Pawprints in the Snow - Part 8.1

VIII. TO FIGHT A LEGEND

Despite every instinct telling her to heed Edmund’s words and run to get Garth and Stephen out to safety, Lilly froze a few feet from the end of the tunnel. The snarls exchanged between Edmund and the White Wolf echoed behind her, laced with the heavier pawfalls as their circling intensified. She couldn’t believe what she had seen, and what that monster had wanted her to do. The white Omega shuddered as she recalled just how giddy the White Wolf was, snapping her jaws in neck-biting gestures in sinister anticipation. All of this…was just such a shock to her. Then again, the fact that Edmund was suddenly fighting to save their lives after all his attempts on their lives was shocking in itself.

Nothing shocking about it, her mind reasoned. You tried to save his life, twice, I might add. I think he’s finally understanding that he was wrong. And Stephen was right. He’s afraid, Lilly. He’s afraid of being alone. He said so himself.

The white Omega considered this as the echoing pawsteps gave way to a very loud, very violent confrontation. Lilly turned back and saw two shadows lunging at one another in the dull amethyst light. She glanced at the exit and shook her head.

“Then I shouldn’t leave him alone…”

Several feet away, the White Wolf had finally broken their circling and leapt directly for Edmund’s head. The cinnabar wolf threw himself forward, and slipped around the White Wolf as she snapped her teeth. Edmund growled and jumped to his right when the White Wolf whirled around and charged. Her teeth barely missed his forepaws as the cinnabar wolf leapt out of harm’s way. The Alpha grinned and bowed his head. The White Wolf skidded across the stony ground when Edmund charged her, knocking her onto her right side. She kicked her legs, the claws of her left hindpaw raking against the underside of Edmund’s chin. The cinnabar wolf raised his forepaws to bring them down onto her head.

Edmund faltered as his battle scars flared at the most inopportune moment. He involuntarily stepped back and bent forward as the cuts along his stomach stung. The cinnabar wolf pulled himself away from the White Wolf, but his forelegs slid forward.

The White Wolf rolled onto her side and, delighted that this monstrous Alpha was presenting a wonderful opportunity, dropped her forepaws upon his. Her icy claws dug into his skin. Edmund froze as the chilly pang shot right through his forepaws and up his forelegs. With a sick grin, the White Wolf dug her claws deeper and pulled them back. The cinnabar wolf screamed as her claws drew blood. Hot and cold battered his forepaws while the White Wolf released and laughed.

Edmund stumbled backwards, leaving drops of blood around his forepaws as he tried to raise them in self-defense. The cinnabar wolf’s eyes clenched shut, but then quickly reopened to the sight of the White Wolf leaping at him. He tried to flee when she brought her forepaws down onto his back. Edmund’s forelegs buckled and curled, scraping his bleeding forepaws against the rough ground. The Alpha screamed once more, tears lining his eyes.

So this is how it all ends. Some true Alpha you turned out to be, his mind noted grimly, surprisingly without the usual condescension. I guess it’s just as well. You wouldn’t have been able to show your face again without getting mauled, anyway. At least you went out fighting.

The cinnabar wolf shuddered as the White Wolf’s icy aura overtook his body, keeping him pinned to the ground as she laughed. She pressed her right forepaw against the back of his head, digging her claws past the cinnabar fur. After a soft whimper escaped Edmund’s lips, the White Wolf forced his head to tilt until his neck was exposed to her. Her jaws snapped with anticipation, spattering drool all over his face. Edmund groaned and shut his eyes. He saw himself being pulled free from the snow by his fellow Alphas, throat torn open and face broken, like the fallen Alpha he truly was.

At least I won’t be alone anymore…

The White Wolf paused to let out another laugh as the Alpha resigned himself to his fate. She considered, perhaps she would only bite deep enough to keep him from running, and then leave him to die beneath the snow. It was only fitting. He was like all Alphas, cruel and domineering. But to look at him now…she laughed. No more brutality. No more cruelty. No more abuse of Omegas. No more worthless Alphas-

She barely noticed the white blur heading in her direction. Lilly slammed directly into the feral lupine without a second thought. The White Wolf released Edmund and rolled onto her left side. The violent images of Edmund’s deserving fate shattered in her mind as she whirled around and saw the Omega from before. Her dark pit eyes widened. Before her, Lilly stood over Edmund and snarled, her purple eyes flaring. The White Wolf shook her head in disbelief.

Edmund slowly opened his eyes and beheld his savior. “What…what are you doing? I told you to run…”

“I’m not leaving without you,” Lilly answered firmly, not taking her eyes off the White Wolf. She growled once more. “You’ve done enough. Now, either help me get him out of here, or get the hell out.” Lilly snapped her teeth in a throat-biting gesture.

Much to both the Omega and Alpha’s surprise, the White Wolf grimaced and took a step back, her left hindpaw nearly slipping on a rock. Lilly snapped her teeth again, taking a bigger bite at the air. The White Wolf stared and shuddered. Why was she protecting this monstrous Alpha? How could she, after all he did to her? Why was she doing this after she gave her food and helped her? Why? Why? WHY?

As if to answer, Lilly uttered a louder, Alpha-worthy growl. The White Wolf took another step back. Lilly kept her focus on the White Wolf while the enigmatic lupine backed into the nearest cavern wall. In the amethyst light, she could make out the soft flicker of celadon eyes in those dark pits. Her growling face softened into a concerned frown as she leaned down to check on Edmund. Lilly’s eyes widened at the sight of blood trailing from his curled forepaws.

“I guess it’s fitting, isn’t it?” Edmund noted wearily. He winced when his right forepaw bent forward and scraped against a couple pebbles that got too close to the cuts.

Lilly checked for other wounds, not liking what she was seeing. She carefully slid her forelegs under his upper chest and lifted Edmund up. Using her other foreleg, Lilly carefully pushed Edmund’s forelegs up and forward until they uncurled. He winced as the air stung the open cuts. For a moment, Lilly considered tending to the wound. But the memory of the taste of Edmund’s blood from the night before made her shudder. Edmund glanced in the White Wolf’s direction as Lilly prepared to prop him onto her back.

With an unearthly growl, the White Wolf snapped out of her stupor. Lilly froze as her purple eyes rose to meet with the sight of the charging beast. The White Wolf’s celadon eyes gave away to deep, dark pits and her mouth stretched impossibly wide.

Edmund rose and knocked Lilly to the side. Just as the White Wolf readied to change course, the cinnabar wolf swung both forepaws into her lower jaw. The White Wolf’s teeth snapped close with a heavy clap, prompting the White Wolf’s deep, dark eyes to widen. She let out a loud shriek and fumbled with her forepaws, intent on clawing this bastard Alpha’s eyes out. Edmund raised his forepaws and brought them down onto her nose, dragging her muzzle to the ground. Drops of hot-cold blood flew from his cuts and landed into her eyes. They clenched shut, trailing crimson tears as the White Wolf stumbled backwards.

The cinnabar wolf groaned and collapsed to the floor, his forepaws threatening to further split open. He kept his eyes on the White Wolf while she stumbled about, his blood trickling around her snow white face. Lilly got back to her paws and leapt over Edmund, readying to cover him and bracing for the White Wolf’s next attack. Both watched the White Wolf stumble a little more towards the center of the room, and the two stepped back as she fell into the pit with a loud cry.

After waiting a few seconds, Lilly cautiously approached the pit. She saw the White Wolf sprawled on the bottom, her eyes clenched shut and seemingly sealed with red. The caribou ribcage splintered once more, wedging a curved white bone directly into the White Wolf’s underbelly. The White Wolf let out a low groan and shuddered before falling silent and still. Lilly bowed her head quietly for a few seconds before she turned back to Edmund.

Edmund watched as Lilly approached, still fully registering the fact that she came to his rescue, even after all that had happened. His mind remained oddly quiet as Lilly lowered her head to check on his forepaws. She examined the cuts for a moment or two before her eyes met his. The white Omega offered a small smile and walked to his left side. Edmund held back a yelp while she propped his left foreleg over her back and slid under him. The cinnabar wolf’s eyes briefly widened as the Omega lifted him onto her back with little effort. She shifted slightly, ensuring his scratched forepaws would not drag against the ground. Lilly turned back towards the pit to ensure that there would be no more White Wolf surprises. She sighed with relief and began her way through the tunnel.

The cinnabar wolf shifted slightly, almost sliding off her back when he tilted just so to the right. Lilly growled and shifted him back into place. Her back muscles ached a little under Edmund’s weight, but she ignored them and forced herself to move faster. Edmund moaned a little when his forepaws smacked against her sides. A lingering drop of blood fell from his right forepaw and landed on the side of Lilly’s. He felt her shudder a little beneath him as she passed through the end of the tunnel.

After stepping over the threshold, Lilly carefully lowered Edmund to the cavern floor, taking care not to bend or curl his forepaws. The cinnabar wolf watched the white Omega press herself against the nearby slender rock. She rested against the rock as it slid a quarter of the way over the entrance, panting a little as her back muscles ached.

The cinnabar wolf sighed and looked at his scratched forepaws. They had ceased bleeding, but the blood had stained his cinnabar fur with marooning hues. He frowned and looked back at Lilly. The white she-wolf panted some more and stretched, trying to release some tension in her back. She soon let out a little groan.

She saved my life again, even after everything. Like a true Alpha…never alone…

“Why did you come back?”

Lilly paused with a grunt and turned to face him. Edmund cautiously leaned back as he saw her purple eyes flare. The white she-wolf took a deep breath and met his gaze. All in an instant, her mind flashed images of his fear and his anger. Forepaws against her throat under the icy water. Eyes flickering with fear as he dangled over the edge. Fighting the White Wolf. She took another deep breath.

“Hasn’t there been enough pain?” Lilly asked quietly. She turned her attention back towards the slender rock. Her back tensed as she pressed, inching it just a little further to cover the entrance.

Despite the pain in his forepaws, Edmund walked to her side and pressed them against the rock. With a grunt, the cinnabar wolf pushed and slid the rock until it fit into place. Lilly retracted her forepaws, gently shook them, and started walking in the direction of the amethyst-lit chamber where Garth and Stephen were probably still sleeping. “Edmund, can you walk?”

Edmund grunted. “With some effort, yeah.”

“Come on, then. We need to get out of here.”

The cinnabar wolf nodded and stretched his forelegs as the white she-wolf continued her way down the path. His right forepaw flared up with pain, and his left forepaw followed suit. Edmund grunted as his forelegs buckled and he fell forward, slumping atop the ground. The cinnabar wolf growled when his forehead smacked against the cavern floor. He lifted his head, just as he felt Lilly prop him atop her back once more.

“Come on, Edmund,” Lilly murmured while shifting him into place. She was getting stronger and better at this, he noted.

Edmund nodded as Lilly carried him along the path. She navigated around stalagmites and stalactites that cut into their way, much easier this time around despite the extra weight. The cinnabar wolf ducked and shifted when needed, although he briefly failed to avoid the sharp tip of a stalactite that scraped against his back and nearly dragged him off. Lilly shifted him back into place and continued onward. She paused twice to ensure they weren’t being followed. Mercifully, she saw no White Wolf snapping her teeth in a throat-biting gesture.

The cinnabar wolf frowned. “I still don’t understand why you saved me after what I did…but thank you.”

Lilly stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. “Yes, you hurt me. You hurt Garth. You tried to kill both of us. And I am not sure I will ever be able to forgive you for what you’ve done to us. But I can’t bear to see you in pain, and I can’t just leave you here. Come on. You won’t be alone anymore. I promise.”

Edmund stared quizzically, but chose to remain silent until they reached the amethyst-lit chamber. The fact that his former enemy was showing him mercy was enough for him to think about.

***

Even in deep sleep, Garth could sense that something was wrong. The slumbering red-orange Alpha brushed his right foreleg along where his mate’s back should have been, only to feel it plop against the human bed. His face slackened into a frown as he stretched his right foreleg to feel for any sign of her. His pads brushed over more of the human bed without encountering even a trace of Lilly’s soft fur. Garth slowly opened his eyes.

The red-orange Alpha immediately rose to his paws and moved about the human bed. He couldn’t see Lilly in the amethyst light. Garth turned his attention to the cavern walls around him and the floor before him. Stephen was still asleep on the ground, scritching his right forepaws lightly against the stone. He froze in place. In his mind, Lilly plummeted again into the darkness, screaming his name and swinging her forelegs for help.

“Lilly? LILLY?!”

Stephen’s eyes shot open, and he leapt to his forepaws, smacking right against the nearby wall. The pale tan wolf stumbled about for a few seconds before he shook his head and regained his balance. He ran his left foreleg over his eyes and looked towards Garth as the red-orange Alpha frantically searched the amethyst-lit chamber. Garth’s emerald eyes noticed Stephen, and the pale tan wolf almost fell on his ass when Garth jumped at him.

The red-orange Alpha put his forepaws on his fellow lupine’s shoulders. “Stephen, have you seen Lilly? I can’t find her! She was right there next to me, but now…” Garth looked at the floor and shuddered. That unpleasant mental image replayed, getting more vivid as his worry intensified. His forepaws slid from Stephen’s shoulders, and he moved to check beneath the human bed.

“Miss Lilly’s gone? I had no idea. I’m so sorry, Garth. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep. Oh, I can’t do anything right,” Stephen cradled his head in his forepaws.

“Stephen, it’s not your fault. We just need to find her,” Garth responded, trying to keep a cool head. “Now, where could she-?”

Garth froze in place when he heard pawsteps echo in the tunnel and approach the entrance of the amethyst-lit chamber. Stephen huddled next to the wall and narrowed his eyes. The red-orange Alpha cautiously stepped closer to the entrance, crouching low to the cavern floor. Whatever it was, it was coming quickly. He looked at Stephen. The pale tan wolf kept his eyes focused on the entrance. Garth nodded and turned his attention back to it. A low groan flowed around the corner and was soon followed by the sound of something dropping to the cavern floor before the pawsteps recommenced. The fur on Garth’s back stood on end. He stifled the growl in his throat.

Stephen was about to lunge when he stumbled backwards in shock. Garth’s eyes widened at the sight of the wounded wolf walking into their chamber. The pale tan wolf held back a gasp, while his red-orange fellow Alpha’s face melded into a hateful glare.

Edmund stumbled into the amethyst-lit chamber with his eyes directed at the floor. His forepaws were caked with flakes of maroon around their scratch marks, much like the ones he had given Lilly. Garth permitted that growl to escape his throat as he charged Edmund without a second thought. The cinnabar wolf yelped in surprise, and moaned when Garth slammed into him. Stephen jumped back while Garth pinned Edmund to the wall, pressing his forepaws against the treacherous Alpha’s throat. Edmund gagged and pushed his forepaws against Garth’s neck in a feeble attempt to push him off. Letting out another growl, Garth pressed harder.

“What the-? Edmund?” Stephen managed, looking back and forth between the angry Alpha and the wounded Alpha. “Garth, wait-”

“He tried to kill us, Stephen, remember? I’m not going to give him another-”

“Let him go!” a new voice interrupted.

The red-orange Alpha’s face slackened as he turned to face Lilly to his right. The white she-wolf stared back at him with a mixed expression of shock and anger.

“Lilly, you’re alive?”

“Let him go,” Lilly responded firmly.

“Why?” Garth pressed his forepaws harder against Edmund’s throat, making the cinnabar wolf kick his hindlegs. “After everything he’s done to us, I should break every bone in his body and leave him for that white wolf to find-”

“He saved my life!”

Garth’s hold on Edmund slackened completely, permitting the cinnabar wolf to breathe and slide down the wall. The red-orange Alpha turned to face his mate who held that same look, meeting his own suspicious gaze. “He did what?”

“He saved my life. He fought off that white wolf so I’d have a chance to escape, Garth. Whether you believe me or not is not important right now. We need to get out of here before she comes back.”

“The White Wolf is still out there?!” Stephen’s eyes nearly popped. “Oh no, oh no, oh no…”

Lilly immediately ran over to Stephen and put her forepaws on his shoulders. “Stephen, calm down. We need to get out of here, but we need to not panic. Now, we have to leave. All of us.”

Edmund gasped for breath and struggled to get back on his paws. Garth whirled onto Edmund with another growl and glare. However, the red-orange Alpha faltered a little when he got a better look at Edmund’s wounds. The treacherous Alpha bore cuts under his chin, just like Garth following his fight with the White Wolf. Edmund met his gaze and returned a sad smile. Garth maintained his suspicious glare.

“I did what I could, but she’s right. We have to get-” Edmund winced loudly as his forelegs buckled again. The cinnabar Alpha collapsed to the amethyst-lit floor with a growl that quickly broke into a groan.

“Stephen, can you get Edmund on your back and carry him out?” Lilly craned her head towards the cinnabar wolf.

“Um, sure, Miss Lilly. I can do that,” Stephen nodded before walking over towards the collapsed cinnabar wolf.

Edmund watched with a half-frown, half-smile of confusion and gratitude as the pale tan wolf lowered his head next to Edmund’s side. The cinnabar wolf shook his head lightly, unable to believe that Stephen too would help him after all this. Nevertheless, Edmund kept quiet as Stephen adjusted his forelegs and upper back to prop Edmund into the air. The cinnabar wolf’s aching forepaws smacked against Stephen’s sides. The pale tan Alpha smiled when he shifted Edmund into place and readied himself to break into a run.

Garth maintained his suspicious gaze until he noticed Lilly ran past him. His mate stopped at the amethyst-lit chamber’s exit and looked back at him. “I’m going to lead on ahead and get us out of here. Stephen, keep Edmund on your back as long as you can. Garth, you cover us from the rear, just in case-”

“With that white wolf out there? No, Lilly, let me lead, I can-” Garth protested.

Lilly shook her head. “Garth, we’re going to need you to cover us from behind in case she sneaks up on us. Please, we don’t have time to argue this. I don’t know how long she’ll still be in there. We have to go now!”

Garth raised an eyebrow, but relented asking any questions, instead nodding. “All right, Lilly, I trust you. Lead the way.”

Lilly took a deep breath and returned his nod. With a determined glare, she started her way out into the tunnel. Stephen followed her with Edmund atop his back. Garth stole one final glance at the amethyst-lit chamber before he too departed.

The journey began uneventful. Lilly kept an eye out for any sign of the White Wolf as the group neared the stalagmites and stalactites that preceded the secret tunnel. Stephen’s legs shivered with the paranoid thoughts of how the White Wolf would come for him. He thought back to his attack on the White Wolf that drove her into an insane rage. The pale tan felt a dull weight feeling manifest in his stomach as blurs of the White Wolf’s face seemed to manifest around him. Edmund shifted slightly, recapturing Stephen’s focus. The pale tan wolf shifted the cinnabar wolf back into place. Stephen shook his head and forced himself to keep going. Behind him, Garth maintained his suspicious glare at Edmund. Sure, that backstabbing wolf was injured, but since when did that stop him before?

Edmund groaned a little more as yet another stalactite’s sharp tip dug into his back, adding another nasty scrape to his collection of battle scars. Stephen murmured a quick apology and carefully maneuvered to avoid another one hanging dangerously close to Edmund’s backside. The cinnabar wolf lulled his head.

“Why are you helping me?” came the inevitable question once again.

“Well, I just feel I should. Alphas look out for each other, you know?” Stephen responded while keeping his eyes on Lilly as she continued running ahead. “Besides, Miss Lilly says you saved her life, and she wants us to help you. I trust her.”

Edmund shook his head and chuckled. Once, he considered Stephen’s infatuation with Miss Lilly to be a hindrance. And now, it was convincing Stephen to save his miserable life. The cinnabar wolf chuckled at the irony. Stephen raised an eyebrow, but refrained from asking. Suddenly, Stephen pushed his forepaws against the ground, prompting Edmund to slide back a little. Garth stopped just short of colliding into the two wolves, then wisely changing to a position alongside them. He saw his mate standing just before some hole in the wall he hadn’t noticed before. The red-orange Alpha paused beside her and followed her gaze.

The slender rock that had previously covered the secret tunnel was now lying against the other wall, threatening to break in half. Garth looked down and noticed the deep scrape-marks against the stony floor, as if someone had rammed into the rock hard enough to send it flying directly against the wall. He turned to face Lilly as the white she-wolf registered this. His mate broke into another running, prompting Garth and Stephen with Edmund to follow suit.

Lilly continued until she reached the series of collapsed stones that led back up towards the spiraling path. She waited a moment or two to catch her breath as the Alphas caught up with her. The white she-wolf narrowed her eyes and scanned the area. She shivered a little when she saw the corner and slope where Edmund ambushed and sent her floating down the underground current. Just as Garth and Stephen with Edmund approached her, Lilly cautiously stepped ahead to investigate. She braced herself for the White Wolf to lunge from the darkness, piercing icy chills emanating from her body and her teeth readied to sink deep into the white Omega’s throat. Fortunately, the vengeful wolf was not there.

When she turned back, Stephen was carefully walking up the collapsed stones, so as to ensure that Edmund would not slip off. The cinnabar wolf wrapped his forelegs around Stephen’s sides in an attempt to anchor himself. He winced slightly as his tightened grip made his scratched forepaws stretch and threaten to bleed. Stephen repositioned Edmund atop his back and managed up the higher stones.

Garth readied to run after Stephen as the pale tan wolf ascended, but halted when he noticed Lilly wasn’t leaving just yet. The red-orange Alpha waited at the bottom of the collapsed stones, watching his mate as she checked about the area one last time. He didn’t bother to ask, recalling how the White Wolf had ambushed him and Stephen. The red-orange Alpha stretched his legs, preparing for the long run once they reached the spiraling path. Lilly turned back to the collapsed stones and started making her way up. Garth ran alongside her, keeping as close as he could. For a moment, he looked at her and was worried that she might glare at him again for lingering behind. Instead, Lilly offered him a reassuring smile and briefly brushed her muzzle against his before she bolted on ahead. With his own reassured smile, Garth followed his mate as she led the way.

Mercifully, the journey continued to be uneventful for the next few minutes. Garth kept up the rear as Lilly had said, ensuring that no ominous white blur of teeth and icy cold was trailing them from behind. Stephen managed to keep Edmund in place on his back, and the cinnabar wolf did everything he could to make things easier. Edmund still mulled over why these wolves would help him after everything he had done, and was surprised that his condescending “true Alpha” thoughts hadn’t thrown in their commentary. He let out a low sigh and looked up as Stephen reached the threshold at the tunnel’s end. The cinnabar Alpha saw the spiraling path leading so far above them.

Stephen waited for Lilly as the white she-wolf approached him and went ahead, scoping the area again for any sign of the White Wolf. Lilly looked back at Stephen and nodded, then tilting her head towards where the spiraling path began to ascend. The pale tan wolf made sure Edmund was still well-balanced atop his back and began to follow her. Garth emerged over the threshold soon after. He shivered a little as he passed the boulder still lying a few feet from the entrance where they had dropped the White Wolf atop it. The red-orange Alpha shook the thought from his head and continued on.

Lilly kept up the pace, only breaking her stride to check back on the Alphas and ensure they were still following her. Her mind flashed with images of the White Wolf, as well, remembering those snappy-jawed looks of anticipation. She stifled a growl and refocused on the path ahead as the Alphas caught up. The white she-wolf glanced down at her scratched forepaws and thought of what Garth had told her about his encounter with the beast. Maybe there was a decent side to the White Wolf. Or at least, when it didn’t seem to precede trying to encourage Lilly to rip out a fellow wolf’s throat.

She glanced over the edge at the section of the spiraling path beneath her. Garth was catching up and attempting another of his Alpha sprints. Lilly smiled a little at seeing her husband move so heroically, but the smile soon died when she noticed a white blur following him a few feet behind. The white she-wolf paused to watch as the blur further materialized, gaining a feral lupine shape with snapping teeth. Her eyes darted to Garth, who slowed down as he seemed to notice something behind him. The beast behind him was moving too quickly.

Lilly didn’t think twice as she leapt from the path and landed right on top of the White Wolf, just as the feral lupine readied to sink her teeth into Garth’s backside. She pinned the White Wolf against the ground, trying to ignore the heavy chill that coursed through her fur and flesh. The White Wolf thrashed beneath her, snapping her teeth at the open air until Lilly pressed her right forepaw against the back of her head. The feral lupine snapped her head back and bit at Lilly’s right forepaw just as the white Omega retracted it. Lilly’s hindpaws slipped down the White Wolf’s back. The White Wolf spun around and slammed Lilly directly against the wall. She readied her teeth to sink deep into the throat of that traitorous Omega that had spurned her help after all this time. How dare she, after giving her the caribou meat and leading her to her mate (even if he did turn out to be another no-good Alpha)? How dare-

Garth didn’t think twice as he charged the White Wolf and seized her by the throat with his mighty Alpha jaws. The red-orange wolf’s muzzle and teeth ached with the chills that raced through once his mouth made contact. He flung the White Wolf onto her back, slamming her head against the stony ground. Garth quickly released her and ran to Lilly, lending a helpful left foreleg to get her back on her paws.

“Lilly?! Garth?!” Stephen screamed above them.

Garth craned his head back to face the pale tan wolf looking down at them. “Keep going, Stephen! We’ll catch up!”

“You need to get out of here!” Lilly added. “We’ll catch up! Just go!”

Stephen nodded and started to run again. For a moment, Edmund looked down at them and shook his head. Garth and Lilly turned back to the White Wolf still sprawled on her back. She quietly growled, prompting Garth to huddle close to Lilly with his teeth bared. He stepped between the enemy and his mate as the White Wolf rolled over and got to her paws. Lilly tensed up next to him and, despite her silent hope that there would be no more pain, bared her own teeth. Legend or not, she was not going to get another chance at hurting her Garth again.

But rather than attacking them, the White Wolf…began to sob. Garth and Lilly withdrew their teeth-baring frowns and watched as the White Wolf’s scratched forepaws cracked open and bled once more. She raised her scratched forepaws to the top of her head as her sobbing increased, and immediately retracted them the second a few drops of blood stained her mane. The White Wolf slammed her forepaws to the ground and let out a pained yelp as she drew them back to her. Lilly cautiously leaned in a bit closer and saw that the White Wolf’s dark pits had reverted into her celadon eyes, standing out against the lingering stains of Edmund’s blood. The same eyes she had seen before the White Wolf had revealed Edmund in that hidden chamber. Garth was right…she was crying a bit like her…

The Alpha and Omega watched as the White Wolf continued to sob and desperately licked her forepaws in an attempt to heal them. She whimpered as they cracked more while her cold tongue ran over them. The White Wolf shuddered and shivered before slamming her forepaws against the ground again. Lilly cautiously took one step towards her. Garth thought back to their earlier encounter when he blew the pebbles off her forepaws, just as Lilly had done for him. He placed a wary left forepaw onto her back.

Lilly jumped as the White Wolf suddenly threw her head back and let out a mournful, ominous howl. She stepped closer to Garth as the White Wolf finished, looking at them with teary celadon eyes. The White Wolf shook her head and glanced back between her scratched forepaws and Lilly’s. Her face contorted into a sorrowful expression as she looked at Lilly and then at Garth. The White Wolf shuddered, like an emotionally-confused pup. She turned to face Lilly, their celadon and purple eyes meeting. All in a moment, Lilly picked up on the silent question.

Why?

The white Omega slowly opened her mouth to answer just as the White Wolf let out a shorter, pained howl. When the White Wolf lowered her head again, the celadon eyes flickered out, revealing the deep, dark pits once more. She growled and snapped her jaws and stomped her right forepaw, tossing a drop of her icy blood into the air. It landed just an inch short of Lilly’s forepaws.

“Please…there’s been enough pain,” Lilly managed, her bangs shifting slightly. “Please, we can help you. You just have to-”

Lilly stepped back as the White Wolf stomped her left forepaw, knocking another drop of blood in her direction. Garth moved to Lilly’s right and pressed his left forepaw against her back.

“Run!”

Garth shoved Lilly towards the ascending path as the White Wolf lunged at the space she previously occupied. The White Wolf immediately whirled onto Garth, who leapt and brought his forepaws down onto her head. Garth slammed her jaw against the ground and stomped on her back. Lilly scrambled back onto her paws at the sound of the White Wolf’s groans, and she readied to charge the feral lupine in defense of her mate. Garth tumbled forward as the White Wolf rose and flung his hindlegs off her back. He flipped over, his hindlegs landing a few inches from Lilly’s face as she stepped back. The White Wolf recovered and spun around with her teeth snapping as usual. Garth slid to the left, barely avoiding her muzzle and scratched forepaws she brought down.

Lilly jumped forward and slammed directly into the White Wolf, sending her tumbling backwards. Garth rolled onto his side and got to his paws. The couple’s emerald and purple eyes met for a moment before they broke into a run. A loud and ominous howl echoed behind them as soon as they had reached the next level of the ascending path. Taking a deep breath, Lilly and Garth broke into an Alpha’s sprint, kicking up lingering dirt and pebbles in their wake. The white Omega’s heart pounded in her chest as the adrenaline kicked in, forcing her legs to keep running. Another loud and ominous howl echoing closer behind them gave further motivation.

***