the silvery little air bubbles floated to the suface. I floated forward and the river calmed. The air was gone and now water had taken its place. My lungs screamed for air, but slowly it faded into a rythmic pounding in my chest. I sunk to the bottom of a now calmed lake. Visions of Kemp filled my head and I closed my eyes. The pounding was getting fainter and fainter. Just as I thought that the black hole that had gotten so close would swallow me up. Two paws caught me and pulled me up to the bank. A blurry head was over me. "Keana... Keana.... Keana... KEANA!" I opened my eyes and my vision cleared to a wolf standing over me. I coughed and sputtered and water left my mouth in turrets. I sucked in air and gasped. Kemp was standing over me.

"Kem... Kemp?!" I said rawly. My throat felt like sandpaper and I sucked in breath constently. The pounding was gone. "Where... Were you?" I whimpered shivering. Water dripped of my fur and fell onto the sandy beach.

"Keana?! What were you thinking! Are you CRAZY?!" He yelled at me. I smiled.

"What do you expect me to do?" I asked quietly. A smiled tugged at his face and he tried to contain it, but it slipped out. He chuckled. I smiled wider.

Suddenly I was stern. I stood fast and turned away from him. I walked away. "Keana? Keana wait! Where are you going?" He asked running up to me.

"I never want to see you again!" I cried tears starting to flow. He looked at me, hurt. "You ran off that morning!" I sobbed.

"Keana, Keana wait. I had to! I heard your pack and knew if they saw you with me you would be banished!" He almost cried. I jerked around looking him right in the face.

"You could have left me something to let me know you were alright!!!" I yelled at him. He looked down at the ground.

"I know, I should have..." he said quietly. I looked at him and looked down too.

"I fell in looking for you. I thought you had gotten hurt thats why you didn't wake me." I said nuzzling him. "I love you, Kemp." I said licking his nose. He looked up surprised and turned away.

"No, you can't love me." He said sadly. I cocked my head.

"And why not?" I asked.

"One, I'm a rouge. Two, I'm a half-breed. My mother was a german shepard and my father was a wolf." He said ashamed. I smiled.

"All the more reason to love you!" I said, "Your different!" I yipped nipping him playfully on the leg. He looked at me surprised and smiled. "Kemp, how did you find me?" I asked confused. He chuckled.

"Well, that sound had to come from somewhere." He barked. I remembered that I had yelped when I hit the bank. I giggled and nuzzled him. "You need to get home, Keana." He whispered in my ear. I nodded sadly. He and I walked side by side. The camp neared and I kissed him on the nose goodbye. 

"Go to the clearing at midnight." I whispered walking back to camp. He nodded and bounded off into the woods. Father passed me as I walked near to my den.

"And why are you out of your den?" He asked suspisiously, I smiled sheepishly and walked inside. If he found out what had happened I would get killed. I lay in the den and thought over how to stay with Kemp and stay in the pack. By midnight I knew what I had to do.

~~~~~

I trotted slowly to our clearing, Kemp was sitting there waiting for me. I smiled at him and then frowned knowing what I had to do. "Kemp... We need to..." I was cut off by his warm voice.

"Keana I know what we have to do." He said smiling. I looked at him sadly.

"So you understand and there is no hard feelings." I asked him. He looked at me confused.

"I was talking about running away and making a pack of our own." He said. I frowned.

"Kemp, you know we can't. I was talking about... about not seeing each other anymore." I half cried. He looked at me angry now.

"How can you even suggest that?!" He barked furious. I whimpered and lay low. "Well, if thats how you feel then... then!" He growled and a small tear shined on his brown fur. He bolted to the stream and jumped it easily. I turned away and sobbed.

"What have I done?" I yelled into the sky.

Will Keana ever see Kemp again?

Will be continued in Part 2....