MMA Bears Five - Part 5

The day had come. The air was tense with anticipation. For Jackson, it would be a long awaited return to his home town of Swiftclaw. To the place he had abandoned many years ago. For Gage, Bran, and Marlow, it was about freeing their people from LoHawk's purist ideology and protecting the legacy of the old Elder. For White Tusk, it was about defeating the Renegades sworn enemy - The Cabal.

But they were not the only ones with a special plan for that day. Erin believed it would signal the end of her mission. The end of snooping around and spying on Swiftclaw and the others. The Cabal would now destroy all its enemies in one foul swoop. In her heart of hearts she hoped Marlow would be spared, but this seemed unlikely.

In the weeks running up to that day, Erin had been included in meetings again, as had all of the Renegades That was when she learned of the Armistice Stone. Jackson revealed that an ancient Blackblood relic, the Armistice stone, had been created to make any shifter immune to the Beaststone's effects. Many had searched for it, but it had never been found. Jackson told the group that his father, the old Elder, had hidden the relic in Swiftclaw town, where no one would ever find it. Now, Jackson, White tusk, and Gage would lead the Renegades to the town, recapture the Armistice Stone, and then use it to make as many shifters immune to the Beaststone's effects as possible. Then, the shifter community could dispose of the Cabal once and for all without fearing the use of their greatest weapon.

Erin was shocked. As soon as she could, she used her hidden satellite radio to alert the Cabal. They had to destroy this stone or everything they had worked towards would be undone. Charles Whitmore panicked at first, but then Erin calmed him by telling him that Jackson had let slip the Armistice Stone's greatest weakness. That it could actually be destroyed by the Beaststone when touched by it.

This then, was Whitmore's plan: "Let them go to Swiftclaw. There, we will use the Beaststone to subjugate them before they find this new relic. We will force Jackson to tell us where it is!"

And so the die had been cast. Both the Cabal and the Renegades moved on Swiftclaw town. Only one group would remain by sundown.

It was Bran who moved first. "Move, now!" His team of elite shifters, made up of bears, wolves, and tigers, had the arduous task of climbing up Swiftclaw mountain, then down the other side towards the town itself. The main passage was still blocked that way, but Bran had played in those mountains as a child. He knew of another path, one more treacherous, but nonetheless after two day's climbing, they reached the rear of the town at sunrise.

LoHawk had only a few guards placed at the rear of the town as he didn't expect an attack from that direction. Bran told his shifter squad to wait. He moved between two old factories silently. Then, showed why he was the current champion of the Tournament. Spinning up into the air, he landed on one of LoHawk's bears. In beast form, he picked the guard up and knocked him out against a tree. Then, swiftly, he broke the leg of another, and chased down a third before he could raise the alarm. Gagged and bound, the guards were now eliminated.

Bran now moved towards the Elder's old home. That place where now LoHawk lived.

Meanwhile, high above the clouds, the eagles flew out of sight. On their backs were Marlow, Jackson, Gage, and a few fighters as planned. But Erin, Elizabeth and Sharon were also there, having refused being left behind at the plateau. "I'm coming with you no matter what," Sharon had said to Jackson, and he was left in no doubt about challenging it. Lacey wanted to come as well, but they agreed that she should look after Sho and Tom should the worst happen.

As Bran and his team made their way to LoHawk's home, Jackson waited for their plan to come to fruition. Far below, another group from the Renegades came along the river. It was the rhinos shifters, led by their ferocious leader, Havoc. They were strong enough to cross underneath the bridge where once they had fought Swiftclaw as enemies. But now they were allies. The water was low, making it easier this time around, and as they moved under the bridge, the sun peaked over the mountains giving them away.

"Rhinos!" one of LoHawk's bear guards screamed from the bridge above.

"Charge!" Havoc yelled, and quickly a hundred rhino shifters made their way to the river bank, and up towards LoHawk's guards.

LoHawk was not the tactician Marlow or the Old Elder was, and so he had not organized his troops effectively. Unbeknownst to LoHawk, Charles Whitmore and the Cabal had decided that Swiftclaw had been more trouble than it was worth, and so they did not inform LoHawk of the coming attack from the Renegades The Cabal was planning to wipe out every living thing there that day.

And so, LoHawk's unprepared guards soon wilted under the charging hoards of the rhinos, who broke into Main street. The rhino mass took the bridge, and waited. It had been easy this time, for LoHawk had imprisoned, drove out, or intimidated the good shifters of Swiftclaw, to the extent that they would not aid him.

Havoc shouted now to the empty streets of Swiftclaw. "We come with Gage, Bran, and Marlow. We come with them, and the Elder's son, Jackson, to free all of Swiftclaw. Join us! And reclaim your town!"

At first, people just looked through their windows, afraid. They'd been through hell in the last few months. LoHawk's tyranny had left them rightfully suspicious, and they were not about to join up with the rhinos who had only a year previous attacked them as enemies.

They would need more than that to persuade them.

While all of this had been happening, Bran had been busy. He led his shifters to LoHawk's home. It was heavily guarded - LoHawk was so paranoid that he kept most of his loyal guard close to him. Bran's Renegade squad used stealth at first. Wolves took out several bear guards using sleeping darts. Then, the tiger shifters mounted a full charge at LoHawk's house.

The guards shifted into their bear forms, and many fell in the battle there, on both sides. Bran, used this distraction, to climb up onto the roof of the house. Inside, LoHawk cowered, by his bedside. He looked out the window, and saw the grinning face of Bran through the glass.

"Hey, LoHawk. The real Elder says hi. You coming out to play?" Bran said, mocking LoHawk.

LoHawk may have been frightened, but he hated Bran and his pureblood friends. It was enough to make his blood boil. He transformed into his bear form, black haired, eyes piercing, and leaped through the glass at Bran. They grappled on the stagger roof.

"I'll kill you, you little wretch! If you love them so much, you can die with them!"

LoHawk was more powerful than Bran, no doubt. But Bran was trained, he was focussed, he was ready. LoHawk cumbersomely swiped his claws through the air, and Bran evaded, deftly. Bran then turned into his bear form, and saw his opening. He threw an uppercut at LoHawk, connecting with his chin.

LoHawk staggered back, blood pouring from his mouth.

"You betrayed your people, LoHawk. Now it's time to pay for what you've done!" Bran said loudly. He leaped up into the air, spun around, and delivered a devastating kick to LoHawk's chest.

LoHawk screamed in agony and fell backwards off the roof, smashing into the ground below with an almighty thud. Bran looked down and saw the tigers still fighting LoHawk's guards, bodies littered the street.

No more, said Bran to himself. He jumped off the roof and landed next to LoHawk's still breathing body. He places his claws at LoHawk's throat and then screamed.

"Swiftclaw guards. You have fought bravely! Some of you out of fear of this pitiful traitor." Bran nodded down at LoHawk, who now looked up at him, his eyes showing nothing but defeat. "But now, it is time to leave this path and to come to a more righteous one. If you join me, I will make sure each of you is treated well. We face a much greater enemy today. The Cabal is coming to wipe all of us out! Come! Join your brothers and sisters. Join all shifters! If not… Then I will tear LoHawk's throat out here in front of you…"

Havoc stood with his rhino guard, waiting on the main street. He waited for the citizens of Swiftclaw to come out of their homes and help defend their town. But they did not, for fear is a powerful toxin. Now… It was as they feared. A sound filled the air… The sound of helicopters, at least 50 of them! No doubt carrying with them the Cabal's attackers. The came to the town to wipe them all out, and now the rhinos were all that stood in their way.

As the helicopters hovered above them, they opened fire with machine guns. But the bullets simply bounced off of the rhino armor Then, grenades, and more gun fire. The rhinos scattered to the sides of the street, but many were killed. Through the dust and smoke, a horde of reptilian shifters now emerged from the forest line. They walked across the bridge, the horrid sight of a man standing in front of them. A man known to all. Charles Whitmore.

He held something in his hand, a glowing red stone. It pulsed with an ancient energy, and as he walked passed several of LoHawk's defeated guards sitting on the ground, he pointed the stone at them. Light pulsed from it, and a beam emanated outward. It struck LoHawk's guards, who now stood up involuntarily. Their bear eyes glowed red. All their humanity was gone. Now, nothing but muscle for the Cabal. This would be the fate of all shifters there that day.

Then, a noise. From the rear of the main street. A charge. Yelling, screaming, towering above everything. Bran, aided by what was left of LoHawk's guards, and the Renegade squad of wolves and tigers, they charged towards where Charles Whitmore stood. He just smiled, ominously.

"Fight with us, Swiftclaw. Fight for your lives. Fight for your love! Fight for all shifter kind!" Bran screamed.

And it worked. Pouring from the streets and houses around, a stream of every Swiftclaw citizen young and old came to Bran's side. They knew him. They trusted him. If he said fight, they would… To the death!

They charged bravely towards Whitmore. Who now held up the Beaststone, ready to turn each of them into a Cabal slave.

Jackson, watching from above, now let out a roar and shouted "Dive now!" The eagles soared through the sky and plummeted to the earth. Just as they seemed ready to hit the ground, they stopped and hovered above, before landing safely on the main street. Right in front of Whitmore.

"You!" Whitmore shouted.

The reptiles ran to surround Whitmore, but as they did, something smashed into them, breaking their ranks immediately. It was White Tusk and his boar clan, along with every shifter the Renegades had. They tore and slashed at the reptiles, White Tusk thundering through them like a landslide.

Distracted for a moment, Whitmore turned. But he only saw it for the briefest of moments. Jackson had transformed into the largest bear anyone had ever seen. His eyes shimmered golden, and his roar shook the earth. He leaped from the back of the eagle, and swiped at the stone in Whitmore's hand.

Whitmore cried out, as the BeastStone, hand and wrist, severed, and flew through the air. The stone landed on the ground, and a sea of reptiles jumped on top of it. Now, it was Gage's turn. He charged along the ground fought reptile after reptile; claws, teeth and all. He truly was the clan's greatest fighter, for with untold skill, he took down at least ten of them at once, but it wasn't enough. He scrambled on the ground, and as a group of reptiles bit into his shoulders, he reached for the stone.

"No, Gage! It'll kill you!" Marlow shouted. He jumped and made it to the stone first, grabbing hold of it. Marlow felt the energy pulse through his body. Then, his mind, his humanity, slowly slipping away from him.

It was then that a hand reached out and took the stone from him. It was Erin. She looked down at it. She could have let it destroy Marlow. But her love would not allow it.

Jackson yelled. "Someone get the stone, Erin is a traitor!". He swiped at a group of reptiles, knocking them into the river.

"Give it to me, Erin!" Whitmore screamed, blood pouring from his severed wrist.

She ran over to her uncle, held the stone out and… Felt a punch straight across her face. Elizabeth, Bran's mate, had struck the first blow. The stone dropped to the ground, and just as Whitmore was about to grab it with his one remaining hand. Sharon picked it up and threw it towards Jackson.

With an almighty roar, Jackson's eyes gleamed golden, the light blinding all around as his snarling jaws and teeth crushed the Beaststone into powder. A shock wave exploded from it, sending all, shifters and purebloods alike to the ground.

The main street was now silent, and the only sound was Jackson standing tall, helping Sharon and Elizabeth to their feet. Erin held her uncle Whitmore in her arms.

The battle had ended, and with the destruction of the Beaststone, the reptilian army gained back their humanity, as did all shifters affected by that ancient relic.

Pale white, Whitmore gritted his teeth. "There's no such thing as the Armistice stone, is there?"

"No, I'm afraid that was a tactical maneuver by Marlow here," said Jackson.

"You knew…" said Erin softly.

"Yes. You broke my heart… But not my spirit." Marlow replied.

"And what now, you'll just kill us?" asked Erin, trembling.

Jackson looked around at the devastation So many dead. So many lost. "No… We will tend to your uncle's wounds. Both of you will remain imprisoned here until we have vanquished the Cabal completely. Then, we will allow you to return to pureblood world. For we are Swiftclaw, and that is our way!"

Jackson let out a roar, and almost instantly a cheer went up. For Renegades, for freedom, and, most of all, for the new Elder of Swiftclaw!

Epilogue

That night, as the town and all shifters celebrated, Sharon and Jackson retired to their new home - the Elder's house. There, they lay together, just as Elizabeth and Bran lay together above her old office on the main street. Just as Gage and Lacey did at their old home. And Marlow… In time he would find another, one fitting of his bravery and heart.

"Do you think the Cabal will fall?" asked Sharon from her bed.

"Yes, they have no power now. The shifter clans are too many, too strong to be challenged. But we have to make sure that we live together in peace, and if we can, then for Tom, little Sho, and all children of Swiftclaw, there will be a better world." Jackson curled up close to her.

"You mean it. You want me and Tom to be part of your clan?" Sharon asked, hopefully.

"You are my world, Sharon. Without you both, the world would be empty."

"I love you, Jackson."

"I love you, Sharon."

They kissed, as the noise of revelers dancing in the street and being merry, filled the air outside. Jackson, sore and bruised from the battle, lay there as Sharon pulled off her clothes showing her body in the firelight. He touched her skin, soft and strong. As they kissed, she sat on top of him, and took him inside of her. They moved, lovingly, passionately together.

Gage sat up, and Sharon ran her hands over his chiseled body. They kissed again, and Gage licked and kissed her breasts, fondling them gently. As the world celebrated outside, they peaked together, and again became one. A one which would never be separated.

Afterwards, as they lay there, the firelight slowly diminishing, Jackson thought about Swiftclaw, thought about the loss of his father. He hoped he would have been proud of him. For standing up for their family, for their clan. For doing what was right, even when it seemed impossible.

Most of all, he hoped that he could be every bit the Elder that his father was. As he drifted off to sleep, he realized that all of it. The entire ordeal was conquered by love, but coming together. If that wasn't a great legacy for his father, he didn't know what was.

Swiftclaw awoke in the morning to a hopeful sun, and a brave new world filled with possibility.