The winter this year was showing its ferocity. Summoning a wind that could freeze even the strongest of beasts.

Lida, as the oldest, has always taken on the position of protector when Arzhen wasn't there. She huddled with Sedraa and Rin, feeling a sense of uneasiness. She looked around the den, and found that there was more than enough food stored for them, and checked the other two little wolves for problems. Seeing that they were alright, the foreboding became stronger.

It was at this moment that a faint bloody smell appeared. She had been vigilant because of her uneasiness, and now she guessed that it meant someone had entered the valley. She stood up and stepped forward, towards the entrance of the den. The smell of blood seemed to be getting heavier every step. She frowned, knowing that Arzhen would usually let her presence be known when returning, but now she only smelled blood.

Reaching the entrance, she stared towards the valleys and she saw a mass of black and red in the distance. The snow had started to pile atop the mass, but the shocking red trail that it had brought could not be covered up so easily, which allowed Lida to recognise what it was.

A chill shook her to the core, she ran out as fast as she could. When reaching the mass, she finally saw the horror of the black wolf's injuries. She could only nudge the black wolf, hoping for a response. However the black wolf gave none. She whimpered as she felt how cold Arzhen was. With tears streaming down her face, freezing to her fur, she started to drag the black wolf back to the den. This proved to be an arduous process, she could only gently bite down on the black wolf's shoulder. The bloody taste made her more frightened, knowing that this time Arzhen might not be able to wake up. However she would not allow Arzhen to die out in the open, when she has a home with loved ones waiting for her.

Sedraa and Rin had seen Lida leave the den and both of them were worried that she hadn't come back. They quickly paced towards the entrance, only to find Lida slowly dragging what they recognised to be Arzhen in the distance. They both looked at each other in horror, and ran towards the two. Their reaction was no less that of Lida's, they quickly started pushing the large wolf's body, and after what seemed like an eternity, they had managed to bring Arzhen back into the den.

Now they could only helplessly watch over the black wolf. The three of them huddled together with Arzhen, licking the wounds, and trying to send as much heat as possible to the black wolf. They didn't know if it would help, but not a single one of them thought to stop.

Far away in between the border of the wolves and bears. Two groups were standing solemnly. The chieftain looked at the wolves that had managed to return, and felt this was better than he estimated. However, staring at the bears who stood across from them, he wondered if they would choose to attack again.

Luckily his worries would not be answered. The bears had lost far too many in this battle. They couldn't allow any more losses. So, after deliberation between themselves, they decided to ask for peace.

A war that had lasted only a week, came to an end under the mutual devastation of both sides. The bears and wolves, although now mortal enemies, shared a peace that both sides desperately needed.

The chieftain left more scouts on the border of the frozen river to make sure no bears tried to slip through and cause trouble. After returning to the caves he was told about the grievous injuries the monster had suffered, however he looked around at the wolves that were left and apart from the warriors that were all recuperating from their serious injuries, there were only the women, children, the old, and the lazy. The few hundred healthy warriors he had left, could not stand any loss right now. There were still many small tribes that had been dissatisfied with them, now with the battle over, he knew they would test them. He needed those warriors to teach those tribes a lesson, so as to stabilise a period of time to allow the younger generation to grow up. He would also need the tribe to try their best to repopulate as much as possible.

The depressing atmosphere had completely overshadowed the victory that had been fought. They had suffered too many losses, and they had grown tired of the constant battles. Their foundation is on the verge of breaking, and they just wanted to rest. Mourning echoed from the caves for the ones they had lost.

The three little wolves didn't know that Arzhen had escaped being hunted down by luck, but they had seen a slight improvement for the black wolf that had renewed their hope. The injuries on Arzhen had showed signs of healing, although small, they still noticed it.

If the body still had energy to heal itself, then it meant it was confident enough to maintain her life.

When spring had showed itself to the world, Arzhen had finally awoken. She looked at the empty den and didn't know what was happening around her. Her body felt strangely weak, but she guessed it was because of not moving for so long. She could feel that she must've slept for a long time, the chill brought by winter couldn't be felt, but a refreshing breeze mixed with heat let her know spring had come. She heard the joyfulness coming from outside the den, but she seemed to hear something new. There were too many voices coming from outside.

When she appeared at the entrance of the den, what she saw almost took her breath away. The three little wolves were grazing among the luscious grass of the valley, allowing the gentle rays of the sun to shine upon their bodies, but in the small area that they had cordoned off, there were six even smaller wolves running around and playing. Using their little bodies to roll and fight against each other.

A tear slipped from Arzhen's eye. She could also have a family one day. 

She thought, "If this is a dream, I wouldn't mind never waking up".