*Warning: derogatory language use, but it will be slightly censored. I mean no disrespect. 

The journey Nightfang and I had set on seems so long ago now, but I am thankful for every moment we have spent together. The real trial will soon face us when I meet my pack again, when I face my mother.

When we finally reach the Flowering River, the journey from here on out will not be much of a distance to Lovers Pass. As everyone takes a quick drink and stretches a bit, I find myself looking at the water towards the west where it probably ends. I wonder as I look out towards it.

“It leads to the ocean.” Nightfang answers my unasked question.

“It does?” I ask dreamily.

“Yes. I’ve followed it once before. It leads straight to the ocean where the gulls follow you for scraps, the brisk open-air flows through your fur, and the waters try to capture you as they rock back and forth onto the shore.” Nightfang describes the ocean so beautifully, aside from the gulls, that I want to go. He looks at me with a smile as he nudges me. The others not looking at the moment, he whispers if I want to escape them and go now.

“I want to, Nightfang, you know I do, but…” I say softly as I can see the trail that will lead us straight to Lovers Pass. My mother and brother are waiting for me just beyond that trail.

“Alright.” He says simply before he turns.

“Wait.”

“Hmm?” He asks slyly as he probably knows what I am going to say.

“Perhaps, we can just head there and come right back? We won’t be gone long…It’ll just be before the sun sets, right?”

“If we go now, we’ll be able to see the sunset.” He says happily. I wag my tail slowly before I growl a bit under my breath.

“You are a terrible influence.” I say as I begin to head across the river slowly without being seen by the others as Nightfang trails behind me happily. It is as if we are lovers in the midst of escaping to run wild together. I can barely contain my laughter as we escape the others and trot off into the direction of the beautiful ocean. I begin to run at a brisker pace as I get more excited. Nightfang runs with me at my side and laughs a bit at the fact that we escaped everyone without them noticing.

“They’re going to be tempered when we return.” I tell him.

“If we return.” He comments slyly. I give him a look. “It was just a joke…” I smile and nudge him happily. He laughs a bit before he licks me. 

We follow the river towards the west with our spirits high, the sun beginning to slowly head towards the mountain peaks to the north. I wonder if we’ll make it before it becomes dark. Nightfang reassures me that it isn’t much farther now as he trots beside me. I smile as I ask him to play with my body language. He complies and chases me towards the setting sun, to the river’s end.

Before we find the end to the river, the ocean, we suddenly become alerted to danger as a large form in the brush of the forest growls loudly and presents an odor that is most unpleasant. It smells of death… I back away as Nightfang quickly heads in front to shield me from the danger. I ask him not thrust himself towards the danger as I worry for his safety, but he does not budge. He wants so desperately to protect me that he will disregard his own safety for mine. I am charmed by his courage and altruistic gesture, but it does not bring me much happiness. The last thing I want is him getting hurt because of me. 

“Young wolves.” A voice erupts from the large figure, dark and menacing, the body of a bear, the voice of a killer, the scent of a beast. I begin piecing together the clear signs. “Oh, I have frightened you, it seems.” The voice says as it appears from the brush. He is the largest wolf I have ever seen, his body burly and strong despite his age, his teeth are jagged, one of his eyes blinded with a scar, his fur matted and bloodstained, his muzzle grayed, one of his ears bitten off at the tip, and his side looking as if it had been pierced through many a man’s weapon.

“Stay behind me, Snow.” Nightfang says as he braces for a fight. Although he sounds confident and prepared, I know that he is frightened by the slight shaking his body is making. I am not faring any better. Fear seems to want to overtake both of us just by this wolf's aura. Every fiber in my being is telling me that we should run rather than stand our ground, but it is as if we are frozen still. 

“Whispering something to your mate?” The mighty wolf asks with a bellowing voice.

“When I tell you, please run.” Nightfang whispers.

“I’m not leaving you.” I say with a growl.

“We’re running together.” Nightfang reassures me, but I feel that he is lying to me.

“Hiding secrets, huh?” The beastly wolf says as he approaches us with a limp.

“Run!” Nightfang says loudly as he pushes me towards the opposite direction of the ocean. The large wolf has a limp, but as he begins to run, the long strides of his legs prove to be enough to propel him closer and closer to us. Nightfang and I stay close together, but I fear that at any moment, he will sacrifice himself for my safety as he had promised to do if we were ever in the face of danger.

As the mighty wolf catches up to us, I am completely sure of my assumptions now. This wolf is Bloodbeast. He slashes the trees that are in his way and the gashes on the trunk are so massive that I can’t believe anything but a bear made them. Bloodbeast growls as he stops and then howls loudly. We hope that he does not have reinforcements as large as him.

As fast as lightning, a large wolf rams into us with such force that we are sent backwards. The wolf growls as he approaches us. The large wolf, not as big as Bloodbeast, smirks at us.

“Flawed ones, eh?” The wolf mutters with a growl. “This black wolf looks familiar.”

“He smells like the offspring of Blackfang.” Bloodbeast says with a bellowing voice.

“True, Brother. He does, doesn’t he?” The other wolf says slyly. Nightfang tries to get up, but Bloodbeast quickly places his paw onto his head and presses him into the soft soil.

“Leave him alone!” I say angrily. The two menacing wolves look at me as I stand and make a fighting stance. The two are much larger than I am and much more powerful, but something inside me overcomes my fear. I will not let Nightfang be harmed or, much worse, killed. The largest of the two, Bloodbeast approaches me slowly, his mannerism are how Nightfang described. He is like a walking corpse. His saliva drips down the corners of his mouth as he breathes on me, a stench far worse than the stench he carries on his body. He growls a low and menacing growl and stares at me with a clouded eye and a piercing green one. His expression is wild with hatred and anger.

“Your bravery could cost you your life, flawed one.”

“I am not flawed. I am graced.” I argue proudly before I lunge towards him and bite his muzzle aggressively. He backs a way and whines as his brother charges towards me. I evade Howling King and growl as I back away from them. Bloodbeast’s wound is not deep, neither is it very severe, but he is bleeding and wincing at the pain.

“You insignificant little—” Bloodbeast begins but does not finish as Nightfang lunges onto his back and begins sinking his teeth into his neck. Bloodbeast growls and Howling King quickly tries to intervene, but I charge towards him and growl to initiate a fight. Howling King glowers before stepping toward me and making a fighting stance. He is much bigger than me, so subduing him or even fighting him will most likely be an very uneven battle, but I can’t let him near Nightfang. One of them is already a formidable wolf, two would surely kill either of us.

“Snowheart!” I hear the voice of Fierceclaw before I see him and the rest of our pack trailing behind him. The look on his face is a cross between terrified and wild with determination as he quickly charges towards Howling King, sending him against the trunk of a tree with a loud thud. Crescentpaw and Roguefang head towards Bloodbeast and Sweetsong quickly goes to my side in a state of panic as she tells me to escape. Howling King gets up and I can see the fire of anger in his eyes.

Crescentpaw is the only wolf that I can see that can measure up to Bloodbeast and Howling King’s size. He is the largest of all of us, but I know he is probably still unable to face either of them alone. 

“So, you joined a worthless excuse of a pack, my boy?” Howling King says bitterly.

“I am among those who care for me and for those I care for, that is not worthless.” Crescentpaw says with a growl. I suddenly notice the resemblance between the two and his size suddenly makes quite a bit of sense. He is almost the size of his father. “And you and this breathing corpse can go—”

“Crescentpaw.” Roguefang says as he quiets his counterpart down. Crescentpaw looks to his alpha and mutters the next words.

“Ah, you are taking orders from an incapable alpha? You’re pitiful, a disgrace.” Howling King says angrily.

“He and I are equals. He has changed my views of the world. I am indebted to him.” He smiles at Roguefang. Their bond was most strange to me at first, but now I realize that it is deeper than what is presented at the surface. For a lone wolf like Crescentpaw presumably was, the son of a murderous wolf such as Howling King, Roguefang quite possibly accepted him despite knowing his past. I assumed that Crescentpaw was much more violent and wild than he is now and that Roguefang—being the mild mannered and sweet natured wolf that he is—had taught him how to see the world in a much more beautiful way.

I look over to Nightfang and I feel like we have a similar relationship. Nightfang changed me in ways that only made me a better wolf. I smile at him and he looks fondly at me.

“You too, huh?” Howling King asks vaguely. “A fa**** like the rest of ‘em?”

Roguefang was a bit baffled by the remark. I supposed that he didn’t think of his relationship like that and he didn’t see Crescentpaw as a graced one either. He looked to his counterpart as if asking the silent question, one that he probably never thought to ask.

“So, what if I am or not? Being graced is better than being a monster like you.” Crescentpaw stares his father down like a wild beast and I feel like perhaps the reason the two beastly wolves are here is not because of any of us, but because of Crescentpaw. I fear that we might be unable to escape this unfortunate encounter.