Peak

His hand was hurting from how hard he pressed down on the ice pick’s handle, but he would be damned before releasing his grip even a little.
Looking over the edge, he was still holding the rifle, with Urho hanging off of it. And below there was only the gray fog of the cloud layer.

Both of them were exhausted, enduring purely on adrenaline.

The mountain shook again.
“He’s weak! Surrender him to me and I’ll recognize your obligation as satisfied!” the many voices spoke.

He felt his hand slipping, the horror mirrored on his face.

“It’s okay, friend. The voice calls me weak, but I am not. You are not!”

“I can’t pull you up, you're too heavy.”

“It’s okay, friend. Aana told me not to come and I didn’t listen. This is my fault. Don’t be sad.”

Silvan tightened his grip, his face turning red from all the pressure. He could feel his blood vessels ready to burst as he was approaching his limit.

“I will pay what I owe!” he shouted in a desperate attempt to negotiate.
“But his life is not mine to share. This is not a life you are entitled to take!”

The eerie silence was loud. Unsure if his words carried any weight, all Silvan could do was hope for a miracle.

The angered howl bellowing down the path ahead was not the answer he hoped for.

“Thank you, friend. For not giving up on me.”

He could see the exhaustion on the half-Inuit’s face.
“Tell Aana my story and greet Jasper for me.”

“Urho, don’t you dare!”

“Stay strong, friend.”
Gifting a final smile, he let go and disappeared, plummeting into the fog below without a single sound escaping him.

"No..."

Tears dripped past the rifle. Even with his vision blurred, this was a picture that would haunt him forever.
He dragged himself over the ledge, making sure to put some distance between him and the cliff before giving in to despair.

“Stupid mountain. I hope you’re happy now!” he raged.
“This is what you wanted, is it not? But you are wrong. He wasn’t weak at all. He was the strongest on this mountain! Now you are the one that caused an imbalance! Where is your payment?!”

A soft wind was the only response. He looked at the ice pick that was still lodged into the ground and observed its shadow wandering with the passage of time.
He sat, making himself small. This was it. His task was complete.

His sniffing was interrupted by a hollow thump behind him.

He turned to find the origin of the sound. Double malt, double cask, he read off the label. The alpha stood over it, and next to it there she was.

“Sila. So that dream did have a meaning after all.”

She nodded.
“You did well coming all the way here. I’m surprised you managed, but also glad.”

Silvan was seething. Glad? She’s glad I’m here? She’s glad her lure worked? She’s glad I had to see another friend die?!

Then the anger passed. What did it matter now? What happened could not be changed, and getting angry wouldn't alter it either.

“Did you know how this would go? Was this your plan all along?”

Waving her hand, the wolf scurried off, and she sat beside him in the snow.

“Things don’t always turn out the way we would like them to.”
She looked at the sky with a somber expression.

“This was the outcome I was hoping for, if I’m honest.” Silvan stirred, with Sila placing her hand on his leg as a sign to stay calm.

“But unlike me, you still have a chance to end your story happily.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Her grip tightened when he finally noticed the unnatural coloration on her hand.

“I’m the reason the Inuit don’t challenge the mountain. I was the first to try and the first to fail. Mine is a cautionary tale still told many generations later.
It took everything from me. Everything but my will to save those in need.”

“Sila?”

She didn’t let him speak.
“Your friend is fine. I can feel it. He is as strong as you say, and the mountain knows it too. Think of this incident as a final test of sorts. A rite of passage.”

She handed him the empty bottle and got up.

“The only thing left to do now is pay what you owe. Go. I’m sure you will make the right choice.”

Silvan arose. Many questions fought for his attention, but before they could voice themselves, Sila was gone.

He looked around but the only thing besides him was the marked path. His emotions were in turmoil at the things Sila had just told him. But these wouldn’t help him here. He took a deep breath, silencing them all, and stepped forward with determination.

“I am strong!”