All of a sudden, Snow stopped, positioning herself in front of Tarka to keep him from moving forward. He peered under her neck at whatever he saw in the fog beyond.

“This way!” Snow said. “Right across!”

“What is it?” Alika asked, bounding forward a few paces to catch up with the two.

A dark gap in the fog stretched out from side to side, the ruins pressed up against it, but not extending further. A chasm blocked their path, cutting through the remains of the human village. A scattered series of natural pillars with flat tops twisted out of it, but with the fog so dense, Alika couldn’t see the other side.

Alika scooched up to the edge, knocking a pawful of rocks and dirt down. She bent her snout down over it, spreading out her wings and feeling slightly dizzy. It wasn’t that far down — shallow enough that she could see the floor about five times her height below — but a familiar odor not quite identical to blood instantly filled her nostrils. The fuzzy outlines of bones littered the bottom of the cavern, joined with sharp human-made objects that Alika recognized as swords.

“D-did something just die down there?” Alika asked, backing away from the edge. Why did she smell so much blood?

“Uh, duh? See the bones?” Snow snorted. “Not recently, though. You’re smelling the rust. It gets like this when it’s foggy. It’s perfectly safe nowadays.”

“Woah, bones?” Tarka asked. “What happened? Did they fall in and die?”

Tarka moved closer to the edge than Alika thought was safe. She grabbed his tail in her jaws, struggling to pull him back. The chasm wasn’t deep, but those swords could hurt, and she wasn’t sure either of them could get out if they fell down there. It reminded her of the slope at the glacier, except with no soft snow at the bottom.

“It’s a long story,” Snow replied. “Unlike the path across, which is pretty short!”

“Tell it,” Tarka demanded, sitting back on his haunches and staring at Snow expectantly.

Snow glanced at Alika with uncertainty.

Alika let Tarka’s tail go free. “Hey, you told him there was a story,” she said to Snow. “He’s not gonna move until you share it.”

“I want to hear more about the humans!” Tarka said.

“If you insist.” Snow whisked her tail around. “Long, long ago, this was a thriving human village, full of silly humans, using their silly human tools to build silly human houses. They cut down trees and dug out stone and did other silly human things, until one day, a beautiful and brave and mysterious vi — woman came to the village. From another human village, of course. And she was so amazingly irresistible that every young man immediately desired her hand in marriage. But she rejected all of them, for she was in love with the chief’s daughter.”

“Wait, is this a love story?” Tarka interrupted. “Ew. I’m not interested. Let’s go.”

Snow’s hackles raised. “Hey! You’re the one who wanted to hear the story! You can’t just tell me to stop when I’ve barely started.”

“Ewwww!” Tarka stuck his tongue out at Snow. “Soon they’ll all be rubbing snouts and touching wings and it’ll be gross.”

“Humans don’t have snouts or wings,” Alika reminded Tarka. “And I’m still very interested in hearing what you have to say, Snow.”

“I’m not speaking to you, Alika.” Snow rumbled. “You wanted to hear why all the human skeletons are here, right? Well, I’ll get to that, but you have to be patient.”

Tarka curled his tail around his hindlegs, staring at Snow with the gaze of a fierce critic. “Continue.”

Snow sighed a breath of cold air. “Fine. So, the beautiful mysterious woman had fallen in love with the chief’s daughter, because, while the chief’s daughter was nowhere near as amazingly gorgeous as the woman, she had once saved the woman’s life. And there was a beautiful love story between the two of them where the chief’s daughter eventually fell back in love with the woman and I will spare you the details so please don’t interrupt me again because we are just getting to the bad part that you apparently want to hear, okay? So the two were in love but had to keep it a secret. And as the male suitors were all very annoyingly persistent due to how beautiful the beautiful woman was, she began whispering terrible secrets into their ears. Secrets about how she was in love with someone else, about how if only the men could prove how they were stronger than the other men, about how if only they left their wives, she would choose them. And it was really fun for quite some time, turning them against each other, courting the chief’s daughter all the while.

“But things went a little bit too far, and the men grew too jealous, and one of them decided to kill another one. And then, they became so jealous of the woman that they began slaughtering each other in the pit because humans sometimes do that. Of course, the widows and mothers and elders were all really pretty angry at that, and they unfairly blamed the beautiful woman for all of it, so they decided to go into the woods and track her down to kill her.

“The beautiful woman was pretty surprised at all this and felt really bad, but apparently apologizing wasn’t enough, and so the village’s survivors tried to skin her alive! But the chief’s daughter was in love, and she courageously fought them off to let the beautiful woman escape. And do you know what the humans did? They decided she was bewitched, and they killed her, the one good thing they had in their village! So the beautiful woman used terrible magic on them, and all the rest of the humans ran off to the north, leaving this place behind. There. Was that a good enough story for you?”

“Eh, it was okay,” Tarka said. “Not the worst, but not the best. It was kinda stupid.”

“Stupid!” Snow squealed. “What do you mean it was stupid?”

Alika snickered. This was the Tarka she knew from Long Nights. Snow was about to receive the verbal beatdown of her life.

“Well for one, there was way too much romance,” Tarka replied. “It was boring and yucky.”

“Romance isn’t boring,” Snow protested.

“It is,” Tarka assured her. “Plus, you didn’t even explain why the beautiful woman and the chief’s daughter fell in love. You should have started with that.”

“Maybe I would have if you hadn’t complained about love stories,” Snow retorted.

“Also, if the beautiful woman had magic, she should have saved the chief’s daughter with it. She also should have just not whispered so many secrets. She should have more character traits than just being beautiful as well. Real people are more complex than that.”

“Excuse me?” Snow growled. “I’ll have you kn — ”

“And worst of all, there wasn’t a happy ending,” Tarka finished.

“Well, not all stories have happy endings,” Snow grumbled. “Some of us just end up miserable and alone.”

“They should have happy endings.” Tarka stamped his paws on moss. “If there’s no happy ending, the story isn’t over.”

Alika curled in her tail. Perhaps characters had happy endings in stories, but that wasn’t how things actually worked. Serka’s ending had been far from happy…

“Fine. I’ll try and work in a happy ending for my next story,” Snow said. She tilted her head over at the chasm. Her legs bent down, and with a sudden spring, she leaped onto one of the pillars standing within it. All four of her paws barely fit on top of the narrow top, and for a moment, Alika thought Snow would fall. Though the stone was thin, it didn’t break, only a few crumbs of loose stone rolling from the edge. “So, are you coming or not? It’s perfectly safe, so long as you land carefully.”

Snow leaped from the first pillar to another, disappearing into the fog.

“Tarka, we should find another way around,” Alika said, looking down into the chasm. It might not have been deep, but falling into the rusted swords could seriously injure one of them. “Let’s just go back, okay?"

When Alika raised her head, Tarka had already leaped from the edge. Alika held her breath as he came down on the first pillar, stretching her wings out as if she could fly down and catch him if he fell. Yet, Tarka’s steps were sure, and he landed solidly in the center.

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“It’s not that hard!” Tarka shouted. “I can see the other side from here!”

Alika’s limbs froze as she approached the edge, her fur standing on end. The gap between the pillars wasn’t far. Had it been her and Tarka playing on stones poking out from the snow, pretending there was a chasm beneath, she’d have had no fear. But with the bones, the fog, and the sharp drop, Alika struggled to even think about jumping.

“What are you, scared?” Snow taunted.

“It doesn’t look stable!” Alika snapped back. Yeah, that was it. How could she know if the pillars would hold her weight after Snow and Tarka had already jumped on them?

“Then just fly across!” Snow retorted.

Alika shut her wings tight and wrung her head in shame.

“Um,” Tarka said. “Alika can’t fly.”

“Really? Who would have thought.” Snow asked, her tongue dripping with sarcasm. “It’s not like her wings aren’t wide enough.”

“Tarka, please, let’s just go back the other way,” Alika said, her claws trembling. This couldn’t be safe. It had to be a trap. “I don’t want to do this.”

“Oh, I thought you were in a rush?” Snow asked. “You wanted to get out of here as fast as you could, didn’t you? It’ll take so much of your precious time to walk around.”

Snow leaped with ease to the next pillar, her outline barely visible in the fog. Tarka wagged his tail and prepared to leap after her.

“Watch! It’s just like this, see?” he said to Alika. With a leap, he landed in the center of the next pillar. “I know you can do it!”

“I know I can,” Alika muttered, taking in a deep breath.

Slowly, Alika crouched down, trying to still herself. The pillar seemed so far. She stared at the center, folding in her wings.

“On three,” she said to herself. “Three. Two. One.”

Her legs didn’t budge.

Alika shut her eyes and opened them again. She had to do this. If Tarka was going, then she had no choice. She couldn’t leave him with Snow.

She extended her legs and leaped from the edge of the chasm.

All four of her paws landed on the pillar. She swayed forward, and for a moment she thought she’d plummet snout-first into the blades, but maintained her balance.

“You did it!” Tarka exclaimed.

“Yay. So impressive.” Snow snorted.

Alika glanced up from her shuddering paws to see Snow leap to another pillar — the other side of the chasm right beyond it. Tarka was right; it hadn’t been that far. With another jump, Snow landed safely on the other ledge. Tarka followed with a skip in his step, ending up next to Snow on the far side.

Well, if Snow and Tarka could do it, Alika could. She crouched down and jumped. Three of her paws landed flat in the stone’s center, but the fourth caressed the edge. Alika lost her balance as one of her hindlegs slipped. She pulled herself low to the ground, belly fur against rock, panting as her claws dug into the stone.

After a moment of staying as still as ice, she brought up her hindleg to the rock. Snow and Tarka watched from the other side. Only two more pillars left.

Once she’d regained her composure, Alika pointed herself toward the third pillar. She’d rushed on the last one. This time, she needed to leap slowly and accurately. She crouched down, her tail twisting from left to right. With her movements precise and exact, Alika jumped.

Alika landed nimbly on all fours, right in the center of the pillar. She gave Snow a smug grin, before turning to the fourth and final pillar. She had this.

As Alika crouched down, movement from Snow caught her gaze. Snow’s tail was lashing from side to side, forming a strange blur. Alika blinked. Was it just that her vision was hazy, or had Snow’s tail divided into three?

Before Alika could jump, there was a sudden crack in the stone beneath her, and the pillar lurched. Alika squealed as it tipped over with her on it, sending her flying too early. Her wings jutted out as she fell into the chasm, slowing her fall and pushing her forward. By instinct, she twisted her wings and stretched out her tail, the lift shoving her into the final pillar.

“Alika!” Tarka yelled, reaching his forepaws out across the chasm as if he could reach her.

Alika’s talons dug into the pillar and she wrapped her hindlegs and wings around it, desperately scrambling upward. The rusty swords glinted closer from the corner of her eyes. Finally, she managed to stab her claws into the top of the pillar, muscles aching as she pulled her body weight up.

Alika turned toward Tarka’s outstretched forelegs, only to see Snow looming ominously behind him. Her tail — no, her tails — lashed again, and Alika felt the fur on her back prickle from a sudden sense of danger. Alika’s jaws opened, and smoke poured out onto Tarka and Snow, obscuring them completely from view. The two began coughing, and Alika blindly sprung herself toward where she thought Snow was.

Alika’s claws landed in fur, and she heard a loud yip of pain from beneath her. One of her forepaws slammed down on Snow’s neck, easily crushing her against the ground. Whatever Snow really was, it was tiny — no match for a dragon, even a cub Alika’s size. As the smoke cleared away, Alika used a hindpaw to grab and pull one of Snow’s tails, causing a high-pitched yowl from Snow’s snout.

The smoke dissipated, and the fog with it. Alika glowered down at the small creature she found beneath her, her two saber-fangs bared and ready to puncture its throat. A white-furred fox squirmed under her, two more tails lashing around the one that Alika was holding.

“You’re not a dragon,” Alika snorted, puffing a bit of smoke onto the fox’s snout. “You tricked us.”

Snow whined and wheezed as Alika pushed her paw down on Snow’s throat to choke her. Her extra tails began lashing, but Alika moved her other forepaw down to trap them. This was the little monster that had been causing them so much trouble? Alika moved more of her weight onto Snow’s neck, and the fox’s head began to lash around wildly.

“Stop it!” Tarka roared, shoving his head into Alika’s shoulder, trying to push her off Snow. “You’re hurting her!”

“Don’t you see what she is?” Alika asked, refusing to budge. “She’s not a dragon. She lied to us.”

Tarka bit into Alika’s foreleg. Alika yelped as his fangs pierced her fur, and she drew her weight back just a tad. Snow took in a wheezing breath.

“She lied to you!” Tarka said. “And only because I told her to!”

“You mean you’ve known all along?” Alika growled. “And you didn’t bother telling me? Don’t you remember Mother warning us about how tricky foxes can be?”

“I told her to disguise herself because I didn’t want you to hurt her!” Tarka threw his weight against Alika.

“She tried to kill me,” Alika stated.

“Can I speak,” Snow wheezed.

Alika glared at the fox. Slowly, she shifted her weight from Snow’s throat to her tails, causing a shudder of pain in Snow.

“Go on. What do you have to say for yourself before I gut you, liar?”

“I was just gonna trap you in the pit for a bit,” Snow whimpered. “I didn’t want you to take him away from me.”

Tarka cocked his head.

“Take Tarka away?” Alika asked, bewildered. “He’s my brother! He’s not yours to take!”

“Well, I’m not yours either!” Tarka interjected. “I’m nobody’s! And neither of you are my mom or will ever be her!”

Alika was silent. What did he mean by that? She was just trying to keep him safe the best she could — what was she doing wrong? She glanced down to see Snow struggling against the moss, the scent of terror emanating from the fox.

Was Tarka that was afraid of her? Didn’t he understand how dangerous the world was; how if she made one wrong decision, Tarka could end up like Serka?

“Alika, please don’t hurt her.” Tarka stepped back, finally giving up on pushing Alika. His ears sunk low, and his tail guiltily moved between his legs. “It was my fault. The lying was my idea, not hers. I like Snow and I just wanted a friend.”

So this really was Tarka’s fault, and not Snow’s? Alika couldn’t believe that. Foxes were supposed to be cunning.

“She tried to trap me in the chasm,” Alika responded. “I know that was her, not you. How do I know she won’t try to trick me again if I let her go? She’s dangerous.”

“You’re one to talk,” Snow coughed.

Alika narrowed her gaze.

“Snow has to promise to behave from now on,” Tarka said. “No more hurting or tricking anyone, especially Alika. And… she comes with us so we can keep an eye on her!”

“What?” Alika spat out.

“Fine,” Snow grumbled, nodding her snout. “I promise, no more hurting or tricking anyone, especially Alika. Unless it’s in self-defense. I don’t have huge fangs like you two.”

“I didn’t agree to this!” Alika said. “I haven’t even agreed to let her go yet!”

“But Snow is all by herself here and really lonely. She lives a long time too, even longer than dragons, so everyone here she makes friends with keeps dying. If she comes with us, you can make sure she behaves!”

“Absolutely not,” Alika replied. “She literally just tried to kill me!”

“Hey, that’s an unfair allegation. You would’ve been fine,” Snow assured her.

Alika growled and touched a talon to Snow’s throat, making the fox shudder.

“C’mon Alika, please?” Tarka begged. “She can keep us safe with her magic.”

Alika paused. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, having Snow around and on their side would be invaluable. If she could use her magic on Alika, maybe she could use it on any other dangers they came across. She knew the path they had ahead of them, and maybe Tarka would be less of a hassle to deal with if he had a friend. A friend who could protect him if needed.

“Fine, she can go free,” Alika replied, releasing Snow and stepping off from Snow’s tails.

“Yay!” Tarka cheered and flapped his wings. “You won’t regret this Alika, thank you!”

Snow got up from the moss, licking at her wounds and cautiously eyeing Alika, looming perilously above her. Her three tails flicked, and the white fur lining them fluffed out.

“If you try anything…” Alika growled, lowering her snout to Snow’s level and showing off her twin saber-fangs, each as large as Snow’s head.

“I won’t,” Snow replied, her golden eyes gleaming back. “We’re both on Tarka’s side, are we not?”

Alika’s tail flicked, but she pulled her head back. “Then lead us onward.”

“Snow, Alika, come on!” Tarka shouted, waving his wing at the two as he ran off into the forest. “Since you’re friends now, let’s play hide and seek again! This time Alika is it! Oh, new rule, using magic is cheating!”

Snow darted into the woods, and Alika looked at the sky to see the rings once more.