as the lightning flashed again- they could see why. A huge wave had formed before them, rising up higher than any had before and they were too late to get out of the way. Then ithappened.

It crashed down upon them- splintering the ice buoy they'd clung to and forced Aleu and Niju apart. They reached wildly for each other underwater, but the boiling current sent them tumbling apart. In an instant he'd been forced to break his promise. He rocketed to the surface by his own propulsion and called out to her. She sounded back- farther away than before. Over the crash of the waves around him- he couldn't make out what she was desperately screaming to him. "Aleu! I'm coming back for you!"

He didn't know how he could help her or himself by finding her in the storm, but they'd figure it out. He called out once again after making his way to the surface. "Aleu!" She sounded distant through the booms of thunder. He heard her call out his name, but she was cut off suddenly.

Another wave sent him under as it hit him square on. When he surfaced, he thrashed wildly, searching for her form or voice anywhere in the chaotic waters. He heard nothing and saw even less as he was thrown about like a ragdoll by the sea. He. Would. Find. Her.

He collided with something heavy against his head. Instinctually he hauled himself onto the object- but it pitched violently and he was thrown under. He groped through the waters, and found it once more. This time he just held on with his upper body. He'd found another icefloe that the storm hadn't destroyed.

Niju called out to Aleu one more, but received no answer, but he tried again and again- his eyes searching madly for any glimpse of her. He continued to strain his ears for any sign of her- even as the sea began to grow calm once again and the booming stopped. The rain stilled to a drizzle, and then nothing.

The sea stilled eerily around him, and the clouds began to dissipate one by one. Just how cold that water was began to gnaw at him as the stars were born from what were once dark clouds. He didn't think about swimming back, he knew he was trapped.

His rage with the halfbreed dissolved along with his body heat. She didn't foresee the storm- which meant Aniu hadn't helped her. She was just as lost as he was, now, guideless and not trusted with power that should "rightfully" be hers. He knew the bitter taste of that sentiment.

The fall of night and rise of the moon didn't deter him. The cold of the water was becoming overwhelming now- Niju could feel a shiver set in. He stopped calling out and paddling the icefloe madly, his eyes, however, never stopped their search as he floated along. Time passed slowly as the night wore on. His back legs were numb, and felt unmovable now, so he just floated on.

He briefly thought about falling asleep, but whatever was left of his commonsense told him he would never wake again if he did that. He felt fairly sure his luck had run out, but he'd had a promise to keep. His fate wouldn't be so unbearable if he could just fulfill that one last thing. It wasn't in Niju's nature to break promises. His father had called him a liar and a schemer, and Niju would rather face death than let his father be right about him. If he didn't keep a promise, then what made him anything but a liar?

He wondered if Nava had reflected like this, before his passing. Niju wondered if Nava had anything he'd left unfinished or unfulfilled, ever, in his entire life.

Knowing Nava, he was probably perfectly content- but then Niju remembered with what frantic urgency Nava had sent him out to "find a new light." It occurred to Niju, he might never figure out what those cryptic words meant, but right now finding Aleu was more important. Before Niju could make the coherent connection, he saw some movement ahead.

Among what appeared to be fragments of ice much too small to float on, he could make out a figure. The figure of his greatest struggles and his greatest triumphs…None other than Aleu.

She was clinging to an icefloe that was barely big enough, but she was clearly alive- or so he thought. He tested his voice quivering with the cold. "Aleu?"

Aleu and Niju

Night upon the Frozen Sea

He had found her. Her eyes weakly lit up in the moonlight as they grazed over him. She was huddled onto an ice floe that was smaller than his. She was shivering violently as she instinctively let go of hers and clung onto his. She could barely paddle with just her front legs, but she somehow managed.

The floe tipped and swayed violently, so neither of them could actually get onto it from the water, now that both of their blacklegs were so stiffly rigid and freezing, plus the exhaustion that set in after the storm, they weren't sure they could, anyways. She held on right next to him. He swore he could feel her warmth through the numbness and her clouded breath melted the faint ice crystals forming on his whiskers.

"So mutt, I guess thi-this is how it always is going to be, huh?" Niju shivered and stammered through his words, but he regarded her with a rare smile.

Aleu nodded, the moon on the water was the same rich blue as her eyes. "Ye-yeah. We m-make some te-team, huh?"

He could only nod at that. "W-we certainly do."

Even in this state, she knew she should be asking for favors. But knowing what the future had in store for them, she was clear headed now. He didn't really let go- he didn't forget her. In this whole wide sea, he was fated to find her again. Knowing her life was meant to go like this, let her accept the fact that her life was drawing to an end. She didn't know if he was ready to accept it; she'd lead him into this, but he still came back for her, just like he had promised in the heart of the storm. "Ni-Niju?"

"Hmph?" His breath was a blue cloud as the moon illuminated it.

"I-I just wanted to s-say thanks." When he gave her his best attempt at a confused glance she covered her small paw over his. "I-I have never been s-so close to knowing who I am than I a-am right now." She finished the last sentence in one exhale as to minimize her trembling stutter.

They both knew this wasn't the first time they had been tested by the elements as a team, only to be thrown together at the end, barely alive- but somehow together. "O-our luck m-may have r-run out this t-time…But I know w-we were f-fated to be in th-this as a clan. Aniu h-hasn't f-forgotten m-me or you. S-she planned i-it to be th-this way."

She gave him a frozen grin, her teeth appeared blue in the moonlight. Ice crystals were faintly present on her cheeks. His warming breath melted them and her muzzle was near his ear when she whispered. "N-Niju…I-I know I c-can surv-vive when you're w-with m-m-me." She needed to speak while she could, the shivering was getting stronger. She needed him to know. One more favor.

"I-I know Aniu is with m-me. D-Don't leave h-here without me." She trembled into him, her voice quivering. She felt as if it was no longer Niju beside her, not the Niju she was familiar with.

"A-Aniu or not…You have m-my word." Niju's voice was shaky, but his promise wasn't. They would join Aniu and Nava together.

"Aleu! L-look!" Niju rose his head to the sky as the dark waters around them were suddenly aglow. Aleu could only manage a gasp. Unless her eyes had failed her- there were the aurora borealis.

The most beautiful lights imaginable lit up the sky with violent shades of green with faint pink, purple and blue hues that stretched far into the lonely atmosphere above. Aleu sighed contentedly. She had no more will to fight for her life and neither did he. So, it seemed that whatever was left of their time here was to be full of the splendor of Aniu's wonders and the company of each other. Her body was numb to its own freezing by now, but her heart felt warmth spreading. Dying alone would be such an awful fate; she thanked Aniu she wouldn't have to be alone.

"Th-they're beautiful." She shivered, a little dazed and distant. She wondered how long she might have to view them before the world would go dark.

Being on the edge had put them closer and weakened their barriers and inhibitions. It made them raw and exposed their kinder natures like nothing else could. Niju felt the warmth inside difficult to fathom. Bu it didn't matter now.

"Y-yes. Be-beautiful." His gaze was no longer on the lights, but rather upon the way the lights reflected in her eyes and the way they illuminated her face in a way the moon couldn't. He wondered if he should ask Aleu to rest her muzzle against his and close their eyes together. He shook fiercely and she scooted until she could move no closer. They faced the lights which seemed to intensify in their luster suddenly.

They were both startled and jolted violently when their floe struck against something. Something much larger.

They faced forward and their gaze was rewarded with the sight of a much larger ice floe. They couldn't believe their eyes. They even hesitated at swimming for it- being so ready for the welcome oblivion. It occurred to Aleu that Aniu might have changed her plans, or they just got lucky, if it wasn't already too late.

After exchanging glances and reaching an understanding, they made a swim for it. Their movements were jerky seeing as their back legs were currently fairly rigid and their front paws were shaking violently but they finally made it over. Clambering on top of the slippery-but-solid-and-steady floe was a different story. Aleu made it a few feet, but her small front claws were not sufficient without