Chapter 5: What Comes Before the Storm

Oliver arrived at the medical cave and sat out front so as not to disturb Elgin's triumphant moment. He enjoyed the peacefulness in the air that he knew would soon be replaced by a hint of danger as Elgin left the cave not long after.

"So that's how they did it," Elgin muttered to himself as he left the cave. "A large plateau that's actually hollow and with no ceiling, tucked away right where we'd regularly search, no wonder it seemed like they'd just randomly disappear! They're clever. I'll give them that, but the Breeze was no match for me in the end!" Elgin gave a menacing cackle as he enjoyed the bliss of knowing the answer to the question that eluded him for so long.

Oliver then interjected.

"Sounds like a fitting hole for cowards to hide in. And, if I may, sir, what will you do with the surviving scout?" Elgin quickly responded after a light-hearted sigh.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, my intelligent friend! As for the scout, I want him tended to from snout to paw! He's my champion, a hero to Rogues everywhere! And holding such an amazing title should obviously come with perks. Whatever he wants he gets!"

Oliver then grinned.

"I agree with you completely on this one. It'll be great for inspiring loyalty among the troops. I'll stop in with him now and see if there's anything he might want or need. The feast has already been prepared. Just summon the troops and enjoy. I'll be along to meet you there shortly."

Elgin started to walk away with a joyous grin on his face.

"Excellent! What would I ever do without you, Oliver?"

Watching Elgin leave allowed Oliver to make an equally joyous grin as he too muttered under his breath.

"What indeed." He entered the cave. An injured wolf lay on a fine bear skin in the middle of the room. "Elgin is about to throw a feast," he told the medical staff, "and I'm not particularly hungry. Why don't you guys go while I watch over the patient? I'll send word if anything happens." The medical staff all excitedly thanked Oliver for his generosity and made way for the feast while the old advisor looked over the injured wolf. The beaten and battered wolf was a blackish green that looked almost like a natural camo. He was an average size and went by the name Abel. "Looks like they made quite the mess of you," Oliver commented, looking over Abel and his injuries.

Abel laughed a bit before coughing up a little blood as he retorted.

"What? This? It's just a scratch I'll be back on my feet in no time."

"I was worried something like this might happen. Are you sure you're still up for this?" Oliver said with a concerned but committed look on his face.

"I've already done the hard part. There's no way I'm backing out now that things are gonna get good. Just give me some time, and I'll be back in the game," Abel replied in a determined voice. Oliver sighed.

"I knew you were going to say that. but I'm afraid time isn't something we have much of right now. The pieces are already in motion. You're lucky I'm always prepared."

Abel looked confused as Oliver walked over into a dark corner of the cave, moved a stone, and revealed a faint white orb that he carried over to Abel. "This, my mangled friend, is an onion. They have rejuvenating and healing properties unlike anything else I've ever encountered. As I thought this might happen, I stashed it here ahead of time. When the time is right, eat it and join the battle. You know what to do from there."

Oliver then put the onion back in its hiding spot before he turned around to leave the cave, but before he could make it out of the entrance, Abel added.

"You really are prepared for anything aren't you."

And without turning around to look at Abel, Oliver looked down to the hard floor before replying in a stoic voice.

"Not when it mattered."

Abel looked to the onion's hiding spot and sat in silence for a moment as he pondered something.

"Don't worry, old wolf. We'll make it right."

Meanwhile...

Some time had passed since the final exam of Ranking School, and many of the wolves that took the most recent exam ended up passing. Even several of those that were tagged were still deemed good enough to pass, but not all of them were so lucky. Those labeled unfit to become Alphas were instead given the rank of Omega and tasked with various responsibilities around the pack.

Within the Breeze, even Omegas weren't able to frolic and play. A pack in Banff that was always hiding from the Rogues couldn't afford even a single wolf not pulling their weight. As such, if you couldn't be stealthy enough to be an Alpha and do work outside the Sanctuary, then you'd instead be an Omega and do work inside the Sanctuary.

Thunder, one of the unlucky ones, had been working on getting used to his new responsibilities, using his immense size and intellect to organize and keep track of the pack's supplies in the storage caves, patrolling around the Sanctuary grounds, and using his position as royalty the best he could to make sure things within the Sanctuary ran like clockwork, all the while keeping up the same somber smile he had been holding since the announcement of his results. Thunder lacked his usual charisma and acted as if he was working in a fog, and this, of course, left his family worried. Cloud, Drizzle, and Zephyr spied on Thunder from a distance for some time as they fretted for his well-being and hoped he would feel better.

Thunder was always impossible to sneak up on. Growing up, the royal trio would play what they called "Shadow Tag," a game where you had to tag a watcher without getting spotted by them. It was a game their father had taught them that, apparently, their mother had come up with. And growing up, Thunder had become untouchable at this game, able to spot anyone, even Cloud, a mile away without even trying, but now a bear could be right next to him, and he wouldn't even notice.

"He's like a zombie! Food in the cave but nobody's home. I can barely get a conversation out of him anymore," Drizzle said with pure worry in her voice.

"I know right?! I even brought the weirdo berries the other day since it's his favorite food, and he said he wasn't hungry! Since when have you seen that mountain of fur not hungry!?" Zephyr chimed in with a combination of confusion and concern.

Cloud said nothing as he watched over his son from a distance, but while he didn't speak, the look on his face made it clear his kids weren't the only ones concerned.

Drizzle then responded to Zephyr.

"He's not even eating!? We can't let this continue! He'll starve himself to death! Dad, we need to—" As Drizzle turned around to face and talk to her father, the two siblings realized he had disappeared.

"What? He's doing that already?" said Zephyr, a bit surprised. "I know it's winter but there's not even any snow!" They both then looked back to Thunder as Cloud was standing right beside him, but he did not respond to Cloud's presence at all.

Cloud observed as Thunder continued working on the supplies even with Cloud now basically standing right beside him. Cloud cleared his throat but garnered no response from Thunder.

"Thunder?" The sound of his name woke the big wolf from his trance.

"Oh, hey, Dad. I'm almost done organizing and recording the latest haul of food. Seems like you guys brought in a good amount this time." Thunder spoke softly, uncharacteristic of his name, and he wouldn't look his father in the eyes as he talked. He kept his gaze fixated on the work in front of him. Cloud paused for a moment as he looked to the sky, wondering what his beloved mate would say at a time like this.

"You know, Thunder, if there's anything on your mind you can always talk to me." Immediately after saying that, the other two royal siblings appeared before Thunder.

"You can talk to us too!" Zephyr added, followed by Drizzle.

"Of course, you can! We're worried about our big brother, you know?"

Thunder looked up at them with welling tears and the smile on his face cracking as if he was ready to break down at any moment.

Suddenly, the family heard a familiar voice.

"Sorry to cut the touching moment short, but there's urgent news for the pack leader." The family looked over to Cody and Chad who had just returned from a mission. They had serious looks on their faces which were different from their usual demeanors. Chad then immediately followed.

"It's urgent, boss."

Cloud who seemed heartbroken from having to walk away from his son, who was ready to finally talk, asked his kids to wait just a moment as he walked over to the duo and responded.

"With what you just interrupted, for your sake, it better be urgent."

Cody remained silent seemingly slightly frozen with fear as Chad spoke.

"Boss, we couldn't spot any Rogues."

"You interrupted this just because you couldn't find your target?!" Cloud snapped.

"No, boss, we interrupted you because we couldn't find any target at all. There wasn't a single Rogue patrol for miles. Since the start of the occupation, we've never seen anything like it. The Rouges aren't the type to take a holiday, so we felt it necessary to inform you immediately," Chad said in the calmest and most collected voice he was able to manage. Cody then chimed in as he stepped forward.

"I-I've got a bad feeling about this, sir. We need to look into this without a moment to lose! We should assemble an emergency squad and figure out what the Rogues are up to right away!"

Cloud thought for a moment and returned to his calm demeanor while giving the two a glare.

"Unfortunately, I agree with you. This is too peculiar to ignore, but I'll make this clear: watch yourselves around my kids, understand?" The two immediately shook their heads in fear and understanding as Cloud turned back to his kids to include them in the conversation. "Alright, there seems to be some kind of development with the Rogues, and we need to investigate immediately. There's no time to assemble any other squad, so those of us here will go."

"Not to argue, boss," said Chad, "but this could be a very dangerous mission. Are you sure about bringing your kids?"

Cloud looked over to Chad and Cody and saw the genuine worry on both of their faces. The two had seemed to take the leader's words to heart.

"This is strictly an intelligence-gathering mission, and when it comes to intel-gathering, my kids are the best in the pack. We need them on this mission."

Cloud then realized what he had just said and looked over to Thunder who by this point had already returned to his work on the supplies, the light in his eyes even more faded than they were before. Every fiber of Cloud's being wanted to stay and be there for his son, but he knew he needed to ensure the pack's safety. "Thunder, we'll continue the conversation as soon as we get back. I promise." Cloud ran off, gesturing for everyone else to follow. Thunder's siblings looked equally distraught as Thunder turned to them.

"Don't you worry about me. I'll be alright. Go get the job done. and come back to me in one piece, okay, you two?" The siblings nodded to Thunder and then chased after their father as Thunder realized that Chad and Cody were still standing there. "Hold down the fort for us, will you?"

"We're counting on our last line of defense, little boss." The two then shot off to catch up to the rest as some light returned to Thunder's empty eyes. He quietly parroted while looking over to the Sanctuary's gate, the only exit and entrance to their home

"Last… line?"

After his family made it through the gate and could no longer be seen, Thunder returned to his menial jobs as another wolf approached him from outside the cave.

"Looks like they really left in a hurry." The wolf that spoke was another Omega that had failed the exam the same year as Thunder, a female who was as small as she was clumsy. She had a pure silver coat and had the name Echo. She was the runt in her litter. Her siblings were born healthy and strong, but when she was born last, so small and weak, her parents remarked that she was nothing more than the echo of her siblings hence her name.

Echo's comment didn't stop Thunder from working. He intended to keep to himself.

"There was an emergency mission they needed to go on. It's fine. That's just how it is sometimes."

She looked at Thunder unconvinced. She swore she could even see some tears filling up Thunder's eyes as he worked, but she wasn't too sure as he kept his head down and hidden.

"Is that right? I would hope it's alright, but you already know my deal with families. I'm not sure what a healthy one is supposed to look like." Echo tried to push a pile of meat to another area of the cave. "My parents never once believed I could be an Alpha. They basically called me an Omega from the day I was born. They could never be bothered to care when my star siblings were there, lined up to be great Alphas."

Grunting and struggling she fought to push the meat as she talked when suddenly Thunder started moving the meat for her. "Oh thank you" She moved on to organizing the berries. "We're in the same boat here, but you actually have a loving family who cares so deeply about you. I know it's hard but you still have so much you can be thankful for. You're even skilled at so many things, unlike me."

Echo started getting sad too and sighed, thinking Thunder wasn't even listening, that, of course, no one cared about little old Echo.

"Says the wolf who organized the berries faster than I've ever seen," Thunder replied.

Having looked behind herself, Echo saw Thunder towering over her, examining her work with a grin on his face and a look of pride in his eyes.

"Oh! Uh, thanks, Thunder! I'm sure it was just a coincidence though."

He gave a deep exhale.

"Coincidence my butt," he retorted. "It takes more than luck to organize this the way you did I always end up squashing the berries, so they take me forever. Thank you."

Echo looked away, embarrassed without Thunder noticing. "What are you doing here anyway, Echo? You're not on supply duty today."

Snapping back to reality, Echo answered, walking over to another pile of berries.

"I had already finished my work at the medical cave for the day and I know how much you've been pushing yourself, so I figured I'd give the big crybaby some company."

He chuckled at being called a crybaby when the pile of berries in front of Echo collapsed and covered her. After taking a second to process what just happened, Thunder broke into a truly joyous laugh. The first time Thunder had laughed since he got the soul-crushing news at the exam. "I'm glad you find this funny, but can you help me out here?" Echo said, slightly embarrassed. Thunder managed to collect himself and walk over to the talking pile of berries. He wiped the berries aside with ease and revealed the wolf hidden underneath.

"You're berry fun, you know that?"

Echo winced.

"Ugh, that pun was terrible."

"Yeah, I might be a little out of practice," Thunder agreed. The two then paused before they giggled together. Soon, Thunder looked back to the Sanctuary gate and mumbled to himself. "A last line of defense, huh?"