My eyes open as I pull my cloak closer around me. The room is still dark, and my mind tells me it is still early morning. Even Everett's pleas through the link didn't keep me up once sleep befell me. The others stir and Alli'sa sits up on her blanket. They are all in a corner huddled together for warmth. The thin sheets are barely enough to keep any heat in at all during the warm times, I can't imagine how cold it gets when the snow falls.

Cortie pulls the blanket over her, but Alli'sa pulls it away. "Cortie, get up."

After enough coaxing I help fold up all the blankets, and Ena'vale makes her presence known. The silver bands still digging into their skin. Going over to Cortie, she lets me take up her hand.

Unfolding the cloth, I see the swelling has gone down, and I can only hope her wolf was able to heal her. But the red, irritated skin will remain until the silver is removed. A wound that is constantly being reopened and touched will never mend.

"Do you get breakfast?" I don't expect much, not after everything I have learned. Though they seem to be surviving... surviving, maybe at some points living, but they seem to be making what they can of it. I can respect that.

Ena'vale shakes her head. "Not lately. The snowfalls were harsh and they like to feed the warriors and high ranking males to keep their strength up. The cold saps more energy than they want to admit." She flips her wrist dismissively, her dark green eyes looking but not seeing. Her gaze is set straight, but the slight hesitation before they trace the voice is ever present.

Opening my bag, I take out the last of the dried venison. Keeping only two, I retie it up and let the others eat. Cortie drags a basin out from under the table. There is a thin layer of water on the bottom. We all dip out hands in to cup some water out.

"Alli'sia, when is Veene coming back?" Cortie asks, her voice is timid—she is the youngest of the females.

Alli'sia drops her hands to her side as she sighs. "You know that changes, but we need to be strong for her, and have hope that she has been okay."

Ena'vale pulls us to the back of the room, her footsteps light on the stone floor. "Redaliya, she-wolf, listen to me. You have to go now." She tilts her head, listening for... I'm not sure what. "The pack is only starting to stir. This is the time when the nighttime scouts are heading in and the pack is only starting to stir. Go out, and avoid everyone. If someone spots you, keep your head down, and stay in the shadows. Don't stop until you are far away." Ena'vale holds onto my forearm, the silver band pressing against me. "We will be okay. This era will end. You have started a ripple, shown us what we only dreamed of. But it is just the start."

Alli'sia nods her head. "It is okay. Yes, some of the females do want to stay, they say they enjoy it, but we don't have a choice in it either. They'd rather trick themself into a fake happiness then to accept the reality of their situation. Someday we will make it a choice. Give us hope, and leave this place. You will not be forgotten, neither will we."

The candles burn low, and my fingers press against the thick wooden door. Pushing the rough surface, a trail of light seeps in. I look at them for the last time, and they all motion for me to hurry. Ena'vale brings a finger to her mouth as the door creaks. Slipping out, dread settles in my stomach as I take away the ray of light. They are back to their old lives, and now I must find a way to mine. Pulling the hood of my cloak up I turn away.

Gliding through the shadows, my steps falter as Lily rises. Her energy rushes through me filling my veins and enhancing my senses. A voice trickles through the walls and my skin prickles. Quickening my pace, I make my way to the entrance. Shifting my head to peer left and right I make a break for it. Pushing on the door it doesn't budge.

Locked.

Breaking it down isn't an option. It's too loud, and I don't know if I could manage it quickly enough. Blinking slowly, I allow the bitter memories to arise. My blood boils as anger seeps into every bone, my eyes burn as resentment crawls along my skin. Lily feeds off the strong emotions and I let them fuel her. It feels wrong; such negativity, but it is the quickest way.

Holding my feelings closely around myself I struggle to keep it under wraps. Letting even a strand go would mean attracting unwanted attention.

My fingers itch and my gums hurt. Pushing the energy to my fingertips, I bit my lip. My legs tremble and they start to weaken. My left arm bends, cracking, but I force myself to think. Gripping onto my bundled aura, vision blurring, I feel what I have been waiting for. Shoving my grown nails into the lock, I move it around until a distinct click is heard. Forcing the shift down it takes what seems to be hours for all the energy to dissipate, leaving me warm to the touch.

Walking out, my eyes shut against the bright light, my body still shaking from the paused shift. My mind feels murky and my eyes wander. Rushing forwards towards the trees, I don't get too far.

A mistake. My hold on my aura had slipped.

"There!" The shift in the air lets me know of the presence of others.

Whirling around it is easy to pinpoint the voice. The male narrows his eyes, and stalks forwards. His chest puffed out, and feeling no more alpha-like then the first time we met. Keeping my head high, I don't meet his gaze head on.

"Female, come here." The so-called-alpha beckons me over, and once I might have gone. And if he was a true Alpha I might have listened, but his bloodline is at most a beta. However, as much as the rules nudge me, they no longer hover precariously above my head. The pressure in my mind keeps pushing, never completely ceasing, I push back with more force.

"I'm going." Neither yelling nor whispering I hold my words steady. They cannot hear anything but strength or else they will pounce. Lily simmers close to the surface, waiting to help. I have no plans on fighting, as much as she sharpens her claws we are no match for a fully trained male shifter.

The male takes a step forward. His tone is just as demanding, just slowed down. "Come female, I'll keep you safe. I know you've been roaming these halls. You'll enjoy it here."

"No, I am going to leave." Adjusting the strap on my shoulder, I inhale deeply. There are others lingering around. Eyes flickering, a shiver runs down my spine. It's too soon after I pushed the shift away, I'm not strong enough to withstand it. I'll have to run, and run quickly to make my way past their borders. If they shift and start tracking me, that won't be good.

I can feel my heart pounding, and my skin is still warm. The forest branches rustle as the winds blow.

The male lets out a deep growl. His eyes narrow, but I watch as he reaches into his pocket. "My patience is gone. Come now and the punishment will be less." A silver band, the same kind that Ena'vale and the other females wore. The sharp edges look harmless, but I have seen what it can do.

Spinning on my heels, a newfound energy bursts into my veins. Lily surges forward on the brink of starting a shift, she is so close. My eyes blur, the forest tilting but before I veer off path the fog clears and everything sharpens. The forest scents are amplified and I clap my hands over my ears. One by one I take away a finger letting my mind take in the new information.

There is a river to my left. I head to it, ducking under branches and swerving around bushes. The barks and howls behind only spur me on.

The ground slips from beneath me. My palms and knees sting, but the heat of healing soon takes over. A growl rips through me as something clamps down on my ankle. Kicking my legs, whacking the dark brown wolf on the snout hard enough that it lets go. It throbs as I scramble to stand. Pulling out the folding knife, I grip it in my right hand. The golden wolf charges past, and I bring the knife down.

Taking off, I can sense them following me. The blazing heat of the deep wounds healing, mixed with the onrush of pain slows my pace.

The border, the scent wall is just ahead. The line that splits the territory from Ne'mains land. A tingle has me spinning to the right, my flesh being nicked by a claw. The warm liquid leaks down my leg, and is thick in the air.

One last step.

I'm across the lines.

The golden wolf stops, but as I slow to look over my shoulder, I watch the dark brown wolf barrel forward. Claws upturning the wet soil, tail lashing, I fall into a crouch just narrowly missing the wolf.

Sprinting to the left, all I can do is keep moving. One leg after the other, bunching up my cloak and dress to avoid catching. I either have to outlast the persistent shifter, or wound him enough that he can't follow. I'm unsure how far he is willing to go.

My energy is waning, each step becoming heavier and heavier. Skidding to a halt, the wolf slows, circling in one big arch.

Lily forces her way into control and leaps forward bring the knife down. Tearing through flesh and fur, he howls, claws thrashing. Stumbling back, knife red, eyes wide I bolt. Away from the scene, away from the females; I'm running from my memories. No, he isn't dead, only maimed. That shifter would heal, no more blood on my hands.

***

Cupping my hands I lift the water to my mouth. Sitting by the slow flowing water I take out some cloth from my bag. Wetting it, I dab the teeth marks and then wring out the red water. It's already healing over, as the warm tingles around my ankle strength.

The warm weather must be melting all the snow and ice and tricking down to pooling in these rocks. Leaning back I shake out the clothing that held the smoked meat. There should be plenty of game at this time. I'm glad to have ridden out the winter in a pack, it is a hard season for the Solus. As a pack shifters can take down the bigger game that stays year round, not to mention the warm homes.

Shaking out the aches, I jump down from the rocks. The distance isn't far and the bite no longer throbs. Moving at a jog, I scent the air. The closer I move the more it fills my nostrils. It burns my nose and the scent only thickens; dead and rotting.

The clearing is all torn, branches and trees littering the ground. The light green grass hides the red soaked ground, but my senses detect the metallic smell everywhere. Moving ahead, the area is in ruins. The bones are bare and some broken; probably stripped clear during the cold season. Nothing is left, either eaten or taken back into the earth to give light to new life.

Scanning the area I spot some bare patches of upturned earth, perhaps some of the shifters were buried.

So focused on the site I neglect to pay attention to the new presence until they speak. "An old battleground. There are more to come as the packs start fighting."

Eyes flashing, I pull my cloak closer. A pack scent doesn't cling to the male and female shifter, nor the smell of blood. "More to come?" I can flee if it comes to it, however it would be nice to know what has been going on.

"Oh yes, haven't you heard? The pack shifters are start to form alliances as things are getting rather antsy. More and more shifters are joining packs for safety, and more and more packs are accepting shifters to add to their numbers." The golden haired female waves her hands through the air. "What are you doing packless and alone? I would have thought you pack would keep you, and even if you were born a Solus a pack would probably accept you anyways."

Shrugging I reply, "I wasn't aware the packs were getting ready to fight... As for being Solus, that is a long story." I don't want to scare them off right away. They seem to know more about what is going on then I do.

"Yes, yes. A lot of packless are gathering at Ne'mains to exchange information and ideas. We were headed to one when we stumbled upon you and these ruins."

A deeper voice joins the conversation. My gaze shifts towards the male, but I relax my grips on my bag as Lily gives her approval of the two. Lily has been surprisingly calm during this whole ordeal, though perhaps she is still drained from the running. It doesn't make sense but I brush it off, Lily is a good judge of character.

"Inszla-"

She cuts him off with a look. "Hush, V'ylore. Let's put these shifters to rest and then we can speak more. No matter what happened, we must let them go back into the earth for the Mother Moon will now deal with them."

The male—V'ylore—puts his arm around the female, pushing golden strands out of her face. "As you say Inszla. Come female," his tone is neither demanding nor of malice. "Help us put these bones into the earth." He bends down, sifting his hand through the new sprouts of grass. I watch as they pick up fragments of bones and small squares of what once was clothing. As the pile grows, I bend down as well scanning the area for remains.

The three of us dig a hole and place the pieces in it one by one. I have been to burials before, though not many. Each pack has their own rituals, so I let V'ylore and Inszla take the lead. I listen closely as they say a final farewell and I murmur my old packs blessing. I may not be within the pack, however I know naught of the battle and will assume it was well fought and that they deserve a send off.

They approach me and I smile. "Can we talk? I'm curious as to the state of the packs."

"Yes, of course."

***

"Inszla and I were banished from our pack for speaking up." V'ylore explains, fiddling with Inszla's golden locks, keeping her close.

"Yes, he didn't like the fact that we—well I—spoke out against him." Inszla smiles, her eyes flashing as her wolf make an appearance. "And of course V'ylore wouldn't let me leave without him, so here we are living freely, and exchanging information."

"Thank you for the information." My hands itch, and I rub them together. "I was also banished from my pack." I don't bother to explain the details, for we were both pushed into being Solus for different reasons but in the same way. I am glad that they have each other, for they seem lovely and we are not meant to be alone.

"I think we should all set up camp here." Inszla suggests, already starting to lay things down. "We can tell you more of what we know, and besides, groups are safer than being alone."

Though my wolf trusts them, I can help but be slightly hesitant. I like being around shifters that understand me, I like being social, and the feeling of being apart of something. But even more so, something nags at the edges of my mind. "Do you know anything about the Glaciek pack?" The words feel foreign, for not once since I was banished have I asked about my old pack by name. However, with the knowledge that wars are brewing I must know if my sister is safe.

V'ylore's dark brown eyes meet my own grey ones. Wrapping an arm around his mate he almost reluctantly answers, "It isn't good from what I've heard. The rumours from that area are intense and they seem to be getting ready to go on the offensive."

Biting back a groan, I nod. "Thank you... My sister is in the pack and I needed to know..." Maybe I can convince her to head to a healing pack; she could stay with Frayler or even Everett. Everett... No, I need to decide on what to do. "You guys should head to one of the healing packs."

Inszla smiles, strength written in her every move. "We have a few more Ne'mains to hit and then we are going to the Vera pack. We stopped there a while back, but we only stopped long enough to trade before setting out to hit the more remote packs and other Solus."

"That's a good idea." The Vera pack would be a good place for them. They didn't want me, there wolves could see what Lua Lupa set upon me, but they are good shifters, they will take care of them. The Vera pack will take care of those that deserve it, not to mention V'ylore and Inszla seem like useful pack members to have. They are resourceful. "Will you tell the High Healer that you saw me and that I know what I need to do?"