her ground even though he looked mean, like he was about to bite her head off.

  "What?" he snarled. "What now?"

  "I..." Ginny took a deep breath then dove right to the point. "Are Dusk and I your daughters?"

  Shade closed his eyes then opened his eyes and whispered, "Yes."

  "Did you kill our mother?" demanded Ginny, staring into his eyes.

 "I..." Shade sat down adn looked at the ceiling of the cave. "I... did... with Mountain's help." Ginny felt like a train had hit her. She had expected it but nothing could have prepared her to find out that Olphin's father had helped tear Ginny's mother out of her life. "Mountain actually killed her..."

   "No." ginny whispered. It was too much. She stood up, swished her tail and trotted out of the den.

 As she left, Shade put his muzzle so low that his nose was touching the dusty ground. "I'm sorry Freckle," he murmured. A tear rolled down his face.

  Ginny had refused to tell Olphin what she found out until morning so the two had gone to the sleeping cave for the pack (other than the leader since he has his own cave) and fallen asleep.

  So when they woke up, Olphin was eager to find out what happened. She woke Ginny up and the two sat down in the cave (which was now empty because they were the last to wake up). Ginny told Olphin everything and, when she got to the part about Olphin's father, she said, "I'm sorry, Olphin."

  "It's not your fault." The shock on Olphin's face was clear. "It's really not. I'm glad you told me. He acts like he's better than other wolves sometimes but..." Her voice trailed off.

  A battle howl sounded down the tunnel to outside. Olphin and Ginny raced out of the cave and saw a group of wolves surrounding the tunnel. Ginny and Olphin pushed their way to the front of the group. They looked upwards and Ginny saw Dusk's face looming down at them.

  "Hey, sis, get your 'army' up here so that they can fight an army of my own!" Dusk called.

  Ginny sudennly knew why her sister herded the moose towards Olphn. Dusk had been following her when she first met Olphin. That's why she thought she heard someone in the bush! It had been Dusk! Dusk hadn't understood when Ginny had disappeared in the bush so she chased the moose towards Olphin then veered away from the moose and watched as the wolves went back in The Underground. It all made sense!

  "Everyone that's not in the condition to fight, stay here!" she howled. "Everyone else, prepare to fight in the battle of your lives!" Shade stared at Ginny. She truly was his daughter... The wolves who were staying hid in the caves and the others climbed up the tunnel. Ginny was out first but shock stopped her from launching herself at her sister. Her sister's army was larger than Ginny had expected. Dusk must have gathered not only town dogs but lone wolves too.

  "Ginny, we're all up," Olphin told her. "We're waiting for your say so. We can take this group easy."

  "Isn't Shade giving the say so?" Ginny asked.

  "He said he doesn't know Dusk like you do," Olphin replied. 

  "He's right there," Ginny growled. "That's why Dusk is mine. I owe her. A lot."

  "Ginny!" Dusk snarled. "Aren't you worried about mummy and daddy?"

  "Mom's dead!" Ginny growled.

 "Not that Mom," Dusk chuckled.

  Ginny's eyes widened. "What have yuo done to Scout and Patch?"

  "They're fine," Dusk said. "Well, you're going to have a shock." Ginny stared at her sister, hatred dancing like the sea in a storm in her eyes.

  At the same time, Dusk and Ginny howled, "Go!" and the wolves and dogs flew at each other. Ginny launched herself at Dusk but missed. Dusk then leapt onto Ginny's back, sinking her claws into her skin.

 Ginny wanted to cry out but she wouldn't let herself. If she did, Olphin would imediatly rush to her side. Ginny had to keep it in and keep fighting.

 She threw herself onto her back, rolling around slightly. Dusk howled in pain and fury. Dusk sank her teeth into the back of Ginny's neck. Ginny couldn't stop her howl of pain but it wasn't as smooth as howls usually were. Ginny knew that Dusk could kill her with this bite.

  Suddenly, she heard Dusk howl as her teeth came out of Ginny's neck. Ginny got up and saw Olphin standing over Dusk.

  Olphin grinned at her and said simply, "I couldn't let her kill you."

  "Thanks," Ginny panted. "Get back in the battle, I've got Dusk from here." Olphin nodded and joined the mass of fighting dogs and wolves. Dusk stood up, blood dripping from the small wound on her side that Olphin had given her.

  "Say hello to Mommy and Daddy," cackled Dusk. Ginny turned around and saw Patch fighting Shade and saw Scout fighting Mountain.

   "I told them that these wolves were holding you captive," Dusk told Ginny, smiling slyly.

  Ginny howled. "Mom, Dad!" Luckily, Scout and Patch recognized her voice. "I'm all right! Dusk lied! These wolves are my friends!"

  Scout reacted first. He stopped fighting Olphin looked at Ginny. He saw the truth in her eyes and he and Patch turned to some of the wolves on Dusk's side and began to fight them instead. Sudennly, Ginny realized that she had done what Dusk wanted her too. She had gotten distracted.

  Before she knew what had happened, Dusk launched herself at Ginny. Ginny bit Dusk by the neck but realized that she couldn't kill anyone. As much as Ginmy hated Dusk, she couldn't live with herself if she gave the death blow. Ginny knew what to do. But before she could act, she saw some of the town dogs kicking dirt into the tunel leading to The Underground.

 "No!" Ginny threw herself at the dogs and started to fight them. She knew that she couldn't take them all but she had to do something! Wolves were still in The Undergound. However, Ginny had fallen into a trap. The dogs all started attacking her and then Dusk bounded to them and laughed at Ginny. The dogs stopped hurting Ginny so that Dusk could finish her off.

  "You could have helped me," she said.

 "I couldn't have lived with myself," Ginny snapped.

  "Well, now you'll die!" Dusk went for Ginny's throat but Ginny rolled away from her.

  Dusk growled and turned to the wolves. "Keep destroying that tunnel," she ordered. Ginny's plan came back to her mind and she ran away from Dusk, who bounded after her. Ginny found the canyon that she had learned to jump. She put her weight on her hind paws and sprang. Dusk leapt right after her and came short. Ginny could hear Dusk's howls as she fell. 

   Only Ginny's front paws hit the ground on the other side so she sunk her claws into the ground. She took one front paw and set it ahead of herself.  Slowly, pawstep by pawstep, she crawled onto the ground. Ginny let out a sigh of relief.

  She looked down and realized that Dusk, the dog who had taken advantage of her so many times, was dead.  Ginny leapt back to the other side and landed completly that time. She ran back to the battle and howled, "Dusk is dead!"

  Every one stopped and stared at her. It was like no one could believe it. Finally, Scout ran to Ginny and nuzzled her, followed by Patch. Each of them had bloody fur.

  "I'm sorry," whispered Ginny.

  "Don't be," Scout murmured.

  "Ginny." Olphin padded to her. "All of those wolves and dogs were fighting only because Dusk talked them into it. And she told a few of the town dogs that you were our prisoner and we forced you to fight her. The battle is over."

  "We have to see who is dead," Ginny said. They split up to walk around the battlefield. Ginny heard Olphin's howl and raced to her friend's side. Olphin was staring at her paws, tears were rolling down her face. Ginny looked at the body right infront of Olphin and gasped. Tiplin was laying on his side, covered in blood. He was dead.

  "I'm so sorry, Olphin," she whispered. Ginny lost not only a cousin, but a friend as well.

  "He fought until the end," Olphin whimpered.

 "That he did," Ginny whispered. "That he did." Shade padded to Ginny and Olphin.

 He looked rather guiltily. "I'm sorry about what I did to your mother."

 "Yeah," Ginny said. "Me too."

  "I'm leaving the pack," Shade said. Ginny gaped at him. This proves it, she thought, that fight with Dusk rattled my brains.

  "You're leaving?" Ginny gaped.

  "You're in charge of picking someone to lead. You're too new to the pack to lead them, Ginny," continued Shade, ignoring her.

 "You got that right. I know who I want to lead," Ginny said. "Olphin."

  "What?" Olphin stared at her. "M-me?"

  "Yes," Ginny replied. "You've proved your loyalty over and over."

  "I don't know," Olphin whispered.

  "How about you try it for a day and if you don't like it, you'll help me decide," Ginny suggested.

  "All right." Olphin nodded.

 "I'm going to take these lone wolves back to where ever they came from. So long, Ginny, Olphin." He looked at Tiplin's body. "Good bye, Tiplin." Shade turned around and started to trott away but he stopped when he saw Scout. "You should be proud of Ginny," he said. Then he left with the other lone wolves. 

  "Well, Ginny." Scout and Patch walked to her. Scout said, "Do you want to stay?"

 "It's all right if you do," Patch responded. Ginny knew that she had planned to hide from Dusk then return to Nome but she had found The Underground. She had found her first real friend, Olphin.

   "I..." Ginny nuzzled her foster parents. "I'm staying. I'll come to visit often. I promise." She nuzzled her parents again.

  "We'll take these town dogs home," Scout said. "Bye, Ginny."

  "Bye, Ginny." Patch smiled at her. Then Patch and Scout gathered the town