Blood in the Snow

            Kyuhyun walked along the northern border at dusk, doing his last patrol of the night.  Snow had begun to fall and looked as if it would fall throughout the evening, blanketing the area in white once again.  Most of the previous snow had already melted away, making the ground muddy. 

            His thoughts were far from the weather, however, as he walked through the fresh layer of white, leaving his paw prints in the snow.  It had been a week since his meeting with Leeteuk and the chief had promised to send Kangin or Siwon up north to replace him in the next few days, allowing him to return to the town for a while.  Then he’d be with Ryeowook again and could finally mate him, assuming that the snowfall wasn’t too heavy and blocked the trail.  It would drive him mad if he got stuck up north for the winter now.

            Never had he thought his main worry in life would be how soon he could make it back to his lover.  Only a year ago, he was living alone in the wild, struggling just to live another day.  He never dreamed he’d belong to a clan again, never thought he would find an omega that would want to mate with him.  It still felt surreal.  He was still afraid that he would wake up one morning and find that it was all a dream, that he was still a scrawny, shivering wolf living in cave, all by himself, waiting to die.

            As Kyuhyun walked past a bush, he stopped cold, catching a familiar scent.  He brought his nose closer to the trunk and sniffed.  Yes, he’d smelled the scent before, but it did not belong to anyone in his clan.  It was the scent of the lone wolf that he’d battled before.  So, the wolf was wandering into their territory again.  Why?  Ryeowook was no longer in the area.  Was he just hunting or did he want something else?

            Kyuhyun scented the bush, covering over the lone wolf’s scent.  He did not want any other wolves confused about whose territory it was.  Then he checked the surrounding area for any more spots that the wolf may have marked. 

            When he found another, nearly half a mile down, he began to get concerned.  What was the lone wolf aiming to do?  Form his own territory line or was he trying to draw Kyuhyun away from the cabin more?  Kyuhyun looked around the area, wondering if the lone wolf was close, if he was watching him.  The scents were left recently—in the last few hours or so—and the lone wolf was likely to still be close.  But before he went to look for the lone wolf, he thought it best to call for backup.  Kyuhyun began to howl, an alert to Shindong and his mate that something was wrong.  He howled several times when suddenly he heard heavy paw prints hitting the new snow and stopped howling, only to be tackled to the ground by a large, black wolf. 

            The black wolf recovered quicker, jumping up to his feet and snarling at Kyuhyun.  Kyuhyun was dazed from being tackled, but quickly rolled onto his stomach and crouched into position to defend himself. 

            You too nervous to take me on yourself?

            No, Kyuhyun admitted.  But part of being in a clan is depending on each other and communicating with one another.  I’m obliged to work with my clan members as much as possible.  You would know that if you belonged to one.

            Fight me yourself, coward!

            Fine, Kyuhyun agreed, jumping up and circling his opponent.  But enlighten me as to why we’re fighting.

            Because I wanted the omega…and you ruined my chance of having him.

            You never had a chance.  He always belonged to me.

            Have you mated him yet?

            I will once I return to the den.

            If, the lone wolf sneered.  If you return.

            The lone wolf jumped towards Kyuhyun, his teeth bared, and Kyuhyun was ready for him, jumping up to meet the other alpha. 

            Shindong and his mate made it to the area within twenty minutes, which was ten minutes faster than he usually made it to the area, but was alarmed when he could not find any immediate sign of Kyuhyun or the lone wolf aside from splotches of blood in the newly fallen white snow.  He sniffed around the area and then headed a little further out, towards the border, north of the field. 

            After a short run, he stopped, the smell of fresh blood heavy in the air.  A few steps off to his left, hidden in some taller grass, laid the body of the black wolf.  Shindong moved closer and pawed at the lone wolf, but he had sustained heavy injuries from the fight and had bled out.  He was no longer breathing, although his body was still warm. 

            Shindong!

            The older alph