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 chance to breath, waterlogged, and consciousness fading, Lilly strove to stay awake, although the daylight was diminishing. With one last powerful kick ahead, she caught onto a raft-like pile of large brush and sticks from upstream that was in the same predicament as she. Pulling herself onto the raft, she remained above water where she could breathe. Her surroundings went black and Lilly fell unconscious.

Several miles downstream, a group of female wolves bounded in the long grass, rolling and playing in the sunshine that started breaking through the morning clouds. The shortest one of all had a sharp-looking nose and crude personality. Her coat was golden as the sun, eyes as sharp as needles, and bark as obnoxious as a pesky squirrel. She would scamper about, acting like the one in charge, her height a sequoia, the others, a blade of grass.

A squeal came from the runt-like creature as the others chased her about, pushing away their differences in personality. Thistle was her name, and her attitude was close enough to one.

The reddest one was Periwinkle, hyper and imaginative. She bounded in the tall grass, tackling Thistle and another wolf with them named Edelweiss. Edelweiss was calm, quiet, and plainly beautiful. Her coat was light, a cream mixed light red, and her eyes were sparkling and lively. They were joined by another, a huge silver wolf with a white chest and stalkings. She was Azalea, and she hardly spoke or showed expression.

Rosebay was gorgeous, the perfect picture of beauty. Just one glance, and the male wolves drooled. Just one word she spoke in her pretty voice, and they were hooked. She was sleek, almost scarlet, but light and with an ash tint, the color of a light red rose. Her eyes were framed with long lashes, amber and brown in color. She was not too tall, but medium sized, big chested, and had thin dainty paws dipped black to the wrist.

“Rosebay, come on!” squealed Thistle. “Don't just sit there looking like a lady.”

“But that's what I am,” said Rosebay.

“Aren't we all?” said Thistle.

“I wouldn't speak for everyone,” said Rosebay.

“Okay, okay! Let's not get into another cat fight!” said Periwinkle in her squeaky voice.

“Cats. I hate cats,” said Thistle.

“Oh, my gosh, have I a story to tell you!” said Periwinkle. She sat down and began to comb her ears with a fore-paw. “I was sitting by the small end of the creek, you know, and guess what? Pine came up to me and said...”

She stopped when the golden color of Buttercup, another wolf, flashed among the tall grass. As she approached them, clearly out of breath, she seemed to be carrying important news.

“Oh, I am so glad I found you,” said Buttercup.

“What is it, Buttercup? Spit it out!” said Thistle.

“I was downstream by the river and there's a wolf, a white wolf, but I can't tell if she's alive. She must have come from up the river,” said Buttercup.

“Oh, my gosh, how awful,” said Rosebay.

“It is a dreadful sight. Come on, I'll show you,” said Buttercup.

Passing through the tall grass and into a thin forest, Buttercup led her friends to the scene where Lilly lay. They came to a clearing where the cattails parted and the wet sand imprinted the shape of their small paws. The sky was pale, not blue, or gray, or cloudy.

A large white wolf laid stretched out on the sand, mouth agape, paws held out at front of her. Her eyes were shut lightly, yet they seemed like they would never open again. The black stripe down her back glittered with droplets of water that looked like crystals. She seemed taller than any normal wolf they had ever seen, obviously of superior breeding, but perhaps she was just ugly. Whoever thought of a white wolf in these parts? It almost looked acceptable and pretty, but no, that would put them out of their place.

“She's sure ugly, isn't she?” said Thistle.

“She sure is,” said Periwinkle.

“Even as ugly as she is, we should take her in,” said Periwinkle.

“The ugly ones have to live too, although they are miserable since no males like them,” said Rosebay.

“Is that all you think of?” asked Edelweiss.

“No, but it is important.”

Edelweiss rolled her brown eyes as she helped the others attempt to drag the half-dead wolf to safety. They left her in a pile of leaves on the edge of the forest, since that was the farthest they could pull her.

“Who's going to stay with her?” asked Periwinkle.

“Don't look at me,” said Thistle.

“Well, we need someone to be here when she wakes up.”

Night had come and all the wolves were tired of waiting. It seemed like a lost cause and they figured that the newcomer would never wake up.

“I am so tired, I could fall right down dead,” said Periwinkle with a yawn.

“Don't talk so dreadfully,” snapped Rosebay. “Especially when we are in the company of one who is at the jumping off place.”

“Sorry, I just can't think. My brain is closing down.”

“Everyone just settle down! Our company is stirring,” said Rosebay.

Lilly began stretching and she yawned, but did not open her eyes. At the first squint of life, she leaped to her feet, terrified, and startled, and unknowing where she was and who she was with. A group of beady-eyed wolves were staring at her, closing in, just as she was waking, but still weak. How could she fight her way out? Lilly growled until she noticed the startled look on the wolves' faces.

“Where am I and who are all of you?” she demanded.

“I'm Thistle, and I saved your life.”

“Please don't mind Thistle,” said Edelweiss. “I'm Edelweiss, and I'm sorry for any cataclysmic misunderstandings. We all live at free will, but there are so many of us in these parts of the landscape, that we rather 'flock' together. You are welcome to join us, or go your own way.”

“So where did you come from? Why did you leave? Was it because of some tragic heartbreak?” asked Periwinkle dramatically.

“Oh, don't mind her. She's so strung up on romance,” said Rosebay.

“As if you're not,” said Buttercup.

“Okay, okay! Everyone just settle down. Let....what's your name again?” asked Edelweiss.

“My name? Lilly.”

“Let's just let Lilly rest. She just woke up from being washed up from the river and who know how long she's gone without food...”

“Wait a moment. What did you say about the river?” asked Lilly.

“You just woke up from being washed up from the river.”

“River,” Lilly whispered to herself, sounding unsure of her own thoughts, as if she remembered nothing of a river. “Oh, that's what happened. But, Holly...”

“Did you say something?” asked Periwinkle.

“No,” said Lilly looking flustered.

Lilly went out to the far woods, near the river where she supposedly “washed up”. Stepping in the soft mud that left her wolf paw prints, she caught her own scent that hadn't been washed away. After going over her own thoughts, she figured she was a great distance away from the pack, for she had gone on numerous trips with Luna far down the river when she was younger, but nothing looked familiar. The pack would never find her now.

“If it's the last thing I do, Holly, I'll get you for this! None of your children will become the alpha wolf as long as I am alive!” she shouted into the wind.

A log, thick enough to lay on crossed the river as if it were a bridge. Testing it, Lilly walked upon it cautiously. Here was the perfect place to fish. Below her, the fish didn't find a trace of a predator. Narrowing down to the biggest trout she could find, her legs got ready to pounce. Slowly, carefully, gently easing her way to the edge of the log, Lilly knew she would be rewarded.

Each muscle locked and suddenly Lilly's fur tensed up. As she leaned over the pond an inch further, the heavy wooden bridge rolled from beneath her and dunked her harshly in the water.

Soaked, climbing out of the pond, Lilly noticed a howl in the distance. Leaves and debris sticking to her mud caked feet, she uneasily joined the other wolves. They stared at her, holding back giggles.

“Go ahead and laugh,” Lilly snapped, frustrated, as a twig that was stuck to her head fell to the ground. The others laughed hysterically, but none as hard as Thistle. Her ridicule was enough to send Lilly growling and walking away.

“Oh, Lilly, come back,” said Rosebay within giggles. “We've got...something important...to tell...you.”

Lilly returned and sat and the laughter stirred up again. She waited, trying to be calm, but succeeding only in getting madder and madder. Rosebay sat up, took in deep breath, and attempted to relax herself.

“Ha, ha. Ha, you are all so very funny,” Lilly barked sharply.

“Oh, you are a mutt!” squealed Thistle.

“At least I'm not half rat.”

“Excuse me?”

“Would you like me to repeat it? I said that you are a...”
“I heard what you said! You should be cast out of this area!”
“Who will move me, you? You couldn't pick up a leaf.”

“Well you seem to have that trick mastered. Look at all the leaves sticking to you.”

“Yes, very festive, isn't it?"

“Knock it off!” growled Azalea. “Both of you! Or I'll shut you up myself!”

Thistle was silenced, but Lilly was raging with anger. One more remark would force her to lacerate someone to pieces with invincible will. Her instincts had been hushed up for too long and they were trying to get out with every breath she took.

“We have never been so roused up since she came! I say we banish her!”

Now Lilly was startled. All anger had left, but a new feeling was coming on. It was a sense of hurt, abandonment, and loneliness. There seemed to be no place for her in all the world. It was one home after another, always being thrown out.

“I second that motion!” sneered Thistle.

“All in favor say, 'I,'” announced Rosebay.

It was unanimous. Even Edelweiss raised a paw to agree with the others. Lilly glanced at Azalea, whose face was as cold as ice. It would be futile to try to persuade them to let her stay. At least she could come up with a real crusher that would make them regret their decision.

“Thank you for your jargon, but I have to agree with Thistle. Maybe I am not kindred enough for you, or I just don’t seem apt for this community. I’ve had to deal with myriad attempts to fit in into other places, but it was all precarious. You have jurisdiction over me, and I appreciate that. I don’t mean to minimize your power, Thistle. I’ve made too many exceptions in your culture all ready.

‘You don’t have a permanent domicile, nor do I. We both have been meandering, but my kind of life may be too perilous for you. Where I came from, fangs and teeth were promoted. We didn’t accentuate over social matters. I don’t mean to obviate that way of life for you.’”

Later that night when she was climbing out of the pond that had no way around it, Lilly was welcomed by a loud crash of thunder and a flash of lightning followed by a heavy flow of rain. The part of her that had been dry before was now sopping and cold. The wind hustled against the grass and whipped across the fields. Being in the forest, Lilly escaped the harshness of the wild gale, but not the rain. Cold seeped into her skin, creating a sense of freezing. Shivering, Lilly briskly trotted to the edge of the creek and looked at the moon partially hidden by the stormy clouds.

The wind swept her fur in the opposite direction, carrying it away from her eyes as she gazed at the familiar object in the sky.

“Holly,” she grumbled to herself, “you may have killed my mother, but you haven't killed me yet! I am alive, and as long as I am, you are in danger of keeping your tail safe. I will return, and I'll take back what is rightfully mine. Then who will you run to? Huh? Who will you run to?!”

The rain pattered against her drenched face as she lowered her head to view herself in the creek. The drops of rain made ripples in her reflection, making her an unearthly creature. A single teardrop trickled down her nose and dropped along with the rain. She gritted her teeth and turned the other way, determined to reach home.

The world became an indeterminable blur of color racing on either side of her. Animals and plants that she passed could have been mistaken for trees and undefined objects here and there. A shallow cliff projected at the end of a group of trees, but Lilly did not see it. Unable to brace herself, she tumbled down the slope and landed in a mess at the feet of another wolf.

She couldn't find the shape right away, but she sensed him there. His brown paws were the first shape she could make out. Her eyes followed his body up to his face, a dark brown mask and ears bordering the light color. On instinct, she leaped to her feet with her fangs bared.

“Who are you?!” she demanded.

“Amak,” he replied, with almost a confused tone in his voice. His head was slightly cocked to one side, and one eyebrow was lifted as well. “Who are you?”

Lilly's tightened face fell as her muscles relaxed with ease.

“Lilly. Why are you out here on your own?”

"I didn't ask you. Besides, that's too long of a story for me to tell. I don't want to live in the past."

"Same here. My past isn't worth telling, but I'm glad to be free of those wolves!"

"Oh, well," Amak sighed. "I must be going on my way now."

"Where are you going?" asked Lilly.

"Away to the western part of the forest. I'm starting my own pack."

Lilly thought for a moment. The way to her pack was the same direction as the the western part of the forest.

"How are you going to start a pack?"

"Just find solitary wolves that want to join and accept me as their leader. I've been following orders for too long."

"Well, can I join?"

"What?" he asked, almost in disbelief that someone her age would want to branch out in a new pack.

"I want to join. You can be leader. I don't give a care who's leader. I've had to deal too much with them."

"If you want, but I'm going west. I've heard the territory out there is tough. Some youngster like you may not make it."

"Look, Amak! I've been through the mill! There's nothing I can't handle! And I am NOT a youngster!" she growled.

"Suit yourself! Keep up if you can. I stop for no one."

Lilly growled to herself. She hated arrogant males who acted as if she couldn't deal with anything. Following him, she refreshed her plan which was now laid out better than she could have imagined.

“So, alright! I've got Amak as a guard and companion while I make my way toward the pack. Little does he know that the pack is in the direction that he's going. Once I'm close enough to recognize some territory, I'll sneak away from him and get back to Holly. I'll tell my father about her plan to destroy me and have her exiled. If I'm lucky, she'll attempt to attack me again, but this time, I'll have her chase me to my father. That'll show her! I guess it's wrong to let Amak rough the wilderness to find easy terrain for me only to have me ditch him, but he would understand, I guess. It's every wolf for himself when you're not in a pack. I hope he doesn't think that I'd actually join a pack with him.”

As Amak chattered on about himself and his previous life in a pack, Lilly studied the unique designs he bore. His fur was a combination of light and dark brown, dark on the underside. His eyes were brown, as well as his markings. Such colors puzzled her. Everyone from her pack were different shades of gray.

"And now that's where I'm headed. I hear that there's safety from humans in the Western Woods. Ever been there?"

"I'm so mixed up with my directions. I don't know exactly where I've been in the last few days, except that I'm glad to be free of my original home," replied Lilly with a shrug. Her crystal eyes met with his and sparkled. A grin stumbled across his face.

They talked a while longer until they came to a loud river, rapids beating against the forbidden boulders that stood in the way. Lilly gazed upon in as if she were no longer alive. The intensity of the waves blew her away. It could have been the same river she was swept up in.

"We don't have to cross it, do we?" she asked.

"I'm afraid so. I told myself that I would not allow anything to stop me from traveling in a straight line. It's not too late to turn back, you know."

"What? Are you trying to scare me off? I've been through rivers wider than this before."

"Suit yourself. I'm going in, but just where is the question."

"Maybe there's a place upstream that allows us to cross without swimming," suggested Lilly.

Amak gazed up at the trees, then up river. Lilly followed the direction of his eyes effortlessly and found what he was looking at. A log in small diameter stretched from one bank to the other. But, underneath it were a pile of rocks, projecting rushing water that could make the one crossing lose balance.

"You're kidding."

Amak looked at her with seriousness.

"You're not kidding?!" she said with a look of disbelief that he had given her before.

"Let's go."

"I'm right behind you, dare-devil," she replied hesitantly.

They came to the log that looked even less wide than before. Lilly noted that the texture was wet and slippery. The river must have had several victims before them. Even thick branches that had once projected from the trunk had been broken.

Lilly imagined herself slipping from the log and being sliced into a million pieces by the jagged rocks below. Gazing down the path of the river from the elevated area of the log, she noted how far it stretched into the distance, flowing south-east.

Amak shouted back to her. He was already on the other side of the bank waiting for her. She had been daydreaming the entire time he was crossing.

"Lilly! Wake up! Get over here!"

"I'm coming!" she said with a grumble.

Placing on paw on the extending trunk, she felt the moist puddles of water that sat in the crevices. For a moment she tightly shut her eyes, then opened them, to make sure she was fully conscious of the event.

Leaning against the extended fore-paw, Lilly realized that she had taken her first step. Quickly, yet cautiously, she made her way to the middle of the log without ever looking up for guidance from Amak.

"Lilly!" called Amak from shore.

"Oh, settle down! I'm almost there!"

Just then a shocking wave of ice water crashed down on Lilly, knocking her over the log. Thinking fast, she grabbed hold of a small branch, not strong enough to hold her weight.

Amak was on the move, carefully moving toward Lilly as fast as he could. Grabbing the tuft of fur around her collarbone, he dragged her up to the log and onto shore a few feet away. They both collapsed on the grass, out of breath.

"You didn't trust me," Amak finally said after he had stopped panting.

"I'm sorry," confessed Lilly. "I didn't know you were trying to warn me."

"You think everyone is against you. Trust me. We're a pack now."

"I've never been able to trust anyone," Lilly said with a glare. "My world's been tossed around so much I don't know if I'm walking upside down or not. It's not easy for me just hand over my life to someone and trust them. Sorry if I snapped."

Forcing her shaking legs to stand, Lilly began walking in the given direction. Amak stood with his mouth agape while Lilly's back was turned. He had never, in his whole life, known a wolf as young as she to ever be so prudent and guarded. But there was little he could resolve.

Catching up to her, but not speaking, Amak walked by her side, surprised by the pace she kept up. His curiosity goaded him to spill questions from his mind, although he didn't want to overflow her with puzzling remarks. Where had she come from? How did she get such unique markings? Her structure and designs were completely foreign to him.

A long black stripe that began just above the point between her eyes stretched all along her back to the end of the black tip on her tail. Her eyes were blue, sky blue, but bordered by thin black liner. Although she was mainly white, black stockings stretched to her elbows, giving the appearance that she was walking through a deep trench filled with mud. Along the sides of her white chest were black lines in the shape of waves. They curved from the bottom jaw, under her front legs, to right along her stomach, giving her an odd look. However, she was certainly attractive, but very young. He guessed her to be less than two, still a pup, but her attitude proved him wrong. Amak thoroughly thought about the first question he should crack at her.

"So...how old are you?" he asked.

"Two. Why do you ask?" she answered.

"Just wondering. You've got a lot of spunk for a two-year old. I personally thought you were much older." Yes, yes! A little flattery always helps...

"Really?" Her lips lifted into a smile. It was pleasing. She really did have a lovely face if she only smiled a bit. "How old did you think I was?"

"At least...three," he said after a pause.

"That's really sweet of you. Everyone thinks I'm only one. My mother was an arctic wolf, smaller than than the norm. It made me shorter than most. I inherited most of her genes."

Amak gulped as Lilly turned away. He fought for her attention. "She must have been beautiful if you look like her."

Lilly turned to look at him. Her eyes locked hard at his, but not in a pleasant way. The smile across Amak's face faded as she glared at him in hatred.

"I know what you're trying to do, Amak," she began.

"You do?" he asked, flattered.

"And I want you to know that it doesn't change anything...I'm used to people making fun of me." She stomped away, a bold look upon her face.

Amak was speechless. She was impossible! She couldn't hold a compliment without jumping to conclusions that everyone was against her.

The day went on, just as tension build up like a storm cloud. Every time Lilly caught Amak looking at her, lightning seemed to come out of her eyes, making her seem even more cautious than ever before. Each time Amak would try to speak, no words were able to come out after Lilly gave him a piercing glare. Night finally came after an eventful day of traveling. Both wolves, dog-tired, collapsed into a shady overgrowth of trees that served almost as a cave.

Lilly seemed more aching now than angry. Amak tried again to make her cheer up and show her how she could trust him.

"Lilly," he began.

"What do you want now?" Her glowering eyes turned to him.

"I was not making fun of you. I was complimenting you."

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Oh, sure you were," she stated sarcastically.

"Lilly, I meant what I said. Your completion is astounding. I have never met another wolf quite like you."

"Is that what you were trying to say earlier today?" she asked, the mean look diminished.

"On my word."

"I guess I could forgive you. I'm sorry for snapping. Like I said, I have problems trusting people. You never know when they're going to let go of the other end of the rope you're holding on to."

"What's made you this way? Tell me, Lilly."

Lilly locked down on him, furry returning in her eyes that seemed to burn into his. She had a way with making others feel smaller than she.

Eyes finally softening, Lilly looked out to the moon that sat nestled behind the tall pines. Its luminous glow shone through the needles, making it presence known. Lilly sighed and began speaking, never taking her eyes of the moon, afraid to meet the eyes of her listener.

"...never," she finally said.

Amak just smiled and collapsed on the ground slowly. For some reason, he couldn't keep his eyes off Lilly. She seemed unreal, almost as if someone like her couldn't exist. Finally, after quieting his endless thoughts, he fell asleep.

Lilly awoke in the middle of night with a start from dreams about tormenting wolves in the pack. She stared dreamily at him. His steady breathing caused his stomach to rise and fall. Lilly sat watching in a daze. Her blue eyes seemed stuck on his muscular body. She imagined him awaking and catching her gazing at him. She pretended to force herself to turn away and pretend like she had been doing something else.

The instincts and calls from home battled with the loneliness within her heart. She had never met another wolf like Amak. It was almost as if they were meant to be. She could sense that he felt the same way about her. As much as she felt real love for Amak, the pack had a strong influence on her, and she had a promise to keep to herself.

She just smiled blankly and stood up, shaking herself free of a multitude of dry leaves. Home was calling, and not even Amak or the feelings she had for him could pull her apart from the pack. Her eyes caught sight of a familiar landmark, a group of several white cliffs in the distance.

Bending down, she gently licked Amak on the cheek and began her cold journey alone to the pack. It was daybreak by the time she reached the pack grounds, yet the sun had not yet come over the sky. Trying to reach he next bush for cover down the narrow slope, Lilly lost her footing in the loose debris and came tumbling down the ditch. Landing right in the center of the circle of strange wolves, she was once again covered with leaves. Holly gasped in surprise.

“Funny to see you here kicking up more dust,” she remarked snottily.

“Holly,” she growled, reaching her feet.

The stranger wolves circled around her, making it impossible to escape. There was a uneasy feeling in the wind as tensions rose. Holly only laughed and grinned at Lilly with irrepressible delight.

“My step-daughter has returned, my friends. Why don't we throw a party? You know, she would be the perfect person to complete my meticulous planning to allow my son Midnight to be the leader of this pack.”

“I thought I was in the way. If I am supposedly dead, how could I help you get Midnight to the place of leadership.”

“Oh, Lilly, I always knew you were slow and predictable. It's very simple. Tonight at sunset, I will ask your father to take a romantic walk with me to the White Cliffs. My friends will then gang up on us and kill him with my help. Your father will think that we are both under attack, but really I am the instigator of this genius trap. I will then run back to the pack declaring that a foreign pack from the woods killed the leader, forcing a new leader to come to order. This is where Midnight comes to play.”

“And where do I supposedly come in?”

“Oh, Lilly, I was just getting to that!” Holly then whispered something to one of her friends, and a familiar wolf walked up beside them, hanging his head low as two guards stood beside him.

“Amak!” Lilly cried out. “What are you going to do with him?!”

“Oh, Lilly, you are so predictable. If you don't do what I tell you, let's just say that you'll never see him again.”

“Lilly, please!” he pleaded.

Lilly looked as if she were about to break down, but she forced a quick nod that stated her approval.

“Good. As I was saying,” continued Holly, “you and Amak are responsible for guaranteeing Midnight's title of leadership. You see, the law of our pack states that no wolf that is not blood-related to the leader can become leader unless the heir is decreed with treason. And that, Lilly, is where you come into play.”

Lilly's face grew pale and she felt her legs grow numb. They tingled beneath her and she could hardly keep her balance. The mixture of feelings in her brain spun around like a tornado, creating a nauseating perception.

“Can I count on you?” Holly asked with a grin.

Amak's eyes caught onto Lilly, just as she almost declined.

“I'll do anything you tell me to,” she answered weakly.

“Excellent,” stated Holly cheerfully. “Guards! Don't put them together. Oh, and Lilly, get me some deer. And don't think of letting anyone see you or running off because then I will kill Amak. See you later!”

Lilly fell to the floor as Holly gave her a blow in the side. There had to be some way to save Amak and her father, but she could see no way around it. Besides, even if she ditched the pack and left her father and Amak to die, she would meet her own unnamed villain of fate. There had to be some other way to save the ones she loved. Even if she went through with the plan, she would be charged with treason and exiled from the pack, unable to see Amak ever again if they continued to keep him bound.

Lilly caught a deer with ease as these thoughts scurried through her obscure mind. It was too late to turn back now. Reporting to a secret cave where Holly's “friends” stayed, Lilly requested to see Amak after she dropped off the deer. She was led through a dark tunnel to the very back of the cavern where Amak rested peacefully. He did not seem as down as Lilly thought he would be.

“Lilly!” he rejoiced when he saw her. “I can't thank you enough for saving me and putting your own self in danger.”

“Amak, it was worth it for you. You helped me get through all the mysteries of the forest. You saved my life at the river, and I never thanked you. I just hoped I could make it up to you somehow.”

“Lilly, I've been meaning to tell you something,...how I feel about you.”
“Yes?”

“I...uh...”

“Yes?”

“I think I'm falling in love with you. I know I am.”

Lilly's heart danced with his words in a dream. A smile crept across her dirt-smudged face.

“Amak, I've been trying to tell you all along, but I didn't realized how I felt. Now I know. I love you too. I could never leave you.”

“Lilly, I know this is a bad place to ask, but will you be my mate?”

“Yes, yes! Oh, yes! Amak, how I love you!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the tunnels.

Lilly and Amak met nose to nose and held it there for a long time. She nuzzled against him and felt the soft warmth of his body as he indulged himself by gingerly licking the side of her face. Lilly thought the moment would last forever until Holly came in with a startled, yet devious expression.

“Getting cuddly, are we?” she asked with a chuckle. “It's time to go, Lilly.”

Lilly kissed Amak goodbye and followed Holly out of the shallow cave. She was told to sit until Holly howled, which was the signal to bolt to the pack's main cave. The sun was almost setting on the west end of the sky. The time was drawing near as silence overtook the deep forest.

All at once, Holly's howl broke the solitude, and Lilly froze as a pounding sensation beat like a thousand war drums in her head. A single wolf beside her kicked her and she ran to the heart of the forest, her surroundings nothing but a blinding blur of flashing colors. Then, everything became a ceaseless uproar in slow motion. Her legs seemed to carry her in huge leaps at a decreasing speed. The moment Lilly thought she would never reach the pack's grounds, it came much too fast, and she forced herself to a halt.

Everything then came into play. Holly's face entered from the wolf-made trail that meandered around the back of the cave. Lilly had tumbled into a tangled mess as Holly began crying and shouting terrible phrases that the leader had been killed by Lilly. She stood up, speechless, frightened, and at an extreme loss of words.

“She came out of nowhere and pushed him off the cliff!” Holly hollered to the shocked members of the pack.

“But that's impossible!” declared one of the wolves. “Lilly's dead!”

Holly acted as if she were calming herself and turned to her left side where Lilly sat hiding in the bushes.

“Come out, murderer!” Holly announced.

Lilly climbed out of the bushes, ready to tear Holly apart, but a figure stood in her way. Amak joined by Holly's acquaintances hovered over Lilly. Amak looked as if he were about to speak.

“She's a traitor!” Holly yelled over the stirring crowd. “She must be charged of treason for killing her own father and betraying her pack!”

The crowd cheered, barked, and howled in agreement. Holly smiled at Lilly who was still in shock. Holly had completely gone against her own words, blaming Lilly for the death of her father.

“Midnight, my eldest son, will take the position of alpha male. Isn't that right, Amak?”

Lilly glared at him as if he had killed her father. “It was all a lie!”

“No, Lilly, really, what I said....” he protested.

“You used me! You lied to me! And I believed you the entire time! You were a part of her plan the entire time! And I...I can't believe I...” she quarreled, unable to finish the remaining part.

“Lilly, listen!”

“No! I never want to see you ever again! You told me you loved me!”

“Lilly, I do love you. I...”

“Liar!”

She collapsed on the ground, sobbing, as Amak held back what he was trying to say. He turned and left, sitting with his back to Holly a few yards away.

“According to the pack laws, one who commits treason is to be exiled! She will no longer be a part of our pack! And if she ever comes back, kill her!” Holly explained cheerfully.

“No!” Amak cried, tearing into Holly.

Lilly looked up to find that an appalling fight had broken out involving the entire pack. Amak and Holly had disappeared behind a boulder, and Lilly had her paws full with Holly's comrades. One tore into her shoulder, sending her to her feet. She managed to see Holly scurrying away to safety as Amak took on the wolf that attacked Lilly.

More wolves came upon him, but he knocked them down one by one with ease. The pack began to close in around them creating an adjoining circle, pinning Lilly and Amak to the rock wall.

“Do you trust me?” he asked after he knocked the last wolf away.

Lilly nodded with a smile, and broke into a sprint to the top of a collection of rocks.

“Dear, pack members, the real traitor is Holly. She killed my father and invited theses strangers to aid her with her dark plan. She tried to kill me the day I disappeared, and now she killed my father to allow Midnight to be leader. I was rightful heir to be alpha female, but she had to do-away with me for Midnight to ever come close. Now, fight! Cast her out! Show these strangers what our pack can do! It's not a leader who makes the pack, but the members!”

A crowd of wolves howled and barked and attacked Holly's companions, driving them away. Amak crept around the opposite side of the rock wall to reoccupy safety. Lilly looked around the pack grounds, her vigilant eyes scanning the forest for her enemy. Holly was nowhere in sight, but Lilly knew that she was still alive.

“Keep your miserable life until we meet again,” Lilly growled into the wind. “I'll get you someday Holly, and you'll have no one to run to.”

Amak stood beside her, but they kept apart from one another as if they had built a boundary between each other. They watched the despotic battle come to an end as the strangers fled into the deeper thickets. The pack gathered in a circle around Lilly as she descended from her spot on the boulders.

“We owe you our lives,” Lupine, captain of the guards, stated to her in reverence.

“Your chivalry allows you exemption from exile. Will you stay, Lilly?” asked Vervain.

Lilly looked to Amak. He seemed to give her a lateral scrutiny. Any feelings for him that she felt only moments ago seemed faded. The irrepressible love and devotion that seemed so steadfast and unwavering had fallen to pieces, shattering around her feet like teardrops. An intricate waterfall of emotions seemed to sweep over her like a storm, coming then fading away into the mist. Only the apprehensive fear of losing him clung to her thoughts. Although she was not sure of what she wanted, she knew that her decision had to be meticulous.

“I will be leaving if you want to come with me,” suggested Amak after a period of uncomfortable silence. “You once said you loved me. If you still love me...”
Lilly's heart fluttered like butterflies again. Dreams of spring and a new family yearned to be held, but the kindled feeling could not put a damper on the love for her home. The butterflies wilted away into the plain picture of reality as she gazed back at the pack. It all seemed so painfully clear, too clear for her to understand, yet so simple.

“I have to stay....Amak, this is my home.”

“Lilly, home is where you make it. You could have a home with me. We're a pack, remember?”

“But I have a promise to keep to my pack. I don't mean to be oblique about this, but that's the way it is. I can't go with you, Amak. I'm so sorry.”

“We will establish you as our new leader, first female leader of this pack without an alpha male,” stated Lupine as Lilly stared wistfully at Amak.

“Amak, you said yourself you were looking to start a pack. Come be my alpha male here. You wouldn't have to follow orders, you would give them.”

“No, Lilly. If my home isn't good enough for you, what can yours offer to me?”

“You don't mean that. Come stay with me?” she asked, smiling, hoping to wriggle her way into his heart again. His eyes remained cold and distant, as if she had never known him. Her childish grin faded and she almost seemed if she were about to cry.

“Goodbye, Lilly,” he retorted as he turned to leave.

“Amak, I'm sorry! Come back! Stay here with me! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!”

“Lilly, you can't solve all your problems by saying you're sorry.”

“But who will I run to? Who will be there for me?”

“I said goodbye.”

The night mist that stuck to the trunks of the lifeless trees covered him as he strove to leave. The pack had returned to the cave to sleep for the remaining hours of the night, and Lilly had been left alone. She longed to run up to him, to kiss him, and leave the pack behind, but she was bound by a labored force that could never be broken. Not a sound rippled through the woods that seemed to stretch forever. The nightly fog harbored the young leader. She cried silently to herself in unavailing love as she watched him depart into the distance.

“Goodbye,” she whispered as a tear rolled down the side of her face.

To Be Continued...