Not a second thought crossed Justin's mind but one. Alissa was hurt. Justin did not hear the cry of his warriors. He did not hear their voices begging for command. No, the male only knew he had to get to her. Thus, he ran. The male ran hard... fast. He did not see the path before him. He did not feel time or space. He saw nothing, heard nothing.
"Please be okay! Please!" He begged to the Gods. "Faster! I have to move faster!" He had warned her on time. He had told he to run and run hard. Had someone gone after her? No, they had already been under attak. Besides, she could handle one attacker... right? Right?! Justin's jaws clenched as his mind raced. The picture of her hurt or worse drove him forward. Pain tore at his muscles, but he only pushed himself harder as if the Hydra itself was on his heels. When his paws hit the dense thicket, he was thrown to the ground. /I did not have time for this! Alissa could be dying./Justin thought as the weight of another animal had him roaring in agony. The black feline tore into his shoulders while back claws ripped into the husky's side. The canine, angered whipped his head around.
"Get off of me!" He howled before snapped powerful fangs into the cat. It yowled out and twisted to shred its back legs into Justin's face. He felt nothing though. His body burned red hot from the fear that coursed through his veins. He threw the black serval, but Justin did not dare wait to see if it was dead. He instead forced himself up, but one step had the delta falling again. Crying in pain, he clenched his jaw. His front leg was broke.
"Damn it!" He roared before pushing himself up. The pain sent shocks through his system making him feel sick. However, the smell of her blood pressed him forward. He had to get to her. He had too. If she was dead... no, he could not even entertain such thoughts. He promised to protect her. He promised!
Panting, he hobbled forward as he curled his ears against his skull. The image of his lover floating in his senses. The thoughts of her alone... bleeding out as she begged for him. The thought of a monster toying with her... torturing her. Yet, it was the thought of her laying there alone covered in her own lifeblood that haunted him the most. However, the sight he came to stumble upon was so much worse than he could ever imagine. The husky's eyes widened as he halted at the sight of his lover. His beautiful Alissa... his angel.. he could no longer recognize her. She laid in a puddle of crimson. Her body, once so fair and flawless, was almost black from her blood. Her beautiful golden hair was shreded and thrown about. Her chest had been ripped open with her rib bones pulled apart. Both her organs and her muscle was in clear display, including her still beating heart.
"Alissa." Justin's voice broke as he moved closer to her. Her skin had become pale and grey. Her clothing was torn to shreds to leave her bare to all. Around her, the grass was dark from her blood which made it look almost dead. It was as if the Gods themselves had struck her down. No, no, this... this could not be... "Alissa... darling...please." A tear escaped Justin's eye as he smiled slightly. "Stop it. This... this isn't funny. Get up... Alissa." He choked out. The husky curled his ears back as he lowered his body. His tail ducked between his legs. Lowering himself to the ground, he whimpered and nudged his nose against her.
Words did not escape him for his throat had closed. Instead, the canine whimpered and pressed against her. She had to get up. She had to be okay. He could forgive her for this joke.. It had to be a joke. Maybe it was not that bad. She... Justin's thoughts were interupted as a sob broke through him. "Alissa, please." He cried out as he pawed at her. When she did not respond, he grabbed her hand and tugged softly, yet she did not move. Getting up again, Justin paced around her and nipped at her face, her chest, her arm. He begun to bark at her and howl as if any of that would wake her from this strange sleep. Yet nothing worked. Thus, slowly the male fell to her side once more as whimpers fell from his lips. The large canine laid his head against her and curled himself up along her side. Blue eyes flickered about. "Help!" He screamed out. "Anyone! Please! Help her!" He cried out in anguish.
"Please... " Justin's voice cracked before turning back to his love. His mouth parted as he started to pant. The anxiety turned his veins cold. This could not be happening. No, this had to be a nightmare, it had to be! Throwing his head back, Justin's song periced the air, but his cries interupted it. Again he tried, however soon he gave up as he buried his face against his other half. Soon, soon someone will find them. Soon someone could save her. He just had to be patient, right?
Movement caught his eyes causing for him to snap his head around. He bared his teeth, but his growl was weak. However, what Justin did not expect was that it would be Nastaisa that stepped out from the shadows. Her sandy brown coat was covered in blood. Her chest and side bleed heavily from deep bite wounds, but from what he did not know. He simply knew her eyes raged as she stared at him, yet she kept her ears folded against her skull.
"Did you do this?" Justin snarled as he raised himself up slowly. His gums and teeth became revealed as he stood tense. His tail and hackles bristled while he leaned forward. The muscles rippled under his fur as if preparing to tear her throat out if she so much as made a move. Yet, his blue eyes promised only death. It promised only pain and suffering the instant his fangs found her throat. He did not even question why she was here. He did not question if she could help, only that she was covered in blood. Only that her people had attacked his family. That she was here and could be a threat to his other half.
"Ju-" Nastasia attempted to speak, but Justin interupted her.
"Did you do this?!" He roared as tears fell from his eyes. Once they begun, they came rushing out. His sobs could not be stopped. His heart had been ripped from his chest. The pain from his leg... his mother's death... the constant pain and abuse from his homeland... nothing compared to the agony that shreded through his system.
"I did-" Justin did not allow her to finish as he kicked off his hinds. The only thing the delta saw was red as his fangs found her throat.
---
Cold. It was so cold. It was the first thing Justin thought as his eyes begun to peek open. Dark red covered his vision as blue eyes flickered about slowly. Everything was blurry, but he did not care. The heaviness dragged him under again.
A few mintues passed before he started coughing. He choked on the blood... Blood? He was bleeding? Whimpering loudly, the canine rolled slowly onto his stomach and spit up blood. Yet, no pain was felt. He was just... cold. He was shivering... no trembling. It was as if he was laying naked in ice. Something did not feel right though. What had happened? He could not remember. He could not remember anything. He just wanted to sleep. He was so tired, thus once more darkness pulled him under.
He did not know how long he slept before he woke again. The husky's eyes flickered about slowly even though they were blind. They had glossed over to create a haze on the landscape. Was he dying? Was he dead? He could no longer tell, however he could feel a nagging in his heart. It was making it hard to breath. There was something he had to do, but why could he not think of it? Why could he not shake this horrible feeling? What had happened again? Why was he here? Parting his maw, he tried to call out. To what, he did not know. Instead, a low high pitched whine escaped his throat. It was foreign to his ears. Was that him? The canine chuckled a bit at that. Of course it was.
Coughing harshly, he glanced slowly along the terrian until his eyes landed on a body. A body? There was so much crimson. It glittered in the moon and stained the poor creature there. The only indication the creature was alive was the slight movement of the chest. "Alissa." Justin's voice cracked as hot tears started to drench his now red face. What happened to her? Why was she bleeding? He had to hurry to her. She needed a healer. He was always telling her to be careful.
Justin did not remember how he got up or how he got through the forest. He did not remember walking through the ash and smoke. He did not remember how he came to stumble across to the fallen healer's camp, but he was there. The fire had devoured the ground, tore through the healer's tent, and left nothing. The husky's ears folded back at the sight of bloody bodies. He could not process what had occured. It was strange. He could... remember the tent lively only a few hours ago. Wait, who were they again? Why could he not remember? Lowering his head weakly, he limped forward until a fog seemed to clear. A scent slithered across his flesh and found itself in the husky's conscious. Mouse. Mouse! Mouse could save her!
"You bastard!" The roar sent an inferno under Justin's paws. Pain was non-exsistent. No, he needed Mouse. He had to save Alissa! In that second, Nastasia's eyes appeared in his conscious. It crashed into him with so strength that the male was almost sick, yet the wash of dizziness did not slow him. The male pressed himself forward until his jaws parted. Blood exploded onto the male's tongue as he ripped a feline right off its paws. Both of them crashed into the underbrush, while the cat's screams lit the air. He wasted no time on the feline though. No, his haze had cleared. Justin had to be quick, which meant there was no time to be playing with the cat.
It was as if a veil had be lifted from the canine's eyes and color returned to the world. The once lively camp was now turned to that of ash. The smoke still rose in the air as small fires played on the bodies of his packmates. Blood painted the ground of both friends and foes. The smell though... the land smelled of acid and rottening meat. This was war. This was death, and he was on the losing side. They had lost. Rage struck Justin as he tightened his teeth on the already dead cat. His blue eyes blazed as rose his head up and slammed the black corpse against the ground before twisting to throw it. The canine watched as the cat splattered against the ground before bouncing once. It rolled a few times until finally it found its resting place. The black serval's eyes stared back at the canine... unmoving and unfocused. Its tongue fell from his jaws where blood begun to drip to be another offering to the poisoned soil. Yes, this was war. Pulling his lips back, Justin intended to snarl his grief. Instead, it came out in a low whimper as he turned away.
Mouse... he had to get to Mouse. Thus, slowly, he limped forward and perked up his head to look towards the white coyote. He could save her. He had to. He had too! It was only then Justin felt the pain. However, this wound was one that could not be healed. This was no a flesh wound... it was not physical. No, the agony was a virus of fear. Burying his face against the coyote, Justin balanced himself as tears soaked the white fur. "Please... please save her. Please Mouse. I can't lose her!" Perhaps, hope had finally come for him. However, it was to late
After Alissa's death, Justin had disappeared along with Alissa's body. It was unknown where he went or if he was even alive. It would be almost a year before he returned. The day he returned, he stepped down from being general, and he refused to take part in leading any units. He remained by his beta's side, however he no longer took orders from his alpha. He had remained popular among the ladies, but to this day he refused them all. Instead, he often enjoyed being alone or in the company of Alec. However, from the day he returned he refused to forgive Mouse. He worked tiredlessly to have him exiled again from the pack and relentlessly attacked the coyote until his beta threatened to exile him. Both had remained bitter enemies ever since. It was unknown who was Alissa's killer or what happened during Nastasia's and Justin's fight. Justin remembered nothing of it, even years later. The only evidence of the killer was the loud whooping laugh that was later recorded by the survivors, along with black hair. It was later identified as non-feline fur. To this day, the investigation has been left open.