Jihyo woke up with a long stretch, paws folding while her jaw gaped to endure a full yawn. She blinked but hesitated to get up. She hadn’t slept this well in a while, and the warmth of the pine needle bed kept her lingering for a few more minutes. She her paws, glancing at the snow before reminding herself of the day’s worth of work. Finally, her legs moved to lift herself up. Her fur was quite damp due to the snowflakes from last night, and she shook idly. Her eyes wandered to a spot in the pine nettle bed next to her. Having to find it empty, the alpha dipped her head knowingly. Nayeon had left many hours ago, according to the faintness her scent was. Jihyo walked out of the shades and made her way out of the grove. Though it was pretty warm here, she wasn’t too fond of being surrounded by trees. She felt that they limit her view, making hunting an absolute nightmare.

Jihyo raised her head to the sky when she was in the open again. The sun was high above, embracing the landscape with its warm rays. It was noon, and it was rare for her to had slept this late. She felt lighter as she padded along the snowy terrain, increasing her speed north. Something strange was pulling her to that magnetic direction, and she couldn’t help it but to follow.

‘A passage to a valley behind the mountains, huh?’ Jihyo recalled from yesterday’s talk. ‘She better not be bluffing.’

For the most part, Nayeon seemed like a wolf who knew what she was doing. It wasn’t just her age that proved that, but also her ability to point out correct landmarks when Jihyo went hunting with her. It was nearly like she’d memorized the entire Ivic region by heart. It was unlikely and in fact, the tawny alpha didn’t want to think that Nayeon would lure her into a trap. Despite the beta’s youthful nature, she had a pretty firm grip on her life. Jihyo, on the other hand, was somewhat clueless of what she wanted to do. Her main goal was to survive, but Nayeon’s words still stuck with her. Shaking her head, she decided to screw it and find the passage if there was one. It didn’t necessarily make her situation any better, but the promise of new prey pulled at her interest. Suddenly, her nose twitched as it picked up blood in the distance. The alpha halted to scan the snowy plains but saw nothing. Her ears shot up in awareness, listening for movements as her paws moved to wherever the scent led her.

~~~***~~~

Nayeon breathed heavily, tongue dangling as she struggled to keep going. Her paws were numb, but she refused to stop. She needed to eat, to find anything that could save her for a couple of days. The little snack from last night had definitely burned off, leaving her increasingly desperate for anything edible. She was still in Jayrock Territory, walking along its southwestern borders to be exact. The plains ahead seemed endless, but the hunger drove her on. She supposed she could go west to enter Raindrop Meadow. The terrain of the territory, if Nayeon could recall properly, was mainly a barren field. It certainly made the place colder in winters such as this one, but it did make a great grazing ground for caribou herds. Nayeon remembered running into one before there, a group of fifteen that seemed to have missed the annual migration. If she was lucky enough, maybe they would still be around.

Nayeon only realized how exhausted she was when she tripped and fell down the slope leading into the meadow. She landed softly thanks to the snow and rose to her feet after a few stumbles. This was bad. She felt her strength slowly being drained, despite being so far away from any sources of food. The beta stepped back and took a few seconds to re-establish her previous pace. When she did enter the territory, she realized that the meadow was not a no man’s land. The mixed scents of wolves reminded her that the territory was owned by a rather large pack—the Ice Whiskers. They had been around for about a year, and Nayeon even had the honor of meeting their alpha once. It was just another summer day of venturing for the beta when she came across the meadow, accidentally running into its leader when they drank from the same lake. Their alpha’s coat was a mixture of silver and navy blue, and her stunning gray eyes struck Nayeon hard. The beta swore Taeyeon was one of the most mystical wolf she had ever seen. Nayeon was able to talk with her, learning her very reasonable policy for wanderers. Since her pack ruled over the largest territory in the region, they would restrain from attacking any loners outside the perimeter of their camp. The walk with Taeyeon was incredible, but Nayeon didn’t stay long. She was kind of overwhelmed by the alpha’s occult presence. Her smile alone made Nayeon’s heart skipped a beat.

At last, something interesting afar caught Nayeon’s eyes and attention. Her weary paws found new strength as she ran across the field to the red patch that she hoped was a carcass. Her heart leaped when the fresh blood filled her nostrils, and it didn’t take long before she arrived next to the kill. A ripped open ptarmigan, half eaten but still covered with enough leftover meat to stomach. It appeared that she still had some chances of survival after all. Nayeon wasted no time before digging in, grabbing any visible bits of meat she could find and chewed as quickly as possible. The meat was tangy but satisfying, enough to calm Nayeon’s fierce hunger. Unfortunately, the beta didn’t get to finish her third bite when she was completely knocked off her feet.

A sharp stinging pain ripped through her left thigh, sending her tumbling forward. She landed on her face and although the snow did soften her fall, Nayeon felt a blunt scratch across her muzzle. The beta scrambled to her feet, turning around to face her threat. A deafening screech rang in her ears and before she could react, a bundle of golden feathers swooped down from the sky to seize her left heel. Nayeon snarled, attempting to tackle the eagle but was pushed down when its talons penetrated near her bleeding thigh wound from earlier. She yelped sharply, kicked back with all she had left before freeing herself from the raptor’s grip. Her left leg felt numb, but she managed to fumble far enough away from the golden eagle. The raptor picked up its kill and took to the sky while Nayeon watched bitterly.

This was very bad. She glanced at her rear, where the bird had raked three deep marks within her thigh. At once, the beta made a decision to go back to the grove. Droplets of blood fell and stained the snow with every step she took, but Nayeon knew better than to stop. Being wounded in the open was a sign of vulnerability, and that was very attractive to any desperate predators like herself. Nayeon swallowed the pain as she climbed the slope, dragging her injured leg helplessly behind. Going up the mini hill was like climbing an entire mountain.

She went pretty far for a wolf who was starving and nearly bleeding to death. In front of her was the familiar nestle of trees, a sight so close yet so far away. She hung her head and gritted her teeth. Her head was pounding as loud as her heart, but she gathered all her muscles to go forth.

‘A little more, just a little more.’ Nayeon chanted in her head.

Then, her vision blurred and grew fuzzy. The trees seemed to have doubled in size, moving towards her with crackling branches. Her footing wavered, and she halted to huff in all the air her lungs could hold. All fours of her limbs felt lifeless, but she growled lowly as if to encourage them. She knew it was pretty pathetic at this point.

‘Come on, Nayeon!’ Her head seemed to shout.

The smell of pine trees comforted her as she crawled closer, aimlessly and painfully. She didn’t really know what to do next if she made it to the safety of the grove. She couldn’t even properly concentrate on her coordinations, which was taking way too much energy from her battering head. The beta was limping with a wound, an empty stomach, and no plan as she inched aimlessly towards the trees.

Nayeon stopped again when she heard something within the trees. She noticed pair of glowing red-orange orbs in between the pines, but the dimness of her vision made her unsure if it was just an illusion. To be safe, the beta decided to stray away from it. She took one step backwards and bumped her back into hard wood. Surprised, she quickly shifted her position away from the tree. The eyes came closer, revealing a large shadow that was as tall as an adolescent bear. Nayeon snarled thoughtlessly at it, showing her pearly whites to compensate for the fact that she was losing her balance. The shadow did not stop coming and the more Nayeon tried to get away, the more erratic her footing became. She tumbled at one point, then lost balance completely and tipped over awkwardly. The world turned black before she could get back up again.

~~~***~~~

The warmth around her reminded Nayeon of the summer. She thought back to the green fields freed of snow, where a vibrant variety of flowers bloomed and blossomed. This was the time when she could roam the world without any worries, taking in all its wonders and glory. There was such a plentiful surplus of prey that the competition between predators was mild. Life was simpler then, more enjoyable according to Nayeon’s standards. In fact, all the other winters were way better than this one.

A sudden ache brought Nayeon back to the dreadful and cold reality of her world. She flinched when another stabbing throb ran through her leg, fluttering her eyes to her very dark surroundings. felt very dry, and there was an odd irritation in her nose that caused her to sneeze. A soft grunt sounded from somewhere near as her paws hit something soft. The beta turned sharply around, eyes widening when she was met with the familiar red-orange orbs. Instinctively, Nayeon tried her best to crawl away from the creature, failing terribly with the wound on her thigh. She then resorted to her fangs, growling menacingly at what her nose told her to be one of her kind. According to scent, it was another female beta like herself. The other canine was three years of age with a well-mixed black-and-white coat. Nayeon noticed that the wolf had something green in and stopped growling.

“Stay still.” The other beta tried to say, but it came out as a bunch of muffled syllables.

Nayeon crocked her head slightly, unable to understand.

“Stay still.” The younger tried again.

This time, Nayeon understood her by piecing the two versions of mumbling together. The black-and-white wolf came closer and placed what looked like some green lichens on her wound. Nayeon noticed that her thigh was already layered with some of the same substance, covering her area of infliction almost entirely. The older canine sniffed the plant and shot the other a questioning look.

“Usnea.” The other beta answered, searching for something among the trees. “They’ll help with the healing process.”

Nayeon believed her, mainly because she really didn’t have much of a choice. She was still very suspicious and kept herself alert to whatever the other might be up to. She studied the younger wolf intensely, realizing by smell that she had came across another loner. The stranger was very strongly built, tall with muscular shoulders. It was unlikely that Nayeon would win a fight against her. Still, she didn’t really understand why some wolf would actually help her, especially in this miserable winter. She was dying from exsanguination, and it only made sense that the other wolf should have put her out of her misery. Apparently, Jihyo wasn’t the only friendly soul around here.

Nayeon slowly moved back to the nest that she was originally in before waking up. It was a turf bed this time, softer and warmer than the pine nettle one. The sandy beige beta was about to go back to sleep before her savior showed up with something to tickle her nostrils—meat. Nayeon’s stomach responded with a growl the moment she smelled it, and she instinctively her chops.

The younger wolf jogged out from a section of the trees with a chubby hare dangling from her jaw. Nayeon had an urge that led her to crawl forward, making the younger canine chuckle despite her mouthful. When the prey was dropped right in front of her, Nayeon did not hesitate. She held the kill in between her paws, providing a firm grip for herself before digging in. Her teeth worked in a rapid motion, prying and tearing into the meat. She had spent days searching for this, for something to fill her dying body. Her muzzle was almost completely drenched with blood due to the force of her eating. Desperation had overwhelmed embarrassment, and Nayeon continued to shove as much meat into as physically possible.

She fed with the same pace for another five minutes, finally slowing down when a fourth of her kill was left. Nayeon took this time to savor the good meal, eyes fixed on the other canine who’d moved herself next to her in the nest. The moonlight gave her black-and-white fur a touch of silver and the older must admit, she looked quite stunning just laying there with her head on her paws. Nayeon studied her sharp cheekbones and handsome features, not realizing now distracted she was until she bit herself on the tongue. Luckily, she restrained herself from making a sound, and the younger’s eyes remained closed. Nayeon decided that she should pay more attention to her kill.

She spent another three minutes busying herself with some left over meat within the hare’s skeleton. There was one piece in particular that was starting to piss her off. It was lodged in the depth of the hare’s ribs, and Nayeon could have easily pulled it out if she could actually sit up right now. She had tried several times, but her leg kept giving out at the last minute. Nayeon gripped the earth firmly with her claws, pushing all the muscles in her two front legs to force herself upward. Her injured leg scrambled to support her body, and Nayeon bit her lower lip determinedly. Just as she thought she was rising to good height, a sharp pain struck through her wounded leg, and she collapsed back to the ground with an “oof”. She glanced over to make sure that the other wolf did not see anything, however, it was apparent by the look on the younger’s face that she did.

“Are you trying to snap your leg?!” Her savior asked, brows fussed in confusion.

“N-no.” Nayeon quickly adjusted her lying position, a shade of red ran through her cheeks.

The younger canine lowered her head back on her paws, despite the confusion on her face. Nayeon pretended to chew on some leg bones until the other beta’s eyes were shut again. Then, she tried using her muzzle to pry the meat out. After a few exhausting attempts and bad aiming, Nayeon made no progress. Irritated, she growled lowly. What came next was a soft chuckle that made her shiver, then she realized that the wolf next to her was getting up.

Settling one paw on one side of the rib and her teeth on the other, the younger wolf broke the cage in half with a strong tug. Nayeon gulped and wished she didn’t stare so hard at the other beta’s muscular shoulder. She blamed the close proximity instead of her eyes, but her savior did not stop there.

She dipped down and freed the meat from its location, then turned to Nayeon with piece hanging from her muzzle. “Here.”

The older felt her heart beating fast, pounding even faster than her little accident on the road a few hours ago. She told herself that it was nothing but an offer, a kind gesture no less. Still, she barely knew this wolf, and it didn’t help that she felt sad when she pictured herself leaving in the morning. Yet, the distance of the meat tempted her, and she inched forward boldly. She couldn’t help but like the way their noses brushed.

Nayeon wished the younger didn’t just watch her chew with a tender smile. She also wished that her face would stop heating up when her eyes met the other’s gentle red-orange orbs. To save herself from any further embarrassment, Nayeon kept her eyes low and her front paws. She could hear the younger beta dragging the leftovers away to clear some sleeping space, then returned to scoop out some smaller bones. In all her years, she had never seen another wolf deliberately clean its nest until now. Nayeon found it very intriguing but of course, she wanted to know more. She needed a way to gather up some nerves to spark a conversation. When the younger wolf settled down next to her once again, Nayeon decided that she would lock her eyes to the sky in order to avoid getting flustered again.

“So, what’s your story?” She started after finding a bursting wave of confidence.

“Story?” She heard the other wolf hum.

“Yeah, every loner has a story.” This was going better than she expected, but Nayeon continued to distract herself with the glowing stars above.

“Mhm.” There was a pause as the younger beta thought about it. “Well, I’m a little more interested in yours, since you fainted and nearly died.”

“A little accident while savaging, that’s all.”

“A little accident?”

“Yes, and I’m more interested as to why you helped me.”

“What if I’m not helping you?”

Nayeon couldn’t help but turn to the younger, catching a flash of mischief in her eyes. “What else could you possibly be doing with me?”

“I don’t know. Saving you for breakfast?”

“Me? But why would you heal my wounds then?”

“For fresh quality.” The younger smirked.

“I think a wolf like you is more than capable of catching better quality prey like the one you offered me.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You’re welcome.”

The other beta laughed. “I’m Jungyeon. I was born in this grove but a bit to the south.”

“I haven’t met many forest wolves in my lifetime.”

“Hunting between the trees intimidates most, which is quite understandable.”

“I’m guessing you’re already an expert at that?”

“I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but I think my father had taught me well.”

“So, what’s the tragedy?”

“What?”

“You know, pack warfare, famine, hunter’s guns. Anything?”

“Well, I never really saw any humans before and I-”

Nayeon shook her head. “No, I mean like what happened to your pack or family or whatever. It’s evident that they are not with you anymore.”

“Oh. Last winter, we were competing with another family pack through a blizzard. The weather wasn’t as bad as it is now, but I think you know who won the competition.” Jungyeon looked down at her paws.

“Well, that’s better than most tales I’ve heard. I knew wolves who went to raise their pups in the city and came back with just an eye.”

“A fellow packmate?”

“No, one of my friends.”

“Friends?” Jungyeon lifted a brow.

“I have friends and sources.”

“Then, the true mystery is why are you here alone?”

“Venturing, enjoying the freedom of the wilderness, finding more sources and friends. There are plenty of things for me to do without a pack.”

“So, does that make me one of your friends too?”

“I suppose.”

“But you haven’t told me your tale.” Nayeon thought Jungyeon’s mocking emphasis at the end was very amusing.

“Must I?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you only wanted to eat me.” Nayeon smirked.

“Well, if you don’t tell me, maybe I’ll stomach you now.”

“Fair enough. I’m Nayeon, from the beach coast. I left the pack prematurely to do all that I just mentioned.”

“So, no tragedies?”

“No.”

“That was quite plain, and I know there’s much more that you don’t want to say.”

Nayeon stared at her in fake puzzlement, but Jungyeon narrowed her eyes determinedly.

The older gave in to it easier than she’d realized. “I came back a month after my first little journey and found them gone.”

“Do you know where they might have went?”

“No. There wasn’t a clue for me to even examine. I returned with an abandoned camp. There was no blood just emptiness.”

“Do you want to know what happened?”

“Yes, but what are my chances of actually knowing?”

“But isn’t it another adventure for you?”

“It’s an adventure that I’ve given up on long ago.”

Jungyeon nodded, but Nayeon felt how sincere it was. “Well, you should rest up if you want to walk again.”

The older curled up, tucking her nose in her tail as the heat rose to her muzzle. Despite her back facing the younger, she could still feel Jungyeon’s eyes.

“Thank you.” Nayeon mumbled.

“And thank you for making my breakfast less time consuming.” Jungyeon jested.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Why, would you actually fight back?”

“I wouldn’t have to since your pity seems to have gotten the best of you.”

“Pity?”

“Yes, I mean who in their right mind would purposely take in another burden for themselves. In the midst of a terrible winter, no less.”

“Then, I guess I’m super crazy.”

“And I owe your craziness my entire life.”

Jungyeon chuckled. “Go to sleep already.”
 

AN: ok look wolves cant rlly see colors but hey they can now bc content