Countdown ✓

Whiteclaw (11 days after)

My memories got swiped from my brain when I came back into consciousness.

Literally got swiped.

I couldn't remember a thing about the alternative world that I walked into.

Not even about the clock!

Nothing.

Besides a gunshot sound.

All that was proof was this-

"Auuuugggh!" I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes as Drexel sank his fangs into my calf, pushing up a metal semi-circle-like figure within my own flesh. I heard a sickening pop and the noise of clanking metal when the worst of the pain arrived, along with tons of more blood. My heart was pumping wildly, and breathing was heavy and quick when he stopped.

"You're bleeding out bad," Drexel muttered, moving to his feet. His mouth was stained with my own blood, and he spat it out after he stopped talking, "Crazy thing is, I don't know how." I leaned up and began licking the saltish blood on the blackened wound, but it didn't help other than spread the blood along with my saliva all over the dusty floor. He snatched up a nearby cobweb, flattened it into a square, then squeezed it onto my wound.

"Here." More agony flashed up my calf, and I bit my tongue to stop myself from screaming.

"Gah! Be careful!" I gasped, eyes widened. Amberclaw was up and awake, glancing at Drexel's procedures and tactics, as well as my own wound, and when he stood up, he looked impressed.

"I think before mom died, she showed us how to do these things in case we are wounded like that," Amberclaw clicked.

"Jeez...." I breathed, "Whatever they pointed at me just sank a shot into my leg. If that's what it's called."

"Okay, Whiteclaw," Drexel looked worried and pissed at the same time, "First of all, where the hell did you go? It's been a day! Why are you injured like this, cause I've never seen a hole in a calf injury before? And who's they?" I felt the blood rush into my head, and hesitated before answer, allowing all of that liquid to confiscate downwards.

"To tell you the truth.....I don't know," I spoke deeply. Drexel huffed in humor, but when he saw my serious face, he went still.

"You should know, you were there, were you not?" Amberclaw glanced at Drexel, sharing an uncertain face, before turning back to me to listen to what I had to say. I struggled to find the words to start off the sentence, then sighed.

"I can't remember it..." I groaned, "It wouldn't make sense anyways. It's like bits and pieces..."

"Whiteclaw c'mon," Amberclaw muttered, "We need to know." I stared up at my pack member, eyes glancing at me with conviction, then sighed again.

"This is all I know okay? You guys were eating yesterday. That's when I left. I caught this scent, it was new and fresh, and followed it uphill to this cave. That's when I saw this thing. It was glowing and golden, and had these inscriptions that I couldn't make out. I went into this hole...and that's all. I remember crawling out the hole with this wound..." I turned my calf towards me and licked the blood off again, ignoring the searing pain.

"How do you forget?" Drexel looked suprised, "How could you forget what you did and where you went?"

"I don't know!" I growled, pulling myself back into the wall to hold me upright, "I lost my memory somehow. I don't remember!"

"Well," Drexel sighed, lifting up to his full height, "All we got was a gold glowing...thing...and a hole."

"And this," Amberclaw said, picking up the circular metal object that was once lodged in my calf, "I can't even catch a smell from this thing. None that is familiar to me anyways." Drexel shook his head, then breathed.

"Can you still remember where you went to find this place?" the Utahraptor asked. I shrugged.

"I guess."

"Then can you show us?" He asked again. I nodded.

"I think so."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The entrance was gone. The cave as well. As if it was just some blank useless wall in the mountain. I couldn't push it open either, since it seemed to be buried tightly and securely. I cursed to myself, and limping backwards. Drexel sniffed the air, taking in the scents around him, then sighed.

"The scent's faint," He clicked, "I can't really detect it that well. And if you were telling the truth," He glared at me, "Wouldn't it be open?!"

"Wait, Drexel!" I cried, "I'm telling the truth!"

"Then explain your injury?!" He growled, "Explain how you came to the cave as if you were part of a fresh-kill?"

"I can't! I don't remember!"

"Gah," Drexel turned away in annoyance.

"Drexel please!" I shouted, "Listen to me! You....you told me that fear was everything right?! That own motto wasn't true! Well now I know that!" Drexel paused, but he didn't turn around. I swallowed and continued, ignoring Amberclaw's widened eyes,

"I felt it! For the first time in my life........I felt afraid! And I never told you this because I wanted to be seen as someone powerful and courageous like Blackclaw! And I didn't want to be weak! I was afraid of all those concepts! I was....very.....afraid. Afraid that you wouldn't believe me. Afraid that whatever world I entered through the tunnel was telling the future! Afraid that my memories got swiped from my head for a reason because I saw too much of that future! I don't remember what I saw Drexel....but I regret it. I don't have proof, but I know things now...I do." Drexel still had his back turned to me, shook his head and closed his eyes.

"I understand Whiteclaw. But it's not enough." He began to slowly walk down, leaving me in horror.

"How....you...." I couldn't make out the words. I turned around to the closed up tunnel, angered and threatening. And nobody, not even Amberclaw who still stood stunned, could stop me.

"Open!" I cried, banging my shoulder into the wall, "Why won't you open?!"

"Whiteclaw-" Amberclaw began, but I ignored pushing harder. I felt my scales rip with each slam. I felt my own blood stain the wall, and crashed into it again. But nothing moved.

"Why won't you open!" I shrieked limping, "You lied to me! You freaking locked me out, everyone out!! You're hiding the truth from me and everyone I know!! WHY?!"

"Whiteclaw-"

"Open!" I screeched, OPEN!" Then I roared out with my last explosion of my throat. Amberclaw blinked. I've never roared before. The cave suddenly trembled and cracked like cobwebs, rippling the air with waves of thunder. I heard Drexel rush upwards to the top of the hill, watching in awe as the cave slowly opened like some magical door, expanding and toppling backwards with fury into the darkness. A cool splash of wind hit me, Amberclaw, and Drexel with an ancient hiss before everything settled back to normal. A small wave of dust fluttered up from the collapse in a lightened fog, before vanishing in thin air. Drexel's eyes were wide in disbelief. He glanced at me then coughed, realizing his guilt.

"Ahem, um....yeah....sorry. I believe you now."

Hell!

"It's alright," I calmly spoke shaking my scaled head, "It's fine. I'll live."

"Well," Amberclaw was still shocked, clicking his clawed fingers, "I guess we know how to open it now."