crash. Feeling like gravity wouldn't allow her to escape its grasp, she crawled to safety behind a large shrub.

Panting rapidly, she reviewed her thoughts. She was being hunted by someone who apparently didn't know anything about poaching wolves. Why would the man allow there to be space between her and the forest? Didn't he figure that she would brake for the thicket for cover? Telling herself how stupid humans could be, she glanced over a thick branch of the shrub. She saw the man, carrying his long noisy stick, poking various bushes of heather and bramble as if to uncover his prize.

Lilly thought she could outsmart him. Carefully easing her muscles to force one foot backwards, she thought that she could sneakily ease away from him and bolt into the sheltering forest only a field away from the thin tree cover. Her back foot landed safely on the soft ground without creating one sound. The other followed with the same outcome, but she cocked her head as she felt something suddenly tighten around her leg.

Swooshing up in the air, Lilly found herself caught in a trap that held one of her back legs by a strong cord that connected to a thick branch on the tree. Her front legs dangled in the air as she tried to break loose, but the trap was too durable. The man pointed his gun at her, the sun blocking out his features.

.....................................................................................

Lilly followed after Sage as she left the main mouth of the cave and met the sunlight that streaked through the gaps in the forest ceiling. Sage marched to the nearest trees, preparing to run in the opposite direction of the flower fields.

“Sage, listen to me!” Lilly pleaded. “Sage, I'm...”

Sage's head snapped around, her eyes glaring at Lilly as if she were a hunter. Lilly stepped back, startled by her friends hostility toward her. Usually Sage was forgiving, but the unfamiliar fiery anger that burned in her eyes signaled Lilly that Sage was no longer a friend, nor was she even considering forgiveness from Lilly.

“Nice move, Lilly. That was real slick how you weaseled over Torrid from me!” she growled.

“Sage, I was going to tell you. I never meant to take anything from you. I fell in love. It was all accidental,” Lilly replied remorsefully.

“Hey, Lilly, did you ever think about anyone but yourself?! It's always happily ever after for the one who gets everything she wants, but did you ever stop to think about whatever happens to the sidekick who did all she could for her? Most of the time, she's pushed aside, or is forgotten just like any other character. But why can't just once something work out for me?! Why can't something just happen to Sage?!”

“Sage, I...”

“Here we go again. You start every sentence with, 'I.' It's all about you. All day long, pout, pout, pout, nothing ever works out. Well, I'll be darned if anything ever happens to any of us! There's more to a pack than a leader, Lilly. It's the members, the little people, who make it up!”

“What has that got to do with this matter?”

“You know what? It's the category that leaves you out! Maybe that's why it doesn't make sense to you. You think every little thing is all about you!”

“That's not true, Sage! I've done my very best to run this pack, and it hasn't been a bouquet of roses, let me tell you that. All I've had of life compared to your perfect family portrait is the thorns. I've been jabbed countless numbers of times by many wolves, but I thought I would never hear something like this from my best friend.”

“Your former best friend,” snapped Sage fiercely.

Lilly, more hurt than angry, turned to leave as Sage called out to her.

“Holly was right about you! I guess the only way you managed to become leader was to make everyone feel sorry for your father's little orphan!”

Lilly turned sharply and ran into Sage, knocking her to the ground in a cloud of dust. Realizing what she had done, Lilly gasped and sat back on her haunches, watching Sage cough from the fine grains of dirt that flew up around her gray-colored face. Sage stood up, humiliated, two large scrapes on her front wrists lightly bleeding.

After unleashing a baffling glare to pierce Lilly's heart, Sage returned the move, sending Lilly rolling through the dust. Being light on her feet, Lilly pushed herself off the ground in time to dodge Sage's aimless blow. Sage stumbled in the dirt as her knees stung like crazy, forcing an agonizing wail that echoed through the woods. Lilly cringed at the sight of her best friend in such pain.

Sage stood, her legs shaking beneath her body, her eyes glowering with an unfamiliar expression. Her fangs were bared, challenging Lilly to an unavoidable fight. They paced in a circular motion, following each other's motives to the slightest breath. Lilly's heart pounded in her ears like war drums signaling a march to battle. The forest stood completely lifeless. The only sound was the raspy reverberation of Sage's labored breaths, one following after the other consistently like a clock waiting to strike midnight.

Sage was the first to attack, her muscular body hiding any trace of pain. Lilly prepared for the blow and turned to meet her opponent face-on. The two battling wolves collided, each tearing into the other for futile causes. Lilly was thrust to the ground, meeting its cold solid state of unmerciful cruelty as Sage stood over her. Lips drooling, fangs exposed to Lilly's fearful eyes, Sage hovered over her, trying to convince her conscious that killing her companion would replenish the revenge that burned inside her soul.

Catching Sage in a hesitant moment, Lilly kicked her stomach, allowing her with enough time to escape her enemy's clutches. Sage growled with rage and grabbed Lilly by the shoulder, swinging her across the plain until a tree caused her to stop. Her back throbbed with pain, making it difficult for her progress. Finally making it to her feet, Lilly prepared herself to charge at Sage until she noted that Sage appeared to be surrendering.

Lupine and the rest of the pack arrived, catching Lilly while she was growling. He had a stern look in his deep eyes that seemed to be focused on Sage who seemed frightened about something.

“Lilly, did she attack you?” he asked firmly.

Lilly almost replied in a positive answer until her mind finally stopped spinning around, allowing her to think clearly.

“No,” she stated. “I attacked her first.”

Sage gaped at Lilly with compassion. “Why would she say no? The confession of an alpha attacking a pack member results in exile, quoting the Pack Laws. If Lilly could win so easily, why would she decline and admit that she attacked me?”

“Lilly, you know what comes of this,” grumbled Lupine.

“Yes, I do,” Lilly replied hesitantly.

“Law requires that you are to be removed from leadership and exiled. If you are to ever return, it is the leader of that time's decision to have you killed.”

Lilly felt like she were about to pass out. Although her wounds were bleeding, she seemed to feel no pain as the numbness infiltrated every corner of her body. She caught Torrid's expression, obvious hurt in his understanding gray eyes. Lilly's muscles flexed as she felt them drop. Her head seemed to nod without her consent.

Lupine walked to the distant edge of the forest, Lilly following after him, and the pack members behind her. Ahead stood nothing but fields and flatland. Lilly looked back at her home for the very last time and all the faces of those she had known and led. The happy smiles and laughter she had once known in a fantasy had faded into the drab lifeless expressions of fate.

Without a word, she began her slow journey into the clutches of exile. Sage watched, tears clinging to her sandy brown eyes. She wondered why Lilly had given up so easily.

“It was foolhardy decision,” Sage stated as Lilly progressed without one glance back.

“I wouldn't refer to it as foolhardy, Sage,” Lilly thought to herself. “First Law of the pack states that any member that creates an angry motive that results in a lethal fight with an alpha is to be killed. I would rather be banished from my home than see you die.”

..........................................................................

Lilly shut her eyes tightly, ready to feel the burn of the bullet, then life slip away so easily as it had come. The two black eyes of the gun stared at her, ready to end her life. As Lilly's eyes were closed, she heard the gunshot, but felt to pain. The sound of an attack followed. Opening her eyes, she gasped at the sight of Torrid, pulling the gun away from the hunter with his teeth.

“Torrid?” she cried.

“One second, baby. Try to get yourself loose,” he commanded through clenched teeth.

Lilly swung back and forth by the cord, its sharp edges piercing through her skin. She noted that the thick branch that the rope was tied to was giving way. She prepared herself for a drop. The bough, splitting with a cracking sound, signaled that she had broken loose. Freeing herself of the slip knot, Lilly gathered Torrid from the hunter's clutches and raced off, limping into the horizon. They didn't stop until they reached another forest.

“You're welcome,” Torrid finally stated as they collapsed on the ground, panting from their incessant sprint.

Lilly smiled and seized him, nearly knocking them both over with a powerful force. Nuzzling him and feeling the texture and warmth of his body made her feel alive again. They shared a few moments of gratitude and reunion until finally sitting back down to rest.

“How did you find me?” Lilly inquired.

“Tracked you down. I didn't waste much time after you were exiled to start looking for you. Good thing too, don't you think?”

“What would I do without you, Torrid?”

“If it wasn't for me, you'd still be back at the pack as leader. This whole incident between you and Sage would have never existed. That's why I don't think we should be together.”

“What?!” she snapped. “Torrid, if it hadn't of