What happens when loyalty dies?

What Happens When Loyalty Dies

Lonewolf

A tribute to a loyal friend

Curse

Run. That's all she could do. That's all that could be done. Just run. Run from home, family, friends, allies, all of whom had betrayed her.

Everything was a blur to the young wolf as she darted past snow capped trees in the early hours of the dawn. She couldn’t stop, not while she was still this close. Iris Wind had been dashing through the Northern Tundra for the past hour, and still had miles to go before she deemed herself safe. She was still too close. She would always be too close.

Her breath steaming, legs barely holding in, she knew she had little left in her. But Iris needed every ounce of strength left in her to take her from the condemned life she was so graciously bestowed. The image of living one more day in freedom was all that held her together. That image broke with a snag of a branch on her hind leg.

With her stride broken, her body went limp, momentum propelling her across the frozen landscape. She landed with a hard impact against the base of a pine tree. With the adrenaline rushing through her veins, Iris attempted to regain her pace. She stumbled to the ground after her left hind leg buckled under the force. At further investigation, a large gash had been torn into her thigh and was bleeding at a substantial rate.

“Great! Just great!” She yelled to the sky as the pain broke past the adrenalin rush. “The one chance I had, gone! Why must you condemn me to this fate! You burdened me with these wings, and now you sentence me to death because of them. What have I done to earn the rank of the gods only to die a traitor to the pack!” Iris lowered her head to the ground, softly whimpering.

How had this one day gone so horribly wrong?

[hl]

Roughly an hour earlier

Iris woke from her dream state as she always did, stretching her forelimbs, and strowed forth from her den. She trotted out of the cave, making sure to leave the alpha to his  slumber, and sat to enjoy the first snow of the new day.

Iris Wind was a young, slim beta gray-wolf. She had hits of curry yellow along her coat and tail, but was most dominant on her face lining her eyes and ears. The most prominent display was the three hawk feathers tucked behind her ear running down her neck. She was always the tomboy of the pack, and the others knew it, as she wanted. Iris didn’t cause any resistance otherwise; She played her role and kept her needs maintained while helping the others. As a beta-wolf, she wasn’t necessarily needed up this early in the day, as it was the to omegas to gather the first meal. She just loved the sunrise of the early dawn, and today was no exception.

She began to daydream, losing herself to the first sight of the celestial glow of the sun peeking over the Northern Mountains. The rays seemed to beam their first lights upon her, warming her coat to subdue the early frost. This is what made waking up this early worth it.

“Oh great Pterolykos,” Iris prayed to the winged wolven god, “Thank you for this day, as all others have been before it.”

Iris sat in the snow, feeling a sense of something she couldn’t exactly explain. The best word at the top of her head would be ‘fullness’. However, the only problem was that usually fullness came after the omegas brought back breakfast. And as if by an uncanny cue, Crimson Shadow, Corse Sair, and Tiber Fang, the omegas, rounded the backside of the cave. Corse and Tiber were pulling what looked to be a large buck while Crimson, a well built dark gray omega, carried a falcon in his mouth.

“Nice to see you boys brought enough for the pack.,” Iris greeted the three, sitting up in attention.

“You know, if you helped, we might get more on the first catch of the day,” Crimson jived back, dropping the fowl to the grown. He nodded to the others to move the main course to the usual dining area.

It was not usually permitted for a lesser-wolf to insult a superior. However, in this case, Iris wouldn’t have it any other way. Last year, during a horrid snowstorm on the day of everlasting night, the beta-male Star Walker died in an avalanche. When the news reached Iris, Crimson was the only wolf to comfort the mourning teen. As a result, the two became rather close; some assumed the two would become mates within the months ahead. It wasn’t unheard of for a beta and an omega to become mates, especially in Iris’s case.

“I help out with the rest of the meals, you guys have to just find breakfast.” Iris replied, letting a sly smile  cross her face. This in turn broke any emotional barrier Crimson had as a small laugh escaped him, although it wasn’t loud enough to wake the pack. A moment of silence passed as the two stared into the other’s eyes; she staring into his luxurious carmine eyes, he staring at- not her exactly, but more behind her. A slight strain of confusion ran across his face, only worrying the beta-wolf more.

“What is it?” Iris asked, slightly concerned.

“I...” He began, still transfixed on whatever was behind her. She turned to find what was causing the distraction, only to see a cave wall. When she returned to her friend, he was in a worse state of confusion and uncertainty.

“What?” She asked more persistently. “You look like I just grew a second tail.”

“You're not far off, Iris.” He he muttered in a nervous tone. “You might want to check your back.”

Iris glanced over her shoulder to see what troubled the wolf, only to meet a sight that nearly rendered her unconscious.

On her back, where usually there was just fur, were a pair of large fully feathered gray and curry wings. Iris was speechless, unsure if this in itself was a dream or a vary elaborate prank pulled by one of the three omegas.She flexed her back muscles to see if she could feel the new appendages. As she did so, both wings responded and partially unfurled themselves as if startled. Deep inside the wolf’s mind, one theory slowly emerged. Iris slowly turned to Crimson, and judging by his expression, he knew it as well. Iris Wind was a Pterolykos.

After what felt like hours of the two staring at each other, a voice called to them, catching them both off guard.

“Hey, Iris. Anything happen while we were gone? Also, what's with the wings?” Called Tiber from within the cave. The two looked over to the unfazed wolf who seemed to taking the situation rather well (or just didn’t get the point).

Crimson opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by Tiber again. “Wait, are you a... You got to be kidding me! Your a winged wolf!” He cried out in delight. “You are a winged wolf! Your a god! Hey, I’m related to a god! Ha! Corse, get over here. Iris is a god.” He called into the cave. “You betas get everything. Dusk is going to want to hear this.” And with that, the perky wolf bounded into the cave. Iris could only mentally facepaw over what just happened.

After a minute of recovery from the residual awkwardness of both the situation at paw and Tiber's reaction, Crimson and Iris slowly entered the cave to see what the alpha was going to say about this. This wasn’t to end well, or anywhere close to it.

“Tiber, for the last time, the Pterolykon isn’t here. If anything, he might be looking in our general direction, but the god wouldn’t be here of all places.” Duck Chaser retorted to a still enthusiastic Tiber. Duck was a large muscled pure black alpha wolf with neon yellow eyes. He usually kept his temper in check, but Tiber was the reason he had to keep it in check in the first place.

“Fine, if you don’t really think we have a god in our presents, look at Iris.” Tiber replied, an overly smug grin plastered to his face.

“Tiber, I’m going to look behind me. If there is no winged wolf, you better be good at not getting killed.” Dusk said in a mock calm voice, as he turned to meet the two entering wolves. Dusk’s irritated face instantly dropped to an expression of unease.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Tiber wasn’t joking,” Called a rather happy but uncertain Corse, who until now was feasting alone on the carcass of the deer.

“I-Iris. How did this happen?” Dusk questions after a few seconds of silence.

“I don’t... I don’t know.” Iris began, her voice trembling slightly. “I didn’t even notice till Crimson pointed them out to me.” Iris knew it best to say the least as possible, as it was all she knew.

After a moment of thought, Dusk replied “Wait outside the cave for a few minutes. We have some matters to discuss.” With compliance, Iris walked out. As she called it, this was going to end badly.

‘They didn’t need me to leave unless this was going downhill. What would be the point otherwise.’ Iris thought as she left. ‘Usually Dusk took my side of things. What is going on?’

“This can’t be overlooked!” Came a shout from within the cave, making Iris jump. The voice was Dusk’s. “I know what the prophecy says, ‘When the Pterolykos falls, another shall take it’s place,’. But then why her, and who could strike down a Pterolykos. No, I don’t think she is a god.”

“Then, what is she?” Crimson interjected. “If she’s not a winged wolf, then she’s-”

“A traitor!” Dusk barked, “Iris has done this to herself. If she thinks she’s a god, she has slandered all that we believe true. And she shall fall, as all betrayers must.”

Assorted gasps came from the cave's mouth as Iris sat there, not believing what she had heard.

“Don’t you think this a bit much, Dusk?” Crimson asked.

“A traitor to the gods is a traitor to us all. Do you question my judgment, omega?” Dusk snarled.

After a moment’s pause, “N-no Dusk, I do not,”

And with that, all good in this world had been crushed in the eyes of Iris; Her leader and protector condemning her to death for a reason she had no control over, and what's worse was her love agreed to go along with it.

While she had the chance, she knew she had to run. It meant leaving everything she had known. It meant risking everything she had left. It meant leaving the love of her life. She wouldn’t have it any other way. As she bolted beyond the perimeter of the cave, her last thoughts were Crimson, and how she hoped never to be deceived by his or anywolves ‘loyalty’ again.