Hi, everyone! As promised, chapter 6 is out a bit early (mostly because it was already written). You have all been wonderful and I thank everyone who have read and supported this story. This story has only about 3 or 4 more chapters so it's getting down the the wire now! Enjoy chapter 6, everyone. Don't forget to review ^^
Chapter 6: Precursor To a Fallen Wolf
Everyone had fallen asleep on the train except for Silver, who had busied himself with such boring games as count-the-passerby-trees, or trace-pictures-in-the-stars. All the while, a sense of unaccounted for nostalgia flowed through him the entire way. But soon, the familiar rushing waterfalls and mint green pines of Jasper Park came careening into the foreground. They were home. He had awaken his friends and they all began the walk down the familiar path towards the den area. Snow was especially happy to be back home, the Asimi Bloom bouncing wistfully behind her ear. They hadn't gotten very far when the howl of a sentry ripped through he air, eliciting a chain of familiar ones leading down through the park. It wouldn't be long before everyone knew they were back.
It was Lily who came bounding through the trees first at top speed towards Snow; white clashed on white as she mauled her daughter in a fierce hug. Garth was quick to follow, then Kate and Humphrey, Winston and Tony, and eventually a mob of wolves from the den area.
"Snow! My sweet baby pup, Snow, you're safe! You're safe…" Lily was practically smothering Snow. Worry wore a bit of age onto her. She looked as though she hadn't been eating properly, and her headfur was in a kind of careless disarray. But now, her eyes had regained their zeal for life. Garth nuzzled his daughter while, to his surprise, Kate and Humphrey fussed over Silver. It was a little odd that Anna wasn't the first one to greet him. They were immediately bombarded with the same questions: "Are you okay?" "Where have you been?" "What were you thinking?" and the like. It had taken them a few moments, but even Luna and Mick managed to squeeze their way up towards their friends. The fussy crowd had gotten so huge that Arin and Bianca were all but ignored.
"Mom, I'm alright…" Snow had to try and pry a crying Lily off her, as to not completely waterlog her fur.
"Snooooowwwwww!"
"What—"
Snow barely had time to react to the now-spinning world before thumping onto her back. Mick's tail wagged ridiculously, as though it would fly off at any moment. His paws were practically digging into Snow's shoulders.
"Where-have-you-been? Do you know how much I worried about you, you crazy, crazy wolf?" Mick exclaimed as stern as he possibly could. It wasn't much, however, because his wagging tail betrayed his seriousness.
"I missed you too, Mick—but you're crushing my shoulders…" Snow smiled up at him, but the corners of her mouth twitched at the creeping numbness in her shoulders. Mick's cheeks turned pink and he quickly rolled off the snowy white wolf with a quick, but murmured apology.
"You haven't changed." Silver pointed out.
"Awww, come ON! She dragged you back with her?" Mick mockingly slapped his paw to his muzzle, "And how much should I have changed? You weren't gone that long."
Silver grinned and closed one eye teasingly. "Long enough for you to damn near maul Snow like a wounded animal, though."
"Now he has jokes!" Mick threw his paws up and shook his head.
"What about me, Silver? Did you miss me too?" Luna's voice was sweet as she walked up to Silver. She batted her—for some reason—unusually long eyelashes at him that almost made him want to scoot away. But still, he smiled cheerfully and nodded.
"Of course I missed you, Luna. I even missed Mick a little bit too."
"Tch," Mick scoffed, but Luna seemed positively overjoyed. She smiled as wide as she could.
"How about some help, Silver?" Snow asked, still laying on her back. Silver saw her smirk secretly and smirked back, shaking his head. Already looking for attention, he thought. Silver walked over and nudged Snow slowly up to her feet. As he did, their muzzles almost discretely pressed and rubbed against each other. Luna's ears perked up in static realization. Her lips pressed tight together and she quickly busied her eyes down to the ground. As she did so, she got a glimpse of Snow's wrist; saw the sheen of starlight reflecting off the beads wrapped around it.
"Hey, aren't those Silver's?" Mick asked the unvoiced question. The rosy blush stood out vividly against Snow's cheeks as she admired her bracelet.
"Silver gave them to me." Her voice caressed the air. Though it was hard to see between them, Mick and Luna could just barely make out Silver's and Snow's tails slowly—gently—intertwining with each other. Mick's ears gave a solemn flicker.
"Oh really?" His voice spoke, but hit the ear with a lot of the earlier zeal dramatically withdrawn.
"Mhm," Snow beamed brightly.
"Well, uhm…that's good, I suppose." Mick said.
Tony was the first to notice the Asimi Bloom clinging behind Snow's ears, and his jaw nearly dropped. He couldn't quite get the words out at first, whether it was from surprise or form the over crowding of wolves.
"Is that what I think it is?"
"Oh right!" Snow jumped up, warding off the surrounding wolves. "Grandma—we have to get to her right now."
"Snow…she's…she's not up to seeing visit—"
"No, this has to be now! We found it!" Snow exclaimed, presenting the flower to Kate. She tilted her head, more so at Snow's conviction than the actual flower. Nevertheless, the wolves parted to the sides and Snow and Silver darted straight up the middle towards the den. Arin and Bianca hitched a ride on Silver's back.
Silver wished he could've returned to Snow's den under a happier circumstance. Both his and Snow's ears drooped upon gazing into the dimly-lite stone structure. Eve lay in pretty much a crumpled mess on a makeshift bed of grass in the corner. Her breathing was so terribly labored that it sounded painful even from a distance. One of her eyes opened just barely from the movement, but it was horribly dilated. Her sun-yellow fur had now become an ashy mustard color, matted in some spots. It was almost painful to watch.
"Oh wow…" Arin breathed.
"There isn't any time." Tony snatched up the flower and walked with Winston to Eve's side. He first wrung the leaves out over her mouth, and the four friends watched as a soupy dew dripped onto her dry-hanging tongue. Winston took over after, crushing the petals with his claw. They both looked quite rehearsed as the once silvery petals had now become a salve that was placed on Eve's chest and muzzle.
"Well just have to wait and hope…" Tony answered the unspoken question. Winston seemed to barely have been stirred by this ray of hope. He wouldn't be uplifted until he was sure that his mate was going to live. The old wolf snuggled up against Eve's side. The imprint in the bed under which he was laying meant he only ever left her side when he had to. Now, they could do nothing more.
"You two," Kate's expression had gone serious. It was always a little unnerving to see that alpha training in action; that unwavering command over even her own emotions in a time such as this. She jerked her head in a motion for Snow and Silver to follow and trailed out the den with Humphrey, Garth, and Lily. The two young wolves exchanged equally quizzical glances before following the elder wolves. They hadn't gotten far really; just out to the ledge of the den where they were hopefully out of earshot. It was then that Kate started to pace the ground, her expression getting harder. Come to mention it, Lily, Garth, and even Humphrey were throwing discerning looks their way.
"I can't believe you two." Kate started. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? Do you really think we needed this on top of everything else?" She turned to glare daggers at them, and Silver suddenly felt two inches tall. No matter who or what he was, he had associated the role of alpha to Kate for most of his life, and the weight of her authority was still enough to make him dread a scolding. "For days we sent search party after search party to find you, and how do you think we felt to learn you were off the territory; that you could have been anywhere? Your mothers have had such a hard time—Silver, yours is still out and about somewhere!" There was an awkward silence in which no one dared to say a word. Kate's voice was like a weight in the air, and no one wanted to be under it when it fell. It was Garth who finally broke the quiet.
"What do you have to say for yourselves?"
"…" Snow fidgeted her paws nervously. "I just…"
"We just," Silver helped Snow start.
"We jus waned o help grandma. We aren't pups anymore. And…" Snow hesitated for a moment, biting her lip. True, there was a nobility to their actions, but she couldn't deny the truth sitting in the corner of her thoughts. "And because I wanted to see what I could see. I was tired of seeing the same four walls everyday; tired of never being taken serious because of my dream. I went out. I saw a bit of the world, and I did my best—no, we did our best to save grandma."
It had taken some courage to get it out, but once she said it, Snow suddenly felt proud of herself. She had accomplished what she set out to do; made friends; found love; had an adventure while still finding what an entire pack could not. And Silver nodded in agreement to her.
"You two could've gotten seriously hurt." Kate continued, "I can't even begin to think of a punishment suitable enough for you." The female alpha wolf finally stopped her pacing and took a seat. The seriousness slowly melted away, as if transitioning from her higher leader role to a kind-hearted mother. "And that's why I'm thanking you for all you've done…"
Silver and Snow, who had winced for the blow of punishment, were now sitting stupefied again.
"I'm so proud of you Snow…very, very upset, but proud. Now mom has a fighting chance to beat this." Lily spoke softly.
Garth walked over and placed his paws on both Snow's and Silver's shoulders. "You did well. Couldn't have done better myself."
"And he couldn't."
"Shut up." Garth rolled his eyes at Humphrey, who made a rather lewd response in return. A sense of pride welled up inside Snow. To hear praise in light of punishment was definitely a preference, but the weight of her accomplishment didn't really hit her until she felt her family acknowledge her; prestige, not only amongst herself, but the entire pack stating that she—no they—did something worthwhile.
She was so busy feeling proud of herself that she didn't notice the growling in her stomach until she heard Silver's, Arin's, and Bianca's as well. When had the last time they'd eaten anything been, come to think of it? Kate let out a relieved sigh and nodded.
"Right. Let's go eat."
-()()()()()()()()()()()()()(-
There hadn't been a liveliness amongst the pack such as now for seemingly a long time. The air was charged with happy talk amongst family and pack mates; the pups who once suffered from the same stagnant moods as their parents were now flitting about too fast for their parents to even care. There had been no scraps tonight; fresh food from a well planned hunt the afternoon before served for a hearty meal that helped lift their spirits even higher.
Having recanted their story to Kate, Humphrey, Garth, Lily, Winston, and Tony, the four friends had commenced in joining in on the festive spirits of the pack.
"So there I was," Arin stood proud and tall amongst a group of pups, who all starred at him with attentive, absorbing stares. "I had ten wolves on one side, thirteen on the other, and one the size of a bear—no, two bears—in front of me. There was no way of escape, but was I scared? Heck no!" He started to make wide, dramatic gestures with his arms. "So I wrestled the first one down, then hurled him right into the big one! And then, I kicked the other one right between the—"
"Your stupid is catching!" Bianca dropped her foot squarely down on Arin's head, effectively silencing the now teetering otter and gaining elated giggles from the pups.
Snow had busied herself in telling highlights of their adventure to her parents, leaving out the parts of fire-breathing wolves, of course. She wasn't quite ready to be called crazy as a cherry topping on their accomplishments yet. It sounded a lot less exciting in her recantation, but she figured that their travel was something better experienced than told. Silver was a lot hungrier than he thought. He only gave the occasional nod to Snow's story, more concerned with shoving food into mouth as fast as possible. Luna and Mick had come to join their friends, sending a wave of nostalgia at having their group of four back together through the young wolves.
"And that's when we hopped the train back to Jasper Park." Snow finished subtly enough, for all the dramatic fluff she had given in the beginning.
"Wow, that sounds a little familiar." Humphrey nudged Kate, who nodded in agreement.
"Except a little more crazy." Said Snow, who still seemed to be musing on the otter tribe chase. "Yeah, crazy's a good word for it, but it was also really fun." She gave a stretch and then pressed herself back against Silver's side, resting her head down on his back. "We got to see things we wouldn't have gotten to see here. And we even made new friends." She wasn't sure if it was the fact that she said it was fun, or something else that gained the group stares or secret smirks from the others. For a while, no one said anything to her or Silver, and it was up to Silver—who had a few crumbs cutely scrawling his cheek—to break the silence with a rather dumb-sounding, "Huh?"
"And when did this happen here?" Humphrey teasingly waved his finger between the two.
"Humphrey, leave them alone." Kate nudged him.
It took a moment for Snow to interpret Lily's wide smile; Garth's fool grin; and the giggling going on between Mooch, Shakey, and Salty. She felt her cheeks flush a light shade of pink.
"Well, me and Silver are…uhm…" Snow nearly jumped from the brush of Silver's wagging tail.
"We're going to be mates soon." Silver said very proudly. He brought his head against Snow's, who readily nuzzled him back in affection.
"And it's about time too. I was kind of wondering when that was going to happen." Garth stretched.
"I'm so happy for you, Snow." Lily walked over and nuzzled the both of them. "Once mom is better, we have to start planning on your wedding right away."
"Tch," There was a clatter of bones hitting the ground, but it was more so the sharp expelling of breath that kind of snapped them all out of their wedding talk. Luna had barely eaten too much of anything and got up to abandon the bones of whatever she did. It was a bit difficult to interpret the expression on her face. As a matter of fact, she hadn't done much talking at all since after meeting up with them on the edge of the territory. Luna stared at her two friends; gazed upon them with eyes that lead to no kind of explanation of what she was silently thinking. So instead of saying a single word, the young she-wolf turned and walked off into the crowd of their pack.
"Luna?" Silver had called after her, but she must not have heard him.
"What's wrong with her?" Snow asked.
"Well, she really missed you. I-I missed you too, Snow." Mick tried to add hastily, but it wasn't at all like how he used to talk to her. Now, it was as if he wasn't even trying to impress anymore. "She's probably just a little upset you stayed away for so long or something like that.
"But she seemed just fine when we got here…" Snow said.
"I'll go talk to her." Silver rose to his feet and started after Luna. Mick watched him leave, then turned to Snow. She looked honestly worried. Snow turned to Mick and searched him. His answer bugged her. Luna had been so upbeat the moment they came back. She knew Luna, had known her since the day they were born. If it was really a matter of missing them, then Luna would have talked and talked till their ears bled.
"Just let them sort it out..." Mick said, as if reading Snow's mind.
"What's going on, Mick? You two have been kind of…off since we got back to the den—especially Luna." Snow asked.
At first, it seemed Mick wouldn't answer. He rubbed his arm and allowed his gaze to wonder anywhere to avoid looking at Snow directly. The parents had gone quiet, probably feeling that the less they got involved, the least messy the situation would get. But at that point, Mick had hoped one of them—or anyone, really—would step in a relieve him of the burden of giving Snow an explanation. She looked at him with intense curiosity and true worry for Luna, and for him. Mick couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth, So instead, he waved his paw at her.
"Just let things be. It'll work out."
"There's something you aren't telling me." Snow raised up to her feet and started off.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to go talk to Luna too." She responded.
"But Snow—"
"Mick, she's my friend, I have to help out." Snow insisted and darted off through the crowd without another word. Mick's outstretched paw hovered idly for a moment, as though some magnetic force would magically pull Snow back to his side. But he sighed at the vanity of it all and forced himself up to follow.
-()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(-
Silver mentally kicked himself. How could he have not noticed something going on with his friend? Any other time, Luna would have been so in-his-face that he would start to question the parameters of his personal space. But she hadn't said a single word to him in the slightest since they got back to the den. The young black-furred wolf shook his head in shame—some friend he was. Silver rounded through the crowds of wolves until he found himself out of the den area. At this point, he had to rely on his sense of smell to follow after Luna. He was amazed at how far she had gone in such a short amount of time. Her trail wound around trees and through the shrubbery. There were even points where she purposely crossed a thicker part of a stream when there was an easier way around it. Was she trying to make it hard for him to follow?
"Dammit, Luna…" Silver muttered to himself.
Despite her obvious attempts to lose him, Silver finally found Luna huddled up beneath the shade of a low-hanging pine tree. Her head rested so low between her paws that it almost looked as though she was hiding behind them. Her ears hung limp at the sides of her head. Silver slowly walked over to his friend and nudged her with his muzzle.
"Ah?" Luna damn neared knocked him over when he touched her, and when she finally calmed down to realize it was him, she turned her entire body away. "Oh, it's just you."
"So I'm a 'just me' now?" Silver blinked and sat down. Luna moved slightly, almost as if she didn't want him next to her at all. He ignored it and continued, "Luna, what's wrong?"
"There's nothing wrong." Luna returned all too quickly. Silver felt her tense, like she was trying to distance as much of herself from him as she could while they sat that close together.
"It doesn't seem like nothing is wrong." This time, Silver walked around her. If she wouldn't face him willingly, then he would go to meet her all the way instead. His muzzle became level with hers and her eyes immediately darted to the side. "You can tell me. We're friends, aren't we, Luna?"
"That's right, we're friends. Always friends, Silver." Luna's voice edged at the end, losing her ability to hold up the façade she was trying so desperately to hold onto. She wouldn't dare look him in the eye and got up to move. Silver followed.
"Luna—"
"God, I said I was fine!" Luna's bark shook the trees, startled the slumbering birds, and stopped Silver dead in his tracks. If he had started to say something, it was surely shaken out of him now. Luna hung her head and sighed. The stars tried desperately to breath as much light through the canopy of trees as possible, resulting in flecks of light on her fur. Silver hadn't noticed how clean it was until now. Not the kind of clean from everyday grooming. No, this was deliberate scrubbing until the natural sheen of her fur stood out like thousands of micro gems on her body. Had Silver missed something? Was there some special occasion that may have possibly slipped his mind, and now he was paying the consequences for?
"It's always been like this, Silver. Ever since we were pups, it always stays the same. I'll always be the friend—just the sidekick with nothing important to give. Tell me, Silver…have you once…just once, ever noticed me?"
The gust of wind seemed to blow from out of nowhere, rustling wildly against their fur, as Luna looked back to gaze at Silver directly. Pain. Longing. Maybe even a little anger. That's what hit Silver hard the moment their eyes met. The corner of Luna's clung to minute, bulbous tear drops that didn't seem to want to fall. It was that moment—that moment of unspoken communication—did Silver finally realize. But then…how could he not have noticed to begin with?
"When we were little, I tried to see if you would notice me…but the only person you responded to was Snow. I didn't exist to you…" Luna said, "I thought that maybe when we got older, things would change. Maybe you'd see that there had been someone trying to be close to you all the time. Someone trying really, really hard to be there for you no matter what. She didn't even love you, Silver…all Snow wanted was another friend; someone who agreed with her and felt the same way about the world as she did. I wanted to help you, and be there for you. When I found out you lost your memories, I…" She glanced to the ground for a moment. "I wanted to be the one you built your new ones with. But you went to her. You always noticed Snow no matter what. Why…?"
Silver had no answer. It was something very hard to explain. True, his feelings for Snow had developed over time until they were where they were now, but truthfully, it felt like those feelings had really always been there to begin with. He was drawn to Snow like a magnet, as though his heart knew who she was before he knew who she was.
"Why is it always Snow…?" Luna slowly started towards him. "Silver, if…if I had met you, first; if I had been the one you connected to that day, tell me…" She treaded closer, never breaking an almost hypnotic eye contact. "Would you have noticed me?"
"Luna…I can't say—"
"No, look at me!" The moment Silver turned his head, Luna pounced him, punning his back to the ground. The tears were rolling off her muzzle and splattering all over his face. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable as Luna clenched a fistful of his chest fur. True, he could have just lobbed her off at anytime, but couldn't bring himself to do anything but stare. Not while she was sobbing; not while she was looking at him like some fragile thing crumbling before his eyes.
"After you left, I made a promise to myself. I promised that I'd tell you the truth; tell you my feelings. So I waited for you every day…prepared myself every day so I would stand out for you…but now, you're getting married to her. What's so special about her? Why won't you look at me?"
Silver honestly couldn't say a word. He felt so uncontrollably guilty. And even more uncomfortable. She was so close to him, he could smell just how clean her fur really was. Puffs of heat blew against his muzzle every time she talked, and it made his body shiver beneath her. How could he have possibly answered those questions? How could he have possibly explained things to her and safeguard her emotions at the same time? Luna was his friend. He didn't want to hurt her.
"Silver," Luna's paws grasped his cheeks and red flags flared in Silver's mind. He had to get away. He instinctively moved his head to the side. But Luna was much quicker, and had firmly pressed her nose completely against his own.
"I love you…"
"There you are!"
Silver shrank, his heart suddenly rattling against his ribs like a gorilla in a cage. Time had turned annoyingly slow as the bushes nearby gave a foreboding rustle; as Snow's pure white body emerged into the clearing with an elated look at finally finding the two.
Only to have it shatter right before her eyes. Nothing moved for what seemed like an eternity. Snow's eyes felt stung with the lie of what they were showing her: Silver laying beneath Luna; Luna's nose nuzzled as close as possible to his; Silver's shocked face of horror; and Luna too busy kissing to notice what was actually going on.
"Wha…" Snow's voice caught in her throat. Her mouth moved, but not even air came out. It was as though she was seeing them, but not processing clearly.
"Snow, why'd you go so fast?" Mick chimed as he finally caught up. His ears raised attentively when he noticed Silver and Luna, and it was easy to see the look of foreboding creeping on his face.
"I…I see…" Snow finally found her voice. As reality finally set in, mauling her chest with a weight that felt like lead. Her ears fell flat against the sides of her head and her eyes were already starting to water at the base. She wanted to say so much, but the words were piling up in a jumbled mess inside her head. So instead, she turned around and ran as fast as she could; ran from the horrible scene behind her. It wasn't real, she told herself. It was a bad dream; a horrible flight of fancy gone even more awry.
It took some time for Silver to snap out of his stupor. And at this point, he could have cared less about heaving the mass of female wolf off of him. Reality was like a slap in repeated fast forward and his legs wouldn't obey to move forward.
"Snow…Snow!"
"Wait…" Mick grabbed his shoulder. Silver had half a mind to snap it off.
"Let me go."
"Go back to the den."
"Why should I? I have to go after her!" Silver explained desperately.
"And do what? She's too shocked to listen, Silver." Mick barked. "Let her cool off first…then go find her when she'll actually hear what you have to say." Silver felt the chagrin build in his mouth and he could spit fire if the world would let him. But Mick did have a point, weighting against his reason to go after her and right the misunderstanding at hand. Silver closed his eyes and shrugged Mick's paw off his shoulder. He would wait. This was worth waiting for if it gave him a better chance to explain to Snow. Still, his heart felt like lead in his feet, and even walking away was like walking underwater.
Mick watched as Silver slowly loped off into the distance. Once the midnight wolf was out of sight and well out of earshot, he rounded on Luna with a serious expression. She couldn't bring her eyes to him, probably because she knew what was coming. She busied her vision on her paws instead, ears hanging so low that they kissed her cheeks.
"What the hell was that, Luna?" Mick asked. "What did you do?"
"I-I don't know…" Luna mumbled.
"Luna—"
"I said I don't know!" She snapped, the tears falling free from her eyes once again. "It isn't fair! He finally comes back and then tells us he's getting married! I couldn't help myself. It hurt so much…"
"I'm hurt too, Luna! I'm hurt too!" Mick exclaimed, stamping his paw on the ground. The grass lay flat beneath his toes. "What, you think I wasn't torn up when I heard it? When I saw it? I've been in love with Snow ever since she was born! All through my childhood, I had to be in love with someone who was falling for someone else, and tonight was the final nail in the coffin." Mick would have shown his tears, but bravado forced them back. "I was hurt too, but this—this what happened here—that's too far, Luna. That's way too far."
"Whatever…." Luna plopped down on the floor. She looked utterly spent and no amount of glaring from Mick would make her return home for a while.
-()()()()()()()()()()()()-
Snow finally slowed to a stop. She couldn't run anymore and gulped the night air into her stinging lungs. She wanted to keep running; to keep moving further and further away from the bad memories that chased her. But no sooner had she stopped did the images repeat in her mind: Silver under Luna, the two of them kissing each other out in the open. It made her wretch. Is that how he truly felt the whole time? Was Silver really so much in love with Luna that he was just waiting to be alone with her? Or was this some kind of thing that had been going on even before the start of their leaving? Snow took in a few more deep breaths before staying herself. She had never figured Silver to be that kind of person. To think of him as someone who would betray her feelings was something she couldn't understand. The very image of Silver and Luna was like a bad dream Snow couldn't convince herself wasn't real.
It wasn't until she sat down did Snow realize where she was. She had instinctively run back to her Cliffside spot; back to the place where she had poured so much of her soul. The place where Silver made his promise…
"What am I to you…?" Snow voiced out loud. She gazed down to her paws. Her eyes automatically fell on the beaded bracelet Silver had given to her. He gave it to her because she was special to him. Because he loved her…right? Snow felt a twinge of anger starting to flare behind the sadness. Angry at Silver for breaking her heart; angry at Luna—who was supposed to be her friend—for hurting her so; and angry at herself for thinking such a surreal relationship could even exist. After all, Silver was something legendary. She was normal. Snow slipped the beads off her paws and gazed at them. The tears had begun to stream form her face beyond her control, splattering the ground.
"Stupid Silver…stupid, stupid, stupid!" And without a second thought, Snow pitched them over the edge. The beads glinted in the starlight as they flitted towards the valley below, and finally out of sight. She stared for just a few moments more before plopping down on the ledge. Maybe she would sleep there for tonight.
"Good evening, miss."
The voice was foreign. The scent was unfamiliar. But maybe it was the fact that it so soundlessly crept on her that Snow leapt up to her feet. A large wolf with dead-grass yellow fur approached her slowly. Everything about him made Snow want to run; his threateningly calm, but vibrant turquoise eyes; the air of authority around him; and most definitely the entourage of silently moving group of wolves behind him. They all stopped a ways from Snow, but spread out to ensure that there was no direction she could go to get past them…alive.
"Who are you?"
"I believe it's Snow, isn't it? Seems a shame that Silver would leave such a pretty thing all alone." The large wolf walked closer, into the starlight. And that's when Snow noticed the flame insignia on his arm. Waves of panic flushed through Snow as she backed to the edge of the cliff. She started to call to Silver—but then quickly stopped. Would he have even come…?
"Don't bother." Koda said, as though reading her thoughts. He slowly raised a paw over his head. The claws sparked before his whole paw ignited with fire. "This may sting…a lot…"
-()()()()()()()()()()()-
It had been the worse night of sleep in his life. Silver lay on his back on the bare floor of his den, though he hadn't started out that way. He had tossed and turned from one uncomfortable position to another. Dreams painstakingly stole sleep from him, and when the coming of dawn forced him from the hour or two he did get, Silver cursed the sun. The wolf rolled like a sloth onto his stomach. His den was empty. Strange to see his mother still hadn't come back yet. He was starting to get very worried, but Winston had told him sometimes Anna stayed out for days when looking for him. He would have to do something incredibly nice for her when he got back. Bianca and Arin were huddled up in the back corner of his den. And then, there was Snow. She hadn't come back that night and he hadn't much cared for explaining all the details of last night to her parents. So instead, he had waited in vain for her return.
Silver forced himself to his paws and loped off. Maybe Snow would be home now. The sun was harsh on his eyes as he made his way to her den. To his surprise, Eve was up, eagerly cramming food into her mouth. She still looked sickly, but some of the color had returned to her (as well as her obvious appetite).
"Slow down, honey…" Winston dabbed crumbs off her face in small, almost eager kisses. He too seemed to be up in spirits.
"Winston…" Eve started calmly with a half smile, "If you weren't kissing on me right now, I'd tie you up with your own tail." At this, Winston smiled, bemused. It looked like Eve was going to be fine.
"Good morning." Silver hummed as best as he could.
"Hello, dear." Eve beamed at him proudly. "I heard what you and Snow—" (He winced at her name) "—did for me. I can't thank you enough…"
"No, no, you don't have to thank me for anything. We couldn't just let you die." Silver hoped he didn't seem rude when he craned his head around the den. Kate was already up and out, which meant Humphrey was also attending to his own (if not meager) responsibilities. Garth and Lily were attending to some pups in the corner, but Snow was nowhere to be found.
"Has Snow been around?" Silver asked.
"No, I haven't seen her at all today." Eve said. A worried look crossed Silver's face. So she never returned home. She must've been madder at him than he thought. Winston placed a paw on Silver's shoulder. Silver hadn't told the whole story to anyone, just that he and Snow had gotten into a fight and that he didn't want to talk about it. That was, everyone except for Winston. There was something about the elder wolf that made all that age and experience seem trustworthy. Almost like his grandfather.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine. Try looking for her and talking things out."
"The things that must be going through her head right now…" Silver spoke, "What if she thinks that I don't love her?"
"Show her you do." Winston said. "Sometimes, you just have to go that extra mile."
A nugget of wisdom was all he needed to get going, and with a nod, Silver marched off with a newfound source of energy. He would find Snow. He would tell her everything was a misunderstanding and a mistake; tell her that nothing in any world could ever change his feelings for her.
Jasper Park had officially returned to a state of normalcy. Everyone was going about their business, enjoying the perfect sunshine and perfect weather of what would be a perfect day. Silver made his way around the territory in search of Snow. His first guess was her cliff side spot, but it had been completely bare when he arrived. He surveyed the lake, checked the foothills, and even walked as a passerby along Kate's hunting route. He was very reluctant to check the clearing where he encountered Luna, lest he run into her again. He hadn't seen her since and at the moment, would rather it stay that way for a while. But the day had waxed on well beyond Silver's notice, and by the time the dusk had begun, there had been no sign of Snow. At this point, he had started to panic. 'Is she mad at me' was now 'Is she safe?'. He thought that she might have gone off the territory, but was she so mad that she'd go that much out of her way? Silver had tried to track her by scent several times, but the trail always ended cold. When nightfall came, he found himself becoming very anxious. Where the hell was she? Silver retraced his steps twice over before returning back to Snow's cliff. Her scent was the strongest there. But it also just ended there.
"Snow…where are you?"
As though answering his question, a chorus of whimpers and howls shot into Silver's ear from the distance. His nose flickered at the strong (Yet faint only due to the distance) scent that stung the insides. Smoke. Silver craned his head around and froze with horror. In the darkness of the night, the den was now a faint glow of orange between the trees. Cinders danced amongst the branches like millions of potentially combustible fireflies, and fluffy black clouds of smoke billowed upwards until they eventually dissipated into the stratosphere. Silver's eyes shrank in horror as memories flickered through his thoughts like a bad movie; the flames, the now ashen land that was once his previous home. He tried to blink it away. Maybe he was just going senile. But the roar of flames in the distance verified his sanity. Silver glared and bound down the cliff at top speed. The way he moved through the forest was something effortless, possibly the panic powering him. It didn't take long for the midnight wolf to reach the flaring walls of fire that hugged the trees around the den area. Branches crackled—one nearly falling off on top of him—and heat swirled the air enough to make him gag. Silver carefully navigated around it before dashing into the den area. It was so strange; all of the wolves of the pack were huddled in the middle of the clearing as much as possible. Though fear gripped them like a vice (as demonstrated by their barking and whimpering) none of them seemed particularly burned or even singed. As a matter of fact, the entire den area wasn't actually on fire on the inside. It was as though the flames were stopped by an invisible ring on the ground so that the flames acted more like a wall.
"Silver!" Lily exclaimed. She shoved her way through the crowd and hurried up to his side. The look of worry was back on her face. "Did you find Snow?"
"Lily, I—"
"I guess everything is in order now." A forced kind of silence fell amongst the pack as heads darted around to find the voice that come from nowhere and everywhere all at once. "I hope you appreciate the liberties I took. I very well couldn't have everyone burning to death yet."
Koda's body appeared in a flicker of flames. At first, a silhouette, and then slowly melting into the full form of his figure as he stepped out atop the ledge of the alpha den. His expression was blank, belying the weight of power he held in his voice. In very much the same manner as he had appeared, a group of red and yellow-furred wolves materialized until they were perched on every high point in the den.
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Arin said through clenched fangs. Bianca sucked air in, puffing her chest up in fearful defiance.
Silver let out an involuntary snarl and glared. Sure, he had grown now, but the features of Koda were unmistakable. He could remember the small pup that stood at Garnet's right hand side; the pup who's soulless eyes would watch as innocent others burned at his paws without so much as a wince.
"What do you think you're doing here, Koda?" Silver's voice came out as a low growl. Koda's ears flickered nonchalantly as he surveyed the surrounding area. Though he made no expression to show it, his disapproval was something that could be easily sensed.
"I just don't understand it. So much power at your disposal and you prefer to hide out amongst such a mundane lot. The two of you are nearly like night and day." He spoke simply. His eyes fell from Lily to the group of pups huddled up underneath her. His staring must've set Garth off, for the masculine red wolf stood before his mate defensively.
"What the hell is your problem?" Kate stomped forward. Her ears were pinned forward and she glared daggers at Koda. "You think you can just barge in and—"
Koda's muzzle sparked; Kate barely saw Silver rush in front of her with godly speed before the air in front of them combusted, sending the two of them sliding across the dirt. Silver braced Kate with his body as they slammed into the wall of a den with a loud thud.
"Kate! Humphrey and Winston rushed over. Silver didn't know what was worse; the tons of shocked, now horribly frightened stares of disbelief from his pack, or Kate crumpled up on the ground before him. He rose to his paws quickly and started towards the wolf.
"Now, now, Silver. I certainly did not come with the intent to fight, minor annoyances aside. Please stop, or next time I might take my annoyance out on one of those pretty white-furred pups."
Silver's body seized almost instantly. Snow's much younger brothers and sisters were trembling beneath Lily, who looked so unnaturally on edge that she could kill anyone who got near them, friend or foe. Silver sucked air through his fangs and glared dangerously at Koda. The chagrin within him was unmistakable and he could already feel his power swelling up to the surface of his skin.
"I only came here as a messenger, Silver." Koda carried on as though nothing happened. "It's about time that you stop hiding yourself out amongst this trash—"
"My family, not trash—"
BANG! Silver's eyes widened in fear. The air near one of Lily's pups exploded in a roar of flames. Both parent and pup were so scared that they froze grounded in their places.
"Really now, Silver, I can't stand the smell of this place. Do be kind and let me finish." Koda said indifferently. Silver ground his fangs. Such cowardice! Just the thought of using his own family as leverage against him made Silver's blood boil. "In any case, Lord Garnet has requested your presence. It has been a long time coming, but there will be no more delay from you." Koda's eyes flickered just once. "You will come and you will take on Lord Garnet. It is your inescapable destiny."
"W-what is he talking about, Silver?" Kate trembled as she rose shakily, "Do you know something about all this?" Silver instantly felt a horrible pang of guilt. When it all boiled down to it, his pack was only in this situation because of him; because he was selfish enough to want them and want their love.
"Oh, that's right. It's just like before; you didn't tell your 'family' about yourself." Koda stated, "What is this, Silver? Do you think that if you façade normalcy, everything will progress accordingly? Why is power wasted on such fools…?" Koda sat down and transfixed his eyes on Eve. The elder she-wolf was already paralyzed with fear to begin with. She jumped at his gaze and shook from the very core of her body. Without warning, Koda spat a stream of flames directly towards Eve. She couldn't run—couldn't move at all. She could only watch and die.
"KODA!"
Silver felt himself drown inside. The fall into his power was always like letting his soul fall into a thick, black soup. His wings shot out of his back and he was standing before Eve within milliseconds. His silver eyes screamed power and death. A wind of energy whipped from around him; tore into the on-coming stream of flames like lots of tiny hands picking apart the petals of a flower. The wind nearly forced Koda back, but he held his passiveness. Though he could feel the tug—the slip into the madness of his own power—Silver still felt very much in control. He had to. He would rather die than let his family die first. But what he didn't notice at first was the seriously frightened pup that was now cringing away from him. As a matter of fact, everyone was staring at Silver with the same lost kind of look.
"It looks like you all have some things to discuss. Oh, and Silver." Koda added as an afterthought, "If this wasn't enough incentive for you, we do hold something else of interest to you." In response to some unseen gesture, Ophelia slowly came into view next to Koda. Kate's ears flickered at the sight of her, the wolf they had so kindly taken in and nursed back to health. In Ophelia's mouth, something glinted against the firelight. Snow's bracelet. Silver felt his whole body turn rigid. He was both horrified and enraged all at once and he wasn't sure which one was holding him back. Ophelia brandished the beads like a cape to a bull.
"You have until sunrise tomorrow, Silver. You will come to meet Lord Garnet at the Sacred Bastion—you know the place." Koda rose to his feet. Almost instantly, the other wolves started to back away. Ophelia lobbed the bracelet over and it landed with a plop at Silver's feet. She grinned evilly to him, almost daring him to come and take a shot at her.
"Oh, and Silver," Koda turned his back to him, "Make sure you bring your A-game."
And in pretty much the same manner they had appeared, Koda and his wolves turned to vanish in a flicker of flames. The wall of fire surrounding the den area dissipated, leaving only a few cinders hanging in the air. But the damage was already done. As the fever in Silver's body calmed down, and the wings on his back disappeared, He had become painfully aware of the eyes staring at him. The gap between him and his pack mates had suddenly become wider, and the pups were cringing behind their parents, provided they weren't trembling themselves. The eyes that once held him with so much respect were now cringing in fear. Bianca let out a guilty sigh.
Silver turned to Kate, who was pretty much the only one who didn't flinch at his movement. But her gaze was hard and searching, as if she was unsure who Silver was anymore.
"This is unbelievable…" Winston was the first to speak after a long flabbergasted moment. "I never have—no, couldn't have ever expected those stories to be true."
"Are you mad?" Silver asked.
"I don't know what I am right now…" Lily squeaked. It was just as well. Silver hadn't expected anyone who found out about him to really accept him with open arms. It was a miracle that Snow, Bianca, and Arin accepted him. But now wasn't the time to ponder that. The arm of his destiny had finally caught up to him after a long lifetime of running. And Silver knew he couldn't bare anything to happen to Snow or his pack.
"Look," Silver spoke, "I know you're all upset with me. I'd be upset with me too. But no matter what, I'll make sure nothing happens to this pack. I—" He felt the word weighted in his throat, having already betrayed it once before. "I promise. I'll go and bring Snow back."
"Silver," Bianca hopped along the ground and looked up to him. "This is what they want. They want you to go there so they can try to kill you."
"Like in the story…" Kate said with a late realization.
"What choice do I have? If I don't go, they'll hurt Snow and my family. I can't bare that again, Bianca…"
"Silver, tell me something." Kate started forward. Her look of fear had melted into a hard expression of concern. She stopped just inches away from Silver, and he could feel that alpha authority trying to hover over him once again. "Is there a chance you won't come back?" The question was powerfully straight-forward and a very hard one to answer. Up until now, Silver had lost his life along with Garnet every time the two fought. He only managed to survive the last one simply because of Garnet's passing whim. Silver didn't answer immediately, and it was obvious that Kate had interpreted his silence. Still, she waited for him to answer her.
"Not likely." Silver said quietly. Kate frowned. She slowly raised her paw off the ground, balled it up into a fist, and slugged him across the cheek. Everyone gasped at the bad smack that echoed throughout the den area. It didn't really hurt, but the shock of Kate's actions hit Silver harder. His eyes widened and he looked at her. The corners of Kate's eyes were already starting to water, but she still kept her hard expression.
" 'Not likely'? I don't want to hear that from you. You think that your life doesn't mean anything—that I would just take the loss of someone in my pack so casually?" Kate turned away, "If you die, I won't forgive you."
"Kate…" Silver looked upon his pack's alpha with all new respect. It didn't matter—no, it never mattered—what he was to her. She would always see Silver as a part of her pack; her family.
"He'll be okay. We'll make sure of it." Arin stepped up.
"Arin, this is going to be too dangerous for you to come."
"Why? So you can hog all the glory for yourself?" Arin crawled onto his back. "I don't think so. Besides—" He grabbed Silver's ear and whispered into it, "I sorta, kinda stretched the truth to some of the pups and have to try and save face."
"Stretched? Try flat-out lied." Bianca hopped onto Silver's head. She gave him a swift slap of her wing, frowning. "Stupid, thinking you can just leave just like that. You're the one got me tagging along to begin with and you think you can ditch me?"
"…" Silver's gaze had turned soft. He looked out to his pack, who were all nodding or smiling at him in support. The wave of earlier fear was now replaced with something else. Something that pulled everyone's bond to Silver in a coach of confidence for the wolf they had known since he was a pup. Love. Bravery. Confidence. The three radiated like beacons in the darkness, and it made Silver feel like this time, maybe—just maybe—things between him and Garnet would turn out different.
"If anyone can bring my baby back, it's you..." Lily said gently.
"I believe in you, Silver. I want you to find the ones who kidnapped my granddaughter, lift their tails, and snatch them up by the ba—"
"Mother…" Garth pressed the ears of his pups down as he cut Eve off. She scoffed as though it were no big deal.
"Silver." Humphrey grinned, "Give them hell."
The entire den was suddenly a cannon of encouragement. Everyone was calling his name, wishing him luck, or resolving to stating violent innuendos as to not badly influence the pups. Silver felt so uplifted. It was as though their emotions were flowing directly inside of him, swelling up from the pit and slowly spreading to the tips of his toes. He could once again feel himself sinking into his power. But this time, it wasn't the usual drowning in upon himself he usually felt. No, this was light, warm and comforting, wrapping around him like a blanket. Silver's wings slowly spread from his back, not black as the night, but white like the first snowfall. They flexed, a light sheen of pure feathers flecking the ground.
"Silver," Kate nodded to the young wolf. "You will come back to us. I forbid you to die."
"I understand." Silver nodded back to her. He clasped Snow's bracelet around his wrist and darted off. As his paws barely touched the ground at god-like speed, Kate watched his direction even after he had completely vanished.
"Come back alive…"
-()()()()()()()()()()()()()-
It had taken a while before consciousness had finally returned to Snow, but when it did, it came at her like a beast. The back of her head was throbbing and she swore when she felt a lump beneath her headfur. She couldn't quite recap the events prior fully. The memories came back to her in unordered fragments. She knew that there was a rush of heat on the back of her head, her body hitting the ground, and then darkness. Snow groaned. At first, her eyes refused to focus the blurred world around her. But as she adjusted, her other senses began to wake. The floor was cold and hard. Was it marble? Or alabaster? She couldn't tell, but the bleached white of the substance was used to structure the entire vast room she was now laying in. the room was more like a grand hall with towering pillars supporting the high, arching ceiling. Cords of vines littered with flowers Snow had never seen before spun around every pillar and crept along the floor. Fragments of sunlight poked through the high-raised windows like dazzling spotlights on the floor and grand archways were carved out of the walls.
"Good morning." A voice, so terribly familiar, caught Snow's ears. Her head snapped up towards the north wall. A grand staircase climbed up to a throne sitting on a high point of the wall. The wolf was laying casually in the seat with his chest, arms, and head leaning off one side of the chair arm. The form—that midnight-colored fur—was uncanny. Snow found herself slowly raising to her feet, and his name rolled off her tongue.
"Silver…" At first, she felt her heart leap hard in her chest. But all too quickly, images of Luna on top of Silver, her nose pressed against his, flashed like lightning in her head. Her ears fell to the side and she sighed. The wolf, who had been gazing at the sunlight peaking through the high windows, slowly turned his head to her. Upon quick realization, Snow could see that this was not Silver. The tips of the wolf's headfur and paws were burned red, and his white muzzle had a long scar across the top. But it was his eyes that really stood out. His garnet optics were not silver like the moon, but an almost horribly blackened crimson. They were seemingly calm, but Snow could see a wild animosity behind them.
"Sorry to disappoint you." The wolf said simply.
Snow's ears slowly perked up. She knew who he was. She had heard his name enough to know. Her mouth once again spoke involuntarily.
"Garnet…"
The wolf slowly rose to his feet and made his way down the long hill of stairs. Something in Snow's body screamed for her to be in fear of the on-coming wolf. But she didn't move. Snow watched as Garnet walked before her, calmly observing and circling her until he had gotten his full of looking at her.
"You are beautiful. I think I'm a touch jealous." He said softly. He reached up and took careful hold of Snow's muzzle. His garnet eyes searched hers, as if he were looking into her soul. "Kind. Very strong-willed if not stubborn. Loving—compassionate, I should say. But...there's also a strong yearning, like a bird, to be free. Your eyes are so clear. It's no wonder he loves you so much." Garnet's paw was very warm, almost comfortable. Snow had trouble willing herself away, but finally managed to pull her muzzle back defiantly.
"He…" She started to say, "He doesn't…"
"He does." Garnet answered for her. "That silly little girl. The only reason I allowed her to carry on and force herself on him was that it was the only way to get you alone."
"You wanted me alone?" Snow blinked, but there was no hiding the slight elation on her face. Could it be possible that it really was a mistake? A misunderstanding? Even more so, why did Garnet seem so positive?
"Would you have left his side any other way?"
"No…" Snow sucked her fangs. She swore to herself; she should be angry and fearful, not answering his questions. This was the wolf of whom spelled danger for Silver; the one who could potentially take him away from her forever. Instead, she tried to trade her elated look for one of stern seriousness.
"Why are you trying to kill Silver? Is getting your power back so important that you have to try and end his life? He's your brother—no, he's a part of you—don't you have any concern at all?" Snow exclaimed, "All he wants to do is live his life. What do you have against that?"
Garnet did not answer her right away. Instead, he calmly turned from her and started off across the marble floor.
"Come, Snow." His voice sang soft. There was something about him that made him seem unthreatening. Snow tried hard to perceive some tiny notion of danger, but failed. So instead, she made her way after him. Their paws made light rapping sounds against the floor that echoed over the emptiness of the majestic, but otherwise plain room. Garnet lead Snow out of one of the archways in the wall and she found herself gasping. Outside, beyond the marble room, was a very beautiful garden. Flowers much more vibrant that the ones inside grew wild along the brick-beaten paths. Shrubs and trees arched in whimsical shapes that took Snow's breath away, and a makeshift vein of streams snaked along the ground.
"Wow…" Snow gasped again. Garnet retrieved a small watering pail from behind a potted plant and watered a bush coming into full bloom with white-petal flowers.
"I like beautiful things, Snow." He said, "This world is full of many beautiful things…" he set the pail down and picked two of the white flowers. Even from a distance, Snow could smell how heavenly they were. Garnet placed one behind her ear, and cradled the other in his paw. "Oh, how grand would it be if the entire world was covered in beautiful things…but there is a balance. The balance ensures that there is an equal amount of ugliness to compensate for the lovely. A flower is beautiful in bloom. But after a while—" He slowly closed his paw around the flower. Snow's nose twitched at a strong burning scent, and when Garnet opened his paw, a soft breeze took the ash of the flower spiraling into the wind.
"The flower soon becomes something ugly…because the balance of this world is pre-determined. I want to rewrite the world for myself; preserve the beauty by my own standards. And that is why I have to kill Silver. Because without my full power, the forces protecting this world will forever be an ignorant hindrance to me." He turned to her. "And you will help me."
"What?" Snow blinked. Garnet once again reached out and placed a paw on her cheek.
"You are the key to all this. You will help me have what I want. Understand?" And then his touch was rough, on fire—not at all like the way he had touched her before. His pads felt like they were going to burn through her cheeks and she whimpered, wincing away from him sharply. Though her fur wasn't burned, smoke drifted from both her cheek and his paw. The earlier safety that Snow had felt quickly shattered, and now—as he looked at her with calm, but very dangerous eyes—the fear was making her heart race.
"No, never!" And before she knew it, she was tearing across the garden as fast as she possibly could. Her paws splashed through the veins of water and upturned any plant she may have run over. The only thing her brain would allow her to do was run. She couldn't explain the late rush of fear that hit her; something about his calm attitude made her tremble, as though he was always a hundred percent in control. Left, then right, then left again. Snow turned—until she suddenly came to a screeching halt. The snowy white wolf nearly fainted as she found herself teetering over the edge of what now looked like an island the garden was on. The vibrant verdure of green turned into an icy tundra that stretched miles and miles below into an abyss of darkness. A cold, dry wind snatched the flower right out of Snow's ear and dragged it down into the bottomless beyond.
"You've already had a hand in this, Snow."
Snow whipped around. Garnet walked towards her very carefully. The wind blew his headfur wildly over his handsome face and he stopped just a few feet away from her.
"Just you being here has already sealed Silver's fate. He loves you so much, he will come for you without fail. He will fight me for you, and he will die."
"Silver's not weak!" Snow exclaimed.
"But he does have a weakness, and that should be painfully obvious. You are his greatest downfall; a love he should have never had. And through you, all things will come to fruition with my plan. After all, who knows better than you what lengths Silver will go for you?"
Snow covered her mouth with her paw. Sickening realization made her stomach churn. She knew that Silver would stop at nothing—sacrifice anything—to ensure her safety. Her ears would have drooped, but the wind was blowing them around like crazy with her headfur. Garnet took a step closer.
"Don't despair, Snow. Join with me." He held out his paw. "Together, we can make a world of beautiful things. The balance will be ours to shape and no one would be able to stop us. You would be a queen at my side, exalted over all those beneath our whim."
"You're crazy!" Snow shouted, and almost backed off the edge. And then, an idea crept into her head. It was crazy. It was messy. It was desperate. "I'll jump!"
"Will you, now?" Garnet asked.
""Y-yes! I'll jump and then Silver will…" Her voice caught, "have nothing to protect…" Garnet didn't say a word. Instead, he casually reached out and pushed her. Snow shrieked, feeling gravity grab at her body like a greedy pair of hands. But she had barely gone completely over the edge when her fall was cut short. Flames, long and wispy, wrapped around her. They did not burn her, though they felt incredibly warm as they slowly pulled her from the edge.
"Snow, you're bartering with no chips to your name." Garnet said to her. The flames were coming from his back, and the more he reeled her in, the more they started to resemble wings. Once Snow was close enough, he pinned her down strongly with a single paw. She tired to budge, but his pin was like iron. Strong, warm iron. Garnet leaned down close, so that his muzzle was level with hers. Strands of his headfur tickled her forehead and Snow felt overpowered in every aspect.
"Like I said, you are a part of this whether you like it or not."
"Silver—"
Snow's breath was suddenly cut off. Garnet's strong paws took hold of her cheeks and his mouth was crushing down against hers. At first, his lips were as warm as hers, but quickly began heating up more and more. His tongue parted her mouth and she could feel a furnace-like breath tickling her fangs. The heat spread, at first at her muzzle, then quickly descending down her body to the tips of her toes. She tried to squirm; tried to kick wildly, but Garnet's body held her an unwilling prisoner beneath. The heat coursed throughout her limbs and blood, until she felt as though she were literally on fire. Snow's back arched and her body spasmed in searing, ungodly pain. She closed her eyes tight; the wild strength to resist she once had was slowly being drained, until she had slowed to a stop. The fire soared through her body and she could feel something being burned into her shoulder: A mark of flames. She had been marked and that concept whirled in her head like wildfire. He lingered for a while, but when Garnet broke the kiss, Snow slumped on the ground. The heat quickly vanished, but left her body feeling violated.
"And now…" Garnet whispered, "Nothing will stop me." He removed himself away from her and walked off, leaving her to lay crumpled on the now freezing cold ground. Snow's lip quivered and tears started to spill from her eyes. Now, she was truly and wholly Silver's weakness.
"…I'm sorry…"
-())()()()()()()()()()()()-
To be honest, I was having trouble keeping my emotions in check when I was finishing up this last chapter. It's always fun to create villains who have a sense of justice in what they do, and Garnet is definitely one of them. Things are about to get really sticky for Silver, especially now that Snow is playing for Team Garnet. The next chapter is half-written, but it may not be out for a week or two, but still look forward to it, everyone! Thank you