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I've read Volume 1 I don't know how many times and I still love it! Can't wait for Volume 2. Keep up the great writing!

From all the stories that I've read by you, they are all so great. I have no intentions for this story to be a disaster! Keep on writing!

Attention everyone who reads this trilogy:

I've selected a month that the final volume of The Chronicle of Rallan will be released. Volume III shall be released sometime in May of this year. I thank everyone for waiting patiently for this climactic finish and I hope that the final volume will be just as exhilerating, if not more so, than its predecessors. Until then, adieu.

-- Balto5670

Good thing you didn't set an exact date, otherwise i'd probably start counting them down.

OMG! I can't wait!

Oh, and if anyone who's watching this topic has been interested or imagined what Rallan looked like, I finally have a drawing of him up!

http://baltosource.timduru.org/board/viewtopic.php?p=420779#420779

So sorry for the double post, but I've just put up a new art contest based upon The Chronicle of Rallan: Volume III. If there's any artists interested, here'd the link to it.

Help Create Rallan's New Cover!

After a long wait, I give you Chapter 1 of the grand finale of The Chronicle of Rallan.
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All I can feel is the cold around me… It shrouds my body and my soul; my very being in its frosty cloak… The cold of scorn, of despise… Of hate. All I can feel is the cold around me… No more warmth of comfort, of joy… Of love. It’s all gone. It has been gone for so long now, I can’t even remember… Was I ever happy? Was I ever wanted? Was I ever loved? I don’t recall… I see their faces, scorning me for being me… For doing what I knew was right… All I can feel is the cold around me… The world’s no longer warm with glee, the waters no longer pure with liberty… They were tainted terribly when I was convicted wrongly… My life’s been cursed by her… My own family hunts me down like a murderer… I am a murderer… I regret nothing… All I can feel is the cold around me… All I can feel… Cold…








Chapter 1




The warm wind blew gently through the trees of the forests, over the grasses of the plains, and over the waters of the rivers and lakes. Flowers swayed back and forth slowly, multicolored petals taking in the Sun’s light. Birds sang their songs with blissful ignorance as to what was going on down on the grounds beneath them…

Through the trees, four wolves ran as fast as they could. Two were light gray in color, the other two a shade of earthly brown. The group’s leader’s piercing ice-blue eyes shot through the trees until the familiar sound of rushing water was heard. They group jerked left and ran through more trees until they came to the bank of a large rushing river.

The leader ran right to the edge, nose sniffing about for one specific scent. One of the brown wolves sighed heavily and shook his head.

“Rayne, just give up sniffing the water… You wouldn’t find him even if he has been here… His scent would be hidden by the water…” Rayne’s vicious glare turned on the wolf and he recoiled slightly.

“Listen Drake, I don’t give a d*mn about what you have to say about this… You’ll follow my orders until we find him and tear him limb from limb, understood?” Rayne snapped back, looking back over the water, “He must have drifted farther downstream… We cannot lose him… He’s a wanted murderer and it’s our law-bound duty to hunt him down… Let’s keep moving!”

The other three wolves nodded and stood fully at attention as Rayne looked over the river one more time. She followed its bends with her eyes before turning swiftly and dashing off through the forest. Behind her, her group quickly caught up and followed her lead through the forest. You won’t get away again, Rallan… Rayne thought bitterly to herself, eyes burning with determination.




“Tell me, Rayne, can you sniff out a wolf through water? You’d better hope you can, or else you’ll never see me again!”

That was the last thing Rallan remembered saying before he did it. He jumped; he jumped off the cliff and fell, fell down and down until he hit the water. It had felt like thousands of knifes had hit his body all at once. Almost immediately, he’d lost all the air in his lungs as the raging river rushed him downstream. Kicking and sputtering, Rallan had fought to stay above the surface before getting pulled under again, taking short breaths of air whenever he could to stay alive.

That had been nearly half an hour ago… Now the wolf that was Rallan drifted slowly beneath the water’s surface, his body limp and unmoving. His gold and brown eyes were glazed over, the sure-sign that he was dying. The river’s current had been much stronger than he had anticipated and he’d lost the battle with it a couple minutes ago, and now he floated underwater as he had been rushed along.

However, the current had died down now where he was, but he didn’t have enough energy or oxygen to swim back to the surface. His eyes looked up at the reflecting sunlight on the surface, his vision beginning to blur and his lungs burning from lack of air. This is it then… Rallan thought dimly, To die… like this… I’d never thought that…

But before Rallan could finish that thought, his body drifted onto a shallower part of the river. He could feel the gravelly rocks of the river’s bottom beneath his paws. A short burst of adrenaline shot through him at this feeling. Slowly, his paws gripped the rocky floor as he pushed himself upward; praying to God that he’d made the right move. Fortunately, he did…

Rallan’s head burst above the surface, gasping desperately as air began to rush into his lungs once again. He began coughing terribly, swimming weakly to the shore of the now-calm river. Even this seemed to be a challenge for him though, since he was still trying to regain his lost oxygen. A few moments later, Rallan’s paws touched the dry bank of the river, a feeling he first thought was a dream. He looked up, half expecting to see Heaven, but only saw the trees of the forest.

He panted heavily, golden eyes staring intently at the treeline of the large forest standing before him. Slowly, a weak, triumphant grin spread across his muzzle at the sight before him. To anyone it’d seem like a rather plain sight, but to Rallan at this moment it looked like the most brilliant thing he’d ever seen in his entire life. Rayne was nowhere to be seen and her scent wasn’t anywhere either. In fact, there were little to no scents around here, something the drenched wolf was very thankful for.

“So maybe… luck… didn’t abandon… me…” Rallan murmured frailly to himself, chuckling softly before sighing and falling to his side. He was utterly and completely spent from the struggle for his life with the river.

Rallan’s vision was beginning to blur and get darker once more. He knew that this time, however, he’d at least live once he blacked out. Yet despite his lack of strength and energy, Rallan kept that victorious smile on his muzzle, feeling like the luckiest wolf on the whole d*mn planet. With his final few seconds of consciousness, he laughed at the thought of Rayne’s stressed-out look once she’d have lost him. Then Rallan’s eyes slowly closed and his body relaxed as he passed out.

Rallan merely lay there like that for close to an hour, completely unconscious from his lack of energy. The river’s waters gently lapped at his tail and rear legs. The sounds of the gentle breeze and songbirds around him were drowned out and lost, as if they were never there to the wolf lying sprawled out on the shoreline of the brook. A few moments later, the birds stopped their singing as something below on the ground moved.

A gray-pelted wolf slowly made its way through the forest, a distressed look on its face. From a glance at the figure, one could easily tell it was female. Her gray and white coat looked nearly perfect to Rallan’s and they could probably have been mistaken for twins. As she walked on toward the river, she let out a soft sigh of discouragement. So far, her search had gone terribly. Rallan, where on Earth are you? she thought to herself.

As the female wolf approached the river, her gaze drifted up and saw something, or more accurately, someone lying out on the shore. It was another wolf… a wolf with a similar pelt to her. She gasped sharply as her amber eyes scanned the wolf’s body. It was indeed a male, and one that seemed like he’d seen his fair-share of battles. But he wasn’t the same… His body was more defined, as if he’d been trained specifically for battle… or leading a pack.

“No, it can’t be!” she said softly, trotting, and then running up to the unconscious wolf. Though he was completely soaked, his scent was clear and oh-so very familiar.

“It is… It has to be him! Please, tell me I’ve found you at long last…” she said in a very excited and eager voice, gently shaking the wolf. Rallan groaned softly, his body shuddering and his paws twitching slightly as he was woken up. He blinked several times before his eyes opened halfway, showing just how truly energy-deprived he really was. His head rolled slightly so he was now looking up at a gray and white shape, unsure of who or what it was.

“W-who… are you…?” Rallan asked weakly, his voice a little hoarse and very soft. The female gently placed a paw over his muzzle to stop him from using anymore energy that he had to.

“Are… Are you… Rallan…?” the wolf asked. Even though Rallan couldn’t see her, he knew the soft voice was female, and it had a tone that made several bells go off inside his head. He got a confused look as his vision slowly began to clear up.

“Y-yeah… Yes, I am…” Rallan replied wearily, still trying to see who the wolf was.

“It is you! It really is you!” the female said, her voice filled with joy and excitement, “Oh, I can’t believe I’ve finally found you after all these years!” Now Rallan was beginning to get a better idea of who this wolf was. Suddenly, it clicked in his mind. He knew the voice so very, very well. His eyes widened with surprise.

“Krystal?” Rallan asked, his vision finishing clearing up and he could now clearly see an older Krystal sitting beside him, amber eyes filled with happiness and a wide smile on her muzzle.

“Yes Rallan, it’s me…” Krystal replied softly, gently stroking his forehead, “Look at you… You’re not that young wolf I remembered anymore, huh?” She could feel the tears of happiness welling up in the corners of her eyes now that she’d found her dear long-lost friend once again.

“W-what’re you… doing all the way… out here…?” Rallan asked a little louder now, shifting his body slightly, “Shouldn’t you be… back home…? With your… father and mother…? Back at the… Lylrite Pack…?” Once more, Krystal covered his muzzle with her paw to keep him from speaking.

“I’ll tell you once you wake up, Rallan…” Krystal responded, stroking his head gently again, “Now, you need to rest… Go back to sleep…” Once more, Rallan’s eyelids began to drift down to a closed position. The last thing he saw before darkness enveloped him was the smiling face of Krystal, feeling her soft paw gently glide across his forehead.

“Krystal……” Rallan whispered softly, his body beginning to relax for sleep once again, “…… Thank you……”

And with those last few words, Rallan was gone, back into his subconscious dreams while he slept. Krystal smiled down at him as his breathing became somewhat heavier, still petting him softly. Finally, her search had come to a close as she sat there beside the one she’d been searching for, for two long years…

“You’re welcome, Rallan……” Krystal whispered back in the same soft tone. Her paw fell back down to her side as she stood up and lay down beside him, curling her body around his to help him dry off faster and keep him warm from his damp fur. Krystal gave a small smile to his sleeping form before laying her head down next to his and falling asleep as well.




Rallan’s eyes slowly opened up, his vision all brightly-colored blurs for a long while until everything began to settle into proportions, objects retaining their original values and shapes. He was lying in a large open meadow, wildflowers blooming all around him and filling the air with fresh fragrances. The bright sunlight warmed his body as he lay in the soft grass.

Slowly, he stirred and rolled onto his belly, eventually rising to his paws. The gentle breeze made ripples in the grass, causing his coat to sway in the air. He looked around for someone or something familiar, but there was nothing.

“Where the hell am I?” Rallan asked to himself, slowly trotting across the meadow in no particular direction. He sniffed about, but there were no scents besides the flowers.

“Rallan!” came a soft, sweet voice behind him. He turned around and saw Krystal running toward him. Rallan smiled widely and ran toward her in return, the two meeting halfway and Rallan tackled her. Both wolves tossed about in the grass for a while until Rallan finally got the advantage and placed his paws on Krystal’s shoulders, pinning her down to the ground firmly.

“I win…” Rallan remarked with a playful grin. Both he and Krystal chuckled softly as he got off of her. He opened his muzzle to say something else, but a very familiar and unwelcome scent reached his nose. His eyes darkened and widened as he looked up and spotted Rayne. He glared fiercely and growled threateningly at her, his white fangs bright in contrast to his gray fur.

“Rayne… What the hell are you doing here?!” Rallan asked in a furious and deadly voice. Rayne just grinned and scoffed softly.

“You know why I’m here, Rally… I’m here to bring justice to a murderer…” Rayne replied with a voice colder than the winter’s snow. Rallan growled louder and moved to protect Krystal- until he realized Krystal was gone. Rallan looked down where she’d been, but she was gone and all traces of her scent were gone. He glanced up again just in time to see Rayne tackle him.

The two sibling enemies tumbled backward and began to roll down a hill. Rallan and Rayne snapped at one another all the way down. The next thing Rallan knew, he and his sister went off a cliff and went into a free-fall, down and down and down into the infinite darkness below. Rayne lunged for him in mid-air, missing his neck by a few mere inches. He growled viciously and bit back at her, managing to grab her head in his jaws. The two wolves wrestled about as they fell, Rayne’s muzzle biting deep into Rallan’s chest while his fangs sunk into her forehead and partially into the back of her neck.

After several minutes of aerial combat, the two hit ground of a dark forest with a loud thud. Rallan lost all feeling and was forced to release Rayne and she had to do the same to him. They both slowly got back up uneasily, glaring at one another as they got their strength back.

“Just confess, Rallan… I promise you I won’t make you suffer if you do!” Rayne said earnestly. Rallan growled lowly at that statement.

“I won’t confess to something I’ve never done!” he snapped back at her, running forward and lunging for her. Rayne sidled to the side and Rallan missed his target, winding up falling to the ground.

“You’re making this difficult, Rallan… You could have just owned up to what you did and come quietly, but you didn’t…” Rayne said coolly, her eyes as cold as ice, “I offered you an easy way out, but you denied it… Now you’ll regret murdering Dad…”

“I didn’t murder Dad!” Rallan shouted and ran at Rayne. She charged him and they collided in midair. Once more, they began to fall for a few minutes until they hit a snowy ground beneath them. The sudden cold hit Rallan intensely, sending shivers through his body. They were now at a large cliff at the edge of the forest. The snow covered the ground and the trees, the sky above them a dreary gray.

“Give it up Rallan! You can’t win!” Rayne said in a deadly tone.

“I’m never gonna give up…” Rallan said determinedly and rushed at Rayne once more. The female wolf side-stepped at the last possible moment and grabbed Rallan by the shoulder, tossing him toward the edge of the cliff. Rallan almost went over the edge, managing to stop himself just as his front-right and back-right legs began to dangle over the brink. He slowly got back to his feet, glaring at Rayne while panting heavily. Rayne looked over Rallan and sighed heavily.

“Rallan, why the hell won’t you just say you murdered Dad?!” Rayne asked, a look of pure confusion on her face.

“Because I didn’t! I didn’t murder him Rayne!” Rallan shouted again. Suddenly, the ground beneath him shook and he and Rayne looked down beneath his paws. The snowy ledge he was on shook again and began crumbling away, sending Rallan falling off the edge and into a black oblivion far, far below…




Rallan shifted about in his sleep, moaning and murmuring softly to himself. Krystal felt his tossing and turning and slowly woke up as well, looking around in the daze of sleep before looking down at Rallan. She sighed softly and shook her head, seeing him trapped in a nightmare like that. She gently placed her paw on his shoulder and shook him a few times.

“No… No… Aaaah!” Rallan cried out as he suddenly bolted upright, muscles tensed as if he’d been in combat. His gold and brown eyes scanned left and right for his enemy, but she was gone; she had never been there… Rallan sighed heavily and relaxed himself, sitting down once again. He felt a paw on his shoulder and yelped in surprise, falling backward and staring up at the upside-down face of Krystal as he lay on his back. She giggled lightly and flashed him a sweet smile.

“Sorry about that Rallan! I saw you were having a nightmare and I couldn’t help but wake you up…” Krystal explained in a calm tone of voice, “And it looks like I scared you, too!”

“You didn’t scare me Krystal… You just- startled me, is all… I’d forgotten you were here…” Rallan said in his defense. Krystal laughed once again, grinning humorously down at him.

“Startled, eh?” Krystal asked, “So is that why you yelped like a puppy and fell onto your back?”

“Hey, I did not yelp like a puppy!”

“You’re still lying on your back…”

Rallan stared back at her for a moment before he got back up to his paws quickly. He cleared his throat as if nothing had happened and looked back at Krystal, giving her that same good-humored look.

“What’re you talking about? I’m not lying on my back!” he responded, smirking teasingly.

“Oh, so when I was looking down at you, you were sitting upright? I don’t think so…” Krystal retaliated. Rallan chuckled and opened his muzzle to respond to her statement, but froze, his black nose twitching slightly. His head suddenly glanced up the river, a serious look on his face. Krystal slowly lost her smile as well and approached Rallan, standing beside him.

“What is it? Do you smell something?” Krystal asked, but Rallan held up his paw.

“Shh…” he said blatantly, his ears pricked high and his nose twitching slightly every so often.

“What is it you smell? What’s going on?”

“Krystal, shh…” Rallan said again, still looking upriver. Krystal had enough of that response and gave Rallan an annoyed look.

“Listen Rallan, just because you’ve got all the better senses doesn’t mean you can keep all the information to yourself…” Krystal said in an irritated voice, “I have a right to know what’s going on around us as much as you do!”

“D*mn it…” Rallan muttered and jumped into the river, immediately beginning to swim across to the other side as soon as his body hit the cerulean water. Krystal had no idea what he was doing, but jumped in as well and followed him across to the other side. Once they reached the other bank, Krystal looked at Rallan in confusion.

“Alright Rallan, what’s going on?” Krystal asked seriously, but was only answered by Rallan placing his paws on her chest and pushing her into a nearby thicket of shrubs and bushes. Krystal glared at Rallan as he jumped into the bushes as well.

“Rallan, I know I’ve missed you and I’ve been searching for you for two years, but from what you’re doing now, I’m beginning to-” Krystal began, but the rest of her sentence was muffled as Rallan swiftly placed a white paw across her muzzle and held her down, pretty much lying on top of her as well.

“Don’t make a sound or we’re both dead…” Rallan whispered, glancing through a small opening in the bushes out at the opposite bank of the river where the two of them had been lying on only a few minutes ago.

Within five minutes of hiding, Krystal had become fed up with Rallan’s behavior. Just as she was about to push Rallan off of her and yell at him, she saw a group of four wolves appear on the other side of the river. She recognized them immediately as Rayne, Drake, Hunter, and Valley. Rayne sniffed at the spot where she and Rallan had dozed off and growled lowly.

“He’s been here recently! His scent’s all over this spot, along with someone else’s, but I can’t tell who…” Rayne said, looking all around. Drake came up and sniffed the area as well.

“Hmm, I’m not sure who that is either, but that scent there is definitely, without-a-doubt Rallan’s…” he said assuredly, nodding in agreement to Rayne, “If anything, he’s probably jumped in the river and swam downstream, hoping to lose us…”

“The river does get calmer as it goes downstream… He’d have an easier time swimming down there…” Valley pointed out. Rayne thought for a moment then sighed softly.

“Alright, we’ll follow it downstream until we find his scent again… If worse come to worse, we’ll just backtrack here…” Rayne said, standing in her authorative stance, “Move out! We’re losing daylight fast!”

Without another word, she turned and ran southward, followed by Drake, Hunter, and Valley. Rallan waited a couple of minutes before sighing softly with relief. He looked down at Krystal with soft eyes and released her muzzle.

“I’m so sorry about that Krystal… But I couldn’t let them kill us… and if I took the time to tell you what was happening, I could’ve risked our lives by winding up short-handed of time…” Rallan explained softly, “Please forgive me…” Krystal sighed softly and nodded slowly.

“I forgive you, Rallan… I understood from the moment I saw Rayne why you did what you did… I just wish you hadn’t been so forceful with me…” Krystal replied with a soft laugh. Rallan laughed as well.

“Sorry, but I was kinda in a rush to get down and hidden…” he remarked, then looked her over, “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No, you didn’t,” Krystal answered, smiling slightly, “Um, Rallan? Could you- get off of me?” Rallan blinked a few times and grinned sheepishly, his ears lowering in embarrassment as he climbed out of the bushes, followed by Krystal.

“Sorry Krystal… I just knew we had to get as low as possible to stay out of sight, so I-”

“WHERE THE HELL IS HUNTER?! I SWEAR TO GOD, I’LL KILL THAT RAVENOUS B*STARD IF HE MAKES US LOSE THE TRAIL!!!” came the vicious yells of Rayne just before she came into sight again, her back to Rallan and Krystal. From a nearby bush, Hunter came out, a hare hanging from his jaws.

“Sorry Rayne, but we haven’t stopped to eat in nearly five days and I’m starving!” Hunter complained, “Besides, it’s not like Rallan’s… just… gonna…” Hunter froze as he spotted Rallan and Krystal across the river. His jaws dropped open and his kill fell to the rocky bank beneath him. For a moment, everything seemed to freeze as Rayne turned and gasped sharply. Then time picked up again.

“DRAKE!!! VALLEY!!! GET BACK HERE!!! RALLAN’S HERE!!!” she yelled down the river.

“Run…” Rallan said to Krystal before the two turned and bolted off through the forest faster than if there had been a forest fire burning.

“No! Hunter, after them! Do not let them get away from us again!” Rayne ordered. Hunter nodded and growled softly as he dashed into the river, swam across rapidly, and took off after the two fleeing wolves. A moment later, Drake and Valley ran up to Rayne.

“Where’s the fire Rayne?” Drake asked. Rayne glared at him and ran into the river, swimming across.

“It just ran off with Hunter chasing after it! Let’s go!” Rayne shouted back, “We’re not going to let him go!”

“Um, I thought we always wanted fires to go?” Valley asked. Drake glared at him and bopped him on the head.

“It’s a figure of speech, moron!” Drake snapped back, rushing into the river to follow his Alphess’ lead, “Come on! Rayne will have our heads if he lose Rallan again!” Valley didn’t need to be told twice and he was soon across the river as well.

Rallan and Krystal panted as they ran off as fast as they could through the thick woods. Everything was nearly blurs as they ran on and on. After a few more seconds, Krystal looked behind them, then looked at Rallan.

“Rallan, do you even know where we’re going?!” Krystal asked. Rallan shook his head.

“Not a clue… But we’ve at least got to get away from those homicidal maniacs!” he said back to Krystal. After a couple more moments, Krystal’s paw got trapped beneath some gnarled tree roots and she tripped, yelping in shock and pain. Rallan skidded to a halt and ran back to her.

“Are you alright? What happened?” he asked, glancing at her paw before immediately setting to biting through the roots.

“I dunno… I just, kinda tripped…” Krystal answered, feeling completely foolish for messing up like that, “Can you free it? Because if not, just keep going… I’ll stay behind…”

“Nonsense… Just keep calm…” Rallan said, ripping through a couple more roots and gently pulling her paw free, “There you go… Now come on, we’d better high-tail it!” Rallan and Krystal began to run off, but Krystal yelped sharply in agony as immense pain filled her leg when she tried to put it down. Rallan stopped again and went back to her.

“I can’t run anymore… Just get out of here Rallan…” Krystal said, glancing back to make sure Hunter wasn’t nearby.

“Krystal, look at me…” Rallan said, staring into her amber eyes calmly, “No matter how many times you say it, I’m not going to leave my best friend behind… It’s not broken… You probably just sprained your ankle… Come on, I know where it’ll be safe…”

Rallan walked over to a tree and quickly leapt onto it, digging his claws into the bark. He climbed up a short distance and stopped, motioning to Krystal. She walked up to him and climbed up his body without using her hurt leg, Rallan helping her up slightly and soon she reached a branch just out of view. Rallan then dropped down and ran around the nearby area a few times before climbing up and laying on a branch next to Krystal. Both of them were now out of sight…

A minute later, Hunter dashed by beneath them and skidded to a stand-still as he suddenly smelled Rallan’s scent everywhere, but he was nowhere in sight. He searched all around, but the wolf they were hunting was nowhere to be found, despite his scent everywhere.

“Oh jeez… I’m in trouble…” Hunter said to himself as he saw Rayne approaching him with Drake and Hunter. She looked around and then gave Hunter a stern look.

“Alright Hunter, I’ll bite… Why are you just standing around here when Rallan’s scent is everywhere?” Rayne asked, staring Hunter right in the eye, making the larger wolf shiver slightly, “Think carefully… Your life may depend on your answer…” Hunter swallowed hard.

“Uh, w-well Rayne… He’s gone…” Hunter answered, taking a few quick steps backward, “B-but I checked all over! His scent ends here but he isn’t here! He just… vanished…” Rayne snarled furiously.

“That’s not good enough! No wolf just vanishes without a trace!” Rayne said, thinking to herself for a few moments before turning to the others, “Fan out and search the area… And for the love of God, keep your d*mn guard up!”

Drake, Hunter, and Valley nodded before turning and carefully and silently slinking off through the forest. Rayne also began to search, direly desperate to locate her murderous brother. Rallan and Krystal waited silently until the four wolves were gone before Rallan looked at her.

“Do you know of where we should go next?” he asked in a hushed whisper so only she could hear him. Krystal thought for a moment, and then nodded leisurely.

“Yeah… I have a den not far from here… If we can just sneak off toward the west again, I can lead you there… Hopefully, we’ll be able to stay hidden for a while…” Krystal said, glancing down at the ground.

“Alright… Westward bound it is…” Rallan said lowly, glancing down as well, “I’m gonna jump down, then you drop down onto my back, alright?” Krystal nodded in understanding and watched as Rallan stood up and quietly jumped to the forest floor below. He then positioned himself beneath Krystal as she dropped down, landing square on his back. Rallan bucked down slightly under her sudden weight, but quickly stood up again. Krystal didn’t seem to weigh very much to him, but then again he’d gotten rather strong from his years of exile.

“Ok, now hold on tightly…” Rallan said to her as he began to run back toward the river in the west. Though his speed was decreased very slightly from Krystal’s additional weight on him, he still ran pretty fast and stealthily. However, partway there, Rallan froze and quickly ducked behind some bushes, gently lowering Krystal to the ground. Having learned her lesson the first time, Krystal didn’t ask him what was going on.

Everything was dead silent for a long time… Then the sounds of pawsteps began to approach them, getting louder with each second. Within minutes, the light brown form of Drake came into view near the bushes they were behind. Rallan glared slightly and rose up, sneaking silently up to Drake. He tapped his former friend on the shoulder and glared right into his hazel eyes as he turned to face him, a surprised and frightened look on his face.

“Rallan!” Drake managed to say before the gray wolf hit him forcefully on the side of his muzzle, slamming his head into a tree. Drake stumbled and looked up at Rallan again as the wolf slammed his head into Drake’s, knocking him out and sending him to the ground. Rallan shook his head to clear the slight daze his attack caused and walked back to Krystal.

“Alright, he should be out for a short while… Come on, let’s get moving again!” Rallan said, picking Krystal up on his back and running off toward the west. Drake was still barely conscious, watching as the gray wolf ran off. His eyes then drifted slowly to the sky, spotting the afternoon sun. Their target was headed west. With a weak grin of accomplishment, Drake blacked out.

Rallan ran and ran endlessly, ignoring the burning in his lungs as he panted heavily. He knew that if he could at least get across the river safely, they’d be home-free and safe for a while and then he could slow down. Krystal just lay on Rallan’s back, marveling at his strength and stamina. Soon, they arrived at the river and Rallan wasted no time, rushing in and doing his best to swim across with Krystal on his back.

After nearly going under three times, Rallan finally reached the west shore and climbed onto the land, gasping for air as he rested for a few minutes. Krystal smiled down at him and chuckled softly.

“You really didn’t have to carry me all the way, Rallan…” Krystal said humbly. Rallan chuckled breathlessly before answering.

“Yes I did… You were in no condition to be walking anywhere…” Rallan said with another grin. Krystal smiled wider and sighed softly.

“Well, we’re safe for now… Just keep heading west for now… I’ll tell you which ways to go as we go on…” Krystal replied. Rallan nodded in accord and ran off again into the forest, but at a much more decent pace for himself. Now safe, he knew that he and Krystal would be able to have lost Rayne for a good amount of time…

Ah, man. This must be your revenge against me for making you wait longer for DD! It's awesome, really. Your last two were just building up to how good this one is already.

Updated again.
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Chapter 2




It took Rallan roughly about six hours of nonstop running before Krystal finally led him out into a large clearing, a den set into the side of a small hill. To the west were the coastline and an overlooking to view the sea. Just a little bit to the south was a group of hills with huge assortments of wildflowers blooming all over, and to the north was a small river that ran into the larger one to the east. Her den was set at a clearing just at the edge of the forest, so there were trees, but not too many and enough variation of environment to make any wolf think of this place as paradise.

Rallan immediately took Krystal into her den and laid her down on the soft brush she had as bedding. It was easily large enough for two adult wolves and the den alone could hold about four. He sighed softly as he sat down to rest as well, staring at Krystal as she relaxed on her bedding. She glanced at him and locked eyes with him, laughing softly.

“What is it?” she asked, looking at him with interest as he shrugged.

“I’m just thinking about something…” he replied. Now he’d gotten her interested.

“Thinking about what? Me?” Krystal asked, clearly intrigued by what was going on his head.

“Yeah… I was just thinking back to the Lylrite Pack, and what it was like for us back then…” Rallan answered softly, nearly lost in the reminiscing, “We had such fun together as pups and adolescents… But I was always busy training, so we never did get to play much… I can’t believe it’s nearly been two years ago since then…”

“It’ll be two years- when? This winter?” Krystal asked, surprised by this fact as well, “Wow, time sure does fly… It’s mid-summer now and soon it’ll be fall, then winter again…”

“You’ve grown so much since I last saw you…” Rallan said, almost completely oblivious to what Krystal had just said, “An 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 ***** 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 ******* 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.

“Rallan, you killed me… and now, I’m going to destroy your life as well…” Typhoon answered evilly before biting through Rallan’s neck. Rallan gasped and went limp, his vision going completely back as he heard his father’s triumphant laughter ringing in his ears…

“No!” Rallan shouted and shot to his feet, spinning around frantically as he searched for his enemy. Krystal woke up as well and began to look around for any trouble as well. When none was to be seen, she sighed softly and looked at Rallan, who was panting heavily with a look of pure terror on his face.

“Rallan, are you alright?” Krystal asked softly, her eyes warm and empathetic, “You look as if you’ve just seen a ghost or something…” Rallan exhaled heavily and shook his head, lying down again and facing away from Krystal.

“I may as well have…” Rallan murmured sadly, sounding on the verge of depression, “Why does he keep torturing me like this?” Krystal was now greatly confused.

“Who keeps torturing you, Rallan?”

“My father…” Rallan replied neutrally. Now Krystal felt completely lost. Rallan’s father had been dead for years!

“You mean your dead father?” Krystal asked, giving Rallan a strange look, “Rallan, he’s dead… He has been for years now… Someone killed him, remember…” Rallan was shocked beyond belief now. She had been there at his trial and yet even she seemed to believe he didn’t kill Typhoon. But by now, Rallan’s conscience had taken over and had convinced himself he’d been to blame…

“Not someone, Krystal… I did…” Rallan said, not daring to look at her to see her reaction to his words, “I killed my father… Me… I did… I’m a murderer… And if it wasn’t for my mother voting me as Innocent, I would have died that night…” Krystal sighed and shook her head.

“Your mother didn’t vote you Innocent, Rallan…” Krystal corrected. Rallan’s ears and head shot up, staring at Krystal.

“What do you mean?” he asked, clearly perplexed, “So she voted me as Guilty?!” Once more, Krystal shook her head in disproval.

“No Rallan, she refused to vote that night… She didn’t know what to belief and since she had the power of Alpha Female, she refuted her right to vote…” Rallan was flabbergasted by this information, but proceeded to question Krystal.

“Then… Then who voted me as Innocent?” Krystal looked away for a moment, then back to Rallan, blushing slightly.

“I did…”

Rallan stared at Krystal for a long while. All this time, he’d thought everyone except his mother had voted him Guilty. Now that he heard this, he knew that he’d been sorely mistaken in his assumption. He wasn’t saved by his own family, but rather condemned by them! Instead, his life had been spared courtesy of his best friend, the female lying just literally two feet away from him. Krystal hadn’t just been a loyal companion, but now that he knew the truth, she had also become his savior.

“Krystal… Y-you voted me Innocent? You saved my life?” Rallan asked, still bewildered by the sudden burst of information. Even though he asked it, he didn’t need Krystal to confirm it. He knew she was telling the truth, since out of the year he’d known her, she’d never lied once. Krystal’s ears lowered in slight embarrassment as she nodded slowly.

“Yeah… I did… I guess I did save your life, huh?” Krystal replied with a small smile. Rallan didn’t know quite how to react to this.

“Why Krystal? Why did you vote me Innocent?”

“Because I believed you… I believed that you had never intended to kill Typhoon and that it had all been an accident…” Krystal answered softly, “I know you, Rallan… You’re a kind, sweet, gentle wolf who’d never harm anyone unless it was in defense… That’s why I voted you Innocent… Because out of the entire pack, only I could see you were telling the truth…” Rallan stared at Krystal, then beamed widely and pulled her into a grateful hug.

“Thank you so much Krystal… You have no idea how much it means to me that you believed me… That you followed me… That you trust me…” Rallan said softly. Krystal hugged him back, smiling happily to herself. Finally, both their lives were beginning to look up… But it wasn’t easy Rallan… Krystal thought to herself, memories coming back to her…




“Well, at least justice has been done to that ungrateful little *******… He’ll get what he deserves: a swift, painful death out in the wilderness on his own…” Talon said as he paced back and forth inside their den. A year-old Krystal sat against the wall, giving her father an upset look.

“Dad, how could you say such a thing? Rallan’s been my friend since we first met and I know him! He’d never do anything like that!” Krystal argued. Talon shot her an angry look and turned to face her.

“He was turned into a power-hungry little monster by his father! Typhoon had the boy’s best interests in heart and look what the fiend does to him! He’s dead now because of him!” Talon snapped back, “Rallan may have been your friend, but Typhoon was mine and I know him as well! Typhoon would never harm his own flesh and blood like that devil said he did!”

“Stop calling Rallan a devil! He’s not evil or anything like that!” Krystal shouted back, eyes reflecting sorrow and misery, “Rallan didn’t do anything! Why won’t you see that?”

“Krystal, hold your tongue! You’re still young… You have no idea what the world is like!”

Krystal couldn’t believe this was happening. Her own father didn’t believe her either! With tears running down her muzzle, Krystal turned and ran out of the den. Talon watched her and sighed heavily. Desert looked up at her mate and gave him a stern look.

“Talon, that wasn’t right… You shouldn’t have done that to Krystal…” she said, shaking her head.

“Well you know I’m right! You voted Guilty as well!”

“Yes, but I didn’t go yelling at my own daughter for what she thought…” Desert remarked, looking up at Talon again, “Well aren’t you going to go get her back?”

“No… She needs some time alone… Besides, she can’t runaway… The border guards would stop her before she even got past them…” Talon said, lying down beside his mate, “She’ll be back by morning… Trust me…”

Krystal continued running until she came to a stop at the river where Rallan had been so brutally trained for six months. She’d sometimes hide in a tree downwind of them, watching as Captain and Typhoon turned Rallan into the wolf he had become. She collapsed beside the water, tears dampening her fur where they fell. She lay there sobbing for some time before she finally gathered up her strength and stood up again, raising her muzzle to the sky.

“RALLAN!” she called out, desperately hoping he would hear her somehow, “RALLAN!”




The bright orange sun broke through the darkness of night, bringing another warm summer morning across the land. Rallan’s eyes fluttered slightly as he began to wake from his slumber again, a soft, cold feeling pressed against his muzzle. His brow narrowed slightly as he tried to see what it was, his vision finally settling to see it was Krystal! The two wolves had fallen asleep in each others paws and now they were lying nose-to-nose!

Rallan gasped softly and quickly pulled back, his face going hotter than fire in embarrassment, his heart racing as well. He slowly and silently slipped out of Krystal’s grasp and walked out into the morning sunlight, stretching out his lean body before walking off toward the stream again. The day was bright and the air was brisk, the sounds of songbirds filling the air. Rallan smiled widely.

At least that means Rayne’s nowhere near… he thought to himself with a smirk and a chuckle. A few minutes later, he arrived at the small, slow-current river. He sighed softly and dipped his muzzle to the clear surface, lapping up the water. A soft giggle reached his ears and his head shot up, glancing all around. No one was nearby… He shrugged and continued drinking until he heard the soft sound again, grinning this time.

“Come on out, Krystal…” Rallan called out, not lifting his head from the water. A moment later, someone barreled into him and both of them came crashing into the cool water. Rallan shot to the surface and coughed slightly, looking around and spotting a drenched female gray wolf near him, a playful grin on her face.

“Krystal! That wasn’t funny!” Rallan said with a smile, tackling her and dunking her under the water again before pulling her back up, “Now that! That was funny!”

“Oh, you-” Krystal said before Rallan pushed her under again, pulling her back up after a couple of seconds, “I’ll get you!” Krystal laughed and tackled Rallan back, both wolves plunging under the water again. They came to the surface a moment later, both of them swimming to the bank. Krystal got on land first, glancing back at Rallan as he gave her a playful grin. She grinned back and placed a paw on his forehead. Rallan’s grin vanished as he knew what was coming next- and it did. Krystal pushed him back into the water before shaking herself off.

“Betcha can’t catch me, Rally!” Krystal said before bolting off, laughing to herself.

“Hey! Only my sister calls me Rally! You don’t wanna be like Rayne!” he shouted after her, getting onto land and shaking himself off before rushing off after her. He followed her damp scent through the woods until he came to a grove, where her scent just ended. Rallan looked around, tilting his head in confusion until a snap above him caught his attention. He grinned and looked up- only to see a squirrel milling about on a branch above him.

“Gotcha!” came the triumphant cry of Krystal as Rallan felt something knock him off his feet and pin him to the ground. He blinked a couple of times before identifying the wolf once more as Krystal. He grinned and grabbed her shoulders, rolling about so he was holding her down now.

“You’re not very strong, Krystal… That was almost too easy!” Rallan said teasingly, grinning victoriously, “How are you gonna get me off now?” Krystal smirked and placed a back paw on Rallan’s lower stomach, dragging it up and down swiftly, her claws lightly running across his skin. Rallan’s face broke into a huge smile and he began bursting into fits of laughter.

“K-Krys-Krystal! S-stop! I’m n-not t-ticklish!” Rallan said, words broken by laughter.

“Oh yeah? Then why are you laughing?” Krystal asked, continuing to tickle him mercilessly until she felt his grip loosen on her shoulders.

With all her strength, she pushed forward and knocked Rallan onto his back. She leapt onto him and continued to tickle his vulnerable belly. Rallan writhed about, both wolves acting as if they were pups again, but neither of them cared. Krystal grinned as she watched Rallan’s facial expressions. After a few moments, Rallan placed his paws on her chest and pushed, landing on top of her again. The two of them lay panting softly for a few minutes until Rallan went to look at Krystal and Krystal to look at Rallan. Their combined actions were timed just perfectly and their noses met once again. The two wolves froze for a few moments before they pulled away, blushing with lowered ears.

“Er, sorry about that Krystal…” Rallan said sheepishly, climbing off of Krystal and taking a couple steps backward, “I… I didn’t mean to… I kinda just… Sorry…” Krystal could tell by the way Rallan was beginning to stutter that it was an embarrassing accident. She had felt just as embarrassed, but she had kind of enjoyed it.

“I… I know, Rallan… I’m sorry too…” Krystal replied. Rallan smiled slightly and chuckled weakly.

“Don’t be… It was just an accident, right?”

“Yeah, just an accident…”

“Yeah…” Rallan said in agreement, sighing softly and smiling warmly at Krystal, “Come on, let’s go get some breakfast…” Krystal quickly got back to her feet and followed Rallan off into the forest, also ready for some breakfast.




For an entire month, Krystal had strayed from her den at night and whenever she got a moment alone to call for Rallan, searching desperately for him. Every time she would call his name, she would listen with high hopes of hearing his voice call back, but everyday nothing came… At night, she’d dream that Rallan would come back and everything would be fine again, but she’d wind up waking up in tears when he never came back… Heartbroken and distraught, Krystal began to eat less and sleep less, instead keeping to herself and her futile search.

Desert had known about Krystal’s sneaking away at night for two weeks and had at first considered scolding her for doing such things. But when she did go to confront her one time, she found her daughter in complete sobs. She didn’t have the heart to do anything. She had always thought Krystal and Rallan were close friends, but the way she was taking Rallan’s exile, Desert guessed that Krystal had never merely wanted to be friends.

On the night just after the monthly anniversary of Rallan’s exile, Talon had caught Krystal down by the river, calling out Rallan’s name. In a fury, he had yelled at her to come home, and with a low head and heavy heart, she did. She went right to her bed and lay down, pretending to be asleep. Talon advanced on her and sat down, glaring at his daughter.

“Krystal, what the hell do you think you were doing up, let alone calling out that traitor’s name?!” Talon asked in a gruff, stern voice. Krystal refused to move. Desert had woken up and was now watching the whole thing. Talon was beginning to lose his patience with her.

“Krystal, I asked you a question… Answer me!” he nearly shouted. Krystal glared at him, tears in the corners of her amber eyes.

“I was looking for Rallan…” Krystal answered, “I want him to come back… I want him to come home again…” Talon growled angrily and lowered his voice so only Krystal could hear him.

“Now listen here young lady, you will no longer leave this den at night, understood? You will forget all about that demon and you will go on with life, do you understand me Krystal?!” Talon hissed. Krystal growled back and stood up.

“***** you…” she muttered back, proceeding to walk past her father. Talon grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and forced her back down.

“Krystal! You will do as I say and you will not go looking for that brute anymore!”

“No Dad, I won’t! I’ll keep looking for Rallan!” Krystal snapped back, tears now falling down her muzzle, “I love him, Dad! Why can’t you see that?!”

“No you won’t! You won’t love him!” Talon shouted, looming over his daughter and baring his fangs, “You will not love a despicable traitor like him! The *******’s dead by now anyway…” That was as much as Krystal could take. She pushed Talon out of the way and ran to the mouth of the den, casting one last glare at him through tear-filled eyes.

“You’re wring Dad! I will love Rallan and I will find him alive!” Krystal snapped back, “I will find him. I WILL!”

With those last words to her family, Krystal turned and ran off into the night. Though she wasn’t very strong or muscled at all, she was fast. She ran right past the border, missing the guards’ attention and just kept on going. She followed the direction Rallan had taken, mind now dead-set on finding the wolf she cared so much about…




Rallan and Krystal lay out on the top of a hill, devouring their breakfast. Rallan hadn’t eaten since the day before and he was utterly ravenous, digging into the deer he’d managed to kill. Krystal ate along with him, making light conversation between bites. After most of the carcass had been eaten, the two wolves lay out, basking in the warm summer sunlight. Rallan glanced over at Krystal and smiled.

“I guess your ankle’s healed then, huh?” Rallan asked. Krystal flexed her paw and smiled while nodding to him.

“Yep… It healed overnight… I guess it was just a slight sprain…” Krystal replied, rolling over onto her side and staring back at Rallan, “Rallan, what did you do after you were exiled? Where did you go?” Rallan swallowed slightly and sighed heavily.

“I ran south for a long while, following a river… Then I found this female who took me to her den… I stayed there for a couple months, but it was all a setup…” he explained, “Then I went wandering again and I wound up somewhere to the north of here, where it was always cold and snowy… I would still be there, but Rayne tipped off the Alpha and I was driven out… Then I ran southeast and found another wolf who was so friendly to me… I’ll have to go visit him again sometime… Then Rayne caught me and I eluded her by taking the river however far south I was when you found me…”

“But how did you wind up in the river in the first place? I mean, surely Rayne would have followed you in, right?” Krystal asked, giving Rallan a confused look when he laughed.

“I jumped off a waterfall, that’s how…” Rallan explained coolly, raising his paw to stop Krystal as she went to speak, “I know, it was crazy and stupid, but it spared my life… Although I did kinda leave Kalgorn hanging… I’ll have to tell him what happened as well…”

“Who’s Kalgorn?”

“That wolf I told you who was so kind and friendly to me…” Rallan answered, closing his eyes and letting the memories rush back to him, “But yeah, that was my life… Wander, happiness, tragedy… wander, happiness, tragedy…”

“Well, maybe the wandering and the tragedy is over now…” Krystal suggested, “I mean, the summer’s almost over and if Rayne can’t find you all the way out here, then perhaps she’ll give up when winter comes around…”

“I highly doubt that!” Rallan said with a slight chuckle, “Rayne pursued me like her life depended on it for nearly two years! It would take some kind of extreme length to convince her I’m innocent and that I didn’t intend to kill Typhoon!”

“Well, you never know what will happen, Rallan…” Krystal said softly, rolling onto her back once again and staring up at the clouds as the sun began to sink past the point of mid-day.

“Krystal?” Rallan asked, looking over at the wolf lying a few feet away from him, “Why did you follow me out here? You could’ve been in another pack easily by now… Why did you risk your life to track me down?” Krystal gasped softly, heart racing and her mind frantically searching for an excuse to tell him.

“Well, I just thought that maybe since we’re close friends and all, we’d maybe last longer if we were together…” Krystal said, praying that Rallan would accept that as the truth. He seemed satisfied with that answer and went back to watching the could roll by.

“Krystal… Thank you…” Rallan said softly, smiling happily. Once more, Rallan felt truly happy and content. Now, despite all logical thinking, he prayed that Rayne would give up and leave him alone to live life with his best friend…




Rayne raced across the forest, Drake, Hunter, and Valley close behind her. Her ice-like eyes darted left and right as she scanned for some trace of Rallan, but nothing could seem to be found or picked up. Even his scent seemed nonexistent. Almost as if he’d vanished from the face of the Earth… No, don’t think that way! You know that’s impossible, so keep searching for him! Your family has to be avenged! Rayne thought to herself.

She skidded to a halt in yet another clearing. As was her routine, she sniffed about for anything that had Rallan’s scent on it. Nothing again… Drake sighed and shook his head.

“You know Rayne, just a thought, but what if we all split up? We could all search different directions and meet back every so often…” Drake suggested, looking at Rayne. She thought for a long moment, then sighed and nodded.

“Alright… That’s probably better than what we’re doing now…” Rayne said in a low voice, looking back at her team, “Alright, I’ll head northwest, Drake you keep going west, Hunter you head southwest, and Valley you head south… We’ll meet back here at the beginning of winter… Listen, make sure Rallan doesn’t know you see him and he’ll stay where he is… Then we can move in on him, understood?”

“Yes, Lady Rayne!” all three wolves said in unison. Rayne nodded.

“Great. Move out!” Rayne ordered. The group then split up, shooting off in their given directions. The hunt for Rallan had just expanded and gotten more extensive…

This is good. Very good. I've been reading this for a while now, and I think you're doing a marvelous job on this Balto. Keep it up.

Wow. I can't wait to read the rest! Im just glad Rayne hasn't found Rallan yet. And good ol' Kalgorn could do with a visit God knows how worried he must have felt for his new friend when he dissapeared.

I am pleased to announce that The Chronicle of Rallan: Volume III as well as the entire Rallan Trilogy has, as of June 23rd, come to an end! The third and final book of the trilogy is finished and as soon as work out a couple issues with it on the site, it will be up and ready to be read! Before I leave this topic for good, I'd like to thank by supporters and fans who have been patiently waiting for these stories and who have left me feedback on it. I'd like to thank balto678 and Kaso for being my most active reviewers on this series and LordLion24 for being a constant support both on the site and in real life (yes, I know him in real life). If everyone who has read this series could vote in the poll above, I would greatly appreciate it. Until my next fanfiction, series or none, I bid everyone a fond farewell. Thank you.

-- Balto5670

*Affectionately licks the tears running down Krystal's muzzle and hugs her*