Scratch was then woken up from Shadow's nudging. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Shaken, Scratch began to explain his story.
................................................
"Their forms looked like they were....decaying?" Scratch said to Shadow and his friends. Shadow then looked at him with eyes widened.
"What? What is it?" Thunderbolt asked.
"The longer a cursed one is under Scarlett's control, the deader they become. Soon, they'll be turned to nothing." Shadow explained.
"Why is that? Why do they decay?" Howl wondered.
Shadow took a breath as he said to them. "It's because of The Necromancer. They're not supposed to be alive...SCARLETT'S not supposed to be alive, but one day, The Necromancer, raised her from death. She's in control of the wolves, but anyone who is cursed by her becomes cursed; living half lives..."
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"What about you? How come YOU'RE not like that?" Thunderbolt asked him. "Seems like you don't decay."
Shadow looks at the ground and sighs. "It's a long story..." The boys looked at each other in silence.
"Is....there a way to free them?" Thunderbolt asked him. Both Scratch and Howl tilted their heads.
"I......believe so..." Shadow responded.
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The next few nights, Scratch experienced the same dream. He would wake up sweating and screaming, causing his friends to come to his aid. One night, when the three friends have a discussion about future plans with Shadow, Scratch collapsed. This alerted the wolves, Howl went rushing to him.
He tried to nudge him awake, but nothing happened.
Thunderbolt looks at Scratch with worry, then turns his gaze to Shadow. "We need to get going NOW! He's getting worse!"
"Where would she be?" Howl asked Shadow.
"I believe there's a tower not far from here.
"A tower?"
He nods.
Howl looks at the ground then at him. "We need to hurry, time is running out for Scratch."
"I know."
Thunderbolt laid down next to his friend's unconscious body.