adult female wolf already…”

“Look who’s talking…” Krystal remarked, looking over Rallan again, “The last time I saw you I thought you’d been well-built, but now you’re even stronger than before! You’ve also gotten a couple new scars… But you’ve definitely gotten bigger… An adult male wolf already… Seems like only yesterday I was pinning a smaller you down in the snow…”

“I’ll get you back for that, too…” Rallan said, grinning playfully, “Count on it, Krystal…”

“I’ll keep my eyes on you then, hot shot…” Krystal replied in the same playful tone, “Once my ankle heals that is…”

“Just let it rest… It should be healed within a day to a week…” Rallan stated calmly, looking around her den, “It looks like this place has been used for a while… How long have you been here?”

“About a month…” Krystal answered, giggling at Rallan’s surprised look, “Hey, you haven’t been the only one doing your fair-share of traveling…”

“But why’d you leave the Lylrite Pack, Krystal? I thought you loved it there…” Rallan said, clearly confused by her actions, “How long have you been out in the world, and what caused you to leave?” Krystal sighed softly and shook her head slowly.

“I left the Lylrite Pack because my father and I had very different views on things and there was nothing left for me there…” Krystal answered softly, looking down at her paws, then back up at Rallan again, “And I’ve been out of the Lylrite Pack just a month after you had left…”

“A month after I was thrown out?! God, Krystal… I thought you’d only been out for a year!” exclaimed a very surprised Rallan, “What the hell did your father do that caused you to want to leave so badly?!”

“Well, granted, it wasn’t all my father’s doing… Most of it was because of me and my beliefs and feelings…” Krystal explained serenely, “But it doesn’t really matter anymore… I left and I’m out here… But at least I managed to find you again…”

Krystal smiled up at Rallan, who returned her smile as well. Everything was silent for a long time before Rallan glanced outside. The moon was beginning to rise and night was taking over the forest. He sighed quietly and turned to Krystal.

“Well, it’s getting dark… We should probably get some sleep… After all, rest will help your leg…” Rallan said, beginning to lie down.

“Oh no you don’t… You’re not about to sleep on the floor when the bedding is big enough for both of us…” Krystal said with a smile. Rallan gave her a slightly amused look.

“Krystal, do you really think that’d be proper to be sleeping together like that?” he asked. She merely shrugged and smiled again.

“Why on Earth wouldn’t it be? It’s not like we’re doing anything else but sleeping, right?” she pointed out, then grinned slightly, “Besides, we used to fall asleep next to one another as pups and we did earlier down by the river. It’s nothing romantic or anything like that… We’re just friends.”

Rallan thought to himself for a moment, then nodded slowly. She was right, after all. They were just friends, nothing more. Slowly getting up again, he walked over onto the soft bedding of brush and lay down upon it. He sighed softly as his body relaxed on the vegetation, the soft feeling nearly putting him to sleep by itself. Krystal smiled at him and chuckled.

“Goodnight Rallan…” Krystal said before lying back down.

“Goodnight Krystal…” Rallan replied. His brown eyes slowly slid closed and darkness engulfed his mind, slowly pulling him into a deep, peaceful slumber…

            Drake had only been able to see an infinite void of black darkness for the longest time since his run-in with Rallan. At first, he’d thought Rallan had killed him, but when the bright light failed to appear, he knew he was only temporarily unconscious. However, the darkness suddenly broke into dim, silvery light as something cold, wet, and liquid-like was thrown across his torso and head. He coughed and sputtered as he woke up, seeing first the disapproving scowl of Rayne, following by the shocked look of Hunter, followed by another rush of cold as a clear liquid was thrown across him.

Drake quickly scrambled about on the ground before getting up into a sitting position, looking around at his new environment. They were all now beside the river they’d first spotted Rallan at. The sky had long-since darkened into a clear, starry night sky, the moon setting the forest into a silvery light. Valley stood in the river, throwing yet another wave of water onto the dazed and notably soaking wolf. Drake growled lowly and glared at Valley.

“Splash me again and I’ll personally tear your paws from your legs…” he threatened, looking around, “What the hell happened? Where am I?”

“I could ask you the same question, Drake…” Rayne said distastefully, the harsh tone in her voice sending chills of fright down Drake’s back, “Tell me Drake, did I not tell you to keep your guard up and stay alert for anything?”

“Uh… Uh, yes Lady Rayne, you did…” Drake responded sheepishly, his ears lowering back slightly in embarrassment. Rayne’s expression stayed the same dark, angry way it had been since he’d woken up.

“Then how the hell did Rallan manage to knock you unconscious and get away without any trace of him being found?!” Rayne nearly shouted, her voice causing a flock of nearby birds to evacuate a tree and fly off in fear. Even Drake swallowed hard and nearly fell backward.

“H-he snuck up on me, Lady Rayne! He and that friend of his! They jumped me form behind a bush and knocked me out! It wasn’t my fault, I swear!” Drake said quickly, taking a few slow steps backward. Rayne growled and advanced on him at the same pace.

“I don’t care whose fault it was! All I know is that you let my damn murderer of a brother get away!” Rayne said fiercely, her white fangs bared as she pushed Drake to the ground and placed a paw on his chest, her muzzle dangerously close to his throat, “That bastard always got everything in life and I would have gotten nothing had Dad not trained me somewhat as well… I refuse to let him get away with murder as well…”

Drake whimpered softly as he heard Rayne’s deadly growls, signaling she was just about ready to kill him, as well. His eyes closed tightly as he waited for her to just lose all self-control and kill him- but her fatal strike never came. After a few minutes, the growling subsided as well. Drake opened one hazel eye slowly, and then the other as he saw Rayne still holding him down, but she’d now reared up to her full height again. Her cold stare burned holes into his face, like orbs of icy fire.

“Be thankful for your impressive fighting skills, Drake… They’re the only thing keeping you alive right now…” Rayne hissed lowly, climbing off of him and pacing back and forth, “This is just perfect… Now we have no idea where to even begin looking for him again!”

“I do!” Drake said, sitting up slowly, his guard up in case Rayne did anything again, “He went across the river… That way…” Drake pointed off in the direction he’d seen Rallan run off in. Rayne followed the path with her eyes and a grin slowly spread across her muzzle, her eyes lighting up again.

“Perhaps you’re not as useless as I thought you were, Drake…” Rayne said, both complimenting and condescending, “Alright, at daybreak, we move out! We have no idea where he is and it could take us a while to find him again! But mark my words; we will find him again…”

Drake, Hunter, and Valley all nodded. They then curled up and fell asleep on the soft grass on the bank of the river. Rayne, however, stayed awake a little while longer, her icy-blue eyes glaring off through the forest where her brother had run off. All her intentions ran through her mind even as she lay down and fell asleep as well…

            Rallan tossed and turned about in his slumber, shaking and shivering, whimpering with fright. Once more, he was locked in a subconscious battle with his father, a battle he was somehow, once again, losing… He yelped both in his nightmare and in real life as Typhoon’s fangs sank into his left shoulder and he pulled him to the ground. Rallan lay bleeding on the dark forest floor. Typhoon growled and rolled Rallan onto his back, exposing the weak wolf’s vital spot.

“Why are you doing this Dad?” Rallan asked faintly, sorrowful and remorseful looks in his brown and gold eyes. Typhoon smirked and growled again.