rest of the day and then we’ll determine on how you should act, Serenity, alright?”

“Sounds good to me…” Serenity replied, her green eyes locked on Rallan’s form as he walked along the shore, “He seems easy enough to charm… This should be a snap…”

Rallan carried on trekking across the beach, his head low and sad. He had nothing anymore; everything was gone. Things could be a lot worse though… Rallan thought to himself, That one vote that said I was innocent saved me from being executed, so I suppose I should be somewhat grateful… I bet it was Mom who voted innocent… Rallan smiled slightly, mentally thanking whoever saved his life.

Serenity risked getting slightly closer to see Rallan better. Something must’ve happened to him recently… she thought, He seems so sad… Well, not my problem. I’ll have to fake sympathy when I seduce him… She grinned at the though of him trusting her, then the look on his face when he realizes that it was all part of a deadly set-up. She loved that look and loved her job.

Rallan heard his stomach growl and felt pains of hunger run through him. He sighed and began to walk into the forest, close to where the three spies were. They crouched low so he couldn’t see them and watched as Rallan walked on by. They carried on pursuing him through the shadows, watching him hunt. This is where we’ll see just how skilled he really is… NightPelt thought and watched with anticipation.

After a few minutes of searching, Rallan found a lone deer out in a clearing, grazing on the soft grass. He crouched low and slinked as close to it as he could. The second the animal noticed Rallan, the wolf sprang forward and latched onto its neck. The deer tried to run away, but Rallan pulled it to the ground and bit through its throat, securing a meal for himself. Hungrily, Rallan dug into it, eating quickly to restore his vigor.

NightPelt watched in amazement at Rallan’s skills and strength. His eyebrows raised in shock as the wolf killed his prey in a matter of seconds. He chuckled softly and shook his head slowly.

“Damn… That’s one good wolf; I’ll give him that… This will be a challenge, but it sure will be fun to bring down such a skilled adversary…” NightPelt said in a whisper, “Come on, let’s follow him until nightfall, then we’ll launch our spy into the fray…”

NightPelt glanced back at Serenity. Serenity nodded in acknowledgement, knowing what she’d have to do. Both wolves turned their attention back to Rallan. SwiftDeath just stood there, eagerly waiting to taste that wolf’s blood. Out of the three, he was the more vicious, blood-thirsty one. He didn’t care about surveillance or spying, he just wanted to kill Rallan, like he did with every victim they chose.

Rallan wandered around the lonely forest for the rest of the day. Though it seemed like he was doing nothing, in his mind he was making a mental map of the surrounding forest area. His search for a suitable den left him wanting at the end of the day. At the end of the day, by the time the sun had finished setting and the crescent moon had begun its slow ascent, Rallan still had yet to find lodging for himself for the night.

Not that sleeping under the stars isn’t great, but I’d prefer to have a den… Besides, it’s just turning spring… It isn’t exactly the warmest time of the year… Rallan thought to himself. With a sigh, the gray wolf collapsed into a clearing. His brown eyes traced around the tree-line. All day, he’d felt like he was being followed and watched, but he could never catch a glimpse or scent of anyone. With another sigh, the young wolf lay his head down on his paws and slowly closed his eyes.

From behind the cover of darkness and the trees and bushes, the trio of murderers watched as their next mark lied down and seemingly fell asleep. NightPelt grinned and chuckled softly, turning to face his accomplices.

“Are you two ready for your performance yet?” he asked in a hushed tone.

“Al most…” Serenity said, still ruffling up her fur and tossing some dirt onto her face and back, making it seem like she’d gotten into a fight. She then dug a single claw into her cheek and made a small cut, wincing slightly as she felt the sharp pain, but cleared her throat and grinned slyly. “Alright, now I’m ready…”

“Right… SwiftDeath, you know the plan, correct?” NightPelt asked, looking to his other friend.

“Chase Serenity out into the clearing where that fool is, threaten them, fight if needed, but lose and run away, pursue them for a bit if they run, then come back here…” he said, running over the plan in his mind.

“And then I’ll run off with him, lead him to the den we have set up, and get to know all about him and relay that information to you…” Serenity said, smiling wickedly, “But remember: this may take a bit… It all depends on how trusting the male is…”

“Excellent… But Serenity, remember… Get close to him, but not too close…” NightPelt reminded, and then grinned to his team, “Alright, action… Go, now!”

Serenity grinned and chuckled softly. She motioned with her head to SwiftDeath and the two walked off a few meters away. A moment later, Serenity cried out in false-terror, however it sounded so real, and ran toward Rallan. Naturally, Rallan scrambled to his feet and caught sight of the gray-brown female just as she came colliding into him. The two tumbled over one another for a moment before Rallan felt a weight on top of him and slowly opened his brown eyes.

Rallan could see the shimmering green eyes and face of the wolf that’d crashed into him, a terrified look on her face. Her left cheek had a cut in it which was bleeding slightly, the scarlet drops running down her muzzle. Her body was covered in a thin layer of dirt, as if she’d been in a tussle with someone. Slowly, she got off of him and looked at him fearfully, obviously afraid of him.

“Please don’t hurt me…” she said in a soft, scared voice, “I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to run into you, it’s just-” Rallan raised a paw to stop her and smiled warmly at her.

“Shh, it’s alright… No need to apologize, it was an accident…” he replied, then stared concernedly at her, “Are you alright? You look hurt- and afraid…”

“I… I have to go, now!” she stated, glancing around nervously, “If he sees me with you, then he’ll kill us both!”

“Whoa, slow down! Who’s ‘he’?” Rallan asked, cocking his head slightly, “What’s going on? Why are you running?”

“We don’t have time for this! He’ll be here any minute!” the female almost shouted when SwiftDeath’s howl was heard, “Oh Hell no… He’s here…” SwiftDeath then came running into the clearing, the black male glaring at Rallan and Serenity.

“What the Hell’s going on here?!” SwiftDeath shouted, “Serenity, get away from that male and come back with me this instant! How dare you try to run away from me!” Serenity looked to Rallan, then motioned to him.

“Run!” she called out and both wolves dashed off into the dark forest, not looking back to see if he was pursuing them or not.

“SERENITY!!!” came the loud yell of SwiftDeath as both Rallan and Serenity ran away as fast as they could, desperate to get away. After a few more seconds, SwiftDeath chuckled and walked back to NightPelt, “How was that?”

“Very well done, pal…” NightPelt said, grinning to him and motioning to him, “Come on, let’s get to our spare den… Serenity will have her paws full for a while… Might as well get some sleep… She’ll know where to find us…”

Both males turned and walked off, deep into the dark nighttime. As for Rallan and Serenity, they kept on running, Serenity leading him as she twisted and turned around trees and other obstacles. Rallan could easily keep up, but she took so many turns, he was behind a little. After a moment, Serenity had led Rallan to a den in the side of a cliff. It had been the one they had chosen to lure him into and keep him there for a while until they got his guard down and struck.

Serenity heard Rallan catch up and approach her, breathing a little heavier. She, herself, was panting a bit, but this male acted like the run hadn’t even fazed him. Good physique… He’s better built than I thought… she thought to herself as she walked into the den. Rallan followed her inside, but sat cautiously by the entrance as she lay on the bedding of brush and leaves. She noticed his suspicious look and gave him a slight smile.

“What? What is it?” Serenity asked, chuckling softly, “You look like you’re suspicious of me… Like I have something to hide…”

“Well you haven’t exactly been forth-coming with me, Serenity was it?” Rallan stated coolly, “So, why don’t you start explaining everything? Who was that wolf? Why are we here? Just what the Hell is going on?” Serenity sighed softly and looked away from him.

“Yeah, my name’s Serenity… and that male was my ‘mate’… But he didn’t love me… He just wanted someone to beat and breed… Namely, me… He’s the reason I look like this…” she explained, “I defied him and he beat me… so I ran… and then I ran into you… I don’t want to be his mate anymore… It wasn’t like I was in the first place…”

Rallan felt his heart tighten slightly, sympathy for Serenity running through his mind. He sighed softly and rose to his feet, walking over to Serenity and sitting beside her. He gently ran his paw across her back and forehead, cleaning the dirt and dust off of her coat. He then brushed off her muzzle before licking the blood away from her cut.

“It’s not too bad…” Rallan said, looking over the single slice, “Your coat was a mess though! But that’s all fixed now…”

“Thanks…” Serenity replied softly, licking her paw and beginning to smoothen out her fur, “So, you know my name, what’s yours?”

“Rallan… My name’s Rallan…” the brown-gray wolf answered calmly.

“Rallan,