Six days had finally passed. It was pretty dull, but Alberta and Rainier had filled the drab days with stories and legends from her puphood. Of course, it was mostly to entertain the pups, but the adults had surely found some enjoyment in them, fiction or not.

The winged wolves also had a lot of time to think about where they might stay in order to hide from the winged Packs. Using help from Rita, Rainier, and Alberta, they were able to find a safe spot within the mountains that could keep them hidden from neighboring Cripp Packs throughout the winter and spring.

"By the time the late days of spring will come around, Jinx and Nova will have learned to fly, and Raven will be getting close to learning how. They'll be able to protect themselves better," Twilight planned one night while they were let outside.

"But when will we return to the Packs?" Star asked. "How will we know it's safe to come back?"

"A few of us can go travel to the area and report back," Dawn replied. "We won't have to walk if the group doesn't have the pups."

"We can't check back now," Summer said. "Everyone would get suspicious if they saw one of us. We'll have to wait at least a month or two before the confusion surrounding our disappearances would have died down."

"Right. We'll simply have to play things by ear. No matter what, our top priority is keeping Raven safe and making sure she's back only when Andromeda is healthy enough to care for her again," Riptide nodded.

Finally, the evening of the seventh day in the Pack of the Shimmering Snow came. Rita bounded into the room. "It's time! It's time!" she chirped, pulling open the twisted branch door of the female cell. "Time for your redemption so you guys can be on your merry way!"

"Why are you so excited? Are you sick of us or something?" Summer joked as she stepped out.

"Nah! I'm just really happy for you!" Rita replied. "I hope you guys find somewhere save to stay while that war is going on in your territories!"

As she was about to leave the cell, Dawn looked sorrowfully at Alberta, realizing this was goodbye. "Mom..."

"Don't worry, honey. I'll be fine. I did myself wrong, so now I have to pay for my consequences..." Alberta said, gently pawing a twisted branch.

Dawn stared silently at the ground. "But it's not right. You didn't know Rustle would betray you. It's not your fault you're stuck here," she sunk her claws into the dirt.

Alberta nuzzled her comfortingly. "I'll be fine, my dear. I have to do what I have to."

Dawn's eyes widened as she suddenly got an idea. "Come with us! You and Rainier both!"

"What?!" Alberta exclaimed, her ears perking up in surprise. "N-No! You can't just--"

"The Pack has no purpose for you if you're sitting in here rotting your lives away! Come with us! We'll take you away from this numbness!" Dawn said before sighing again. She saw Alberta's unsure expression. "It could be a stretch, but surely we have to talk to the Alpha about it!"

Alberta thought about it for a moment, then she sighed and shrugged. "Alright. What have we got to lose anyway?"

Dawn let out a cheerful bark. "Yes! Let's go!" she said before leading her mother out of the cell. The two and Rainier followed the other winged wolves out into the main chamber.

It was a scene similar to the first trial with the Alpha. The other Cripps had gathered around, muttering their questions and insults about the strangers to other Cripps. The winged wolves took a seat below a tall rock, where a gray-and-white wolf climbed onto. He appeared less tired and more organized than their first encounter.

"Greetings, Avium," he bowed his head. "I'm sorry for prolonging the trial for so long. You see, my family had recently suffered a large tragedy, and I needed some time to cope and calm myself. Now, I am excited to finally continue this trial. Avalanche? If you please?"

Avalanche, one of the Scouts who'd found the winged wolves, stepped out of the crowd. "Thank you, Alpha. Now, my Scouting group and I had traveled to the outer territory to find some prey. There, we discovered the Avium." He motioned with his tail toward Star. "This one pleaded that her and her fellow... brethren... were only coming through. But why? Why would a group of Avium be headed our way?"

Many Cripps nodded their heads, mumbling questions to each other.

"My prediction is they have come to attack," Avalanche continued, growling slightly at Twilight. "Avium and Cripps have always hated each other. They've spread stories about how we are nasty and bloodthirsty toward anyone who isn't our own."

"I mean, you did almost kill us on the spot! If it weren't for Rita's kindness, we wouldn't have even been spared," argued Summer.

"Shut up!" Avalanche retorted.

"Avalanche? Did you threaten to kill them?" Blizzard asked.

Avalanche paused for a moment. "It was only to make sure they didn't attack us. We said that if they got near us, then we would've had to take violent actions."

Blizzard nodded. "I see. Continue."

"Andes wondered if we'd be able to kill them and get away with it, but Rita suggested we'd take them in, since we didn't know if the rules had changed since the last time Avium had trespassed into our territory," Avalanche turned to face Blizzard. "So, what do you think, Alpha? Do you think they're attackers?"

Blizzard chuckled slightly. "Well, I don't think we'd know until we hear their side of the story. Avium, present your side."

The winged wolves all looked expectedly at Dawn and Star. Nervously, the two stepped forward.

"Greetings, Alpha Blizzard," they began, bowing their head in respect.

"I am Star, a winged wolf of the Shadow Pack."

"And I am Dawn, a winged wolf of Hawk Pack," she finished. "We have simply come through to find shelter from the current troubles of our Packs."

"You see, the winged wolves live in four Packs, all based on their wing type," Star explained, bringing Riptide and Summer forward. "The wolves with fin-like wings belong to the River Pack. Wolves with butterfly wings live in the Flutter Pack. Wolves who have bat-like wings, like me, belong in the Shadow Pack."

"And wolves like me with feathered wings live in the Hawk Pack," Dawn said. "Tensions had been running high between the Hawk and Shadow Packs for a few moons now. However, things really boiled over after the discovery of a relationship between a Shadow wolf and a Hawk wolf. A war had now broken out between the rivaling Packs."

"And, unknown to the Packs' Head Elders, the couple ended up having a pup," Star said, nudging Raven forward. "It was a bizarre pup no wolf had ever seen before. One with black feathered wings, likely from the combination of Shadow and Hawk."

Many Cripps stared in surprise at the strange pup. Raven felt a little uneasy at all of the attention.

"We are simply traveling through to find a safe place to protect her and my own pups. On top of all this, a fearsome ex-Hawk wolf and his gang have been going around killing innocent wolves," Star said, her fur bristling in fear. "We wanted to stay safe."

Blizzard nodded understandably. He turned to Avalanche. "Avalanche. They mean no harm. Why would you even bother to drag them into prison in the first place?"

"B-Because... I..." Avalanche struggled to come up with an excuse. "Because winged wolves are known deceivers!"

Rita sighed agitatedly.

"Think about it... While we have--" He smirked smugly. "--a lot more brawn, the Avium are known to be more quick-witted and smart. How do we know she isn't making all this up on the spot?"

A few Cripps whispered their concern, somewhat showing favoritism for their Packmate. Suddenly, two Cripps sprint into the den, keeping a third wolf hidden behind them.

"Alpha! Alpha! We have urgent news!" the golden she with blue eyes chanted.

"What is it, Buttercup?" Blizzard perked up, hopping down from the towering boulder and hurrying to them.

"Another winged wolf--" was all Buttercup was able to say before a dark indigo wolf broke free from the Cripps.

"Dawn! Dawn!" she cried out, charging toward the group of winged wolves. "Dawn!"

Tears were glistening in her right eye. Her torn and tattered batlike wings were perked up as she ran, causing gasps and surprised murmurs from the wingless crowd.

"Mom!" Raven chirped, running to her.

"Andromeda!" Dawn shouted, her eyes filling with tears of joy. She was thrilled to see her familiar face, but her mind was wild with confusion. "Wait! How did you--"

Andromeda crouched down and frantically licked her pup. Raven giggled. "Mom! Stop! That tickles!"

"Oh thank the Power you're safe!" Andromeda cried. "I was so worried!"

Dawn dashed forward and nuzzled the Shadow wolf. "Y-You're alive!" she cried happily. "You're safe and alive!"

Andromeda slowly froze and her smile disappeared. "I wish I could say the same for the Packs."

Dawn stopped, breaking apart from their embrace. Her smile faded too. "Wait, what?"

Andromeda was quivering, her claws digging into the dirt below her. "Dawn... I came to find you guys because..." Tears of fright spilled over. "R-Rustle and his gang has taken over the winged Packs!"