyes rolling back and blood gushing from its new wound. A few more critical bites like that and it would die. Now the badger was a stupid one and Raffa used this technique two more times before he caught on. Finally, when he took a missing blow, he thrust the other paw out. The claws sunk into Raffa's chest fur, leaving a slight scratch. He was temporarily stunned and the badger leaped upon him. Under the weight, Raffa weakened and fell, but used the last ounce of his strength to thrust the creature off. He heard more snarling from other badgers in the distance and quickly stumbled to Shila.

"Ruh...Run. I'll catch up."

He began to limp ahead at a surprisingly swift pace, though he thought he was about to collapse.

[shila]

Shila wondered what a badger was. She never had seen one in real life but had heard about them. When Raffa gave a brief description of one that was enough to make Shila fear them. Shila wasted no time in following Raffa but a terrible suprise suddenly appeared. A badger! Shila about suffocated with the reeking smell of the feirce beast. She watched with horror as Raffa went head on with the badger fighting and biting it. Shila obediently listened to Raffa and jumped onto of a big rock pressing herself against trying to hide herself. Watching Raffa with the badger made Shila's heart skip a beat more than once. Shila's little eyes widened with fear seeing Raffa getting toppled by the badger.

Shila heard the words Raffa said to her but couldn't put them in action. She wanted to run more than anything but her paws were frozen to the rock. Shila suddenly gained back reality and realized that Raffa was in immense danger. She remebered the time when her mother protected her from a storm that made loud bangs of thunder and lightening. Shila loved her mother, but now she was gone, and her father was gone as well for he was a loner who lived on his own so he would never want to see Shila; her siblings were stillborn so she was the only daughter or child of her mother. Shila shook away the memory of her mother and realized she had to save Raffa for she wasn't going to let nature steal someone from her again someone that she was close too.

"Raffa! I won't leave you!"

Shila jumped from the rock onto the badgers back. Shila was small but the jump from the rock gave her enough momentum to knock the badger off his paws. Shila backed away from the smelly creature and growled with rage something she has never done before but it made her feel powerful. The badger met her growl with an equally agressive snarl and lunged at her. Shila leapt out of the badger's way and glared into its eyes. Suddenly, the other two badgers Raffa mention were here. Shila had to let Raffa get away from here so she could distract the badgers. Shila looked to Raffa with worried eyes.

"Raffa I will distract them. You need to go back to camp I will follow your scent to find my way back....Go Now!"

Shila turned back to the angry badgers who were already running at top speed to kill her. Shila leapt out of the way again but another badger countered her and threw her to the forest floor. Shila was cut by the badgers sharp claws. The pain intensly hurt, but Shila managed to her paws to dodge the feirce bit of the second badger. Shila shook off the pain but the blood was starting to pound. The badgers circled her and Shila felt fear and more fear because she couldn't think of a way out of this one.

[♫Flisk♫]

Raffa, though bleeding and scared, looked back through his pain. Shila was there, surrounded by badgers. He let out a weak angry snarl and pawed at the ground with rage. He couldn't leave her there...what was she thinking anyway? Raffa couldn't fight any longer, but he could sure get her out of there.

He limped slowly towards the badgers, then broke into a run. In midstride the scent struck such fear through him that he vomited. His head spun but he stumbled on. As he saw he was near Shila, he wedged between two badgers, grabbed her by the scruff, and launched them out of the area. He sprinted with all his might, Shila's scuff in his mouth. Finally, when he could run no more, he stopped. In the distance he heard something like a growl and a badger broke through the underbrush.

Raffa bared his fangs and dove onto the creature, biting it's neck and sinking the fangs in so far that they went out the other side. The badger died instantly. As soon as the other two came and saw the corpse of their friend, they ran with growls and snarls. They never did come back.

Raffa fell then...and he didn't get up at first. He was hurt so badly, Shila with him. Soon, he looked up at Shila.

"What were you thinking? You could have...d-died."

[shila]

Shila was in pain from her wound the badger gave to her. The wound was deep and still bleeding. She almost didn't realize Rafa said something to her. She paused a minute before answering.

"I.....I didn't want you to die.....I lost a lot in my life already. Losing a new friend just isn't fair.......I was going to listen to your orders but.....The badgers could have killed you if I left.....You were injured and I wasn't and I thought.....I thought if I distracted them it would buy you enough time to get out of here.....I guess.....I was wrong...I guess ended up endangering both of us....."

Shila felt very guilty for not listening to Raffa but a part of her didn't feel guilty but proud. Proud that she did somewhat save Raffa by giving him just enough time to regain his strength to help save her. Enough strength to kill a badger with one bite to the neck. Shila felt proud about that, but her pride was disguised by guilt and sorrow for remembering her past.

[♫Flisk♫]

Raffa's gaze softened from cruel to pity. He was being a little too harsh on the ball of fur. Closing his eyes, he felt where all his vital pain was coming from. After pinpointing that, he licked blood off until there was none left, for he recovered fairly quickly from a fight. He looked at Shila and smiled a little, then limped over to her. He licked some blood off of her, but it wasn't as much since she was smaller and she didn't do as much physical fighting as he himself had.

The mettallic taste of the tangy yet salty blood stayed in his mouth and he strode over to a puddle and plunged his tongue into it. He didn't mean to drink, only to get the taste out. But now they still were injured. How was he going to get away with this? He wanted to desperately blame it on the pup but decided not to. He turned to her.

"Any ideas to get out of this by not getting in trouble?"

[shila]

Shila smiled to Raffa for she was already thinking of a plan. Although her little plan may cost her becomming a Neophyte the time she wanted to be one. After what had happened today the risk would surely be worth it.

"Funny you would mention that....I have been thinking of one this whole time, but badgers weren't currently in it but now I guess they can be."

Shila smiled and shook her fur ansd scratched her ear while gazing at the sky. The wind of the forest smelt wonderful despite the fact blood was lying before her nose. Shila shook her head and realized she had to spill out her idea.

"Well its going to cost me my chances to become a Neophyte on time but it will give you the chance to become a warrior.......Lets say I got curious and left camp and you followed me because you were going to stop me from getting in trouble. Badgers took me by suprise and you fought them off single pawed?"

Shila thought that story sounded decent enough and they could prove badgers attacked with the injuries they bothed possessed.

"I tried to think of a story that would help me too but there really isn't one that comes to mind and besides you have earned to be a warrior after what you did today."

[♫Flisk♫]

Raffa listened, but guilt began to creep in. If your ever going to leave this pack and be on your own, you can't let this happen to you...ya big creepy softie. Raffa scolded himself inside his head but the prickle of guilt down his spine got the best of him and he shook his head. His mind raced frantically and he came up with a solution. But first he had to run it through with Shila.

"First off, I didn't fight them all, just one. The other two were like the pawns of the first. Once you kill the leader, everyone is confused. How about you were chasing a leaf and it blew out of camp and you didn't know it so you were running after it and I followed to get you."

That way we both get off. Smiling brightly, Raffa waited, wondering when he was going to get out of this trash heap of a pack.

[shila]

Shila looked at her wound and Raffa's injuries. How could they possibly tell that story without Fireflight being suspicious? Shila shuffled her paws through the leaves wondering how they can get out of trouble.

"No good. These injuries can't be covered up with a leaf. Raffa lets just use my story with some of your modifications. My life won't end if you use it."

Shila was actually fine with being a pup a little longer since she had Raffa as a friend and they could have adventures like this a lot. Though by looking into Raffa's eyes Shila could only feel suspicious about this wolf as if he was hiding something. Shila shook it away and let it pass she figured it wasn't anything too serious.

[♫Flisk♫]

Raffa knew that inside, someday he would leave. He wouldn't come back either. He knew that with all his heart. He didn't want to be a warrior. The black neophyte snuffled stubbornly and turned to Shila, mind racing. Intensity sat deep inside his eyes and he licked his nose absentmindly. Digging his claws into the dirt, he stood up straight and mixed the two plans together.

"No...I won't let you not become a neophyte. You want to become a warrior too...and I won't deprive you of that. You were chasing a leaf, I followed you, then when I caught up to you you asked what the smell was. A badger attacked and the rest is history."

He woofed triumphantly. Determination burned inside him and he cracked his back and waited for Shila to speak. Before she could, he growled.

"And that's how its going to be."

[shila]

Shila didn't feel like arguing with Raffa so giving in wasn't much of a challenge. She didn't like lieing, but it was time to ty something new now that she had Raffa as a friend.

"Very well then, Raffa. I am not going to be the one to question your judgement. I am only glad we are both still alive."

Shila really was happy that they were alive. Then she wondered if Fireflight would really believe Raffa after his past of schemes and pranks. Doubt, was soon everywhere in her mind.

"There may be a few problems Raffa, even if we made a pretty believeable story. Fireflight isn't a fool, and I am sure she heard one heck of a story from the wolf you scared away from his post."

Now they were both back in the hot seat again. Shila groaned. There wasn't going to be anyway out of this mess. Why does misfortune always follow me! Shila yelled inside her head.

[♫Flisk♫]

Raffa grinned now, happy with his plans. He didn't care what the stupid moron at camp had said, he could deal with it. His reputation was hard but lying was as easy as breathing to Raffa. Licking his lips, he shook his head and pushed Shila forward a little. They started to walk to camp.

The forest scents began to fade and the camp ones began to fill his nostrils. He growled bad temperadly and strode to where his leader's den was. Smiling, he coughed a few times and then told Shila.

"Alright. I'm going to go into the den. Come with me. If my lie works, we'll be heros."

He strode into the den.

((I'm going to make a post in the leader's den.))

[shila]

Shila smiled a little and paused a moment to gain control over her anxiety. She then nodded and followed Raffa. WHo knows what Fireflight will say and she can only hope that they can do it though all on her mind was just doubts.

((Okay.))