Tragedy

"Tobin!" Ice called, searching the undergrowth for the black Chinook. "I found something!"

Tobin bounded through the trees and stopped beside Ice. "Deer?"

"No." Ice sniffed the pawprints. "Midnight Pack, I think." His fur bristled at the scent.

He had stayed with Tobin and Mirabella for another two months, and now he was fully healed. He spent his time either hunting or patrolling with Tobin or taking walks with Mirabella, sometimes helping her search for herbs. He loved the two old dogs, and realized that he was much happier here than he had ever been with his family.

Tobin now joined Ice in sniffing the pawprints. "The filthy curs," he growled. "They've been trespassin' again! I don't know what's wrong with 'em--we've told 'em before, two old dogs like us aren't a threat to 'em."

Ice looked ahead, seeing the crushed undergrowth. "It looks like more than one dog," he commented. "Hunting party?"

"Figures," Tobin spat. "As if they didn't have enough prey in their own territory. Probably hunting here just to spite us!"

Ice jumped over a clump of ferns and began to trot down the trail the dogs had left. "I'm going to track them," he called. "Maybe I can scare them off before they catch anything."

Tobin followed Ice, warning him, "You'd best be careful, Ice. Midnight Pack doesn't scare easy--you know that."

Ice looked over his shoulder, gazing at the old dog affectionately. "I do, but I don't scare so easy either."

~

Ice prowled through the undergrowth, keeping his ears pricked for any sound of the intruders. He was focusing so hard on the trail that he was well over the border before he realized it. The silver husky straightened up and looked around, confused. Why had they gone into the territory if they were just going to leave?

As he looked around, Ice also realized that the land around him looked strangely familiar. He padded forward, his ears leaning forward.

He stopped abruptly as some loose pebbles gave out from his paws. He looked down.

A ravine.

More specifically, the ravine. 

The ravine where his parents and sister had died. The ravine where his brother had betrayed them.

Feeling pulled by some unknown source, Ice walked slowly down into the ravine. He could nearly feel the surge of the battle again, hear the howls of pain and shock and anger. He could nearly see Snow, her throat being ripped out while Blood stood aside and watched.

Doing nothing.

Ice struggled to compose himself. He inhaled deeply. The ravine didn't smell like blood, or death. It smelt like grass and dirt, like a ravine should.

He blinked slowly, looking around himself. It didn't look like the ravine had been disturbed for weeks, maybe even months. It made sense, though. It had never been a good spot for prey, and Midnight Pack was smart enough to know not to waste their time on it.

He spotted the place where he had lain next to Frost, months ago, and realized with a jolt that he had never asked Tobin what he had done with the bodies of his family. Did he bury them?

He had tried not to remember. He had tried to pretend it didn't happen. He had tried to forget the promise he had made to his mother. And now he hated himself for doing this. It was a discredit to his family's lives to just forget them. It was a discredit to himself to forget a promise.

Ice sat down, his head spinning. He had told Frost he would find Blood and set things straight. He'd promised. Even Thorn, with his survivalist ways, would have been angry over a broken promise. Ice raised his head and looked up at the sky, blinking in the sunlight.

Are you up there? Can you see me? he wondered, recalling how Frost had said that good, noble dogs joined Khazan in the sky after death. Thorn had never talked about it, though. "What matters is what's happening now, down here," he had said sternly. "Not what's going on up in the clouds after death."

But if his family was up there, were they angry? Was Khazan angry that Ice had ignored his promise?

He shook his head to clear his cobwebby thoughts. One of them came through clear, though: I have to leave. I have to find Blood.

Images of hunting with Tobin, of spending time with Mirabella, rushed through his head. He loved it here. He had been happier here than anywhere else in his entire life. How could he abandon the two dogs who had saved his life? Tobin had said himself that taking care of Ice had healed Mirabella. How could he leave her, like her own son had?

I can't do it. I don't know what to do! Khazan, help me!

But just as Ice cried out desperately within, a howl split the air. A chime of battle-cries arose after it. His other thoughts banished and all his senses alert, Ice leaped out of the ravine and galloped into the forest, towards the source of the howls.

He crashed into a clearing that held the battle. Tobin and Mirabella had been attacked by four huskies, all reeking of Midnight Pack. There were three males and a female, two black and two gray; three looked to be about Ice's age, the other one older.

The black male, who appeared to be the older, was locked in battle with Tobin. The black female and the larger gray male were circling around Mirabella while she bravely snapped at them. The fourth dog, a smaller, dark gray male, was cowering against a tree, but Ice didn't stop to think about the dog's curious habits. He rammed right into the side of the female, knocking her away and giving Mirabella a chance to tackle the male.

The female snarled in surprise and lunged for Ice's chest; he swerved and locked his jaws around her shoulder. She swung her body into him and slashed his cheek, landing a nip on his muzzle. Ice kicked backwards with his hind legs, feeling some satisfaction as she let out an "oomph," losing her breath.

A yelp sounded and Ice snapped around to see that the black male had pinned Tobin to the ground. "I've put up with you for too long," he growled. "I thought you weren't a trouble; but there are valuable resources around here and I can't have two useless weaklings like you cluttering up the place."

"I'll show you a useless weakling!" spat Mirabella. She lunged forward but the gray male grabbed her scruff and yanked her back. Ice felt a surge of fury and leaped for him, but the black female was quick and wrestled him to the ground. The dark gray male continued to press against the tree, his eyes wide.

The black male curled his lip in some ghost of a smile, and Ice suddenly realized that this dog matched his father's description of Midnight, leader and namesake of the pack: a solid black husky with a white star on his chest.

"I can see you have fire, but fire doesn't make up for your old age," he said. "You are too weak to join Midnight Pack, and I will not let you stay here. I am feeling merciful today, however, so I will let you go, if you promise to never return."

"Make a promise to you?" Tobin hissed, writhing in his captor's grasp. "I'll make a promise with a cross between a rat and a fox before I do that!"

Midnight's icy eyes flared with anger before being replaced by their cold glitter. "Very well," he said, his voice low and gravelly. "You have chosen death then."

"No!" Ice shouted, suddenly surging up and throwing the black female off. "Kill me. Let them go."

Mirabella gasped. "Ice! What are you doing?!"

"And what good would that do?" sneered Midnight. "They refuse to leave, still. It makes no difference. But since you asked, I am more than willing to comply to your wish..."

Tobin snarled and shot upward, ramming his head into the leader's throat. He made a strangled coughing sound and fell backwards, allowing Tobin to jump on him.

The two dogs fought viciously again. The other dogs watched, frozen for an unknown reason. Tobin was experienced, tough, and angry; but the anger could blind him. Midnight, on the other hand, was younger but still experienced. He also seemed to still be somewhat calm, despite the fact that he was fighting.

Midnight suddenly grabbed Tobin's scruff and threw the Chinook to the ground. Pressing his muzzle into the dirt, he leaned forward and whispered something in his ear. Then, almost too fast for Ice to see, he flipped him over and slit his throat.

"NO!" Mirabella let out a wail of agony that was a half-scream, half-howl. She ran to her mate's side and collapsed beside him, crying desperately.

Midnight stared, unmoved. He flicked an ear towards the male and female; they eagerly jumped forward and attacked Mirabella.

Before he knew what he was doing, Ice had flung himself into it. He grabbed the male's muzzle and tore mercilessly with his fangs. The male gave a choking yelp of pain, which was difficult when his mouth was obstructed. Fury fueling him, Ice continued to fight, sending bite after bite and slash after slash mercilessly.

But his frenzy only lasted so long, for Midnight suddenly grabbed him and threw him aside. Pain exploded in Ice's head as he crashed into a tree; white lights flashed before his vision, dotted with black. He let out a low moan.

He was only halfway aware of what happened, then. He saw a fuzzy image Mirabella and Tobin lying side-by-side, motionless. The male and female seemed to be advancing toward him, but they were suddenly wobbling and swimming all over the place. A faint cry somehow made it to his ears.

"No, don't! You already killed them! Leave... leave him. Don't kill him now."

Ice blinked slowly, realizing that the dark gray male had suddenly stepped forward in front of him, blocking him from the two younger dogs. An angry snarl came from the female.

"Iron! You worthless, cowardly, yellow-bellied runt! How dare you defy Father's wishes?!"

Iron cowered again. "Just don't," he muttered. "Please?"

Ice groaned again. The sights and sounds were getting fainter and fainter. He heard one last noise before he slipped away into darkness.

"Fine. We'll leave him, but I'm not forgetting this, you useless runt. I'll punish you later; the mutt can stay here. He might die on his own anyway."

Oh. My. Gosh. I am the cruelest person. How did that even happen? O.O Brain, what is wrong with you?!
Um, so yeah, uh... Plot twist? Eh heh... Did anybody notice that Ice passes out a lot? Oi, I need Sunfrost to point out my recycling of chapter endings.