The elder finished his story as the listeners applauded, all except Lilly. She was tired of the same fictional junk told year after year about how strong her father's pack was and the leaders before it.

“Ha! There's never any 'happily ever after' in my life,” she whispered to herself sarcastically. She was cunning by nature, devious, stubborn, but soft-hearted. Her deep blue eyes twinkled with surprise and unpredictable notions. Most of the time, she bore a scowl, but her ceaseless dreams today forced a mischievous grin. Her illusion bubble popped just as she heard a voice from behind.

“Lilly, how strange to see you here at this time of the day,” remarked Holly. “I would think that your father would be wondering where you are.”

“Leave me alone, Holly!” Lilly snapped in rage for Holly was always there to ruin something. “Today just happens to be my free day, so don't order me to shovel dirt for you because you don't own me.”

“Well, it just so happens that I have just come from your father's den...”
“Bet you have,” muttered Lilly to herself.

“And he told me to take you to him for being so irritable to me. Lupine! Buck! Take her with me!”

“What?!”

“Lilly, you're far too predictable. I simply told your father that you've been bad, and he always believes me, you know. So, looks like you will be shoveling dirt for me today.”

“Why don't you just come out with it and say you hate me?”

Holly turned her back and began to trot away just as Buck and Lupine approached Lilly.

“It wouldn't express my feelings toward you,” Holly replied merrily.

“There's still nothing you can do that'll stop me from becoming alpha female. And NONE of your children will ever change that!” Lilly mocked, almost singing. She knew how to get to Holly.

Holly twitched, then snapped around as fast as lightning and looked Lilly straight in the eye. Neither one blinked as their foreheads met. Lilly's eyes of obscurity turned stern and invincible.

“Let me get one thing straight with you, pup! I will go to the extreme to get Midnight to be alpha male if it's the last thing I do. And the more you pester me about it, the more dirt I will throw up your nose. Got it?”

“Bite me,” Lilly said accentuating her words.

“Oh, I would if I could, pup! There's no escaping me! To the leader, now!” she ordered first to Lilly, then to the guards.

“I’m dead meat,” thought Lilly as she was taken to her father’s den.

Two wolves stood on either side of her so there was no way to have any fancy ideas about escaping. With the sun setting, the pack hustled and bustled about, doing their normal activities done in this part of the day. She envied the way they were treated fairly and were granted the favor of freedom, something she only wished she could possess. Lilly’s eyes came into contact with Midnight, the son of Holly.

Holly was beautiful, the prettiest of all, except for Lilly’s mother Luna. Luna was gone. There was not a trace of her. One day she just disappeared and that was that. Lilly’s father was devastated, but eagerly accepted Holly to be the new alpha female until he would step down and allow Lilly to proceed as the leader. But this position seemed unreal to Lilly, like a fragment of a far-off dream, clouded by reality.

Plus, there was something always to get in the way and pop her bubble. There was always Holly who would do anything to get rid of Lilly and her relativity to the title of alpha female. She had been planning for quite some time to throw her out and make one of her children the alpha wolf. Midnight, her handsome and strong-willed son made the perfect choice, but there was Lilly to think of. She was still in the way, and Holly tried to make her life miserable as much as possible so she would consider "disappearing" like Luna did.

Lilly plodded her feet along until she reached the mouth of the cave. She rolled her sky blue crystal eyes as they entered into the total darkness of his home, that hosted the rest of the pack as well. Lilly nearly spent her whole life in this cave since she was hardly allowed to leave it without someone watching her. They took a turn into the largest chamber where the black leader waited for her.

“I’m sorry, sir, for not reporting at mealtime. I was too overcome with the few seconds of freedom until I was caught and brought back,” Lilly muttered.

“Speak up, child, I do not listen to the ones who mutter without importance. I do not think you are important if I cannot hear you,” barked the leader.

“Well then, why do you bother protecting me if I am of no importance. Why don’t you just let Midnight be leader? I hate this pack!”

“You are of careful breeding and a genuine descendant of some of the greatest leaders of the past, not one of those half-breed mutts.”

“I could care less. All I want is freedom. Just let me have a day to myself. I can’t live in this cave, cooped up like your pet! If you really cared for me you would understand my feelings and care about them, but no! You’re too selfish to care. You only want to preserve me as how you pictured Luna for your own good. When will you stop to recognize my own good?”

“I keep you in here for your own good. It’s dangerous out there.”

“You keep me in here for your own good! What is there for me in here?”

“That is out of the subject! I will hear no more of your misbehavior, understand me? Or else, I will limit your time outside for good! Now, go in your chamber and stay there or I will have the end of you!”

“Good! I’d rather die than live anywhere within a mile of you!” stormed Lilly as they dragged her away to her room where she was to stay, for practically her whole life which seemed like an effortless puzzle before her, but with missing pieces. If only she could see the whole picture.

Holly came into her chamber, chuckling.

“See, Lilly, what happens when you mess with me? I have authority and power.”

“Well, I have instincts and guts. All you really have is a big mouth,” she growled in return.

Holly only grinned and kicked up dirt from the cave floor into Lilly's eyes.

“Well, Lilly, when all seems unjust,...eat my dust!”

“Easy for you to say, twinkle toes!”

But Holly was gone and Lilly was left alone in the dark. She spent the night there while everyone else was out hunting in the moonlight, when she realized that no one was watching her.

Cautiously, she moved through the darkness of the cave, trying not to make a single sound to alert any other wolves in the pack. Feeling the soft earth under her paws, she attempted to peek her head into the deserted open land beyond the cave. Not a sound rippled through the forest.

It was time to bolt, but not hastily. The moment had to be precise, the sound silent, and the timing perfect. Shifting weight onto her extended fore-paw and leaning toward freedom, she planned to make her move. More muscles flexed, ears twitched in every direction to gather the surrounding sounds. Slowly traveling out into the moonlit forest, not disturbing a single leaf or rock, the true predator, in stalking position, progressed from the cave inch by inch.

The first tree trunk to her right was one foot away. Beyond that was thick brush where she could hide easily. To the left of that was a pile of huge boulders. She felt that once she reached the boulders, it would be safe enough to bolt. Like a snail, she slimed her way to her destination. But the sound of crunching leaves behind her signaled that another wolf would soon be aware of her presence. Quick as lightning, Lilly hid behind the boulder pile, waiting for the perfect time to bolt.

The wolf that emerged from the trees was not one wolf, but several. As far as she could see, they were all strangers. Then, she heard Holly's voice from the group.

“She's in the cave. Do away with her.”

Lilly growled to herself in hatred, but it wasn’t loud enough for even herself to hear. Lilly, horrified, began to slowly back up when her instincts betrayed her. The twig under her back paw snapped and on cue, she bolted downhill, knowing Holly and her gang heard it when she recognized her howl and the sound of perusing wolves behind her. But she had a weapon Holly had never dealt with, too much stored energy.

Lilly sped off toward the White Cliffs, a place where her father restricted any wolf to go unless under complete emergency. Looking behind her, seeing no trace of the pursuers, Lilly breathed a sigh of relief, but once she realized where she was going, she gripped herself to a halt and the very edge of the precipice, leading to the angry river beneath. Rocks tumbled down the steep slope.

Just to add to her wonderful luck, she could see the wolves running up behind her, about to “do away with her.” The wolves stopped, trapping her against the sharp drop. Holly walked up in her stylish manner with the same evil grin on her face.

“Well, look what we have here. Shadow's only daughter, and the heir to the alpha wolf position. Where is your guards to protect you now, Lilly? Ready to disappear like Luna?”

“You! You killed her?!”

“Me and a few friends, but that's beside the point. Now, Lilly, do you have any last words before I tear you to pieces?”

“You'll be sorry!”

Lilly gathered all her courage together and leaped from the point of no return. The next instant was completely unimaginable, the river washing her away from any trace of the pack and Holly who was on her heels the moment before.

Looking down into the wild river, Holly only saw ripples in water of a hard-made splash. The others joined her only to see the same unfortunate sight. Lilly was nowhere to be seen in the commotion of water. Her head never rose upon the surface. Holly returned to the pack, while Lilly fought for air.

Breaking the surface of the deep river, Lilly gasped and filled her lungs with the fresh oxygen that seemed so precious in that moment. Instincts told her to make for shore, but it seemed impossible with the current so strong and her strength fading from her. Eyes tired, muscles aching, sputtering for a