Hail fell in a ruthless torrent, first the size of quarters then increasing steadily till it was a barrage of pieces as large as softballs. Cungr had to find shelter before it killed him. A half-rotted log was the first refuge available, the aged wood provided only partially cover, but it was enough to protect his head completely. He tensed as his left side and hip were pummeled ruthlessly by the ice stones. Cungr felt a rib crack under a strike followed by more impacts that cause deep bruises on his hip joint. He groaned in pain. Finally, the hail subsides replaced by slushy frozen rain. At least his connection to his mate had not weakened indicating he was not losing ground on her.

Krish yawned lazily as the pitter patter of frozen rain replaced the hard crack of hail on stone. Her coarse short pelt would easily protect from this element. In days past she had swum in cold waters of the East Siberian Sea, raced along the Laurentide Ice sheet with sharp winds ruffling her pelt, hunted seal in Arctic waters. A bit of cold rain was of no consequence. Being brained by boulder-sized chunks of ice was a different story entirely.

Sniffing the air Krish shimmied from under the overhang, scraping her claws along the outcrop of rock. The mating call’s pull had not changed in the past few hours while she snoozed. He had been gaining on her but the ravine and then rain washing away her trail probably threw him, she now had a decent lead on the wolf. Yet he had persisted, trying to close the gap until the hail had begun. A bloom of warm joy spread through Krish's breast. He was strong, headstrong, and adaptable. This pleased her. Still, her trial for him was far from its conclusion. She would not make it easy. Millennia of waiting had dampened her enthusiasm for a mate. Age gave perspective and thankfully control over her hormones. If this had happened when she was a few Centuries old she may not have been so stoic or resistant. As it was he must understand her, earn her respect and not try to dominate her. Things Alphas were not good at, things Arch Alphas would find near impossible. The possibility of killing her mate was not a pleasant one, yet she could no more submit to the will of another creature than the sun could cease to rise. Add in the prospect of being pulled back into the world. Truly Krish was not enthused with finding a mate.

Stretching her back and rolling muscular shoulders Krish took off on the last leg of the journey.

Cungr panted in pain and lay still as his body attempted to heal. With a jolt, he felt her distance increasing. She was on the move again. Groaning, he crawled out from under the log and limped in the direction her trail had been heading before the storm hit. If she doubled back on him now he'd lose her completely. Staying still wasn't an option either as any scent trail she may leave would quickly be diluted and washed away by the slushy rain. Without a scent to follow, he forged on hoping the strength of the mating call would be enough to keep him from going too far off course. He pushed rising frustration out of his mind, he was an Arch Alpha, he always won.

Late in the day the rain ceased, it shifted from a sprinkle to deluge and back again several times. Small waterways swelled far over their banks and the temperature was dropping as the sun hung low and altitude increased. Near evening he was finding it difficult to keep moving. The wet having permeated his dense coat. 2 days with no sleep, compounded by jet lag and then the brutal percussion of hail had every inch of him sore and weary. Lack of food had stilted his healing. Hunger gnawed at him. Ice-crusted thickly on his damp coat weighed him down. The only way to explain it was that living in cities working with humans had made him soft and gutted his stamina. He had always been proud of his strength and endurance but now a female had proven better acclimated to these stressful conditions. It wounded his pride. On the verge of coming to his senses, contacting his Beta and turning back, he caught her scent.

Cungr’s head snapped up and renewed vigor coursed through his veins. She was close, her scent was strong. He picked up a swift lope ignoring the pain pressure on his left hind limb caused.