After our meal I had every one line up side to side in front of me as I prepared to speak to them about the day. However I looked at Sark and noticed she had a cut on her muzzle. “Sark, that cut on your muzzle how long has that been there?” “Oh this I just tripped and fell on a sharp rock its nothing.” I thought for a moment about the possibility of that happening and then I just let it go. “Anyway,” I said to change the subject. “Today we will leave the comfort of this cave and return to the others in Serenity Forest.” Trent nearly jumped for joy “Finally! We're leaving this frigid wasteland, no more frozen noses!” “Uh, frozen...noses..?” I asked in a confused voice. “Yeah frozen noses, y'know....when your nose freezes because its to cold outside?” “Oh, that's happened to me once it wasn't pleasant.” Sark said as she rubbed her nose with her paws. “Now that you mention it” I said now remembering the past. “I got a serious illness like that I was a little pup and I went to sleep in the high parts of Katridge I went to sleep and there was bad blizzard....
Wait, we were talking about something what was it?” “Going back to the others right or was it something.” Tetra said as she stared into a Splash Crystal she found earlier. “Ah, yes now to be clear were leaving at midnight rest up, eat do what you have too and be sure to take some Spark Crystals for warmth we''' need them.” “But why midnight? Why not earlier in the morning?” Trent asked as if he was itching to get home. “Simple, I've been sensing a warm up at night. At first I thought it was a spark crystal,but a few nights ago I woke up and saw that the snowstorm stopped. It appears that at midnight the snow stops and for a full hour and that's when the temperature is actually is warm.” “But if its warm doesn't the snow melt?” Sark and Tetra asked in tandem. “Yes, and that's how the ice accumulates, and if that happens we have a way out. we''ll take the route we did when we came here. However this is dangerous....be ready to run at all times the ice will thin and if one of us messes up and makes a wrong step......well lets just say it will end horribly.”
I looked at everyone and everyone seemed to catch the drift even Trent and Tetra were serious. “Alright everyone meet here before midnight, understood?” “You got it, Tori wanna go prepare with me?” Tetra asked with her tail wagging. “Sure,” Sark replied with a smile as she followed Tetra into a tunnel leading to the underground spring. “Wanna go get ready Zatch?” Trent asked with his head tilted slightly. “Okay let's go and get some crystals while were doing that.” “Yay!” Trent exclaimed as he hopped and bounded into a tunnel that was going the wrong way..... “Trent, wrong way!” “Oh yah,” he laughed as he followed me into the other tunnel leading to the crystal grotto. We laughed and joked around as we collected crystals and relaxed. We even went to sleep by the big Spark Crystal.
After hours of relaxing, eating fooling around and other things.....we were ready to head home. Trent had a fairly large Spark Crystal on a vine string around his neck. Sark and Tetra were just coming back from the spring and they seemed well prepared. Looking outside the cave just as I suspected the snow started to thin. “Alright everyone,” I began “just to make sure stay together and don't get lost.” “We also don't know whether or not if any animals are on the move....if there are any.” Sark added. “Correct....now is everyone ready?” “Yeah, oh wait!!!” Trent said in an almost nervous voice. He trotted over to me and whispered something in my ear. I nodded rather slowly, and with that he ran off and within a minutes time he returned with a more relaxed look on his face. “Are we ready now?” I asked him to which he nodded his head with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.
I secured the fang necklace that Wade gave me and with that we headed out into the slowly ceasing blizzard. The thinning snow made it easy to see but even though I couldn't believe it.... It got warmer than I expected. I was wondering how it even got to that point, when I almost slipped on a slick patch of ice, luckily I caught myself and kept moving. As the hour's end crept near the clouds slowly reappeared and the snow started to fall and within seconds the eternal blizzard that cursed the dreadful plain whisked itself into existence once again. I kept watch of Trent making sure he wasn't to far behind or wandered off. Sark and Tetra were keeping there selves entertained by talking and Trent and I had a conversation about....i think it was about what might have changed when we go back.
“Maybe a lot of wolves have joined,” Trent supposed. “That is indeed true Cyrus makes a great leader.” I added. Suddenly Trent topped and seemed to be listening to something. “Uh....Trent?” “Hm?” “Uh....what are you doing...?” I asked trying to hear what he did. “ I thought I heard a cracking noise.....” “A cracking noise huh...? Wait...did you say....cracking?!” I then looked at the ground in horror as I saw visible cracks widened and the cracks deepen as the ice started to crack and buckle
beneath us. “EVERYONE RUN!!!!” I yelled already trying to run with out tripping or jumping over gaps that slowly grew bigger by the second. As the four of us maneuvered hastily past the crumbling ice around us, the cracks got deeper and the cracks moved faster and then suddenly I made a wrong move and tripped. I froze in terror...my icy death nearing the Tetra and the other hadn't looked back until it was too late. I slipped, fell and was surely....crushed between thousands of pounds of Ice and snow. “Where's Zatch?!” Tetra exclaimed in an upset manner as she looked out at the wasteland behind her which was now reduced to a glacial basin. Sark and Trent who were already trying to look for me were loosing hope and even with Tetras help I was no where to be found. However in my state something inside me came out for the first time. My eyes opened, I grew stronger, my eyes and fur turned golden, and a magnificent aura surrounded me. I then slowly arose from my icy grave I then grew enormous feathered wings. I was battered and bruised....I also got a deep gash across my back.
I slowly rose into the air and I was surrounded by a brilliant light. Sark, Tetra, and Trent started in awe....I think? But the wonder was short lived...in seconds the wings, golden fur and eyes were all gone and I fell to the icy ground below. I luckily landed on Trent's back, I wasn't out cold but I was really drained. “What was that all about?!” Tetra exclaimed as she ran over to where I was. “I-I don't know....I slid off of Trent's back and onto my feet, but it was hard to stand up....then the pain came. “Agh!” I hissed through gritted teeth as I tried to hold in my pain. Tetra trotted over with some ice and applied it to my wound and then she put a splash crystal upon the wound and the ice turned into a form of healing water which slowly started to heal my wound and clean it. The wound left a scar across my back and even though the pain was still there I still there, I was relieved that at least the wound was healed. Tetra asked if we should rest but I only replied by shaking my head. I got back on my feet and after a minute of checking our surroundings on we went.
It wasn't long after my little near death experience that the snow finally started to thin and the sun started to shine once more. “Awkward.....” Trent said slowly as he looked at the sky and saw the sun. “It's not awkward...were close....we'll be out of here soon.” After 20 minutes of trotting through inches of snow I started seeing grass, the further we walked the more grass we saw. Finally after minutes of grass we officially entered the glorious Khanvu Plains. “Finally! We made it, I'm home again!!!” Trent exclaimed as he rolled in the grass. “It's my home too ya know.” Tetra retorted. Sark and I both snickered at the comment.
“Let's rest here for the night....we'll continue our journey tomorrow.” I said as I slumped down onto my stomach and closed my eyes. When I woke up everyone was waiting for me and once I was ready we headed out and spent the whole day traveling. As the sun bordered the land that evening the forest came into view. When we all saw it I think it was a huge relief....cause we all ran as fast as we could....(think of us running in slow motion to make it funny) We ran to the forest faster than any of us knew possible and by the time we entered the barrier we were welcomed by guards and hunters who brought us to the tunnel entrance where Cyrus, Sonya and Morrigan met us. Cyrus and Trent talked a bit about what happened during the trip. “Sark....can you follow me? I need to talk to you in private...Is that alright with you? “Sure,” she replied as I lead her to a secret spot. There was a small waterfall and there were was a patch of grass big enough for the both of us to sit on. We sat on the patch of grass and then I cleared my throat and began speaking in a sort of nervous voice. “Uh....Sark I wanted to tell you....I like you, a lot. I never said anything...” She looked at me and then I looked at her, “I like you too....when we first met I liked you and I like you more everyday.” “I wanted to ask....do you want too....I don't know...have some kind of relationship?” “I think that sounds like a good idea,” she smiled and licked my nose and I responded by nuzzling her.
I brought her back to the pack entrance and brought her to her den, she smiled and went in. I walked to my den thinking about the future, maybe it would be a good one. For the first time ever in my life...I knew someone cared....
