The silence thickened. The man from the village pulled his son closer to him. He could feel the anger radiating off of the Alpha. "Did you smell something else?" He asked Inessa, trying to encourage conversation instead of action.

Arek closed his eyes and bowed his head. His wolf was fighting to come out. He fought to stay in control. "You going to explain yourself?"

"Do tell." Dhruv said. His eyes were alert and calculating.

Inessa blinked. She raised her head, seeing everyone's expression for the first time. "I..." She stepped back. What have I done? "You can't trust them."

Arek nodded, working his jaw. "Right. So we called off our meeting, in the middle of a deal from the West clan's alpha. A deal, by the way, to stop our people from being picked off and butchered like deer. And you?" He lifted his index finger and set it back on his crossed arms. "You had a feeling, an idea that you thought none of us could've possibly considered." He laid on the sarcasm thick, turning it into a bitter jab. "Am I missing anything?"

Inessa opened her mouth as if to say something, but quickly shut it.

Even now, she doesn't realize what she's done. Arek scoffed. Her pride is unbelievable. "Get out."

After one last look into Arek's eyes, Inessa's instincts told her it was the safest decision. She bit back tears as she shifted front of them all. The wind wiped her eyes dry as she fled into the forest. She knew exactly what the Alpha meant. Leave, and don't come back.

*****

One day passed since the group began traveling. No one shared in small talk. No one dared to ask the Alpha why they were traveling as humans, not as wolves.

Although they didn't need to retain a peaceful presence for the West anymore, Arek remained human to keep his sanity. As a wolf, he couldn't think as well as his human form. As a wolf, his instincts and strongest emotions took over. If he decided to shift now, he knew he would do much worse than ruin part of the forest and lash out at anyone near him. He snapped a branch in front of his face. One whole mission, his first and the most important one he could've set out to do as Alpha, had failed. It's all because of her – a conceited, stupid werewolf. He was beginning to question the major decisions he made as Alpha: appointing Mullin to oversee the building plans for the orphanage, making Kusal the clan's Beta, and arranging for the villagers, not the Arm, to be in charge of the twenty-four hour watch. If any of them failed, the clan would suffer, all because he appointed them. The weight of his decisions bothered him now to no end. It would all be his fault. Just like the meeting, he concluded bitterly. I never should've relied on her for such a critical part of the mission. He recalled her lack of explanation. I never should've trusted her. He lifted his head, sensing a brief clearing up ahead. "We're approaching the Kaveri River."

Everyone nodded. They knew to be careful. If the snow beneath them was melting, there was no telling how much the iced-over river was affected.

The village boy tightened his waist-belt, which was attached to the large pack on his back. He checked the pockets to make sure there weren't any sharp objects that might fall and crack the ice while they crossed the river. "Father, do you think she decided to cross the river? Or did she go north-west to the wetlands instead?"

The village man sent a warning glance to his son. "That girl is a rogue and in wolf form. If she decided to cross, she would've done so half a day ago." He paused, making sure the Alpha wasn't bothered by their conversation. Hopefully he doesn't hear us. "Then again, we can't forget her human side." He took pride in teaching his son about their nature, and was careful to remind him of both parts of it. "She might have wandered for a while, not knowing where to go."

"She wouldn't be lost, no?"

"Not lost. Undecisive."

Arek nearly rolled his eyes. She's fine. The man's voice replayed one word in his head over and over: rogue. She's better off on her own. This is no business for her to be in.

They arrived at the river's edge. Arek glanced behind his back, making sure they all had their brains turned on and working. He began to cross, testing his weight. After ten steps, he heard a creak, but did not stop. If there was a weak spot, a person's best chance was to keep moving. Of course, that would be different if there was actually a crack.

About halfway across, Arek checked behind him. The group had formed a close line across the ice. This is good. We should be back in five nights if we push it.

"Arek!"

Arek jumped. Hearing Ahlu yell and say his first name were two things he never thought he'd hear in his life.

Ahlu pointed along the river to their left. A hundred paces away, a wolf stood as still as a statue in the middle of crossing.

Arek furrowed his brows. Inessa? "Hey!" He thought he heard a whimper in response. "You all keep going across. And hurry." There was no blood, no other creature, but something was definitely there. He started walking toward her. What's going on?

Inessa saw him coming and bared her teeth, growling.

Suddenly, Arek saw it. When he did, he wasn't sure how he didn't see it before. A dagger's handle stuck out of the ice right next to Inessa. As he got closer, he saw the thin lines extended over the ice like a web. The ice was much thinner here. Arek noted that it was the only area that sunlight would touch from almost sunup to sundown. Most alarming was the ten-foot crack between Inessa and the other side of the bank, it's beginning point marked by a second dagger.

Inessa turned the forest on her right, where she came from, and growled.

Arek watched. Alarm shot through him. She doesn't know if whoever threw those daggers is still there. The wind is blowing south. She can't smell west through it. A grating noise hit Arek's ears. It was coming from the ground. "Get on your stomach. You need to start crawling to the other side."

Inessa kept growling at the woods, but she didn't budge.

Arek swung his fist. "Stop being a warrior and be a survivor for once!" The grating was getting louder.

Suddenly, Inessa snarled. Arek caught a glimpse of shiny objects shooting out of the forest. Twin daggers struck the ice between her and Arek. They won't get away with this. Arek crouched, ready to shift and catch the attacker. The grating turned into a cracking whip. A heavy splash stopped Arek in his tracks. There was a hole where the wolf had been standing.

"No!" Arek shoved away the instincts that told him to look out, that the knife-thrower could hit him next. He ignored the shouts from the group on the bank.

"Use your brain, boy! She's not worth your life! You can't-"

The rush of water blocked Dhruv's coarse shouts from Arek's ears. His chest constricted from the cold, but he swam hard. Where is she? Down? It was pitch black. He couldn't see a thing. He nearly went for it until scratching caught his ear. It was coming further downstream, from where the group had crossed.

Inessa had latched onto the ice from underneath. She scratched at the ice with her paw before digging it back into the ice to prevent herself from being carried away. Arek felt a rush of gratefulness that it wasn't spring, that the current wasn't ten times this strong. He kicked his legs and pulled through the water.
Inessa's movements were growing more desperate. Arek pulled up next to her and she moved her paw, revealing a small hole for him to grab onto. As soon as he grabbed onto it, he swung his right fist against the ice. He couldn't hear anything, not even the water. His brain was swimming in his head as he pounded the ice over and over. Holding his breath wasn't an issue for him, but the cold was a different story. His arm was stiffening. He couldn't pull it back behind his head. If this doesn't do it, we're done for.

His hand broke through the ice. As the same time, Inessa couldn't hold her breath and onto the ice any longer. Her body slammed into Arek's. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, gripping the edge of the ice hole with the other. He strained to hold onto the two, fighting against the current, the cold, and a slippery grip. Bubbles streamed out of his nose and mouth.

He felt the muscles in his right arm stretching. I'm being torn apart. A chunk of ice streamed past his face. He closed his eyes. Then, the unthinkable happened. Water rushed down from his face. Cold air swirled around his skin. He sucked it in like a vacuum, then sputtered and coughed out the water that came with it.

Ahlu had a vise-like grip on Arek's arm, heaving him up while Mirsha continued clearing the ice away. Ahlu grunted before spotting the wolf in Arek's other arm. "Hurry! He's carrying the girl with him!"

Mirsha cracked a chunk of ice and slid it behind him. The ice was thicker in this area, so he wasn't worried about falling in himself.

Arek couldn't feel his arm, but he felt it in his shoulder. Inessa was still there. "Get us up, now!" In his mind, his voice thundered across the forest, but to everyone else it was hoarse and shaking. Ahlu pulled Arek out and Mirsha rushed over to grab Inessa. When her head emerged, she too gulped in the air and coughed. The racking shook her stiff fur. "Smart girl, staying a wolf. I doubt you would've held your breath that long as a human," Mirsha said, brushing his hand through a small part of her back and staring at the miniature ice shards that fell off.

"Agreed," Ahlu pulled Arek's arm up and around his shoulder, forcing most of the weight on himself. He turned to the shore. "Let's move them back. Have the others build a fire before hypothermia sets in."

The Arm led the two to the other side. The villagers started a fire and Dhruv unpacked the untraded furs they used to wrap around the Arek's body and Inessa's wolf. Shivering, Arek brought his hands to his chest, rubbing it to warm his center. "Ahlu, Dhruv, if you sense that knife-throwing bastard, bring him to me alive so I can tear him apart."

Dhruv poked at the fire. "A reasonable request."

"It is," Ahlu said.

Arek looked at Inessa, huddled in a blanket on the opposite side of the fire farthest from everyone. He was relieved she was alive until he felt a familiar spike of anger, remembering that if all had gone according to his plan, if she had simply done what she was told, she never would've separated from the group and fallen through the ice in the first place. Not sure if she's staying a wolf to avoid speaking or avoid hypothermia, but both are good enough reasons.

The group decided it was too dangerous to move the ice-survivors for the night. Dhruv and Mirsha shifted to take the first watch during the night. No one suspected the knife-thrower would be around, but they weren't about to take their chances.

Arek's eyelids felt heavy as he watched the fire, wrapped in nothing but two fur blankets. His clothes were on the rocks in front of him, drying. He or she was playing with us. With that kind of accuracy, that knife-thrower could've hit us, but they didn't. Why? The question lingered. Was it to test him? See if he would go after one of his clan? He rubbed his fingers against each other, thankful to feel them again. His gaze wandered to the sleeping wolf. Or maybe...it was to kill her. He dismissed the thought as quickly as it came. Inessa was a tracker and the best out there – enough to make her coveted by other clans, but not necessarily dangerous. Not dangerous enough to kill or spend their time on, not while we have spies, traitors, and treaties to deal with.

In a few minutes, Arek yawned and closed his eyes, watching the kaleidoscope of reds and oranges from the fire dance until he fell asleep. He dreamed that he was trapped again under the ice, a boulder in on arm and a knife in another. No matter how many times he struck the ice, it stayed undented and smooth. Instead, his dagger began to chip until there was nothing left. He drifted in and out of consciousness, and was aware at one point that he was shivering and drenched in sweat. He was hot, then warm. Something soft touched his cheek, and in a few minutes, his shivering stopped.

Inessa watched as Arek pulled the blanket she dropped on him closer to his face. She trotted back to her place on the opposite side of the fire and lay down. During the beginning of the night, she had closed her eyes so that no one would bother her, but once the two were on the night watch and the others were asleep, she kept her eyes open. How could she sleep?

Arek was sick. Dhruv and Mirsha were looking out for an assassin that almost killed her and Arek. They were all returning to the East clan days later than expected. Inessa stared at the fire. All for nothing. A whine escaped her. She never should have come. She should have known that, despite her skill, she was the curse to everyone she was around. She knew it was true, because she remembered.

Inessa stared at the dying fire. Someone's scent could remain in a place long after they were gone. She once heard an old wolf say that a single scent could bring back every detail of a memory long-forgotten – even ones someone forced themselves to forget. Even as the last ember faded, Inessa did not look away.

She could see the blood and hear the words, all because of the musky burnt scent she caught in the West camp.

Mother.