At first Nathaniel couldn't believe his ears, but as the words rang through his mind over and over again he knew them to be true. "Ash is to be beta of Dark Pack!"

Frustration and jealousy filled his mind. 'Why was he chosen and not me?' Thought Nathaniel, glaring at his brother who was atop the great rock that towered in the center of the densite. Through all his anger and envy, he somehow found what little respect he had left to listen to the rest of the announcement. Alpha Kye raised his paw to silence the cheers of the pack. "I also wish to announce that Nanuk, Rock and Nathaniel will be made Battlers of Dark Pack."

Nathaniel forced out a gruff sigh, at least he was about to join the ranks of the pack Battlers. But he wanted more than that, he wanted to be Beta. Why did they think his brother was a better choice than him? Why couldn't they see all his hard work and effort? He had tried and tried again over and over just to get the alphas and senior wolves to notice his strength, loyalty and courage. What more did he have to prove? 'If only they could see that I am better than him!" He thought angrily. As soon as the announcement was over and the pack moved away from the rock, Nathaniel went off on his own to cool his mind.

Every step felt heavy, as if his paws were weights. His mind was clouded with emotions of anger, jealousy and frustration that he didn't become Beta. He was old enough, strong enough, fast enough, loyal enough and brave enough to obtain that rank he wished for so badly. 'They're all fools! They cannot see which one of us makes a better Beta...If only I could find a way to show them this...'

Suddenly he heard a loud roar in the distance, and an idea came to his mind. He would defeat the Great Bear that had been terrorising the wolf packs for many weeks. 'That will show them..I--"

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the howl of the Alpha calling the wolves in for the night. He decided that he would sneak out while everyone was asleep. Slowly he returned to camp and dug a den for himself in the snow, as the cave he usually slept in with Ash, Rock, Nanuk and Leaf was blocked up with snow and mud. He closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

Later on when everything had become calm and all noise had died down, Nathaniel opened one eye and looked around the campsite. Everyone was asleep except for Spot, who was on guard duty. He figured it wouldn't be too hard to convince Spot he was just heading out for a late night hunt as the two of them had been friends ever since Nathaniel had joined Dark Pack as a pup. Nathaniel rose from his little den and padded straight past a few sleeping Battlers and Hunters before stopping beside Spot. "I'm going for a late-night hunt, Spot." He told his friend. Spot dipped his head to Nathaniel. "Very well my friend, be careful out there...You never know when a rogue or rival wolf could jump out and attack." He warned.

Nathaniel chuckled quietly. "I won't be leaving the territory." He lied, and then padded off into the darkness. As soon as he was sure he was out of sight, he quickly turned and headed in the opposite direction of the hunting ground. Instead he headed for the mountains, for he had heard that the Great Bear had made its home in a cave at the foot of the tallest mountain. The woods was silent that night and the moon hung behind the clouds, making it rather dark. For once in his life, Nathaniel seemed uncertain and maybe even a little scared. Was he really going to go through with this? He figured he'd find out soon, because he had arrived at the entrance to the cave. A small draft blew into his fur as he stared into the inky darkness. Taking in a deep breath, the white wolf walked forward slowly. He could hear the snores of the bear echoing in the cave.

Nathaniel took in another deep breath before howling at the top of his lungs. His howl immediately woke the bear, and it got to its paws with a furious roar. It swiped a paw at Nathaniel, who dodged it and ran out of the cave. The bear followed the grey and white wolf out of the cave and once more tried swiping at him with its paw, but Nathaniel dodged yet again and the bear got its paw stuck in the ground. With a growl, Nathaniel leapt onto the bear's back and bit into its scruff. Angered, the bear started swaying side to side to try and throw the wolf off. But Nathaniel didn't let go, he held on tight and when the bear stopped swaying to catch its breath he jumped to its head to claw at its muzzle. He didn't know how he was going to take down such a beast, but determination to prove himself drove him to keep fighting. Nathaniel jumped down from the bear's head and then bit down on its stuck paw, satisfied when he drew blood. He jumped back once more as the bear roared with pain and anger and finally dislodged its paw from the hardened ground. It lumbered towards Nathaniel, who stood his ground snarling. Before it could slam its large body into the smaller frame of the white wolf, Nathaniel jumped up and bit onto the bear's shoulder.

Now the bear was very angered and before Nathaniel could react it swiped a huge paw at the wolf, knocking him away and sending him tumbling onto the ground. Nathaniel didn't move, he couldn't...The attack had left him weakened and numb and he couldn't tell if he was alive or not. Finally everything turned black and the last thing he heard was the angry roar of the bear and the battle cries of a few of his packmates.

When Nathaniel opened his eyes the next morning he was alarmed to find his world still shrouded in darkness. He jumped to his feet, almost tripping over his own paws as he did so. "Where am I? Am I dead?" He wondered out loud. "I must be dead...I can't see a thing.." He mumbled to himself. He jumped when a voice came from behind him. "You are not dead Nathaniel, only blinded." Said a familiar voice. "Mist? Is that you?" He questioned. The elderly healer wolf brushed her tail against the younger wolf's shoulder. "Yes Nathaniel, it is me." She answered.

Nathaniel had to stop himself from sighing with relief, he was not dead...But he was blind. He dropped to the ground with a pain-filled howl and buried his muzzle into his paws. 'Why couldn't the bear just have killed me?' He thought, clenching his teeth. "Nathaniel, what you did was foolish...What was going through your head? Did you think you could actually defeat the Great Bear on your own?" Mist growled sternly.

"I...I wanted to become Beta so bad, and when Ash became Beta instead of me I thought...I thought I could prove myself. I thought that if I killed the bear then I would be made Beta." Explained Nathaniel. He heard the wise healer sigh and then lay down next to him, pressing her pelt against his. "Young one, even if you did defeat the bear I doubt Alpha Kye would make you Beta. He has made his choice, and he obviously chose Ash over you for a reason. You are strong and brave and loyal...But what are all those traits without honesty and a fair heart? You have the qualities of a great Beta as well, but Ash was obviously the better choice." She told him gently. This only made Nathaniel sadder, and when she spoke again his blood turned to ice. "And now that you are blind, you cannot be a battler." She murmured.

"Then what use am I to the pack? You should all have let the bear kill me!" He snapped. Mist didn't seem surprised at his tone of voice. "The pack still needs you Nathaniel. There is still one other rank that can be given to you...I am old, it is almost time for me to join the elders. I need someone to take my place, and now I have found the perfect wolf...Nathaniel, you could be a healer." She spoke soothingly. He thought about this for a moment and then nodded. "Yes...I can still serve my pack." He said, standing up once more.

Later that day Alpha Kye called the pack together. "It has been decided that Nathaniel will be removed from the ranks of the Battlers, and be given a higher rank instead...Now that he is blind and cannot serve as a fighter, Nathaniel will become the next Healer when Mist is ready to retire." As he spoke he looked down upon Nathaniel with a sympathetic look. Alpha Kye dismissed the pack and went to his cave, there he found Alphess Shani waiting for him. "Oh Shani, have I done the right thing making Ash Beta instead of Nathaniel? I can't help but feel this was my fault.." He muttered.

Shani nuzzled her mate and looked into his amber eyes. "Of course you have done the right thing, Nathaniel just needs to realise that Ash is Beta now, and that his destiny is to be a Healer. It is obviously what the spirits intended for him, they gave us that message when they decided he would live." She replied. Kye nodded and looked up at the sky. "Yes, it is his destiny to be a healer and not a Beta..I have made the right choice in choosing Ash.."