Snippet #2617736

"Blast it all! Well is she alright?" an irate Nova practically yelled at the Dimitrios wolf that he had bumped into. "Yes, your family was in the village, it seemed that this attack was confined to the capitol" the other wolf replied, shuffling his paw in the dirt. This other wolf had an air of annoyance about him, which Nova couldn't figure out. Of all the news that had to greet him on his return from his trek out east, it had to be that his pack was attacked. The fact was made worse by the fact that there had been practically no carnage in his native Sharikere's since the war had started, save the incident of Rashid and the Kamarians.

In an effort to reassure himself, Nova told himself that it was great that his family was safe, he wouldn't know what he would have done if he had lost them. Unfortunately, the Dimitrios wolf caught the sigh. "You don't know what you would do? I'll tell you what Ausi, you'd be like every other one of us who have had to sacrifice something for this war. You think losing your sister or your parents is a big deal? I think its high time that you get your head out of the glaciers" the other wolf said with an unexpected snarl.

Nova was taken back by the affront, but it was an insult he wasn't willing to just swallow. With a growl, Nova shot back "What do you think I have been doing out here? What do you think I have spent my life doing? Its been serving my pack, and last I checked it was the Dimitrios who came crawling to the Ausi's after the Alva destroyed them in battle. I'd say my pack is sacrificing a whole lot so that you can keep your hide!"

"I don't doubt that the Ausi took advantage of us and put us into practical servitude and labeled it protection, but I've been talking about you. I know about your little adventure this past year with those other wolves, everyone does. Leaving the home behind to do something that you think is grand. While the rest of us have to face cold, hard, doldrum reality" the Dimitrios wolf responded.

Nova couldn't quite get a read on this wolf, whether it was jealous or bitter or just in a bad mood, and Nova being unusually riled up didn't help his read on this wolf's emotions. Instead of continuing this conversation into its probably outcome of a fight that Nova would loose, the Ausi swallowed his pride and withdrew himself with a huff. Before the earth wolf had reported the attack, he had relayed orders to Nova that he was to fetch a compass around Maxim lake to check if there were any signs of further Tenneth activity before he could return home. The lake area had always been a rough border between the Dimitrios on one side at the Onatah cliffs that made up the foothills Sharikere's, and the Tenneth coming all the way down from the Vulcans on the other. Though practically, the Tenneth side was a sparsely inhabited wood, most of the fire wolves preferring to stay in the mountains, so their control over the area was on paper only. Some of the leaders of the Ausi felt that another attack was not far off, and by seeing where exactly the Tenneth were rallying their wolves they could be prepared.

Soon Nova found himself alone in the woods again. It was one of those peaceful, carefree afternoons. A gentle wind played off the needles in the trees above, creating the sound of rushing waters high above him. The occasional twitter of a bird added to the melody, and the sun that could break through the understory speckled the forest floor, making it looking like an incomplete jigsaw puzzle. Nova had been in many peaceful thickets just like this one, though he learned from hard experience that nature was not always telling of a coming danger or evil. He had been ambushed in woods like this one several times, and the birds just kept on chirping without a care.

Glancing upwards at a certain point as he neared the Tenneth side of the lake, he saw a peculiar looking branch. It hung limply from the tree it was attached to, and it didn't really match the color. The point that jointed to the tree was rather thick, seeming to bulge out, and the stick didn't seem to have any leaves on it. When the wind blew, it seemed to flutter more than the surrounding twigs and leaves.

Like a flash it occurred to Nova that that was not a branch, but rather a piece of rope from an old Dimitrion trap. A trap that had once held a wolf he had known. Where was Cerise? Chances are that bubbly Aviran was up in the clouds somewhere, trying to get her people out of the war. She was always so idealistic about things like that. That the nature of wolves was naturally good. Hard experience has told Nova otherwise. How can there be good in those creatures who have been born with so many weapons to kill? Fangs, might, claws, and elements, were all weapons, not tools of piece.

Nova shook his head. There was too much evil in this world for Cerise even to stop. These wolves were going to destroy themselves.