Late the next evening, Coralheart awoke. She scanned the area. Snowypaw slept on a rock to cushion her still hurt ribs. Shadow and Star lay next to her rock, nuzzled into each others' fur. The place where she slept with Icetail was just her, which wouldn't have normally  bothered her, but now it confirmed with dread her horrible suspicion. Lightpaw was also missing.

She stood and quietly walked the shore. She tried to remember where, exactly, it had been that she had heard the howling. She found it, and stood there for a moment, fully aware of her surroundings. An insect crept over dry leaves. A soft wind blew through her fur. A cricket chirped. 

And then she heard it-soft snores of a wolf. She moved closer to it, listening intently. A large thicket of trees and bushes stood right ahead of her. She deeply breathed in through her nose. 

She brushed her nose through the leaves, and a sight horrific to her greeted her eyes.

Two wolves lay on a bed of moss and leaves, curled up next to each other. As she watched, the male opened his eyes and began to lick all of the female's face, from her cheek to her muzzle. The female opened her eyes and rubbed her light yellow-tan fur against his blue-grey fur. 

Betrayal was the one word in her mind as she stepped through the bush. Anger surged through her blood.

"YOU!" she snarled, trembling and barely able to stay where she was. 

Icetail looked back, uneasily calm. "Yes, me."

"I thought we were mates!" somewhere beneath all her anger, she felt sadness at being betrayed by her mate.

He shook his head almost pityingly at her. "Not anymore. You're obviously not interested in anymore pups. Therefore, I'm done with you." He wrapped his tail around Lightpaw.

She let her anger go, tearing at his flesh, biting, scratching, and running. He backed away, urging Lightpaw back, but at the same time fighting her off too. She stopped biting and instead pushed him away. "You get away!" she screamed. "I DENY YOU AS MY MATE! NOW GET AWAY!"

They ran into the surf, and began to run away. She stood there, breathing deeply, and then ran in the opposite direction, now realized she was covered in blood... and tears.