Let It Go
By: Amari412

Rusty Aubrey slowed just as he started to leave the town, his lungs burning and aching within him. He struggled for breath, closing his eyes and trying to calm his racing heart. His eyes stung but he wouldn't let the tears fall. It just didn't make sense to him. How did Steele find out about what precisely he was? Jenna sure as hell hadn't told him, she wanted nothing to do with the damn mutt. Had he been following them that night when he told her the truth? Oh god…

"That's what you get for letting a pretty girl distract you" a voice in his head taunted.

He wasn't good at lying, even to himself. Jenna was indeed beautiful, but she just wasn't for him. She deserved better. Besides, being a canine officer, he didn't have much to offer for a mate. Rusty shook his head and kept walking, unable to get their taunts off his mind and clean the blood off some places where his fur was matted with it. They'd cornered him and, much like when he was in that complex where his mother was killed, Rusty had been unable to defend himself against so many opponents. And now here he was…a coward even in his own eyes…

Rusty looked back at the town, looking so small in the distance.

"The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a paw print to be seen. A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like...I'm the king" he started to sing quietly, pausing for a moment, "The wind is howling like this raging wolf inside. Couldn't keep him in, heaven knows I tried".

He turned away and kept walking, looking all around. He was alone, just as he always was…

"Don't let them in. Don't let them see. Be the good dog you always have to be. Conceal, don't feel. Don't let them know" he stopped and looked down once more at Nome and growled, "Well now they know!"

He looked up at the stars and his anger disappeared just for a moment, the wolf within him calm for now. It almost felt like, for once, they were one.

"Let it go. Let it go! Can't hold him back anymore. Let it go. Let it go! Turn away and slam the door! I don't care what they're going to say!" he snarled, eyes lighting up for just a moment, "Let the wolf rage on. The wild never bothered me anyway".

This actually felt right to him. Letting go of everything, for once he wasn't someone's house pet. He forgot his duties for just a moment and allowed himself to be carried away by pure instinct, something he hadn't used like this in a very long time. Rusty found himself grinning and kept an even pace as he kept walking.

"It's funny how some distance, makes everything seem small. And the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all!" he started to run, "It's time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through. No right, no wrong, no rules for me! I'm free!" he howled.

He kept running, getting faster as he reveled in his freedom. Steele had been wrong. There was nothing wrong with him, and being half wolf wasn't bad at all. Takkon had been right to pass his blood to him. He was now a thing of the wild, even if it was just for this moment.

"Let it go! Let it go! I am one with the wind and sky! Let it go! Let it go! They'll never see me cry! Here I stand!" he slid, coming to a somewhat messy stop, "And here I'll stay! Let the wolf rage on!"

A pounding was heard in the distance. The scent of caribou caught his senses and he ran in their direction, eager to try something he hadn't done in a long time: Hunt for himself. Looking over a ridge he saw that the herd was indeed large. His courage melted away just for a moment, and he thought that if maybe he couldn't hunt them, he could at least chase them. Rusty grinned mischievously, and he couldn't help but feel like a jittery puppy. He ran, not caring for the dangers now.

"My power flurries through the air into the ground! My soul is spiraling in wild fractals all around! And one thought becomes another like an icy blast!" he stopped only when the herd was far enough away from him.

Rusty slid and turned back into the direction of Nome. He knew he'd have to return soon, as Graham and Madeline would be worried about him. But he wouldn't come back the same.

"I'm never going back, the past is in the past! Let it go! Let it go! And I'll rise like the break of dawn! Let it go! Let it go! That perfect dog is gone!" he walked slowly just for a moment, keeping his eyes to the north of him, "Here I stand in the light of night!" he sat on his haunches and howled, "Let the wolf rage on!"

The wolf dingo waited until his call faded away in the air around him. Rusty hoped the wolves, and the dogs of Nome could hear him.

"The wild never bothered me anyway" Rusty smirked and trotted back in the direction of the town.

And they'd better be ready for him…

A/N: Yeah, I probably just totally ruined that song for everyone. But everyone and their mother is making a cover of this song, so I figured, why not have Rusty do one? When I heard it, my beloved wolf dog came to mind in a heartbeat. And yes, get over it, if this was legit, Russell Crowe would sing it. (Puts on a pair of sun glasses) Deal with it. Oh by the way, if you haven't seen Winter's Tale, OMG! Go see it! It's amazing! Anyway, hope you guys liked Rusty's cover of Let It Go. I don't own the song, it belongs to Disney.