After being ushered into the inn, the wolves were interrogated by the guards, mostly with their involvement with the hyenas’ attack on the village. It was disheartening to hear that there were six casualties that were accounted for, two of them being guards and the other four being denizens. If there were more, they’d be buried under snow by now.

Cole greeted them with great relief after the guards left them be on the long table. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re all safe now. Alice, dear, how hurt are you?”

“My shoulders hurt a lot, but I should be fine. It stopped bleeding after having it bandaged.”

Cole shook his head with a deep sigh. “Gods. I should’ve gone outside to help you all. My crew would’ve done enough to reassure the people in the inn. Oh, I’m so sorry, dear.”

“Don’t beat yourself over it, Cole,” said Gruff. “It could’ve gone a lot worse, and you would’ve most likely gotten hurt yourself. That group of hyenas is no joke.” He rubbed his snout and looked at the others. “We should be getting as much rest as we can now.”

Patched with bandages, the wolves headed to their rooms. Gail was a bit confused as to why Alice was escorting them again, so she asked, “You can go rest with your father now, Alice.”

“I want to sleep with you tonight,” Alice whispered, surprising Gail. “You all are gonna leave tomorrow when the storm passes, and I want to be able to spend as much time with you. Dad isn’t going to be sleeping anytime soon anyway, and I’m too scared to sleep by myself…”

Gail frowned, but it shifted into a smile when she said, “Sure. You can have the bed. I’m used to sleeping on the floor anyw—”

“No, that’s not what I meant! We can share the bed. I’m pretty sure there’s enough space on it for the two of us.”

“Oh, still, I’m fine with that.”

Sure enough, the bed was large enough for the two young wolves to lie down with their backs flat on the mattress, however with their injuries, they preferred to sleep with their backs against each other. Alice was fine with facing the wall, so Gail’s eyes were set on the window above the bedside table. The weather was still wild outside, however from what she could see and faintly hear, it was calmer than when they were facing Scarlet outside. It could just be that she was now indoors, but whatever the case, there was no way they were traveling in that weather, especially not in their current conditions.

“Thank you again, Gail,” whispered Alice. “Today should’ve been an awful day. Me getting lost, then kidnapped, and getting hurt, but you and the rest were able to make it bearable and helped me get back home.”

Though Alice couldn’t see it, Gail smiled. “I’m glad we were able to help. You made a tense afternoon enjoyable for us too.”

I’m glad we were able to help. Gail couldn’t remember the last time the pack was able to say that, or if they’d ever said it before.

Minutes passed, and all was quiet in the room. In this calm moment, all the questions began swirling in Gail’s mind. Now it hurt even more to process each of them, but ultimately most of them ended up with her packmates back at the cave. How were the other Deltas fairing? Were the Alphas at all concerned about her and the Deltas with her? How furious was Zane’s temper tantrum tonight? And most importantly, how was Sierra doing without her?

Even if the last time they saw each other was earlier morning before Gail grouped with the Deltas at the cave entrance, it felt like an eternity since she saw Sierra’s adorable face, heard her sweet voice, and enjoyed her warm company. She couldn’t bear to think how Sierra must be feeling right now. Though she always slept alone recently with Gail being a Beta, now Gail wasn’t there to greet her first thing in the morning. Gail wanted to leave the village as early as she could, but she also wished for the Deltas to get as much rest as they could and to spend a bit more time with Alice.

With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes, shut off the thoughts about disappointing her packmates, and drifted to sleep.

Gail found herself in a glade. The weather here was calm, however powerful gusts carried snow along the edges of the clearing. It looked as though she was in the middle of a vortex with nothing but some grass tufts and a large rock structure that was in ruins, or perhaps it was meant to look like that. Gail tried to peer through the snowy vortex, but all she could gander was an endless expanse of conifers.

Looking back at the glade, Ventay was now standing atop the rock structure. Gail’s heart sank as her wide eyes gawked at her. The day of her cubbing ritual was a blur since Gail passed out, but now she recalled the majesty of the Spirivant.

“A pleasure seeing you again, Gail Silverstreak,” Ventay said. Her voice was as serene and powerful as Gail could recall. “I see that you met with more of my children. Despite it being a rough encounter, I suppose you are not one to grovel and cry at the pain of it all.” She leaped from the rock with a soft thump against the snow. She sat, looking calmly at Gail who looked bewildered.

“Your children?” Gail questioned, unable to hold in her questions like last time. “The Prowling Salvagers are under your protection too?”

“Everyone is,” said Ventay. “Even if I don’t personally visit each and every single living creature in Arcanimus, I can assure you that everyone is under my protection, so long as they are not wicked with intentions of causing destruction.”

“But those hyenas are evil, aren’t they? They killed people from the village!”

Ventay’s snout twitched. “That is true. That hyena clan may seem malicious, but they do follow the values that I have passed onto Scarlet. She may act like a ravenous beast, but she merely wishes to care for her clan.” When Gail opened her mouth, Ventay added, “And yes, what she said was no lie. Prey was virtually non-existent where they were residing at the time.”

Gail’s ears flattened. It sounded unbelievable but she trusted Ventay. So the Twinned Fangs’s enemies are under the same protection of Ventay. That was terrifying to ponder on. She wondered if Terra knew of this as well.

To shift the conversation away from the hyenas, she asked, “Why have you come to see me, Ventay?”

“To commend you, first off,” Ventay replied, then furrowed her brow as she added, “then to somewhat rebuke you.”

Gail gulped. Had she already broken one of Ventay’s values? She was certain she didn’t go against her promise to the Spirivant.

“I was pleasantly surprised to have seen you go against your pack’s usual idle activities to aid that young wolf, Alice. What more, you were able to expose yourselves and you packmates to foreign culture. As bad as that may sound from how you live, it’s bound to happen. Your pack can’t remain as hermits forever, no matter how long you all keep yourselves bound to that cave.”

The scowl that Ventay now wore indicated that the happy news was over. She went on, “I was astounded to see you using an arcane gem for the first time. As pleased as I should be, I must voice my disappointment in how you’ve yet to fully utilize my gift and had to resort to using such gems.”

Gail’s brows rose in bewilderment. “Gift?” she voiced her thought aloud. Was it something she couldn’t remember? Her hazy memory of that day finally biting her?

Ventay chuckled, more disappointed than amused. “That just proves to me that you are utterly clueless. Nevertheless, you have it. It will just be a matter of time until you utilize it properly.”

“What gift do you mean?” Gail repeated. “Can’t you just tell me?”

“I could, but I wish for you to realize it out yourself. There have already been a few occasions where you used it on accident; you just never seem to realize it.” Ventay bowed her head. “I am to guide you, but I don’t want to hold your paws all the way through. I am certain you can figure it out in due time.”

I’ve already used it…

Could it be when she sent Malte flying from a hit? When she overloaded the arcane gem from her first time using it? Or did she run on all four likes like Terra does? She couldn’t recall doing that though, and she would certainly remember contorting her body to look feralesque.

Could it be the same gift that Scarlet mentioned? Gail doubted it was the same gift, though. There was no way she manipulated blood the same way Scarlet had, and she didn’t notice herself moving as fast as Scarlet dashed.

It was going to take some time for her to land on a good guess on what the gift was. If she had been using it accidentally recently, then there’s a good chance she’ll use it again.

“How often are you going to be meeting me?” she asked.

“As often as I see fit,” replied Ventay. “I know you have a lot of questions and you’re going to throw them all at me, so I will be seeing you more often than I usually do with other people. I want you to be ready for what’s ahead of you.” A frown crested her face. “And thus, I must impart to you another warning. I’ve spoken of tempting malevolent forces before, and while I was merely skeptical of its existence, a few of my fellow Spirivants have detected activities that we can only assume to be from them. It is nigh impossible to give details about them, for their form is shapeless, but I do not doubt that you will be able to tell that it is them.”

Just hearing about “them” sent shivers down Gail’s spine. A malevolent being that the Spirivants fear and they’re unidentifiable by sight? Gail may as well be fighting ghosts from how Ventay described them. It also wasn’t comforting to think that Ventay had more confidence in her than she did for herself.

“I’ll keep my promise to you, Ventay. I won’t fall for their tricks and temptations.”

Ventay nodded. “Rightfully so.” She turned around and, in a single leap, landed atop the rock structure. Looking back down at Gail with her tails dancing against the moons, she said, “We shall meet again, Gail Silverstreak, and I and the other Spirivants shall be watching over you all. May you stay true to your values and keep faith.” She leaped up onto the air, starry platforms appearing where her paws were going to land, and she ascended until the vortex swallowed her figure.

Only the two waning moons were visible above, and Gail was left alone to contemplate all of Ventay’s words.

Gail slowly opened her eyes. The sun’s pale light shone through the windows. It was bizarre to be seeing sunlight upon waking up, but it was a welcomed change that will be short-lived. Blinking sleep away, she tried to get up, but she was met with some resistance. She looked over her shoulder to see that Alice, who was still asleep, had her arms around her. Gail smiled at seeing her sleep peacefully after yesterday’s incident.

Across the room, Durin was already awake. She stood beside her bed, looking out the window on her side of the room as she stretched her arms. She winced, though it was hard to tell if it was from straining her wounds or if she was upset at not being able to wake up to sunlight anymore once they return home. Glancing over, she saw that Gail was also awake now. “Ah, good morning, Gail.”

“Good morning to you too, Durin.”

“I see you were sleeping comfortably with Alice there.” Durin laughed. Gail chuckled with her.

“Yeah, I’d say I had a good sleep. Had an interesting dream too. I’d get up and stretch with you, but uh,” Gail looked at Alice, “I don’t really wanna disturb her sleep.”

“No, it’s fine, you can get up,” mumbled Alice. She opened her sleepy eyes and gave a soft smile. She removed her arm from Gail to stretch her arms toward the ceiling. “Agh! Right, my shoulders…” She gingerly rubbed one of her shoulders, just above where the bandages were and the holes in her tunic. She sighed. “I’m still upset that I’m gonna have to get this sewn.”

Gail frowned. “Your shoulders are feeling better though, yeah? Not as bad as yesterday?”

“As long as I don’t move much, I’m fine.”

Durin continued her morning stretches, looking out through the window again and watching snow drift in the calm breeze. Gail got up and joined her. She stared out her own window, tracking a bird fly and perch on a nearby tree’s branch. It was such a peaceful sight. She envied the people whose mornings were always this bright and wonderful.

Alice tried to join in their stretches, though she acted feebler as to avoid hurting herself. Moments after, they headed out of their room. Gail bid silent farewells to it as it may as well be her last time sleeping in its warm environment. They knocked at Sydney and Gruff’s room, and when they answered, they looked ready to head out as well.

“Finally time for us to go home, huh?” said Gruff. Gail nodded.

Descending the stairs, there were already some Ferians eating steamy meals. It was a bit surprising for the pack wolves still, seeing people eat full meals after just waking up, but they’d already accepted to not be so shocked by most things that were unusual. To add more to the unusual happenings, they were greeted by Cole with their own morning meals, something that they called “breakfast.” It was a simple plate of toast with butter for flavor and a single serving of scrambled egg.

After pouring them warm drinks, Cole said, “Leaving so soon after waking, huh? I can’t blame you. I don’t know much about the other folks in your family, but I can only assume that they’re missing you.”

“And I’m missing them too,” Sydney said. “Er, some of them, mostly our rankmates. I don’t really get along well with some of the other wolves. What about you, Gail?”

“Ah, yeah, I’m definitely missing a few people,” Gail said, then took a bite of her buttered toast. Sierra was the first to pop in her mind, then Quibs, then the Thetas, then lastly the Zetas. The others she either wasn’t too close with, she absolutely despised, or she feared to see again. Spending time with half of the Deltas for a day, she wouldn’t mind getting to know the rest of them when they get back home.

She looked at Alice. She never really thought about it much, but Alice reminded her of Sierra in a way. Shy yet energetic around her, sweet, and also shorter than her (though she guessed that Sierra would be taller than Alice).

“Alice, dear,” said Cole, “don’t go following them to their cave again. You might know how to get to and fro, but that doesn’t mean you should go visiting them uninvited.”

“Oh, don’t worry, dad! I know to not go wandering off too far now. I’ll keep them company as far as the edge of the village.” There was a hint of sadness that Gail caught as Alice said the last bit. Gail felt sad too. The only way they could meet each other again was if Gail visited this village, and she doubt she’d get the chance to do so for a long while.

Finishing their meal, they thanked Cole and Lisa—who left from the backroom for a while—for their generosity and bid them farewell. Upon exiting the inn, there were four guards waiting for them along with a middle-aged arctic fox who was in formal attire, or at least what Gail assumed to be formal for this village. He wore a thick brown coat that reached the ground, a plaid flat cap, and spectacles with a golden frame.

He adjusted his glasses, looking at Gruff for a moment with his grayish blue eyes. “Ah, it took me a while to recognize you. I should’ve known you were here, Gruff, when I heard that it was wolves who were duking it out with the hyenas.”

“Oh my gods, is there anyone here in this village that doesn’t know you, Gruff?” Sydney joked, feigning annoyance.

Gruff grinned at her before replying to the fox. “A pleasure to see you again, head Jackson. What brings you here?”

“Mayor Jackson now,” the fox said, grinning. “Er, I suppose not now but rather soon. This village became eligible to be considered a town. Only a matter of time for the documents to be processed until I can call myself mayor. Anyway,” he cleared his throat, “last night I received reports of the assault. Hearing that a group of wolves were fending off the hyenas piqued my interest. I thought it were the guards handling it, so I was shocked to be told that it was outsiders who were facing the hyenas.”

Gail wouldn’t have exactly called it as “fending off” the hyenas. It was more of them dealing with the dispute between their packs as well as protecting Alice.

The fox, Jackson, continued, “After I finished dealing with the…tragic matters from last night’s encounter, I wanted to personally extend my gratitude to you all, and I also want to apologize that you had to suffer injuries and fight when the guards couldn’t. So, as thanks for helping and compensation for your injuries, each of you can have whatever you want from the village—within reason, of course,” he added with a hearty laugh.

“Each one of us?” Sydney asked, her eyes gleaming.

Jackson nodded. “Indeed. If anything from the market caught your eye, you can have it straight from my wallet.”

“Ah, there’s really no need for me, head Jackson,” Gruff said, waving a hand. “My companions here might want something, but I’ll politely decline the offer. Your kindness and the people here are more than I can ask for.”

Jackson smiled. “Very well, if that is what you wish. I do hope that I will be able to repay you in some way during your future visits.”

“Well, I’m going to accept your offer, mister Jackson,” said Sydney. “I want…” She glanced at the sky as she hummed in thought. “Is there a place to get any sort of weapons?”

“There is a blacksmith in town, yes. He doesn’t have much ware at the moment, but he could still forge you a weapon of your choosing. Though, that does mean you’ll have to return here to pick it up once it’s made. I’d say it’ll take about a week at most for him to finish your commission.”

“Ah, looks like we do have to come back here, guys,” Sydney said, grinning. “Point me to where he is so I can tell him what I want.”

“There’s no need for that,” said Jackson. “You all are in a rush to leave, and this will just be a hindrance. Simply tell me what weapon you want, and I’ll relay it to our blacksmith.”

“That’s very kind of you. Let’s see…” Sydney hummed more in thought, tapping a foot. “Spears I think are reserved only for the Gammas and above. Bows would be…interesting to use, but I need to work on my shot though if I wanna use one, so let’s go with a sword.”

“What kind of sword would you want? A claymore? Scimitar? Rapier?”

“That I do not know,” Sydney said with an embarrassed laugh. “I dunno much about weapons, if I’m being honest, so I’ll let the blacksmith decide whatever he feels like making for me.”

“Very well.” Jackson nodded. He looked at Durin. “What about you, lass?”

Without much hesitation, Durin answered, “Can I have one of the beginner’s kits from the magic shop, the vitanimus one?”

“An aspiring arcane practitioner, I see, but only one kit? The gems are usually weak so amateurs can’t hurt themselves, so they shouldn’t be too expensive.” Jackson glanced at one of the guards, a snowshoe hare, and ordered, “Please head over to Denver’s shop and pick up each of the beginner kits on my behalf—with haste, please, as these people need to depart soon.”

The hare nodded and headed off. Durin was taken aback by Jackson’s charity. She opened her mouth, probably about to protest, but instead she just nodded with a goofy smile.

Finally, Jackson’s eyes landed on Gail. “Now, what about you, lass?”

There were a few items that Gail took interested in having, and most of them were what the others had already requested. A weapon to replace her dagger—one that was “gifted” to her by Reed—would be beneficial, however she thought that it’d be best to master close-quarters combat with her fist, claws, and short weapons before moving on to long-reaching weapons like swords and spears. Her current dagger could do that just fine. As for the other item, a set of arcane gems, she figured she could borrow Durin’s gems as well as the Zetas’ whenever Gail decided to practice her arcane skills.

And I’m still suspicious of what Ventay’s gift to me is.

With those being ruled out, there was only one thing left for Gail to ask of the soon-to-be mayor. “I don’t know how much this actually costs, but I know someone else does.” She patted Alice’s shoulder. “Why don’t you show them that outfit you want?”

Alice’s eyes were as wide as the glittering moons in her dream. “What? You’re passing mister Jackson’s gift to me?”

Gail nodded. “There isn’t much that I want from the village aside from keeping you safe and happy. Besides, your current clothes got torn, right? You may as well have something new to wear.”

Tapping her feet and squealing in excitement, Alice embraced Gail. “Thank you! I’ll make sure to take good care of it and wear it all the time!” She was as warm as ever, both in her voice and her hug. Gail was going to miss this once they leave.

The hare returned holding a wide box with a removeable lid. A ribbon was tied into a bow around it to keep it shut. He padded over to Durin and handed to her the box. “Here are your arcane gems, miss.”

There looked to be a bit of heft in the box with how Durin let out a soft grunt when carrying the box at first, but the only thing dropping was her jaw at how astounded and overjoyed she must be feeling. “Thank you greatly,” she said.

Gruff glanced at each one of them before saying, “All right, I think it’s about time we head off.” He dipped his head toward Jackson. “Thank you again, head Jackson. We’ll be sure to stop by again to pick up Sydney’s forged weapon.”

Speaking their gratitude and farewells to the village head and the guards, the wolves headed off with Alice still tagging for a little more. Once they reached the watchtower with Clid keeping watch again, Gruff exchanged waves of goodbye with him, and Alice stood by the tower’s side. Gail stopped a few meters away to look back at her. They both smiled solemnly.

Alice said, “See you later, Gail. I hope you get to visit here again soon. Thank you for the wildest day I’ve had.”

“I’ll try to give you an even wilder one someday, and hopefully one that’s less painful.” Gail dipped her head. “See you soon. May Ventay protect you.”

For a moment, Alice looked uncomfortable after that last statement, but she then smiled and nodded, saying nothing in response.

The group of wolves were off. Gruff was in the lead with Syden beside her, and Gail and Durin were just behind her running side-by-side as well. Their pace was slower as to accommodate to Durin carrying her box. Gail offered to carry the box for her, and they would pass it between them once the arms of one of them were exhausted.

“How many arcane kits are in this?” Gail asked as she passed the box to Durin.

“I don’t know. We only saw two beginner kits in the shop, right? Were there kits in other shelves that we missed?”

Gail couldn’t imagine what the other kits were going to be for. Having no knowledge of the arcane arts, there may as well be an infinite number of magic types in addition to the elemental, vitanimus, and alchemy that she’d seen.

“I’m kinda jealous of you getting a new weapon,” Gruff said. “I was half expecting you to pick a bow when you mentioned it. I think your aim’s good enough for you to have one made for you.”

Sydney snorted. “Really now? You’re just flattering me, or maybe you’re forgetting the time I snapped a makeshift bow when we were out hunting moons ago.”

The wolves followed the road until they eventually veered from it to prowl through the woods. Their travel would be unhampered the entire time with the weather being calm. They were still ways away from home, but Gail’s apprehension was starting to return. She could already imagine the stern faces of the Alphas and Zane, waiting for them by the mouth of the cave, their hands burning—quite literally for the Alphas’ case—ready to slap her across the face.

Her spiraling train of thoughts were interrupted by the blend of howling and cackling from the distance. Her heart sank as there was only one group of animals that made that cackling noise. The group hastened their pace.

“How are the Prowling Salvagers here too?” Gail was both distressed and bemused. Did they raid the cave knowing that there were four less wolves to defend it?

Durin diverged from them for a moment. She set her box beneath a spruce tree that was recognizable by its gnawed bark. Burying it with a layer of snow, she sprinted off to catch up with the others.

They emerged into the glade where their cave entrance resided, and in the middle of it was a brawl. There were two Deltas (Leia and Dom) and Reckles among the bunch, and, to Gail’s surprise, the Zetas were present, standing side-by-side by the cave’s entrance. They each held a translucent bow, radiating with a glow that Gail could only assume was potent archaic energy. They had their bows drawn, though they were reluctant to fire their arrow—ammunition that radiated similarly to their bows—as the scrap was too chaotic to take a shot without fear of piercing a wolf instead.

Though the arriving group hasn’t drawn attention to themselves yet, they shouldn’t go unnoticed in this fight. Sydney nudged Durin with an elbow before charging in with Gruff by her side, both of them preemptively covering their eyes partly.

Durin pulled out the warming arcane gem from her pocket. Clutching it, bits of light pierced through her fist for a second. “Blinding star!” she called out before chucking the gem toward the clump of wolves and hyenas. The members of the Twinned Fangs, though at first looking surprised at their presence, shielded their eyes with their forearms.

The hyenas saw this as an opportunity to strike at their oppositions, but the arcane gem in the air was positioned well enough to blind them all. Sydney and Gruff raked their claws across the backs of two hyenas, and the wolves already there contributed their own swipes with their weapons across their opposing hyenas’ chests.

With the hyenas staggered from the flash and the sting of their fresh wounds, the wolves distanced themselves from the hyenas to give the Zetas a clear shot of the hyenas. They fired their arrows at two of the three targets. Gail winced and looked away before the arrows connected with the hyenas’ shoulders, however when she looked back, no arrow was lodged in either of the hyenas. The arrow couldn’t have missed as they wailed and were clutching their shoulders.

Clearly outnumbered and overpowered, the three hyenas began to flee. Potts drew the string of his bow despite not nocking an arrow. Then, with energy being drawn from the bowstring and the limbs, an arrow of archaic energy was formed. This arrow, though translucent still, was dark green instead of pale white. Potts aimed a little lower and fired, hitting the hyena in the middle of the pack on his foreleg. The pain staggered him, and he would’ve kept running, but it wasn’t the pain of the arrow that stopped him.

Stemming from where the arrow hit, bulky vines sprouted and spread as though they were living snakes. They rooted the hyena in place as the vines burrowed into the ground, and more vines slithered to ensnare the two other hyenas. As much as they tried, they could not free themselves from the foliage’s ever tightening grip.

Sydney was about to run in for another swipe at one of the hyenas, but Reckles signaled her to stop. He approached the hyenas, armed with his spear and pointing it at one of them. He drew it closer to his neck. “What are you doing in Twinned Fangs territory?”

“W-we were just ordered to hunt for our own food here,” the hyena said, panicked. “We were only going to be hunting for small prey, but before we left, we were also instructed to attack any wolves that we may see.”

Reckles squinted. He pushed his spear more, threatening to draw blood. “How many are you here?”

“20 of us.” The hyena’s voice grew more distressed, as did his expression.

“Are you all male?”

“Yes.”

Reckles kept the spear to his neck. He eyed the other two hyenas, who looked just as terrified as the one being interrogated. Eventually, he lowered his spear. “Go, and leave this territory alone for as long as you live.” He glowered. “Not like you eight will last long in your clan anyways.”

Gesturing to the Zetas, the vines constricting the hyenas loosened its grip, dropping to the floor and withering into dust until it completely vanished. The hyenas fled, keeping to Reckles’ word and running to leave their territory.

Gail stood there, frightened yet amazed. Much like during the skirmish back in the village, she’d never seen her packmates in action like this. She was most astonished by the Zetas’ combat capabilities. Watching them now, they lowered their bows, which gradually dematerialized entirely.

Sydney, Gruff, and Durin approached their fellow Deltas to check on them. Gail padded toward Reckles. “Are you all okay? Where are the others?”

“We’re fine,” Reckles looked at the Zetas, who were unscathed, and the Deltas, who were a little worse for wear like him, “for the most part. Bea and Shaw are standing guard inside the cave along with Arden and Barnaby, and the rest of the Gammas chased off more hyenas with Zane and the Alphas.” He pointed to the woods, to the right when looking out the cave entrance. “I don’t doubt their capabilities, but I hope they’re doing all right.” He looked at Gail and gave a slight smile. “Good to see you four back in one piece, even if you did suffer injuries from the looks of it.”

“Ah, yeah.” Gail rubbed his bandaged arm. “This is nothing much, but I’m gonna have to report it to the Alphas later.”

As though uttering that rank name enough times was a summoning ritual, the Alphas entered the clearing. Terra’s right hand was encased in a molten shell. Seeing that there were only wolves, she jerked her hand to the side, shaking off the burnt stone and bits of lava. The snow sizzled as the debris sank melted all the snow in a small patch. Frost arrived as well, a cool mist leaving his maw as he huffed. Both their eyes were especially saturated, glowing slightly, but with a few blinks they returned to their natural colors.

Terra locked her stern sights on Gail. Gail was already mentally preparing herself for this moment, yet the panic inside her overflowed when Terra stalked toward her. “I see that you and the rest have returned from your rescue mission,” she said with an eerily calm voice. “I expect a report from you once we all gather in the cave.”

Gail nodded. Before she could speak, a voice that enraged her more than anything called out. “You dog!” Zane stomped his way toward them. “Showing up now, a day after you were supposed to and unable to help defend our territory? You ought to be smacked for—”

“I’m sorry, am I a ghost to you?” Terra showed her fangs with a low growl. Stone gathered around her right foot and crept up her body and onto her hand to form a ball. Streaks of molten lava would flow along the ball until it burst into flames in Terra’s hand. “I’m talking to her and you’re intruding as though I’m not here. Need I shove this down your throat to signal my presence?”

Despite the threat, Zane stared Terra down. He spoke with forced courtesy. “My apologies, Alpha Terra. I’ll leave you two be.” He walked away with clenched fists that would’ve been for Gail’s head.

Once he was out of earshot, Terra said to Gail, “You are to report to me and Frost more details later, but I must know now.” She pointed to Gail’s bandages. “What caused those during your self-imposed mission?”

After the skirmish here with the hyenas, Gail’s answer was going to spark greater tension. There was not putting it lightly, and she needed to let it be known to the Alphas. In earnest, she answered, “We ran into Scarlet in the village.”