Yakone said.

Haywire hesitated. Then, he nodded. He turned around, then sprinted as fast as he could, following the bloody trail laid out ahead.

Drifter skidded across the ground and whimpered. When he got up, he could see the ledge he fell over...those so many years before. He tried to concentrate on the fight. As Tonrar rushed at him with full speed. He jumped out of the way, and slashed back as Tonrar landed. One of his claws cut across Tonrar’s leg. Tonrar snarled and lashed at him with his teeth. They clamped down on Drifter’s neck, and Tonrar shoved him back. When Drifter landed with a painful thud, he fell unnervingly close to the ledge.

Tonrar slowly walked closer to Drifter, who was struggling to get up.

“Come on, Drifter!! Get up!! GET UP!!” Blitz yelled to him.

Drifter couldn’t hear over the roar of the waterfall. He trembled as he got on his last legs, and faced Tonrar again.

Tonrar was now in front of Drifter, and the bottomless pit was also behind him.

Drifter was trapped...again. But looking around, he realized he had fallen once again in the danger zone. The patch of ice that almost took Ambyr and Blitz’s lives was now about to take his. The crack became bigger. Drifter couldn’t move, or he’d surely fall off with the rest of the ledge crushing him at the bottom. “Tonrar...stop, don’t come any closer!!”

“Doesn’t this just bring back memories?” Tonrar growled in a low voice.

Drifter slowly took a step back, and a few pebbles were knocked off the cliff. That was his last step. He turned around and growled at Tonrar. Tonrar started moving in closer...but he didn’t seem to notice the large crack in the ground. He stopped after just entering the danger zone.

“Death by irony,” Tonrar snickered. “I love it!!” And then, he dove for him.

...And that was it.

Just as Tonrar’s paws lifted off the ground, a deafening roar split the air as the chunk of ice now broke completely off of the ledge. Drifter quickly jumped to the side, avoiding, Tonrar’s attack, but the gap between him and solid ground was quickly getting bigger. Not taking a second longer, Drifter dashed forward, and leapt up in the air.

He just narrowly cleared the gap.

The chunk of ice was still starting to cascade downward, and Drifter turned his head to see that Tonrar was still on it. With a look of sheer surprise mixed with some small amount of fear, Tonrar turned around, and also dashed forward, leaping across the gap that had now doubled in size after Drifter.

...He didn’t make it.

Tonrar’s claws raked the edge of the cliff, but it wasn’t enough to keep him in place. He clawed frantically at it, but he soon found himself falling...falling...falling.

...And then he stopped.

A sharp pain in his paw shot throughout the rest of his body. He looked up to see Drifter snarling as he caught a hold of Tonrar’s paw in his mouth.

For what seemed like the first time, Tonrar whimpered.

Drifter grunted heavily as he tried desperately hard to pull his brother back on, but he was much heavier then Blitz was.

Seeing what had happened, Blitz ran to Drifter’s side. “Gimmie your paw!!” he called down to him.

Tonrar tried reaching his other paw to him, and Blitz extended his arm, trying to grab it.

...But their reach fell short.

Blitz’s fingers brushed against Tonrar’s. “Just a little farther!!”

Drifter now had his eyes closed, his face twisted in pain, as he was now starting to get dragged closer and closer to the cliff’s edge. He yelped lightly in surprise as Tonrar’s paw began to slip out.

“COME ON!!!” Blitz shouted at him.

Tonrar’s paw slipped farther. Drifter had to ground his paws in the snow to avoid falling over.

Blitz and Tonrar’s finger’s touched again...and that was the last time it happened.

Tonrar’s paw slid out of Drifter’s mouth, and he whimpered as he aimlessly tried to grab him again...but he was too late.

Tonrar’s yell echoed throughout the night as he slowly disappeared down the waterfall.

There was no nauseating sound...just the rush of water pouring down. Drifter and Blitz stood there, staring sadly down at the spot where Tonrar faded into the darkness.

It was then, that Drifter released a mournful howl at the sky. It shattered the wind, cracked the moon, and made the stars shiver as it echoed throughout all of Alaska. It was a long howl. One Blitz thought would never end. Blitz lowered his ears, and looked at the ground, wondering which emotions to feel.

Once it ended, Drifter resumed staring blankly at the pit below. But rustling noise in the forest made him turn his head.

Haywire, Iqniq, and Yakone walked from the tree line. They all stared at Drifter, and Drifter returned their gaze. Even without words, all three of them knew what had happened.

“Haywire...it’s Iqniq and Yakone!!” exclaimed Blitz.

Haywire shook his head. “It’s alright.”

Drifter looked deep in Haywire’s eyes. “Is... Ambyr...?”

Haywire blinked. “Ambyr’s being treated back in town...she’s going to be alright.” He looked at the two wolves behind him. “She never would’ve made it without Iqniq and Yakone.”

The two wolves bowed their heads. Drifter looked at them, shocked, then...he bowed back.

“She told me everything.”

Blitz cocked his head.

“Then you know,” Drifter said. “It never would’ve worked out anyway.”

Haywire stared at the ground. “...Yeah...” He then turned to Iqniq and Yakone. “Drifter’s your leader now.” Looking at Drifter, he delivered a silent message. They need you...like Ambyr needed you.

Drifter took one last look at the waterfall’s shadowy depths. Then, he turned to Haywire and nodded slowly. He got up, and walked over to them.

“It’s been...quite the experience,” he said. And he put a paw on Haywire’s shoulder. He looked at Blitz, and then did the same. “I...want to thank you both...for everything.”

Haywire returned a paw back on Drifter’s shoulder, and stared him in the eye. There was a fire inside...but not a raging inferno...a calm, kindling one...almost comforting. Haywire’s paw fell back to the ground as Drifter turned around, and saw his pack members.

Iqniq and Yakone bowed again, then silently retreated back into the forest. Drifter began to follow. Drifter was about to follow, but he then turned again to Haywire. “...Don’t tell Ambyr.”

“Don’t worry,” he replied. “She already knew.”

Drifter blinked. Then, he nodded, and disappeared into the thicket...then, he was gone.

Blitz then turned to Haywire. “You feeling okay?”

Haywire nodded...then he wagged his tail. “I’m good...you?”

Blitz gave him a look. “I’m still trying to figure out what you two were talking about.” Haywire chuckled. “No, seriously!! Don’t you be keeping secrets too, Haywire!!”

Haywire laughed and ground his paw on the top of Blitz’s head. “Come on, lap dog...I’ll tell you on the way back.”