Tripping over tree roots several times, face-planting into the snow, and occasionally tumbling down slopes when Piqsirpoq couldn't catch me in time--though I always managed to stop myself with the ice axe just in time.
I quickly learned how to avoid the kickback from striking the bedrock and picked up some techniques for moving smoothly on the snow--or as smoothly as one could expect. But the difference in endurance between Piqsirpoq and me was vast, to say the least. My legs, numbed and aching to the point of losing precise control, ultimately became a hindrance.
"Keep it up, and you'll soon be a qualified lead runner," Piqsirpoq said, bending over me as I lay motionless in the snow.
"How soon is 'soon'?" I asked after catching my breath, feeling the snow around my ears start to melt, the cold wetness seeping into my fur.
"About... one or two years?" Piqsirpoq tilted his head, scratching his ear as he answered.
"Well, it's still helpful," I sighed, a bit disheartened, as I tried to sit up. "Thank you for taking the time to practice with me."
"Think of it as relaxing before the finals," Piqsirpoq said, sitting down beside me, taking off his goggles and fluffing up his flattened fur.
"Oh," I had almost forgotten about that. "Is it next week?"
"Yes," he replied softly, leaning back on one hand, gazing ahead.
The pure white fur around Piqsirpoq's face swayed with the breeze, dislodging a few snowflakes. I followed his gaze toward the valley in front of us.
A world of pure white, a landscape of silver with no trace of... impurities. Everything was buried under snow; all that remained were solid outlines.
No boundaries, no edges, no... distinctions. Just endless white.
"Actually, I'm a bit..." Piqsirpoq began, his voice slow as he adjusted the fur on his cheeks and put his dark goggles back on. "...nervous."
"Oh," I responded, not wanting to seem uninterested. "I thought you were in the lead?" Ah, maybe I shouldn't have said "you." But it was too late.
"We are in the lead, but Nyx is close behind," Piqsirpoq said, either not noticing or choosing to ignore my slip. " Olethros is a tough competitor." He spoke with a slight smile.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
"But it shouldn't affect you too much, right?" I licked my nose to keep it moist. "Qana said that as long as nothing too strange happens, you'll definitely become a candidate for Elector, even if Snow loses in the selection."
"Did the master say that?" Piqsirpoq turned to me, tilting his head. Although his goggles covered his eyes, I was sure he had raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," I recalled the scene. "I thought it was common knowledge in Hadrian's Wall."
"Oh..." Piqsirpoq turned back, and I noticed his tail tip flick quickly a few times. "But I still have to think of the other team members; it will affect their evaluations too."
"But you're the leader," I tilted my head at Piqsirpoq, folding down my right ear, sounding confused.
"Eh, what do you mean by that?" He chuckled and playfully punched my arm.
"I mean..." I struggled to find a way to not sound like a jerk. "Ultimately, isn't this about you?"
"Uh..." Piqsirpoq scratched his head, looking rather embarrassed. "You could say that, but we're a team." He lifted his head and sniffed the wind. "The strength of the pack lies in our cooperation."
"Oh..." I responded simply, mimicking Piqsirpoq's actions, lifting my head to let the tiny snowflakes fall on my nose, where they melted.
"Sorry, I..." He sighed, his ears drooping. "I know you can't fully understand..." His mouth hung open, as if unsure how to continue. "I..."
I didn't know how to respond either. The harmony of the pack depends on excluding deviant individuals. So doesn't that mean... doesn't that mean...
"I'll do better," Piqsirpoq said, breaking my train of thought. "I want to create a world where everyone can belong." His tone was gentle, white mist escaping his mouth with every word.
"Oh..." Hearing him say this felt a bit odd. Even though I had seen him curled up on the balcony, crying, it still felt strange. "I think... that's admirable." I said softly, unable to shake the feeling that I was an outsider all along, yet I could still sense the sincerity in Piqsirpoq's words.
" Olethros told me things I had never considered before." Piqsirpoq stood up, extending his right hand to me. "I truly believe there should be more frequent and comprehensive exchanges between the different factions."
The image of another wolf, all black, flashed through my mind--his yellow eyes nearly golden from certain angles. While I agreed that more frequent exchanges would definitely benefit everyone, I still didn't know what to say to Piqsirpoq, so I just took his hand and stood up.
"I will reshape this world with my will," Piqsirpoq declared with unwavering confidence.
I began to understand why everyone held such high regard for him and had such great expectations. When he said those things, you could feel that he genuinely believed he could do it. And that kind of conviction made you believe it too.
"And what about the 'let them all go to hell' part?" I joked, trying to change the subject. I wasn't sure if I was ready to believe that a society with such massive inertia could be fundamentally changed. That's something entirely different from individuals willing to make certain attempts--society... that's a completely different beast.
But...
I lifted my head, watching countless snowflakes tumble and drift, finally merging into the boundless sea of white.
Countless, tiny snowflakes.
"I'll definitely add that to my to-do list," Piqsirpoq said, his mock-serious expression making me laugh.
The snow continued to fall, covering our previous tracks as if the world were erasing the proof of our existence.
"Beta, keep up!" Piqsirpoq's call snapped me back to reality. "Your Alpha needs you!" He was already retracing our steps, following the path we had taken.
I scratched my ear, trying to ease the slight awkwardness, but I soon realized that I didn't really mind.
So I followed the solid path Piqsirpoq had packed down, catching up to him.