I'm sorry, everyone. I really tried to make this chapter as short as possible, but it still ran too long and had to be split into two parts again. I wanna thank everyone for their support on this story, and without any further delay, enjoy chapter 3, part 1!
Silver Snow
Chapter 3, Part 1: Precipice of Love
The cliffs that supported the long, winding trail were certainly something of great, natural beauty, etched within the vein-like crevices of the valley. Lush, green pine trees swayed in the slight breeze and dotted the grassy and rocky faces of the inclines in the land. Moisture had kissed the air heavily, due to the myriad of waterfalls—both great and minute—that littered the chiseled features of the valley, and Snow couldn't help but feel the beauty of it all wrapping around her in a thick blanket of fascination. As a matter of fact, her entire journey thus far had been filled with fascinating firsts. After they had gotten off the boat, she, Silver, and Arin had taken to several means of transportation to get around, ranging from simply walking along a rural dirt road to taking long, bumpy rides in the beds of passerby trucks through the urban areas. But now, as the trio made their way along the waterfall valley, Snow could easily attest that this had been her favorite location so far. And according to Arin, his village was close at hand, and thus, the key to saving Eve's life.
Snow took careful steps as she walked along the edge of the trail, gazing down at the tons of pink flowers that speckled the crevice in the valley below. She had only looked back for a moment to make sure Silver was still following her, and found his silver gaze meeting her warmly. Snow felt the corners of her mouth turn up in an instant smile, and when he smiled back, she became aware of the beaded bracelet now embellishing her wrist. It felt warm against her fur, and the warmth seemed to travel to her rapidly fluttering heart whenever her thoughts rewound to the night when she lay huddled up to Silver closer than ever.
"Have you two been paying attention at all?" Arin's voice suddenly snapped Snow out of her reverie, and Silver as well by the looks of it. "Honestly, I had better not have been just talking to myself—I've got exciting stories here." Arin had taken to walking backwards with a frown. The trail had taken a few twists and turns beneath a canopy of pine trees, but the otter seemed to deftly navigate without so much as a mistake.
"Of course we're listening to you, Arin."
It was a lie; Silver had long since stopped listening to Arin, who had been yammering on since they left a gas station a while back.
Arin frowned in disbelief and pounded his proudly onto his chest. "I said that you two are pretty lucky to have me leading you back to my village. You see, I'm kinda the top dog back home and not just a small little runt like everyone sees out here. Others really look up to me and always come to me whenever they need advice."
"So you're like the village elder, old man?"
"Exactly, that's what—" Arin rounded on Silver, "You trying to pick a fight, shiny eyes? Got something against my esteemed status?"
"Only as much as being called 'shiny eyes' every ten seconds." Silver retorted over Snow's giggle. Arin puffed his chest, trying to make himself look bigger.
"You should be honored—I don't just pass out pet names to anyone."
Teriffic. So they had been down-graded to pet status now. Snow rolled her eyes playfully and started ahead towards the otter.
"Here, I'll come listen to you Arin. But I do have a question. If you're such an important guy, then how come you left home in the first place?" Her ears perked up as she spoke, "Was it for the same reason I left?"
"Err…" If Arin's response was a nervous one, then the nervousness had only lasted for a quick second, "Yeah, something like that, I guess."
As the young she-wolf walked, her tail—be it voluntary or not—had brushed up against her best friend's cheek. Silver only let himself react, allowing his cheek to nuzzle almost heavily into her fur; allowing his nose to gently caress the soft skin beneath the arctic-colored follicles and take in the scent. Snow must've noticed, for the two of them suddenly found themselves locked in a soft, almost hypnotic stare. Snow's cheeks flushed pink beneath her fur and her heart began to pick up once more. Though it had only lasted for a matter of seconds, their gaze had felt considerably longer and broke in an abrupt undertone of nervous chuckles. Arin watched the two wolves walking behind him and a sly grin spread on his face. He let himself fall back—just enough to be able to stick his foot out before Silver—and watched his prank unfurl. There was a thunk as the clueless black wolf suddenly fumbled over the otter's appendage. Before he could even yelp, his side crashed into Snow and the two wolves went tumbling down along the trail. Dust and debris kicked up in a huff and while Silver had expected a harsh landing on the ground, he instead was greeted by a soft, furry warmth.
"Silver…" Her friend's name rolled off her tongue faster than she could catch it. Snow lay on her back, Silver's body pressed warm and sure down against her own. His maw was only inches from hers; so close that she could feel the warmth of his breath blowing onto her mouth, and once again taste the subtle scent that drifted off his fur. Her eyes only pulled away from his—which seemed to be edged with a flicker of hunger—for a moment, noticing the relaxed, yet strong muscles beneath his sleek, black fur. Snow hadn't realized how strong her urge to touch him was, until she found her paw raising just slightly away from his muzzle. Silver didn't seem to mind, gently pressing his cheek just barely against the pads.
"I sure hope we don't lose our G-rating." Arin drifted past Silver and Snow, grinning from ear to ear and wiggling his eyebrows stupidly. The two wolves gasped in simultaneous realization, and Arin gave a slap-stick laughter. "You two are so clueless!"
"Arin!" Snow hastily (and regrettably) rolled from under Silver and pounced at the otter both out of hot embarrassment. Silver watched the two zig-zag down the path while willing his warm, thudding heart back to normalcy. He sighed; that could've been one more chance out of the possible many he had along their trip to tell her exactly how he felt and he still couldn't seem to do it. He couldn't understand why it seemed so hard; why he couldn't let the three simple words form themselves just as easily as he could say Snow's name.
"Ack! You win! You win!"
By now, Snow had pinned Arin into a mercy position. Her paws stretched his cheeks like a deflated beach ball and she only let go once she felt satisfied that he had learned his lesson. Rubbing his cheeks, the feisty otter hopped back onto the trail ahead of them.
"Can't blame me for trying to do you a fav—orrr!" Arin's voice suddenly melded into a yell as a loud snapping sound whipped the air. The wind rushed in his ears, cords of rope springing up off the ground until the otter was ensnared and suspended in what looked like some sort of rope cage. "What the—"
"Arin, are you okay—"
Snap!
Silver's stomach lurched; he and Snow abruptly found themselves being hurtled off the ground at whiplash-like speed. Ropes spiraled over their heads, intricately lacing through the shaking boughs of the trees above, until the two wolves were literally slapped against each other. Silver rubbed his head. The rope cages swung in odd, macabre motions, but not so much so that Arin's cage ever came anywhere near the wolves'.
"What is this?" Snow asked, finding it difficult to get to her feet in the netted prison.
"Is it a human's trap?"
"Not likely…" Arin let out a sigh, something in his voice betraying the earlier bravado he had shown. And for a second, a flicker of dark seriousness—or perhaps realization—reflected in his eyes. Silver frowned.
"Maybe we can chew our way through." Snow had already begun tearing her razor sharp fangs into the cords with a fierce growl. Silver nodded in agreement and had taken to chomping on the other end. It wasn't completely what he had expected; the ropes were slick and sticky, laced with a foul substance that stung Silver's tongue so bad that it went numb. The mess clung to the roof of his mouth like peanut butter, and it left a sickening trail when he pulled his maw away.
"I don't feel so good…" Snow's eyes lidded. Her entire body was trembling, until she was unable to support herself and slunk down into the net. Silver let out an panicked gasp of her name, only to hear Arin plunk down in the cage after them. Snow gave a groan under her breath. Her eyes fell on Silver before they finally began to flit shut. If Silver had called out her name, it was quickly cut off by a dryness in his mouth. His body began to feel weak under his own weight, and every muscle of his body relaxed almost at once. The unwelcomed nostalgia of being tranquilized returned and he swore under his breath, looking at the dripping substance laced within the rope. Poison. Silver could already feel his eyelids turning to lead. The wolf groped the ends of the cage in utter defiance, commanding his body to stay alert and focus. It was a losing battle, and Silver soon found himself toppling over Snow, consciousness slipping away.
He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but he definitely knew he had been out. So why did it feel like his body was moving? Silver let out a groan. His head was beginning to throb, as though all the blood was rushing to it, and found it difficult to open his heavy eyes. He was definitely moving. His body made up-and-down movements beneath the patter of footsteps and the trees of the area were passing by…upside-down? Silver shook his head—went to slap himself to affirm reality—but his paws wouldn't budge.
"Silver! Thank goodness you're awake." Snow's voice was a comforting sound to Silver's ears, coming off from his right. The white she-wolf was hanging upside down form a long, wooden pole. Her paws were tied against each other to it, so that she resembled a ham over a roast. Her head fur flailed away from her face, no longer hiding both of her vibrant emerald eyes. Through his time of quick admiration, Silver realized that he too was tied hanging from a pole, as well as Arin before them.
"Are you okay, Snow?" Silver asked.
"My mouth tastes like I ate a pile of pine cones and leaves." Snow answered.
"That seems almost the case. What the heck is going on?" Silver's mouth tasted like metal and salt, probably from whatever had drugged him.
"I'm not sure…" Snow glanced up. She could tell that the poles were being carried by otters as brown-and-tan furred as Arin was. But their faces were obscured by long, wooden masks almost as big as their bodies. "They look like Arin. Maybe they know him?"
Silver gave a skeptical snort, "Possibly, but then why are they carrying us off like we're a couple of hams?" Snow couldn't answer that and sucked her fangs slightly.
"Tee hee…fudge-monkies…" Arin grumbled, clearly still knocked out. Silver couldn't help but wonder just how much of that poison he had ingested before he was knocked out. Snow gave another defeated grunt as she tried to pull herself free. But the only thing she succeeded in was hurting her wrists. The two wolves gazed around at their surroundings. The trees and shrubbery were definitely getting thicker. So much so, that they could barely hear the crashing of the many waterfalls, and the light of the sun flitted in hundreds of thin beams through the holes in the canopy above. The otters that were towing them didn't speak, or even so much as look their way the entire time. They came to a stop before a massive thicket of vines that looked very unnatural—as if they were purposefully placed there in some mock attempt of mother nature's design. The front otter who had been carrying the pole holding Arin deftly outreached her paw to a vine that hung looser from the tree than the others. With a tug, the grassy cords clattered down to the ground, revealing a dark hole tunneling deep within the thicket of trees. Snow had to hold her breath slightly as they were taken through. A himid moisture clung to the damp confines of the tunnel, giving way to a fowl, wet smell along the wooden walls. Even though they had only been inside the tunnel for a few quick moments, the sudden burst of sunlight upon emergence to the other side stung in Silver's eyes.
The clearing was vast and wide, enclosed by trees along it's borders, though it looked like many of the boughs of the ones towards the middle were purposely ripped off to allow the sunlight to come washing through. Several long, dirt trails wound across the ground like veins, and a vast pond lay due north of the massive clearing. But what had amazed Silver and Snow the most were the many miniature grass huts that littered almost every inch of the area, and in turn, all the tons of otter faces that suddenly turned up their way. They didn't seem particularly inviting; many of the otters frowned, or looked upon them with what Silver thought were hungry looks. Though, that might've just been the blood rushing to his head again. The entire village had seemed to be in an uproar of conversation at first, but now they were all silent, moving aside as the masked carriers towed their captured wolves along the widest dirt trail.
"Ughn…" Arin groaned, starting to come around, "Whatever you do, don't bite the ropes."
"We figured as much." Snow said, glad to see Arin up again.
"Hey, Arin, you wanna help us out here?" Silver asked.
"Whadda you mean?" Arin gave his head a shake, and only realized that his paws were tied up when he tried to rub it. His vision focused slowly and he gazed upside-down at the moving world around him. A sharp gasp escaped his throat.
"Well, there are lots of other otters here. They all look like you in any case. Is this your village?" Snow asked him.
"Yeah…" Arin's voice didn't exactly gain Silver's and Snow's confidence. The little otter bit his bottom lip, his eyes wavering with a worry they had never seen in him before. It only confirmed what Silver had thought; he knew something that they did not. Before Snow could get another question out, the masked otters came to an abrupt stop at the end of the trail. The den that stood before them was the only raised portion along the otherwise flat land of the clearing. Even if its boulder-encased entrance lay above, it was easy to tell that the actual den slopped downwards, possibly going down into the ground itself. With an uncanny strength, the two otters slammed the pole holding Silver long ways up, jerking the young black wolf so that he had a clear sight of the den. Snow yelped from accidently smacking her forehead against her pole, and Arin replied with a sharp "Watch it!", not that he evoked anything short of a disdainful grunt from the masked otter. Silver's ears perked up and the trio shot their gazes up towards the den entrance. Footsteps pattered from deep within, getting louder and louder, until a figure had become silhouetted at the mouth.
He took a step out, his arms folded across his chest. Muscles rippled beneath the otter's fur, making him bigger than the other otters around him. Snow's nose wiggled; she could smell berries coming from the many red markings that striped his fur. The large otter silently and slowly looked them over, his eyes lingering on Arin in an intimidating stare.
"Aw crap!" Arin wiggled and squirmed in his spot, trying to somehow uproot the pole and hop off. For all it was worth, he may have gotten the chance if one of the masked otter's hadn't rapped a rock sharply against his head. "Seriously? Rock-throwing—"
Plunk!
"I'm shutting up!"
"Ah, Arin…" The large otter finally spoke, his voice a deep alto in comparison to Arin's. "I hadn't really expected to see you again. How long has it been exactly?"
"Four months, twenty days, thirteen hours, fourty-two minutes, and twelve seconds." Arin flashed a sarcastic smile. The large otter wasn't amused. He ran his fingers underneath his chin, taking another step towards the edge of the den entrance.
"It's nice to see you haven't lost your rapier wit."
"Nice to see you haven't lost some weight." Arin muttered under his breath, betrayed by a helpless snort from both Snow and Silver. The big otter frowned.
"You knew the consequences when you left the village traitor. The moment you set foot outside and abandoned your family, I washed my paws clean of you. And you still dare to return even after the gravity of what you've done? Bringing outsiders into our lands as well?"
At this, Arin really didn't respond. He was crestfallen, only letting his eyes meet the ground right before the den entrance. He might not have been trying to show it, but his ears had drooped for a slight moment. Silver felt a twinge of pity well up in the pit of his chest. Just what was he hiding anyway? He glanced over to Snow, who only shrugged her shoulders at him cluelessly.
"Chief Netu, shall we?" One of the masked otters stood at attention. Before the large otter answered, he held his gaze onto Arin.
"Do you have anything to say?"
"You're gonna let us go and pretend nothing happened?" Arin's sarcasm was half-done and lacked bite.
Netu gave a wave of his paw, "Go on then, take this traitor and these intruders to the feasting grounds and prepare the meal."
The surrounding otters seemed to go up in a sudden uproar of "Whoots" and cheers as the ones in the masks suddenly pulled up the poles out of the ground.
"Feasting grounds?" Snow blinked in confusion. "I sure hope they intend to just feed us…"
"Well…not exactly." Arin gave a nervous frown.
Silver would've slapped his paw to his face if he could've. Now the hungry faces from earlier suddenly made sense. With an exhasperated sigh, the black wolf turned to Arin, who seemed to be halfway lost within his own thoughts.
"They're going to eat us?" He proceeded to ask. Arin shook his head while they were being hauled through the thicket of passerby otters.
"They're probably just gonna roast me. It's you two they're gonna eat."
"All the comfort in the world." Silver groaned, already racking his brain for ideas. "I guess we could always just try to eat them first."
"But it's Arin's family, right?" Snow looked at her otter friend, then back to Silver. She wondered if he noticed it in her eyes that she half agreed with him. "We can't just eat them."
"They sure don't seem to have a problem eating us." Silver gazed down to one of the otters that was carrying him off, half expecting her to snap her fangs at him from underneath the mask.
"Arin, I thought everyone here looked up to you; you know, the top dog and old man thing you've been telling us about the entire trip. Why would they welcome you like this—or call you a traitor?"
Arin didn't answer her question. He had returned deep into his own reverie almost as instantly as she and Silver had begun talking. But it was only a matter of moments before his mind resurfaced back to reality, and he turned to flash a wide grin to his two friends. With a wink, he said, "Don't you two worry, okay? I have a very well thought-out and fool-proof plan to get us out of this mess."
"Please, please, PLEASE don't kill us! We're innocent, I tellz ya'! Innocent!" Arin shouted for the umpteenth time, and the look of annoyance was uncanny between Silver and Snow.
"Yeah, we're so dead."
"Yup…"
It was most certainly a heavy step down from Arin's pound-escaping plan, but then again, Arin hadn't been quite himself since they had entered the village. His normal bravado had been all but sizzled out, and an air worry loomed over his head like a darkening rain cloud. Every now and then, Silver and Snow would catch him looking out to his village, only for his ears to start drooping against the sides of his head.
By now, Silver was once again dangling upside-down from a wooden pole, and Snow had been deftly tied to the other side, so that the two were now back to back. The staff of wood was suspended over a sheet of flat, white rock that blazed with illumination from the overhead sun. Char marks clawed the very center in an ugly black mess, now being covered by slabs of chopped wood being carried out by the masked otters. It seemed that the entire village had come to speculate—or participate, as judged by the occasional licking of their lips. Eaten by cannibalistic otters; Silver couldn't imagine a more degrading encounter with death on their journey so far.
"Hey, Netu! Get your big furry butt over here and take me off this—Alph!" Arin—who was dangling from a pole just across from the wolves—frowned as an apple was shoved into his mouth. The masked otters finished piling up the slabs of wood and, in a show of sparks from bits of flint, ignited a fire beneath the captives. Silver cringed, trying his best to keep his fur from the rising, licking flames. Snow gave a low whimper of panic under her break and struggled in vain against the tight ropes binding her. The large, muscular otter—Netu—came to take his seat down into a throne that was made out of the same white stone facing towards the trio. His paws laced beneath his chin and he leaned forward, as though observing some form of entertainment. The otters in the crowd went up in jeers and chants, waving their paws into the air. The poles holding Snow, Silver, and Arin started to turn slowly, the red-hot fire threatening to reach up and ensnare them with every rotation.
Silver struggled hard, straining his body to brute force it's way through the bindings. He even tried to resort to biting at the wood, but seemed to think better of it as it would mean an even quicker fiery fate for him and his beloved best friend. The situation was grim indeed, and after a while, even he had to let out a defeated sigh.
"Hey, Snow…" Silver felt the bangs of his head fur slowly fall over his eyes, casting a shadow on his face.
"W-what?" Snow grunted, practically digging her claws into the wood from the slight rope burn her struggling gave her. The pole rotated down again and she flinched when the tip of a flame nearly kissed her cheek.
Silver continued. It didn't seem the appropriate time or place; not at all the romantic setting he had envisioned over and over in his head like a broken movie reel. But still, as he stared down into the fire, now was as good a time as any to speak up about his feelings. After all, it wasn't looking like he was going to have much time to do so otherwise. "Snow, there's…there's something that I have to tell you. That I've been meaning to tell you for a while…" He winced, feeling the heat in his face.
Snow sighed and relaxed back. Her eyes closed, but her ears were up and alert. "You can tell me anything, Silver…"
Silver took a deep breath. Already, he could feel his heart beginning to tremble against his chest nervously. He fought the lump down his throat and slowly began to speak again. "Snow…Snow, I lov—"
"What on earth is going on here? Stop this at once!" A loud, booming voice seemed to bound across the entire village clearing, causing everyone's gaze to look up towards the leading trail. At first, her figure had been completely shadowed in the distance. But it didn't take long for the blazing white of the reflected rock to bring the female otter's features into light. She was slightly smaller than most of the others in her village. Her pink eyes were as strong as steel, and—like Netu—her body was branded with many red markings that were made from berry juice. Her spiky bangs swish-swayed in each strong step, and as she fell towards the crowd, they parted away from her in an almost immediate respect.
"Unnggg…" Arin gave a rather intense look of annoyance. He spat the apple after a long moment of wrestling. "Things just went from bad to worse."
The female otter made her way onto the grounds, arms folded across her chest. Her frown caused her cheeks to puff up, and her eyebrows to angle down in steep disdain that made everyone in the crowd almost shudder. "I demand that fire be put out this very instant!" She barked in a command so fierce that the masked otters practically ran into each other before being able to procure enough water and hastily douse the flames. A pillar of smoke blew in Silver's and Snow's faces, causing them to hack. But at any rate, it was better than burning up.
"Alana…" Netu sighed and rose to his feet, "What on earth are you doing here?"
"Father! Why didn't you tell me my Arin has come back? I came out here half expecting tonight's dinner only to find you trying to burn him up!"
"Well he did leave…"
"And I told you he'd come back, and he did! Father, stop this madness right now." The female exclaimed and tapped her foot against the ground. Silver chuckled and shook his head. She was most certainly demanding enough. But the truth of the matter was that they were no longer going to get burned, and by the looks of it, may even have a chance of escaping being eaten by the myriad of cannibalistic otters.
"You'll see the problem with her soon enough." Arin didn't look at Silver, but seemed to answer both his and Snow's thoughts.
"Alana, this is hardly the time…" Netu looked like he was trying to pick out the right words—or hold the real words he wanted to say back. But Alana wasn't hearing it, and jabbed her finger back into Arin's direction.
"I still plan on marrying him."
"M-marry?" Silver and Snow exclaimed at once. Arin closed his eyes and sighed. He may have started to say something, but the ropes were suddenly yanked from around him and he found himself being uncomfortably hugged against the female otter. Her arms wrapped around his left one in something just shy of a death grip, and he tried his best to ease her back from his personal space.
"That's right. He and I have always been destined to marry, every since we were little otter pups. Arin may have run away, but he came back, see? He came back for me even when you said he wouldn't, father, isn't that right?"
"Uh?"
"Right?"
Arin suddenly whimpered under the pressure being induced on his arm. His foot stamped the ground several times and he shouted "yes" in the air wildly until she eased up. Snow blinked skeptically. So that's what he must've meant.
"He's not a traitor. He just needed some time to…" Alana tapped her chin with her finger, mulling the words in her head, "Time to go out and do his man business."
"My what?" Arin exclaimed and tried even harder to pull away. Alana's grip was iron, and the otter only managed to budge a few inches. Alana gave an unwanted coo and made awkward kissing sounds at his cheeks. Arin revolted.
"He won't run away again, Father." And then, she muttered under her breath, "Because if he does, he knows I'm gonna rip his cute little otter tail off and beat him senseless with it."
Silver and Snow jaws fell open slightly. That's exactly what they needed; a sadistic otter version of Eve who seemed to be pushing the envelope even further. Netu appeared even more annoyed than Arin, resorting to rubbing his fingers against his temples. The otters had turned their expectant gazes from their princess up to him. He was stubborn and stern, but the way he looked at his daughter through it all easily attested that he was one of those fathers who just simply couldn't tell her "no". With an exasperated sigh, he threw his paws up into the air.
"If this is what you really want then."
"Is this what you want, my love?" Alana turned back to Arin, who responded in an irksome cringe. She frowned and said darkly, "Or you could always go back to you and your friends being the main course."
Arin looked over to Silver and Snow, who were still tied up. He wasn't sure if they had caught the last part of Alana's conversation—their looks were pleading enough as they continued to hang upside down from the pole. His gaze then went out towards the tons of otter faces that looked on him both favorably and disdainfully. There was no real way to talk himself out of this, and to leave Silver and Snow to the mercy of all those hungry mouths was just wrong. Alana didn't seem to notice him suck his fangs, and with heavy reluctance, he nodded.
"Okay, but you have to set my friends free."
The village area had certainly shed its earlier air of aggressiveness and hunger, and had now become a lot more upbeat and festive. Radiant purple flowers were strung on every tree, cliff, and overhanging bough throughout the clearing, and the beating of paper drums echoed loudly. The air was filled with a sweet scent coming from a billowing purple smoke that drifted from a fire just inches from the center of the massive pond. Every otter now had adorned their bodies with several red berry markings and were dancing in wild circles around the shape of the pond's surface, or chatting lively with the others while eating. Silver sat next to Snow as the two of them gazed around at the festivities and ceremonial dancing. Thick scraps of meat and fish were pushed up to their paws, and they hadn't realized just how hungry they were until they had begun eating. Silver chanced a glance to what the otters might have considered the head of the pond. Arin sat beneath a canopy of tree leaves, his chin propped onto his paw. His fur, like the others, was branded with red markings that reached up all the way too his face and fingertips. His left arm was still caught in the clutches of Alana, who watched the dancing with half of her attention, and Arin with the other half, just to make sure he wouldn't run. And by the arid look on his face, he probably would have done it too. He didn't look at all entertained by the dancers; dazzled by the beauty; or even enticed by the festive spirit. He was probably too busy debating on whether or not he truly needed the use of his left arm. Silver couldn't help but feel something very wrong about being saved this way.
"Are you two doing okay?" Snow jumped and glanced back. Netu hovered behind them, his arms folded. His attention wasn't on them, but rather to a very pretty female otter dancer who had taken the center of the others.
"I'm doing fine, thanks." Snow smiled. She had been eating so fast that crumbs dotted her muzzle, and Silver felt the uncanny urge to start lapping them off of her again. But now that he had admitted his own affections for her to himself, he guessed he couldn't possibly attempt to do so without convulsing with embarrassment.
"I'm fine." He answered simply.
"That's good to hear." Netu chanced a glance to the black wolf. It was clear by the look on Silver's face that he hadn't forgiven him for being put on the menu earlier. The chieftain rubbed between his eyes with his fingers, as if choosing carefully the next few words that were coming out of his mouth.
"Arin and Alana have been betrothed since the day they were born. Though they had been childhood friends, I had hoped some sort of romantic feelings would have developed between them at some point. They did for my daughter." He let out a sigh, "But I wasn't so sure about Arin. On the day they were to marry, he left us without a word. In our village, abandoning the family is treason, no matter what the circumstance." Silver turned sharply to Netu's direction.
"Where are you going with this?"
"I guess I'm apologizing for getting you two involved. Since you were associates of a traitor, we attacked you too. But Arin seems to be taking responsibility now, and so I couldn't possibly bring myself to harm you." At this, Silver inwardly rolled his eyes. But at any rate, it was a lot better than being roasted over an open fire.
Snow looked out towards the female otter who had become the center of attention. Her body moved in liquid movements, twirling and spinning while the bracelets wrapped around her ankles and wrists clattered in loud jingles. The other dancers had stopped, and she had become the only one throughout the entire village who was moving. Her dance was hypnotic and Snow found her head bobbing to and fro to the rhythm of the paper drums in the background.
"Why's she the only one dancing?" Silver asked inquisitively.
"Ah, well, she has a very important role to play in our festival." Netu said in a matter-of-fact tone. "There's a legend in our village about an otter who had deserted the ties of his family. Because of that, the entire village fell apart—that's why we're so unforgiving when it comes to matters like that. It took centuries for our people to build it back up, but when we did, we vowed to never allow our people to be broken up again. But every now and then, it is said that the deserter, Luka, comes back to reap chaos whenever two mates find each other. This dance and ritual is to keep Luka from destroying the marriage and keep the mates happy and prosperous."
"It sounds similar to a legend we have back at our home, right Silver?" Snow turned to gaze Silver's way, and he took to using his paw to finally free the crumbs off her face. Snow blushed.
"Yeah, we do."
"Hmm…" Netu's face turned up into what looked like an unnatural grin as he looked slyly down to the pair of wolves. "Maybe the ceremony can work for more than one couple today."
"What do you mean?" The two wolves shot him an abrupt inquisitive look at the same time. The muscular otter just chuckled and walked off, asking them to enjoy the festival. It didn't take Silver long to get it, and he found himself once again within a perfect moment. His eyes slowly glanced over to Snow, who had gone back to enjoying the dancing. Almost immediately, his heart began to throb against his chest, and when he opened his mouth at first, nothing but dry air came, drowned out by the music. His voice had turned to lead once again. Mentally, Silver kicked himself; it felt so stupid for him not to be able to tell her something so simple. With a sigh, the black wolf rose to his feet.
"I'll be right back, okay?" He didn't wait for Snow to turn around and had already begun walking off.
Silver wasn't sure why he hadn't noticed the small breech in the village clearing that lead outside. Probably because he was so busy trying not to be someone else's dinner. The archway between the trees lead out to the edge of a grassy cliff that overlooked the valley of waterfalls. He walked all the way to the edge and plopped down, kicking up a few strands of grass to be taken away by the wind.
"Why can't I just say it…?" Silver voiced to no one in particular. He hung his head, allowing his eyes to shut. His mind wound back the memories; flipping through the millions of pages of Snow laughing, or smiling at him, or calling his name. Each one sent a shiver of warmth straight to his heart. Maybe there was another way for him to let her know how he felt without actually saying it; a more gutless method with all the same potency of the real thing. He doubted it. And even if he did say it, who was to say she'd love him back…?
Clicky-clatter-clatter-clatter!
Silver's ears shot up like radar. He rose to his feet, allowing himself to wander towards the loud and rapid clattering sound without much thought to himself. His paws crunched a few small twigs beneath his weight as he made his way back into the thicket of trees, the clattering getting all the louder. He rounded a corner and glanced up.
"Urk! Gah! I can't believe this mess—what kind of whack job puts this kind of crap here anyway?" The voice was like a mix of angry tweets and harsh growls. The tiny bird frantically flapped her wings with all the energy of a hummingbird, bouncing around within a small rope cage. Her feathers were as blue as the sky, with the exception of the white on her face and belly, and the black on her wing tips. Her orange beak rapidly rapped against the threads of rope to no avail. With every movement the bird made, a wooden makeshift bell clattered against the tree. No doubt another one of Netu's traps. Silver leaned up onto his hind legs, balancing his forepaws onto the trunk of the tree.
"Just hold on, I'll be up there to help you in a minute."
"Back off, buddy! I don't need your help. I don't need help from anyone!" The bird glared daggers at him before continuing to peck at the rope. She might have been able to, if she wasn't panicking and entangling herself in the ropes to the point of barely being able to move. Silver rolled his eyes.
"Sure you don't." He started up the tree.
"Geeze, I got this! Go find a tree to mark or something." The bird chirped sharply. Silver ignored her and deftly made his way up to the branch where the net was hanging. This time, instead of tearing into it with his fangs, he raked his claws in one swift motion across the surface. The rope net dropped and the bird crashed to the ground with a plop.
"W-whoops, sorry. Lemme help you."
"No! You've helped enough!" The bird coughed from landing on her tummy, and scrambled backwards when Silver advanced on her. Still, he used his nose to roll the ropes off of her, growling at her to calm down when a particular loop trapped her right wing when she tried to flap it. She was free, and the first thing she did was peck Silver sharply.
"Ow! What's your problem?" Silver rubbed his paw gingerly to his head. The bird fluttered just inches from his face, her frown furrowing her brow down low.
"I said I didn't need help—I would've been just fine."
"Yes, you were doing so perfectly well on your own up there."
Peck!
"Stop that!" Silver growled, "Sheesh, if this is how you repay someone trying to help, I wonder how you treat your enemies."
A dark grimace flowered onto the bird's face, the likes of which made Silver jump every so slightly. "Would you like to find out, wolf?" He shook his head. The bird looked as though she were going to peck him again, probably because he looked like he wanted to bite her. Instead, she huffed and floated off through the air above the trees. Silver rubbed the side of his cheek with his paw, muttering a "you're welcome" under his breath. It was turning into the pound inmates all over again.
"There you are, Silver—I've been looking all over for you." Silver whirled around to see Snow approaching him from behind. He noticed the difference immediately; Snow's head fur was pushed back in the same manner as her mother's, revealing both emerald eyes that stood out against the white of his fur. Silver's cheeks flushed in tender splotches of pink through his own white fur on his muzzle.
"I like it." He pointed out.
"Don't get used to it." Snow teased her tongue out at him, "I'm only keeping it this way for the wedding, which is starting right now by the way."
"Alright, I'm coming." Silver took to Snow's side, playfully bumping her over with his rump. She called him a pup and bumped him back, the two of them making their way back towards the village.
Though he was sure no one had heard him, Arin let out what seemed like his fiftieth sigh of the evening. His eyes wandered up through the opening in the trees that allowed sunlight into his village. Granted, he liked to be the center of attention, but not like this; not with the sadist otter back in his life. Princess Alana stood right across from him, her paw held up before her face and his own paw palm-pressed against it. She was beautiful, Arin gave her that. But the term "beauty is only skin deep" never rang more true than with the woman he was no standing amidst the center of the pond-circling crowd with. The thought of running tested Arin, but as he glanced out to Silver and Snow amongst the onlookers, he knew something that selfish would spell doom for them.
"Pay attention!" Alana hissed. Arin grumbled and the two of them began to perform a dance that felt like it came from muscle memory alone.
Silver and Snow weren't sure how they felt. All the other otters in the crowd gazed onto the dance with grand, romantic fascination. Even the proud already existent couples marveled in their own respect. The only one who didn't seem happy about it was Arin. Silver and Snow chanced glances to each other. Maybe no one else noticed their friend's occasional grimaces because they were the ones looking for it.
"Is this really okay…? He doesn't look too happy." Snow finally whispered to Silver.
"Doubt it. I don't know if he has much of a choice though." Silver breathed.
Arin carefully twirled Alana around the edge of the pond. Occasionally, flecks of water kicked up from the wet grass and he grinned darkly in his mind. He could always just dump her butt in the water. Alana smiled dangerously up to him, as if daring him to try it. The two of them danced closer, until their bodies were pressed warm against each other. The tempo of drums stayed steady, until Arin cold feel the end of the dance coming. He spun Alana down into a lean, holding her paw in one of his own. Slowly, his muzzle inched down towards hers. She closed her eyes, gripping clumps of his back fur in deep anticipation. He neared his nose so close to hers that they could practically kiss each other.
And then, he stopped. It took Alana a while to realize that, frozen in her expectant state. But when the kiss never came, her eyes snapped open with a crack of fire. Arin cringed, the return of Alana's iron grip keeping him from moving away. By now, the crowd had changed from anxious hopefuls to a cannon of murmurs.
"What are you doing?" Alana hissed.
Arin bit his lip. Few knew Alana as well as he did, and he knew enough to know she was likely to throttle him for what he was about to do. With a deep breath, he squeaked.
"I'm sorry, but I can't…"
"Why the hell not?"
"Because I don't love you?" Arin flinched. He waited for a slap, or a punch, or—with cringing fear because she was not above it—a harsh kick between the legs. But it didn't' come. Instead, Alana just smiled up at him.
"Surely you don't mean that, Arin."
"I'm serious—I can't marry you, Alana." Arin pulled her back up to her feet and looked at her. She was still gripping his back fur. "We were friends. We're still friends. But I don't think this is something we should do. Please, try to understand where I'm coming—"
"You JERK!"
BAM! Alana had knocked Arin down onto the ground with all the ferocity of a mad bull, and then proceeded to stomp the otter in feverish, angry motions. How dare you, Arin? I trusted you—I believed you really came back for me! I loved you!"
"Did you really?"
Stomp!
"Mercy!" Arin tried to claw his way from underneath the furious fuming otter.
"Uh oh," Silver rose to his feet. His eyes darted from the growling and agitated otters in the audience. Anger mixed with a hint of insult charged the air with a dangerous static, generating a feeling of foreboding within the young wolf. Snow could feel the tension in the air so much so that she hadn't realized she was growling until it had escaped the pit of her throat. As the two wolves gazed at Arin, who was literally being tossed and flipped all over the ground, they wondered which outcome would have truly been happier—this or the fire.
"You have sealed your fate, traitor." Netu's muscular form loomed over Arin like a giant shadow. The smaller otter coughed for air beneath Alana. It just didn't seem right to not retort without a snappy comeback, but the Amazonian otter was too busy crushing his windpipe for that. "Take him away—all of them away!"
"All?" Silver and Snow jumped, but could barely move before a rope net dropped down on top of them from out of nowhere. The ends were weighted, so the wolves were knocked off their feet almost immediately. Just where the heck were they hiding all these traps at anyway? Snow struggled under Silver, but only succeeded in tangling herself up with him even more. Normally, she would have reveled in being so close against her best friend, but a sense of pathetic pity for herself overrode that emotion. Where they seriously going to be trapped the same ones twice in the same day? Snow's claws were ready to slice their way out. But they never got their chance; the otters in masks were already on the two, aiming poles with jagged ends down to their faces. Arin's arms were held behind his back and he was hauled down to the ground on his front. There was a sudden blaze of heat—the fires on the feasting grounds were roaring once more. Snow was hoisted overhead first, followed by Silver. Their legs flailed helplessly, and the entire village went into an uproar once they were hauled off.
"W-wait, hold on—is this really necessary?" Snow exclaimed. For all the good it did her, none of the masked otters responded.
"Open to any and all plans." Silver voiced through a grit, still trying to work his claws through the nets (only to receive a sharp jab in the paw from a spear).
"Yeah, preferably, ones that don't involve me being married off to crazy psycho women." Arin chimed from behind them. They were closing in on the feasting grounds, the flames roaring on the scorched white rock. But there were no poles like before. Were they just going to toss them right into the flames? The masked otters whipped their spears across the net enough to free Snow away only. She yelped as they pulled her away from the other two, towards the spire of heat.
"Silver!" Snow cried out automatically, not understanding what made the tiny masked otters so much stronger than the three of them. The sinking sun blared orange against the white rock and the fire seemed to reach out towards her, as though begging to receive her. Silver's voice had called Snow's name, but the sounds quickly started to drown out within his thoughts. His own fire began to burn inside of him, crawling up to the edges of his vision. He felt the rage building; the taste of hate and power welling up in his mouth before coursing through every muscle within him. A deep, dark growl escaped Silver's throat, as the murderous intent began to take over him…
Well, this certainly doesn't seem to bode well for Silver and Snow. Will they be given to the fire? Or will Silver be forced to succumb to whatever darkness is inside him? Tune in soon to the next part of chapter 3!