Rallan dropped to his belly, watching the silvery gray female leap over him. She landed perfectly and spun around to face him as he got back up.

“Is this it?” Rallan asked sarcastically, grinning at Captain in an amused manner.

Captain growled softly and tackled Rallan, landing on top of him. Rallan quickly rolled backward, using the momentum from Captain’s attack to force her off of him and get him back on his feet. Captain got to her feet and glared at Rallan as he faced her again.

“You think you’re so good at this?” Captain asked, slightly irritated by his success thus far, “Let’s see how well you handle a full-out assault!”

Not holding back anymore, Captain growled loudly and lunged for Rallan. Aiming for his neck, Rallan quickly pulled back, ramming into her side and forcing her to the ground. The moment Captain got back up; Rallan grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and tossed her into the river. Captain got back up, her fur now soaking wet, a furious growl building up in her throat.

“I won’t let you win without some sort of challenge!” Captain shouted angrily.

As soon as she uttered those words, Captain threw herself at him, knocking Rallan to the ground. Rallan rolled and got to his feet, narrowing his eyes and growling back at her. Rallan grabbed her neck and forcefully pulled her down to the ground, standing over her, holding her down in a strong pin. As Captain tried to pull her throat out of Rallan’s maw, he only bit down harder, drawing a small amount of blood. Finally, Captain’s struggling stopped and her chest heaved up and down.

“Alright Rallan… You win… I surrender…” Captain said, panting heavily.

Rallan let go of her neck and smirked down at her. He climbed off of Captain, allowing her to get to her feet and began to turn away from her to get a drink from the river. Grinning to herself, Captain watched Rallan begin to turn away.

Fool… she thought and went to slash his muzzle like she had when she first met him. However, Rallan had learned and dodged by moving his muzzle just out of the way in time. Captain missed and stumbled forward within striking range of Rallan. She gave him a surprised look and gasped as Rallan grabbed her by the back of her neck, tossing her roughly through the air. Captain screamed as she flew forward and landed hard into the river, barely having enough strength to get up again.

“Congratulations, Rallan… You’ve passed my test… You’re officially the best wolf in our pack… In the whole world, probably…” Captain said weakly, letting the water run over and around her body.

Rallan sighed and shook his head. He walked up to Captain and dragged her out of the river and onto the bank of the river. He sat down beside her and looked out over the river.

“It’s all thanks to you and my father… Thank you, Captain…”

“Don’t mention it, Rallan… You did well… Your father will be proud…”

“Oh, will I?” Typhoon asked as he walked up to them, Captain quickly rolling to her feet and bowing to him, “What would make me so proud of him all of a sudden?”

“Well…” Captain began, her ears flattening in embarrassment, “He beat me without even breaking a sweat… His training has definitely paid off… He’s ready for the battle…”

“Wait, battle?!?! What battle?” Rallan asked, looking from Captain to Typhoon, “What’s going on?”

Typhoon gave Captain a look of anger and Captain recoiled slightly. He sighed and looked over at Rallan. Typhoon’s eyes reflected seriousness and Rallan knew this was no joke or test.

“Son, do you remember the Farin Pack? Our enemies?” he asked Rallan, knowing he would.

“Yeah, what about them?”

“Apparently, they’ve gathered enough forces to attack us swiftly and effectively…” Typhoon explained, briefing his son on his first mission, “You’ll be in command of our Second Regiment. I’ll take our First Regiment and lead them in a frontal assault. While they’re distracted, you’ll flank them from behind, using the cliff as cover, understand?”

Rallan just stared at his father for a moment. He glanced over at Captain and saw her nod slowly to him. He looked back at Typhoon and sighed before nodding.

“I understand, father…” he replied, “I accept this task...”

“Excellent! The battle will be tomorrow at dawn, from the message we’ve received from them.”

“Then the strike will be at midnight tonight,” Rallan said, cutting into his father’s statement. Typhoon exchanged a confused look with Captain, then looking back at his son.

“Um, son… We’ve received a message from their leader himself…” Typhoon said, trying to understand his son’s reasoning, “I don’t think he’d try to lead us astray…”

“Wrong Dad… He’s deliberately trying to lead you astray,” Rallan said taking a step forward, “By telling you it’s tomorrow at dawn, he’ll expect you to rally all of our soldiers, including our guards into preparation for combat, leaving our borders unprotected. He’ll then lead his troops past our barren borders and destroy us from the inside.”

Typhoon stared in amazement at Rallan’s explanation. He looked at Captain to see the same stunned look on her face that he also wore. Rallan smiled, knowing he’d surprised them both. Typhoon shook his head to break his shocked dazed.

“Wow Rallan… I’m impressed…” Typhoon complimented, then got serious again, “But that doesn’t prove that he’s deceiving us…”

“Dad, just lead our troops into the canyon tonight and see what happens,” Rallan said, pleading his father to listen to him.

“Alright, but only because I’m trusting your judgment, Rallan…” Typhoon said and walked off. Rallan glanced at Captain and walked off, following his father, ready to fight for his father using his newfound skills.

            Just as the moon reached the center of the nighttime sky, signaling that midnight had arrived. Below the treetops, a silvery mist had settled in. A moderate sized force of wolves marched their way through the veil, Spirit at the back as the medic, Typhoon and Rallan at the front as the commanders. As they reached the canyon and began to descend into it, Typhoon nodded to Rallan.

Rallan nodded back and split off, taking half the forces with him up and around along the ledges to circle the other side. No sooner had they split-up, than the forces of the Farin Pack appeared through the mist. Typhoon sighed, knowing that his son had been right about their battle strategy. The two forces picked up speed and charged each other, the wolves colliding with one another.

The foggy canyon soon became a carnage-filled battlefield. Rallan and his troops watched on as Typhoon and his soldiers fought back at the Farin wolves, both sides evenly matched in terms of numbers and strength.

“Time to uneven those odds…” Rallan muttered and motioned to his wolves.

Rallan led the Second Regiment around the ledges, howls of pain echoing across the canyon. He knew both sides were fighting their best, then noticed that the Farins had gained a temporary advantage, taking the lead and forcing Typhoon back. Rallan growled and finally reached the opposite side of the canyon, howling loudly, his soldiers following his lead.

The Farins turned to see the Second Regiment and their leader blocking their only escape. A sudden sickly moment of understanding set in on the Farin wolves’ minds. Rallan glared down at his enemies and charged, leading his troops into the fray. Everything seemed to slow down as Rallan tackled a wolf, rolling for a moment before pinning him and biting into his throat. Now reinforced, the Lylrites fought back with renewed vigor and determination.

The battle wore on for what seemed like an eternity, though it was closer to an hour or two. Rallan could hear the screams of pain and death, he could taste the blood of his enemies on his teeth, he could see the bodies of the fallen wolves, whether they were allies or enemies. He hated it all. The combat wore on until only a few wolves remained standing. Just as victory seemed near, the Alpha of the Farin Pack tackled Rallan, the two rolling into a circle formed by both sides as they watched the Alpha and prince engage each other.

Rallan got back to his feet and shook his head to clear the daze caused by the sudden attack. He glared at the Alpha and the Alpha glared back at him. The two began to circle one another, a bitter hatred sensed between both sides. The Alpha lunged for Rallan’s neck, missing as the young wolf pulled away, whacking the Alpha on the side of his muzzle and sending him sprawling to the rocky ground. The Alpha spun around and clawed across Rallan’s muzzle, leaving four deep cuts in his cheek.

Rallan cried out in pain as a stinging, searing pain filled his mind. He stumbled slightly and felt something run down his muzzle, staring at the ground. A few drops of blood stained the ground from his face, from the wound the Alpha had inflicted upon him. Growling, Rallan retaliated, leaping at the Alpha, the two tossing about until Rallan pinned him down. As Rallan went to bite through the Alpha’s neck, the wolf kicked him off, landing on his feet as his enemy got to his feet.

Both wolves circled each other again, the warriors on the sidelines cheering on the royalty of their side. Typhoon stood in the crowd, watching his son fight off the Alpha, his steely gaze not being broken for anything. Rallan went to tackle the Alpha again, but ended up missing when his target sidestepped and dodged his attack, falling to his face. Rallan felt a white hot pain burn through his back leg and knew the Alpha had bitten him. He spun around and kicked the Alpha with his free leg.

The Alpha flew off at