Lost in his own thoughts, Halcyon didn’t see the princess until she was upon him. Aster’s steps are elegant even in her youth and her tail held high. The boy lifted his gaze to her and bowed his head, keeping his own tail lower to show her the respect she deserved. Her scent is strong and full of adrenaline, her eyes are dilated and eager and he knows at once something has happened. “Hello, Princess-“ he started, but doesn’t finish as Aster begins to yell about her theft of the gator nest. She smacks his face to show him what the fearsome creature did and he feels his heart start beating faster as his ears drop. She did WHAT?! All thoughts of the failed hunt had gone. Memories of the day Malum had tried to teach Halcyon how to hunt the water dragons came flooding back. He knew firsthand the power of those beasts and the thought of Aster facing off against one of them made his blood run cold.

Another smack to the face made him come back to the here and now and a slow growl echoed in his chest. “Aster, what were you thinking?” All formalities had gone out the window in his sudden anger. The older boy wasn’t angry with her, not really, but he was worried. After all, it was his job as Elite Guard to protect the royal family. How could he do that if the princess was stealing gator eggs? “A great empress doesn’t put her life at risk to steal eggs. What would your mother think if she-“ Once again, his voice had been cut off, but it wasn’t because of the wolf pup. Blood froze in his veins and his eyes widen in fear as he looked behind the princess. The wolfess was still being hunted.

There, slithering close behind the pair, was a huge alligator. The hiss that rose from her mouth told everything. She was not happy. Without thinking, the russet boy grabbed Aster by the scruff and shoved her behind him. “Run! he screamed as he stood before the monster. Lips rose in a vicious snarl and hackles raised in an attempt to seem much bigger than he actually was. This did nothing to dissuade the protective mother. She had come for her child and a wolf was not going to stop her. The egg was still lying where Aster had left it. Slowly, he backed up until he was standing in front of it. The monster hissed and moved forwards slowly, sizing up her foe and judging him. Without taking his eyes off of her, he picked up the egg in his mouth and barked through the hard material to get her attention. His only thought was getting her away from the princess and if this is what she had come for, than this is what he would use to distract her. He know only too well he could not fight her. He would have to use his wits.

At the moment, he wasn’t sure if Aster had gone but he couldn’t worry about that now. There was no way the gator was going to get her so long as he drew breath but the odds were no in his favor. Thus far he had failed two hunts and his body was still much smaller than most other wolves. But what he lacked in physical strength he made up in speed and cunning. So, with the egg still held firmly in his mouth, he lunged forward on swift paws. The mother alligator saw him and roared, opening her mouth to end the thief’s life, but her teeth snapped on empty air. Halcyon darted out of the way and stood just beside her. She turned on him and he took off again, always avoiding those deadly jaws. She followed him several feet away, easily keeping up with him. Once he thought he was far enough away, he let the egg go and watched it roll away and splash into a small pond. The gator hissed again, running at the wolf who was able to dodge out of the way. But the teeth weren’t the only thing he needed to watch out for. As she glided angrily past him to get her egg, her tail lashed out heavily and smacked the pup on the side with enough force to send him flying.

There was a loud crack that signaled a broken rib and a harsh yelp of pain. But Halcyon didn’t have time to nurse his fresh wound. He watched the mother grab her egg and once again turn eyes on him. With adrenaline still pumping in his veins, he was able to hobble away fast enough to get a good head start on her. He needed to find Aster and get out of here! “Princess!” he called out painfully. It hurt to breath and the panting wasn’t helping. “Aster, where are you?”