After saying in the last chapter that there were only two more chapters... um, I changed my mind. Here's an extra one!

This is a gift for Luxraylover, who was the most consistent of all my reviewers in petitioning for Tala's bit-beast to return to him, and who also got the 100th review.

Chapter 26 - Wolf

"You understand?"

"O-of course." Tala fought to remain in control of his breathing. "Perfectly."

The news had come as a complete shock, possibly an even worse one than the first. After all this time of feeling Wolborg brushing against the very edge of his mind, unable to get any closer, to discover that he could...

Kai was still on the other end of the phone. "Tala."

"Yes."

The phone at the other end clicked down. Kai knew that Tala would tell the others – there was no need to ask him. They understood each other so well still, Tala thought. But Kai could never understand him the way his ice-cold wolf had understood him.

Wolborg.

Tala put the phone down in its cradle and stood up. This was no place for him to be right now.

"Hey, where're you off to, Tala?" Bryan called from the front room as Tala strode past the door, but the red-head ignored him. He wasn't important.

Tala didn't stop until he reached the park, heading automatically for the tree he usually ended up sitting under when the Blitzkrieg Boys decided to spend the day at the park (which happened a lot, as at least in the park any explosions of temper couldn't damage the walls).

How could something so simple work when nothing else had? Dizzi could be wrong – she might have been a bit-beast, but there was no evidence...

No! He pushed the doubts down as far as he could. He couldn't think about that. He mustn't. This was his one and only hope of getting Wolborg back.

Taking a deep breath, he steeped away from the tree, thankful that it was dusk, and the park was almost empty. This was a private thing, not for everyone to see.

Wolborg?

The wind moaned softly in his ears, but nothing else. Tala's shoulders sank.

Please, Wolborg?

He'd tried something like this when he had first realised his beautiful wolf had gone, and it hadn't worked. What was it that Kai had said? Reach out to them, and call them home...

Call them home? But where was home? The house that the Blitzkrieg Boys shared wasn't exactly a home, not for them. They drifted like snow from city to city, staying only long enough to get bored before moving on. They'd only been in their current place for about two months. Tala had a bet on with Kai that they would change address before the end of five months. Kai was betting on four.

Where would a bit-beast's home be? In its blade, of course, but that didn't feel like the right answer.

Wolborg, I could really use some help here, my friend.

Nothing. The wind had died down now, and the dusk was deepening into true night. If he stayed out too long, the others might come to look for him, and then what would they think of their strong captain, standing out in the cold staring at nothing, praying for his bit-beast's voice to echo once more in his heart and mind...

His heart. Of course.

Wolborg? Beautiful one? Come back. I don't care if it means you're not as powerful. I don't care if it means you can't blade with me as my bit-beast. I just want you back in my head, making all those silly comments about Wyborg and Seaborg and the others... I want you back with me. I've made my choice. It's... it's my turn to protect you now, friend.

The silence trembled around him, daring any sound to break it. Even Tala's breathing had stilled so that not even the slightest wisp of mist blew in front of his face. The world itself seemed to have stopped spinning.

And then, so suddenly that it nearly stopped his heart with its shock and beauty, he heard it.

TALA!

The voice exploded through every vein in his body, a howl, a song to the moon from the lost wolf finding the pack at last. Tala! Tala! TALA!

His mind filled with snow and ice, and glittering icicles under a starlit sky. Vast, open plains of white stretched before him, bordered by massive evergreens that stood majestic in their snow-covered loveliness. The wind howled around him, driving eddies of six-pointed snowflakes up into the dark night in great spirals – and bearing the cry of his wolf.

Wolborg!

The white-furred beast erupted from the horizon and crashed towards him, all but flying over the snow, ice-diamonds streaming out from his tail like some strange, broken necklace. Bigger than Tala remembered, more beautiful than he could have imagined, Wolborg didn't even slow a little bit as he neared his master, bowling him over into the ground, sending the snow flying around them in waves like those that crashed against the shores in warmer places.

Wolborg! It was the only thing he could think of, the only word spinning through his brain. Oh Wolborg, you came back...

The White Wolf's tail lashed at the ice, a constant stream of soft yips and whines pouring from his open, smiling mouth. With his beautiful bit-beast's two front paws planted firmly on his chest, there was nothing Tala could do except laugh as Wolborg nudged his cold, black nose against Tala's cheek and then licked his face.

Oh Wolborg, I called you – why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you respond?

My Tala.

Tala swallowed the rest of his questions along with the strange lump in his throat, and reached up and wrapped his arms around his ice-wolf's neck, burying his face in the soft, cold fur. Wolborg.

Tala. Tala. Tala.

It wasn't a name any more, but a song, lilting with the howl of the wolf who was wrapping himself around Tala's heart and mind once again. Who cared whether Wolborg could still drive the blade named after him again? Who cared about the long list of unanswered questions that might never be resolved now – like who was stronger, him or Bryan? Who cared about anything except that his wolf was back, that he could never lose him again?

That he would never have to be alone with his own thoughts ever again?

I will never leave you, they promised, ice flying through their voices.

And I will never let you, they swore, snow reflecting in their eyes.

He didn't even notice that the water on his face was no longer just from the melting snow.

Tala.