I woke with the sun streaming down on my midnight black fur. My ears pricked as the sound of the morning filled my ears. I stood and stretched, father greeted me and gave a funny smile, while passing. I smiled and nodded at the great leader. "Keana! Keana come to the Leader Rock at once." my mother yelled. I sighed thinking I was in trouble. I slowed my pace as Leader Rock came into view. My father was perched on top of the rock as it was his duty to sit there if ever there was a big meeting, because he was the pack leader. He smiled that same funny smile as I walked closer. I cocked my head and lay my ears down acting innocent.
"What did I do now?" I asked sheepishly. My father chuckled and turned to mother. Her grey coat shined in the sunlight.
"Nothing yet Keana. It's what you are going to have to do. And you may do it wrong, but I hoped not." She finished smiling up at my father. I was more confused then ever.
"What are you talking about?" I asked angry. Father leapt from the rock and padded up to me. I lay down and licked his chin, like I did as a pup.
"You have a great responsibility. As my only pup, you have to take the duty as pack leader..." He said trailing off looking at my face.
"Pack leader!?" I practically spat. "Me, but why? I can think of some much better suited wolves for the job!" I whined, but my fathers face was stern.
"Chin up, Keana. Pack leaders not all bad, but you must find a mate before you become the leader." She almost whispered the last part. "Your father and I had a certain wolf in mind... Koda. He is very nice and would make a good mate for our daughter." She said smiling at me. I stared at them like they were crazy.
"You don't mean that I am gonna be forced to choose who I want as a mate, right?!!" I gasped. Their faces were unchanging. "No! No I will not do it! Find someone else! I refuse!" I yelled at them. My father advanced on my and I cowered low to the ground.
"You will do as told and make Koda your mate!" He yelled back into my face. Hot tears burst from my eyes and I turned away ashamed. I looked the straight in the eyes and yelled louder then ever.
"NO!" Then before hearing their responses I broke into a full on run. The camp flew past me as I bolted through the forest. The tears, never ending, dripped down my face. I ran deep into the forest and kept the speed up.
Soon my feet ached and my stomach growled. I slowed to a fast trot then to a walk. A stream gurgled close by and I followed the sound, until it came into view. Then I drank deeply and cleared my raw throat. The tears stopped and I lay in the cool dew covered grass. My stomach growled again but I had no strength to eat, let alone hunt. A flash of motion caught my eye and I looked up. A wolf stood on the outskirts of the trees on the other side of the stream. I stood bolt right up. My lips curled back around my gleaming white teeth and a deep threatening growl excaped my throat. He stood undisturbed, and calmly padded up to the stream. I stood my ground and growled louder snapping in his direction. "Don't make any sudden movement, pal. Or your gonna go home with a shorter tail!" I snapped. He surprised me and chuckled. I frowned and cocked my head, then snapping back I showed my teeth again. He leapt over the stream and walked up to me. He was much taller and towered over me. I growled deeper and snapped at his legs. He didn't even flinch. Soon my throat grew raw and I stopped. My head fell and I looked up at him. "Go on..." I said trailing off waiting for him to snap my neck in two.
"What do you expect me to do?" He asked quizically.
"Bit my neck?" I asked confused. He smiled.
"Then I will do what you don't expect. The name's Kemp..." He said waiting for me to tell him mine. I cocked my head confused and shrugged.
"Keana, who are you?" I asked quietly.
"A rouge, I was abandoned as a pup and left to fend for myself. And you are?" He asked I gulped and drank from the stream. He smiled kindly and waited patiently for me to reply.
"Not a rouge, but I ran away. My parents are forcing me to choose a mate, and become leader!" I said, the gasped that I had let so much slip. He frowned.
"Well, I would have done the same! No one can tell you who to love." He said looking me in the eyes. I nodded. "And as for a matter of fact, one should be gracious to have the love of such a beautiful wolf." He said, eyes sparkling. I blushed and turned away.
"So Kemp, why exactly didn't you bit my neck in two and kill me?" I asked smiling and standing proud. He smiled and his ears perked up.
"Why would I hurt you? Is that what we are told to do when someone who we don't know is near. Just kill them without a second thought. Thats rueless and I am more of a gentleman." He said puffing out his chest. I smiled and nodded seeing his point.
Soon we had made good conversation. The day flew when I talked to him. I was open and not afraid of what he thought, which usually he agreed with me. We lay in the grass and talked until midnight. The sky went from a sunny blue, to a pink and orange streaked sunset. And soon, before we knew it, it was speckled with millions of shining stars. I gasped noticing how late it was. Kemp curled up beside me jumped from the sudden noise.

"Kemp, I must go." I sighed. He looked at me saddly, and nodded. "The pack will be looking for me. And this is forbidden..." I trailed off, he padded closer to me and nuzzled me. I closed my eyes feeling his warmth. He licked my nose.

"You must go?" He asked quietly. I nodded saddly. He sighed and stood, his warmth gone like a summer breeze. I sighed and looked in the direction of camp.

"Kemp wait!" I whisper yelled as he bounded toward the stream. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at me. "The pack can wait." I said quietly smiling at him. His mouth looked as if it was caught on the corners to his eyes. He smiled and trotted up to me. I smiled warmly as he lay next to me, his warmth came back. "I never want to leave..." I said trailing off as he nuzzled and kissed me. I layed my head down and dosed off into a needed sleep.

~~~~~~

The sun gleamed of my fur warming me. I smiled and felt around for Kemp. He was gone, I stood quickly looking around the clearing for him. He was no where to be found. Emotions flooded out of me. Anger, homesickness, and lastly the biggest was heartbroken. I fell down to the ground and cried that he had left me without even a good bye.

I walked slowly back to camp letting the tears flow freely. As I neared the pack I wiped my eyes and sniffed back the oncoming tears. I trekked on and finally the camp clearing was in sight. "KEANA! KEANA WHERE ARE YOU!?" My mother yelled. The pack was in a frenzy, I trotted up to mother.

"Mama! I right here!" I yipped at her. She turned and anger flashed through her eyes. I whimpered and lay low to the ground.

"ATTENTION! My daughter has returned! Go back to you usual things... thank you..." She said trailing off and looking down at me with stern eyes. I whimpered. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?" She screamed down at me. "THE WHOLE PACK WAS CRAZY LOOKING FOR YOU!" she howled.

"I...I ran off and got... um... lost? I'm sorry." I said quietly, lying was not a talent of mine. She huffed and walked away. "Mama wait! I said I was sorry!" I whined running to cut her off from walking away. She ignored me and went another direction.

"You have neglected your duties!" A deep growl came from behind me. I yipped spinning around to face my father. "You got lost?! LOST! This would have never happened if you hadn't run away in the first place!" He spat down at me. I cowered.

"Please daddy, I... I didn't mean to get lost!" I cried. He was stern and towered over me.

"What do you expect me to do?!" He growled down at me. I cocked my head thinking I had heard him wrong. A flash of Kemp went through my mind. "Huh?! You are staying in your den for five moons!" He barked down.

The tears started when I thought of Kemp, but father thought I was crying because of the punishment. I ran to my den and lay down sobbing. Why had Kemp left so suddenly. Maybe he was attacked and ran to save me! I gasped at the thought. I had to find him, I had to make sure he was ok. I stood and, with a determinded face ran out of camp. I kept to the shadows so no one would see me leave. Then the forest came into view and I bolted. I ran to the stream and sniffed the spots we had layed in. Kemp had jumped over the stream, and then ran back into the forest. I walked up to the stream. The water had risen and now was rushing down the rocky pathway. It was wide, but I told myself I could do it and leapt. I almost made it, but came up short. My front paws hit the muddy slippery edge and slid off it. My chest smashed against the bank and the wind left my mouth in a high pitched loud yelp. I fell into the water and was clashed around by the currents. Left and right, I spun head over heels in the water. Finally my head broke the suface and I gasped before being thrown underneath again. Water filled my ears and the air pounded in my lungs. I needed air! I tried to swim up but accidentally swam down and hit rocky bottom. Then was thrown upward and broke the suface again. I gasped and coughed out water before being rushed under again. I tried to swim but the current was to fast. The little stream had converged with a raging river. I was thrown down bank after bank and smashed against rocks. Suddenly a current caught me and threw me into the bank the air rushed out of me and I watched as the silvery little air bubbles floated to the suface. I floated forward and the river calmed. The air was gone and now water had taken its place. My lungs screamed for air, but slowly it faded into a rythmic pounding in my chest. I sunk to the bottom of a now calmed lake. Visions of Kemp filled my head and I closed my eyes. The pounding was getting fainter and fainter. Just as I thought that the black hole that had gotten so close would swallow me up. Two paws caught me and pulled me up to the bank. A blurry head was over me. "Keana... Keana.... Keana... KEANA!" I opened my eyes and my vision cleared to a wolf standing over me. I coughed and sputtered and water left my mouth in turrets. I sucked in air and gasped. Kemp was standing over me.

"Kem... Kemp?!" I said rawly. My throat felt like sandpaper and I sucked in breath constently. The pounding was gone. "Where... Were you?" I whimpered shivering. Water dripped of my fur and fell onto the sandy beach.

"Keana?! What were you thinking! Are you CRAZY?!" He yelled at me. I smiled.

"What do you expect me to do?" I asked quietly. A smiled tugged at his face and he tried to contain it, but it slipped out. He chuckled. I smiled wider.

Suddenly I was stern. I stood fast and turned away from him. I walked away. "Keana? Keana wait! Where are you going?" He asked running up to me.

"I never want to see you again!" I cried tears starting to flow. He looked at me, hurt. "You ran off that morning!" I sobbed.

"Keana, Keana wait. I had to! I heard your pack and knew if they saw you with me you would be banished!" He almost cried. I jerked around looking him right in the face.

"You could have left me something to let me know you were alright!!!" I yelled at him. He looked down at the ground.

"I know, I should have..." he said quietly. I looked at him and looked down too.

"I fell in looking for you. I thought you had gotten hurt thats why you didn't wake me." I said nuzzling him. "I love you, Kemp." I said licking his nose. He looked up surprised and turned away.

"No, you can't love me." He said sadly. I cocked my head.

"And why not?" I asked.

"One, I'm a rouge. Two, I'm a half-breed. My mother was a german shepard and my father was a wolf." He said ashamed. I smiled.

"All the more reason to love you!" I said, "Your different!" I yipped nipping him playfully on the leg. He looked at me surprised and smiled. "Kemp, how did you find me?" I asked confused. He chuckled.

"Well, that sound had to come from somewhere." He barked. I remembered that I had yelped when I hit the bank. I giggled and nuzzled him. "You need to get home, Keana." He whispered in my ear. I nodded sadly. He and I walked side by side. The camp neared and I kissed him on the nose goodbye. 

"Go to the clearing at midnight." I whispered walking back to camp. He nodded and bounded off into the woods. Father passed me as I walked near to my den.

"And why are you out of your den?" He asked suspisiously, I smiled sheepishly and walked inside. If he found out what had happened I would get killed. I lay in the den and thought over how to stay with Kemp and stay in the pack. By midnight I knew what I had to do.

~~~~~

I trotted slowly to our clearing, Kemp was sitting there waiting for me. I smiled at him and then frowned knowing what I had to do. "Kemp... We need to..." I was cut off by his warm voice.

"Keana I know what we have to do." He said smiling. I looked at him sadly.

"So you understand and there is no hard feelings." I asked him. He looked at me confused.

"I was talking about running away and making a pack of our own." He said. I frowned.

"Kemp, you know we can't. I was talking about... about not seeing each other anymore." I half cried. He looked at me angry now.

"How can you even suggest that?!" He barked furious. I whimpered and lay low. "Well, if thats how you feel then... then!" He growled and a small tear shined on his brown fur. He bolted to the stream and jumped it easily. I turned away and sobbed.

"What have I done?" I yelled into the sky.

Will Keana ever see Kemp again?

Will be continued in Part 2....