Chapter Twenty Seven: Degraded And Disturbed

                                    

                                          
A.N.: 
                          
I know I'm updating this story like crazy, I'm having a lot of fun writing it! I hope you're having as much fun reading it <3 we're over halfway, almost three quarters, into this story-there's forty chapters plus an epilogue. And then after that there's a sequel called The Light 
                          
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"How much further is this going to be?" Halone asked Nikolai as they dashed through the forest floor. They had been running for miles now, both were panting but it was especially taking a toll on Halone's slowly healing body-what kept her going was knowing there was demons behind her and her children in front of her. She couldn't stop. 
                          
"Less than a mile now," Nikolai answered. 
                          
"Seeing those demons burn alive those other rebels, what a nasty way to go. It's sickening, but it makes me wonder if we are any better. You know what they say, all's fair in love and war. The sooner it's over the better if you ask me," Nikolai said, "there will no winners, only scarred survivors. Violence begets violence. All this battle has done is bring out the inner sadist in us all."
                          
"It's all for the greater good. A means to an end. Whatever lets us win this war will get us justice, and that's what makes it all worth it. We deserve to win, we're the ones on the right side of history," Halone said, Nikolai huffed in disappointment and Halone chuckled lightly at him. 
                          
"What?" she asked. 
                          
"Halone," he began, "what would you say if I asked you to run awa-" abruptly he was cut off. 
                          
"Stop!" a voice boomed out, "we have arrows pointed at you so don't move a muscle or we'll fire-identify yourselves!".
                          
"I'm Nikolai, Leiden's right hand man, and this is Leiden-one of his elite warriors."
                          
There was a pause. 
                          
"Sorry for any alarm, can't be too careful these days, come with me sir and ma'am," a silver and brown wolf emerged from a large thicket, "are you coming from the northeast camp?" they asked as they led Nikolai and Halone in the camp, blood oozed out of their cracked paws and left a crimson trail behind them.
                          
"Yes. Demons got it. Burned it down. No idea how many got out, if any."
                          
"Shit."
                          
"Shit indeed."
                          
"Where are the children kept in this camp? I need to see my children," Halone asked urgently, looking hopefully to the wolf. 
                          
"The camp Mother is keeping them on the east side, you'll find them there," the wolf answered.
                          
Halone nodded, "well Nikolai I have to love you and leave you, catch you later," she said, breaking off from their small group and heading in the direction of the children-sniffing at the air to catch a whiff of their scents she had sorely missed in the just over two months she had spent resting and recovering. 
                          
"Shadow?! Sky?!" she called out, excitement and anticipation building in her chase as she couldn't run fast enough, racing after their scents. 
                          
"Mummy!" Shadow cried out, diving in and out of the bustle of the busy camp as he ran to his mother, she caught him in her arms and hugged him close to her beating heart.