you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. The freezing fog and the ghastly light across the mossy, overgrown land certainly seemed to take its toll; they all grew subdued with the smell of Aniwaya and the haunted feeling the night bore, eventually winding to a stop. Snow and moss cushioned his body where he stood, sides rising and falling as every breath of air passed through his nose and dumped its information in his brain. It seemed fitting the murderous bastards lived in a forest of decay.
When Elettra spoke he realized he'd slipped from his position of commander. For a moment, the dominant leader in him protested, growled within his soul; it had been pleasing, to know that the wolves and leaders of the Lore followed his words, his guidance, his plan... But the next moment, he breathed out a sigh of relief. He had never thought to wage a war upon another pack. He knew where they were, knew their scents, knew how to cross the mountains - but warfare? No. Her suggestion made sense, and as the Willow wolves started to drift away, more followed suit, spreading out across the mossy ground and passing him like specters in the fog. Would he ever see them again? Would the sounds of their deaths be muted by the heavy air, muffled, absorbed, until they all lay dead and no one knew why?
His eyes cast about for Fenru, but barely had he seen him that a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Snapping his white head around, Ice saw one of them, for the first time. Without thinking, a rough bark escaped his mouth, warning that one of their foes had come to greet them. At a glance, she looked ordinary, pale, intense, ready to defend her home. At a second glance, he saw the saliva dripping from her jaws, the foam coating her lips - and recalled the dead animals he had seen, frozen in their thrashing and with bubbles lining their mouths.
"Watch it! She's sick," he barked, his ears and tail rising high as his heart picked up speed. Warm blood rushed through his veins, adrenaline heightening his senses for a moment. He knew that smell. He knew it, because it had tainted Rissa's all the way. It was her captor, the one who had ruined so much, the one to blame for the death of their young - Ice drew forward a couple of steps, lips peeling back as a growl rumbled in his chest. "Circle around her, keep a few eyes outwards, in case more come out. Keep your distances," he ordered of those closest to him, not caring which leader they normally obeyed. Some part of him wanted to barge in and rip her throat out, heedless of the danger, and not care if her sickness spread to him. Only the thought of it being a terrible way to honor Rissa kept him back. Surely she would not want him to die needlessly.
If worst came to worst, they'd have to take turns hunting and wait for her to starve. Still growling Ice advanced until he was maybe twenty yards from her, signaling that the rest should close to the same distance. He only hoped no one would give in to fury and attack, and lose themselves to the illness. .ice aesir |