The morning sunlight burst through the gaps inbetween the trees, casting dancing patterns of light across the snowy ground.

Iyla stretched herself and padded over to a grey rock jutting out of the snow. She lay on it, feeling the warm sun caress her back. She closed her eyes in relaxation, but just as her eyelids met, she saw something in the distance. She opened them again. Manua, a young male in her pack, was staring at her, but as soon as their eyes met he looked away, blushing furiously.

"What are you staring at?" She asked playfully. He didn't answer, or dare to look at her again, and before she could say anything else he had run off to reunite with his pals . She shrugged and closed her eyes again.

Iyla didn't know it, but she was really quite pretty. She was skinny, with long slender legs. She had the most beautiful, glossy midnight- black fur, which shone in the sunlight. She had a striking, orange belly, muzzle, paws and tail-tip. Her fur on her head had been shaped into a side-fringe which came all the way down across the side of her face, and even the edge of her fringe was tipped with orange. Her hazel-brown eyes sparkled like stars, and her smile was young and happy. Yes, she sure was unusual.....but the young males thought she was...unusually beautiful.

WHUMPH!! Iyla was sent tumbling into the snow, and the triumphant face of her younger brother Joshua smashed through her dreams. "JOSH! What was that for? Ow!" Josh beared his teeth at her.

"What are you playing at Iyla? Sitting around sunning yourself, while all my friends worship your image? Needed all that attention did you? Well I'll show you!" He leapt on her in a flash, growling.

"What? No! That's a stupid idea! Get off me Josh!" She pushed with her back legs and eventually managed to haul him off. The two siblings regarded eachother in cold silence. They had always been secret rivals. Little Tobe, the youngest of them all, was not part of this, but was influenced by his brother  and often took his side in a fight between Josh and Iyla. He followed him everywhere like a little shadow of awe, almost a servant. Josh treated him like so, and Iyla hated him for taking advantage of little Tobe.

Without warning she flew at Josh and sank her teeth in his shoulder. He yelped and staggered back against a pine tree, making a shower of snow fall ontop of them. Iyla quickly kicked the snow away and pinned her brother against the bark, snarling. Josh had always been a pest, a tyrant, but it was her that was going to be alpha wolf one day, not Josh- and he constantly had to be reminded that. Eventually Josh whimpered and his grey ears flattened in submission. Iyla slowly relaxed her grip. As soon as she did Josh squirmed free and bolted away, and shot her a last reproachful glance before he disappeared into the trees. Iyla snorted and made her way back to the rock. If Josh or Tobe thought that they could take her on, then she would make sure they knew who was dominant.

    A few days later and the large pack of 30 wolves were resting in a giant ice chamber that was the main part of their cave home. They often moved from cave to cave within their territory in search of food, but this was the biggest one, their favorite one, and they always went back to it sooner or later. They were all chatting happily, in a good mood, with their bellies full of caribou meat. When the moon rose, the whole pack went outside and their bodies lit up with a pale, luminous glow. They stared up at the massive pearl-white orb that hung in the velvety sky. Together, they raised their heads and howled. The eerie symphony came from deep within their chests, and it echoed through the leaves of the trees, whispering through the wind, rustling the grass. The song of the wild.

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He was running, running for his life for all he knew. His brother Ryah was beside him, the terror in his eyes seemed to say we're going to die, we're going to die.

The crystals of sleet whipped through his fur and eyes as he ran, but he had to keep going, maybe he could outrun them, he probably couldn't. He could hear their paws pounding the snow behind him and their hot, heavy breath. They were getting closer and closer, soon he'd have to slow down, and then they would get him. His chest was bursting with the effort to keep running, to keep balanced.

"Look!" Ryah yelled, " a forest up ahead!" The two of them, panting, sped towards the green mass on the horizon. Balrah kept going, he knew that if they reached that forest, they had a chance of surviving. But his muscles were beginnig to tire, his body was aching and his throat was dry with fear. Their pursuers weren't slowing down,...if anything....they were speeding up.  Terror filled every nerve in his body, he looked beside him...Ryah had disappeared! He'd vanished into the whirling blizzard. They must have got him. Despair numbed his brain, what chance did he have of escaping?Oh, but he did! The forest was near, if he could just.... Suddenly a pair of large jaws sank into his back, he tripped into the snow and....his screams were muffled by the raging wind.

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Iyla awoke to her mother, Kutari, nuzzling her gently.

"Time to get up, Iyla."Iyla got to her feet wearily. Then she padded out of her ice chamber and trotted towards the main chamber, where the rest of the pack were gathering. Iyla's mother and her father took their place on the raised platform, and the rest of the pack gathered around, grooming themsleves or watching silently. Iyla's father, Ahadu, spoke in a deep, clear voice.

"Now as you all know, there has been an abscence of herds for us to hunt in our territory. We may have to move further north if we are to find any..." Iyla switched off. There was always trouble with food around this time of year. She yawned and busied grooming herself.  Soon the meeting was over and the pack was dismissed and Iyla bounded off outside, heading towards the forest.

She drank greedily from a river, watching the light reflect and sparkle off its glittering surface. Suddenly she was aware of another prescence beside her, and whipped around startled to see...Josh.

"What are you doing here?" She said huffily, and turned away from him.

"Um, Iyla...I'm sorry about yesterday." He said awkwardly. She smiled.

"Yeah, me too. I gave you quite a bite, didn't I?"

"Nah. You can't even see it." Josh smiled, and walked away. Iyla knew it wouldn't last. She and Josh always made a "truce" after a big fight, but before long there was bound to be another argument...It was just the way they were. She shot one last look at he brother, maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought he was.

That night Iyla awoke. Something wasn't right. She could hear distance noises, and the air seemed tense.

"Iyla!" She jumped back with a yelp, and was sushed by Chinopa, a tawny adult male of her pack. He spoke clearly and solemnly. "Iyla, the Golgotha. They've come." Iyla camed to her senses, and could barely contain her disbelief.

"No. Not here."

"Yes, they're here. I need to get you out." The desperation in his big eyes made Iyla follow him out. Then she heard screaming and snarling and barking and pounding and ripping. The sounds of battle. They rang in her ears, those terrible noises, she just wanted to shut out everything. Then an awful thought came to her head. Without warning she tried to shoot away, but Chinopa grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. She scrabbled desperately in his grip.

"JOSH! TOBE! I NEED TO HELP THEM!" She yelled at him.

"Another wolf has been sent to collect them. MY job is to get you to safety!"

"NO! I DON'T CARE! I HAVE TO HELP! WHERE'S MUM AND DAD?" Chinopa's face darkened.

"They'll be the first ones the Golgotha will hunt down- they're the alpha wolves. They'll kill anyone who dares to stand in their way." Iyla stared in fear, this was like a nightmare she couldn't wake up from. She tried once again to break free, but Chinopa growled and held tight. "The best thing you can do is co-operate! I need to get you to safety. That's your father's orders. Come, NOW! I'm not risking my life for nothing!" Eventually Iyla nodded and followed him silently, her heart pounding in her ribs...

They went down a secret passageway, and even though it was well hidden Iyla could still hear the horrific battle sounds echoing through its wet, icy walls, and she shuddered. Suddenly Chinopa's body tensed, and Iyla froze with fear. "Stay here." he snarled, and Iyla could tell he meant it from the urgency in his voice.  He ran ahead down the passageway, around a corner. When he didn't come back she sank to the ground and peeped cautiously around the corner. Chinopa was...staring at something. He stood a good distance away, with his back to her, absolutely motionless. Iyla stared, puzzled. His body gave a sudden jolt. Then his head rolled forward, and without warning he slumped to the ground. There was a flash of crimson red on white. Iyla stared at the horrific images flashing before her eyes, the blood staining his fur, his terrified, glazed-over eyes, the massive slit across his throat...he was dead.There was a shadow moving in the background and before Iyla could hide a wolf appeared. He had black and brown fur, his eyes were cold and hard, and his smile was wicked and cruel. She looked for it, and yes, she saw the crescent-moon shape cut through the flesh of his right ear- the emblem of the Golgotha pack. He began to walk towards her, she was paralysed to the spot. His paws were stained red with...Chinopa's blood. Iyla stifled a scream. He had already spotted her and said, in a rough gravelly voice,

"Hello there, little princess." He smiled at her pleasantly, as if he hadn't just murdered someone. There was something sickening about his smile, something fake. She tried to move away but he stopped her. His face darkened with menace. "Not going somewhere now, are we?"

TO BE CONTINUED....