ETMURG

Icalave’s heart burned as he turned his head to the south.
“Let this not be forgotten. We will have a moments silence for Rossmend.” Icalave’s voice shivered and the remaining three could hear his compassion, so with respect, they did as he said.
Moments passed and Icalave’s mind dragged him down. He did not want to think of what was inevitably the fate of Rossmend, but couldn’t help it. Horrible images raced across his eyes and a small whimper of loss found its way out into the black air in front of him.
Arssneq came up beside him. Icalave felt his strength return and gathered himself with a heave of his will.
“Let’s go.” Icalave stood up from his saddened lump on the ground. “And try to keep yourself well hidden. We are not in the mountains anymore; do not rely on natural instinct.” The little spots of light that were in the near distance welcomed life, but Icalave wasn’t fooled by it. He knew that they were about to throw themselves into the society of Mann and took great caution on what their next plan was.
“How far do you reckon it is to the settlement, Icalave?” Arssneq asked from his side.
“Not very.” Budney replied from an unknown place. No one could see him save for himself.
“Thanks, Bud.” Arssneq tried to say back in a halfhearted tone. Icalave took in pride knowing that Arssneq was only trying to help warm up the glum mood that had forced itself around them now. Genera stayed quietly behind.
Icalave sniffed the air to find the sickly sweet smell now had an icy cold sweaty stench to it as well. He recognised it to be fear, so in an act of trying to be encouraging, he hauled himself over to her.
Despite the pitch-black night, Genera’s face shone shocked straight into Icalave’s. Her white fur and green markings produced enough glow for him to see every little detail that was making its way across her flawless face.
“We’re going to die aren’t we?” Genera quivered. Icalave brought his face into hers, similar to what he had done in the mountains.
“Go back now, whilst you still can, Genera.” Icalave tried saying in a kind tone. He knew that she had more of a chance surviving if she left now.
“But the Death Wolves! What if they come back?! What if Rossmend didn’t survive and they… try to…” Genera’s voice cracked with fright. Without even thinking, she plunged her sodden face into the beefy fur of Icalave’s mighty chest. Icalave was stunned at the movement and had no idea how to react to such outbursts of emotions. He had mastered and taught himself and his Rangers the power of covering emotion and only letting them out at the appropriate times. Now, Icalave thought, would not be an appropriate time. For all they knew, there could be more Death Wolves out there and they needed to make decisions quickly. He did not wanted to make them too hastily as he knew that disastrous results would follow.
“There is no need for that way of thought, Genera.” Icalave’s voice rumbled through his chest and directly into Genera’s pressed ear on it. “Rossmend would…” But incapable of finishing his sentence, Icalave left out a deep sigh.
A shallow breezed passed over the hill that they were on and sent a stabbing chill through Icalave’s wet chest, but out of experience, he left the pain pass and stayed in his current position of soothing Genera’s weeps.
“What’s going to happen to us?” asked a small voice with no body, but was recognised to be Budney’s. Arssneq walked over to where he thought he heard the voice coming from to also give some comfort.
“We need to make a decision as soon as possible.” Icalave announced. Genera drew her face out from Icalave’s soft chest fur and looked up into to his eyes.
“What decision is this?” Arssneq asked as Budney clung onto him instead.
“Who goes back with Genera and who comes with me,” his voice ruptured with the authority that it had always been used to.
“I don’t want to go back!” Genera protested from under Icalave. “But I don’t want to go either.”
“We can’t stay here, Genera.” Icalave sympathetically told her.
“I’ll go with you, Icalave.” Came Arssneq’s brave voice. Icalave thought for a moment. Again his brow creased and the works of his mind ticked away.
“No. I’ve changed my mind. I shall go on alone.” Icalave’s voice had obviously betrayed the trust that Arssneq had built up for him because the expression of remorse that plummeted onto Arssneq’s face was enough to yet again break the heart of Icalave. “You must get back to Trevlenn. The message of Mann’s crime must reach the capital of each allied Wolvian city! And I will not hear any please or opinions otherwise.” Arssneq bowed his head, as if taking orders from a royal personally, but the chewed up emotions his eyes were emitting were enough to force Icalave away with a grunt of dissatisfaction. Icalave hated it when he had to make hard decisions like this, but instinctively he knew it was for the better.
With one paw raised in front of the other, Icalave set off for the lights in the distance, leaving Arssneq in charge of taking care of and safely returning Genera and Budney home.
“How will he get home?” Budney questioned Arssneq from the clinging position from Arssneq’s front right foot.
“He’ll find a way. He always does.” Arssneq sighed. Genera had started to break into tears again. “Anyway, the real question is, where are we going to take you?” Arssneq peered down into the blackness. “You can’t exactly go strolling into Trevlenn with your heritage.”
“I could hide?” Budney suggested. “It’s what I’m best at anyway.”
Arssneq sighed and watched the now pacing white figure weave in and out of the rock formations.
“C’mon. Let’s go home.” Arssneq took the lead in taking Genera and Budney to Silvetatrape Forest, the atmosphere that hung around reflected the dark lifeless night that they slowly made their way through. It was though another life was now hopelessly lost to them, only now they knew he stood a chance.

Icalave kept low to the ground as possible as the lights he was approaching grew bigger and more details of objects produced from them. He smelt the air and on found it was full of the strange and fouls scents he had tried to familiarise himself with earlier, only they were stronger.
Icalave spotted a few of the Mann’s and presumed from their heavy breathing that they had passed out from some sort of intoxicating plant material, as far as he could smell. Other from their few presences, there was no life in this small settlement. Icalave, full of caution, dared not to reveal himself, and took care to keep to the back and in the shadows.
The strange caves that were sprung up everywhere almost looked identical, and to Icalave’s amazement, they were all made of wood. But upon closer inspection, he found they were made from the wood of Silvetatrape Forest. Anger fuzzed its way up through Icalave’s stomach and a confusing urge to tear the settlement apart overcame him. With great mastery, Icalave held himself, but the boiling didn’t cease. Icalave went around and smelt all that he could. The fresh smell of Silvetatrape’s wood perfumed from some of the above ground caves, the rotten smell of week old meat erupted from the ground that had just been freshly covered, the strange smell of poisons and herbs swept out from only one of the caves.
Icalave made his way between one of the tunnels that resided between two of the caves, eager to discover more. The darkness proved too bold for him and caught him unawares. A loud crashing sound of metal came from in front of Icalave before a thud of his body from hitting the ground occurred. He wined in discomfort, only to find that getting back up onto his feet proved more fatal than staying down. Another crash came and yet again, he fell down. Lights everywhere came on and Icalave’s heart raced out of the settlement, faster than what his own body could. He struggled to stand as a slippery substance made its way under his paws. With a huge heave followed by a large thrust, Icalave freed himself of the chains of the ground and began to try and find his way out.
Clunks from hard objects hitting wood began buzzing around him. Lights from the entrances of caves dangled in mid air because the creature holding it could not identified. Icalave was surrounded; he prepared himself for an onslaught by puffing himself up and baring his teeth before letting out an aggressive growl. Growls from creatures below the lights replied in a frenzy of greed before letting out sharp barks that spoke of nothing but death. Icalave was trapped. His fate was sealed within the unnatural fangs of the Death Wolves. He panicked, before letting out a deep long Howl.

Arssneq and the others had reached the Belltrude River. He pricked up his ears in the direction they had just came from to discover a long Howl emerging from the confides of the distance. Budney shivered.
“It reminds me of Rossmend.” Budney chocked. Arssneq sighed and his muscles tensed.
“I have to help him.” He said to the others. Genera and Budney looked at each other.
“We can’t go alone. We’ll come with you and you can’t change that!” Snapped Genera at Arssneq.
“Your choice,” he called as the ground underneath him greeted the passing of his paws. Genera and Budney followed in his silent wake; only to find that within minutes Arssneq had disappeared from their sight, even Budney’s.
“Damn he’s fast.” Genera puffed to Budney.