Chapter 5: Ezo's Path
Deep in the jungle, the only sounds were the pup's whimpers and the click-click of my game's dying battery. Silver lay unconscious beside me, her fur matted with sand and salt. I tucked the pup closer—its white-tipped paws twitched just like Balto's used to.
My fault. My fault. My—
I shook my head hard enough to hurt. No time for that now. I slid my game into Silver's limp hand.
"Here. Play something when you wake up," I muttered. "I'll fix this."
The volcano's heat hit me like a wall. I adjusted my grip on the pup—Balto's pup, not Balto, never Balto again—and lunged for the net I'd found behind some rocks.
"Hey!"
I yelped, dropping the net. It landed in a patch of Sandstars, which immediately twisted into a Cerulean—this one shaped like the net.
Before it could lunge, golden claws shredded it to glitter.
Lion stood there, her right sleeve flapping empty, her breathing ragged. "Are you trying to get killed?!" she roared.
I pointed weakly at her missing arm. "Uh... Shouldn't you be resting?"
Her face darkened. "Moose called me weak." The words came out too quiet, like she didn't believe them but couldn't stop hearing them.
I grabbed her remaining hand. "Then let's go un-weak you."
Moose was holding court on the plains, her underlings nodding as she bragged about "unyielding strength"—until I slapped her. Hard.
"WHAT THE—"
"You idiot," I hissed. "Lion lost her arm saving Silver. Saving me. And you—" My voice cracked. "You called her weak while I couldn't even save—"
The pup licked my chin. Moose's anger crumpled.
"I…" She looked past me to Lion. "I was scared. If she can get hurt, then—"
"Then nothing," Lion said. She flexed her stump. "I'd lose the other arm too. For my pride. For her."
Moose swallowed. Then, with more grace than I thought possible, she got down on one knee and took Lion's paw.
"Professor said humans do this," she mumbled. "So. Mate with me?"
Lion's ears shot up.
"That's not how you—YES" Lion interrupted, face burning.
The pup dozed in my lap as we walked back. Lion and Moose trailed behind us, their tails tangled.
Silver would wake soon.
I wasn't ready.