Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - 26. Chapter 6 - Air Conditioning and Barbarians 6.3

As the dawn broke over the distant horizon, a series of crimson hues painted the sky, blending gradually into the blue as they stretched upwards. High above, where the clouds intercepted the golden rays, the light refracted through ice crystals, creating a faintly visible halo of seven radiant colors.

I hung from the metal rod protruding from the balcony, taking in the stunning view. It would be too bright soon, so I let go with my left hand, retrieving a pair of dark-tinted goggles from my pocket and putting them on.

Was that... hesitant footsteps I heard? I turned my ears towards the sound, confirming the identity of the approaching individual.

"Hey," I decided to break the ice, swallowing all the hesitant filler words that came to mind. We hadn't had a chance to talk since that chaotic scene last time.

"Hey," Piqsirpoq responded, leaning against the doorway, not stepping onto the balcony. He crossed his arms, directing his gaze towards the sunrise.

"I think it's beautiful," I ventured, gathering my courage--after all, he had taken the first step. "This is my favorite shade of blue."

Piqsirpoq tilted his head, then put on his dark goggles as well, walking over to join me.

"Is your favorite blue the kind that's not really blue?" He turned back and glanced at the sky.

"I'd say it's..." I pondered, searching for the right words, "a blue with more layers."

Piqsirpoq didn't reply, but his tail swayed gently twice. Then he turned around, leaping up to grasp the end of the metal rod.

"Move over a bit." He flicked his tail to adjust his position, and I did the same, making space for him.

We fell into silence again, as I couldn't think of anything to say. When you've spent most of your life without normal conversations with peers your age, it's no surprise that your social skills aren't exactly great. But thinking back to a year ago, I would have preferred if we never spoke. Maybe, in some ways, things have improved a lot.

"Is your crampons’ footwork really that bad?" Piqsirpoq cut straight to the point, stating it with a teasing tone, probably not wanting to embarrass me too much.

"Oh... yeah." I felt my ears drop and heat up. "I always lag behind in cross-country runs, so I never had to use complex footwork." I never really thought about it--I only kept up because I was following a path someone else had already cleared--Piqsirpoq's path. "How did you know?" I had an inkling but wanted to confirm it.

"All the young wolves on Hadrian's Wall are mimicking your awkward moves. It's become some new kind of dance trend." I could hear the suppressed laughter in Piqsirpoq's voice.

"How was I supposed to know Qana would suddenly make me lead..." I muttered in complaint, trying to erase the disastrous scene from my mind.

"Don't you want to lead?" Piqsirpoq asked, changing his grip to face me.

"No." I lowered my gaze. That should be obvious, right?

"But," Piqsirpoq said, his tone soft in a way that felt unfamiliar, "you can lead."

I shifted my grip, trying to distract myself and relax a bit. But in the end, I decided to raise my head and meet Piqsirpoq's gaze.

"And it should be easy for you, right? That... what's it called... psychic stance?" He tilted his head.

"Qana just scolded me, saying it's useless without physical strength." I noticed, to my annoyance, that my tail was veering to the left, so I deliberately swayed it to the other side. "You know I have poor stamina," I mumbled.

"Want me to teach you?" No disdain, no criticism--just a simple question.

"What?" I wasn't sure if I was surprised or what. I didn't even know why I asked--it might have just been to fill the silence in my mind.

"Crampons footwork, and other breathing techniques, plus endurance training," Piqsirpoq quickly replied, clearly not bothered by my ungrateful attitude. "And I usually run alone in the morning. It's kind of boring."

I didn't know how to respond--the answer was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't say it. Was this really happening?

"Rationalism! Looking at you, I'd have thought it was easy." Piqsirpoq released his grip, landing on the ground, and rubbed his palms together. "How do you manage to hold on for so long?"

"Uh..." That was a good question, and I thought I had a pretty good answer ready. "Practice is always the only path to perfection?" I let go as well, landing lightly. Piqsirpoq's response was a soft laugh.

"So, what do you say?" he asked again. "I'd like to have something I can teach... my brother."

If it were snowing right now, we could probably hear snowflakes falling.

Piqsirpoq's pale blue eyes, the same hue as a frozen lake, gazed at me, waiting quietly for my answer.

"I think..." I had told so many lies that I feared I'd forgotten how to tell the truth. But I think I could start practicing. " Practice is always the only path to perfection."

Piqsirpoq gave me a smile, the morning sun casting a golden glow behind him.

"The techniques for Wolf Path, Fast Pace, and Short Steps are all different." Piqsirpoq demonstrated a specific posture, digging his boots into the snow, kicking it aside repeatedly, forming a solid structure from the snowdrift. "The Wolf Path is meant to assist the team, allowing those behind to follow effortlessly--it's the responsibility of the lead."

I tried to mimic his movements, stepping into the footholds he carved out, reinforcing the structure of the Wolf Path.

"This takes a lot of stamina, so usually, five wolves take turns, with the lead and their beta partner sharing the duty." He moved aside, signaling for me to take his place and move forward. "I've got my team, but I think we should focus on just one thing for now."

Piqsirpoq didn't need to spell it out--we both knew it was almost impossible to find other Snows willing to help me. So I simply followed his guidance, practicing the crampons footwork, though my movements were clumsy--I was really bad at moving in the snow. What method did Qana use?

"You should also be able to judge the thickness and hardness of the snow," Piqsirpoq explained from behind me. "I found that psychic powers can sense that information, which is very helpful for determining where to step and what type of footwork to use."

It wasn't until Piqsirpoq explained that I realized I had never noticed it before. Even though inanimate objects don't generate waves, they respond to them. Like a sonar, every step into the snow provided some information about the surrounding terrain.

"Not bad!" Piqsirpoq stepped sideways to pass me, speaking with an encouraging tone and a smile. "Now let's start picking up the pace!"

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 noticing or choosing to ignore my slip. " Olethros is a tough competitor." He spoke with a slight smile.

"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 dramatic 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 black wolf flashed through my mind--his yellow eyes nearly golden from certain angles. While I agreed that more frequent exchanges would 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 'I'd make them all eat shit' 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.