Hongjoong knew he had upset his pack. He could feel it from everyone right before the link faded away with distance

But he felt he had no choice

There was too much about Siyeon that had felt off to him, and he wanted to make sure he learned from his mistakes of the past.

He didn't like how possessive she seemed to be with Avayla. It was a very odd behavior, especially given that they were both alphas. Plus it had caused a rift between him and Mingi, which he knew was partially his fault now, but that could be fixed when he got back.

He also didn't like how he had been acting with Wooyoung in the end. The little omega could still be too trusting sometimes and Hongjoong wasn't sure that Wooyoung should have talked so much about Lizbeth and what she had done for them.

Although... Siyeon's reactions did see genuine.

Hongjoong had been carefully monitoring her the entire time, scenting the air and trying to get a feel for her. If anything, her ginger scent had faded the more upset she got.

The alpha huffed and tried to return his focus to the task at hand. Out here, the snow was uneven and not packed down like they had been working so hard to do in their territory. This made it harder for the small group of three to travel through it.

Siyeon was just a little smaller than him, so if anything, San had the easiest time.

But Hongjoong wanted him in the back so he could react quickly to anything that could happen. San was by far the quickest alpha in the pack.

A soft whine came from the female alpha, causing Hongjoong to stop and look over his shoulder.

She was looking at a group of trees, her nostrils growing bigger and smaller rapidly as she scented the air.

They had already been traveling for a couple of hours now, could she have found a sign of her pack?

Do you smell anything? Hongjoong asked, twisting his ears back and forth to stay alert.

No. Just us and the snow, if that even really has a scent. The younger sounded irritated.

Hongjoong supposed he deserved it... He should have at least shared his plans with San, although he really didn't fully decide on this until after they had left.

Siyeon started to walk toward the trees, slowly placing each front foot down to test the strength of the snow beneath them.

It took a few minutes, but soon Hongjoong realized they had chanced upon the original area with the first signs of attack on her pack.

The snow was still red in places, but it had dispersed a little as the sun had worked its magic to start melting the awful thing that had imprisoned their world.

Her ears fell back once she started to look around. This had to be hard for her to see. At the time of the attack, she probably hadn't been able to pay attention to much detail.

Hongjoong and San stood off to the side to watcher as she explored the area, giving her plenty of space and time to do what she needed.

She looks confused. The younger said after a little. He shuffled a little closer to Hongjoong's side, seeking some added warmth.

I wonder if she can't find their scent. I know we only found hers when we were here. Hongjoong huffed.

He glanced up at the sky and in noticing the setting sun, knew they would be loosing light soon. They needed to hurry and find shelter.

While the female continued to look, his mind drifted back to when he and San had gone searching for the winder snowbell flowers. The storm then had been horrid too, nearly costing them their lives.

But they never gave up. San would do anything and everything to get back to Wooyoung.

And Hongjoong would do the same for Yeosang.

Several minutes later, Siyeon's ears twisted quickly to her right and she started running as best she could through the deep snow. A howl filled the clearing, one of loss and longing.

Did she? Hongjoong's eyes flicked to San's, then the two of them hurried after her.

They pushed forward for what felt like ages, cutting through snow that had yet to be touched since it fell all those weeks ago.

A small opening appeared between the mountains in front of them, turning into what looked like a narrow canyon. It was possible there would be caves back there, which would mean shelter for Siyeon's pack if that's where they went. The mountains would have shielded it from a good majority of the storm too.

What if the bears are in there waiting for us? San whined, but he didn't slow down.

Then they are probably fat and sleepy from eating her pack. Hongjoong growled, angered at the idea of his kind being eaten by a wild creature.

They were already such a proud race to begin with. If Siyeon lost her pack to a bear... She would be heart broken. Along with whoever was waiting for them on the other side of the mountains.

Siyeon continued to push ahead of them. She managed to get on top of the snow and keep her step light enough that she didn't sink in, but that also meant she was getting further away.

San called out to her, just a few, quick yaps to try and get her attention. They saw one ear flick back, but otherwise gained no response.

Damn the link not working between packs. Hongjoong tried to put on a burst of speed. If they lost her in the canyon, it was possible they'd never make sure she was really safe.

He ended up being right about the layout of the opening. There was a steep slope of snow leading down to the bottom of it, but once there, the snow was a mere dusting.

Because of this, Siyeon really started to pull away.

She was already rounding one bend by the time San and Hongjoong reached the rock floor.

They both shook out their fur, trying to dislodge any caked on snow chunks, before rushing after her.

Stay by my side, don't run ahead. Hongjoong said when he sensed San inching forward.

I won't. But I can't see her.

Maybe she did find their scent. It doesn't look like this canyon has any branches leading from this main path. Maybe they are at the end.

I hope so... It's so much darker in here already.

San was right. The only light they had to go by now was whatever light managed to peek through the mountains. And even then, it didn't truly reach the bottom of the canyon where they were running.

Suddenly a cry of pain came from in front of them that echoed over and over and over again off the rock walls.

Both alphas pushed through their weariness and started run as fast as they possibly could.

Something started to rumble and slid and crack.

Siyeon was off to the side. It looked like her paw was stuck, trapped beneath a rock. She yelped again as she attempted to pull it free.

The rumbling grew louder.

A few tiny rocks fell in front of Hongjoong.

San made it to Siyeon first and was just about to bend down to help her when a large rock shattered against the canyon floor behind him.

The female pressed herself against the wall.

All three wolves looked up.

San! RUN! Hongjoong's eyes flitted over the top of the canyon. He thought he saw something other than the rocks falling down, but he couldn't be sure. All he could focus on was the large boulder now falling right above him.

The thundering sound of falling rocks seemed to shake the walls and ground around them, and their jumbled senses made it hard for the wolves to push forward.

Even the smallest pebble felt like a bullet wound with how fast they were falling.

Deeper and deeper into the ravine they forced. San was a short distance ahead, weaving back and forth to try and stay clear from harm.

It didn't help that it was getting darker...

Hongjoong chanced a glance over his shoulder and felt his heartbeat rise when he saw that the path behind them was completely blocked off.

He hoped there would be another way out of the canyon, otherwise he and San would have to fight their way over the boulders.

That's when he realized he couldn't see Siyeon.

Where did she go??

San! She's gone!

WHAT? San stopped for a second to look back at his alpha. Did...

I don't know. Hongjoong whined and urged him to keep running. I wasn't paying attention.

The idea of the female being buried in the rocks behind them weighed heavily on the couple as they continued to run forward as fast as they could.

Everything had happened so fast... As soon as the rockslide had started, Hongjoong's entire focus had been on San to make sure he was ok and that they both of them would survive.

They ran around two more bends and had to slide to a stop.

It ended.

The canyon just stopped.

It was a dead end.

San, in his panic, jumped up and tried to claw his way up onto one of the ledges. His whimpers could barley be heard over the thundering rockslide.

Sannie! Hang on! Hongjoong got under him and hopped up on his hide legs to give San something to step on.

That was enough for the younger to pull himself onto the ledge. He immediately turned around and opened his mouth, then grabbed the scruff of Hongjoong's neck when the alpha jumped.

But he wasn't strong enough and there wasn't enough room on the ledge...

Hongjoong's weight ended up pulling San back into the ravine, where they landed in a tangle of limps.

Joong... San whimpered. He pressed himself against the wall and his ears fell flat against his head.

The older stood and placed himself between his pack mate and the boulders. He would protect San for as long as he could. That's what a head alpha did.

Surprisingly, the rockslide started to slow a little. It didn't look like there were any new ones falling from the mountains above them, except for the smaller remains that had yet to make it to the ground.

The pile in front of them continued to shift and slide, giving away just how unstable it was.

There was no way they could risk climbing over it... One wrong step could cause the entire thing to fall apart and crush them.

Even in their human forms, it would be too dangerous.

What caused it? Hongjoong wondered, not realizing he was thinking out loud.

Was it Siyeon's yelp when her foot got stuck? San pressed the top of his head into Hongjoong's side and rubbed it back and forth.

Maybe... I suppose with the echo it could be loud enough to start one. But that seems unlikely. The older started to scent the air, searching for any signs of enemies in the area.

They couldn't let their guard down now.

She's gone... Isn't she? San whined a little and studied the rocks.

I think so. There's no way any of us would survive being trapped in there, no matter how strong we are.

The evening light was all but gone for the couple. Thankfully they could see fairly well in the dark, but that wasn't going to help them much right now.

Hongjoong nuzzled into San's side and let out a long sigh. I think there are some dried branches just over there. We should try building a fire tonight so we have some warmth. Then we can figure out what we want to do in the morning. Does that sound alright?

Yeah. I don't want to do anything with it being so dark. Not when we don't know this area. San started walking in the direction Hongjoong had indicated while Hongjoong pushed a few of the scattered rocks aside to make an area for them to lay down.

That's when another loud crack like thunder pierced the sky.

And more rocks started to fall.