We continue on our journey to Lovers Pass and notice the wonderful sceneries as we pass them, the misty mountains, the green grassy fields, the tall trees with bushy canopies, and the variety of animals everywhere. As we traverse the fields, Nightfang trots around and tries to get me to play with him. He tackles me and nips my ears before I finally give in and chase him around. Fierceclaw and Sweetsong are baffled for a moment before Nightfang makes efforts to get them to join. He nips at Fierceclaw and taunts him a bit before he smirks and Fierceclaw follows. Sweetsong is less enthused and will not join us so easily. She walks along briskly ignoring our silliness. I attempt to have her join, but she is more upset at me than anyone else as she glares at me. I back away and feel a weight hit me as Nightfang tackles me and licks me tenderly.

“This is a surprise.” Sweetsong says icily. “You never liked to play, not even much as a pup.”

“Nightfang seems to bring out the playfulness in me.”

“Yes, of course, he does.” She says with a huff as she goes on ahead.

“Darling, please get off of me.” I tell Nightfang as I paw at his chest. He looks at me curiously and smiles.

“You called me ‘Darling.’” He says happily.

“Yes, I also said to please get off of me.” I say as I roll on my belly and get out from underneath him as he lifts himself up. He trots beside me and nudges me.

“Did you mean that?” He asks.

“Darling?” I ask.

“Yeah. Or did you just mean it sarcastically?” He asks with his ears slightly down.

“I meant it. Romantically.” I clarify shyly. He smiles and nuzzles me as he tries to get me to play again.

“We need to keep moving, enough of your games.” Sweetsong says angrily.

“Sweetsong, it’s a long way there, it’s good to keep good morale.” Fierceclaw explains. “There’s nothing wrong with playing a bit. There’s no dangers in sight.” She turns and sighs. Fierceclaw suddenly becomes a bit tempered and gets in front of her. “Stop acting like this. It isn’t becoming of you.”

“Well, if he’s acting like a fool why can’t I act the way I want to?” She challenges.

“He’s having fun. Maybe you need to remember what that is.” Fierceclaw counters.

“Maybe you should remember what our pack does to wolves like them?” She reminds Fierceclaw.

“Our pack is not as brutish like our rivals. We will figure things out.”

“You both have mated with a male! You both are sick!” She says as she trots further away from us. I approach Fierceclaw and reassure him that she is still tempered and just needs time. He lowers his head and looks to me.

“Her words sting me…” He says softly. “I didn’t think much of it at the time…but after I had done it, I felt strange about it. We never spoke again after that even if before we were good friends.”

“You and the wolf you mated with?” I ask carefully.

“Yes…” Fierceclaw admits softly. He turns his head and whimpers a bit. I look at the sky and notice the sun is about to set soon. Fierceclaw notices the same thing and tells us we should head into the forest for shelter. We follow his instructions and all head to the cover of the forest. Sweetsong makes a small resting area with soft, cool soil after she digs a small hole and lays in it. Fierceclaw stays on guard with Nightfang. I lie on the ground and roll to my side and wait for Nightfang to lay by my side. Instead, Fierceclaw sits beside me and asks if he can talk with me.

“Of course.” I say as I sit up. He looks at Sweetsong and then to me.

“I feel terrible, Snow.”

“She will be fine. She’s having a troublesome time right now, but there are a lot of suitable males in our pack.” I say simply.

“Not about that…” He says sadly. “I feel strange about…you know…It had never bothered me before because I kept quiet about it. There were a few other males who had done the same as me and I felt like it was alright as long as we never spoke of it, but now that I have, it bothers me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. Don’t feel guilty over it.”

“I just feel strange about it…” He says softly. “I never talked about it at length with my partner…he just seemed like he wanted to forget the entire thing. He ignores me even now.”

“You’re bothered more because he is ignoring you? You want him to acknowledge you and what had happened between you two?” I ask curiously. “I thought you said it wasn’t intimate.”

“It wasn’t…” He says less confidently. “but…he howled for me…” He pauses and shakes his head. “Isn’t that strange?”

“I suppose it is a bit more complicated…”

“I mean…he and I have always been close, but…I never thought he’d be the type to do that…”

“Well…pleasure tends to dig up our most primal instincts,” I say nervously, “I don’t know much about this, Fierceclaw. If you assumed Nightfang and I have…mated…then you’re mistaken. We haven’t.”

“No, I know, you don’t smell like it.”

“Then?”

“I just wanted someone to listen to my story…” Fierceclaw says as he lowers his head.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m listening. I just feel useless if I’m not assisting you with advice.”

“It’s not useless,” he tells me, “you and I have been like brothers. I feel comfortable telling you about this. I just wish I could talk to Mysticmoon about this.”

“Mysticmoon?” I ask with surprise. Fierceclaw seems utterly devastated as he realizes what he has revealed. “You mated with my brother?” I ask a bit more loudly than I intended. Sweetsong, however, does not stir. Even as a pup, she was always the one who went to sleep first and could not be awaken by noises.

“Snow…” He begins. “Please don’t make a scene of this.”

“My brother?” I ask again, mostly to myself, in a whisper. “Why? How?”

“He was frustrated and suggested it…I was a bit frustrated too and agreed. He hasn’t spoken to me since.”

“My brother wouldn’t do that.” I tell him a bit softly. “Would he?”

“It’s up to you if you want to believe me or not…” Fierceclaw says nervously. “Mysticmoon is normal. He was probably just confused in the moment.”

“Perhaps because you assume things ahead of knowing the truth, Mysticmoon has reasoned to no longer speak with you.” I say a bit more bitterly. “You should talk with him. No wonder he has been so distant and strange. It must have affected him more than you believe.”

“I can’t speak with him…” Fierceclaw says sorrowfully. “He doesn’t even want to see me, let alone talk to me.”

“Then, I will talk to him.”

“He can’t know that I told you. Don’t talk with him.”

“Then, perhaps, you do not care for my brother at all.” Fierceclaw is shocked by my words more than I thought he would be as he approaches me with his looming presence and growls.

“I care for him more than you believe, which is why I don’t want to hurt him more than I already have.”

“You are hurting him more by being idle about talking with him.” I remind him. Fierceclaw is at a loss for words. I do not feel any contempt for him although the news is rather shocking. He is still my friend and my brother is still my brother. Mysticmoon is my younger brother and I played with him often when we were younger. He is younger (only by a few seconds), but is far more mature and courageous than me. He is like our father, capable and willful. He is far better suited as the alpha than me, but father chose me.

Fierceclaw and I end our conversation and return to our makeshift beds. Nightfang joins me and lays beside me comfortably. He asks if I’m alright, if our talk went well. I can’t begin to even answer the questions he gives me. I am at a loss for what to do if perhaps Mysticmoon has kept a secret from me all this time. And perhaps, I fear he too was born flawed.

No, I shouldn’t say such a thing. It is not wrong to be flawed—graced—it is far more wrong to judge someone based on such things. He is my brother, I am his. We should be able to accept and understand one another, if he is graced. I will soon know the answers to these questions that plague my thoughts.

When I finally lay down to rest, I notice the body of Nightfang pressed against my own and his breath on my ear. I stir and whine a bit as he is comfortably holding me, his right paw on my body as if in an embrace.

“Are you awake, Nightfang?” I whisper.

“Yeah.” He answers a bit wearily.

“I am a bit unsettled…” I say honestly.

“Why? What’s wrong, Love?” He asks tenderly.

“You and I…” I begin. “What’s to become of us if my pack does not accept our bond?” I ask with a whimper. “I fear they might hurt you…”

“If you think it’s best, I won’t follow then…”

“I don’t want you to meet them right away, but I want you to be close. I’ll talk to them and see what happens.” I say softly. He nods in agreement though I can tell he is a bit unsettled by it.

“Rest now, you don’t have to worry right now.” Nightfang says as he brushes against me. I nod and lay down to sleep as I close my eyes. Sleep overtakes me and dream something I did not think I would dream.

I suddenly find myself in a darkened forest and in the shadows, I see in the distance alert me to danger. I back away but can’t seem to escape this ominous feeling of being chased. Suddenly the same shadows appear in front of me as the others behind approach me. The forms are indescribable at first, but then I recognize them as wolves.

They get closer and closer to me and in a sudden instant, I can recognize them as wolves I know. My pack.

“Well, well, well, guess who decided to come back to us.” One of them icily speaks.

“The disappointment.” Another chides.

“So, we hear you’re mates with the son of the infamous Blackfang? Can you be any more selfish and stupid?”

“A disappointment.” Another repeats.

“Oh, Snowheart,” I hear a very familiar, soft-spoken voice say. I look over and see my mother’s form approach me. I feel tears in my eyes as I approach her and nuzzle against her chin. She backs away a bit, rejecting my affections and glowers at me. “Why have you done this to us, Snowheart?” I feel devasted as she glares at me. “Do you do these things on purpose? You wish to disappoint us all?”

“No!” I say loudly. “Please…you must understand…Nightfang…he…” I begin, but my words escape me. They are stuck somewhere in my heart. I wish to tell her the truth, but I am so frozen with fear of disappointing her that I can’t seem to find my voice. I whimper as I feel the tears stream down my face, not tears of joy as they had been when I first saw her.

“What would your father say?” She asks bitterly. I close my eyes and try to imagine something else, anything else. I turn away from her and run off into the dark forest.

While walking through it, I wonder where Nightfang could be. If he is not beside me in such a time, who am I supposed to turn to? I feel my heart beginning to sink into sorrow. I can’t think of a worse situation than this.

“Snowheart,” I hear a booming voice say as I turn around. The form is large and looming, almost looking like a mighty bear rather than a wolf. I recognize the wolf as my father and I suddenly feel terror fill me as I assume the harsh words that he will say to me. “Calm your heart, son.” He says as he lifts his head and howls. The dark forest suddenly disappears and a meadow surrounds us. I look around and then notice he is beside me.

“Father, I…”

“I am not here to reprimand you, son. I am here to listen. Your thoughts are plaguing you with guilt. I want to understand why you are being so hard on yourself.”

“I am…in love with the son of the infamous Blackfang…I am a disappointment to the pack…”

“And who has said that?” He asks with a growl.

“Fierceclaw and Sweetsong told me that—”

“Do not listen to the words of others so much, Son. What do you think about this?”

“I…feel happy when I am with him.” I admit shyly.

“Wonderful. You have always been a bit gloomy as a pup. To think there was someone who could make you happy, this is wonderful news.” My father says with a hearty laugh. I smile as I watch him.

“He is very charming, handsome, loving, brave, and a bit mischievous but extremely playful.” I say happily.

“Sounds dapper.” My father says with a smirk. I turn away from him and feel embarrassed by the way I was describing Nightfang with such fondness. “You really like this wolf, huh?”

“I do…perhaps this feeling is growing into something more than fondness...” I say shyly.

“Oh?” He asks slyly. “My son is in love?”

“Why are you teasing me?” I ask.

“Oh, just trying to lighten the mood. You have been worrying about this for a while now, right? You mustn’t be so hard on yourself, Son. These feelings you are experiencing are wonderful. I am proud of you.” He says with a sincere smile.

“Father…you’re not disappointed in me?”

“Why would I ever be disappointed?” He asks curiously.

“Because I am not like you? Because I am graced? Because I have not become a great wolf or leader?”

“Bullshit.” He curses.

“Father!” I say loudly. I have never heard him curse before. Cursing is something I would expect from Nightfang, not my own father.

“Son, whatever you become, whoever you are, whatever you do, I will always be proud of you. You are my son. I love you. Always.” He says as he nuzzles my face. I begin to cry as I press my head into his chest. He wraps his arm around me and reassures me that everything will sort itself out somehow. “And if it doesn’t, just do what I did and run away and make your own future.”

I smile and thank him.

“Snowheart!” I hear Nightfang’s voice boom through my head as I awaken. “It’s time to go. The Fang clan might be getting close.” Nightfang says as he helps lift me up. I look at him for a moment, the scruffiness of his fur, his golden piercing eyes, his perked-up ears alerted to everything around him, the size of his body, the broadness of his build, and his bushy tail. I tackle him and he falls onto his back. I look at him with a serious and fond gaze. I put my paw on his chest gently where his heart is so I could feel the beating of it and the other beside his head. “Um…Love…what are you—”

“I want to mate with you, Nightfang.” I say shyly. “I am a bit nervous about it, but I truly want to be with you, in every way possible.”

“Love…” He says with wide eyes. His tail begins to wag happily and I smile as I lick his cheek. I get off of him and he circles around me playfully before nuzzling against my face and I do the same as we chuckle amongst ourselves happily. We settle into an embrace, my face against his chest before Fierceclaw and Sweetsong arrive to interrupt our moment.

“Is everyone ready?” Fierceclaw asks awkwardly.

“We are.” Nightfang says happily. The “we” made me smile as I realized how much I have changed since we met. From me being completely averse to being paired with Nightfang, to completely infatuated with the idea of us being mates.

We continue on our journey to Lovers Pass with Nightfang and I completely enthralled with each other along the way.