"Brash and youthful."

The girl's name was Lilly, a name that seemed too soft for the fiery spirit that burned within her. Her hair was a wild tapestry of brown, a stark contrast to the pristine snow that surrounded her, fluttering in the wind like the last leaves of autumn. Her skin was pale, kissed by the cold, yet her eyes remained a vibrant blue, a spark of life in the icy embrace of the frozen wasteland.

In that moment of desperation, as the wolves closed in, Lilly's mind raced with the speed of a river in spring thaw. Each breath she took was a silent mantra, each heartbeat a tick of the clock counting down to their inevitable doom. Yet, amidst the chaos, she found a semblance of order, a glimmer of hope that shone brighter than the sun. A plan began to take form, a daring gambit that could either save her relatives or lead them all to a swift end.

Her voice, though it trembled with the cold, took on a sharpness that could have sliced through the very air. "When I said I wanted to get eaten out this isn't what i had in mind!" she quipped, her words cutting through the tension like a knife through a rope. It was a jest, a spark thrown into the darkness, an attempt to lighten the mood as the predators circled, their breaths pluming in the frigid air. But there was more to her words than mere bravado; they were a declaration of intent, a promise that she would not go quietly into the night.

Her eyes, the color of the deepest part of the ocean, locked onto the alpha wolf, the one whose gaze bore into her soul with a hunger that was both terrifying and eerily intelligent. Lilly knew that the creature was not just a beast, not just an animal driven by instinct. There was something more to it, something that made it stand out from the rest of the pack.

With a sudden burst of courage, she threw the stick directly at the alpha. It was a desperate gamble, a pebble thrown into the eye of a storm in hopes of diverting its fury. The stick arced through the air, a tiny projectile of defiance against the overwhelming power that faced her. Time seemed to slow as the alpha's eyes followed its path, a brief moment of distraction that was all she needed.

Lilly's legs, though numb with cold and fear, found their strength as she bolted in the opposite direction of her family. Her boots pounded the snow, sending up plumes of white that painted the air with the urgency of her flight. The wolves, momentarily confused by the sudden movement, took a fraction of a second to react. In that fraction of a second, Lilly had bought herself precious distance. She could feel their eyes on her, the weight of their hunger like a physical force pushing her faster, further away from the safety of the huddled figures.

Lilly's plan was to sacrifice herself for her family, pulling the attention of the wolves to her by provoking the alpha. She knew the creatures were intelligent, capable of understanding fear, and she hoped that by making herself the most visible target, she could lure the predators away. The stick, a pitiful weapon against the pack, had served its purpose, momentarily diverting the alpha's gaze and giving her the opening she needed.

As she sprinted across the frozen landscape, her heart hammered in her chest with the rhythm of a thousand drums. The wind bit at her cheeks, but she ignored the pain, her eyes focused solely on the distant horizon and the promise of escape. For a brief, hopeful second, she allowed herself to believe that she had outwitted the beasts.

The sound of paws pounding the snow grew fainter, and she dared to glance over her shoulder. The wolves hadn't pursued. Instead, they remained at the base of the hill, their gazes unblinking and eerily fixed on her retreating figure. But as she watched, a flicker of doubt danced in her eyes. Why hadn't they given chase?

"NO! GRACIE RUN!" She screamed when she realized the wolves had not bought her ruse.

Odd as it sounds the wolves had done the math. Two is greater than one. There was more bounty to be had by attacking the more vulnerable younger sibling and old woman.

Their decision was swift, their actions swifter.

Lilly had only just opened her mouth to curse her luck when a sudden, explosive burst of snow sent her heart racing. The air was ripped apart by a thunderous roar, and the ground beneath her trembled as if in protest of the violence that had invaded their quiet refuge.

The alpha wolf, the one that had been leading the pack, was suddenly sent hurtling through the air, its body twisting in a macabre dance of death. It collided with a mighty oak with the force of a meteor, the tree's ancient trunk groaning in protest as the creature's furry bulk slammed into it. The impact was so great that the wolf didn't just hit the tree; it became one with it, a mess of fur, bone, and blood that painted the once-white snow with a crimson that stood out like a beacon of horror in the desolate landscape.

"What?!" Lilly exclaimed, her voice barely audible over the thundering silence that followed the wolf's impact. The misty snow had settled into a thick, unnatural quiet that seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the next act of this grim play to unfold. Her eyes searched the horizon, searching for the source of the sound, but she saw nothing but the endless sea of white that surrounded her.

"...I'll take it from here." Arteus's voice broke the silence like a crack in the ice, a sudden, jolting presence in the frozen stillness. He emerged from the blizzard, a figure of stoic resolve against the backdrop of the swirling white. Lilly's eyes widened in disbelief, her breath hitching in her throat as she saw the bloody mitten in his hand, a grisly trophy of his victory over the alpha.

They were saved.

-To Be Continued-