Kiva sneezed into the early morning air then breathed into his paws. They had come this far already and only now was he realizing that their mission was impossible. He stared up the steep passage that would carry them over the mountains into Mount Lions. Wind howled down it over jagged rocks and loose packed snow.

                They had made camp far off to the right, using a knoll to shelter them from the stronger winds.

                As he shivered in the snow Hyxoes came up beside him and looked up the passage.

                "Are you going through that?" he asked nodding to the passage.

                Kiva sighed. "I don't know, Hyxoes. I began this trip out of desperation and only now am I seeing how impossible it all is."

                Hyxoes smiled and raised one brow. "Did I hear right, is Crown Prince Kiva the bold really saying something is impossible?"

                Kiva chuckled. "I'm flattered, Hyxoes, but look at that thing. We'll never get through. I can't ask Wes to risk his warriors."

                Hyxoes nodded and pulled his blanket tighter around him as a sharp wind blew, stinging his eyes. "If we leave now, we can make it to Recomine by early spring. That should be in time for the thaw." He looked over at his friend. "But is it what you really want to do?"

                Kiva looked again at the treacherous pass. Only the Glimmer Mountain range was more dangerous in the winter. "Hero," he said into the icy winds. "Forgive me for I'm not strong enough." He closed his eyes knowing he had failed.

                "Perhaps he's not there," Hyxoes said.

                "Yeah," Kiva said. "He probably really did die in the desert."

                "Kiva."

                Kiva's ears perked up at his name being called. The voice was being whipped around by the wind but the animal was coming closer.

                Imook suddenly appeared out of the snow, running at full speed. The wolf slammed to a halt in front of Kiva and Hyxoes. "I just, I just..." he panted.

                "For goodness sake, speak," Hyxoes said.

                "I just saw Mounts and they are coming this way fast," Imook said. "They've seen me."

                "Blast it!" Kiva hissed. "How many?"

               "Enough to take a city."

    Kiva and Hyxoes exchanged glances then the three ran back into the camp.

                "All awake, all awake!" Hyxoes shouted as he ran through the camp. "Assemble!"

                "What the heck is going on here?" Wes demanded as he came out of his tent.

                "Mounts are marching right toward us," Kiva said putting on his helmet. "Assemble your warriors."

                Elim caught up with Kiva. "This is madness we'll never be able to fight them."

                "I don't plan to fight," Kiva said climbing up on an outcrop and looking down. He could see the Mount army for himself. They had stopped at the foot of the pass. "We can't let them know how many of us are up here," he said to Elim.

                Wes and his warriors strapped on their bows and arrows then crouched down behind the rocks. "We're ready," Wes said and Kiva nodded to him.

                "Don't fire unless I say so," Kiva said. "Imook bring the white flag."

                "Will this work?" Imook asked.

                "Look at all that spoil they've captured," Kiva said. "They'd much rather save their energy and get it through the pass safely."

                Imook took a look down at the Mounts who were still approaching their camp. Nodding his head he climbed back down the rocks to get the flag. He returned to the out crop and Elim stepped aside so he could get next to Kiva.

                "Hold it up high," Kiva instructed.

                Imook raised the white flag in the air and waved it in the wind.

                "I think it's working," Kiva said as the Mounts slowed their approach.

Below the outcrop Lieutenant Torotto halted his army. He watched the white flag waving then approached his loyal buffalo companion, his armor jingling as he walked.

                "What do you think?" he asked.

                "Can't tell what they are from here," the buffalo said.

                Torotto nodded and waved his paw until a young caracal came to his side and saluted. "Archer," he addressed him pulling down his metal helmet with one blade like horn in the center. "Show these boys that Mounts don't believe in white flags."

                The caracal nodded and as quick as a whip launched a rocket into the cliff. The rocket hissed through the air taking only seconds to reach the outcrop.

                "Get down!" Kiva shouted but too late.

                The rocket hit the mountain and  exploded, sending a rumble through the rocks. Kiva and his allies fled as snow and stones rained down on them and the ground crumbled beneath their feet. Imook yelped as debris barreled him over the steep cliff.

                "Imook!" Kiva screamed. As the cream wolf as swept out of sight like a rag doll.

                Kiva  felt something in him turn and make his blood flow faster.  "Call to arms!" He roared and the warriors returned the shout all at once and stomped their feet. Kiva propelled himself down the cliff directly towards the Mounts with some of the warriors following.

                "Attack!" Torotto shouted and the Mount surged forward.

                "Draw them into range!" Kiva shouted to Elim and Hyxoes. As the Mount drew closer Kiva and the warriors stopped. Then Wes and his archers jumped from behind the rocks and fired upon the exposed Mounts.

                "Fall back, fall back!" Torotto shouted.

                "Warriors!" Wessex shouted when they had exhausted their arrows. "Sand storm!" With a loud woot he jetted down the mountain side with his warriors and plowed into the Mount at full speed.

                Kiva dodged claws and swords and hooves that crushed until he found his target. The archer had retreated to a high rock where he was guarding the spoils and the rockets. As the archer concentrated on the Keshenites as a distance, Kiva charged him. He sprung up on the boulder and blind sided him. In one fluid motion he pushed him down, spilled over some spoils and stole a rocket. 

Jumping down from the boulder, he didn't stop. His life depended on him keeping going. It was cumbersome to run with the rocket in the snow and keep out of harm but he managed to get a good distance before anyone started after him. Even with Mount on his tail, he aimed for a boulder sticking out of the snow and scaled it on one jump.

"Get back here!" the Mount kept shouting.

Heart in his throat Kiva set up the rocket, aiming it at the cargo. With shaky paws he took to flints from his pocket. The Mounts were getting closer. They were deadly close. He struck the flints lighting the fuse.

The Mounts pursing him ducked as the rocket hissed over their heads. It spun over the battle and it the spoils of war with dramatic pyro eruption. The Mounts rushed to rescue the other rockets but the fire was to great. All Kiva could do was watch the awful destruction and suffering he had caused.

                "Kiva we're out numbered!" Elim shouted.

                The wolf's ears went back when he saw the look on the Prince's face.

                Kiva looked around the battle. Left and right the warriors were falling to the Mounts. He looked down at his murderous paws then closed them into fist.

                "Kiva look out!"

                Blackness. A sea of blackness and a really sharp pain.

/

                Kiva felt himself swaying around and still felt the pain when he opened his eyes to the taste of blood in his mouth.

                "Kiva." He could see Wessex's lips moving in front of him but it was blurred. "Kiva, are you alright?"

                Kiva blinked and he could see clearly. He was looking at Wessex walking towards him but not getting any closer. He felt another bump and moaned.

                "Kiva?"

                "Yeah," he mumbled. He raised his paw to touch his aching head only to find his arm chained. Realizing he was in the back of a wagon he looked down at Wessex who was chained to the wagon by a cuff around his neck.

                Sitting up he saw that behind him Hyxoes was chained. Looking further he saw that most of the warriors had been chained together and were walking behind the wagon.

                "Get back in line!" A puma Mount hissed.

                "Imook," Kiva said closing his eyes. He saw the face of the caracal and opened them again quickly. Realizing that they were defeated and now being brought into Mount Lions in chains he let out a sharp breath.

                "Glad to see you're awake."

                Kiva spun to his right and saw a dark wolf standing before him.

                "I would call you brave, but your actions lean more towards stupid," Torotto said. "Who do you think you are? Challenging the superior nation in their treacherous mountains? You should have known you would lose."

                Kiva looked away.

                "Do you know who I am?" Torotto asked. "Hey," he barked when Kiva didn't answer.

                "I know who you are," Kiva said quietly.

                "Good. I was going to kill you, leopard but that would end your suffering, and a disgrace like yourself needs to suffer long and hard. You see your archers killed a good friend of mine.

                "Pity," Kiva said. "You should have thought about that before you murdered Imook. You saw the white flag."

                Torotto laughed. "Just one less barbarian to kill later."

                Kiva lunged for him but the chains stopped him prompting Torotto to laugh harder over the cold wind. He marched back to the front of the line.

                "No stopping!" He called to his troops. "We're taking it in one haul!"

                "Oh, Kiva." Wessex said and nodded with his chin.

                Kiva faced the front of the wagon and his ears laid back at what rose before him. At the moment they were shielded from the heavy blasts of the wind but now the passage opened up and carried them straight over the mountain and directly into it.

                "It's not the mountain, Wessex," Kiva said as the wagon began to tilt upwards. "It's what happens when we get beyond it."