her seemed familiar, from the voice to her scent, but Rallan still had no idea who she was.

“Don’t worry… It’s not too much farther…” she responded, walking for several minutes until they arrived in a clearing deep in the forest, “Well, here we are!” Rallan looked around them empty clearing, then gave the female a strange look.

“Oooook… I’ll play along… Why did you bring me to an empty clearing?” he asked, looking around briefly, “I’m a little confused now…”

“Yeah, I thought you would be at first, Rallan…” Rallan’s ears immediately perked up when she spoke his name and slowly turned back to face her.

“How do you know my name?” Rallan asked suspiciously, scanning her once again, “Who are you?”

“All in due time, Rallan… Tell me, have you ever wondered how the Lylrite Pack has been doing since you were exiled over a year ago?” she asked, grinning wickedly. Rallan took a couple steps backward.

“Who are you?” Rallan asked once again, “How do you know all of this stuff? Tell me your name, NOW!”

“Oh, still demanding, eh Rally?” she said with a dark tone. Rallan gasped and almost fell backward.

“No… It can’t be…” Rallan said softly, “Rayne… Is it you?”

“Hello big brother… How’s life been treating you since we last ran into one another?” Rayne asked coolly, eyes burning holes into his head, “Guess what I am now… I’m the Alphess of the Lylrite Pack now… Isn’t that something, brother?”

“Stop talking to me like you’ve got no remorse at what you’ve done! You voted to have me executed and had someone not voted my innocence, then I would be dead now!” Rallan snapped back, taking a bold step forward and baring his teeth, “You think I’m happy to see you, Rayne? You are sorely mistaken…”

“Oh, such hurtful words, Rally! I didn’t even do anything but reintroduce myself to you and look at how you greet your own sister! I had hoped that a year out in the wild wouldn’t have turned you into a savage, but not all hopes are granted…” she remarked, chuckling darkly, “So, I guess the Icicle Pack ran you out, hmm?”

“It was you… You tipped of Frost that I was an accused murderer! You’re the reason I was thrown out of their lands!” Rallan nearly shouted, glaring back at Rayne, “How dare you do that to me Rayne! Why are you out here looking for me anyway?!”

“To finish what the council started more than a year ago…” Rayne answered coolly, “They convicted you for murder and your sentence was death, but that one vote turned it to exile… I’m here to carry out the sentence that one vote stopped… I’m here to kill you, Rallan…”

“On whose authority?” Rallan demanded again, growling angrily, “You have no civil right to do that to me! I carried out my sentence! You can’t do this!”

“I am the Alphess! I can do whatever I wish!” Rayne snapped back, flicking her tail in a command to someone, “And I’ve brought some assistance… Some old friends of yours…” From behind a group of trees, Drake, Hunter, and Valley walked into sight and stood behind Rayne.

“Hello Rallan… Long time no see…” Drake said coldly, glaring at Rallan with a malicious grin, “Your sister’s leading us now… And we have our orders… Not to rest until you lie dead…”

“Rallan, you have a choice now… You can either admit to your crime and your death will be quick and painless… Resist and you’ll only suffer…”

Rallan glared at the four wolves confronting him. He knew his limitations and facing off with all four at once would immediately spell disaster for him. Thinking and acting fast, Rallan swiped at the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust before turning and dashing off into the forest.

“After him! Don’t let him get away!” Rayne ordered in a shout once the dust cleared, the four giving chase to their prey.

Rallan panted heavily as he sprinted through the forest, narrowly avoiding collisions with trees and rocks. Behind him, he could hear his sister’s order and kept going as fast as his legs could take him. Behind him, the four were hot on his trail. Soon, Rallan came to a river and began running along the bank of it, southward bound. Rayne and her group came by it a minute later and followed Rallan’s scent, determined to catch him more than anything else.

The gray wolf continued to run, his breathing hard and heavy. Every so often, he’d glance over his shoulder to make sure they weren’t gaining on him. When he didn’t see them, he grinned and looked forward- only to see a cliff in front of him. Rallan slammed on his brakes and skidded to a halt just at the edge, glancing over at the huge drop. The river dropped off into a waterfall that ran into a raging river. He ran out into the river and onto a small plot of land in the middle of the rushing river. Just then, Rayne and the others ran up to the other side of the river.

“Rallan! Just come back and everything will be over just like that!” Rayne shouted out to him.

“No Rayne! I won’t be killed for a crime I never commit! I never will be!” Rallan shouted back, glaring at her, “Tell me Rayne, can you sniff out a wolf through water? You’d better hope you can, or else you’ll never see me again!”

Before Rayne could act or say anything else, Rallan threw himself off the edge of the waterfall, bracing himself for the impact of the water. However, he couldn’t have been prepared for the feeling of the water hitting his body. The force of it knocked him about in the water and pulled him under. Slowly, his vision went black and Rallan lost all consciousness. Rayne watched as her brother fell and hit the water, then vanished out of sight. She growled furiously and turned to the others.

“Quick! We can’t lose his trail! We need to get down there, now!” Rayne ordered, glaring back over the cliff, “He’s not getting away again…” With that, Rayne led her group back out on the hunt of the convict known as Rallan.

The End

To be concluded in Volume III