In Felicity's head, it was fate that guided her to him.

In reality, the explanation most likely had more to do with magic than anything else.

Her whole body buzzed with energy, crackling with shades of pink and black. In its exhausted state, her magic seemed to have lost all sense of control, and instead rippled through her every action. It pushed her at rapid speeds she'd never experienced. Her senses stretched out far and wide, heightened by her determination. It was likely that the acute sense of smell she had gained, much like the myths of the wolf ancestors, was what led her to her black-cloaked destination.

Yet none of that mattered. Every thought was driven from her mind in the moment she laid eyes on him fully.

Except one.

Kill.

He scarcely had chance to spin around before she was pouncing, her paws wrapping around his chest and sending him tumbling to the ground. Letting out a yelp of shock, he squirmed, fighting against her grip. She only managed to hold him down for a few moments before her claws slipped and she stumbled away. They both shot to their paws instantly, staring at each other in persistent hostility.

"Are you insane?" the Shadewylf exclaimed, lifting his tail at a threatening angle.

"Maybe," Felicity replied, because it was true. Perhaps she was. But it didn't make her cause any less worthy.

He took a few wary steps backwards, then advanced again as if dismissing his own fear. "Dear Luna. You're one of those morons who still thinks the war is going on." Sighing heavily, he brought his ears back, then twisted his head to the side. "But a Glitter-"

"I know full well when the war ended," Felicity retorted before he could continue. "I was there. I saw it." She flashed her fangs. "After I saw you kill my twin."

His eyes widened in surprise. "I don't-"

But she didn't want to hear anymore. It was time he paid for his crimes. With a shrieking snarl, she leapt again, this time latching her claws into his back and slipping them beneath the skin. Pinpricks of blood soaked the ends of her claws. Finally, she'd done it.

This time, however, the surprise wasn't as great, and his returning strikes increased in ferocity. With a forceful shove, he dislodged her, then grabbed her chest and pressed it into the ground in one smooth motion. Her body folded under his muscular swipe. Tiredness swept over her limbs, reminding her of the amount of power she'd used in just the last day.

But there was still a little left.

"Tell me again," the Shadewylf growled, "why exactly are you attacking me?"

Felicity struggled against his shifting grip. "You're a murderer."

He failed to hide his flinch. "Murder is a part of war."

Her glare burned with all her rage as she looked up at him. Right into those violet eyes. Somehow, it angered her that they didn't sparkle with the same malevolence and blood they always had in her dreams. "No," she snarled. "You killed Felix."

That made him hesitate. His grip momentarily loosened, allowing her to free her claws and scrape them across his snout. Her paw was quickly forced away before she could cut any deeper, but the sight of the tiny red trails weaving amongst his black fur drew her fangs back in a satisfied grin. Her spluttering magic flared as she fought to reach for more.

No. Stop. Concentrate.

She stopped flailing, wrapping her mind as much as she could around the remainder of her magic's energy. The power was barely functional, but it was there. She just needed time to concentrate it.

The Shadewylf's shocked hesitation quickly faded into a snarl. "One casualty amongst many. I have dead friends too."

"I bet they were nothing compared to Felix," she growled back. The magic tugged at her chest, continuing its work.

Fury sparked in his eyes. "They died heroes."

"They died villains." Her heart raced, filled with the passion she felt at speaking those words. The words that had lurked so long in the back of her mind, but never emerged from her throat. "So many innocent blood was shed by their claws. By your claws. The war was your doing." Anger turned her tone almost guttural. "Felix was your murder."

So many emotions flickered through his expression. When he finally spoke, his tone was laced with rage. "And you've never spilt innocent blood either, Glitterwylf fighter?"

Her lips drew back fully, revealing her fangs as they snarled with the force of all her pain. "Only by your actions."

The magic snapped. The concentrated pulse was unleashed as she spoke her final word. Before the Shadewylf could react, a deadly point was hurtling for his exposed chest.

He released her, staggering backwards, then turning and attempting to sprint away. But he couldn't. More sharpened spears shot from the bushes behind her, forming a tight circle around him, enclosing him in the middle of the path. Nowhere to run. Trapped.

Felicity could only smile as the largest point sailed towards his heart.

Until it stopped.

Leaping to her paws, she stared at the points in horror. She pushed harder, clenching her chest with the effort. Yet the spear remained there, hovering still in mid-air, the tip just resting against the spot where his heart should be.

She could feel the remnants of her energy draining. Her magic was running on adrenaline, and even that was exhausted now. Desperately, she forced all her fading might into that spear, but it was useless. She crumpled to the ground, gasping, her power spent.

A part of her foggy mind wondered why her sharpened flints hadn't fallen away by now. She certainly wasn't able to keep them up there.

She didn't have to wonder for long. As she raised her head, still panting, the answer stepped out from behind a building.

It was Kyra.

Eyes darting about uncertainly, forepaws shaking from the effort, but there she was nonetheless. Her head was lifted high and she held an air of confidence about her. Even if it was only forced confidence, it worked all the same.

"Please stop, Felicity," she called as she approached. "You don't want to do this. Not really."

Though she was unable to stand, Felicity still stared back fiercely. "I do," she said softly. "I have to. It will... it will fix me."

Another shape emerged from the shadows of the houses, his dark eyes fixated on her. "It won't, Felicity. You know it." He moved further forwards, past Kyra, and bent down in front of her. "How do you think Felix would feel if he saw what you were doing?"

"It doesn't matter," she growled. "He can't see me. He's dead." Her tail lashed behind her. "So I have to avenge him."

"You really don't!" Kyra rushed forward, slipping in beside Mak. "It's not the right thing to do! Killing is bad!" The fear that shook her voice was painful to hear.

Mak stared at her, right in the eyes, as if he were looking deep into her shattered soul. "It's alright, really. We understand. We want to help you." He briefly touched her snout with his. "There's nothing wrong with you, Felicity. But there's nothing wrong with him either." He inclined his head towards the Shadewylf, still surrounded by the levitating spears. "You're two ordinary wolves caught in a time and place that was destined to cause death."

Each word pierced her wall of anger, peppering it with cracks. As his breath faded away, the fury finally crumbled, and her head dropped to the dirt. Tears poured out. Real tears. Tears for Felix, and for all the innocent wolves who had died alongside him. Tears for the Shadewylf.

And, for the first time in over a moon, tears for herself.

Kyra's warm flank pressed up against hers. Mak settled on the other side. They both hugged her tightly as words tangled with sobs escaped her closed throat.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, over and over. "It's my fault. I'm sorry."

Eventually, Mak nudged her gently. "Stop apologising," he told her, a soft command overtaking his tone. "This is no-one's fault. Not his, and certainly not yours."

As she pressed herself further into his embrace, crying deep into his comfortable brown fur, a nervous laugh made her ear twitch. Shifting, she poked one eye out, looking over at the circle of spears held up by Kyra's magic. The black wolf inside was glancing sideways at them.

"Would you mind moving this?" He indicated his snout towards the point still just touching his chest. "It's getting rather uncomfortable."

To Felicity's left, Kyra's head shot up. "Oh, sorry!" she squeaked. The spears clattered to the ground, and the Shadewylf let out a shaking sigh of relief.

"Thanks." Stepping over the now-dormant objects, he approached them. His violet eyes were nowhere near as harsh as they had been in Felicity's memories. If anything, they were rather handsome. Especially as he focused them on her, and she saw soft concern, perhaps even guilt, glimmering within them.

Stopping before her, he dipped his head slightly. "Look, I didn't mean what I said before. I... I'm sorry I killed your twin." With his shoulders hunched over, he appeared less threatening than he had before.

Despite her pain and exhaustion, Felicity rose, supported on either side by her friends. "And I'm sorry I attacked you. I... wasn't myself." She found herself ducking her head in a similar manner.

"So we can forgive each other?"

The sincerity in his voice was more pleasant than any flow of blood.

"Yes," she decided. It was as if a weight had lifted from her shoulders, taking Pynk and everything it had stood for along with it.

Of course, the pain hadn't gone anywhere. But it was eased. For now, she would take that gladly.

The Shadewylf bowed his head further. "Not a day goes by that I don't regret it, you know," he said softly. "The killing. But I tell myself it was just a part of the war. I've grown to live with the guilt." He let out a short barking laugh. "Well, blaming that idiot Montasir helps too." He growled something foul under his breath, bringing a faint smile to Felicity's drooping snout.

"I'm Enver, by the way," he added with a chuckle, twitching his tail.

She flicked her own pink tail back at him. "I'm Felicity." Her muscles relaxed as her heart finally beat normally again. She'd forgotten how good it felt to hear such a steady rhythm.

Lifting her head fully, she glanced up at the sky. Somewhere above, Felix was urging her to speak the final words, the ones that had been so familiar back when he had stood beside her. She obliged.

"But you can call me Fliss."