Wolf and Deer - Part Three - Decision
How long did they lie,
motionless save for breathing and heartbeat? Neither of them knew,
neither would have cared. Snow had begun to fall again, a cruel
mockery of life and motion, settling upon their bodies, yet lingering
only for a little while. Melting away, it was granted a taste of the
fever that had gripped them both.Torn apart in their very
souls, brought together in a moment of despair. Their hearts were
beating so loud, it was a small miracle that the trees did not shed
their heavy load of frozen snow for miles around. Reaching a
decision, Beta's jaws closed.He did not know what could
have kept him for so long. There was one obvious path to take. He
would run it till the end. Begging forgiveness - to whom or why was
unclear even to him - he felt his lower teeth seeking their sharp
counterparts.Reborn had stopped shivering. It must be the
closeness to the warm dark river, she told herself, that kept her
from freezing and dying of either cold or exhaustion at the spot. Her
fate was sealed. She felt the Fang's muscles tense, and his teeth
closing on her. Soon, it would be over. She took one final nostril
full of his scent, knowing for sure that many a Fleetfooot had died
in despair, whereas she was happier than she had ever been to feel
this Fang's hot breath one last time. Reborn closed her eyes and
smiled.