"Cayde..? Cayde, can you hear me?" A voice called softly, echoing in Cayde's unconscious mind. Having been knocked out from the blinding light that enveloped the land because of the mountaintop exploding had left Cayde unconscious for several hours. By now, it was early in the afternoon, and the Wolf of Harmony was still unconscious.

"Cayde... wake up... can you hear me? Cayde?"

It took the voice several times to echo through Cayde's head and awaken the Wolf of Harmony, but finally they were successful in waking him.

Cayde's eyes fluttered open slowly. His vision was clouded, and he needed to blink a few times just to see more than a few inches in front of him.

"Cayde?" The voice asked, and Cayde saw a figure sitting in front of him.

Instinctively, Cayde was filled with hope. The sound of someone waking him up from a slumber so often without fail... only one wolf could have done that. One best friend. One who stuck by Cayde from the beginning. Right?

Groaning, Cayde tried to see further in front of him, and coughed a little, still disoriented. He smiled weakly, unable to see who was in front of him, but confident that it was someone he knew for so long.

"Pahanin?" Cayde asked hopefully.

His vision cleared, only to see someone else there, shaking her head in sorrow. It was Anise, not Pahanin.

"I'm sorry, Cayde, but... Pahanin... she's... she's..."

"She's gone, isn't she?"

Wordlessly, Anise nodded, not having to say anything to show her sorrow and sadness for the loss of a friend.

"I... saw her die," Cayde said, his once hopeful tone fading as he spoke, "I saw the light in her eyes fade away after she was hit with a fatal blow..."

Anise sniffled, "We... found her on the ground, below the outlook... there was nothing we could do... she was gone... I'm sorry, Cayde, I'm so sorry..."

Cayde looked down at the ground, devastated, knowing that his best friend, his lover, really was gone. Dead, just like Vande.

"Our pack made sure to bury her as soon as we found her, at the outskirts of our territory, in a nice field. We made a grave to honor her, we brought a slab of flat rock to where she was safely buried, covered it with flowers... when you're ready, you can visit it."

Cayde was still looking at the ground, still devastated. Still heartbroken.

"None of this would have happened if I wasn't so weak," Cayde said softly, "I was too weak to stop Uldrich once, and because of that Vande died. I was too weak a second time, and because of that Pahanin died. Because of her death, I got back up and fought harder... but it shouldn't have come to that."

Anise shook her head, "You can't blame yourself for their deaths, Cayde. You of all wolves taught me that everyone can choose their own destiny, their own fate. That's why everyone came to fight by your side, because it was their choice..."

Anise sighed, "I know that whatever I say can't make up for those we've lost, but... know that Pahanin, and Vande... they made the choice to fight and defend you, and die doing so. It's nobody's fault, and it especially would never be your fault, Cayde. You gave your life for us once, at that shrine... I don't think Pahanin wanted to lose you again."

Cayde looked up and nodded only once, deep in thought and not saying a word for a little while. When he spoke again, he changed the subject to avoid continuing the sorrowful conversation.

"How's Saint? Is he... okay?"

Anise nodded, "Saint's doing alright. He's injured. He's been unconscious too, from the aftermath of a fight with one of those shadows. He's hurt bad, but he's recovering in his den."

"And what about my mother?" Cayde asked.

"She's safe too, we relocated her to a temporary den while we all work together to fix up our territory." She replied.

Cayde let out a sigh of relief.

"But Cayde, more than ever, our pack needs answers. We need to know our next move, what happens next... and what even happened to begin with. All we know is that there was a fight like no other at the entrance to Vande's den... and then the mountain exploded. The shadows disappeared and the Wolf of Chaos was nowhere to be found. All traces of Chaos other than the damage in our territory... were gone, right before it exploded."

Cayde was silent again.

"We need answers, Cayde. We need a voice, someone to guide us... a pack isn't a pack without a leader, and everyone is looking to you to become the Master Alpha, including me." She explained.

"You want me to... lead this pack?"

"We all do. If anyone can lead this pack through this uncertain time, and to greatness... it's you. You've shown me that. You've shown us all, even if you don't know it."

Cayde finally gathered the energy to stand up, shaking the dust and some rubble out of his fur. His vision was clear again, and he could see all around him once more.

"What can I do to help?"

Anise gave a soft smile, "You start by telling us what comes next. I can gather the pack and call for a gathering below the outlook. You can speak to everyone from the outlook that Vande gave speeches on. Shall I go and gather them?" She asked.

After a moment, Cayde nodded, "Yes please."

She nodded back, and wordlessly left to do what she told him she was doing.

It would take a few minutes for them to all gather, so Cayde took this time to take a look around.

Cayde was standing near the edge of the outlook, a few feet away from the edge that he had once fallen from. Not wanting to be overwhelmed with the thought of those who died there, he looked up at the sky. The sky was blue again, with white clouds dotting the sky beautifully.

He turned his attention to the mountain, and was shocked at what he saw. The mountaintop had indeed exploded, and the peak of the mountain was no more. Instead, pieces of the mountaintop floated around where the peak once was, and also slightly below the peak, where the mountain was still intact. The peak was gone, and now the large rocks that once made up the top of the mountain now orbited around the missing peak. Gravity did not affect the floating rocks, they merely orbited around where the mountaintop once was. Why? What power could have caused such a thing?

A faint white glow emitted from the empty mountain peak, which meant that something was coming from inside the mountain. The light came from the empty hole the peak left. This confused Cayde even more, having never expected the mountain to be hollow on the inside, but the explosion that removed the peak had proven that the mountain was indeed hollow. Cayde questioned what could possibly be causing the light to emit from the opening the missing mountaintop left...

Managing to turn his eyes away from the spectacle of the mountain, he walked inside the den of the Master Alpha. It was empty, of course, but as Cayde walked into the den, he instinctively expected Vande to greet him. But Vande wasn't there anymore. It was just Cayde now.

Memories flooded back to Cayde, causing him to close his eyes and think back on them. The good times, and how innocent everything was before Cayde embarked on a journey that had dominoed into something like this.

But Cayde didn't want to spend too much time thinking of this. He had a pack to speak to, and so he left the den and slowly padded to the jutted rock on the outlook that Vande used to speak on. By now, the majority of the pack had gathered below. Those who hadn't were either injured, unconscious, or perhaps both.

Either way, as he stood at the edge of the outlook, Cayde looked down upon the Kimlascan Pack. Everyone looked at him in return, eager to hear what he had to say.

"Kimlascan Pack!" Cayde announced, his voice echoing to each and every wolf in the large crowd.

"Today, we have declared victory. Today, we have reclaimed our home. Today, we have purged our home of Chaos!" He began.

"Yesterday, we walked as a reunited pack, determined to take back our home. Today, we stand here once again as welcomed members in our reclaimed territory. Tomorrow, we all work together to create a future of safety and peace, where our future generations can live in peace and Harmony!" He continued.

"We fought hard, and we fought bravely. It was the combined determination, hope, and courage from each and every one of us that led us to victory. We lost many innocent lives, but we all stood together, and now all who we lost can rest in peace."

"But these are uncertain times. For all of us! The mountain that we call our home," He lifted a paw and turned to point towards where the mountaintop once was, where an orbit of large rocks were, "Has changed drastically. Our home was reclaimed, but the Wolf of Chaos is still out there... and most of all, the reason why our mountain is in the state it's in... the reason why there is a white light emitting from it... is unknown."

"When I faced Uldrich, the Wolf of Chaos, an ancient ancestor arrived and communed with me as a spirit. Kimlasca!" Cayde told the pack, which caused a few shocked gasps and murmurs of surprise among the pack.

"But Uldrich was not alone either. An ancient ancestor arrived to assist him too. Mystearica!" This time, there were even more shocked gasps and murmurs.

"The first Wolf of Harmony, and the first Wolf of Chaos, fought one another as I, the current Wolf of Harmony, fought Uldrich, the current Wolf of Chaos. Our battles had caused the mountain to crack at the peak, and after enough fighting, the mountain cracked enough to reveal pure white light. Panicked, Mystearica took Uldrich and fled in a beam of purple light. Kimlasca told me to brace myself, and fled as well. Then the mountain exploded, and I was knocked out."

"And now, here we stand. Uldrich is gone, and with him gone, his army of shadows are gone too. Our home is safe, our territory is reclaimed, and yet the future is a mystery. Something caused the mountain to explode, and I promise all of you that I will find out what caused it, and what resides within the mountain we reside at the base of."

"While these are uncertain times, I can promise you that these are hopeful times too. This is a new age of peace, and together we will work as a pack to rebuild our home and become better than ever. This, I can promise. Together, we will rebuild, and together, we will thrive!" Cayde shouted confidently.

"And with Vande, our noble Master Alpha, having passed away during the attack on our home, the position of Master Alpha is vacant... and so it has come to my attention that you believe it is best for me to take this position. Is this true?" Cayde asked.

The crowd of wolves nodded. Most were silent, listening attentively, while others said "Yes" in response.

After a few moments, Cayde nodded.

"Then I will do my very best as Master Alpha of the Kimlascan Pack. I will help lead us into a bright future, I will help us all rebuild, and I will do everything in my power to lead us out of this time of uncertainty. I promise you that!"

"Let us howl together, as a pack, united and together in our reclaimed home, to signify our return, and our step into a hopeful future!"

Cayde lifted his head and howled, and the many wolves below howled as well. Indeed, while these were uncertain times, they were hopeful times as well.

After some time of cheering after their unified howls, Cayde dismissed the Kimlascan Pack. Each wolf went on with their day, but all worked together to help rebuild and tend to the wounded. Cayde was among this group.

The rest of the day consisted of helping others, assisting in rebuilding dens and cleaning up rubble, and tending to those who were hurt or shaken up from the battle. He was helping others, as the Wolf of Harmony should do.

He didn't disturb Saint, who was still unconscious and recovering. He didn't disturb his mother, either, who probably was spending the day resting, recovering from such a large battle the previous day.

When the day came to a close, Cayde said goodnight to the wolves he encountered on his way back to the den of the Master Alpha. The den that now belonged to him.

Making his way up the hill that led to the outlook, he turned into the den once he reached the top, and took a look around inside as the glow of the sunset illuminated the ground and the entrance to the den. The den itself needed a bit of cleanup, as there were pieces of rubble inside as well. There was little to no trace of Vande's decorations in the den anymore, which saddened Cayde, but he knew that Vande was at peace now.

Laying down in the den, he spent a while looking towards the entrance, watching as the light from the sun began to fade away as it faded below the horizon. The colors of the sunset in the sky soon faded and the world was enveloped in the darkness of the night. But for the first time in a while, it wasn't a scary, or intimidating, or Chaotic darkness. The starry night sky and the moonlit night brought a sense of peace and comfort throughout the Kimlascan Pack, and it comforted Cayde too.

But Cayde had many questions that needed answering too, and he hoped that Kimlasca would reach out to commune with him soon, perhaps even tonight, through a dream just like old times. Cayde chuckled to himself as he thought of communicating with Kimlasca through a dream as the "old times" so to speak, when it wasn't too long since the last time it happened. But with everything that happened between their last talk via dream... it felt like a whole different life.

There was lots that Cayde wanted answers to. Why did Mystearica and Uldrich flee? Why did Kimlasca have to leave too? What was so surprising, to a point where they left in such a hurry? Why did the mountain explode? What was that white light? He could only hope that Kimlasca would speak to him through a dream, for it was the only way he could get answers right now.

Before Cayde went to sleep, he reflected on all that had happened. He remembered that once, he was an innocent Beta in the Kimlascan Pack. A Beta who just wanted to do what his father could not: complete the Trial of the Mountain. He never expected to be sent on a journey to a shrine, he never expected to have to give his life in that very shrine. He never expected to come back, and return to his home, only for it to be attacked and taken. He never expected friends to die, he never expected his home to be lost. He never expected to have to reclaim it.

He never expected a lot of things, and once again Cayde wondered how different things would be if he had never done the Trial of the Mountain. So much would be different, but there was no changing the past. Only reflecting on it.

Cayde thought about things for a long time. The Trial of the Mountain, the Shrine of Kimlasca, the body of the boy he once became one with for a little while, Uldrich, Mystearica, Kimlasca, Vande, Pahanin...

There was much to reflect on. Cayde knew this, and with a soft sigh, he closed his eyes. It was difficult, but Cayde managed to find peace as he went to sleep for the night. He thought of cool, calm rivers, flowing freely and peacefully. He thought of the rustling of leaves in the wind. He thought of birds, chirping happily as they completed their nest. He thought of the world, in all its glory. He thought of peace, he thought of happiness. He thought of bright smiles and wholehearted laughter. He thought of Harmony.

And for the first time in a long time, he slept peacefully.

But his slumber would not be uneventful.

Because indeed, Kimlasca was about to commune with him through a dream.

And indeed...

His questions would be answered.