Coriander felt like anxiety was tearing her apart from the inside. She, Russell, and Sagax were all seated in the middle of the hollow, listening to the distant sounds of the battle. She had never felt more useless. Her packmates were probably dying, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it.

"I can't stand this," Sagax said, giving voice to her feelings. "We should be out there, helping them fight! We've all received basic battle training. How can they expect us to just hang back like this?"

"You heard Ranger," Coriander said heavily. "And he's right. Our packmates are going to need us as soon as the battle's over. I know it's frustrating, but we can't just disobey our alpha."

"Listen to that!" Sagax gestured towards the direction the raucous sounds were coming from. "Did you see how many wolves there were? Do you really think there's going to be anyone left after its over? I don't want to be the last survivor of Wind Pack. I want to go down fighting beside my family!"

Coriander was slightly surprised; she hadn't seen such passion from Sagax before, although it was certainly inspiring. "I know how you feel," she said. "But we can't. It's suicide."

Sagax growled and turned away. Russell looked at Coriander with fear in his eyes. "Are... are they really all going to die?" he whimpered. "My parents? Katrina? I... I don't want them to die!"

"We don't know what will happen yet," Coriander said firmly. "We just have to wait it out." No matter how much it drives us insane.

After a few more tense moments, Sagax jumped to his paws. "I don't care anymore. I'm going." He ran out of the hollow before Coriander or Russell could stop him, taking off in the direction of the battle.

"Sagax, wait!" Coriander shouted, running after him. "Come back here, you idiot! There's nothing you can do!"

But her words were lost on the wind as Sagax continued on with single-minded determination. Coriander felt her heart skip a beat as she saw the fight for the first time. Dozens upon dozens of wolves and dogs, all tearing into each other viciously. She hadn't seen very many battles, but she could tell that there hadn't ever been one like this before.

"Sagax!"

Russell's scream brought her back to reality and her blood went cold when she saw the reason for his cry. Sagax had run to assist Skipper, who was beset by three wolves at once. He had vanished beneath the heap, but now the wolves had run away, revealing all that was left of Coriander's packmates: two mangled, broken bodies.

The blood roared in her ears and she could hear Russell's heavy breathing beside her. When she looked at him she could see abject horror on his face. "Sagax," he whispered. "SAGAX!"

With a roar of grief, he threw himself into the fray, leaving Coriander staring in shock. She could feel a similar wave of fury come over her and she surrendered to it, following after him.

She instantly regretted her decision. The wolves were all well over twice her size, and even though she had gone over basic fight training in preparation for the battle, it was nothing like actually being in the thick of it. She was nearly trampled multiple times and was barely able to even land a few bites on any passing wolf. A lanky red she-wolf finally slammed a paw down on her throat, stopping her in her tracks. "Foolish dogs," she growled, "bringing a pup to battle."

Coriander couldn't have made a retort even if she could think of one, with how the wolf was crushing down on her windpipe. She gasped desperately for air, black spots starting to cloud her vision. She briefly wondered if this would be how she would die...

Then, suddenly, the weight on her throat was gone and sweet, blessed air was filling her lungs again. She scrambled to her feet, coughing, and saw that her savior was Ranger, although she could barely recognize him. A dark fire was glowing in his eyes and his coat was streaked with blood. He tore into the she-wolf viciously, not stopping until she slumped onto the ground motionlessly.

Having finished with his victim, Ranger whirled around to face Coriander. "Are you out of your mind?!" he spat. "I told you to stay in the hollow! Get out of here!"

Coriander couldn't bring herself to argue with him. She ran, dodging the bodies of wolves and dogs who had fallen. She prayed that Russell was still alive, that he would run away before he got himself killed. Finally, she made it back to the hollow, choking and gasping, and collapsed outside the entrance. She thought after being a healer for four years that the smell of blood wouldn't bother her anymore, but it was so thick and cloying that it made her feel sick.

"C-Coriander...?"

Siglitun be praised! "Russell?" she said weakly, turning to see her trainee staggering towards her. Blood covered one side of his face and he was trembling.

"I... I couldn't... They... I tried..." He was mumbling incoherently and sank to the ground as his legs gave way beneath him. "They... My mother... I wanted to hurt them... But I couldn't, I couldn't..."

"Shh, shh." Coriander ran to his side and gently ran her paw across his flank to soothe him. "Listen to me, it's not your fault. It's okay, it's okay..."

Russell flinched as she accidentally made contact with one of his wounds. "I--I'm sorry, Coriander," he whimpered. "Will you tell them I'm sorry?"

"Don't be sorry, Russell," Coriander whispered, feeling a lump start to form in her throat. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. You did so much better than I ever could. It's okay, it's okay. Just stay awake for me, okay? Stay awake..."

A low whine escaped his mouth and a shudder passed through his body. She saw his eyes roll to the back of his head before they closed and his body went still.

Coriander dug her claws into the dirt as sobs began to rack her body. How was it possible? These two dogs that she'd trained and come to love, both gone in an instant. She supposed it was just more to add on the list of dogs that she cared about who were gone. Dogs that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't save. Her mother. Her father. Gideon. Sadie. Grace. Gabriel. Sagax. Russell. Even Ranger was lost to her.

I became a healer so that I wouldn't feel so helpless. And yet, over and over again, I always fail at what I set out to do. I let down everyone who has ever counted on me. I can't fight. I can't heal. I couldn't even do right by Ranger. I failed everyone.

Again and again, everything had been taken from her. And she was powerless to stop it.