Gabu breathed heavily, trying to calm himself down as he stood outside in the cold snow . Though the air was freezing he still had a much easier time breathing than he'd had in the small shelter. That was probably more because he didn't have to listen Mei calmly discussing their fate than the fresher air though. She had sounded like this was how it was meant to happen, as if they themselves were to blame. There was no way that was true but even if it was, no one deserved something like this happening to them. As he thought back to their conversation he realised that she hadn't explicitly said something like that and that he hadn't given her a chance to completely explain her thoughts.

Though he didn't believe he was in the wrong, Gabu began feeling somewhat guilty for how harshly he had treated her. He resisted the urge to go back and apologise to her and instead wandered a bit further away from the burrow. He didn't want that conversation to be their last but there was no way he could go back there right now. Without anything other to do, he began scurrying around the area, sniffing and digging through the snow. If he only could find at least some food for Mei she'd be able to leave along with him. His attempt proved fruitless and he was only left with cold paws and an increased hunger.

He now realised that he'd have to find some food for himself as well if they both were going make their way out there alive. As he sat down onto the ground, trying to come up with any sort of plan or idea, a loud howling overvoiced the shrieking wind and disturbed his thoughts. He immediately rushed towards somewhat higher ground trying to see if he really had recognised the sound correctly. Narrowing his eyes, he was able to spot a group large group of what had to be wolves moving below him. Gabu's heart only began beating faster and faster as glared at the small mass of shadows. This wasn't because of fear though. For the first time his life he wasn't afraid of his pack, he was furious. Why did they have to follow them all this way, just to make them suffer even more before their lives end? What gave them the right?

It actually felt rather good to hate them, to be able to blame someone. He began growling a little as thought about look of superiority that he had always seen plastered on Giro's face. The hunger in his stomach disappeared and was replaced with a much stronger feeling. He was going to kill him and after that Mei would be safe, or at least be able to pass on in peace. Even if this was going to kill him, he would make sure that it'd inflict as much of the pain they deserved as possible.

Gabu let out a booming howl before leaping straight over the edge and into the air. As felt the wind pushing through his fur he saw a small dark blur below him. Instead of the cold snow, he felt something warm and soft under his paws as he landed. A sound similar to when a twig is snapped could be heard followed by a whining sound which was quickly cut short. After jumping off the wolf he found himself surrounded by the rest of the wolves who stared at him with a look of disbelief more than hostility.

Gabu ignored their gazes and instead focused on his target. Giro seemed to remain calm as he stared back into Gabu's eyes. Whether this was because of self confidence or an attempt to soothe the others worry Gabu didn't know nor did he care. It seemed to have the latter effect though as the wolves created a ring around their leader, shielding Giro as Gabu began slowly approaching him. He soon picked up his pace and began rushing towards them as fast as he could. The wolves were taken aback a little but remained were they were, looking a little unsure of what they were actually going to do.

Since Gabu lacked this doubt he was able to push his way through with nothing much else but pure force. He wasn't met without any resistance though as the wolves didn't stand still for long and he soon felt their teeth and claws scraping and digging against his skin. In Gabu's eyes they were neither his old pack nor even living creatures, they were just obstacles. Ignoring the dull pain in his body, he made his way through by viciously slashing and biting everything standing in his way before coming face to face with Giro. The wolf didn't seem the least bit concerned but instead showed a small though noticeable smug grin on his face.

Gabu was now standing right amongst the other wolves inside of the circle that now kept him in instead of out. Giro made a sign toward his pack as if telling them to stay back before walking towards Gabu in an intimidating manner. Gabu could hear him saying something but didn't bother to listen to it as the voices of the wolves around him made everything blend in into a jumbled noise. Although Giro looked very menacing, he seemed to purposely stall by moving slowly around Gabu. It was obvious that he waiting for Gabu to make the first move and he would not be disappointed. Gabu quickly leaped towards Giro with enough speed to catch the wolf by surprise. Unfortunately he had going much too fast to get a good grip, allowing Giro to slam him into the ground by simply leaning back and going along with the motion.

Being somewhat dazed Gabu was unable to get his bearings before Giro tackled him, pinning him to the ground. As Giro was preparing for the final blow Gabu managed pull his hind legs free. Seeing an opportunity he immediately kicked Giro in the stomach. Although the limited space made for a rather weak blow it was still enough to send Giro into the ground. Before the wolf was able to get up, Gabu stepped up on top of him in order to keep him down. Not being interested in prolonging fight anymore he immediately dug his claws in Giro's exposed skin making him cry out in pain. The rest of the wolves had now quieted down and the weak whimpers of Giro was all that could be heard if you disregarded the wind. As Gabu got ready to bite down on Giro's neck and end the struggle something suddenly made him stop.

A familiar voice was calling out to him, a voice that didn't have any negative feelings associated with it. Looking up Gabu noticed Lala pushing through the other wolves as she ran towards him. Seeing the horrified look in her eyes made all of his rage fade away. He backed away from Giro as to give Lala the space she needed. Afraid of looking her in the face he turned towards the rest of the wolves who were still staring at them. Some of them were almost as wounded as Giro but they looked like they were going to be fine. Seeing their injuries gave Gabu an odd feeling, one of sadness but not of guilt or regret. It wasn't until he turned back towards Giro and Lala that those feelings began to surface. At that point he found himself unable to speak and just sat there, watching them carefully. Giro seemed to take a different approach as he just turned in the opposite direction ignoring him. After some time had passed Lala finally said something.

"You've caused quiet a lot of damage, haven't you?"

"I have..."

"I guess sometimes there's things you just have to do..."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Why would you care about that...? Never mind... You probably hurt his pride more than anything so he'll be alright unless he gets into another fight."

"Well, I'm not going to do anything more."

"That's awfully kind of you. After all the trouble you went through to take things this far, why stop now?"

"I don't want to hurt you... and I doubt he's going to hurt me or Mei for that matter. I beat him fair and square after all..."

"Yeah, you're stronger than you look, you know? That reminds me, since you defeated my brother..."

"I'm the knew leader of the pack..."

"You'd make a good leader... disregarding what you've just done to us that is... But I know that isn't were you belong. You have your own things to take care of..."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you. You can take the position if you'd like. Just promise me to take everyone back home and try to survive the best you can. Then this will at least amount to something good..."

"I'll make sure of that. It seems like Giro has is ready to go now... There's no need to drag things out so we'll be on our way. Good bye Gabu, I wish you the best of luck."

Since Gabu was unable to find the words to express himself he just sat quietly and watched as Giro began limping away with the help of Lala. The rest of the pack soon followed suit only glancing slightly at him with no sign of either spite or gratitude. As the crowd dispersed he noticed that one wolf was left laying in a part of the snow that had been previously obscured. A bad feeling entered Gabu's stomach as he was unable to make out any sound of breathing while approaching the wolf. Since the body was laying face to the ground he reluctantly rolled it over in order to see who he had killed.

Despite the darkness he could clearly see the all too familiar facial features of the creature. Recognizing the poor wolf he turned his head away from the corpse, not ready to fully come to terms with what he had actually done. Looking down into the ground some crimson patterns unavoidably caught his eyes. Laying in some of the blood splatters he saw a small object resting on the ground. On closer inspection he realised that it was the very same clam that he had shown Mei. Inside of the shell the pearl glittered somehow still as purely white as the snow falling from the sky. Gabu decided against reclaiming it and instead wandered back to the dead body. Somehow the events that had unfolded had sucked all beauty out of the clam which now only gave him a sense of disgust.

No longer being occupied with anything he realised that he had forgotten something. Mei was still cooped up in their shelter undoubtedly in the same state he had left her in or maybe even worse. At the same time he had done nothing to soothe his hunger or gain his strength, his fight with the pack had only drained his energy even further. While desperately trying to come up with any solution to his predicament his gaze wandered back to the dead wolf laying in the snow in front of him.

With the faint scent of blood lingering in the air a sudden idea popped up in Gabu's head, one that he soon wished he could forget. He had to find something to eat in order to help Mei and there wasn't really any other options. Looking past the hide of the corpse a sufficient amount of flesh and blood could be found, looking all the more tempting the longer he stared at it. These thoughts were starting to make him sick to his stomach as if the guilt already plaguing him wasn't enough. His nausea eventually eased away as he realised that he had to do it in order to ensure Mei's survival.

Remembering something Mei had said to him in their last conversation, he realised that he found it easier to try not to think about the fact that he himself was a wolf. He wasn't a part of the pack anymore, he was just himself. He couldn't even be considered a wolf anymore and neither could the lifeless body laying in front of him. After inhaling a deep breath, closing his eyes and opening his jaws, he slowly began inching closer and closer to the corpse. After a couple moments of slight shivering in anticipation he finally bit down.