word, "Run!"

*                     *                     *

 Winter was outside of the cave laying down and watching for Roan and Rain. It was mid afternoon now, and she was getting anxious. She was wishing that their parents would hurry up and get home so that she could be assured that everything would be alright. She just couldn't shake the horrible feeling that Twilight's words had created in the pit of her stomach. Winter got to her feet and went back into the cave. She couldn't see Twilight, but she had no doubt that he was laying down in a shadowy corner of the cave somewhere, mulling over his own thoughts. Jared was sleeping over in another corner, and Veena was sitting near the cave entrance, looking out as snow flakes began to drift softly to the ground. Winter went over and sat next to her.

 "What are you doing?", Winter asked.

 "I'm waiting for mom.", she said in her small, timid voice. "I don't feel comfortable being without her while our brother is here.

 Winter knew what she was talking about, but in an attempt to cheer her up, said, "That's funny I don't feel afraid at all of that sleeping rock over there." As if on cue, Jared let go a loud, rumbling snore. Winter started laughing quietly, and even Veena giggled a little.

 "No. Wrong brother, Winter.", she said.

 "Oh.", Winter said as if she'd been clueless before. Veena had been uncomfortable around Twilight since they were two months old. Veena was just as adventurous as Winter and Jared were at that age until she had tried to get Twilight to stop being a gloomy sit-out and come join the fun. Twilight wouldn't have minded if she had just bothered him about it once, but Veena had been persistant enough that he finally got mad. He jumped up and snarled with such force that it took them all by surprize. It had been the only time that he had ever lost his temper, and despite being only a pup at the time, he had looked like a hound strait from the Abyss. After that Veena could hardly stand being near him at all and didn't come out to play anymore.

  Winter gave Veena a sympethetic look and said,"Well, if it comforts you to know, your not the only one who wishes mom and dad would hurry up."

 A second later she got her wish, but it wasn't as pleasant as she was hoping for.

 Roan and Rain burst from the underbrush in a blurry flash of speed. They entered the cave, knowing that there wasn't much time, and saw Winter and Veena sitting there. Winter could instantly tell that something was up. Roan ran up to Winter and said, "Quickly, gather up your other siblings and run for the old cave. If we're not there by tomorrow, leave, but don't come back here, understand?"

 "What's going--", she tried to ask, but Roan cut her off.

 "There's no time to explain, just do it!" Then he ran out of the cave with Rain.

 Winter wasted no time. She woke up Jared and told him where they were going, then went to get Twilight, but she found that he was standing a few feet away nodding his head to say he was ready. Winter lead them outside and was taking them around the cave entrance when a tremendous roar erupted from the forest. Roan looked back and yelled at them once more to go. Reluctant as she was to leave her parents to deal what ever it was that was coming, she nevertheless lead her brothers and sister into the opposite end of the forest from which the roar came.

 Roan turned back to deal with the next challenge.... just as a huge black bear crashed its way into the clearing, flatting bushes and snapping saplings as it went. The two considerably smaller wolves dodged as it charged by them. "This might be my last battle.", Roan thought grimly. "At least the kids are safe." Then he had no time to worry about it, for all his attention was focused on staying alive as the bear turned around to attack again.  

   *                     *                     *

  "Keep going!", Winter yelled. "We're almost there!" They kept running through the soft white snow until they reached the small cave. Once inside, Winter found it was cramped with all of them in there, but was to worried about her parents to care. "I hope they're alright.", she thought.

 "Now what do we do?", Jared asked.

 It was Twilight who answered, "We wait."

*                     *                     *

 Things, in fact, weren't going well at all. The battle seemed to be at a current stalemate: the wolves were too fast for the bear to get a good hit on, and the bear's wildly swinging claws kept the wolves from getting too close. Roan wasn't sure of how much longer he and Rain could keep this up. Then he got an idea. he quickly drew Rain aside and explained his plan. Then they put it into action. He ran around to the bear's other side, drawing its attention away from Rain, then began a series of feigned rushes, causing the bear to become enraged and focus even more on him. after several minutes of doing this, he nodded at Rain and she leaped to attack the bear's unprotected back.... but she miscalculated. She landed insecurely and the bear shook her off easily, and delivered her a bone-crushing strike that sent her sprawling through the snow, and she wouldn't be getting up again.

  It took him a second to realize what just happened, but when it finally sank in, Roan was filled with grief and anger like he'd never known before. Without any thought as to his own safety, he jumped and latched onto the bear's throat. Bear bucked any shook, but Roan still held on. Then the bear swiped at him with its claw and sent him flying across the clearing taking a good portion of the bear's neck with him. Roan's neck had been snapped, and he was dead before he hit the ground. The bear staggered for a few seconds, then a gurgling sound escaped its throat, and it collapsed to the ground. The fight was finished... and all had died.

 *                     *                     *

 Winter walked cautiously through the misty forest towards their home. The siblings had indeed waited until the next day to venture out, but instead of going farther away, they had decided to go see what had happened to their parents. They didn't like what they found. Veena had nearly gone hysterical over the sight of their dead mother, Winter had bowed her head before Roan's limp form in great sadness, and when Twilight found the bears body they were able to piece together what had happened.

 It was noon before anyone spoke aloud the question Winter had been asking herself. "What do we do now?", Jared asked. They all looked to Winter, as she was the oldest, for an answer, but she didn't have one. She looked to Twilight for advice.

 Twilight sighed and gave his reasonings about the situation. "Well, the way I see it, we have three options: One, we could stay here and try to keep living our lives in our cave here. Two, we could wander around the countryside aimlessly, hoping to find a better place to live, in which case we'd probably all be dead within two months." He paused here for a minute, wondering if this third suggestion would be accepted, but was prompted to speak when Winter gave him a 'we're waiting' look. He cleared his throat and continued, "Then, of course there's option three. Mother mentioned once that she had a sister who lived in a pack away to the west. If we were to seek them out, I'm quite sure they'd be willing to let us stay with them."

 Winter gave him a small smile. "He may be a creep, but he's a smart one.", she thought. She nodded and said, "I think that would be the best course of action. Agreed?" The others all nodded their heads, much to Twilight's surprise. He had assumed that Veena would have at least wanted to stay. Winter continued, "It's settled then. Tomorrow we leave to find aunt Hiata's pack."

 So they would begin a journey across the Alaskan landscape, having many great adventures along the way, and being tested in ways they would never have imagined. However those tales are for another night, my friends, for the sun is now rising, and our story must come to an end, but we shall see each other again soon. Until then, may the moon guide your steps.