Aceso was lying down in the grass, and he followed her lead. He rolled onto his stomach and tried to sleep. Sleep wouldn’t come. He had so many questions rolling around inside his head that might finally be answered. He felt like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for the morning to come so he could open his presents.

He looked over through the grass and could just make out Aceso. She was resting her head on her forepaws, watching him. Those golden eyes held such compassion and strength he wondered how he ever could have doubted that she should be his alpha. She had proven herself to be a strong fighter and a compassionate guide. Even when he had insulted her, she had not let it pass but, she had accepted his apology and they were able to move on. Of all the women he had met in his life it was fitting that the only one he would have respected would be a wolf.

As he looked into her eyes, he felt a heavy but gentle calm settle over his body. He was being warmed by the sunlight that filtered over him through the blades of grass. The ground was fragrant with the smell of the grass and earth. He could detect the faint musty smell of his alpha as well. He was just as content at that moment as he ever had been, in his valley or otherwise. He rolled onto his side and cradling his face in the crook of his elbow he closed his eyes.

He was interrupted by a nudging in his side. He opened his eyes and saw that the sun hadn’t set yet. His eyelids ripped open and he looked at Aceso as she was prodding him. There was an earnest look in her eyes and he knew that it was time to move. He rolled over onto his stomach and waited for Aceso to move before he got up.

Aceso pressed her body low to the ground. She had sensed something which had forced them to move. He took a quick look around their surrounds and saw nothing but waving grass as it swayed in the wind. He inhaled through his nose and while he couldn’t smell anything out of the ordinary, he did feel that the wind had quickened and was a few degrees cooler. He looked up into the afternoon sky and saw why Aceso was a little desperate to move. A huge curtain of black angry clouds were moving in rather quickly from the west. The sun would disappear behind that curtain in moments. He looked at the storm head and could see rain coming down hard. That storm would overtake them in less than an hour.

Aceso ran straight for the mountain, and he followed. He couldn’t see any other possibilities of shelter. There were no trees, no rocks, no nothing except gentle rolling hills, and the mountain in front of them. Aceso ran with a wild desperation. She was pushing their pace faster than they had ever run before.

It was all he could do just to keep up with her. His legs moved and his blood pumped as they flew over the ground. The wind was getting rougher and instead of gently brushing the grass, it was flattening it. Dust and debris were flying across his vision and he was forced to squint as he ran, to protect his eyes. He had to lean into the wind or risk being blown off balance. The sun had disappeared behind the dark angry clouds and shrouded the world in a grey, stormy haze.

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Aceso didn’t look back, nor did she slow down. It made no difference.

He began to feel water drop on his head. It didn’t take long for the rest of the storm to catch up with them and they were forced to not only run through the cross wind but also through sheets of rain as the storm poured down on them. He was soaked within minutes. He could see water drop off Aceso. As they ran, they left a narrow trail through the wet grass. The blades were flat against the wind and the weight of the water. Every step he took added more water to his skins. Aceso didn’t slow down and he was forced to run through the wet grass, the wind, and the rain.

The storm was relentless but so was Aceso’s will. She ducked her head against the wind and rain and pushed onward. She ran with the wild abandon that he expected from an overdriven horse, not a wolf. She pushed their pace to increase even more. She cut through the tall, wet grass and rain as if she was a shark swimming effortlessly through water. He followed in her wake nothing more than a pale streak cutting through the storm after a supernatural guide.

When he looked up, he was surprised to see the mountain looming ahead of them. He was so wet he couldn’t feel his clothes. All he felt was the cold water of the storm. His skins had absorbed all the water they were able to, now water ran through and over them. He had given up all hope of getting dry and he was one with the storm.

After several hours of darkness, rain, wet grass, and running they reached the foot of the mountain. Rain was making little streams running down the rocky surface of the massive formation of earth and stone. Aceso didn’t lose her rhythm and keep running right up the rocky surface. He had no choice but to follow her.

The incline and the running water made his footing a little shaky, but with a little concentration on his footing he was able to find good solid rock under his feet and he pushed himself up the mountain after his alpha.

The sky continued to darken and he knew that night would soon be upon them. With the rain not stopping, he wondered what Aceso had in mind and if they were going to find any shelter for the night.

The incline of the mountain only increased, and his legs were starting to burn with fatigue. He was almost surprised to find his body tiring at all. Since running with his alpha he hadn’t gotten tired in days, and he wondered if Aceso was tiring as well. They had kept a sprint pace for hours and now they were running up a mountain incline that seemed to only grow steeper with every step.

The rain wasn’t going to stop. It was as relentless as this mountain. That coupled with the darkening sky he wasn’t sure he would be able to see anything at all in a short time. Aceso was running toward something, and she was pushing herself far too hard. He looked up and around him and saw several places where rocks jutted out from the mountain and protected some dry places beneath the rocks.

He made a decision to stop and take shelter for the night. His stomach was empty and even though he was pushing himself past all limits of anything he had ever experienced, he was still shivering. He turned away from following Aceso and almost dove under some rocks onto the hard cold ground.