They continued running, following a pathway through the village with Alice way up ahead still. “It’s not too far now!” she hollered over her shoulder.

It seemed like they were no longer in the village as there weren’t any more structures after passing the last one a moment ago. Though, that didn’t necessarily mean this wasn’t part of the village. If they were heading where Gail thought they were, they weren’t going to be straying too far from the village.

Passing through spruces and cresting a hill where Alice stopped, a slope was in front of them, and several meters away from them was a majestic lake—no, not a lake, but lakes. They were separated completely by a thin stretch of land. In the middle was a small island with a lone willow tree that’s been collecting snow on its droopy branches and leaves. On either end of each lake was a river, and despite the separation of the two bodies of water, the water seemed to flow just fine without flooding the island.

“That looks unreal,” Sydney said under her breath, then she looked at Gruff. “You’ve seen something like this and didn’t think to show it to us!?”

“Hey, no, I did want to show you guys this place,” Gruff said. “I just haven’t found the right opportunity to take any of you here.”

Sydney smirked. “Or maybe you just want me to feel better when I do find something to show you. Now I possibly can’t beat something like this!”

“I don’t know, maybe you’ll find a triple lake somewhere out there. Maybe there’s one near our cave that we just never see.”

Cautiously, Alice stuttered down the slope with the rest following behind her. Gail slipped when she was halfway down, but luckily, she landed on her back against the soil and slid down the rest of the way. As she rubbed her back, Durin slid as well and stopped beside her. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, it just hurt a bit, but I’m fine.”

Alice pranced over to the shore. Gail thought she was going to run to the island, but instead she sat near the edge of one of the lakes.

The cool breeze swept by, tossing the snow onto the lake’s surface. Despite the frigid weather, the lake and river were not frozen, at least not entirely. There were small, thin sheets of ice around some parts the lakes’ edges, but the water flowed fine.

“It’s so calming here, isn’t it?” whispered Alice.

“It really is,” Sydney said, sitting beside her. The others sat down as well—Gruff beside her, Gail Alice, and Durin next to Gail. Sydney then whispered, “Seeing this all…it makes me realize how much our pack is missing by staying within our borders. I know I mentioned maintaining our traditions, but I wouldn’t want to keep a tradition of purposely restricting our freedom for seemingly no reason.”

Gail tried to hide her shock as she looked at her. She turned her gaze to Durin who spoke up as well. “It’s unfair for there to be duties and activities unavailable to us because of a label attached to our names.”

“I’m sure the Alphas have their reasons for why the pack is how it is. Our parents lived with their rules and raised us with the same, but that shouldn’t mean we have to keep living with the same set of rules. We’re members of the pack too, a group that should feel like family working toward a shared goal, and we should be able to have a say in how the pack operates.” He looked to Gail, who look stunned by what they all say. “Gail, you’re the daughter of the Alphas and you’re a Beta. I know you have a strong opinion on all this. You’re young, but you’re not blind to what’s happening in the pack. You see what we see, right?”

Gail looked at each of them who were all staring back expectantly. She was at a loss for words. It was as though they had all unraveled the thoughts in her mind that she’s been trying hard to suppress in fear of being smacked. All the rules and punishments have been ingrained—no, scorched into her mind and body and soul. Though she may be a delinquent from time to time, she knew the lines to never cross. Throughout the trip, there had been many times where she could have and should have disciplined these wolves. There were many times where she should’ve used her authority as a Beta to right their wrongs and ensure that they would never commit the same mistakes again. She should have forced their way through the storm because they’ve been trained to endure such hardships. She should be considering the punishments to serve to them and what to report to the Alphas once they return home. These are what the Alphas would want a Beta to do, and yet Gail did none of them.

After clearing her thoughts and having stared at the water lapping at the shore, she met Gruff’s gaze again. “You’re right. There’s a lot I want to say as a Beta to the Alphas—there are problems that concern not only you guys, but also the other lower-ranking wolves. Though, just like you and your discoveries and exposure to foreign cultures, I haven’t found the right time to voice my concerns to the Alphas or even Zane. I…won’t lie, it’s mostly because I’m scared of what they’ll say or do if I ever oppose them in any way.”

Alice, who had been keeping silent in their pack discussion, looked to them and suggested, “Why don’t you all gather as a group to say what’s been bothering you all. That’s usually how the people in the village do it when they want the head to have something change or if they have an idea that could help the village as a whole.”

“That could help our case,” Gruff said. “Strength in numbers, and it’s hard to avoid a problem when there’s many voices pointing it out.”

“Though we need to convince our fellow Deltas to speak up as well, correct?” Durin said. “We may be of the same rank, but there is the chance that they’ve become accustomed to all that and accepted that there’s no changing their circumstances.”

“Well, I at least know that Arden would definitely have something to say too,” said Sydney. “We could plan all this when we get back home. What do you say, Gail?”

Gail didn’t want to think to be thinking too much about pack business, especially with Alice around who shouldn’t be concerned with them. It was spoiling what was supposed to be a serene moment for everyone—a time that they should be using to relax while they still could. She gave a gentle smile in response to Sydney.

“Let’s just enjoy our time here for now, while it’s quiet,” she said and stared off at the lakes.

Sydney bowed her head, grinning. “You’re really starting to become my favorite high-ranked wolf.”

They basked in the sound of the lake—the breeze, the rippling lake water, the flow of the river on either end. Some birds would fly by, perching on tree branches and taking shelter in tree hollows. Save for the last, these were all sounds that they weren’t going to hear once they return home. Gail tried to keep it all in her head so it’d stay even after they leave.

“So it really is two lakes next to each other,” Gail said. “I’ve only ever seen rivers, but how does the water go from one lake to the other? It looks like they’re separated.”

“Oh, there’s a channel that passes through under that,” Alice said, pointing at the island. “There’s a folktale though that tells where the channel came from. In the story, there was no water at all. Those two lakes were just pits, and a bobcat and a deer were trapped in each of them. One day, a storm came, and instead of snow or hail, water poured from the sky. The water level started rising, and the two couldn’t climb out no matter how hard they tried. They then started digging into the wall in the middle, and they met in a small cove. The bobcat was hungry, and the deer wouldn’t be able to fight back, but in the end they enjoyed one another’s company until the water eventually reached them.” Alice pointed at the willow tree. “It’s said that that tree sprouted from them years later. It’s become a tradition to some to offer feline fur and deer antlers to the base of the tree.”

Everybody stared at Alice after she’d finished the story. “Wow,” Gruff said. “That was…darker than I was expecting. I’ve never heard of that before.”

“Woah, did I hear that right?” said Sydney, eyes wide. “Something that the Great Gruff has yet to know of? That can’t be!”

Gruff laughed. “Well, it just goes to show that you can find something that can surprise me.”

“Ooh, just you wait. I swear I’ll absolutely find something that’ll top this village, the cooking, the beds, the lake, and that story.” Sydney’s eyes lit up. “I know! I’ll find you a castle! There has to be one out there, right?”

“There are. I haven’t seen one for myself, so I’d be greatly happy if you showed me one.” Gruff smirked. “Though, I’d be way happier if we made our own castle.”

Durin snorted and burst into soft laughter. “That has to be the cheesiest line I’ve heard you say, oh my gods. That was worse than the ‘Are you a fire arcane gem?’ line, and even that was golden.”

Flustered and blushing, Gruff protested, “Hey! I just came up with that just now. The arcane gem had a lot more thought put into it.”

“And I love hearing them all,” Sydney said, blushing and laughing as well.

Gail and Alice laughed along with them, enjoying their sweet exchange. “Oh, something that I never actually told you,” Alice said, “but I find your eyes to be really cool! Were you born with two different-colored eyes?”

“Ah, yeah, I was.” Gail rubbed the back of her neck. “I rarely hear people actually compliment my eyes. People usually say I look like a monster because them.”

“What? Really? I think they make you look awesome! And also your entire outfit is really cool too!”

“Thanks,” Gail said, smiling. “I’m surprised you never mentioned our skull masks. I figured that’s what every outsider would bring up when meeting our pack for the first time.”

“I was thinking of bringing it up when we were eating earlier, but then I figured it had something to do with your pack stuff again. It is, isn’t it? What’s the meaning behind it?”

“Ah, it’s…a bit complicated why we wear them.” Gail cast glances at her packmates. She knew it was for Ventay, but were they aware it was for that reason as well? Did they meet Ventay during their Cubbing?

Then what Gruff said hinted toward that. “Let’s just say we have our own folktale that explains why we wear them.”

They sat by the lake until the sky had darkened. The wind grew stronger, and there was more snow being tossed by it. Though, the signal that made them all jump onto their feet was the banging of a bell coming from the village. They climbed up the slope that they descended and made their way back.

“That deep-sounding bell is to tell everyone to head indoors,” Alice said. That bell proved to be effective, then, as there were no more people in the streets save for the guards patrolling and making sure that no one was left outside before the storm hit. A pair of guards spotted them and urged them to go inside, giving them directions to where the inn was.

Finally they see the inn, and they slowed their pace. Much like every other building, slits of warm light were barely able to come through the windows with the shutters closed.

Sydney stretched her arms. “We’ll finally get to know what sleeping on the beds here feel like.”

“And to not have to hug an arcane gem just to feel warm during a snowstorm,” added Durin.

They then stopped in the middle of the square. Their ears rose, as did their fur from something other than the cold. Alice looked terrified, stepping closer and clutching Gail’s arm. She heard that eerie laughter being carried by the wind too, but the other wolves were more petrified by its meaning.

Slinking from dark alleys and rounding the buildings, spotted hyenas came into view. They were all female, riddled with scars, their clothing torn, their claws and fang dripping with fresh blood, and their eyes lusting for prey. Though, what caught Gail’s eyes more than the blood were the skulls strapped to the side of their hips. Were those hyena skulls?

Gail wrapped an arm around Alice, and she drew her dagger. The Deltas produced their daggers, and Durin held a more fiery-colored arcane gem in her off-hand.

The Deltas let out a collective gasp when one laughter stood out from the rest, one that was commanding and was piercing to hear. A hyena stood at the roof of the inn, looking down at everyone with gleaming crimson eyes. The cape of her ragged, bloodstained cloak fluttered in the frigid wind. The skull on her hip stood out as well, but what was more eye-catching, and rather alarming, were her two tails that swayed with the wind.

Her smile was sly as her eyes noted each of the wolves. Her voice, though sounding provocative and smooth, dripped with poison. “My, my, I didn’t expect to see wolves from the Twinned Fangs to be here. This seems beyond where I assumed your territory to be. Did you perhaps relocate your pitiful den? Or did your leaders finally developed their brains and realized that living in a cave would hinder the growth of their pack?”

“As if your pack of dogs is any better, Scarlet!” Gruff challenged. “Resorting to assaulting villages now? And you boasted your moral compass so much when our packs last met.”

Scarlet?! Gail thought with rising anxiety. The Matriarch of Prowling Salvagers is here? And Gruff had already faced her before?

“Oh, quiet down. If I recall, you are a wolf who should watch his mouth when speaking to someone of superiority. Unless you want me to tear your fur out in place of your leaders?” She cackled sweetly. “As for why we’re here? Prey is scarce, darling, as I’m sure your pack is finding fewer prey too. We simply come here to hunt was is necessary for us to survive, even if it means hunting other Ferians.” She partly closed her eyes, and her eyes looked to glow in the dim lighting. “I know you aren’t the strongest fighters of your pack, and how adorable of you bunch, bringing two younglings with you as well.”

The hyenas on the ground—10 of them—surrounded them and crept closer. Gail’s grip on her dagger tightened. The hyenas had no weapons, only baring their dangerous fangs and flexing their stained claws, yet they looked more threatening than Gail felt with her dagger and her training with the Alphas.

Focus. Don’t let fear or arrogance take over. You’re fighting for the survival of yourself and those close to you.

The Deltas observed the hyenas’ positions, noting where a group were bunched up and where a few were more isolated from the rest. “Gail,” whispered Gruff, “focus on keeping Alice and yourself safe. These guys don’t play around.” As if by an invisible signal, the hyenas charged, and the Deltas split off to pick their fights.

Sydney dashed toward a pair—she rammed her shoulder against one hyena to knock her onto her back then swiped her dagger across the other’s chest. The second hyena staggered back with a hiss. A grin was wide on her face as she glared back at her, then she howled in pain when the hyena on the ground bit her calf. She was able to yank her leg free, but now she backpedaled and took a more defensive stance.

Gruff handled a hyena that was more separated from the rest. Contrasting Sydney, he began with a defensive approach from the start. He waited, he and the opposing hyena eyeing each other. The hyena then decided to make the first move, charging with her fangs bare. She attempted to bite at Gruff’s arm, but she was tripped by Gruff after he sidestepped. Gruff took the opportunity and crouched to slash his dagger across both of the hyena’s ankles. The hyena hissed, however she was able to retaliate by kicking at Gruff’s jaw before he could dodge.

Meanwhile, Durin handled a group of five hyenas at once. Gail was concerned for her, partly because they all were larger than her, but mostly because she had never seen any of their capabilities. Durin’s body was trembling slightly. She clutched her dagger’s handle on her left and the arcane gem on her right. She took a step back, Holding the arcane gem over her blade, she tensed her arms. Tiny rays of orange light managed to shoot out from her fist holding the gem. Then, flourishing her dagger, its blade caught on fire and radiated in blinding brilliance. She slashed her dagger at the air in front of her, making the hyenas whine and step back in fear of the enchanted weapon.

Gail glanced at them all fighting their own battles, but she knew that there were a few more hyenas left. Turning around, the remaining two hyenas were charging at her, one on two feet and the other on all fours. Alice whimpered. Gail moved her to stay behind her. She waited, letting them come closer, her heart racing from the fear of making mistakes now.

She reeled a leg back and kicked snow onto the face of the hyena on all fours while there was still some distance between them. She stepped to the side, pulling Alice with her. The blinded hyena leaped at where his target used to be, however the other didn’t stumble on her as Gail had expected. Gail huffed. This isn’t gonna end well.

With an enraged and ravenous growl, the hyena charged at her, extending her head for a chomp. Gail was ready to retaliate, preemptively swinging at where the hyena’s head would be, but the chomp was a feigned move as the hyena evaded the dagger and swiped her claws at Gail’s vulnerable arm. Gail sucked her teeth at the sting, but instead of stepping back as her instincts told her, she swung her dagger again and scored the hyena’s chest in return. That caught the hyena by surprise as indicated by her high-pitched howl and staggering back. She glared at Gail, and Gail glared back.

The other hyena had gotten the snow off face eyes and began approaching Gail. His eyes burned with fury, looking more intent to devour Gail for dinner.

Over the hyenas’ shoulders, Gail could see that Gruff had managed to send his opponent scampering with her tail between her legs. Now he was running over to assist Gail. Looking over her shoulder, Gail knew there was no threat of someone coming from behind to harm Alice. She returned her gaze to the two hyenas before her. She waited for Gruff to jump one of them, and to keep their attentions on her, she snarled and swung her dagger at the air in front of her. It was only a few more seconds, and then…

Scarlet came crashing on Gruff from above. The impact of jumping off the inn didn’t even faze her as she got up with such vigor and stepped on Gruff’s face. She grinned. “Did you really think I was just going to watch you hurt my children?” Gruff groaned when his head was being crushed under her foot. “You’re a fool if even a fraction of you believed any of you are making out of this alive.”

Gail wanted to jump at Scarlet, but the two hyenas stood in the way. They were almost like Gammas, towering over Gail and guarding Malte who would be abusing his rank on a Delta or a Theta. Picturing the scene as that, it only fueled Gail’s desire to charge recklessly at these hyenas.

With another quick check on Alice and for more potential threats—which there were none—she did just that. “Keep safe,” she hastily hushed to Alice before proceeding to charge at the two hyenas. She had her arms raised as though to swing her dagger, but she reused her trick from her earlier and kicked up snow high enough to reach the hyenas faces. Though, they seemed to have expected it as they shielded their faces, but that was enough for Gail. In that moment she was able to close the distance and give a powerful kick at a knee of one of the hyenas. It bent at a horrible angle, making the hyenas collapse with a cry that even made Gail feel an ounce of regret.

“You damned…hggh,” the hyena moaned trying to force herself to get up, but her leg had been injured too badly. The hyena beside her growled, however it was Scarlet who looked the most displeased.

“Bring Vicky somewhere safe,” she barked to the hyena, who obediently nodded and began dragging the other hyena, Vicky, by her shoulder whilst glaring cautiously at Gail.

Gail just watched her, glaring in return and gripping her weapon. They were seemingly easy targets right now, but Gail was too wary of Scarlet’s presence. However, the main reason she was hesitant of attacking was that—as much as she would be yelled at for admitting—a part of her hated seeing the agonized expression on Vicky’s face. It felt wrong, even if she were intent on harming her and Alice.

“Hmph. Even this new face relies on dirty tricks.” Scarlet snarled. She took her foot off Gruff and kicked him in the snout before he could bite her leg. She smirked. “But I have my own sets of tricks.”

Gail prepared herself for something to be thrown at her face, or for someone to come up from behind (which there wasn’t as far as her ears could tell), or for her to dash at an extreme speed. Though none of those happened, she was petrified by what she was witnessing.

The blood that had come from the gash on her arm stood up on her skin, as though they had come to life, then they began floating away from her and toward Scarlet’s hand. A bit of blood was also coming from Gruff’s injured nose. As much as he tried to cover his snout to stop the blood, they slipped through his fingers with ease and flowed toward Scarlet. A wicked grin was wide on the hyena’s face.

Gail was still processing how she was able to do this and what she was doing when she was a meter in front of her about to swing after a single blink. Gail’s eyes went wide, and while she sprang aside to evade, Scarlet lacerated her waist. She clutched the wound, her face twisting with a mix of agony and bewilderment.

Scarlet had formed a dagger with the blood she collected. It glistened, most of it flowing like a river while the serrated edge looked comparable to well-crafted blade. Its handle seeped into Scarlet’s hand and forearm, gushing as though it was a part of her bloodstream.

Gail shivered at the realization. The more she cuts me, the more blood she’s able to use as her own.

Scarlet cackled. “Wasn’t expecting that, were you, darling? It always tickles me seeing the faces of those seeing my gift for the first time. Ah, but a shame that you won’t be seeing much of it after I’m done with you.”

“Grr. What do you have against us!? Have you not hunted enough already?”

“Perhaps. My children here have already had their fill for the day, but there are still others who are in need of sustenance. I sent them out to hunt, and while I can’t be sure if they’re successful finding whatever they see as prey, it wouldn’t hurt to bring extra in case there are still those who starve.”

Gail huffed. Gripping her dagger tighter, she took a step forward but would then collapse to the cold ground with a shriek when her body suddenly cramped up and wouldn’t move when she wanted it to. Her face barely screwed from the twisting pain in her latest wound. Scarlet giggled madly once more.

Sydney and Durin were coming from behind Scarlet, about to strike her with their weapons, but Scarlet spun around and, with her dagger’s blade extending like a wave of blood, slashed across the two wolves’ chests. Sydney and Durin crashed toward the ground just like Gail had, screaming with their body tensed up. Another wave of cackling.

Alice watched them all lying on the ground with horrified eyes. Her trembling legs looked about ready to bolt, but a screech left her when a hyena from behind dug her claws into her shoulders and proceeded to lift her off the ground.

“It’s almost boring with how much of an advantage I have,” Scarlet mused aloud. “Oh, how I wished for that Terra to be here in place of you whelps. Well, prey is prey after all, and I shouldn’t play with our food too much.” She looked toward Gail with a grin. “And I think I’ll start with you, fresh face.”

Gail was stricken with panic as the hyena took slow steps toward her. She tried to get up, but while she could move her arms along with her head and torso, the lower half of her body still felt cramped and unresponsive. She crawled backward, but Scarlet’s saunter was still measly gaining distance.

“It’s a shame that I don’t know you much, new face. I can’t toy you with what you fear most, but at the very least, I can rest assured that my clan won’t go hungry tonight.” She eventually reached Gail, stepping hard on her chest and stopping her pitiful attempt at escape. She cocked her head. “Though, something about you does strike me as curious. Your eyes and your blood.”

She lowered herself, supporting herself with a hand on Gail’s chest. When Gail tried to stab with her dagger, Scarlet merely swatted the weapon off her hand. Her claws threatened to tear through her outfit and skin, but it damaged neither. Gail reeled her head back until the back of her head met with the ground when Scarlet observed her face closely.

“Hm. Blue and yellow eyes,” Scarlet observed. “There’s only a few wolves in your pack that I know that has yellow eyes. If I’m not mistaken, one of them is dead from long ago and another is a wolf around your age. And your blood—there’s a certain…spice in it that love.” She leaned in closer, her nostrils flaring as she took in Gail’s scent. The blood dagger would lose its form to coat her arm while she caressed Gail’s skull mask. She clutched its snout as though take it off, but her hand left it alone. Her canines were revealed as she wore a wide grin. “Are you perhaps the daughter of the lovely Terra and Frost?”

Gail just growled in response, both out of frustration and an instinctive response to the fear clouding her mind. She gingerly glided her hand toward one of her pouches.

“Hah, so you are. They finally decided it was time for you to leave your protective shell, only to wind up to me. That’s hilarious. It almost makes me not want to kill you. Maybe I should take you in instead.” Scarlet looked over to the other wolves who were still lying crippled. Some snow had already accumulated on their bodies. “Though, I can’t say the same for your friends. I couldn’t care less for their fates of being food in my children’s bellies.”

Gail scowled when Scarlet looked back at her and leaned in close. Scarlet’s throat rumbled. “How does that sound, darling?”

Despite the excess of anxiety inside her, Gail was brave—or perhaps foolish—enough to challenge Scarlet. “It sounds as awful as you smell,” she spat. She then pulled out the arcane gem from her pocket and, pressing it against her open palm with her thumb, put it between her and Scarlet’s faces. A blinding flash of light emitted from the gem as Gail forced her archaic energy into the gem. It was more than enough to catch Scarlet off guard, forcing her to shield her eyes with her blood-layered arm. In that brief opportunity, Gail swiped her claws across Scarlet’s arm, evoking a satisfying howl of pain from the hyena.

In that moment, tingling pricked at Gail’s lower body until gradually she can feel and move her legs again. She shoved Scarlet away, who was still dazed from the pain and the flash of light. Getting up, Gail dropped the arcane gem to the ground and shook her hand violently. While she was able to create a dazzling light with it, she also singed her hand from the gem’s intense heat. She hastily rearmed herself with her dagger from the ground and she faced Scarlet. Around her, she could see that Gruff, Sydney, and Durin were getting up as well.

Alice was still being held captive by a hyena. As much as Gail wanted to rush at that hyena, Scarlet was already getting up. She snarled. Her eyes dangerously gleamed its crimson color. “Bold. Very bold of you. I must say, I’m quite impressed. I thought you’d have your mother’s arcane powers, but from the looks of it you rely on gems still. How…interesting.”

The weather was kicking up. Gail battled against the wind to maintain her balance, and she could just about see Scarlet through all the snow being thrown about in the current. It almost sounded like the wind was whispering, muttering her defeat and sorrow. She twitched her head, ignoring the discouragement entering her head.

Scarlet directed her attentions to the guards who were arriving at the square. They were armed with spears and bows aimed at the hyenas. Scarlet huffed. “A shame that our bonding time has to come to an end. We’ll have to look for prey elsewhere.” She looked at Gail with a smirk. “But I will be keeping my out for you, and I will know more about you.” She jerked her head to signal the other hyenas to flee.

“What about this girl?” asked the hyena still holding Alice above the ground.

“Leave her. Prey smaller than her will do.”

With Alice being dropped, the hyenas dispersed, following Scarlet who sprinted faster than Gail had ever seen run. The guards fired their bows at the hyenas, but the wind sent their arrows flying off to the side.

The guards contemplated chasing after the hyenas but figured that chasing them through the storm would do more harm than good. Instead, they assessed the injured wolves.

“Are you okay?” an arctic fox guard asked Gail.

“Yeah.” Gail had her eyes at where the hyenas ran off to. It was the same direction that they were going to be heading when they travel home. She then looked at Alice and the Deltas, who were being checked on by guards too. “Some rest and patching up our wounds would be nice.”