Tsume kept silent as the pack continued to press on. The hard packed snow on the ice numbing everyone's paws. Diablo had led them to the foot of a large glacier that had cut a channel through the mountains. The Doberman warned them that their were many crevasses and that they should take their time, resting often. Tsume was irked that they were taking the dogs advice. For all they knew, he was trying to get them killed. After all, they had first met under tense circumstances. His face itched slightly as the cool breeze brushed the raw skin under his injuries. He had not told anyone much about his past… about the reason he was cast out of his pack. Maybe, it was time he said something. No. He couldn't tell them. The images of the white wolf flashing in his memory as he winced at the still painful marks on his muzzle. Shiego had told him once that he was concerned he would turn out like him. What he didn't know, was that he was already past that point.

"Hey Tsume! Keep up!" Kiba hollered.

"I'm a coming." Tsume groaned.

"Any slower and the glacier will be moving you."

Kiba had been leading them on since they first left the guidance of Diablo. Keeping a watchful eye on the terrain in front of them, being careful to avoid the dark, glass like patches that marked where caverns had formed under the ice. Their progress was slow and even then, Blue still had a difficult time keeping up. She was getting close. Kiba only hoped they would get over the mountains and into someplace warmer for the pups to be born. The cold ice would be a harsh place to bring new life into the world.

"You know you didn't have to speak up for me back there." Shiego said, looking over at Toboe.

"Huh?"

"When I should have left… you didn't have to try and convince the others."

"It wasn't me."

A puzzled look spread across the wolfs scared face, "But I thought?"

"It wasn't me. I didn't say anything to anybody, I swear."

"Then who…"

"Beats me. I'm just glad your still with us."

"Yeah… Everyone but Tsume."

The two wolves carried on in their private conversation. Following the path of the wolves before them to avoid any chasms. Tsume lagged on a ways behind them. Ciri slowed down. Letting Shiego and Toboe trot past her as she waited for Tsume.

"You sure seem down. What's bothering you?" she asked the silver wolf.

Tsume looked up from the ground. His eyes looking at something that was clearly not there.

"Tsume?" Ciri waved a paw in front of his face. "Hey, snap out of it!"

Tsume refocused his vision on the she-wolf. "Oh, it's you."

"Of course it's me. What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing…"

"Come on! You were completely lost in thought. Tell me what's on your mind."

Tsume started to continue forward, the pestering wolf right beside him.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something."

"Leave me alone."

"That's not very nice."

"Yeah, well beat it, okay."

"Nope. Not until I get what I want… and am fully satisfied with the answer."

Ciri kept at it for close to an hour. Still the silver wolf barely said anything more than an occasional grunt of annoyance. Tsume paid little attention to her as they continued on. He was remembering the life he once led. The pack he once was a proud member of.

"Hey, Kiba?"

"What, Hige." Kiba answered.

"I think it would be a good time to take a break," Hige said, looking back at Blue. She was having a difficult time keeping up, panting heavily.

"Okay, well break here. But only for ten minutes…"

"Thanks!" Hige hollered as he rushed off to clear a spot for him and Blue to settle down in. Kiba thought he was taking this father thing to seriously. After all there were no pups as of yet. At least it kept him occupied and prevented him from stirring up too much trouble. Kiba turned to Toboe.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine." Toboe lied. His paws were starting to feel a little tender and some ice had melted and refrozen in between his pads.

"Are you sure you okay?" Shiego said, looking at the pups paws.

"It's nothing."

"Pick up your paw."

"Why?"

"Just do it, okay." Shiego ordered.

"Fine…" the pup whined as he held up his paw for the other wolf to see. Red ice clung to the fur on the bottom of his paw.

"How long has it been bleeding?" Shiego questioned. He had noticed the pups altered pace for a while now and had suspected that something was amiss.

Toboe shrugged, "Maybe ten minutes?"

"That's ten minutes too long… here, lay down."

"Okay," the pup said, slowly lowering himself to the cold ground.

"Now roll over…"

"What!?" The pup cried out in protest. "Are you crazy?!"

"You need to get your paws of the ground so the ice can melt. Only then can we properly tend to them." Kiba explained.

Toboe slowly rolled onto his back. The cold ice sending a chill down his spine.

"He looks so cute!" Ciri chimed in at the sight of the pup holding his paws against his chest.

"UGH! SHIEGO!" Toboe barked.

"What?"

"It's not working, everyone's laughing at me!"

"Well better that than your paws freezing off." Shiego joked.

"Not funny…" the pup groaned. He laid his head on the ground, looking away from the rest of the pack to hide the slight scowl on his face. Why did they have to baby him so much? He was old enough to care for himself. He didn't need the others to tell him what to do.

"Toboe what are you doing?! You need to stay off your feet!" Shiego exclaimed as the pup rolled back over and stood up.

"I don't take orders from you. I can make my own decisions!" Toboe growled. He had had enough of them treating him like a helpless puppy.

"You get off those feet right now!" Shiego ordered.

"No!"

Kiba stepped in front of Shiego, "Let him be Shiego. If he wants to be a big wolf then let him. He'll have to learn one way or another…"

Shiego gave a huff as he turned to leave. He settled down and dozed off, trying to make the best use of the time they had left to rest.

Kiba looked scoldingly at Toboe. "He's only trying to look out for your best interests."

"I don't care! You guys are always treating me like a baby! Well, I'm NOT!" Toboe barked.

"You never were, I think it's just that Shiego missed out on that part of your life… and for him at least, you are still his responsibility."

Toboe became silent. He hadn't thought about before. Ever since he was able to walk he had been cared for by Grams. He had never known what it was like to be cared for, worried over by any other. Tsume would sometimes tease him about it. That he was more like a dog than a wolf, but it was only in jest. Shiego on the other hand treated him as if he was barely older than a weaned pup at times.

"I guess since my mother died… He felt like I was his responsibility."

"I think your on the right path." Kiba encouraged.

"But why? Why does he have to look out for me so much? He has to let me grow up sometime."

"Maybe to you it seems that way. But I've seen you grow so much." Tsume said.

"Oh, hey Tsume," Toboe said, slightly surprised that the silver wolf was now beside him.

"There's a lot more to growing up than making decisions. Sometimes it's best to seek out advise from others, rather than to live with the pain of learning it ourselves."

"Oh," Toboe muttered. He hadn't realized that. That Shiego was trying to help him, not by giving orders, but by helping him learn from the experiences of those who have gone before him.

"So, what do you think?" Kiba asked. "You want to do it your way? Or take another's advice?"

"Okay… I choose." Toboe started, "to take the advice."

With that all sorted out, he settled back down, rolled onto his back and kept his paws off the ground. As the ice melted he licked each paw clean, allowing the fur to then dry thoroughly in the air. As he finished the last paw he noticed the half open eye of the supposedly sleeping white wolf. Shiego was watching him. Toboe couldn't help but notice the barely visible grin on the older wolfs face. Toboe smiled back, he was glad that the others were there to help him, to give him choices…

They had rested longer than Kiba had wanted. The sun was already starting its slow descent. They would only have a few hours of daylight left before the glacier was cast into the cold dark of night. Blue was doing better, now that she had caught her breath. Hige walked beside her, both of them silent as the pack continued to press forward.

"Hey, Kiba? How much longer do you think we have to be on this ice?" Toboe asked.

"Maybe two more days yet…" the white wolf mumbled, never taking his eyes off the ground in front of him. It was getting harder to distinguish between the various shades of ice, which paths were safe and which weren't.

Toboe turned to Shiego, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so rude earlier."

"Think nothing of it. Your right, your old enough to make your own decisions…."

"Okay…" Toboe replied, slightly puzzled at the older wolfs response.

"It was wrong of me to try and force you to do something… your not a pup anymore."

Toboe stopped in his tracks. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Shiego, in his own way, had said he was an adult?! He bounded after the white wolf. Gliding silently across the ice as he passed Shiego's left flank.

"What the?!" Shiego stated as the pup brushed up against him. He pulled away and turned his head to see what had touched him.

Toboe just stood there, dumbfounded at the way the wolf had responded.

"Toboe? What are you doing there?"

"I was walking beside you… are you okay?" Toboe asked a look of concern on his face.

"You just startled me, that's all."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was right beside you though… didn't you see me?"

Shiego kept quite for a brief moment before he spoke. "I can only see shadows now. For all practical purposes… I'm blind in my left eye."

"Is there anything I can do?" The pup asked, not fully understanding what Shiego was telling him.

"No, just try to either stay in front or to my right so I can see you…"His voice was cut off as a loud crashing sound exploded from behind them.

The whole pack turned to face the direction of the sound.

"What was that?" Hige asked no one in particular.

They looked back where they had passed just moments earlier. There, just a short ways off was a large hole. The ice had broken through… and Ciri and Tsume had gone with it.

Both Ciri and Tsume have disappeared! But where exactly did they go? And will the rest of the pack find them before it's too late? You tell me what you think happened. I know what's next but would love to see exactly what you guys (and gals) think.

Review, Follow, and above all, enjoy the story...