Toboe's eyes flittered open, met the shelter of a clump of trees. The temperature had rose since last night, the snow had stopped falling, and Kiba had dried out. The sun was peeking over the tops of the trees, some of the snow starting to melt in the early light's rays. The youngest member of the pack sat up, stretching his frozen muscles, and looked around. The rest of the pack was still asleep, except now one more important figure was missing. Emerald.

A frown took over the runt's face and he rubbed his eyes, trying not to cry. First Tsume, then Emerald, and now he wasn't sure if he could trust Kiba. It was like he was cursed! But what if Kiba was right? What if...? With a sigh, Toboe laid back down and curled up into a ball, soaking up the warmth he had given the ground during his sleep. He just wanted to curl up and sleep again. He was tired. No, more like exhausted. He hadn't gotten a good night's rest since they started back to Paradise. And with all the traveling, he was worn out. Soon enough, little Toboe was almost back asleep. That's when he heard two howls drift through the trees, as faint as a whisper.

...

I woke up to feel a warm body next to mine, chest rising and falling with the gentle sound of breathing. Last night's events replayed in my mind, but I soon ignored the ones from before my reunion with Tsume. I rolled over, my back exposed now to the cold instead of Tsume's warm body, and cuddled up to him, resting my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms tighter around me and I finally opened my eyes in surprise. I hadn't known he'd be awake. His face, only inches from mine, was lit by a smile, his eyes intently peering down into mine.

"Good morning." he said, his voice tired and deep and quiet as he brushed some hair away from my face and neck.

"Good morning." I replied, cuddling even closer to him.

"Sleep nice?" he asked.

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah. A lot better than normal."

He chuckled. "You're welcome." he said teasingly, and despite myself I giggled a little.

We just laid there for a while, silent and comforting, as if drawing strength from each other so we could face the day. Maybe we were. "So what are we going to do today?" I asked finally.

I felt him shrug. "I was thinking we could go back down south. It's warmer."

I furrowed my eyebrows, a little confused. "But what about finding the pack? They're heading north still."

He sighed and removed one of his hands from around my blanket covered body, cupping my cheek with it. "We can't go back with them, Em." His voice was soft and comforting but he didn't do a good job hiding the distrust and anger laced within it.

"Why not?" I asked frowning, starting to get worried. "They'll want to know we're alive. And what about Paradise? Don't you want to go?"

"Obviously, they didn't come looking for you. If they did, they would care if you were alive or not."

"They watched Kiba kill me! They think I'm dead! And they think you are too!" He seemed to have forgotten that part, and now he hesitated, looking for something to say."Don't they mean anything to you? Don't you want them to know you're alive?"

He sighed again, his expression softening. "I do, Em. They're my friends. But we can't just go back. Not with Kiba there. Who knows what lies Kiba has told them by now?"

I bit my lip, my eyes starting to water. I wanted to find them so bad, I didn't want to leave them. "But... I can talk to Kiba, explain. I'll make him explain. We'll talk things out...I can't just leave them Tsume. They're my friends too and I want to go to Paradise. I don't want to go back to living like a human. I want to be with wolves, live like one, be with Cheza. Tsume, I really want to go..."

He was silent for a moment, looking at me with something sad and pitying in his eyes. "Fine, but if things don't work out with them promise me you'll let it go." I hesitated. "Em, before I threw you off the ladder, I meant what I said. Yeah, Paradise and the pack would be nice, but as long as I'm with you anywhere could be Paradise. I don't need them to survive. Just you."

My eyes watered up more but not because of the thought of loosing the pack, but because of the words coming from Tsume. I smiled, so touched by his words in a way I thought I never would be. "Okay, I promise." I said quietly.

"Good. Now, get dressed while I go and try to see what direction the pack went."

I nodded and he kissed me on the forehead before getting up and walking out of the cave into the early morning sunlight. My heart skipped a beat as I watched him walk out of sight, afraid that he wouldn't come back again. I didn't want him to leave. But he would come back this time. He wasn't going anywhere.

Lethargically, I got up and unwrapped myself from the blanket I had been swaddled in. My clothes-previously sodden from my time of being drowned in ice water- were now dry and ready to be put on. So I put them on and walked out of the cave, letting my human disguise fall away then. I felt the frigid wind blow through my thick white fur, felt it bite at my skin and nose, but not as bad as when I was human. I felt the slick ice under my paws and I ground my claws into the ice, watching five grooves being cut into it's clear surface.

I smiled, my pink tongue rolling out of my mouth and my breath fogging the air. I wanted to laugh, but instead it came out as a sort of bark. I was a wolf. Always have been, even if I had tried to hide it, and always would be, even if I didn't like it. I was wolf, and I was determined to get my pack back, determined to keep Tsume safe, and determined to get to Paradise. I was a wolf on a mission and this time nothing would get in my way, even a crazy scientist who was probably tracking us right this very moment. Nothing could stop me.

I tilted my head back and took in a deep breath, letting it out in a howl, one that challenged everything and everyone. Moments after I finished, Tsume's howl rang out across the sky and I smiled again, looking over to see him in the distance, head back, grey fur blowing in the wind, and his deep howl ringing over the land. He put his head down to meet me, amber eyes twinkling, and then we bounded off across the ice, towards the pack, towards Paradise, together again.