Another Chance

Instructions

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ Trembling, Aiko nudged Spider's still form with her paw, hoping desperately that he was still alive. She hesitated, then laid her paw on his chest, relieved to feel a heartbeat. "Oh dear Moon Wolf, thank you!" she gasped in relief, and then hesitated. "And you too, Beetle. But Spider--get up! You have to get up! She's coming back!" Aiko paused, wondering where that had come from. She tilted her head, confused. She opened her mouth again, but more words that weren't hers in a voice not her own spilled out. "Hey, Lil' Brother! You gotta get up, don't you know? She's coming back. You're not going to let her kill you again, are ya?" Aiko recoiled, shocked. But she got another shock when Spider's big brown eyes snapped open. He gasped in a deep breath, and then winced. His eyes suddenly darted to Aiko. And with a snarl, he got up and lunged, barking, "Mara!" He pinned her to the ground, stunning her. But when he bared his teeth, she found the courage to speak again. "No, no! It's not Mara! It's Aiko!" she yelped, relieved to hear her own voice. "Wha-? Aiko?" Spider jumped away from her immediately, shocked. He winced, and then stared at her in surprise. "I can't believe it...you're...how are you here? Why?" He paused, and then snarled, "Wait, are you in alliance with Mara?" "So Mara IS bad," Aiko said, relieved that she /could/ trust her intuition. "I knew something was wrong with her. And no, I'm not in alliance with Mara. I--ungh!" "Aiko?" Spider asked, stepping away from her. "Stop wasting time!" Aiko yelped in a voice not hers yet again. "You have to get moving before she comes back, don't you realize?! Aiko is a friend, not an enemy. You KNOW that. So come ON!" "Beetle?" Spider gasped, but Aiko was slumping forward. He darted forward, catching her and holding her up, wincing in pain and closing his eyes, gritting his teeth. "Your sister...appears to like taking my voice temporarily," Aiko said wearily, leaning into his embrace. "She was the one who led me through the cave to you, in fact." "Oh, Beetle," Spider sighed, smiling softly. "I miss her. But...that doesn't matter. Not now. We have to get out, get to Benicia--we have to protect her. Do you know the way?" "Oh, yes," Aiko said, pulling away from him. She nodded. "Come, follow me. We have to protect Benicia from Mara." Spider blinked. "Huh...I didn't realize you'd make the connections so fast. But then again, you always have been intelligent. Sharp instincts. That's good to have. But...." Aiko cringed. "I know. I know how Beetle died--really died. And we have to protect Benicia now. But before that...." She leaned in, whispering what Beetle had told her in his ear, even though they were alone. They both lapsed into silence, then Spider said, "Right...so let's go. After all, we don't have any time to spare. Or else somebody could die." To Be Continued... ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~