Chapter 1

Lightning padded onward. Ignoring the searing gaze of his master, he went forward to the guardhouse at a steady trot.

From about half a mile away he heard gunshots. What's going on? He thought. Lightning moved faster until he was running across the spacious lawn.

As he drew close the annoying buzz of AK-47's howled in his ear. Oh no they don't! Lightning thought, snarling with bristling fur.

In a flurry of fur and paws he darted into the middle of the chaos and attacked the closest man.

The stranger's wore ski mask's and black leather jackets, paired with black jeans. Some of them had silver chains hanging from their pocket.

The man let out a startled yell and fell to the ground where Lightning finished him of with a neat blow to the neck, the kind you would find on a fresh killed piece of prey.

Lightning looked up for his next target. The enemies were satisfyingly startled. He leapt at what seemed like the leader, partially because he had an M-16 instead of an AK-47.

Before his claws touched the smooth leather one man intercepted by hitting him in the back with the end of the deadly gun. Lightning fell down with a thud but was back on his paws within a second. Takes more than that to kill a wolf! Lightning thought as he leapt again, this time managing a firm hold in the leather. When his razor sharp fangs pierced the skin the man let out a scream and fired wildly, he killed men from the guardhouse as well as the men from his posse.

When he finally dislodged Lightning he bellowed, "Bag him before he attacks anyone else!"

In a flash and al too soon, Lightning's vision went black from a bag that now enveloped him. He desperately tried to escape but the cloth was to strong and thick for his thrashing, teeth, and claws to break.

Within minutes he passed out from the exhaustion of thrashing and the throbbing of the blow to his back, all was black.

When Lightning woke he was in a cage, somewhat like a jail cell… Brown cold hearted eyes were peering through the dark at him.

Lightning growled.

"Hey! Take it easy! I don't want to be here any more than you do but I am and so is everyone else so don't complain!" a voice came.

When lightning stepped forward to see what was speaking so clearly to him he was amazed to find another wolf! In the cage! There is another wolf, in the cage that is looking at him as if he were Adolf Hitler and he just murdered his family.

"Ok I buy it. But that wasn't exactly what I was hoping as a 'welcome treat'. I expected more humans! Oh, and what do you mean by 'everyone else'?" Lightning asked.

The wolf stared at Lightning for a moment longer. "Can't you scent them?"

"No! My senses are still hazy from when I blacked out!" Lightning snapped.

"Well look around you!" The wolf barked.

Lightning looked around him. He was right! Wolves surrounded him!

He heard now a faint howl coming from the small window in the roof. He looked hopefully at the twinkling bean of moonlight glittering through. He felt a deep sadness well inside him. Has master even noticed my disappearance? Does he even care? Does anyone care?

He stepped forth, moonlight bathing his pelt and turning it to silver. " I have to escape!" he declared.

"Whatever." The other wolf muttered. Lightning could now see a long scar down his side. His pelt was a brilliant brown with a faded tan color towards his rear. "Tried that already." He concluded with a lick to his scar.

"I'll help." An unfamiliar voice echoed from behind. Lightning stalked forward and gave a cautious sniff. He squinted his eyes to make out the faint outline of another wolf.

The stranger walked forward into the moonlight. "I'm Moon." They said.

Lightning was astonished to see that this wolf was a she-wolf. A black she-wolf with strange white eyes with a black outline.

Several wolves gasped when they saw her. "Most people here have never seen her, she doesn't show much." Whispered the other wolf. "Oh yeah, I'm Flash." He introduced.

Lightning gave a little nod and stepped forth. "Thank you Moon. Is there anyone else who will join me?" Lightning asked.

A silver she-wolf stepped towards him. "I will. I'm Silver."

The she-wolf was joined by another brown she-wolf with a grayish brown mask and stripe down spine. She also had a white triangle on her bottom jaw that looked a little like a fang. "I'm Fang. I'll come too. I know these streets like the back of my paw!" she barked.

Lightning nodded his approval. "Everyone else who's coming with me howl!" he commanded.

A chorus of different howls broke out. Nearly every wolf in the cell howled. All but one. The only one who didn't howl was Flash.

"Why aren't you coming?" Lightning asked.

"I don't want to get hurt again but I guess I will. For your sake I guess." Flash answered.

"Great. Now how do we get outta here?" murmured Lightning while studying the cage bars.

"I don't know! These bars are a lighter metal than the ones you're put in if you misbehave but still hard…" Flash exclaimed.

"A light metal? Than I can handle this." Lightning announced bending down, flexing his jaws and shoulder muscles.

The other wolves looked at him with strange looks and murmured anxiously to one another.

As Lightning placed his jaws firmly around the metal bar, Silver barked, "Are you crazy?"

Lightning ignored her and gently tugged the bar. It swayed a faint bit. Lightning let out a small chuckle and tugged with all his might on the bar. It broke easily away from the cage wall.

Gasps of awe and fear erupted from the crowd.

"How did you do that?" Silver asked, jaws gaped.

"I'm trained for this kind of thing. I was a guard dog at the Black estate. They had top security and I needed to have a nasty bit to protect master John so that's how." Lightning explained.

"The Black e-estate… No one ever dares try to rob that place, I heard there was a wolf there but I had no idea it was you…." Fang gasped.

"That's me." Lightning declared. He pulled two more bars off then lifted his head. "Ok. There's enough room for us to slip out, but only one of us at a time."

The wolves nodded and began filing out. Lightning was the last one out but soon took his place at the front of the crowd.

"Ok, when I sweep my tail that's the sign to hide. When I raise it up and down that means follow. And you should be able to figure out the rest." Lightning planned with Silver, Fang, and Flash.

The three wolves nodded and took their places among the wolves.

Lightning padded slowly ahead. He broke the bar holding the door shut and opened it with a planned sweep of the paw. He sniffed the outside air… nothing.

He raised his tail up and down. The other wolves followed.

He padded slowly down the crummy hall and pushed the wooden door open at the end.

Three men were talking and had the guns that were used in the attack against the black estate. He swept his tail frantically as one of the men shouted and picked up ammo from a nearby box. He wolves ran around and cleared the hallway in a few seconds.

He ran to the middle of the hall and stood growling and the man who now appeared with an AK-47. The ma shot. Lightning ran forth, dodging the bullets and bit the mans arm, hard!

The man shouted in agony as Lightning tore muscle as he pulled away. He could hear the other wolves gasp and murmur in fear when they saw him in battle.

The other two men came out, both having the same gun as the first. They shot wildly, thankfully missing the other wolves.

Again Lightning dodged the bullets as he charged forth. Hit slashed the second man's leg with his claws and bit the other mans throat, killing him slowly as he tore the veins inside.

The wolves crouched down and whimpered as they watched.

Lightning spun around growling and snarling viciously. He bit the first mans shoulder and yelped as a sharp pain rippled through his hind leg.

He fell to the floor as blood oozed from the new bullet hole in his leg. He got up, staggering a little and charged at the man who shot him.

Fury burning through him, he bit the man's throat and ended him the same way as the other.

"Everyone come out, he'll be intimidated by our numbers and give up." Lightning barked, still snarling.

Hesitantly, the wolves obeyed. As Lightning had said the man screamed and ran out of the doors.

Lightning stopped growling and motioned for them to follow him. He limped quickly through the doors the men had come through and out another set of doors. They were out!