making her stumble. My mother nudged us towards the den. I knew she was thinking Boss was going to try to hurt us again, but I was sure that I could take that ugly thing on.

            “Try to get some sleep” our mother managed before whirling back out of the cave.

A few seconds later, Yukon limped in, Bristol on his tail.

                        “Yukon, please. We already lost two today, we can’t afford to lose anyone else. Unless you aren’t going to attack him, stay here until you’re healed”

Yukon furrowed his brow and put his head on the ground. Bristol glanced over us then returned back outside, shaking his head sadly.

It had been about two months since the pack had changed. I remember my father saying that we were the most powerful pack and had nothing to worry about. We still were, but not in the way we wanted to be powerful. Dakota, Sitka and I had just turned seven months old and luckily, we were allowed a little freedom to go on our first hunt. As we had set off, Dakota had frowned at our three bodyguards but now, he led us through the snow, tracking down our first deer. If it were up to Bristol, we would have been hunting with the whole pack, but Boss had decided that it would give us too great a chance of escaping. Dakota froze and Sitka glanced at him and froze too. I looked around but didn’t stop. Neither did our bodyguards. Dakota’s ears flattened back.

“Honestly, how are we supposed to hunt anything with you brainless furballs following us?!” Dakota spat angrily.

Our bodyguards halted and gawked. I had to admit I didn’t think they were that bright either. Dakota bit his lip then smiled sweetly.

            “Why don’t you guys go over there on those rocks and watch us? We’ll be close enough for you to catch if we try to run”

The bodyguards exchanged glances but nodded stupidly. Dakota grinned and nodded Sitka and I over so we could whisper when we walked.

                        “I can’t take much more of this!” Sitka huffed.

Dakota ginned at our little sister.

            “You’re not alone” Dakota agreed. “But I think I have a plan”

“Your plans never work” I whispered.

            “This one will work for sure” He said seriously. “Those rocks our baby sitters are sitting on are really loose so if they try to scramble, they’ll just fall and we can get away!”

 I sighed but we could give it a try. What did we have to lose anyway?

            “When I say go, run like heck”

Sitka and I nodded. Even though I doubted this was going to work, my heart raced and adrenaline started to work its way through me.

Dakota glanced over his shoulder and I did too. The three wolves were an eighth of a mile away.

            “Ready” Dakota whispered excitedly” “GO!”

With Dakota a small step ahead, we jumped forward in a desperate sprint. The sounds of rocks falling told us that our bodyguards had taken the bait. Dakota snickered and flattened his ears back against his head, picking up his speed happily. I had to give him credit. When I had looked over my shoulder, our bodyguards were left far behind. Dakota’s plan had actually worked. And to think I had doubted him!

Then, without any warning, a black blur crashed into Dakota, making him roll with the thing and making Sitka and I skit to a halt. To our horror, Boss had Dakota pinned with a single paw.

            “It’s a good thing I stopped by” Boss laughed. “Or you might have gotten away”

Dakota’s blue eyes lit with hate. There was nothing else in the world that he hated as much as our alpha.

                        “Get off me!” Dakota growled.

            “Say please” Boss coed.

That was the last straw for Dakota. With a vicious snarl, he struggled and with some luck had a paw in his teeth. Boss’s smiled disappeared when Dakota bit down and hopped off. Then he turned to me and slapped me across the face. It stung so badly that even when the force of it landed me in the snow, the cold didn’t make it go away.

            “If I can’t get through to you, maybe you’re sisters can help” Boss sneered.

I sat back up, rubbing my cheek. Poor Dakota stood there, mouth agape, ears folded back and tail touching the ground.

            “Now get back to the pack before I do something you’ll regret”

Defeated, Dakota turned around and started to follow Boss submissively. But for a second he hung back and waited for me to catch up. When I did, he gave me an apologetic lick on my sore cheek.

            I hated Boss. Who else could be cowardly enough to get at his enemies by hurting their sister?! When we were within seeing distance of the den, we could see the pack gathered, waiting to see what had happened. I held my head and tail up high.  The first wolf I saw was Bristol. Whenever I did something like this, Bristol was always the first one to tell me it wasn’t what my father would have wanted, but this time, he grinned.

            “You just always have to be your father don’t you?” he smiled.

I grinned back. But Boss didn’t let us have our laugh. He crashed into me and sent me flying into the snow.

            “Next time you better follow directions or you’re dead!” he snarled fiercely.

I stood back up and faced him with my chest puffed out. He charged at me but I didn’t budge.

            “If I killed your father what makes you think that I can’t kill you?!”

“You never killed him” I said quietly.

Boss sputtered but I cut him off.

“You didn’t even touch him. If you hadn’t taken me like the coward you are, he could have easily beaten you and he almost did… remember?”

Boss shuddered with fury. I could have cared less. My hate for him outlasted the fear. Suddenly, without warning, the black wolf sprang at me and sent me flying into the snow. Pain shot up one of my back legs and I couldn’t stop a yelp from slipping out. Legs flailing, I tried to find my feet. But no matter how hard I struggled, that one paw kept me pinned to the ground. Someone snarled and Boss stumbled away from me. I scrambled up just in time to see Boss throw Sitka off of him.

“Leave her alone!” I snarled. “Your fight’s with me!”

Boss whipped around, eyes smoldering. But before he could do anything else, my mother and Bristol jumped to my defense.

                        “Your father died to save you! Don’t you dare let that go to waste!” Bristol growled over his shoulder.

            “Go back to the cave now Dakota! And take your sisters!” my mother whispered to me.

“Come on guys” I grumbled, heading back to the den.

I hated the den. Even though my sisters and I had dug it out to make room for all three of us, it was still damp, dark and cramped. I hated it!

            In the middle of the night, I was shaken awake.

            “Wake up now Dakota! And that’s a command, not a suggestion!”

“I wanna sleep Bristol” I mumbled, lifting up one lid.

Something smacked me across the top of my head. Startled, I sat straight up and smacked my head on the top of the den.

            “Get up now! Your sisters are already outside!”

I scrambled, a little embarrassed about having to be smacked awake, and slipped outside. My sisters, mother and Bear were waiting.

“What’s going on!”

            “You guys need to get out of here!” my mother explained. “Dakota, Boss could have killed you today and if you get any older, I think he will. The same goes for you too” she finished, turning to my sisters”

“But Mom…”           

            “Bear’s going to lead you away”

Sitka and Anyu nuzzled her goodbye, and Bear started to lead them away.

            “Please be safe” she pleaded, nuzzling me. “Don’t try to be too much like your