FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The moon shone bright and the wind whispered the promise of a good hunt. The fading beams of the sun fell below the horizon. Belly to the ground, twelve wolves crept through the snow, white and grey pelts blending into the forest. The alpha lead them up a small hill and crawled up to peak over the edge, licking his lips as a strand of saliva drooled from his snout. A herd of deer stood ahead, preparing to drift off into the dream world.

Ears perked, eyes ahead, Kaliq stood by his brother at the back of the pack, drooling at the thought of digging his teeth into the deer's hide.

The alpha took the first step of the assault.

Kaliq shot his gaze to his brother as Hadar leaned forward. He opened his maw to speak but his fur fell slightly as the leather of his necklace tightened.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Hadar shook his head, snorting warm air from his nares. "Get ready. Kendrik is about to signal the start of the hunt." Without another word, he moved into position.

"Hey, you better stay out of my way," another male hissed as he pushed into Kaliq, almost knocking him off his paws.

"Get lost, Cai," he growled, drawing his lips back in a quiet snarl, pushing back.

When Cai didn't respond, Kaliq moved his gaze back up to the alpha. If only his son was like his father and unlike his mother.

Adrenaline washed through Kaliq's veins as Kendrik raised his head to the moon. He drew in a deep breath and howled as he leapt into the air and ran down the hill. The pack followed him, paws squelching in the snow, bodies around him pushing and shoving like a snowstorm. He saw one wolf sink her teeth into the leg of the smallest deer and he rushed forward, eyes on the target. Another wolf pushed past him, his paw slipped across the snow and he came rolling down onto the ground. Kaliq pushed himself up throwing his gaze around the pack. Two deer were down. Dinner was ready. He found his brother among the crowd. His brother was looking away. His gaze brushed over another wolf, and then another. They're all looking... oh gosh. Following their lines of sight, he discovered what they were looking at. Across the plain two wolves ran. One a few bear-lengths before the other, nipping the tail of a deer. Kendrik and Cai! That idiot! We hunt in packs for a reason... hope he dies anyways.

"Kaliq, Kaliq! Come on, we got to help them!" Hadar barked. However, before he could respond, he was running off.

No one else is helping.

In his paw-steps, Kaliq followed, ears laid back. It wasn't that he completely hated Cai's plain existence. He just couldn't help but dislike him with a great passion.

Kaliq dived through ferns and bushes, dodged trees and then between hills by the tallest oak he'd ever seen, the two wolves stood beside each other. Hadar and Kaliq rushed to aid them. The deer reared up swinging its hoofs in the air. A breath, a growl, a drop of sweat-- Kendrik leapt into his son, pushing him to the ground as the creature slammed into him with a shattering crack.

Fur prickled, jaw open and teeth sharp, Kaliq leapt forward, latching his jaw on the foreleg of the creature, sinking his teeth in until they slammed against bone. Spitting out blood he reached out for another bite as his brother came to join him. The canine above him gave the ending bite to the deer's throat and together they watched its body fall lifeless against the ground.

Groaning, Kendrik raised his head, only to fall back against the ground, coughing, blood drooling from his lip. Hadar leaned in closer but shook his head. "That blood isn't from his lips. That's from inside him. We can only wait."

"Wait?" Cai asked, pushing to his paws and standing up. He cursed. "Fix him, fix him now!"

"There's nothing we can do."

"You're the one racing after a deer like an idiot. Our alpha, your father leapt to save you. You could have been him, laying across the floor, dying. You aren't even grateful for our attempts to save you. What's wrong with you? You aren't even crying," Kaliq hissed, fur bristling as he pushed his face up against Cai's, foreheads brushing as a tear of his own drooled down the side of his face.

"Well you shouldn't even be crying. You aren't even pack-born. You and your brother were just puny scraps of flesh laying on your mother's corpse. If only that hadn't changed!" Cai hissed, puffing his chest, paw scratching lines in the ground. "I'm going to go get Nuru. She'll help him!"

When he left, Hadar slowly turned to Kaliq and sighed. "He's in real pain," he whispered as Kendrik echoed out a weak groan. "We can't wait until he gets back."

"Then what do you think we should do, eh? Kill him?"

"Exactly. It would be cruel to make him wait any longer..." leaning over, Hader touched his nose to the fur of the alpha's cheek, breathing in his scent for the last time. Kaliq joined him there. Raising their heads Kaliq watched as Hadar moved his paws to Kendrik's neck. "We're sorry... may you rest in peace."

Looking away, Kaliq let out a soft wince as a mind-splitting crack harried his eardrums. Their alpha had taken his last breath.

Out of trees the pack emerged, their ears laid back and their fur prickled. Behind his mother, Cai slipped into the open, growling.

Hadar's paw rested on Kendrik's neck, paw-pad slowly dragging through his fur as he caressed their fallen-leader. As Cai approached he raised his head until his eyes met Hadar's. He took in a deep breath and in a soft voice spoke; "He was in too much pain. It would be torture to keep him alive any longer. His ribs were crushed; he's been coughing up blood. He--"

"Bull-dung! He would have been fine. You murdered him! Get your filthy paws off him!" Cai growled.

Before he could even register the aggression, Cai thrust himself forward, latching onto the Hadar's paw and biting down hard.

Snarling with pain, Hadar bit his lip as a tear formed in his eyes. With a whine, he whipped his paw back as Kaliq leapt between them.

"What the hell are you doing?" he growled, baring his teeth, lips drawn back. "We were doing him a favour! What's wrong with you?"

Four wolves emerged from behind Cai, two pushed him to the ground while the others pinned his brother. Cai stepped forward, paw at Kaliq's flank as he leaned over, muzzle inches from the male's neck, lip brushing the necklace his mother had worn.

"You wouldn't dare."

Snarling Cai took the male's leather necklace in his mouth and sliced it off with a grin and pulled his head back as Kaliq snapped his muzzle at him. He turned back to the pack and walked away, tail swaying.

Kaliq swallowed and as Cai's mother stepped towards them, his ears slid back and a lump formed in his throat, stopping him from uttering a sound. But being hurt wasn't what he was most worried about. It was two words. Two words that haunted his dreams... two words­ that would kill. He felt the two wolves beside him shuffle, pushing him down a little harder as the female wolf readied, her mouth slowly opening.

"You're exiled," she whispered.

A rush of pain, blurry vision. He could see a wolf pushing past her mother towards him. He saw her eyes for just a moment. Taru...? And then, everything went black.

Gosh... he's been out so long... what do I do?

Pressed next to his brother, forepaw holding him gently, Hadar raised his head, ears laid back, shivering against the cold. He tossed his gaze around, fur on end as he looked around for danger. At least we'll be a little warmer now that it's stopped snowing. He rose to his paws, being wary of the one that had been hurt and raised his nose to the air, sniffing for any small animals among the musky pine scent of the forest. Sometimes it was hard to smell anything. Maybe he'd have a better chance later. Returning to his brother, he leaned over, nudging his cheek softly with his nose. "Kaliq, please wake up..."

With a soft groan, Kaliq's head slowly rose, his eyes blinking a few times against the light. "Ugh... my head... it hurts."

"You were hit quite hard... they kept me awake but I soon went to sleep anyway."

"Why didn't you stop them then? Cai took mum's necklace!" he growled.

"Ten wolves against one? You know that won't end well," he reasoned. "But... I think I may know where they're heading... Zaneta mentioned that she was thirsty and as we both know, the warriors follow her blindly," he said, pushing himself to his paws, his injured paw held off the ground, half way to his chest.

"Would you like me to get some leaves for that?" Kaliq offered, flicking an ear forward.

Hadar watched as he did anyway. Waiting, he laid down again across his belly, wincing softly as he bumped his paw. Once his paw was wrapped up and secured, the two males headed out, paws squishing against the snow.

With every step, Kaliq's headache only seemed to grow, getting worse and worse, a stabbing at the back on his mind like fangs sinking into his skull, the flesh where he was hit throbbing. His walking grew shaky as he ducked under trees and leapt over bushes, his body almost falling into his brothers on multiple occasions.

"Gosh, Kaliq, what are you doing? Watch where you're walking, please."

"Sorry," he muttered, snorting as he looked ahead. There's the river...

His walk morphed into a slow run as they grew closer to the river. Moving into the clearing, he curved around a frosted bush and knelt at the bank of the river, leaning over and lapping up water slowly. He felt Hadar's body lean into him slightly as he took a drink. After awhile, he raised his head and looked to the space next to him where several paw-pints sat in the snow. He groaned softly as the pain increased tenfold. He yowled, whining out and stepping away from the bank. He could hear Hadar speaking to him but every sentence only grew more and more distorted. His mind throbbed harder, his vision faded into a blur, lights danced before his eyes. He fell to the ground, panting heavily... and once again, everything faded... but this time, only for a moment.

The sun shone bright, the wind gently caressed his fur. His headache was gone and his vision perfect. From the sky, he looked down to see two wolves running side by side, rushing through the snow he leaned forward slightly and the wind drew him closer, like a bird. The wolves ran faster, snow fell from the sky. The clouds thundered and everywhere but his little bubble grew subject to the forces of nature. In the distance, he heard a faint noise-- but he couldn't make it out. His wind shifted in front of the wolves and he saw their faces. The first one was his own... and then he looked to the other wolf. But as he met his gaze, the land around them changed, morphing, the ground reforming to the edge of a great cliff surveying the horizon and behind it, a cave. He turned, tossing his head around and then, by the edge of the cliff a wolf laid, fur covered in blood and the snow around him stained with the liquid. Beside him, nurtured from out of the snow, a small flower grew. Heading away from the body, the paw-prints of a single wolf left... He turned back to his face and watched the wolf open his eyes-- but they only lasted a moment before falling shut again, and from his tongue, two words rolled, and he listened as he spoke; "Be careful."

Drawing back from the scene and back into his own mind, the only thing he could remember were those two words... and the flower...

"Kaliq! Please, please wake up. Please don't be dead! I don't know what I'd do without you!"

Finally free from the pain, Kaliq blinked open his eyes lazily and stared blankly up at his brother for a few moments before his mind clicked.

"Ugh... this again? I'm awake, I'm awake... just, give me a moment..."

"How's your head? Does it feel funny? Ugh, I hope it's not broken... I'm worried about you..."

"No, no. It feels fine. It... feels amazing," he whispered, rolling onto his belly and standing up, a new strength flowing within him.

"I'm not sure if I should be more worried or relived," Hadar answered honestly, rising next to him.

Kaliq let out a soft laugh and offered a smile. "How's your paw? Those wraps serving well?"

"Still hurts a lot but the wraps seem to be doing their job."

"Good, good, then you won't mind some more walking," he said, moving to look at the paw-tracks. "I hope you like the hills. The frost-nippers are gonna love your toes!"

"Ugh... don't remind me," the male muttered, shaking his head as he turned to the east where the mountains stood.

Kaliq nodded as he began a slow trot to the mountains. "Let's go get mum's necklace back from that idiot and his crew."

"They aren't idiots, they're just doing the wrong thing," his brother mumbled as they walked into the distance.

###

Two doves flew, swirling under the moon light, wings touching as they glided across the land. Behind them, a soft light blue fire burned like a meteorite, sparkling, embers flashing off and leaving a trail of blue behind them. As they flew, they began to move faster and more jaggedly. From behind, a raven flew close. It flexed its talons, the birds squawked in fear. A orange fire grew from under the raven as it latched itself to the doves back, ripping out the feathers of its neck and raking its talons against its shoulders. The other dove dived, slamming into the raven, knocking it from the dove's back. The two birds harried it together and in the end; the orange light dimmed and like a spark of two struck stones, the raven faded into orange and then the colour evaporated.

The glow from one of the doves began to fade and a blue liquid dripped from the tips of the creature's wings as it flew to the nearest tree and perched on a branch. Beside it, the other dove landed and the two of them leaned into each other. As the time passed, the blue of one bird faded into red as the bird's life faded and as the sun set, it evaporated into nothing.

As the sun rose again a new creature perched on the tree. And another one. And another one, all glowing red. But, as the final creature arrived the dream grew fuzzy, colour fading into black and white before dissolving into a blur... but then, it faded back...

Two lights shone from two animals. One, a dove, flames of blue lapping from the bird's wings. In front of it a dark raven flew, red eyes matching the flames bursting from under the black bird's wings. Colours flashed as the two ran head-to-head, white energy flashing between them as the birds bashed heads. For a moment, each birds head transformed into one of a wolf before morphing back. In the end, the raven laid against the ground, a red liquid dripping from the bird's body before it faded into nothing and the blue light remained.

She jerked awake, the headache she'd been suffering from finally leaving. Panting, she raised her head to the cold winter's night and through the moon light, she saw her mother's face staring down at her. She swallowed nervously as she signalled for her to follow. Rising from the side of her sister, she padded after her mother as she led them to a better place to talk, somewhere where they would not wake the others. Behind, she followed with her ears back slightly as her mother sat by a tree at the edge of the forest.

"You had a dream. I can feel it, the energy radiating off you as your howl connects to the moon. You see the future. In the morning we're going to tell the alpha all about this little dream and you'll be the hero of the pack as once was I."

But as Taru watched Nuru speak and read her body language she knew something was up. Taru could feel the ember of jealously across her fur. Nuru wasn't proud, but disappointed. Nuru knew she could never be the warrior Zaneta was. They both knew how well Zaneta could be with the gift. But this is mine. This power is mine. I can use it to help and heal... Zaneta would use it for war...

Quietly, Taru began to tell her mother the dream and after the sun rose, they headed off to talk to the alpha.

###

Padding through the snow, tail slowly swishing behind him, Kaliq walked by the river, brother beside him as they followed it up the mountain, the cold getting more and more intense the higher they climbed, wind licking at their fur like a beast sampling its prey, the cold chilling them to the bone.

As much as he wanted to give up on the search, the hunt for the pack, Hadar bit his lip, swallowed his tongue and endured the frost nipping at his paws. This is a complete waste of our time. I could be resting my paw and recharging my strength. I could have a full belly on the deer we left behind-- what a waste. He sighed, as he tossed his gaze to look at the male ahead of him. He flicked his ears forward as Kaliq let out a long, growling groan.

Urghh.

"Sorry... my headache is back again and it hurts! It really hurts! And... I don't know but... everything kinda looks orange..."

"Are you sure you didn't eat any mushrooms? Maybe we should find somewhere to lay down and keep warm. It'll be nightfall soon and the temperature will drop. Besides... I really think you should rest... maybe we should catch a bite too..." Hadar mumbled as he trotted forward, brushing his fur against Kaliq's and giving a soft sniff to the side of his face and nuzzling his muzzle lightly against his cheek. "What'cha say?"

"My head is getting pretty bad... okay, we'll have it your way. And no! No way. Not after Cai had one a few weeks back. He was loopy as hell!"

Snorting air from his nares, Hadar smirked a little, a spark of happiness flashing in his mud-brown eyes. He skipped, almost prancing as he put the last bit of energy into rushing forward. "I know there's a cave up here somewhere. We found it last winter and slept there. Come on!"

"Hey slow down! My head hurts!"

"And my paw hurts-- hurry up!"

Smiling, relaxing his shoulders, Hadar trotted into the cave and looked around for a place to lay. He settled himself down across his belly on the cold stone, tail swishing as his brother cuddled up beside him to keep warm. Unlike his brother, when he laid down, his fur spiked, everything morphed into orange and he felt his arms shake against the stone. Two scents filled his nares, both strong. Both sending fear deep into his heart.

"What are you doing? Go to sleep," Hadar growled softly, resting his head on his forepaws while his claws lightly scratched at the stone beneath them.

_ Drip, drip, drip._

"What is that noise?" Kaliq snarled, headache thumping at the back of his head. Then it hit him-- blood, claws, paw-prints in the snow, teeth-- death. Images from the dream harried his mind, his brother's blooded face flashing briefly. The blood. Hadar's blood. We need to get out of here!

The headache left, the distorted colour reformed into the world. He leapt to his paws and as he tossed his head over his shoulder, the dripping was uncovered as a drop of drool dripped off a bear's lip and splashed against the ground.

"Bear! Hadar! Bear!" he whined, nudging his brother as he leapt forward, bursting towards the cave entrance.

All thoughts quelled as Hadar stared into the eyes of the beast. He watched as it lifted it's paw and as it flew towards him, he rolled, the tip of the bear's claw brushing his pelt as at slammed sparks against the floor. Scrambling to his paws, Hadar bolted after his brother, the bear on their tail, talons scraping and clicking against the stone as it ran after them. With the thrill of adrenaline, he'd almost forgotten the pain Cai's bite had inflicted on his paw.

Kaliq sprinted up the hill, snow slipping under his paws as he ran.

Hadar winced as the bear's teeth caught the fur of his tail. They leapt up, higher into the mountain, the light growing dark as the sun threatened to set and the bone chilling winds sliding from the snow into the faces of the two wolves. The bear's thick coat kept it protected as it ran.

In a matter of seconds, the light level dropped and as Kaliq looked back over his shoulder. It almost seemed as the bear glowed orange and he and his brother shone blue. They ran up onto the flat, lungs heaving, hearts thumping in their chests. But, this was the end of the road, they could climb no higher unless they could run straight up or fly. The bear cornered them, blocking their only escape. The bear stepped forward slowly, snow compressing under the beast's heavy paw with a squelch as the two wolves scampered together, fur pressed close.

A small pain grew in the back of his head and Kaliq tensed as the bear moved towards them, the orange aurora glowing brighter then settling back do to a soft glow. But when he looked to Hadar, his brother's colour weakly pulsed.

The bear stepped forward, growling. Kaliq snarled, baring his teeth, stepping towards the beast, ears back and fur erect, but his tail almost between his legs.

The bear swung his talon forward. Kaliq rolled to the side and took a step back to his brother.

Hadar felt the earth give way under his hind paw, the rocks crunches echoing as they rolled down the cliff. He tensed and as the bear flexed its jaws, he shot forward, mouth open, teeth sharp as they teared against the creature's side.

Kaliq's world flashed orange, he hesitated and in that moment, the beast's paw slammed into his brother, sending him smashing into the snow. The bear's gaze tossed between them then Kaliq watched as it stepped towards him, rearing up on its hind paws and throwing itself forward. He dived forward between its legs, claws scrapping the flesh of his back-- he could feel it wasn't too deep. The bear spun around, its attacks missing his tail by inches. Over him, Hadar leapt forward, digging his teeth into the bear's arm as Kaliq pushed to his paws. The land behind the bear cracked under its paws. Kaliq leapt forward but instead of biting down, he slammed his body into the bears. The bear lost its footing. The two brothers pushed it back but as it fell and Hadar pushed from its body, the bear's claw hooked against Hadar's stomach, tearing it open as it fell backwards off the cliff, falling, falling and falling until the spine-cracking thud claimed it dead.

Hadar slid to the ground, facial fur matted with the blood of the animal. He threw his paws out and rested his head on them, groaning in pain, ears back whining for mercy, blood trickling out from under him, soaking his fur. His vision grew blurry with tears as he watched Kaliq run towards him but the thudding in his ears blocked out any word. A tear dripped down his cheek as Kaliq's head rested down against his neck, the male wolf pressing up against him. The fur on his neck grew wet. He raised his head to meet his emerald eyes for the last time. And then, gently with his paw, he pushed on his chest and although he couldn't hear it he spoke. "Be careful. Keep warm... survive... until we meet again..."

As he passed, Kaliq gently pressed his forehead to his, sharing his last breath as Hadar's eyes closed for the final time.

"Travel safely. Sleep well, brother."

Following his brother's last request; he slowly trotted back to the bear den to keep out of the cold, fur of his cheeks wet with tears. As he arrived at the cave, he dragged himself inside, pointing his nose to the air, scrunching his muzzle slightly against two strong scents. One, he recognized as the bear... but the other... he slowly crept towards the smell, ears forward, tail half between his legs. He wiped his tears away on his forearm and then it hit him-- dry blood. He turned the corner, his heart skipping a beat and eyes widening. Scattered across the floor, limbs detached, blood splattered against the walls and dried against the floor, a baby bear laid.

There were no words to describe the scene. Only a monster would do something so horrid. He could feel his jaw hanging open as he stared at the bear, his legs shaking. He took a few steps away before his legs gave way. He collapsed to the ground with a thud, tears welling up again.

This couldn't have been an accident. The bear was already upset. But... what could have done something so messed up? He tossed his head back at the scene, raising his brows and then squinting his eyes at one of the rocks. A tuft of white fur stuck between it another rock. He tossed his head around the scene. More fur and more fur became visible. His head thud for a moment and just for a second he could have sworn he saw a vapour, the heat of a crimson fire dancing above the scene. Red, red, red. White fur... a bear not asleep during it's hibernation period... a dead cub. In the battle, he'd seen himself, and his brother blue. And the dream, the vision, the headache... was it showing him something? He and Hader were blue. That was good, right? The bear was orange. Dangerous? Unstable? And red... red was surely bad. There was no doubt about it. But... how long had the bear cub been dead for? The blood was slightly dried but it couldn't have been more than twelve hours old. And his pack couldn't been more than a day ahead... had they ran here, just to kill the bear? But why the bear? To make it mad? This cave was the only one in miles-- but the bear had never been there. Maybe it was just surprise and they killed the cub out of fear? No, no. It had been killed on purpose... there's no doubt about it.

Sighing, Kaliq found a nice spot to sleep. Laying down, closing his eyes. He tried to forget the bear scene and his brother's death as he went to sleep.

###

"What do we do? Kaliq is still alive. The bear only got Hadar."

In the snow, shivering against the ice three wolves laid, pelts pressed together, dried blood clinging to the fur around their muzzles and paws. A fourth wolf stood behind the others, hovering over her sister and cleaning the blood from her pelt.

"Simple. We capture him and take him back to Cai. He'll know what to do with him," Zaneta said, snorting air from her nares as she shifted to look at the pack to her side.

"He's trying to get there anyway, Taru saw it. Right Taru?"

Feeling their eyes on her, Taru looked down, stopping mid groom, ears back slightly. "Y-yeah. I just, I don't know. Why can't Cai just give him back his mothers necklace?"

"They killed Cai's father. Our old leader! They should pay together for his life," Zaneta growled softly as she turned to look back at her sister, drawing her lip back and narrowing her eyes, fangs in clear view over her lip.

"Haven't they paid enough? Kaliq lost his brother, isn't that good enough? Why can't we just leave him in peace, that's all," she said, voice falling away as she looked under their paws at the snow. Realizing how cold it was she pressed closer to her pack-mates.

"His life was worth twice as much as both of theirs," she snarled softly before pushing to her paws, tail swaying slowly as she shook the snow from her pelt. "C'mon. Let's head back to Cai and tell him about Hadar. We'll talk to him about ways to get pay-back on Kaliq too."

Taru watched as the two other wolves got up beside Zaneta, brushing the snow off and waiting for her command to leave. She looked down, thinking, fur rising a little. I could try to help him. I could stay here and... watch him. And when they leave I can warn him. But what happens after that? I could go with him... but what if Kaliq hurts me? He won't do that. He's tempered... but doesn't have malice... she thought. "I... someone should stay here. Make sure he hasn't disappeared. I can errm, tell mother where I am with my mind. She'll surely be coming with you."

"You can do that?" asked a wolf from behind Zaneta.

"Um. Y-yeah."

"Well... if you see him leave the cave... follow us. Tell mother where you are and we'll all come and find you. Stay safe. Watch the cave. We'll be back with everyone by sunrise." Zaneta turned from Taru, brushing her tail against her neck as she walked towards the darkness. Barking their goodbyes, the two other wolves followed her and into the night, they ran.

It had been awhile now since her sister and crew had left. Taru had watched the moon move along one place since their departure. It was cold, she was shaking, but she pushed herself to her paws, shaking violently as she stumbled down from her hiding spot in the snow-covered bushes. She made her way towards the entrance of the bear cave. She walked past Hadar's body, crinkling her snout slightly with disgust at the wounds the bear had given him, but she nodded her honour to him as she passed him. He had died a warrior's death. She stood at the entrance of the cave and peaked inside at the place where Kaliq laid, fast asleep-- but with tears running down the sides of his face. She crept into the cave, paws only lightly pressing the ground as she made her way towards him. She stopped right before his body and examined him for a few moments. Drawing in a breath, cleaning her mind, she leaned over and gently rubbed her nose against the side of his face and licked up his tears. "Kaliq... wake up," she whispered.

The body stirred, flicking his ears, muscles rippling and paws scraping against the stone. His eyes shot open. She felt her body pushed until her back pressed against the ground, his paws holding her down. He snarled and she flattened her ears and closed her eyes. "Stop! Kaliq it's me! I come alone!"

For a moment, Kaliq hesitated, looking down at her through his blurry eyes. "Taru? Why are you here? Where's the pack? Where the hell is Cai?"

"That's what I'm here to tell you about. You need to get out of here. Cai is coming. He'll be here by sunrise."

"Perfect then," he said, loosening his grip on the female. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't trust Cai. He isn't a leader. He lost his father but he shouldn't have blamed everything on you and your brother. If I were you, I would have snapped Kendrik's neck too. Medics can only do so much." She looked up as he slowly crawled off her and sighed quietly. "He'll have his whole pack after you y'know..."

"Then he lacks honour and the pack will turn from him. Only a coward would send his wolves instead of himself. I'll challenge him for alpha. I'll explain the whole Kendrik situation. Then I'll lead on."

"And what if you fail?"

"Then I... I guess I'll join Hadar in the clouds and howl from heaven."

It was almost sunrise. Kaliq sat alone in the wind, shivering as he awaited the pack, heart pumping adrenaline through his veins. Taru-- much to her disappointed had returned to her post in the bushes above the cave, also awaiting the return of the pack.

Kaliq perked his ears to the distant paw-steps of wolves and he bared his teeth as he waited. They grew louder, and louder, and louder. As the sky painted itself with yellow and orange and the back of his head began to throb, he knew he was here. He looked down the path he had come up with Hadar and glowing a soft red, the leader of the pack climbed over the hill, teeth bared and eyes narrowed.

From her spot, Taru worked her way down to the pack and trotted towards her sister-- but she was stopped by Cai's threatening growl.

"Why is he not asleep? I was told he was asleep. He shouldn't be waking for another position in the sky."

"She woke me up. She knows honour. To kill someone in their sleep would be a coward's move."

Smirking a little, Kaliq perked his ears towards the murmuring that erupted among the pack and he snorted as Cai took a step closer to him.

"You know no honour. You killed a downed wolf."

"As much as he was your father, he was mine. It would have been hell to keep him alive. He needed his pain relived. He wouldn't have survived through those broken ribs anyways, which, was caused by your idiotic attempt to show off and catch a deer on your own. He ran to save you, as did my brother and I. And after that you knocked us out, blamed it all on us and fled-- stealing my mother's necklace. That necklace has been passed on through generations in my family. I was given it shortly before my mother died. You think we wouldn't follow you after it? Did you provoke us on purpose? Heck, you ripped apart a baby bear just to get a bear to attack Hadar and I. And that's not a coward's move?"

Cai opened and closed his maw several times, shuffling against the snow and throwing multiple glances back at his pack as he looked for words to say.

As mad as he was, as much as he wanted to leap forward and dig his fangs into the male-- he resisted. He would do it the honourable way.

"To save what little honour you have. I challenge you for alpha. If I win, the pack is mine. If you win, the pack remains yours and you'll have me killed. Win, win."

A challenge for the alpha role was a proper thing. If one were to refuse, their pack would probably leave them anyways. But if they accepted and won, that would just be one more victory to their pelt. Another badge of righteous blood to prove their honour. Despite Cai being larger than him, and stronger, Kaliq knew he was faster, and smarter. He could lead the brute to the edge and let him join the bear, he could trip him up, he could--

"I accept you're challenge, Kaliq." Cai said as he stepped from the pack onto the firm land. Slowly, the pack shuffled to take up the whole entryway. The only exit. As Kaliq took a step forward his eyes met Taru's, and to her, he mouthed a thank you. If he died today, at least he would die with honour.

Head pounding softly with his heart, Kaliq turned his gaze finally to Cai's and in his eyes he saw the coloured flashes of their souls fighting and throwing each other against the ground. But at the end, things always grew foggy.

As the wolves counted down together, he could feel another zap of adrenaline course through his veins.

"Five, four, three--" the pack said.

His muscles tensed. A blue glow teased his left paw, throwing a tingle through it.

"Two."

A flash of red teeth.

"One."

Blood.

"Fight!"

Kaliq thrust his body forward, sprinting towards him. A tingle ran through his neck as Cai opened his jaw. A blue glowed on the alpha's cheek. He swiped his paw forward, two claws scraping blooded lines through the flesh of Cai's cheek. The male growled and Kaliq curved his neck away as he felt Cai's fangs clip the fur of his neck. Following the paths the lights created, Kaliq spun around and yelped as Cai's body crashed into him, knocking him to the floor. He felt blood drool down the side on his face from his ears and he shoved his paws into Cai's chest and scrapped his hind-legs against his belly. He pushed the male off, rolling away from him. As he thrust towards him again, he ducked, following a blue light as the other male's body crashed against the ground. He leapt to his paws and threw himself through the air and sunk his teeth into Cai's shoulder, ripping at the flesh and spitting the blood out against Cai's nape. The other wolf pushed him off and he fell towards the floor. He ignored a blue light as he rolled away from the other body. He instantly knew this was a mistake. He rolled onto unstable ground, near the edge of the cliff that had brought the bear to its doom. In only a moment, Cai had him pinned on his back and between the weight of the two he could feel the cliff crumbling under them. But he knew things weren't over. In his moment, Cai looked back at the crowd, showing his teeth and puffing his chest before realizing the battle wasn't over. Kaliq opened his jaw and bit down on Cai's throat, tearing his fangs into his flesh, feeling blood pool against his lip and drool onto his tongue.

Cai groaned in pain, pulling back, shoving the male back down as he half climbed off him. Paws pushed against him, rolling Cai to the ground. Their positions switched. The two worked their jaws against each other, biting, scratching, scraping, and kicking. They rolled in the snow, pelts mattered with blood until Kaliq stood over Cai, the male pinned on his back with his paws pinned to his body and his snout forced into the snow.

"Do it. I dare you! Finish me! End it!"

He raised his head, looking down at him before leaning over again, teeth over the veins of his neck. But when he pressed them to his neck, he stopped, heart thumping in his chest as he briefly examined himself and the male. Blood, blood, blood. Blood was red. Red was bad. Therefore, blood was bad. He couldn't kill him. He stopped, drawing in a deep breath before raising his head and letting out a deep howl into the sky. Victory was his.

"Stop! Stop! You aren't the leader, I am!" he growled, wiggling from under Kaliq and standing up. He tossed his gaze towards the pack but they all sat, heads bowed. They had chosen their leader.

"Get up! Get up! I'm not dead. He's not dead. This battle isn't over!"

"The battle is over," Kaliq said, stepping away from the cliff and signalling for his new pack to make a split in the path to the way down the mountain. "I gift you your life. Leave, find a mate and bare pups. Regain your dignity and find your honour as I have. Mourn your father."

As hard as it was, Cai left, dropping the necklace he wore in the snow. The pack watched as he headed down the hill, alone. And when he was gone, Kaliq picked up his necklace, put it on, and they returned to the cave and he talked to the pack about everything.

And finally, after all the drama, each wolf curled up to snatch a must needed sleep.

As each wolf curled up to sleep, Kaliq walked among them, looking for someone. He found Taru laying alone, away from her sister, he mother. He leaned over, nibbling softly on her ear and nuzzling his nose softly against the side of her neck. He'd get her to lick his wounds clean and patch him up. And... then... and then...

###

Kaliq laid, pressed to the fur of his mate, head nuzzled into her neck, resting against Taru as he slowly rubbed his nose against her. Against Taru's belly, three small pups sat, eyes closed, suckling on their mother's milk. Their journey's had only just begun...