Sorry for the late update, everyone. I kinda shut down during thanksgiving break and now I have to restart again to get through finals week. But slowly but surely, this fic will be completed! Thank you again for the support, and without further delay, I give you the next part to Chapter 3 of Silver Snow!
Chapter 3: Precipice of Love, Part 2
"Beware, all fools of this land who have dared to defy our sacred ways!" The voice boomed from out within the trees, shaking the boughs and the leaves. Everyone froze. Silver felt reality deliver a harsh slap back down to him, and he wasn't sure that he himself had heard the voice until it had sounded again. "The ancient customs have been broken; the path of unity defiled! Beware all those who dare to leave our homeland and visit my wrath upon it, the likes of which never have been seen under the sun!" Snow's head whipped around so wildly that her head fur slapped back over her face. It was as if the voice was coming from everywhere and yet nowhere at all. Silver noticed that too, but what he also noticed were the faces of the otters in the village. They looked utterly terrified, some of whom were even shivering in their spots. The voice coached elicit growls of fear out of the ones in the masks, though even they seemed too stunned to move.
"Fools! I come upon you now!" The voice shot like a thunderclap.
"It's Luka! He's come to destroy us all again!" Silver wasn't sure who had said it, but the next thing he knew, he was landing harshly on his back.
"Augh!" He rolled over in pain. Snow had been dropped, panicking away from the flames only to crash into Silver. The village had gone from dark, insulted anger to a massive hysteria. Otters jumped over and crashed into each other, trying to make their way in manic sprints in every direction possible. Food was dropped; doors were slammed shut, and Silver had to huddle up over Snow just to make sure no one stepped on her. Arin coughed, rolling from side to side from the stampede (but not before being absentmindedly knocked into a pile of firewood). There was no trace of Alana near him. That was good; he'd much rather deal with the risk of being stepped on as opposed to being choked to death.
"I come upon you! I come upon you!" The voice wavered in ghastly wails. A long, inky shadow slowly began to slink along the ground, intensified by the lowering of the sun. It was very large, stretching out almost completely across the village grounds.
"Nooo! He's here!" The village otters let out blood-curdling screams and, in a matter of moments, the clearing was covered in a thicket of dust and debris. Snow covered Silver's muzzle for him when he started to cough and gazed around. There was no one in sight. The village had turned into a ghost town in only a matter of minutes. Where all the otters had gone, she wasn't sure, but she couldn't say that she was really complaining either.
"Beware! Beware! B-be—ahhahaha!" The voice had gotten a lot softer and high pitched. It was faint, but Silver and Snow could hear the pattering of tiny footsteps coming from one of the distant trees. The laughter came closer, and when she came out of the bushes, Silver felt a grin spread across his face.
"What a bunch of idiots." The blue bird patted impossible dust off of her feathers. "I can't believe that actually worked."
"That was you?" Snow sat up and blinked. The bird put her feather to her chest proudly.
"Of course it was me. Those idiots don't deserve to have a meal for the crap they put me through. Dodging traps in this place is hell, so they're gonna pay with growling stomachs and a sense of stupidity." The bird said.
"We really owe you one, huh?" Silver piped up, but the bird jumped back, frantically waving her wings.
"Oh no—You've done enough helping for one day. Just stay back from me."
"You two know each other?" Snow glanced over to Silver, who nodded.
"Sort of," He said, "We met when I left off. I helped her out."
"You made me fall flat on my face." The bird frowned, placing her feathers on her hips. "Some big helper you are."
"Hey, it was an accident, okay?" Silver exclaimed, not really understanding why he was starting to get riled up."
"I said I didn't need anyone's help because I knew that would happen, you clumsy dog!" The bird hopped up onto his muzzle, butting her head against his.
"Then next time, I'll just leave your feathery butt in the net so we can all be happy."
"Next time, I'll just let you all get eaten up—"
"What's your name?" It was the only interjection Snow could think of at the time. "Isn't it right that we at least know the name of the one who saved us?"
"Not that it's important for you to know, but my name is Bianca." The bird answered, ruffling her plumage proudly. She must've really wanted them to know anyway.
"Bianca? Well, thanks—if it wasn't for you, we'd probably be barbequed by now." Snow stepped forward, "I'm Snow, and he's Silver." Bianca nodded and hopped off of Silver's muzzle with a little too much force. She made her way over towards the pile of firewood that seemed to be moving slightly and folded her wings.
"Hey, you," She said sharply. Arin jumped and accidently knocked over the pile of wood. His eyes had been clenched shut, but upon looking around and seeing the completely deserted village, he seemed to ease up a bit. With a sigh, he made his way back over towards his friends.
"Whew, really dodged a bullet there, huh? It's a good thing Birdy over here had a…backup…plan.." The small otter's voice trailed off. Silver, Snow, and Bianca loomed at him with frowns branded on their faces. The staring was so intense that Arin found himself talking an intimidated step back. "W-what? Is there something on my face?" He stammered.
"You've got some serious explaining to do, Arin." Silver said.
"Yeah. What was all that stuff earlier about being so important? They nearly burned us the moment we got here." Snow stated.
"Not to mention the traps," Bianca pointed out, "I assume that if you were dumb enough to get caught in them, they didn't set them until after you left, which means they were meant for you."
"Uhm.." Arin felt himself starting to sweat, taking yet another step back. The stares of his friends seemed to go right through the fur and into his soul. He hated being in the hot seat like this. "Well, it's complicated…" He fumbled, but knew that wasn't enough. Arin sighed and rubbed the side of his cheek with his paw. There was no sense in hiding it now. "Alright, alright. I made it all up, okay?"
"Why?"
"I dunno…I guess because you two believed me. Truth of the matter is no one ever really looks up to me at all, especially around here." He poked his fingers together nervously, "I never got a say in anything. Everyone just kinda did it for me. It felt nice to actually have someone look up to me for once and…well, I guess I got a little carried away."
"A little?" Snow grimaced.
"A lot—I got carried away a lot!" Arin looked down at his feet and started to twirl the ground with his toe. His ears dropped to the sides of his head and his tail tucked down low. "I'm sorry I lied to you." But when Arin looked up, Silver and Snow had already begun to turn to leave. Bianca floated after them, though she didn't seem to be following them in particularly. The otter rubbed the back of his head. It's not like he had expected anything less than that to happen. He turned to gaze at his now deserted village. The quiet wouldn't last long, but just long enough for him to run off again.
"Arin, what are you doing?" Silver glanced back and Arin's head snapped up. "Aren't you coming? We still have to find the Asimi Bloom, remember?" Arin's ears shot upwards and he pointed to himself.
"You mean you aren't mad at me?"
"Oh, we're still mad." Snow turned around, then smiled sweetly. "But we forgive you. We're friends, right?"
Arin hadn't known his tail could wag like it did until he felt the tremor in his hind quarters. He took just one step forward at first, unsure if he had heard them right. Silver patted the spot on his back with his tail, and the otter practically leapt onto the black wolf.
"Thanks..." His voice was soft and tender, unguarded with sarcastic wit.
"Not to interrupt the moment or anything," Bianca hovered overhead backwards, "But I think we should get out of here."
"I'm sure we'll have a little bit of time before Netu's tribe comes back." Silver looked up to her.
She frowned and pointed a wing forward. "Less time than you think." He had hoped in vain that it wasn't what she meant. But even before he, Snow, and Arin turned around, Silver already knew what he was going to find. The bushes surrounding the village outskirts had begun to rustle. Paws and feet were the first to emerge, parting the shrubbery so that the rest of the bodies could follow. Furious grimaces branded the otters faces while they came out back into the clearing one by one. The one's with spears clutched them with such intense grips that fear of the wood splitting was imminent.
"Why does it always seem like we have to run from something?" Snow exclaimed as she and Silver took off running. The otters let out a loud holler and rampaged towards them in fits of fury. Bianca soared over the wolves and acted like a beacon, dipping down through a crack in the trees and motioning for them to follow. The trail was thin, but still visible, taking winding turns through thickets of strong-scented pine trees. Streaks of orange and yellow inked across the grass-and-dirt ground, casting shadows that made the trees look like tall, pointed arrowheads on the land. Silver, Snow, Arin, and Bianca could hear the rapid pounding of moving feet closing in on them from behind. They refused to look back, lest they see just how close the rabid otters actually were.
"Do you have any idea where we're going, Bianca?" Snow asked under a pant. A few stray branches from the bushes snagged at her fur from the trail being so narrow.
"Away from them; far, far away from—" Bianca's voice cut off as she veered a sharp left, right as a fly-by net shot past her and into the air. She almost struck a tree and fought to right herself. "Do they have this entire valley booby-trapped?"
As if to answer her question, the ground under Silver shifted; two nets came spiraling down his way, plopping to the ground as he pranced away from them deftly. A large log nearly swung into Snow's face, and the two wolves were literally bobbing and weaving along the pathway. Snaps and creaks echoed in a makeshift mechanical and dangerous chorus throughout the forest from whipping rope lassos, or cages made out of wood that seemed to drop down from out of nowhere. Arin put a death grip on Silver's back, threatening to tear the fur out by the roots.
"Don't let them escape!" Netu's voice howled with rage. The otters let out a shrill battle cry and Silver suddenly let out a sharp whimper that almost made Snow stop in her tracks.
"Silver—"
"I'm fine, keep running!" Silver barked. He knew his hind leg was bleeding from the spot where a thrown spear had struck him. The sting was unforgiving, but now wasn't the time to give into such petty pains. His focus was, for the most part, on Snow, making sure that he would be ready the moment another trap sprang at her. But his worry was placed on the wrong one.
"Whaaa!" Arin screamed. He didn't know how the rope looped around his waist had gotten there. But his stomach gave a sickening lurch as he was suddenly yanked right off of Silver's back. "Some assistance, PLEASE!" He coughed loudly.
"I've got him!" Bianca—who had been performing acrobatic aerial maneuvers around flyby nets and thrown spears—read the worried look on Silver's and Snow's faces, taking to swooping back down. Her body twirled in a rapid spiral; Bianca's beak sheered through the rope around Arin with such force that he tumbled into a thicket of bushes. He barely had the time to catch his wits about him. Bianca was already tweeting behind him.
"Get up and move! Now!"
Shink!
"Ahhh!" Arin let out a horrified (if not a rather high-pitched) scream as a duo of wooden spears landed in the ground just inches from between his legs. "They're after my happy spot!" The otter shouted and took off running as fast as his legs could carry him, with Bianca right behind him.
Snow couldn't get the sound of Silver's whimper out of her head. She knew he was hurt. She also knew he wouldn't admit to it, not right now. In times like this, he always became so single-mindedly concerned for her, and it flattered her. But it also scared her, for the fact that his own safety always seemed to be disregarded. Didn't he understand what it would do to her if something happened to him? Didn't he understand that she needed him around; that a world without Silver was just—But the young she-wolf stopped her thoughts right there. She needed him around The thought echoed in several warm octaves, resounding into her chest to the point of tickling her heart. Snow did need him around and…she needed more than that. She needed Silver to be okay for a deeper, more selfish reason that she could feel surfacing now. Or rather, it had always been there and she was just now starting to really notice it.
"Snow, look out!"
Snow gasped, suddenly finding herself lurching forward. Silver had rammed his body into hers form behind, just as a flat wooden cage came slamming down to the ground with such force that it left an imprint in the dirt. For a moment, time stopped as Snow turned back to glance at Silver. Their eyes met and though no words were exchanged, they could sense a deep feeling of elated appreciation between each other. But time had sped up again and the two wolves began to tumble down the trail with each other once more. Silver didn't realize that the land started to decline until their rolling speed had picked up considerably. Probably because he was too busy making goo-goo eyes at Snow to notice. He and his best friend rolled and bounced like a couple of furry balls, ricocheting off the trees until a sickening dizziness had begun to tug at their stomachs. There was a sharp rush of wind as the trees of the forest were suddenly shed, and Snow found herself being flung out from atop a high cliff. The valley below was vast and wide, littered with scores of waterfalls that veined the cliff sides. She screamed loudly, however, the air had swallowed up her voice as gravity took hold of her.
"I've got you, Snow!"
Silver's body leaned over the edge, his paws grasping tight around hers. He swore at the nagging pain in his leg. Snow whimpered in fear, dangling to and fro and not daring to look down. Her feet frantically tried to find some kind of footing on the cliff face, but the tip jutted out too much for that. The air was heavy with moisture, spraying the two wolves with drops of water from a grand rushing waterfall a slight ways beside them.
"J-just hold on, Snow." Silver's eyes were strong and reassuring. And though she was dangling hundreds of feet from impending doom, Snow was comforted and felt the fear ebbing slightly. An infectious smile crossed between them.
"Coming through!"
Silver's head turned back. Arin was already having a hard time fighting to keep his equilibrium as he ran a little too fast down the incline from deep within the forest. On top of that, otters from the village opening were spilling out from the trees and shrubs by the droves. Their voices resounded like sharp knives that cut through the opening of the forest, some of them waving their spears over their heads at the ready. Silver clenched his fangs, his eyes darting constantly from the stampede of tribal otters down to the cliffs below his dangling friend. What a choice; get speared to death, or fall to their doom.
"Silver…" Snow's voice was soft in his head, and it made Silver all the more serious. No, dying wasn't an option. The black wolf racked his brain hard, his eyes darting around in manic surveillance of the area around him. All the while, he felt his grip on Snow start to slack—there wasn't much time.
He had no choice. With a sigh, Silver summoned every muscle in his body to heave Snow upwards through the air. She screamed out of fear, probably thought he was crazy, but then, he was pretty sure he himself was crazy for even trying a stunt like this. Silver took a slight running start and hurtled himself like a spear off the edge. His body met Snow's much faster than she could fall, his arms wrapping around her in a tight hug. It didn't take long for gravity to grab onto them, yanking them down out of the air and down towards the vast valley below. But Silver had no intention of being smashed to bits. He forced his body to spiral ever so slowly, but enough so that they floated in line with the massive waterfall nearby. He put his paw on the back of Snow's head, hiding her face in his chest so that she wouldn't have to look down. She buried her face into his fur, her paws gripping his back. Even though she was falling; even though she knew she should have been scared out of her wits, she wasn't anymore. Not with Silver this close to her, comforting her.
"A-are you two crazy?" Arin had shouted, but it wasn't as though he could really stop himself. His feet moved too fast for his mind to keep up, and the next thing he knew, he was running off right off the edge of the cliff. He yelled and reached to in some frantic desperate attempt to grab something—which at that time, had been Bianca's tail feathers.
"H-hey! Hey! ARIN, YOU DOLT!" But soon, Bianca's voice too was drowned out by the eminent force of gravity.
The splash down wasn't as bad as he had thought, but Silver could attest to the fact that he was all but done with leaping over the edge of waterfalls for the rest of the journey. They had missed the rocks, which was all the fortune in the world considering that a trail of wooden spears had followed them down from above, barely missing them. But the otters, who were way up upon the top of the waterfall cliff didn't look all too thrilled to repeat the performance of their targets, and so retreated after glaring over the edge. Silver was the first to come up, still clutching on Snow for dear life. She coughed and sputtered against him and he felt a twinge of guilt for keeping her under too long. Their head fur hung limp over their faces and the two of them started to slowly drift outwards into the pool of water.
"A-are you okay?" Silver hacked, not realizing he had taken in water as well.
"Aren't I always?" Snow coughed again, but looked up at him through a wet-furred smile.
"Gah!" Arin came up and splashed around frantically. He knew he had seen Bianca go under with him, but now she was nowhere in sight. "Birdy? Birdy, where'd you go off—yeowch!"
"Uhhh!" As Arin leapt up through the water from a peck to the rump, Bianca broke the surface, gasping and coughing for air. She pointed at Arin irritably, but couldn't seem to say anything at first, spitting out more water. Through several angry pants of breath, she treaded the surface of the water.
"Y-you dumb otter. You trying to drown me?" She was already making her way out towards the shore, and Arin just rolled his eyes. He placed her on his back, able to out-swim her easily, and got her to dry land. The bird shook her feathers and they puffed out like a blue and white cushion. Bianca gave Arin a look; she knew he was about to laugh and dared him to so much as crack a smile at her.
Snow pulled herself up onto dry land, helping Silver out of the water. Drops dripped in heavy faucets from their fur, but they didn't bother to shake it off just yet. Their eyes met again, and it was Snow who had broken the silence.
"That was the craziest and bravest thing I've ever seen." She giggled, one of appreciation; out of happiness just to still be alive.
"I learned from the best, right?" Silver gingerly pushed her head fur away from both of her eyes. The back of his paw gently caressed the top of her head, down to her cheek in slow motion before he dropped it to the ground. But Snow could still feel the warmth of his touch lingering on the skin underneath her wet fur. Her body leaned forward as an inaudible, elated sigh escaped her breath. It didn't last too long, though. The reality of Silver's injury had come back to Snow, and she immediately started to fuss over it.
"Lemme see it."
"Snow, really, it's nothing." Silver interjected immediately, but Snow was already moving behind him. He turned back to face her, dodging her circling until they were literally dancing around each other.
"Silver, stop being such a pup and let me see how bad it is."
"It's not bad, everything's fine."
"Then let me have a look!"
"Snow—Hey!" Snow had resorted to biting one of Silver's paws while they were circling each other; he lost his balance, not only tripping, but taking her down with him. The two wet wolves tumbled onto the dirt with Silver on the bottom. "Seriously, Snow, it's not that big of a…" Silver found his voice slowly trailing off, and if Snow was going to say something, she hadn't gotten the chance to. When he had turned his head to face her, his nose had accidently pressed gingerly up against hers. The two wolves froze. Heat welled up from within their chests, coursing throughout their bodies all the way up too the tips of their ears. Snow's eyes became beautifully hypnotic to Silver, and judging by how she made no conscious effort to move away, it was probably the same for her. Silver could taste the words in his mouth. It seemed different this time around; he wasn't the one fighting for the words to come out, but rather the words themselves seemed to be fighting for him to hurry up and say them.
"Snow…" He breathed against her mouth, their noses still pushed against one another's.
"Silver…?" Snow's voice caressed him like a soft stroke into his ear.
"Snow…I—"
"Wheeet! I guess we better get going, Birdy; looks like things are getting a little hot around here." Arin's grin spread from cheek to cheek, and Silver felt the sudden urge to chuck him down yet another waterfall. Bianca looked indifferent.
"Hey, if they wanna stick around and make out, it's not like I'm stopping them." She shrugged her shoulders. Snow hastily, but reluctantly drew away from silver, busying herself with straightening her forelock. Her cheeks were a clear shade of red and she knew she wouldn't be able to look at her best friend for a moment.
Silver sighed, half dwelling on his ruined moment. "Anyone know where we are?"
"I do," Bianca perched on a low tree branch, "But I'm a bit curious. What're you guys doing out here anyway? I haven't seen you around before today since I got here."
"We aren't from here. We came all the way out here from Jasper park." Silver answered the blue bird.
"My grandmother—she's sick, so we've been traveling to try and find the Asimi Bloom to cure her." Snow said.
"I'm just being a leech, since I don't have a home to return to anymore." Arin stated openly.
Bianca took to fluttering off, as if silently bading them to follow. Though they weren't particularly low in the valley, they had still gone down quite a way. Instead of few grand waterfalls, the grassy land was decorade by many miniature ones, coupled with small pools flecked here and there. Cliffs towered over them, some of which were decorated with the mouths of caves. The sun lazily slunk down beneath the horizon, and purples had begun to streak the orange sky.
"I know where the Asimi Bloom is supposed to be—but why on earth would you have gone through the otter village? You really that fond of taking the long way?" Bianca finally asked after a while. Arin jumped. Silver and Snow had turned their heads to him sharply. He waved his paws frantically.
"Figures," Bianca rolled her eyes, swaying through the tops of the trees. "You could have saved some time, but there's no point in dwelling on that now. I'll go ahead and show you—I know the quickest way."
"Would you really?" Snow's tail had begun to wag. Bianca nodded and she, Arin, and Silver took to following the bird across the valley trail. The trees had thinned out on their path, taking refuge in the cliffs higher up that cast blotted shadows everywhere. Stars had already begun to dot the night sky and the moon was preparing to take the place of the sun. Silver smiled; something about the full moon always made him feel comforted by a sense of unexplained familiarity and nostalgia. Maybe it was just a wolf thing. He never questioned anyone about it before.
"So what's your story?" Snow had to have asked Bianca for the fourth time. She and Arin had been raining questions on Bianca ever since, and the short-tempered bird found her temple throbbing irritably.
"Knock it off." She tweeted, "And pay attention to the topography. There's lots of water around, which means we're getting close—the flower needs a large water supply to live—"
"Why are you so guarded?"
"And what's that supposed to mean?" The blue bird landed on a minute cliff and ruffled her feathers at Arin. Arin folded his arms.
"You're guarded. Trust me, I know guarded when I see it. Why don't you open up to us? We're all friends here."
"I'm not gonna open up to you—I don't even know you!" Bianca exclaimed. But she hardly managed to offend the wily otter.
"Get to know us, then."
"I know enough." Bianca fluttered up ahead, her tone finalizing the conversation. Meanwhile, Snow had backed to Silver, who was bringing up the rear. She had finally gotten to look at his leg after he decided to stop caring for it. The wound wasn't deep, and the water had washed it thoroughly. Still, Snow couldn't help but give it a tender lick. Silver smiled, then let out a yawn.
"Are you tired?" Snow asked.
"It's not easy jumping off cliffs and waterfalls like some kind of super wolf." Silver teased. He wasn't that tired, but the day was starting to take its toll. Not just in him, but everyone. Bianca flew in a quick circle overhead, as if surveying the area. Pink flowers bloomed unchecked along the ground and there was yet another pool of shallow water leading from the mouth of a cave embedded in the cliff side.
"Let's rest here. It makes little sense if we walk till we drop."
"I agree." Arin plopped down atop the grass. It was soft against his fur and the occasional gentle breeze carried a sweet, inviting cent from the flowers. Bianca hopped to the edge of the pool, taking her spot a lot further away from the others. Snow was more restless than tired. Through all the mad running, narrowly escaping death, and searching for her grandmother's cure, she hadn't forgotten that she was also out to explore the world beyond. She wandered off from the group. Silver tilted his head before following after her. He caught up to her side, not really saying anything, but enjoying the closeness. A smile spread on Snow's face and she found her side leaning against his. A gentle breeze ruffled their fur softly, and flecks of light from nearby fireflies danced all around them. Silver felt a warm, content feeling wash over him as he watched the lightning bugs slowly ascend overhead, as though they were apart of the stars of the night sky.
"Tag," Snow's paw rapped Silver's shoulder and by the time he looked down, she was already prancing ahead of him. He grinned playfully and followed after her. The two wolves made small parts in the untouched grass as they flailed around each other. A tag back often lead to a playful roll or tackle that danced on the edge of the water pool, flecking scores of fireflies into the air. Snow's paw shoved Silver off of her when he had tackled her and she took off to the mouth of the cliff side cave. Water splashed into Silver's face, but he easily caught up to her. Though the light of the moon was cut off, the inside of the cave remained luminous in a spectacle that made the two wolves marvel.
The hanging stalagmites were embellished with a sparkling white dust that refracted light magically all over the place. Illumination and shadows played on each other, reflecting the cave ceiling in the mirror-like pools of water. Silver's paw brushed the floor; a small cloud of the dust kicked up over Snow, causing her already snow-white fur to glimmer like a star. When she looked back at him, Silver almost stopped breathing. Her eyes held a different, stronger kind of affectionate air than he had ever seen before. The emerald shimmered and lit up her beautiful face and he felt his heart trembling in his chest. There was no denying the spark of energy that had gone between them; a mass of unspoken chemistry that drew them in towards each other. Still, there was a glimmer of playfulness that caused Snow to splash Silver heavily with the pool water.
"Snow!"
"Ha!" She laughed and darted off. Silver shook his fur and bound after her. His head fur slapped his face, water splashed up all around them, and he could honestly say that he was never happier than he was right now. Silver lunged, his body crashing into the she-wolf. The two of them tumbled and the male found himself pinned under his friend in the shallow water on his back. Snow made no resistance this time. Her eyes took all of Silver in; her body tingled as his warmth clashed with hers. His scent wafted through the wetness of his fur, and she pushed his head fur back so that his eyes locked back onto hers. The familiar energy returned in spades. Urges shot in pulses to every nerve in her body; the urge to hold him; the want to feel him as close to her as possible, her muzzle grazing his own. It was as through all the emotions she had kept inside were now overflowing too fast for her to control. Silver felt it too. He smiled, a loving, affectionate smile to her, placing his paw to her cheek. He wasn't sure when it had started, but he was certain that their muzzles were drifting closer and closer together, feeling his loved-one's breath on his mouth.
Silver was beyond words, and simply reacted. His nose suddenly pressed up against Snow's, close enough so that even the lips of his maw was brushing hers.
"Huh?" Snow gasped and drew her head back as quick as a whip. It had come so quickly, and now her whole body was surging with a high-voltage energy. She wasn't sure how red her cheeks were, but she could definitely feel them burning. Silver just smiled. He didn't have to say it for her to know. Snow's look of surprise slowly melted away, and before she knew it, she found her nose pressed back down against his, rubbing and nuzzling as her arms wrapped around his neck. Silver let out a happy sound. His tail fluttered against Snow's and his nose only broke away to nuzzle the side of his face affectionately against hers. She closed her eyes, not daring to break away from him as she returned the gesture just as heavily.
"Silver…" Snow breathed barely over a whisper.
"Snow?" Silver's voice sounded soft, layered thick with affection.
"What you wanted to say earlier…can you tell me now?"
"Yeah…" Silver's paws gripped Snow's back fur gently. The words eagerly rolled off his tongue this time. "I love you, Snow…I've always been in love with you. From the time we met; the time you made your promise to me, I've been so much in love with you."
"I love you too…" Snow whimpered lovingly into his ear. Silver felt himself melting under her and wanted to stay laying there beneath her. But truth be told, the water was starting to bug him and Snow didn't want him to catch a cold. She reluctantly let him up and the two made their way out of the cave. They stopped at the mouth, leaning huddled close together and keeping their heads pressed together. It was Silver who had let his gaze wander back up towards the moon first. The glowing white orb filled his soul with an even brighter warmth and, taking a deep breath, he let his body react. The howl that escaped his throat was deep and musical—like an extension of the love in his heart. The sound floated along the wind, spiraling along the trees until it was a glorious echo throughout the valley. Snow leaned her head back, her chest just inches away from Silver's. Her own musical howl released into the air, warming and caressing his in deep affection that spread across the land. In their howls; in their hearts, they had become one.
"Heh, it's about time." Arin dipped his feet into the water, sitting on the edge of the pool next to Bianca. His ears had perked up, enjoying the musical concert of love resounding into the air. Bianca had taking to bathing in the pool, but couldn't deny the beauty in what she was hearing. Still, she tried to act indifferent and found another topic to talk about.
"Arin, I have a question."
"What's up, Bianca?"
"The village didn't seem eager to take you back with open arms. So what I don't understand is why would you go back, knowing that?" Bianca asked. Arin bit his lip. All that talk about being guarded was coming back to bite him in the butt. He fumbled with his paws, looking at his reflection in the pool being rippled by Bianca's bathing. With a huff, he spoke.
"I wanted to leave…they controlled my life because I never did anything about it. And for that, I resented them. But still…" He lingered, "they're still my psychotic family. I just wanted to see them again." Bianca looked up to him. The look in his eyes were genuine, flickered with an edge of sadness. She had touched such a sensitive subject and couldn't understand why he'd even tell her the truth in the first place. Arin slipped over to her. At first, the blue bird jumped and felt the immediate urge to strike him. But as his paws laid on her shoulders; as his fingers started to caress water delicately over her plumage, she relented and closed her eyes. She muttered a thanks that was barely audible.
"Heh. You act tough, but you're really a big softy underneath the roughage." Arin grinned.
"Shut up," Bianca's murmur was stuttered by a shiver from being groomed. Her eyes hadn't opened, but Arin could tell he was starting to pull back the layers. Or maybe she had been waiting for someone to pull them back for her. She seemed to mull her thoughts around in her head before finally deciding to speak.
"You…asked what my story was earlier. I guess I can tell you, since you told me yours."
"Finally, I was beginning to think you didn't like us."
"No, this has to stay with just you." Bianca whipped around to him. "If you so much as peep this to anyone, I'll peck the hell out of you."
Arin crossed his finger over his heart playfully. Bianca couldn't help but be annoyed. Still, she turned back around to silently indicate for him to continue washing her back. She spoke,
"I had a family once. I had parents and brothers and sisters just like anyone else. But…." She gazed up at the moon. "When you're a bird, life is survival of the fittest. The only ones who are cared about are the ones strong enough to live. I got tired of that. So I left."
Arin's smile was true. He moved to sit next to her and she folded her wings gratefully. His gaze wandered up at the moon. Silver's and Snow's song was starting to die out, but the life of it still charged the air around them.
"We're all not so different, ya know?" Arin said, "Silver without his memories. Snow with her dreams. Us with our families. We're nothing but a group of misfits trying to find our places in the world."
The words were unusually wise. But still, Bianca's ears trained only on one in particular. "We?"
"Yeah, we. You're apart of us too, Bianca." Arin leaned forward, looking at his reflection in the water. "In a sense, we're kinda like a family. I just hope it can stay this way for a very long time to come."
Bianca sighed and turned away from him. She could see Snow and Silver mindlessly cuddling up to one another, completely oblivious to the world around them. Arin's words rang in her thoughts, and her eyes closed slowly. "Family, huh…?"
"Okay…"
"It's getting a little over the top, huh?" Arin walked backwards as Bianca fluttered ahead of him and the whole group. The sun was high in the sky and the moment everyone was up, the group had taken to walking again. The valley had begun to incline once more, leading up into broader, flatter cliffs. But what was driving Arin and Bianca insane were the two wolves walking behind them. Silver and Snow were on a serious happy-high. Their maws turned up in ear to ear grins as they walked literally pressed at the hips and cheeks. A nuzzle here lead to a lick there, and the next thing the other two knew, they were stopping for a cuddle break.
"Thank goodness we're almost there. I'm almost tempted to go play with our friendly neighborhood otter tribe than sit and watch this all day." Bianca said. At this, Silver and Snow suddenly shot their attention to her. Not because of the wisecrack—they had been doing a good job of deflecting those—but because of the potential end to their search.
"Really? We're almost there?" Snow's tail wagged.
"That's what I said." Bianca floated beyond them. The land had elevated into a long, grassy hill. "It's just beyond here; there's a forest at the edge of this hill where the flower is."
Snow felt as though her heart was about to burst out of her chest. Not only did she now have Silver, but the key to saving her grandmother's life was just around the corner. The she-wolf broke into a sprint up the grassy hill. Her tail flailed in wild wags behind here, and she hadn't noticed how close Silver was until it accidently slapped him in the face. Arin fought to keep up, resorting to running on all fours. This was it; this was the moment they had been waiting for.
It was Bianca who gasped first. What they had found was hell. Down below the hill, the grass melted from a sweet green to a dead, dry, and pale yellow. The only thing that remained of the many trees were charred and jagged stumps, and the vast land was torn in deep scars—as though some monstrous thing raked its claws along the very earth. This land had no life. A light breeze blew dry air across the desolate and burned beyond. It carried flecks of broken grass across rubbled dens, broken huts, and out over a vast crater in the ground that may have been a lake at some point.
Snow's heart fell to her paws. "What is this…?" She breathed. She, Silver, and Arin stood at the edge of the hill crest, all sporting the same crestfallen expressions.
"I don't understand…" Bianca said, "I was always told this was a beautiful land. A land that bloomed all year long."
Silver took a step forward, and a sharp pain flickered in the back of his head. There was something here; something calling to him faintly. He couldn't explain the weak surge of energy, but it nagged at him. Maybe even scared him.
"U-uhm, come on—maybe it's not a total loss." Arin tried to sound cheerful, but his voice betrayed his words. Still, he went on. "Maybe we can still find at least one flower. It's worth a look, isn't it?" At first, no one said anything. It was Silver who broke the ranks, starting down the hill. They had come this far—too far—for it to just abruptly end. And even more so, something else seemed to be compelling him forwards. With Bianca, Snow, and Arin following, the four passed beyond the dividing line of life and death in the grass. Dead shrubs and dry twigs snapped under their paws. The stench of smoke lingered on everything like a mask of death. It was as though the land was crying. They had decided it was better to split up and search. Arin and Bianca took to explore the rubble that may have once been huts or small houses. The blue bird revolted when Arin picked up what looked like the charred remains of a bone. Snow had taken to the west side of the burned forest. And that left Silver to explore the vast crater in the ground. The young black wolf slowly made his way to the edge of the dried up lake. Cracks ran in wild veins across the ground, and there wasn't a single drop of water left. The nagging in Silver's head became louder. Something about this forest was ghastly. It brought on a sense that was bittersweet; both nostalgic and fearful. He took to sit on the dried out bank. It was a shame that nothing remained of the lake; not even a glimmer of life had survived whatever monstrous fire had gripped the land.
And then, a sharp pain suddenly racked Silver's brain. It rattled him both inside and out and he clasped his paws to his head. His body was burning, as if someone was literally torching him on the spot. He felt his claws dig into his skin. The pain had started on his shoulders before spreading like wildfire to every nerve ending he possessed. Silver screamed.
"Silver?" Snow was the first to come bounding over to him. Panic took her in full force as she put her paws on his shoulders. "Silver! Silver, what's wrong?"
"Give him some space, Snow!" Bianca exclaimed, but Snow hadn't budged. Arin held his paw out, scorning himself for being so helpless. Silver convulsed. The pain in his head and body had become much worse and it took all he had to not scream again. And then, they all came. Images—tons upon tons of flickering images spilled into his thoughts like a faucet running water into a cup already full to the brim. They flashed and reeled forwards and backwards; both new ones and old ones. Silver felt like his brain was going to explode. But there was one memory that stood out in particular. He remembered this forest; he remembered this lake; he remembered this spot. He remembered being engulfed within a sea of roaring flames, too weak from a fight to crawl his way out. And in the midst of that fire was a pup. A pup that looked just like him. But where Silver's fur was white, his was red. A deep, amber red, much like his glowering eyes. Smoke was flaring all over the puppy's body, and even from his nose, but the flames didn't touch him.
Silver wasn't sure when reality had settled in again. He found himself pressed against Snow's warm white fur, her arms wrapped tight around him. The burning was gone, but his body gave an occasional tremble every now and then. His energy was drained, and he wondered how he looked to the worried ones that were now looming over him. But something in Silver had changed. When he thought back, there were no longer blank pages. He could remember everything. He knew where he was. He knew who he was. And—with a heavy chagrin—he knew who that pup was. He whispered his name easily, as though he had known it all along.
"Garnet…"
Would Silver have been better off without his gaining his memory back? How will this come to effect him and his friends? You won't want to miss the next chapter of Silver Snow!