No! I can't lose! Not now! Kalil thought as he desperately tried to get Tychon off of him, but his efforts did nothing. Tychon laughed at Kalil's fruitless attempts to make him stop and then caught another scent on Kalil's pelt. He sniffed again, not knowing who the scent belonged to, but had a good idea of what it belonged to. It's a sweeter scent... a female... So, you got yourself a girl just in time for your death, eh brother? Tychon thought and decided to torment Kalil a bit before he died. "Don't worry Kalil, after I take care of you, Najan will be joining you shortly..." he whispered down to his brother. Kalil felt himself go pale, not only due to lack of oxygen, but because he knew he'd fail Najan if he died. "Oh, and don't worry about your girl..." Tychon said, "Once you're gone, I'm sure she'll forget about you once she meets me... We'll be very close, I'm sure of it..." Kalil then felt an anger and an energy like he never felt before. Adrenaline pumped through his body in a greater amount as he thought back to Najan and Kelia. I won't fail them! he thought and growled loudly. "You... will... not... touch... them!" he choked out and kicked Tychon in the side of his muzzle. Tychon fell to the ground due to the force of the attack and got to his feet the same time Kalil did, but something was different about Kalil. He'd gotten his oxygen back, but now he had renewed anger and vigor, more than enough to continue their fight.

Kalil quickly rammed into Tychon again and clawed at his muzzle as his brother tried to get up. Tychon shouted in pain and fell back to the ground. Kalil took this moment and grabbed his brother by the back of his neck, tossing him roughly through the fog, hearing him hit the rocky ground with a force he never knew he could inflict. Tychon rolled until he stopped at the edge of the cliffside, looking back as Kalil padded through the mist up to him. The sun began to peek over the horizon, shining light on their battleground and evaporating the fog. Kalil glared at Tychon, who now lay bloodied and weakened at the same edge he'd pushed Kalil and Najan off. "Please, brother, have mercy!" Tychon begged, but swallowed hard as Kalil took two more steps forward, not weakening his glare. "You have two choices Tychon," Kalil stated, "You may come back with me and you will be put on trial for your crime or I can kill you now. What is your choice?" Tychon;s mind raced rapidly and he spotted a pile of dust near his paws. "I've found a third option brother..." Tychon replied, placing his paw in the dust, "I can kill you!"

The moment Tychon stopped speaking, he flung the dust up into Kalil's eyes. Kalil shouted in pain and was temporarily blinded. Tychon took this advantage and tackled Kalil, pinning him again. Kalil's eyes finally resumed their normal state and he saw Tychon standing over him, ready to deliver the fatal strike. Before Tychon could move, Kalil bit his paw and reversed the pin, growling furiously at his brother. He bit into Tychon's paws and broke them, hearing Tychon scream out in agony. "Brother... please... Spare me..." Tychon pleaded once more, but knew after his last stunt, Tychon knew he had no chance. Kalil just glared at him and put his muzzle close to Tychon's ear. "Goodbye Tychon..." Kalil said, reciting Tychon's words to him before he tried to kill them. Before Tychon could even open his mouth, Kalil bit down into his throat, ripping away and quickly climbing off, not wanting to look at his mutilated brother. Tears began to fall from Kalil's eyes, glad that justice had found it's way, but sorrowful that he'd lost his brother. Kalil grabbed Tychon's body and began his way back to his waiting family.

Niran sat by the entrance of their den, watching the sun rise over the hills of the horizon. He sighed heavily, hoping that Kalil was still alive. Please be safe, Kalil... he thought and turned around when he hears someone approaching him. He smiled warmly when he recognized Lunera and nuzzled her affectionately, knowing full-well that she was just as worried as he was. "Do you think he's alright Niran?" she asked him in a whisper. Niran looked into her tear-filled eyes and smiled. "Yes, my love, I'm sure he's fine... I can feel it..." he replied, knowing that he might never see his son again, "Knowing that boy, Kalil's probably-" "Kalil's right here..." came a familiar voice and the two turned to see Kalil, battle-worn and exhausted, blood staining his paws and muzzle. Beside him lay the corpse of Tychon. Lunera wept, both joyfully and sorrowfully and nuzzled Kalil, happy he was alive, but refused to look at Tychon's body. Niran, however, did and sighed heavily. "At least justice was done..." he said and Kalil nodded, looking at his mother. "Mom, you're acting like I was the one who lost! I'm still alive! I'm here, and I won't be leaving again!" he said, trying to cheer his mother up, when another voice was heard. "Oh my God, Kalil!" Kalil looked up and saw Kelia running up to his side. She nuzzled him affectionately and sighed with relief. "We weren't sure if you had won or lost. I was so worried for you..." Kalil gently kissed her cheek and smiled warmly at her. "I won... It's over..." Kelia smiled back and nodded. "Yes, it is..." she replied and groaned before falling to her stomach.

"Kelia, what's wrong?" Niran asked instantly and looked at Kalil. "I'm... not sure..." she said between groans of pain, "I've... been like this... for the past... few days..." "It's only in the morning though," Kalil explained, unsure of what was wrong, "From noon onward, she's fine. Only in the morning is she violently ill like this..." Lunera looked from Kelia, to Kalil, to Niran. "Do you think that-" Niran asked, but Lunera cut him off. "It could be... I'll find out. Come on, Kelia dear, come with me..." Lunera said and helped Kelia to her feet, leading her off into a separate room of their den. "Dad? What's wrong with her? I love her, I don't want to lose her!" Kalil said urgently. Niran chuckled and placed a paw on his son's shoulder. "Son, if my guess is right, Kelia, and even yourself for that matter, will be more than alright! But for now son, don't worry about that... Your adventure is over, your troubles are gone... You are now, once more, the rightful heir to the Sanarin Pack..."

The End

Epilogue

Hundreds of miles south of Sanarin Territory, a meeting was held in a dark forest. "Aran, in light of recent events, it has fallen to you to take the position as Alpha of the Bloodpelt Pack," the elder wolf said, "Since the Alpha had no offspring, it falls to the Beta to take his place. You, Aran, are now the leader of the BloodPelts. All hail Aran!" All around Aran, howls of congratulations were heard from his fellow packmates. "Thank you, and now for my first act as Alpha..." Aran said, an evil smile on his muzzle, "I never drop a grude, I never forget a vendetta. A wolf owes me blood, owes us, the mighty Bloodpelts blood! We shall hunt that wolf down and slay him to return honor to our name! We shall begin the hunt for the gray wolf who headed north. The gray wolf who, as of now and until his death, shall be known as a mortal enemy of the Bloodpelt Pack!"