All around him he felt the love of Wolf’s crew, the beat of their hearts. Arguments didn’t matter any more. Only Wolf mattered. Their belief was the energy that drove Wolf on.
Wolf ran, her crew ran, she was the pack, and the pack was strong!
She bounded across the land with her huge strides, eating up the kilometres, feeling the wind against her face. Through a patch of long grass, leaping over a river, racing between two small hills and out over the plain. At her head, Rudy pointed, and Coll could make out something glinting in the sun – a metal doorway seeming to rise out of the grass, half covered by a large fallen tree.
Wolf saw it too with a fierce joy that rippled through the crew. But then she saw something else on the far side. Danger. An enemy. An intruder.
It was black, with massive wings that shimmered with metallic iridescence, the sun catching on its feathers. It had a long grey beak and it was dark grey round its neck, with more feathers that seemed to puff up around it. Its wings were beating in powerful swings. It was almost as large as Wolf, and already it was close enough for Coll to make out a deck and perhaps even tiny people on board…
Raven.
“Prepare for battle!” shouted Alpha. “Rudy, ready the net!” Beside her, two Tocks jabbed at their control panels. Wolf edged closer, and the huge bird swooped and turned towards them. Wolf gave a slavering growl and they heard an answering shrieking CAW! from the enemy.
“Hold fast!” shouted Alpha. “WOLF! WOLF!”
Wolf leapt.
Wolf’s hind legs bunched and thrust her up into a huge leap, as high as Raven, catching the enemy Construct by surprise. Her mouth was open wide and she snapped her jaws hard enough to crack Raven’s head.
“WOLF! ” roared her crew.
But Raven was fast. Her wings bent as she reared back, and Wolf missed her by a metre. As she landed, Raven swooped down and stabbed with her beak. Wolf turned and the beak glanced against her shoulder. Wolf snapped at her, but she pulled herself up with awkward wingbeats and away.
Coll scowled. That first leap had been their best chance. From now on Raven could stay out of reach, swooping and stabbing. Wolf would have to endure it and try to counterattack. Coll felt the crew realise the same thing, and their faith dimmed a little.
“WOLF!” he bellowed. Beside him, Fillan squeaked, “Wolf!”
Raven came in low and fast, staying clear of Wolf’s jaws, and stabbed again, twisting at the last moment. Her razor-sharp beak smashed through Wolf’s side panels and carved into the deck with a sickening crunch. Crew members scattered and fled, and equipment shuddered loose.
“No!” shouted Fillan. But Wolf was sly. She didn’t shy away, but leaned in, and then tumbled in a roll. Raven’s beak was tangled in the wreckage of the deck, and she was carried along with Wolf. The deck heaved, turning all the way over, and Coll felt the chair straps dig into his shoulders. Now all Wolf’s weight came down hard on Raven and she gave a startled squawk. For a second, Coll could see Raven’s crew underneath them, staring up in horror as Wolf threatened to break their back.
Raven scrambled away, her claws raking at Wolf, her beak heaving as she tried to untangle herself. She managed, but her wings flapped raggedly.
“WOOOOOOLF!” roared Wolf’s crew, and Coll felt their energy again, their belief.
Wolf turned and leapt again!
And missed. Raven wasn’t as hurt as she’d pretended – it had been a feint, and now she swooped down. Again that horrible beak stabbed once, twice, three times against Wolf. Now she dived at Wolf’s head, aiming for her eyes!
“Net!” shouted Alpha. Her voice cut through the chaos, fierce but not afraid. Men and women jumped from their harnesses and ran to the sides, heaving a huge black net from its container.
“Come on!” roared Coll. He dragged Fillan to the side to join the adults. He looked down at the boy. “Are you tethered?” Fillan nodded. “Good!” shouted Coll. “Help with the net!”
Wolf started to roll again, and Coll’s heart lurched. He grabbed Fillan. But it was a ruse; Raven squawked in panic and pulled away, and Wolf lunged. Her jaws closed round the tip of Raven’s wing, ripping at metal feathers. Raven cawed in pain. Wolf turned away, presenting her flank to the great bird. An easy target… Raven swooped in.
“Now!” shouted Alpha. As one, the crew cast the net out, and roared as Raven became tangled. She shrieked and tried to pull free.
“Hold!” bellowed Alpha. Coll could see Raven’s crew scattering in panic. “Hold!”
Coll hauled at the net with all his might. Here was what he loved, in the thick of the fighting. He was still young, but tall for his age and proud of his strength. His muscles rippled as he pulled, and he realised the adults next to him were following his rhythm. Heave. Heave. He glanced across at Alpha, hoping she could see him at this moment, but she was talking with the Tocks. The Tocks looked worried. Wolf had been hurt by that stabbing beak. Everything depended on holding Raven trapped like this.
“Heave!” he roared, and the adults roared with him. “Heave!”
Raven shrieked and fluttered her wings, desperate to get away.
Coll’s arm ached with an unpleasant twang, but he ignored it and pulled again and again. Raven was tiring, he could tell! “Heave! Heave! Heave—”
Then he felt his left arm wrench.
Something happened inside the arm, and the motors inside it spun wild and then jerked. A silver-blue arc of lightning flickered up the sleeve and into his shoulder and he yelped in pain. Then, with no control of his own, his left hand released the net.
“No!” he roared. He stumbled and tripped against the man beside him, and the man cursed and toppled over, releasing the net. The line faltered and lost their rhythm. On Coll’s other side, Fillan stared down at him. Coll scrambled to his feet and grabbed the net with his right arm.
“Keep pulling!” he shouted, but it was too late. Raven, feeling the tension ease, gave a huge heave backwards and scraped loose. She left behind black feathers, but she was free, and she cawed in ferocious joy. Coll could hear her crew cheering.
She climbed high into the air and attacked again, keeping the sun behind her.
Rudy and the Tocks were shouting something to Alpha. Wolf was weak and injured. Alpha’s face was like stone. She stared at the oncoming Construct for one second, two…
“Heel!” she roared. “Fall back!”
Wolf shook her head and stumbled away. She kept her jaws open and facing Raven, but she moved back a step and another. Raven swooped and stabbed and drove at Wolf, and Coll sagged as he felt Wolf’s power fade.
Raven’s crew were roaring in delight. “RAVEN! RAVEN! CAW, CAW, CAW!”
Wolf gave one final snarl and retreated, and the two metal beasts faced each other a hundred metres apart. Raven was damaged. She settled on the ground, one wing tattered and torn. It was stalemate. Neither of them could turn their back on the other.
