Chapter 3: Acceptable Casualties

While still running, Thunder gave his siblings the breakdown of their predicament and shared the only solution he was able to think of.

"Cody and Chad are right on our tail, and even if I weren't slowing you two down, they'd still be able to catch up before we get to our new spot. There's nowhere to hide, and no way to stop them, but there is a way to slow them down."

Immediately, Zephyr knew what Thunder had in mind and wanted no part of it.

"NO! We're not about to leave our big brother behind as bait!" Drizzle then understood the situation because of Zephyr and also instantly rejected the idea. "Thunder we aren't about to let you become an Omega just because you were born a little big. You're a genius and you deserve to pass with us. You've worked harder than any other wolf in this pack!" Thunder appreciated how much his siblings cared for him, but as the leader, he knew he had to be realistic.

"Guys, no matter if that's true or how we might feel, this is the situation at paw. If I don't slow them down, then all of us will fail anyway. You guys are my precious little brother and little sister, and it's my job to protect you."

The two could hear the determination in Thunder's voice and neither could think of an alternative. They wished with all their hearts for there to be something else they could do, and they knew Thunder would never let them sacrifice themselves for him instead. With tears in the siblings' eyes, Thunder gave out his order. "You choose to follow me as your leader, so trust me when I say this is our best and only option. I don't know how long I can keep them busy, but I'll buy you two as much time as I can. I love you both. Now GO!" His final word boomed throughout the forest, fitting to his name. He then stopped running.

He hid behind a nearby tree and awaited the arrival of the commanders. Not even a minute passed before the two appeared and stopped right where Thunder had stopped seconds prior and were sniffing around the area. Cody spoke first.

"Chad, keep your eyes and nose peeled. I think the royal mountain is still nearby" Cody knew Thunder was close and tried taunting him out of hiding. "He should be easy enough to find. He's closer in size to a bear than a wolf, after all. I guess he should lay off the honey a little bit." Chad laughed at Cody's jokes before the two were interrupted.

"You know, Cody, if you were half as good at complimenting as you are at slinging insults, then you might have actually found a mate by now."

Thunder threw his voice, so the seekers struggled to tell where it was coming from. Thunder might have been poorly designed for stealth, but if there was one stealth skill he was good at, it was this.

Cody retorted as the two started looking around.

"Big talk coming from a wolf too scared to show his face.

"Yeah, if you're the boss's kid, then face us like a real wolf," Chad added. Thunder then gave a chuckle and fired back

"Oh, but I am facing you like a real wolf, exactly the way my father would, so if tweedle-dumb and tweedle-dumber think they can find me, then go ahead and try!"

The two looped around the tree. Thunder was hiding behind but they didn't notice him. With his eyes closed, his fur allowed the large wolf to blend in with the color of the bark and make him almost invisible. That is until the two caught his scent on the wind and turned around.

"Ah, ha!" Cody exclaimed. "There you are, you one-trick pony!" Now that Thunder was spotted, he knew that it was only a matter of time until he was caught, and he was going to steal every extra second that he could.

The commanders pounced but the royal wolf was able to just barely dodge being touched.

"You're surprisingly nimble for a tree with legs," Chad mentioned. Thunder put some space between them and retorted in kind.

"Yeah? Well, you guys are surprisingly slow for being the supposed best in the pack. Come on, you two, I'm yawning here." He managed to evade a couple more lunges until, finally, his luck and stamina ran out. The commanders managed to corner Thunder with a tree to his back, and with nowhere left to run, the royal prince was finally tagged and his fate was sealed.

"That was a brave thing you tried to do for your siblings," said Chad. "I respect it but it won't mean a thing. We're hot on their trail, and they can't escape us now" With that, the seekers ran off, looking for their next victims so sure of their victory. Thunder started walking in the opposite direction, towards the starting point as he chuckles to himself, mumbling:

"You idiots are so sure of yourselves. You might have caught me, but you have no idea what you're up against. My siblings will run circles around you without me holding them back."

As Thunder walks back towards the entrance, he doesn't feel shame. Instead, he feels proud he could do his job as a good big brother when it mattered most, that his bravery didn't fail him in the end. The trio's mother died shortly after the three were born, and the only memory he had of her was being asked to watch over his siblings since she wouldn't be able to. His mother was counting on him, and he was going to honor her last request or die trying. He felt no regret in his choice, but he did worry for his siblings. By his math, he should have bought just enough time for the two to make it scot-free, but he still couldn't help but worry. Thunder's anxiety continued as he stood tall, walking out of the training forest proud of his accomplishments. He saw his father, Cloud, overlooking the forest on a nearby hill and walked up to join him.

Cloud spoke first.

"So you weren't able to make it through the whole exam, after all. I know how hard you trained." He then looked over to his son who didn't respond and only looked into the forest below with his chest puffed out proud. Cloud chuckled and continued. "And yet I get the impression it doesn't bother you that much." With this, Thunder finally responded.

"Of course, it bothers me. I wanted this so badly. I trained until my paws bleed. I wanted it so desperately, but at the end of the day, there was something that was simply more important." Cloud knew that his kids planned to work together in this exam, so by seeing Thunder here and his other kids not, he put together pretty quickly what happened.

"Your mother would be very proud of what you did. I hope you know that." And with a look of longing on Thunder's face, he softly responded.

"I really hope so."

After a moment of silence, Cloud attempted to cheer up his son.

"Hey, don't lose hope just yet. Chad and Cody might still say you pass. Being tagged doesn't automatically mean you fail, and while those two can be… difficult… at times, they aren't heartless, and I trust them to make a fair judgment." Just after saying this, a nearby wolf howled, signaling the end of the exam. Thunder immediately started making his way to the entrance to await his precious brother and sister's return and hear if his sacrifice was in vain or not. And as the large wolf started making his way back down the hill, he didn't turn his head, but he did stop to say:

"Look, Dad, I get why you had Chad and Cody run this exam. With your kids involved, you knew you couldn't be unbiased in your decision. And if they decide I fail, then I guess that means I'm just not good enough to be an Alpha, and if that's what happens, then so be it. I've made my choice and I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Thunder sat at the entrance as he watched the wolves that survived till the end celebrate their guaranteed pass of the exam. They were now officially Alphas, but those that were tagged now awaited the return of Chad and Cody with bated breath to learn if their skills were good enough to pass. However, the commanders weren't who Thunder was waiting for. He watched the wolves leaving the forest to try and spot his siblings. The moment he would see their faces and know they passed he could breathe a sigh of relief. He would know his sacrifice was worth it.

After a couple of minutes, Thunder finally saw his little brother and little sister making their way out of the forest as they were laughing and celebrating. The weight on his chest was lifted, and he felt he could breathe again. Their celebration continued until they spotted their big brother waiting for them at the edge of the forest. They saw him wearing the best somber smile he could muster, and they were reminded of the guilt of being forced to leave their brother behind. "Looks like you two were able to make it, after all. I was so worried." Then Drizzle responded in an attempt to cheer her big brother up.

"Yeah! We got to a large cliff that we were able to climb thanks to Zephyr, and by the time the commanders got there, we were already up on the cliff, and they had no way to get us! You should have seen how angry they were as we taunted them. It has to be one of the funniest things I've ever witnessed." Thunder kept a soft smile on his face, being happy for his sister, but the two could still see the pain and sadness behind their beloved brother's eyes as Zephyr chimed in next.

"Hey, don't give up just yet, Thunder! Chad and Cody were right behind us. I'm sure they'll come out and say you passed!"

And speaking of the devil, the two seekers appeared from the forest and moved to take their position on the hill to announce who passed and who failed. Thunder mumbled to himself.

"Welp, I guess we're about to find out." The commanders stood upon the hill and started speaking. Chad stepped up and started to announce the results to everyone.

"Alright, everybody. Great work today. There was a lot of excellent skill displayed, but some wolves weren't able to evade us till the end, so we will now announce their results, starting with the royal prince, Thunder!" Thunder's siblings and father all collectively gulped and hung on every word as Thunder himself watched calmly and sadly. "Thunder showed excellent skill in multiple categories. He made good calls in difficult situations. He used his squad's abilities to their fullest capacity. He showed great work at throwing his voice and surprisingly evading attacks. He even sacrificed himself to ensure that his siblings wouldn't be caught by us. He was barely able to hide from us and he stalled us briefly but bought just enough time for his siblings to reach safety. And so in this final test of stealth, the royal prince, Thunder… fails."