**IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS IS THE PG (ish) VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER. IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO DESCRIPTIVE SCENES OF BLOOD AND SUCH, STICK TO THIS CHAPTER. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ THE GRAPHIC VERSION WITH ALL THE GORY DETAILS, PROCEED TO THE NEXT CHAPTER. I WOULD REALLY RATHER NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY LOST LUNCHES/BREAKFASTS/DINNERS. CRYING IS OKAY, IN FACT, IT IS ENCOURAGED. JUST NO LOST MEALS. THANK YOU. **

Ghost could feel the vibrations of Kodiak's footfalls through the ice. Based off his position and the small tremors Wolf's anxious scratching produced, Ghost figured the large dragon was heading towards Wolf. Kodiak was moving slowly, taking his time.

'What are you up to, Kodiak?' Ghost wondered.

Wolf held Kodiak's gaze shakily, dark blue eyes against gray. Despite his attempt at bravery, Wolf shrunk away nervously from Kodiak's prowling form. Eventually, his back hit an icy wall, effectively stopping his retreat.

Wolf's eyes flicked left and right, searching desperately for an escape route.... and finding none. Suddenly he feinted right before darting to the left.

That's when they struck.

Narwhal leapt across the cavern, her talons finding Wolf's tail. She dug her claws into the weak spot, causing him to let out a furious roar of pain. Her narrow head snapped down and came back up with a silver scale, earning her another pain-filled howl.

Wolverine rushed forwards, catching a wing in his jaws and crunching down. The sound of the bone shattering was like a thunderclap, Wolf arching his back and throwing his attacker off with a terrible wail.

Wolverine hit a wall and slumped to the icy floor, motionless. Wolf made to lunge for him, but was stopped by Ox. The heavier dragon rammed into him and hurled him to the floor, sharp horns piercing the soft side under Wolf's wing. Blue-red blood coated Ox's horns and dripped to the floor, spattering and staining the snow, ice crystals slowly creeping up. The small IceWing let out a scream, the sound reverberating in the cavern.

Ghost winced, the ear-piercing noise shattering through the haze that clouded his head.

"Ghost...." Wolf gasped, coughing up blood. He attempted to crawl towards the deathly looking hybrid, but was stopped by a spiked tail smashing down, crushing his paw.

Wolf retracted his foot with a cry of anguish, cradling it to his chest. Bone fragments poked through skin and scales, adding further discomfort and pain.

Ghost heard Wolf's plea, knew Wolf was hurting.

But so was he.

Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. It all stung like the bitter wind whistling across the tundra.

'You hurt me. You lied to me. You abandoned me. You lured me in with empty promises of friendship. I wanted to believe you, so I trusted you. I shouldn't have, but I did. And look where it's left me. Broken, lost, alone. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I'm not falling for your tricks again, you sly fox.'

So many emotions. Hate. Confusion. Rage. Sadness. Frustration.

Kodiak and his posse circled Wolf, sneering.

"Get up," Kodiak commanded. When Wolf took too long, struggling to get to his feet, Wolverine kicked him. Ribs cracked under the sheer force behind the swing.

"I said, get up," Kodiak growled again. "How pathetic. No wonder you'll never move from your spot. You're weak. A disgrace to the IceWi--"

He was cut off by Wolf surging up with a roar, talons aiming for his throat. He missed by a talon-length. A smirk slowly spread across Kodiak's snout.

"That's better," he nodded his approval. "But not good enough."

Wolf found his way to his feet, careful to keep his weight off his broken foot. His lips curled in an ugly snarl, blood dripping from his mouth. His tail lashed furiously behind him.

"I'll show you good enough," he hissed.

He launched himself at the gang, teeth bared in challenge. He swiped at Narwhal, managing to catch her shoulder before pain shot through him.

Wolverine had the arm of his wing in his jaws, talons shredding the delicate membrane like seal skin. Wolf tried to shake him off, but that only embedded his teeth in further. In one last, desperate attempt, he threw himself down and rolled. However, his wing got twisted behind him and snapped in half with a loud crack.

Both wings useless, with a broken foot and in extreme pain, Wolf knew he was beaten. He lay panting on the floor in defeat.

The quartet stood around him, shaking their heads. Kodiak leaned down and whispered, "Run. Get out of our sight, you mangy coward."

Wolf didn't need to be told twice. He struggled to his feet and limped away, a small blood trail left behind.

Suddenly, a heavy weight landed on him from above. Ox had leapt on top of him, claws digging into this shoulders. Wolf bucked frantically, adrenaline fueling him; there was now one thing on his mind: escape. No longer did he care about the Circles, nor Ghost. All he wanted was to survive.

He managed to dislodge Ox, and continued to slowly work his way towards the cavern exit, limping, light shining through.

That's when something snapped.

He collapsed, pain lancing through him in intense waves. He turned to look, when he found something was seriously wrong. Wolverine had cut his Achilles' tendon. Blood spurted out in small bursts before slowing to a steady flow.

Upon seeing the confusion on his face, Narwhal laughed maniacally. "Didn't think we'd let you get away that easy, did you, Foxy?" she drawled, licking the blood off her talons.

'Leopard seals and penguins,' Wolf realized weakly. 'It's all just a game to them.'

And yet, he still clung to the illusion of escape. He still hoped that somehow, Ghost could forgive him. He knew there wasn't any chance, but he couldn't bear to face reality.

He knew he wouldn't last much longer. He was absolutely certain that the gang would draw out his death for as long as possible, there was no doubt. Traitors weren't tolerated in the Circles.

Wolf lay feebly on the floor, shaking. He knew he was beaten. The fight had left him; he had given up. Tears slid silently down his snout, hissing slightly as they fell and froze, shattering on impact with the ice. Such a delicate sound. It didn't match up with his ragged breathing or the scape of talons on ice. It was.... pure. Water meeting water. The power to give life, but also to take away. Beauty and destruction.

But in the Circles, there was no room for purity. Only the strong survive. And so they began unraveling the thread, watching him fall apart but by bit, piece by piece.

A haunting shriek echoed, anguish and pain ringing clear. Blood erupted from Wolf's face, coating claws. Wolverine growled at the sight of Wolf's mangled face. The rest of him didn't look much better. He'd lost scales all along his back, and he was covered in puncture wounds and cuts of various sizes, including a particularly nasty gash on his stomach.

Coughing up blood, Wolf pleaded, "No.... please...." His cries fell on empty ears.

Then all was still. A terrible ripping noise sounded, then a bit of squishing. A grunt and a snort of triumph. The quartet turned and left, but not before leaving a parting gift.

Splat.

Ghost managed to crack his eyes open to see Wolf's heart, ripped from his chest, staring him straight in the eye. It was still warm, life slowly draining out; it was so warm, in fact, that a single shimmering red-purple crystal had formed by the time he shut his eyes. Wolf had suffered and died, the life quite literally torn out of him.

And Ghost let it happen. All of it.

'I guess he did have a heart.'

**A/N: please don't kill meeeeeeeeeeee

First off, huge thanks to mayaann05 for putting up with me and my writing, and for being my editor, words cannot express my thanks. You're an awesome friend and I don't know where I'd be without you.

Wolfy, if you're reading this, I told ya I'd get you back. Don't worry, this wasn't revenge, I had planned this when I started writing the book. Ok bye *runs and hides as Wolfy grabs kitchen knives*

Ok um, I know all of you are probably really mad at me for killing Wolf, but it had to happen. Also I'm leaving tomorrow for camp and will be gone for a week so y'all won't hear from me for a while. I haven't started the next chapter either, so it might take a while before I post again. As always, I love all of you, and your support is so greatly appreciated. *waves from inside writer's jail* ❤️ -cycriss**