Part 2.4

***
Tysander entered the den and found Smallsong waiting where she had been when he left. He smiled and wagged his tail when he saw her. His worries disappeared for a moment as she stood to greet him, her tail wagging as well.

Smallsong thrust her head under his maw, "How did your little meeting go?"

Tysander rested his head on her neck. "It went well, I suppose. Oedipus and I were civil; although I'm afraid we'll finally have to move soon. Thunder may send more wolves to fetch us."

Smallsong backed up. "What? I don't understand why would our father do that and what do you mean Oedipus? I thought we left him and his horrible family when we left!"

"Oedipus told me that Thunder wants Mother to visit him and bring us along with her," Tysander turned his gaze to the two wolves still waiting for the tawny to show up, "And the grey-tail has just become his lackey, and I'm sure his sons had no choice to follow our crazy father as well." Tysander lay down on the cool cave floor and sighed.

Smallsong looked towards the entrance. Oedipus was returning and quickly took the other wolves back towards the forest. She turned back to her brother,

"How long do you think it'll take before they start coming back for us?"

The dark colored wolf watched the other three leave before replying, "By the time they reach their borders, Thunder will already know we aren't with them. We'll have to be long gone before then."

"Separate, then meet up, or travel together?"

"A bit of both. We'll also try traveling in the river to cover our scents for a bit." Tysander sighed again, more heavily this time, "I had hoped it would have been another year before this happened."

Smallsong laid down next to her brother, putting her back to his. "I know. Do you think Mother would have kept us moving is she hadn't died?"

Tysander looked up at the ceiling. "Probably. She knew Thunder wouldn't give up easily and he wouldn't dare loose a chance at recapturing his children."

It was silent for a while. The deep chocolate wolf laid her head on her paws, "Ty, what do you think happened to Ardalan?"

Tysander looked over his back at his sister, a bit shocked. He turned back and copied his sister's posture. "I don't know, Song, he seemed pretty cut up when we last saw him. I'm not sure if he could have survived."

"But what if he did?" Smallsong pushed on.

"Then he'd be lost to us. Father would have pushed his influence on him, and I doubt that Ardalan would have resisted." Tysander responded, but didn't tell her that Ardalan was probably far worse then their father ever could be.

"True." The chocolate wolf sighed wistfully. "I wish I could see him one last time."

Tysander didn't reply this time. His soul echoed in terror at the thought of meeting his younger brother again.

***

"You come back sooner than I thought, Ty. Perhaps you are willing to come to me after all."

Tysander twirled around. "You again!"

The shadow-wolf laughed. "Of course it's me. Didn't I tell you that you couldn't escape from me?" He began to slowly circle Tysander.

Tysander watched as the wolf circled around him, "I reject you and your hold on me!"

"Who told you that? My grip on you is a leaf in the wind compared to your grip on me. You won't let go of me. What are you afraid of, Ty?" the shadow-wolf grinned.

"No, nothing," Tysander shouted, shaking his head, "You're haunting me, not the other way around!"

The shadow-wolf ceased his circling. "I'm doing no such thing. Have you ever thought about how I came into existence? I'm nothing more than a memory that your soul is clinging to, threatening to take over your waking life as well as the one you dream in."

A chill shot through Tysander's body. "Memory?" the young wolf was suddenly more afraid than he had ever been.

"Why, Ty, don't you remember me at all?" The shadow-wolf began circling in the other direction until he stopped in front of Tysander. He walked forward slowly.

"Remember you?" Tysander took a couple of steps back.

"I'm disappointed, Ty, you don't even remember your own brother." The shadow-wolf was only a nose length away. His coloring changed from grays and blacks to a dark chocolate brown with patches of blacks, whites, and grays.

Tysander stumbled back, "Ardalan? No, it can't be!"

"And why not, brother? You said yourself that I could be alive, so why is it so hard to believe what's right in front of you?"

"No, you're dead! I won't believe it!" Tysander turned from his brother and ran farther into the darkness of his dream, trying to wake himself up from this nightmare. Ardalan's laughter echoed around him as he ran, trying to hide from the things he didn't want to see.