Chapter 9

                                    

                                          
I yawned. 
                          
The blankets were fuzzy warm and I didn't feel like moving. I must be back home, I thought. I could hear the birds calling and the warm morning sunlight beaming down on me.
                          
But I felt empty, like something has been taken away from me. I realized that I missed having my adventure, and I wondered what was that power they kept saying I had. I missed talking with the powerful Frost Wolves and I actually missed being with Loki.
                          
But if I were to go back...would I have been willing to risk my life for whatever was going to happen? And what if I failed the Frost Wolves? 
                          
I don't have the power to stop a war...
                          
As much as I thought I didn't like it, I wanted to go back. Some part of me craved for the adventure, the excitement, the fear, the love...
                          
"Good morning my princess."a soothing voice woke me up from my dream. My eyes snapped open to see Loki smiling contently down at me. He had a whole new set of clothes on, making him more fabulous than the last time. "It's time to get up, the frost wolves are antsy to go."
                          
"Ah! ok" In a moment I was out of bed and ready to go, grabbing something to eat before we traveled out of the gorge and to the open snow field. 
                          
The snowed was stacked up well above my knees but the frost wolves seemed to plow right through just fine.
                          
We traveled through open plain until we came across a high wall of rock, so we started our ascend, taking a less difficult path that the frost wolves usually took. Loki followed close behind me, assisting me whenever I would slip every now and then.
                          
We were more than halfway when the practically vertical walls started to rumble, growing stronger and stronger by the second, snow raining down.
                          
"Avalanche!" Loki gasped. 
                          
Snow plummeted my face. I clutched onto the rocks and bent my head down, preparing to be buried in snow. Loki grabbed onto to me, wrapping his arms around me before snow completely engulfed us.
                          
The snow threatened to rip me off the wall, pounding me hard, but Loki stood his ground behind me. It was getting hard to breath under the pressure but I refused to let go and give up.
                          
It felt like ages before the pouring snow finally slowed and stopped. Me and Loki were breathing hard for fresh air.
                          
"You..ok?" Loki asked. I nodded.
                          
The frost wolves around shook snow off their fur and looked around to make sure everyone else was alright. Darsvk was near us.
                          
"How could there have been an avalanche just now?" Darsvk growled lowly to another wolf. "We didn't do anything to cause it..."
                          
After a few minutes we continued our journey up the slope, finally reaching the top.
                          
"Tracks..." I heard Darsvk say lowly in surprise. I gazed casually his way, watching him sniff the area. "Frost wolf tracks." His eyes narrowed. 
                          
We had a moment to rest before Darsvk commanded us to continue our trek, going through a forest just a few meters away.
                          
Loki walked beside me in comfortable silence. 
                          
Fierce howls pierced the cold air as frost wolves in all directions jumped out behind rocks and trees, attacking the unsuspecting wolves around me. 
                          
I gasped as I was knocked over by a wolf plummeting into the other beside me, their jaws snapping at each other. 
                          
I didn't know what to do, I didn't know why frost wolves were attacking us. 
                          
Loki grabbed ahold of me, pressing me against him to protecting me from any lashing paws.
                          
Within a moment the attackers had surrounded us, Darsvk wolves grouped in a protective circle around me, growling threatenly at the attackers.
                          
"Darsvk..." A dark voice rumbled in a chuckle. "You have the one thing that I need."
                          
Darsvk looked around sharply "Who is the one that dares attack me and my pack?!"
                          
"Do you not remember me?" the voice scoffed. Motion caught my eye as I saw a dark brown frost wolf step out of the shadows, his ambers eyes blazed as it met mine. Two scars chris-crossed across his face. 
                          
Darsvk gasped "Kaztu?! I thought you were dead!"
                          
Kaztu laughed bitterly "It takes more than a few measly frost giant beasts to kill me Darsvk." in a more serious tone he added "Even the dead can come back to life." Darsvk didn't know what to say. 
                          
"Now enough small talk!" Kaztu growled. "I have you and your pack surrounded along what I need. Give me the girl now and your pack doesn't suffer death." 
                          
"Why do you need ME?" I blurted in surprise. 
                          
Kaztu flicked his tail," That is not for me to explain in front of THIS company." Kaztu eyes shifted to Loki then back to me. "Surrender now and you may learn of the reason."
                          
Curiosity took ahold of me, and I was about to take a step forward when Frost wolves howled in the distance. 
                          
Kaztu cursed. "Too bad the avalanche I created didn't finish you off, my job would be a lot simpler. But it's high time we go." Kaztu's pack started to retreat. "And I promise...we will get the girl the next time we meet!" And with that they were gone.
                          
In a few moments another group of frost wolves came. "Who are they?" Loki demanded. 
                          
"Territory patrol" Darsvk said. "We are going to the main pack, the home of all frost wolves, to meet the Alpha."