Swillow rushed Wasting, but Wasting sidestepped side, and snapped his jaws onto her leg. He walked around, twisting the limb as Swillow hopped. Then, Wasting released the limb, and mounted her back.

Swillow growled and tried sliding out from under him, but Wasting bit down on the back of her neck, and forced her to the ground.

He swapped the bite with a paw to the nape. "Why is it, that you fail to get the big picture? You always miss the main point. You want to be a rebel, and now you're failing to understand why I'm being a rebel, now." Wasting pushed her face against the mud. "Just accept our new way."

Swillow breathed in his face, and Wasting winced from the halitosis. Swillow slapped at his face. He fell back.

Swillow alit, rushed Wasting, but Wasting glided away. As he turned, Swillow hit him broadside.

Wasting tumbled down the hill, and gravel, jutting out, saved him from falling into Divorcing Lake.

A burst of flames came at him.

Wasting scrambled and got underneath the rock outcropping, letting a barrage of fireballs hit the rocks. As explosions rented the air, chips of rock flew and hit the lake water. Ripples gave Wasting an idea.

He rampaged towards Swillow, with water rushing behind him until it merged with his form. Swillow ran, and fire met water, before both exploded into steam.

Wasting flew back onto his side. And the steam came over, breathing warm around his frame. And he saw motes of light in the steam.

Wasting's eyes widened, and he ran from the barrage. Seemed water beat fire, but hellfire beat water now. And soon a black wolf pounced him.

Swillow and Wasting rolled around until Swillow pinned Wasting. "Wasting, you are coming with us!"

"You think you can get your own way?" Wasting asked. "Almost every day we were children you got your own way. How about I get my turn, huh!?"

Swillow shook her head. She got off him, and Wasting took long breaths. "Wasting, I never meant to break down the land. My purpose was fight for them. Give the normal people, the lower class a sword. A flaming sword."

Wasting muttered, "Almost forgot about that flaming sword nonsense." Wasting sulked back to the water.

As he sat, he said, "They are just as bad as the upper class and all of the wolf kingdom is vile."

"You don't want to take them down because they're evil. You just need power instead."

Wasting prepared to discuss that, and a stream of flames licked his side. He knew now that Swillow was trying to kill him. Didn't need to even need to stare at her. Just knew that Swillow planned to rip him apart. All because he decided to make a new decision. And now she wouldn't be different either, as she was who she always was. A spoiled brat.

Wasting ran to the top of the nearest hill. Well, maybe it was time to fight fire with fire.

As Swillow ran at him, Wasting swung a paw, and slapped Swillow's side, knocking her down. Swillow got up, and slapped Wasting across the throat. Wasting choked, and slapped her across her ribs.

Both kept slapping each other across the ribs, breath escaping their lungs, but no love being lost. For there was no love left between them. And then Wasting jumped over Swillow, before bucking her legs out from underneath.

As Swillow fell, Wasting got back into a side mount. "Swillow, you're gonna kill me, aren't you? You're done trying to prevent me from helping the queen. You just want me dead."

As Wasting slapped Swillow's ribs, trying to break them, he said, "You never changed and I never changed and yet we tried to forgive and forget, but I don't forget, no I don't."

He took a few deep breaths, as his bicep ached before he dragged her down the hill. Then he picked her up, and threw her over his shoulders in a fireman's lift. "Admit, you were in the wrong."

Swillow slipped off of him. Wasting's eyes went wide, but Swillow bit down on Wasting's neck and threw him to the ground.

She tried sucking his life force out, with the Bitter End. "This is the end," she'd mutter with a mouth full of Wasting neck. In a way it felt sad.

The end of their journey.

Back when they met, she'd try to stop Citrus and Wasting from dating. She got jealous of how Wasting would take Citrus Snow away. Coyotes, tournaments, escapes.

Within that second, Swillow relived it all, and a glazed look came to the eyes of Wasting. But Swillow hadn't finished. No, she'd drain him dry. Never had she done it before, but what would happen?

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Wasting felt a burst of energy, and he thrashed underneath her. Swillow tried to pin him, but he pushed her arms away and rolled out from underneath her, and Swillow followed down the decline.

Straight for the lakes they went, and splash. Both. And a crimson fluid rose. Along with bubbles, popping. Until, bubbles, frothing, as the water mage came out of the water.

Wasting slipped onto the surface with a gasp.

***

Rubay stared down Citrus and Snofall.

Hemato and Tanzanato came out at Rubay's side. Snofall and Citrus versus three coyotes, many crimsons and many hyenas.

Snofall said, "Don't know how to say this Citrus, but I think we need to run."

"Wait, before you kill us," Citrus said, "can you tell us where Wasting is?"

Rubay said, "You just missed him. He ran off a couple or three days ago. And anyway, you aren't going to be meeting him soon."

As Rubay bared her fangs, Citrus Snow told Snofall, "Now we can run."

Snofall summoned a wall of ice at the door of the palace, forcing the hyenas to face them three on two, but Rubay came head first.

And Citrus lounged over Rubay, and went after Hemato. He gasped, and Citrus knocked him over.

As Snofall followed Citrus, Rubay shouted at Hemato, "Did you just let them run off!?"

Citrus Snow stared down the hallway, headed to the end, into a room with a long table. No food, but plenty of plates, and a hyena servant. Snofall froze the hyena to the floor before he said anything, and they barricaded the door with a cabinet to make sure others would not get in.

"Now, we have to get out that window," Citrus said. She jumped into the window. As the glass fell on the floor, Citrus tucked and rolled over, and out onto her feet. Blood spilled onto the ground, but a few hyenas stood guard.

"Dammit," Citrus said, before glaring at the window. Snofall peeked over, before hopping back down. "Get down here, you coward!" Citrus Snow said.

As Snofall stayed in the room, she did not expect for the door to burst open. And for Vycious to be on the other end.

"Guess it's time we're face to face. You betrayed me, and now I'm going to break you, bit by bit."

Snofall calmed her nerves, as she focused on a spell. "Well, Vycious, guess you'll have to do it by more than bit."

And soon the skies outside filled with dark purple clouds. Citrus Snow had only seen it one time before, as had the coyotes.

Khrystol said, "She's preparing to use the spell, all of you, get ready!"

Hemato and Tanzanato's eyes widened, and Hemato said, "I don't want to die for Rubay."

Tanzanato muttered, "Neither do I, but we have to fight. If we don't, then Rubay's going to be the one to end us, not these two."

Hemato said, "Come with me," and he jumped down into a wine cellar. Tanzanato had the warrior's spirit, but all spirits grew weak. That, and Rubay was a douche, so she ran down with.

Citrus Snow spat out a Shrieker, and it spun around with a hiss. As Citrus used Shades to cover her eyes, it blew up. And the loud sound and bright light disabled the crimson guards.

Vycious ran at Snofall, but the bright light invaded the room. Vycious wasn't able to respond, and instead she fell back. When Vycious stood up again, harsh winds ripped apart the palace.

Hyenas and coyotes stared in horror. After all, Khrystol had escaped once, but wouldn't escape again. Beings formed from the purple clouds, as amorphous beings of smoke. But the centerpiece was Snofall, who had the auroras around her back like wings.

Citrus stared at Snofall, and gawked. "So this is your true power?" Citrus asked.

Some hyenas ran at Citrus and at Snofall, but the beings would grab them by their bodies and swallow them up with faint screams. Not that they could be heard over the winds.

Vycious got her eye sight back, and shouted, "Ah, shit!"

Snofall fell back onto her paws.

Vycious ran at Snofall with a growl. "This is the end of you, you little bitch! I'm going to rip you apart!"

But Snofall flew over Vycious. A being of fog reached for Vycious, but she slid underneath it. And headed for Citrus instead.

"No!" Snofall ran forward, and flipped over, sending the aurora beam at Vycious. And the aurora, before Citrus got touched, wrapped around Vycious into a small ball of light before exploding into pure white.

***

Swillow floated in the water.

Just floating like a baby in the womb. A black being opened a blood-colored eye as it swam around her in circles. Swillow opened her eyes, while the monster spread out its tentacles.

Barely bigger than Swillow's head, the Corruptor flew around Swillow.

"You seem to have forgotten me. It's been a long time since I've seen you last. Have you forgotten me?"

"No, I'll never forget you," Swillow said. Words came out as bubbles, but the eye moved around as it understood.

"You seem to be dying."

"My brother betrayed me again, and his entire kingdom," Swillow said. "He's just power hungry, that's all he is. Before, he was trying to do it to get political advantages. And now, and now he just needs to be high on the power of being right. And he's always going to feel like he's in the right."

"I understand you, and I know what would make you feel better," the Corruptor said. "Revenge. That's what you want, is pure, simple revenge. And I can help you get that revenge."

A sea of memories flooded Swillow.

A memory of her mentor saying, "Remember, students, our kingdom was formed by packs coming and making super packs. And those super packs formed with other super packs. But a wolf pack is a mother, a father, and their kids."

And Swillow would later repeat that information. "A wolf kingdom is so unnatural!"

Or how Sotul organized protests alongside Swillow. Swillow said, "I will be a flaming sword."

Swillow remembered a freak whirlpool ripping apart a ship, and threatening to drown all the passengers. As the lightning came to her mind, and she thought about the horrors, she thought about the one who saved her from death. And Swillow gave a sick grin.

"Wasting is right. I have lost my mind. Now I'm no longer just a rebel. So turn my heart off."

He injected her forehead with his tentacle and a grin.

And Swillow writhed.

Wasting dripped as he came onto the shore, but magicked the drops off. The water made dew on the grass.

As Wasting lounged around, he took a rest at the top of a hill. Until, he saw the bubbles intensifying. Swillow must have drowned, and those were the results of the last breath. And then the bubbles roiled before frothing as Swillow burst out of the water.

Swillow laughed, tentacles growing out her body. Her eyes were almost black, with white pupils.

"Wasting, I'm ready to talk again!"