Hey Spice and wolf fans! So couple new things, one I'm taking my EMT course so updates will be a little slower because of the course demands but the good news is that the fights and injuries get even more realistic!

Also for those who like AMV's I remade my Spice and Wolf-I felt free one because the original one got blocked by hopeless records so I swapped out tracks with a different version of the same song.

Anyway I hope you all enjoy this chapter because I had been looking forward to this one for a long time.


Chapter 23

Wolf at the Edge of the Wilderness

The cold air sifted about the jagged terrain that looked like an oceans raging tempest caught in stasis. Dusk had gone away and was now replaced with a cloudless nights sky with such a breathtaking firmament that it would have been the inspiration for Van Gogh's starry night had he been present.

Atop the snow ridden bluff was Kaytaff who was nervously sniffing the ground and searching. He navigated through the pines with his nose to the ground and occasionally perking up his head when detecting that which gave him interest. It was a vast and lonely world which appeared to accommodate this one creature so well that it finely interpreted its meaning.

Alas his powerful sense of smell picked up a scent that was not well known to the creatures of the forsaken wilderness, human blood. The snow had covered the droplets of stains with a single layer in which the hound began to grow excited.

The trail of blood lead him to a motionless mound in the shape of a humanoid figure face down. Kaytaff advanced towards him and began kissing the hollow of the right hand with his snout. When that yielded no movement he began whimpering while licking Ranger's temples and began pulling on his hood to yield movement. He then began pouncing on his back and compressing in intervals in attempts to wake his master.

That is when Kaytaff's efforts paid off as a swift inhale occurred within Ranger's nostrils followed by his eye opening while his fingers began contracting. The white powder prostrated on his back began shifting off as he slowly began pushing himself up and coming to.

He got to his knees with a deep grunt while rocking about listlessly. His sense of hearing was blotted out by a sustained ringing that subsided over time while his central nervous system was attempting to decipher what was before his very eyes.

He lowered his mask and picked out the clotted blood from his nostrils then felt an abnormality in his jaw which caused him to spit out a broken molar. He slid his mask back up and let out a wincing sigh while trying to recollect what transpired beforehand that led him here.

He began searching his memory, there was the commute through the snow, Gallavaun lost control and threw him from the wagon.

The Wagon! Where was the wagon?!

Ranger looked frantically and yelled out weakly, "Holo!?" which was answered by his own echo reverberating throughout the canyons.

He then saw the fainted ruts molded under the fresh layer of snow that signified the path the wheels had taken. He followed them until they lead over the cliff ledge of the bluff. He arose and made haste to it only to stumble and fall on the first attempt. His coordination had not yet returned to him fully.

Putting more focus to the task, he arose once more and made his way to the ledge, collapsed on all fours and peered over. He was not entirely prepared for what he saw next.

Further down the drop, say about ten to twenty feet, was a small juniper tree growing from the rocky cliff side that stretched at an upward angle towards the sky making a V against the rock wall. It was within this gap between rock and wood was the wagon that was nose down and caught perfectly in a wedge. Had it not been for this miraculous juniper, the wagon would have met its fate two hundred feet below and gashed to pieces.

Holo was still inside, she was sitting against the front bulkhead in accordance to gravity and looking blankly ahead as if not even aware of her predicament.

Ranger called down to her, "Holo are you hurt?"

She did not look up nor did she answer.

He looked around and noticed among the debris that had flung out was one of the side drawers and within it was a rope. He retrieved it while reassuring, "Stay there, I will get you out."

He fastened a sturdy slip knot around the trunk of a nearby tree, went back to the ledge and cast it over to her which landed with a thud against the canyon wall just above the tailgate. She looked up at it, then resumed her eyes to their original station.
"Take the rope quickly and I will haul you up." said he.

Again, as before, she said nothing.

Becoming more adamant, Ranger growled, "Take the rope now, I am not leaving you here."

Suddenly her mouth opened and said with despair, "I prefer that you would."

Ranger was taken aback, "This is your dying wish, to be buried and forgotten in a God forsaken tundra while your husband suffers and vainly waits for you?"

Her lip began to tremble, "Lawrence is all but lost, I have been the cause of some of his greatest trials, even if I could not have saved him, the least I could have done was bare his child."

"You do not know what has become of him or your child." he said in an attempt to be reassuring.

Tears slowly began trickling down her cheeks, "W-what would you know? I have lost so many homes; Yoites, Pasloe and Nyohirra. I have lost so many friends; Myuri, Yue, Enti, Parromuri. And now I have lost that which I loved so deeply, Lawrence and our precious little one."

Ranger's eyes became soft yet rigid as he listened.

"How can you simply tell me to press on? Your answer to loss is to simply cut yourself off so that it may never effect you to begin with. For me, there is no going back from here."

She nestled her head to her shoulder and simply grieved being overcome with guilt and sorrow. The air was silent save for the wind that brushed over them and swirled the powder like sparkles in a fire.

Suddenly Ranger spoke that caught Holo's attention in a way she never would have anticipated.

"My brother, Holo."

She raised her teary eyes towards him who looked down on her with a gaze of compassion she had never thought possible in the man.

"My brother's name was Alden."

Her face was now turned completely up at the man who then said with a small yet heavy hint of remorse in his tone, "Fivel was the name of my son."

Lightning had struck all cords of the grieving she wolf that honed every jot of her attention on him.

"I was not always the cold hearted man you see before you. I, like so many others, was born into a family and raised by parents who led and guided me through the world. I too knew what it meant to love and be loved by a woman, and that love blessed me with a family of my own.'

His eyes sunk inferiorly as he said with profound sadness, 'And I too know what it is like to have that taken from you."

Holo's face swayed as she asked in earnest, "What happened?"

"The same that has happened to you; Hate, vengeance, that desire in the hearts of men to burn all that is good and worse, not enough good men to take a stand and stop them. I know what you are feeling; guilt, shame, anger. I know where you are at because I have been there myself."

He then extended his reach towards her, "Let me help you."

She gazed upon his far reaching hand that appeared as an invitation to be lifted from this gall of misery who in turn said, "I do not even think you can help me get back to the way things were."

"Then let me help you move forward. I cannot promise whether or not your family will be spared, I cannot promise you the well being of your child, but there is one thing I can promise' she looked deep into his eyes, 'No matter the malice of hell that must be traversed to end this journey, the angel of death will see Jurgen and his conspirators cut down and your pain avenged. And you have my word that you and I will see it to the end.

That, I can promise you."

Holo fumbled with her lower lip then said, "There is but one thing I ask of the angel of death, let me be the one to cut Jurgen down."

"That can be arranged."

With a revitalized courage to press on Holo chose freedom over certain doom. She leaned up to grab the rope until she shook uneasily. The change in her body weight caused the wagon creek and shift in its housing.

Seeing that the coach was far from stable, Ranger instructed, "Do not move, I will come to you."

She held fast to the ledges and looked down to the hundreds of feet of space between her and the earth. She hastily cast her gaze up to Ranger who was repelling down with prudent speed.

Once he got to the foot of the tail gate he reached for her but durst not touch the wagon for fear of its plummet. Holo reached up which caused the wagon to creak, not only this but even with full abduction of her limb she would still be four feet shy of his hand.

"You are still too far." said she.

He paused while in animation then said, "Give me more time, I will find a way."

Suddenly she began to feel the sensation of downward momentum, the front wheel was beginning to turn.

"We do not have time!" she exclaimed as she popped up and began scrambling up the wagon as it began rolling free and ever downward. In a last ditch effort, she hurdled up the tail gate and gave a mighty push to propel herself up through the air towards Ranger.

Her fingers fell just shy of his as her hand swiped thin air and then began to plummet. She let out a gasp as the negative sensation forced her stomach into her throat as she descended yet kept her hand outstretched still.

Ranger let go of the rope and just in the nick of time, caught her arm with one hand and snatched the branch of the juniper with the other. He let out an agonizing grunt as weight and acceleration combined with her weight put a tremendous strain on his already injured body when he caught and snapped to.

Holo reached up and grabbed hold with the other hand while she scrambled. She looked down and saw the wagon recede further and further from view until it pounded up the earth and gashed to pieces while the distance caused a second delay of the sound on impact.

"Fear not, I have you."

She met her eyes to his who said, "I will not let you go."

Her face became calm as she said with a tone that dispelled all fear, "I know you will not."

He began flexing his arm with a loud grunt which brought her up closer to him in which she wrapped her arms around his torso and allowed him to climb back up to the rope. As he was hauling themselves up Holo could not help but comment, "Let us agree to never do that again."

They were able to get themselves up and over the ledge in which Holo laid on her back gazing at the stars while Ranger was sitting with an arm resting on a knee. It was not long until Kaytaff came up and began sniffing at him in which he pet him back.

Twas the closest scrap with death they had had so far.

Holo sat up and rubbed her bangs with trembling hands while Ranger stood up and said, "The wagon had many supplies that can be of use, it would be prudent to make our way down there to see what can be salvaged."

This caused her to stand as well with her hands holding each other below the waste while angling her head down. As Ranger moved on past her up the way, she spoke so delicately, "I am sorry for my behavior it is just that…I miss Lawrence…so much…"

He noticed tears coming down her cheek in which he approached and said while placing a hand on her shoulder, "I said once that there would be a time to mourn, now I suppose is that time, for it may never be."

"No,' replied Holo looking up to the constellations that dominated the firmament, 'I have cried and wept more than my fair share and it has done nothing to bring me closer to him. No more tears."

They nodded in reverent agreement of one another in which Holo diverted topics to that which was more prevalent, "I wonder what had caused Gallavaun to run free in the way that he did."

She noticed Ranger's eyes affixed upon the forest columns and began to walk up to a nearby tree. From there she could see a series of transfixed arrows.

He pulled one free and examined the entire workmanship, they seemed to be crafted straight from the wilderness, he looked over to her and said, "He was either startled or shot."

Holo took a closer look at them, "We are being hunted." said she.

"Can you sense anything?" he rejoined while being on the defensive.

"Not at the moment, however that does not mean we are not alone."

"Then let move from here quickly."

The two of them including Kaytaff began making their way down the ravine. Fortunately there was foot friendly path they could traverse only at the expense of exerting athleticism. As they began climbing down Holo asked, "So what was the last thing you remember?"

"I remember attempting to get Gallavaun under control then awaking. It is all very vague. What of you?"

As he stepped down an inclined step he noticed that she attempted to dismount it by sitting then shifting down. He then stabilized her by taking her hand and helping her down as she said, "I am sorry but I was much too grieved to identify anything immediate, however I am getting the sense that we are in some one else's territory."

"Pray tell."

She leaned against the canyon wall with her hand as she stepped down, "Well as you would know, those arrows were meant for us and yet despite being incapacitated at that moment, here we are."

He dropped down a ledge that appeared too steep for the little woman in which a bade her to jump and catch her. As he was letting her down he commented while looking back up to the cliff, "If they had the opportunity to smite us then and there, why did they not take it?"

"I find it odd,' commented Holo, 'I would rule out them simply toying with us, no one would fire so many arrows and not intent to hit their mark, something or someone may have driven them away."

She slipped off and allowed gravity to take her down in which Ranger ended her inferior transit by catching her by the hips and letting her to her feet softly. They alas reached level ground in which Ranger said, "Perhaps those who claim this land as their own and those who hunt us are not the same creatures."

"I advise that we remain as discrete as possible, an enemy of our enemy may not be a friend."

They began to cut through another set of trees that had an opening where the wagon was at. Holo suddenly covered her nose and pronounced, "I smell raw meat, something dead is nearby."

They soon found it as they spread through the bushes. It was Gallavaun who had fallen to his death from over the cliff. He lay laterally with his eyes still open and blood oozing out his nostrils. His stomach was burst open which set his guts and entrails sprawled out and entwined about his broken legs. As unsightly as it was, it was an inevitable outcome for such an event involving an animal who weighed roughly one ton.

Ranger approached what remained of his horse and pointed to his hind quarters which had an arrow protruding from his hip. "This is what caused him to run." said he.

Kaytaff trotted up and began sniffing the viscera curiously while Holo bowed her head and said, "I am sorry about Gallavaun."

He said nothing, only kneeled down by his ally's head and placed a hand on his mien with care. The moment was short lived as he arose and said, "Come, the wagon is a short league hence."

They had found the clearing that served as the final resting place for the sturdy wagon. One wheel was crooked yet attached with the other three had flown in accordance to physics. Most of the articles stored there were scattered about and pulverized with only the main frame still intact and resting in a shallow divot it created.

He began pulling away panels to see what could be salvaged while Holo looked about to find what food may have survived. To her delight the butchered remains of the caribou carcass had mostly survived and to her dismay so did the onions and potatoes.

In one of the more obscure pockets of the woods she noticed the clutter of timber that once made up his chest that he kept locked. There in the silver shade of the moonlight she saw its inner contents, or what remained of them.

They were vials, broken and shattered, while their product was spilled over and staining the snow a sickly blue. She caught a whiff of the fluid which familiarized her detections. It was the remedy administered to Albert, Jabari, to Ranger himself and alas her when her body was in turmoil.

She knelt down and scooped up the snow that served as its vessel to have a more proximal examination. She suddenly winced in pain as a glass fragment concealed within the pouch of snow gave her a superficial cut near the thumb.

Then as a wild and curious experiment she applied the snow that was infested with the blue liquid to the afflicted area and waited.

No sooner than when she had that the pain began fading out near instantly. She would have kept observing until a swaying object in the high branches caught her eye. It was Ranger's bow that caught hold of a branch on the way down and was left hooked above the earth.

She looked for a way up there but found no sure way to even get a first step and therefore returned to Ranger to inform him of her findings. At this point in time he had made a makeshift sled out of a panel and had but a few provisions resting upon it. He was considering what should be taken with them with the same sense of scrutiny of a man who was choosing which extremity he wished to live the rest of his life without.

"I have found our food, and your bow." said she.

He turned to her with a perky giddiness and asked, "Where?"

She pointed in the general direction, "Through there, there is a tree with it hanging above."

He walked with purpose towards it while, as Holo was bringing her hand back she noticed that the laceration was completely gone, as though the skin was never tarnished to begin with. She gazed upon it with awe before wiping it over to be sure it was in fact what it appeared to be.

She quickly rejoined him who was standing and looking up towards the branches and scheming how to retrieve his long range weapon. The first branch stood fifteen feet high and very out of reach. Ranger stepped back and made an attempt to reach it by running up the stump and lunging for it.

He failed the attempt and came back down hard on his feet. Holo noticed his composure go slightly limp as he paced backwards without stability and began rubbing the temporal region of his head. The jolt had obviously antagonized his recovering brain in which she assisted him in standing up right while encouraging, "Perhaps you should take it a bit more easy."

"I can manage." he growled.

Holo smiled sarcastically and replied lightly, "I am glad you are heeding my advice and not pushing your limits. Oh wait, you are doing no such thing are you?"

He huffed as he brushed her off then made a more earnest attempt to reach the branch. This time he caught the branch and began hoisting himself up when suddenly, due to the exertion, was overcome with a bout of dizziness and nausea and lost the strength to hold on and landed on his side.

Holo smirked and said, "You seem to be managing quiet well."

She let out an innocent giggle that was interrupted when seeing him sitting up right like a child and not responding. She went to him who did not notice her approach.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

He looked up to her but said nothing, as though he was extremely confused. She crooked her head curiously at him when seeing a potential oddity then haunched down while saying, "Look into my eyes."

He did so weekly in which she saw that one eye was dilated while the other's pupil was narrow. He was suffering from head trauma and was put in a state of rapid deterioration when jolted.

"Stay here." she coaxed while running back to the wagon area. She dug through the snow that held the miracle elixir and managed to scoop up an icy chunk of blue and rushed it back to him and said when presenting it before him, "Here, suck on this."

She slid it into his mask and felt his teeth accept it and hoped for the best. In about five minutes time his pupils became equal, round and responsive and he immediately jumped to his feet.

"Feeling better?" she asked astonishingly.

Rather than answer straight way he rather asked, "Did any of that remedy survive the fall?"

"Not that I could tell. Exactly what is in it that can cause it to heal ones ailments so quickly? For I have seen its effects on all manner of afflictions and it restores both mind and body to its acceptable state. I daresay that even the church would look upon it and consider it the tool of witch craft than the divine hand of God."

He moved past her and made reply, "Odd words from a creature of pagan worship."

She placed a hand on her hip and said with boldness, "Do you ever answer someone plainly?"

He turned to face her and said, "My reluctance has seldom never been for the best."

"The best for whom?" she interrogated.

Rubbing the back of his head, Ranger answered, "I acquired it many years ago, but not from the hands of man. But from one such creature who could heal any and all."

"You mean you have come across another like me?' she stammered with excitement, 'Who and where?"

He tilted his face slightly, "You may already know." he then turned back to determine how he was to retrieve his bow.

She joined up with him with a sleuth of questions running through her mind until they were tired. She would never yield answers from a man who rarely indulged them even on his own terms.

Looking up at the hinging bow Ranger said with automatic assumption, "Can you use your wolf form to get me higher?"

She let out a deep breath of resentment and replied, "Had you been anyone else, I may never would have spoken to you again."

"I simply asked for your assistance." retorted the masked man.

"You simply assumed I would use my wolf form to help you with your problem."

"And this indicts me with what pray tell?"

She rubbed the other side of her arm and said uncomfortably, "With my wolf form, well…' she paused then looked him straight in the eye, 'I do not like it when other people see me this way. It causes fear in many and I never wanted that."

"I have seen your wolf form thrice up to date; there had better be more to this tale of woe." said he.

"Just because I can use my wolf form to solve peoples problems does not mean I want to use my wolf form to solve their problems, and it is not fair to assume anyone should exert their best efforts to aid you specifically. T'would be no different for me to ask you to use your physical prowess to help me and not consider how you would feel on the matter."
Though slightly controversial in how she addressed the topic, Holo was correct that he had a tendency to ask others for help but in the attitude of only wishing to see his will succeed instead of sharing in the group effort. It was selfishness on his part and she was right to address it with him, and he knew it.

With that said he then saluted his head and replied, "Holo, will you please use your wolf form to help me retrieve my bow, so that we BOTH will have better odds of survival?"

His muffled irritation was so obvious that Holo could not help but laugh out loud, "Yes, yes I will but only because of how much you have amused me!"

He clenched his fists but said nothing as she walked off into the thicket and returned as the wise wolf of Yoites.

She went prone with her snout towards him and said, "Stand on my nose and I will hoist you up."

Before he stepped up he asked of her, "Are you at all concerned with consuming all of your wheat?"

Her head shook, "I did not need it this time, the blood of the shire worked just as well."

He raised an eyebrow as astute as it was defensive, "You drank Gallavaun's blood?"

Her ears became pinned back, "I did."

His eyes became quite stern as he said with aggravation, "And then there are some things you should not just assume."

Though the equine being was deceased he was still considered a dear companion in which Ranger took her action as a desecration of his corpse. Alas he balanced himself atop her nose in which she lifted him up and put her front paws further up the trunk raising him just over thirty feet in the air.

He took his footing to the branches and began scaling further yonder from there. Holo sat down and watched in awe at the method in which he climbed. She knew he was athletic yet never knew the extent of his acrobatic skills. He hoisted himself up the branches with the pristine form and rotations of a seasoned gymnast.

"Well aren't you the acrobat." said she.

"Most paths are limited to the abilities of the one who transverses them." he called down as he was getting closer.

"Have you ever considered using such ability when fighting off your enemies?"

"At the beginning of my career I fought with more athleticism."

"Why did you tone it down?"

"Because there is beauty in simplicity,' he said while getting to the desired branch, 'aside from this, I could flip and dance around any opponent or I could save myself the time and effort and simply cut to the point instead."

The large wolf cocked her head jovially, "Yes but sometimes there is more amusement in playing with your prey before you go in for the kill."

He opted to end the conversation there as he began balancing on the high branch and making his way to his bow. The wind echoed the height while the platform bobbed and trembled. Once coming upon it, Ranger slid down and hung by his hands and shimmied to the end and grabbed hold of the bow and unhooked it while Holo watched with anticipation.

Once he had it, he began hoisting himself up when the branch snapped and he began falling. Holo quickly sprung to action by jumping high and catching him within her jaws before landing safely to the earth.

"Ah you would make a fine meal, so much muscle and so much meat!' she chirped, 'and by doing so I would absorb your power."

"You need none of my attributes,' he growled while prying at her toothy trap, 'you are stubborn enough already."

She growled and practically spat him out. He disgustedly wiped the saliva from his mid section while gazing back at her rather displeased. The great wolf merely shrugged and said, "And even then acrobatics come in handy."

He began securing his wares while Holo stood perched with her ears up and locked onto the cliff. Once everything was loaded he took her clothes and threw them on top.

"All considerations aside, would you prefer to remain in that form for travel?" said he.

With the stone like scrutiny of the canine family overtaking her composure, Holo said, "No, I do not feel that would be good."

"Is it another trespass I have committed that compels you to speak as such?" he retorted with disrespect.

"I can sense something lurking about."

"Such as?"

"It is difficult to say and much too obscure, however whatever I am sensing in this form can sense me as well when I am in this form. I do not want to be tracked so easily in the wilderness, especially now that we have been struck first."

"Then what are you waiting for? Revert back." Ranger said with annoyance.

She shot her fixated stare onto him, "Do not be so pushy! The day has been long, vexing and full of heartbreak, I just wanted to be sure that is all!"

The wolf then digressed back into the familiar persona of the young woman with wolf ears and tail who quickly recoiled and guarded her body as the winters air fell upon her bare skin and shivered throughout her exposed frame, "Then again this form can be much too cold for my liking." said she through chattering teeth and a sneeze.

Ranger gave her a blanket for the elements as she hastily dressed herself. The sled was then tied off with Ranger getting ready to drag it across the tundra. Before he did however, he picked off an item and presented it to the she wolf, "Here, the trek will be long and you will most likely want this."

He then tossed it to her who caught it and immediately recognized it as her beloved novel. He had salvaged it on her behalf in which her gratefulness near exceeded her sorrow, "Thank you!' said she, 'I never thought you would do something like this for me, I am so glad!"

She looked up to see that the man was already pulling the sled and making a path with Kaytaff in tow.

"Oh you brute…" she whispered with malice before running to catch up with him.

Above the high rise that served as the entrance for Holo and Ranger's near death experience was a cautions figure that looked down upon the duo with a displeased scrutiny. It turned and ran on all fours into the nearby thicket and further beyond. Eventually it came to the section of forrest that served as the hiding spot for the nearby Sawatii and gave a report.

The one who received the message in turn exchanged it with Korihan who was thus told, "Our aim was not true, they have retreated further down the cliff and will soon be beyond our reach."

This report was answered by the poor messenger having his throat seized by the infuriated leader who lifted him up and threw him to a nearby log. His body slid next to the feet of a man who was occupying it, who was looked at curiously from the unfortunate soul who then accepted his treatment and departed without making eye contact.

The young man sitting was meditating and said while keeping his eyelids clasped together, "Has your outburst made up for your failure?"

The enraged Sawatii leader stomped up to him with a accusatory finger aim at him, "Do not patronize me Barzur! If you had done anything at all then perhaps it would not have ended in failure."

Barzur still kept his eyes closed, "It would not perhaps, if you had heeded my council. I had warned you that your archers were too far away and to wait until the wagon could move in closer and away from the Kahotoe territory. Have you forgotten the application of subtlety? By acting too hastily you allowed your target to get away while alerting many to our presence. And now not only must we extend our hunt, we must be ever more vigilant for we shall be hunted as well."

"Then take up your arms and join me in finishing them off!"

There were two others who stood not afar off from Barzur, who turned to approach the conversation, one of which spoke, "You fail to understand the words of my brother. You know what drove away your braves when you had acted so recklessly. That which hunts for us, is what is protecting them. Moving too quickly will thwart our efforts and bring us to a foolish end."

Korihan then spat at the ground and muttered, "Keep your dogs on their leash."

Barzur's eyes of yellow shot open and looked upon Korihan in the same manner as one would for a challenge, "Mind your words when addressing my brethren, for Amlikai is correct. We must await for the storm of surveillance to pass if we wish to see this through."

Korihan began to tremble exceedingly, "You may be the support promised by Nukpana, but I will not allow my leadership to be thwarted by three sucklings who cannot find favor with any man."

The third one who was silent appeared to be perturbed which was incentive for Korihan to stab deeper with his cruel words, "Oh yes, where do you any of you belong? Your skin is too dark for the pale face, yet too light for the Sawatii. Your heritage belongs to a doomed civilization and a tribe that would have nothing to do with you. You belong nowhere in this world."

Barzur stood up only inches from the brave's face, "The valley of death is no respecter of persons. For you will learn that it readily accepts the bones of all men be they fair or dark in complexion, male and female, bond and free or foolish and wise. Speak all you wish of heritage and social status, for in the end death will claim all those who have walked upon the earth."

He then gave him and evilly defensive eye, "Shall I acquaint you with it?"

The other braves became agitated and appeared ready to strike when Amlikai spoke, "A house divided against itself cannot stand. And great will be your fall for this act."

It was then that Korihan's mind was flooded with the dread and horror of Jurgen's promise should this mission fail in which he beckoned the surrounding braves to stand down and said, "We will wait for our time to strike."

"It pleases me that we have come to an accord,' said Barzur, 'which way were the Kenrou and Zhan-shen going?"

"They are making their way to Ketchiwa and will soon be at Silver Tongue lake."

The young warrior stepped to where he could see the opening that led to vastness of Yoites, "Perhaps then, the elements alone will carry out our sentence."

Barzur was satisfied and rounded up his two brothers and walked them away from the scene. Once they had found seclusion he noticed that the third and most silent of the three was facing the hinterlands of frost with his arms folded and conflict within his soul.

His eldest brother approached him and said, "Do not let Korihan's words dismay you Dinesh, our place is amongst each other."

Dinesh finally spoke with a tone that was rather gravely for his youth, "And when it is but one of us remaining?"

"You think too heavily on these things, adaptability is what will give you strength in both the battle on land and in our hearts."

Dinesh nodded but kept many more things within his heart. For there was much that weighed heavily on his mind, one such disturbing conflict that, when made manifest later on, would determine the fate of Holo and Ranger.

Hours had passed into the night for Holo and Ranger who traversed through a gnawing landscape of cruel frost and an unrelenting draft of antarctic winds that blew right threw the flesh and raiments and settled into the bones. The snow would become so profound that Holo would find herself exerting extra effort to simply walk upright, tumbling face first in the white powder every now and again. This was corrected when she would mark the steps of Ranger and tread in them boldly though this did nothing to return the sensation in her toes which felt like icicles.

Kaytaff would struggle in this regard as well, for though the humans would raise their knees to muster the next step, the hound would have to vault over chest level. Due to exhaustion Holo had pled for the chance to be pulled on the sled, yet Ranger warned that if she did not continue to move through this frigid prairie, she may never stir again. It was no more manifest than this that they were well off the beaten path.

Ranger kept stead fast by leaning into the wind and shielding his face with his hood from the onslaught of frozen projectiles falling from the merciless sky. The trek had become all the more perilous when he had stopped to see that the blanket of white had surmounted to a degree that he no longer could see the Ketchiwa mountain; he had lost his bearings.

Holo approached him with her hand guarding her eyes from the horizontal snow drops while her beautiful hair flailed and flapped wildly about her, "We must take shelter!' she yelled to get her voice over the tempest, 'This storm will be the death of us!"

Ranger began looking around but found nothing to avail their condition until the cunning she wolf pointed, "Over there, I can smell pine needles, the trees must be close."

She began to lead the way in which Ranger followed, yet if they strayed even so much as six feet from each other the blizzard would engulf one another from view and would be lost. Therefore Holo took him by the arm so they would not get separated.

Holo's hand fell upon the stump of a mighty tree and moved further into the thicket which provided some relief from the howling winds. They positioned themselves behind a sizable piece of bark to shield themselves from the wind when Ranger began shoveling out the snow with a broken plank he had kept on hand.

"What are you doing?" she inquired through chattering teeth and bunching her arms to her chest.

"Help me dig!" was his only response as he was ferociously hollowing out the snow.

She took another plank and began carving away, "How big is this hole supposed to be?"

"A grave." said he.

She nearly dropped the plank until he refuted, "It is just a source of reference!"

Alas in only five minutes time a catacomb of frost was entrenched in the snow in which Ranger grabbed the blankets and got inside the hole.

"What about me?" she protested.

"We are sharing it." he responded.

"No seriously." said Holo.

"It is that or freeze to death." said Ranger extending his hand towards her.

Reluctantly she complied.

Ranger laid the first blanket down for them to lay atop of, so that their clothes would not get wet then had the second blanket to protect them from the snow and wind and to keep them warm. The lay chest to chest which Holo found to be uncomfortable and troublesome, with Ranger holding her close with their arms wrapped around each others back and tightly keeping them in line.

To add insult injury, Kaytaff was lying on top of them but the worst of it however was that Ranger had Holo pull her tail out and position it in between them which only sandwiched it in, making her very grumpy.

"M-most men would h-have found more f-flattering w-ways to woo me into l-laying with them." said the shivering Holo.

"We are sharing our body heat, it is only until the storm subsides." said Ranger who seemed sincere by her ears.

As much as she would protest, she knew the survival tactic he had in mind. The days of warm fireplaces, comfortable beds and warm blankets had fleeted from her faster than she could realize.

"J-just know,' said she, 't-that if I feel anything r-rigid I will not hesitate to…"

He lightly slapped her on the shoulder, "Just worry about surviving."

The scene was silent save for the whistles and wheezes of the wind that nearly seemed to be clawing to get at them. However the intervention created was able to provide warmth and shelter at the expense of comfort.

Holo would begin shifting from time to time in which Ranger would say, "Try to keep still."

"My arm is going numb." said she with a complaint of her extremity being pinned by Ranger's massive thorax.

He adjusted his weight which helped slightly and soon they were quiet once more.

Eventually Holo spoke with the tone of an earnest apology, "About what I had done to Gallavaun, it was not to be disrespectful. You see, we wolves do not share the same bond with other animals as humans do. In my natural setting he appeared as an easy meal than a lost companion."

She felt a heavy breath escape his ribs, "I suppose it makes no difference now, it not as though you made his condition worse or that he could even object.' then with still assurance he said, 'It was probably best that he die."

"What makes you say that?" said the stunned Holo.

"The reason he was so temperamental was not because he was always angry but because he was always afraid. When I first encountered him was when I stopped by a nearby stable outside a small village, they were said to have sold quality horses at a decent price. We walked about the stalls and not entirely impressed with what I saw until I heard series of loud bangs and whinnies coming from the furthest pin.

When I investigated that is where I first laid eyes on this shire who was tied to the corner with a tight bit that made his tongue stick out and his teeth clatter. They synched the holder so tight on him that his face was bleeding. His confines were so small that he was put under constant pressure and was now kicking the walls to find release. His tail was flailing, his ears were pinned, his head raised and his back hoof was angled. He was in fact a tortured creature."

"That is terrible, why would they do that to him?" asked Holo.

"It was the stable's method of breaking their horses, or should I say policy. I watched how the other horses were being handled, and they received no better or worse. To break a horse means to make them usable but what I saw were broken spirits. They complied not because they wanted to but because they knew there was no escaping the pain and pressure and they ultimately submitted."

"Gallavaun was not one to submit was he?"

"No, and he was not the first to show resilience to their methods either. That pen he was in was designated for horses to be purchased by the glue craftsmen."

Holo gasped, "They were going to kill him?"

"Yes that is what they did with horses deemed too dangerous to work with, however I inquired of the price he was to be sold at which was cheaper than the normal rate of a broken horse, therefore I opted to exceed the price of the glue vendor but cheaper than the regular price. The stable saw it as additional profit and agreed to let me take him."

"I am sure that was not even half the battle." said Holo.

"Yes, I had been kicked, bitten and reared upon many times before I was able to teach him otherwise. It was a lengthy trial but was able to have him see things my way."
"How so?"

"There is a saying that horses are a reflection of their owners, there was much we had in common and that is why Gallavaun trusted me and no one else."

"Does that mean you are a tortured creature as well?" said Holo with sympathetic sadness.

He grunted then replied, "If you were to ever own a horse I already now how it would behave."

"Do you?"

"It will not do any work unless an apple was involved and when it does you will not be satisfied with its efforts."

She pushed away from him on impulse, "Oh really?! I would still say that I have contributed to some degree on this venture, aside from this I am not the only one who is stubborn and kicks against the walls!"

"I was only trying to get your temperature to rise on its own, I can only do so much."

"Rrrgghhhh!"

He quickly changed topics, "Holo, as a native of Yoites, do the onset of blizzards occur this rapidly?"

Her eyes and ears perked up, "Now that you mention it, I do believe that the storms gave some fore notion before they hit, but I never recalled a snow storm happening so suddenly. It was very frightening. Now that I think about it, I believe there should be a large lake nearby, perhaps I can still manage to navigate from here."

She rolled on her back with her arms crossed, "Speaking of that, do know that my initial idea of returning to my home land did not involve me digging my own grave and sharing it with a stranger."

"You consider me a stranger?" said the man with some honest inquiry.

"Well yes, I hardly know anything about you, aside from what you told me earlier."

"What more would you want to know?"

She looked over to him bewildered, "You mean it?"

"Ask and I will answer as I see fit."

"Of course you would,' she grumbled, 'Tell me, I am curious, what was your family like?"

Her curiosity was found in the inquiry of what kind of upbringing would produce a man such as he.

He took a deep breath, "I was the youngest of two sons. Alden being my eldest brother, and always a hero in my eyes."

"Father and Mother?" innocently inquired Holo.

"My father was a man of conviction and civility. He raised us with only discipline and guidance with a stern hand. Our mother on the other hand provided the nourishment and council our tender years required. She was probably one of the few people on earth who could live and stand by a man such as my father."

"He was abusive?"

"No, he did not express his affection to us or our mother the same way Lawrence had done with you. Now that I recall I do not ever think I heard him say 'I love you,' or 'be careful,' or even, 'come back safely.'"

"You make it sound as though he did not care for his family."

"He never expressed it through words. He was unrelenting in his ways, mother could not go out on her own without him being there. As children we could never go a few leagues from the house without him pestering us on where we were going, where we had been and so on. His strictness often grew tiresome until years later I realized that was how he was expressing his love for his family.

No one in the land where I lived knew the dangers of the outside world better than my father. He only wanted to ensure that we were safe at all times. If he were not strict, he would not have cared."

"You said your brother was a hero? What do you mean?"

"My profession as a warrior was something pre destined for our family's heritage. We were put in training at a very young age. The instructors were harsh and the other children were cruel. I often fell victim to their imperiousness yet no matter were I was, Alden had this unique ability to know when I was in peril and would soon be found to defend me."

It was an odd revelation to hear that this man, whom death was well acquainted, was once a pitiful and defenseless child who was only kept safe by the exertions of more capable individuals than himself.

Yet he continued, "Alden would even stand up against the instructors on my behalf if he felt I was being mistreated, this of course resulted in extra disciplinary action. He would do extra chores or do more drills and exercises, sometimes to the point that he could no longer stand. It pained me to see him go through so much because of my weakness until one day my father pulled me aside and simply told me something in regards to self improvement, 'Strength can be had in all things if you are will to exercise it.'

It was then that I realized that all that he wanted from me was to put in more effort so that over the course of time, perhaps I would become the man that he was; self reliant and could shoulder his own burdens. I would make attempts and fail miserably in which my mother would have to mend bones, treat bruises and wash the blood out of my clothes.

I dreaded the times when my father would enter the room and think that he would see me as a failure, but he would only look upon me and say, 'Think not of the future, nor the past for the present is all thou hast.' He was telling me not to predict the future with past losses but to live in the present and fight for a better future, for the future becomes the present and the present becomes the past.

It was then that I made the decision that no one would ever suffer because of me, if anyone were to endure pain on my behalf then I should be man to serve that verdict."

He glanced down to hear Holo have gentle yet heavy breaths, she was sound asleep. Ranger gave her more of the blanket and looked at her peaceful face and said silently to himself, "And yet despite all my efforts to aspire to be like him, I have fallen so far from what he would have wanted that I could not even stand in his shadow."