It was quiet in the cave. Only the ice on the slopes outside cracked and sometimes the wind sighed in the cracks, as if the world itself had stopped, giving the three of them time to rest. The dawn glow glided over the stones, falling on the wolves' fur, making it silvery and almost unearthly.
Anhel lay curled up on the cold stone, but he could not sleep. His snow-white eyes looked at the couple pressed against each other with sadness and something indescribably soft. North and Beshi breathed in time, as if one whole, their fur seemed woven into a single canvas - Beshi's fiery red strands intertwined with the icy shades of North.
Anhel knew that he should turn away, not look. But something in this picture - their warmth, their peace, their serene trust - attracted his gaze and tore into pain in his chest.
He thought about how much he would give to be part of this scene, not just to be there, but to be the one whose breath mingled with the other's, whose heart beat in time with the other's heart.
He knew that North would never know about his feelings. And it was right - after all, how could he destroy what he saw before him now? It was sacred.
He watched as Beshi gently smoothed North's fur with her paw, as her eyes lingered on his muzzle with such tenderness that Anhel felt his throat tighten.
"Maybe I was not destined to be with him."
But then Beshi's gaze slid across the cave and, for a moment, lingered on Anhel. Her eyes were full of understanding, as if she knew... everything. And that look went to his bones, and in it was not only pity, but also a slight sadness.

Anhel sighed quietly, closed his eyes, hiding his thoughts. He would like to just disappear into the cold wind, dissolve into the snow, just not to feel this lump in his chest, this inescapable melancholy.

He could not be a part of their warmth.

Original - https://sun9-40.userapi.com/impg/fP.....amp;type=album