to do what he did next, but it was the only way to set Aleu straight. One of his white front paws went across her cheek, leaving a slight red bruise and a stinging pain. The rest of the Clan gasped at Scarlet’s actions (with exception of Riza, of course – she just sneered happily), but they knew only he could snap some sort of sense into her.

“Scarlet . . .” A tear fell down her blue eyes, feeling like she had been betrayed by the one wolf that she once cared for only a couple of hours ago. Why . . . why did he do that to me? She thought to herself, trying to calm her cheek with her paw. I thought I was the leader here! Why is he trying to take over my job for? I just don’t understand . . . I don’t understand this at all . . .But no matter how hurt Aleu felt, Scarlet’s face remained strict. 

“Aleu, when will you think about someone other than yourself for once?” Scarlet’s voice raised in anger. “Alphas are supposed to think about the Clan over his or her own feelings and ability. Take a look around and you’ll understand!”

As Aleu took Scarlet’s words to heart, the many pairs of tired and worn eyes of her Clan returned her confused glance; their stares reflected in blue, amber, gray and fiery crimson as the male continued to narrate his feelings and the feelings of his own kin. 

“Your job is to protect them, lead them, guide them! If you overwork them, they will fail and the Clan will perish. Look at them carefully, Aleu! They need you to become responsible and mature enough to truly be a leader. Aniu chose you over all others to follow in my father’s footsteps – when will you prove through your actions that you are truly worthy?”

Yes, he’s right . . .Aleu suddenly came back to her senses after closely listening to her friend’s words, gently patting her cheek one last time before returning her paw back to the ground. Oh, how could I have been so selfish! I’ve only thought of myself and not of the Clan. I must grow up quickly here, even though I am an outsider and now an alpha . . . not to mention I’m only a yearling at that, too. She took a breath and turned back to the angry male, giving him a calm, straight expression that was quite the opposite of Scarlet’s fired-up mood. 

“You’re right, Scarlet,” Aleu admitted to him and the rest of the Clan. “I was being too immature and thinking more about my own well-being instead of the Clan.” She lowered her ears and head in disappointment of what she had done. “I’m so sorry, everyone. Let’s all rest for a couple of hours and then continue onward.”

To her surprise, the rest of the Kawa agreed with barks of approval. Her expression changed from sadness to a much calmer mood as she got back down to business. “We’ll send out a small hunting party to search for some food. A couple others –” Aleu mainly looked at Nuk and Yak after saying this, “will try to find some water, and hopefully they can find the river and lake that we encountered.” 

Scarlet and Sumac agreed to hunt for food, Nuk and Yak agreed to the idea of retracing and refreshing their trail to the foot of the mountains at the forest’s edge, and Aleu chose to remain with the others and stand guard while everyone slept, awaiting her two parties returned from their separate missions.

The light-brown yearling remained by Dahlia and Lorna, hoping to pass the time with the many thoughts in her head, but something troubled her even more . . . 

I wonder . . . why is Scarlet so bossy whenever I make a mistake? Aleu let out a sigh as she looked out at the treetops that clouded her view of the night sky above them. What exactly is his problem with me? Maybe it has something to do with the Clan’s past . . . or something that Nava might have done . . . Her head lowered in confusion. What can I do to figure this out?

“Aleu?” Lorna, who had only dozed off for a few quick moments, lifted her head up and looked at Aleu with worry. 

“Oh?” The alpha turned towards her friend, showing her relief when she saw it was the light-gray female. “Oh, it’s only you, Lorna. Sorry if I woke you.”

Lorna shook her head. “No, you didn’t wake me. My dreams channeled your inner thoughts, feelings, and worries, and that was what woke me.” 

Aleu was stunned. “Huh? How could you . . .?”

The gray female only laughed quietly. “I told you that I was a child of Nava too, remember?” She smiled as she explained to the wide-eyed quarter-wolf. “I’m sure you remember that Nava is a mystic wolf, born with rare shamanic powers given to him by the Great Spirits. When he became Alpha and spread his seed to the females of the Kawa Clan, some of their pups that he sired were lucky enough to be given a different form of mystic power themselves in time. I was one of them – I sometimes can hear the thoughts of others while I’m asleep and awake, but I can’t really control it that well ever since I first noticed it about a year ago.” She lowered her eyelids a little as a tear fell down her eyes. “I know what you want to find out, Aleu . . . about Scarlet and our Clan’s past.”

“Tell me,” The light-brown alpha requested. “If this will help me understand more about this world and the lifestyle that this Clan follows, then tell me.” 

“All right, but I will warn you first: what you are about to hear is something that only a handful of our Clan knows about.” Lorna nodded, took a deep breath, and began the conclusion of the story. “Okay, here we go:”

“During the same season when many of the Clan’s females and young pups were stolen from us, Nava went through a serious state of depression. He was truly distraught, for his last mate and litter was all stolen from him; however, one pup was spared only because it was a male . . . a mud-red and ivory pup.” 

Aleu gasped. “Scarlet?”

The gray nodded. “That is correct. Scarlet witnessed the side of his father that no others in the Clan were allowed permission to see. If the rest of the Kawa saw their Alpha in such a manic state, they would begin to lose their will to fight and realize that the chances for the Clan to recover from these ambushes would be hopeless. Nava was too wise for that and there wasn’t any way that he would want the remainder of his Clan to suffer because of his personal feelings for the children that were stolen from him.  

“As Scarlet grew up in the next three years, he learned from his father about the difficulties that his Clan went through since the year of his birth: more raids and ambushes from enemy Clans, He swore to himself that he would take his father’s place one day as Alpha, hoping to revitalize the Kawa back to its original glory. Of course, all of Scarlet’s dreams faded once Nava began having his dream visions from Aniu – the visions telling him that the caribou would not return and a new leader, ‘the one who is wolf and does not know’, would lead the Clan across the water to find them.”

The yearling Alpha was stunned by Lorna’s tale; her thoughts whirled through her head about what she had just heard. Ah! It all makes sense now! Scarlet really did want to become Alpha, and with good reason – he did not just want to follow his father’s paws, but also to revive the Kawa to its original splendor.She let out a sigh as her head fell as she looked at her paws. I don’t blame him for that. He seems to have a very good reason to want that for the Clan of his birth; I only became Alpha because I was led here to fulfill my destiny as leader. All because I look more like a wolf, I felt that I had a good enough reason to join the Kawa and do Aniu’s will. I guess . . . I guess I was wrong. 

Scarlet deserves to be Alpha, not me. He has natural potential to lead, just like his father. Maybe I should . . . maybe I should . . .

“Give the leadership up to him?” Lorna completed her thoughts. Aleu let out a small shriek, surprised by her new companion’s power. “It’s all right, Aleu. It’s your decision if you feel comfortable to pass the title of Alpha to him, but the passing of power is permanent.” Aleu’s eyes widened as she began to shake in uncertainty. “Once you give the title of Alpha to another, you can never reclaim it ever again. It is the Law of Aniu and the Spirits above . . . well, that’s what all the elders say anyway.” 

“Permanent?” Aleu repeated. “But then, what about my destiny? What would happen if I gave it all up forever?” She paused with her mouth open in a gasp as thoughts came into her head. What if I gave up? I . . . I will let down all those that believed in me – Nava, Lorna, Dahlia . . . She let out a sigh as she lowered her ears. Papa, Scarlet . . . Aniu, you wouldn’t want me to give up so easily, would you?

“Aleu,” Lorna gave her a small nudge of comfort. “You know, you don’t have to give it up. You are who you are, and no one can change that about you. I’m sure Scarlet would understand your decisions, no matter what you decide.”  

A familiar howl filled the air just before the yearling Alpha had a chance to answer. “It’s Scarlet!” One of the middle wolves spread the word, awakening the rest of the pack. “Scarlet’s returned from the hunt!”

Moans and groans quietly ran through the Clan as they heard the news of Scarlet and Sumac’s return from hunting. Aleu left Lorna and Dahlia and waited for the mud-red wolf and the skinny tan omega to arrive. It was only a matter of seconds before the males reached Aleu, each with a couple of large rabbits in their mouths. 

“Scarlet!” Aleu smiled, welcoming him back with a friendly nuzzle. “I see you’ve found some food for us.”

“Yes,” Scarlet replied after he and Sumac dropped the food at her feet. “We tried to track caribou, but all we could find were a couple of burrows filled with rabbits. I hope this is enough.” He lowered his head in shame. “I just wish we could have found the caribou instead.” 

“Don’t worry, Scarlet,” Aleu reassured