Kita © CatWhoHas14Tails

Kayiya © CatWhoHas14Tails

Achak © Draco

Kanook © Draco

No matter how much it hurt to admit it, I was defeated by a stupid mutt. I must have known deep down that it was going to happen. I was defeated like this once before. However, unlike last time, love was on the line. And I lost him to her forever.

Still beaten, I looked up to my love. He blinked and then just stared at me, his expression unreadable as always. That trait never fazed me in a bad way before, but this time it did. He opened his mouth to say something, but whatever it was, being sympathy or rejection from the pack, I did not want to hear it. I spun around and passed the pack members in a running fury. I wasn't angry. I was embarrassed beyond belief. I ran for the next day and a half, feeling that I was nothing if I was but a lone wolf. I would not degrade myself as such, so I ran into the territory of a neighboring pack in hopes of gaining entry.

As I was running, memories flowed back into my mind the last time I was defeated. My younger sister had fought me and won. But it went back way further than her just merely defeating me.

My sister Kayiya and I were the only two born in our parents' litter. I was older than Kayiya and was therefore bigger than her, while she was the runt. Or so I thought. As we grew older, our parents started giving her extra attention and basically ignored me. They would shower her with compliments about how she would make a wonderful leader because of how witty she was. They would always brag to everyone that Kayiya could outwit a fox. I thought that was foolish thinking. But when I told them so, they snarled at me for saying bad things about my sister.

I never said bad things about her ever again. At least not out loud, this caused me to think even worse thoughts about her. Thoughts that she would do something foolish to make my parents think badly about her and refrain from giving her the leadership role and bestow it upon me. Thoughts of the sort made me smile. I've always wanted to lead my entire life and I wanted it more than anything in the world. But Kayiya and my parents was the only thing that stood in my way.

Our parents died of natural causes in the same year and it was that year when Kayiya took the role as leader of our pack. It was a sad year for me, losing my parents, whom I've always loved even if they punished me, and losing my leadership. But it didn't take me long to be happy again once I thought about one less obstacle in my way to taking Kayiya's position away from her. I trained hard and always went on hunts whenever possible, to become stronger and defeat my sister. I was very good at hunting. And I often tried leading the pack without her. It worked from time to time, but then she would find out and have one of her larger pack members do her dirty work and punish me. And at that point I knew it was finally time to impugn her.

One evening I found Kayiya walking the edge of our territory alone. The moment could not have been more perfect. I stalked her for a moment, thinking that she wasn't aware of my presence. But when I leapt into the air to attack her from behind, she spun around and counter-attacked, knocking me clear out of the air. I landed.

"I knew that if I walked alone you'd take the chance to get rid of me." she said, disappointed.

I gained my posture, my fur bristling at her knowledge. "Then why did you do it?"

"Because I'm through with you leading them behind my pack and you plotting against me, Kita." Kayiya's face grew angry. "I want you out of MY territory."

"You think I'd do you any favors?!" I exclaimed. "Why should I when you took away the one thing that was dear to me!"

"Is being leader the only thing you care about?" Kayiya scoffed. "I can't believe my older sister would be so careless."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it! I WILL fight you for what is rightfully mine!"

"Fine," Kayiya said, running around me. I lunged at her to grab her by her back leg, but she just barely made it out of my grasp. Even though she was smaller than me, that made her all the quicker, and for one moment I wondered if her swiftness would defeat me. I shook my head at such thoughts and took confidence in my strength and lunged again. I thought I knocked Kayiya off her feet, but she just slid under me and attacked my back leg. Her bite was hard and it cracked bone. I cried out and instinctively fell on my side, which turned out to be a big mistake.

In one swift motion, Kayiya released my leg, pinned my head into the ground with her front paw, and latched her jaws around my neck. I stared up, wide-eyed, not believing that I had been defeated so fast. I heard whispers and I looked around. I hadn't noticed that the entire pack had surrounded us. How long they were there, I did not know, and I don't think Kayiya knew either. They were all staring at me, some of them snickering at me. I growled, both at them, and at myself for being so careless. Careless...

I knew Kayiya wasn't going to kill me. She was too merciful to kill someone of her own flesh and blood. But as soon as she would release me, I planned to take her by the throat and literally destroy her to show everyone who the dominant one was.

Once I felt her jaws relax, she evaded me faster than I could even get near her. I would've chased her, but I felt about four sets of fangs latched onto my upright body. Pack members had restrained me from attacking Kayiya.

"Let me go!" I snarled at them, trying to escape their grasp. They didn't listen to me and only tightened their grip, getting me to stop once my flesh ripped under their fangs.

"Will you never get it?" Kayiya asked me. "You're never going to become leader, especially if you keep acting like that. I know you will. So, I will make sure that you never return here." She nodded to her pack and walked away.

And every member who could get a hold of me attacked. They ripped me up and left me on the outskirts of their territory in a bloody mess. But they didn't kill me. I don't think Kayiya wanted them to or else they would've done it. Even so, I could not forgive her. I lay there, wanting to die. If I could not lead, I didn't want to exist. Especially here, where I was in pain and alone, with no one by my side or wanting to follow me.

It was the middle of the night when I sensed someone approaching me. I was thinking it was some being who was sent to end my misery. I heard faint voices and could barely hear what they were saying.

"...so this is where that scent of blood was coming from..."

"Poor thing....left here to die by herself..."

"...she's still alive...let's take her...and heal her..."

"No..." I managed to say. I didn't want to get better. I wanted to die. But they didn't listen. I was gingerly lifted and placed onto a large body that carried me a fair distance away from where I was originally.

I was unconscious for most of the journey, but at one point I remember awakening and seeing a beautiful black and silver male wolf. His sky-blue eyes stared into mine for a mere second and then I fell into a sound sleep the instant after.

The second time I woke up I was in a low cave by myself. My wounds were about half-way healed, so I must've been asleep for about a week or less. I raised my head, nearly reaching the top of the cave. Did the pack of wolves that saved me leave me in this cave?

I sighed. I should've just died if I was going to end up alone again.

It was then when I heard scratching of claws padding up and into the cave. It was a brown male wolf with dark blue eyes and a friendly expression.

"Ah, I see you're awake, miss," he said. "Glad to see you're well!"

"Who are you?" I asked. "Where am I? And why didn't you leave me to die!" I exclaimed.

"Whoa now," he said. "One question at a time."

"Ok, then who are you!"

"I'm Kanook, beta of the pack of Achak."

"Achak..." I thought to myself if he was referring to the black wolf I had seen earlier.

"You might not remember seeing him." said Kanook. "He's--"

"How is she doing, Kanook?" said a rather kind voice. The black and silver wolf I had seen entered the cave. He was a bit younger than me, but he was indeed gorgeous. He was built so strong and his fur was sleek and glistened brighter than any I'd ever seen before. And he was concerned about me. For the first time I felt the birth of something many associate with "love."

"Well, she's awake," the beta replied. He turned to me. "This is Achak, the one I told you about." Achak laughed through his nose. These two must have been good friends, even though Kanook looked much older compared to Achak.

"Hello..." I said, feeling rather shy.

"Hello." he smiled. "What is your name?" I noticed that he didn't enter the cave any further than he had originally. Half of his body was still outside the cave.

"Kita," I replied, quietly.

There was a moment of silence until Kanook spoke up. "You really should be thanking Achak. He was the one who smelled your blood. The pup's got quite a sensitive nose, just like his father." Kanook winked and Achak seemed rather embarrassed at the comment.

"I've gotta go." he said, taking his leave with but a courteous bow of his head. Once I was well enough to travel, Achak naturally let me stay with his pack, since he knew from the start that I was thrown out of mine. He never questioned why either. But from that moment on I made it my duty to become Achak's mate and in turn become alpha-female.

Weeks passed and I was again at my previous position as a great hunter. And my determination to impress Achak made me even better than before. I had not forgotten my goal, but for some reason I could never get