“Rise and shine owls!” Ethan said, bounding around the tree.

“Must you wake me up so early Ethan?” Linton asks wearily.

“He’s right, you know. We should be able to get there before the rise of the moon. It’ll give us some cover.” Snow called up to us.

“Get where?” I ask with a tired yawn.

“To Arbonoc of course!” Snow shouts at us.

“And of course on the way me and Alex can teach you more. We’ll travel with you. Snow wants to stay behind.”

“Why?”

“I don’t really know. She’s been really secretive with us recently. I think she wants to help you a lot.” Alex replied.

Then, a white wolf, purer than snow, leapt out of the bushes. She looked around, excited and said to us all, “Some of my friends will meet you there!”

So we take to the sky.

Linton looks happier than ever to be flying again. He breathes in the fresh air, but also looks a bit concerned. I copy him, and swerve and dive through the skies. On the ground, the wolves pant with excitement as they chase the frog.

We all decide to rest and the wolves go to gather food. We go into a small hole in the ground and snuggle up, to stay warm.

“Say, Amelia.” Linton says to me, and my brain freezes.

“Yes?”

“Do you really think the Arboc Owl exists? All anyone has heard are legends.”

I am stumped by this question. What Linton said is true.

And without an answer, he falls asleep.

“You don’t need to see to believe.” Ethan whispers to me.

“What do you mean?” I ask back, perplexed.

“I mean, no one needs to see you to know you like Linton.”

I sit there, eyes wide open. Was I that obvious?

He smiles. “Don’t worry. All we have are legends. But we can make do. As long as we head towards Adonia…”

“You’ll never be lost.” I finished. “And keep that a secret.”

“Keep what?” he asks. “Don’t worry.”

And with that we bid goodnight.

The next day, we all go off to continue training.

“Snow?” I ask her as she walks with me to the waterfall for a drink.

“Hmm?” she replies.

“What do you do if you say you're beggraded?”

“Say what?”

“Teffited?”

“Amelia, say it out straight.”

“In love.” I blurt out.

Snow smiles, and not unkindly.

“You know, when I was your age, no one wanted me.”

“Really?” I replied. “A snowy white sleek wolf like yourself?”

“Back then, wolves weren’t used to combat. We were solitary hunters. I was born a soldier. I enlisted way back into the army!”

“Really?”

“Yes. But, being a white wolf didn’t help me either. You see, the South is in the colder areas. Everything there tends to have white fur, for camouflage. I was rejected again and again.”

“What did you do?” I ask, perplexed.

“I found someone who accepted me as who I was. A boy. A good one.”

“What happened to him?” I ask.

“He… was killed.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” saddened by the fact we’ve all lost friends.

“Don’t worry. He died a hero in battle. However, you, my friend, still have a chance. Who is the lucky owl?”

“I’d rather not say.”

“Let me give you a tune.”

And then she starts singing a song I have not heard for so long.

“Autumn breeze,

Breathe my way,

The moon shines,

Brighter than ever before-e-e-e.

And like that,

The wind stops.

My chance gone,

I never forgot.

The one.”

“Hey isn’t that…”

“The song your father sang you to sleep with? I remember it. I was a guard for your nest after all Amelia. The point is to take it before…`` She bows down and shakes her head with sadness. “It's too late.”

And like that, I’m knocked out.