Cries echoed through the crevice she had fallen down as Solstice thrashed against what was pinning her down. A younger wolf, nearly a year old, silent in his movements and snarls had latched onto her shoulder. Thoth was still much smaller than his sister, but he had power behind his bite and was determined to do what damage he could to her shoulder, her throat, her voice. His big paws clawed at her yelping muzzle and he shook what he could of the flesh he had grabbed. Deep in this wintery hell-hole, he would silence a beautiful voice that haunted him.

Until another sound broke through the dark and the wind. The voice of a concerned would-be rescuer. Immediately the pup released his sister and looked in the direction Ame’s barks were coming from. His lips peeled back in a voiceless snarl, only air hissing through his teeth. Hot and cold eyes flashed back to his barely conscious sister before he slipped away into the storm once again, his paws leaving bloody prints in the falling ice.

Solstice looked through bleary eyes towards the sound of her rescuer. Whines and whimpers were still coming from her lips as her vision went in and out of focus. Here… Her voice was soft, hoarse from her yelling and scared that her attacker would return. Please… I am so cold. But she did not know from what. The wind struck through her fur, and her head was a fog from the impact against rocky ice. Beneath her body creamy legs were twisted. Blood slickened the snow around her and her breathing was shallow. Everything around her was fading fast. Whispers around her were growing louder, calling her out of the howling wind.