It had been two months since she was exiled from the pack. Her heart had been torn all over again over the loss of Torrid. She still could not comprehend the contemptible reason why she was banished. As far as she was concerned, it was all her enemy's fault: Holly. Misty scenes as she was separated from her home, lover, and her original nature over a cold play of jealousy kept replaying in her abhorrent mind. Crying did little to suppress her loss over all that had happened. It had all started that early morning in the late of spring...
................................................................................
The clouds above her head seemed full of light and magic as they slowly progressed across the dark morning sky, streaking with beams of dawn. Dew droplets delicate as snowflakes had formed beneath her paws on the tall blades of new grass. She lifted her head into the fresh spring breeze that blew from the eastern sunrise. Her fur blew in all directions, warming her body and soul.
Watching the last fog of night rise and fade into day, Lilly smiled to the horizon. It had been a month since Amak had left. And although she no longer broke down in tears for him, she still wished yearningly that he was beside her. The deep cut that forced its way into her heart had not yet been healed completely. She still longed for him and the love that they once shared.
Turning to the dark western side of the woods, Lilly was joined by a fellow pack member. Her good friend Sage, a well-built female of the same age, whom she had known since birth sat beside her, gazing into the growing light in the distance.
“Summer has come early this year. I feel the sun's warmth increasing,” she stated.
“I do too,” sighed Lilly pensively.
Sage's brown eyes locked on Lilly's sorrowful expression, as still as the the sky. She didn't have to guess what was on her companion's mind.
“You're thinking of him, aren't you?” she asked softly.
“I can't help it, Sage. Will I ever get over it?”
Sage chuckled. “Lilly, someday mister wonderful will discover you and sweep you off your paws. You'll never miss these days of misery once you've tasted a little piece of happily ever...”
“Happily ever after,” Lilly muttered, rolling her eyes. “No, there's no such thing as happily ever after for me. Look at me! I'm pitiful. I'm alpha female. And I'm...just Lilly.”
“Well, if I didn't think you're more than that, we wouldn't be such good friends now, would we?” argued Sage playfully.
“Sage? What would a male ever see in me? I'm alpha female. They don't like it when females are in charge and have everything except a mate. That's my predicament. I'm stuck in this sandpit of misery and the sides are much too steep. I'll never get over him.”
“Yes, you will. Trust me. When am I ever wrong?”
“When are you ever right?” Lilly replied with a sheepish grin.
“Not often, but this is one thing I'm sure about. Don't fret. It'll come someday. Come on, cheer up. Put on that smile of yours that I love.”
Lilly put up a phony grin that sent Sage rolling in the grass. Just the sight of her best friend exploding with uncontrollable laughter was enough to make Lilly smile and laugh for real.
“Now that's a keeper! Come on, let's get back to the pack,” Sage suggested after they both calmed down.
The sky was now completely taken over by light as they approached the main cave that the pack surrounded. Flowers bloomed and produced a overpowering fragrance that was unable to be avoided. Just the wonderful scent of the blossoms always put Lilly in a good mood. By the time they reached the mouth of the cave, Lilly had a smile upon her face.
“That's the Lilly I know!” said Sage with a smile.
“I would just feel a whole lot better if I knew that rotten, harrowing, awful Holly was...”
Lilly was interrupted by a tall shadow before her. The members of Holly's new pack surrounded the stranger as Lilly's pack began to close in. Tension built between the two groups of wolves as the seconds lagged on like hours. Lilly's mind locked down on her enemy as Holly grinned maliciously at Lilly, the wheels churning in her devious brain.
“...Dead,” Lilly concluded.
“Lilly, darling, how amusing to see you of all creatures as leader. How did you manage to pull that one off? And where is that scoundrel Amak?” Holly questioned.
“What are you doing here? Aren't you the least bit concerned that we are going to kill you? Surely it must have crossed your mind.”
“Oh, it did, then it left. I don't let fear overtake me like your father did. It's such a shame he couldn't see you now. It would warm his cold heart to see you an orphan!”
“Did you come here to disrupt me, or do you have something better to say before you die?”
“Oh, Lilly, Lilly, Lilly! How many times do I have to reiterate myself to you? Isn't it obvious that I will not rest until I see the end of Luna's line?”
“You said yourself that Luna is dead, so why are you so irascible about it? What more are you waiting for?”
Holly crept up to Lilly until they were only a foot's length away from each other, forcing Lilly to look up at her opponent. Lilly, at first, wanted to avoid eye contact with the one who killed her family, but she found herself penetrating the hesitant villain with a vigilant glare.
“You are Luna. You are her daughter, therefore, you are a part of her!”
“What is that against you?!”
“Luna stole your father away from me!”
“You stole him away from her! Yeah, I saw you in here with him while Luna was still alive! You've got no where to run, Holly. We have you surrounded, and this time, you won't get loose!”
“Never!” Holly growled the moment before she crashed into Lilly, pinning her down.
Sage didn't waste a single moment and knocked Holly off her feet, send her tumbling across the forest floor. Dust kicked up all around, but Lilly made her way to Holly and chased her away from the battling packs. Even while she was running at full speed, Lilly could determine that Holly was heading toward the White Cliffs, a dead end. Picking up pace, she corned her at the cliff.
“See what if feels like, Holly?” Lilly asked, panting.
Holly's fear appeared in her devious face, an expression never shown before. Lilly saw her glance down. The river vividly meandered around jagged rocks and debris from further upstream. The waterfall roared from a short distance. Tiny rock particles shattered from beneath one foot and landed in the wild river below, the currant too wild to make a single ripple. The stones were eaten up by the river and never to be seen again.
“Holly, tell me. Did you really kill my mother?”
Holly glanced down one last time at the river.
“Tell me!”
“No!” Holly screamed. “I didn't, but I wanted to! Mark my words, I wanted to!”
“Who did?”
“I don't know! I don't know! I couldn't kill Luna, but I'll get you, and that's one thing you can guarantee! I will not rest until I kill you and all your descendants!”
“Let it go, and I will not kill you, Holly.”
“Never!” Holly growled once more, grabbing Lilly by surprise and knocking her into a rock.
Lilly stood up, her shoulder throbbing, and attacked Holly by the back. Holly was nearly twice her size in weight, and a whole head taller in height. She had years of experience when it came to killing other wolves, something Lilly had never done before.
Holly yanking her off with her gleaming fangs, bared. Lilly hit the ground hard, knocking her unconscious. Holly circled around her like a vulture, waiting for the precise second to move in for the kill. Just as she was about to grab her at the throat, a new figure leaped out of the foliage. There was only a flash of reddish brown, and Holly slipped over the cliff into the river, her holler echoing from the moment she slipped from existence.
“Lilly!” Sage called from behind the trees.
The stranger looked hesitant and wary. Sage halted with shock at the sight of her friend lying dead at the feet of a stranger, a very handsome stranger.
“You killed her!”
Lilly awoke to a pounding pain her head. Sitting up, a dizziness overcame her and she was forced to sit back down. Slumping up against the cave wall, she was able to make out her dark surroundings. Sage stood by her side.
“Lilly, you okay?”
“What happened?”
Sage laughed her deep bellow and turned to a stranger.
“Is Holly dead?” Lilly asked softly.
“Torrid took care of that,” replied Sage with a grin.
“Torrid? I don't know any Torrid.”
“He belongs Current Pack, just on the other side of the White Cliffs. He heard the commotion and saved you. I guess Holly had you beat.”
“Uhhhhhhh,” Lilly groaned and tightly shut her eyes, trying to evade the pain.
“Come outside, Lilly. A little fresh air will do you good.”
Lilly followed her friend, as the stranger lurked behind her. Once outside in the afternoon light of the sun, Lilly noted his distinct features. He was indeed a rust brown color, possessing black ears, stockings, and a tip of the tail. His eyes were a misty gray color, unusual, yet appealing to Lilly.
“Thank you for saving me,” she whispered to him shyly.
“Well, I couldn't just stand and watch another member of our species die now, could I?” he snapped, as if it all was a burden. “Why were you fighting Holly anyway?”
“I was getting revenge, and how do you know Holly?” Lilly inquired, now bothered by this young wolf who seemed to think he knew everything.
“I got caught up with her over a few matters that resolved in the death of a wolf. I vowed to never again let another die for no reason.”
Lilly rolled her eyes, apparently annoyed with him. Seeing the forest whirl around her in an instant, she caught sight of Lupine approaching her. He seemed to have something important on his mind.
“Lilly, I bring a message from a neighboring pack,” he stated.
“Lupine, don't act so decorous. Just tell me what you need to say,” Lilly groaned.
“It seems that a nearby pack has been making some threats around the area, intimidating others to join them, trying to obtain total dominance of the region. Word has been going around that they are scheming to attack us next.”
“Well, we'll just have to get ready for it. We are all in fit shape. It just seems rather untimely to be launching an attack at this time of season. Most wolves are bearing litters by now. It seems strange that they would force them to fight.”
“The pack could possibly be only composed of males. That would give an explanation for an attack so late in the spring,” suggested Sage.
“No, this doesn't seem right,” Lilly disputed. “Everything seems to be happening all at once. Why would it all occur now, of all times?”
“Maybe the opponent detects a weakness pertaining to this pack,” Torrid joined in.
Lilly gave him a sharp glare, although he stood almost a full head taller than her.
“Really? How so?” she snapped.
“Usually after the transition to a new alpha male or female, the pack goes through a period of weakness as the new leader has to learn everything about guiding the pack. The pack already knows everything, but normally, young inexperienced leaders will take the pack a step backwards, especially if they are not trained.”
“Are you suggesting that I am not fit to be leader?” Lilly implied.
“No, I'm just stating that I don't think that you are aware of the dangers that could be involved with another pack trying to take over. It is obvious to me that you have had no proper training.”
Lilly raged with fury.
“Oh, ho, ho, does it now? Well, just to let you know, I have had no training whatsoever, thanks to my pitiful father who was killed. Whether it is obvious to you or not has nothing to do with me, and as far as I'm concerned it's none of your business in the first place!”
“I take it that the pressure involved with being a new leader is the excuse for your ignorant outburst. However, Lilly, I have been appalled a great many times by a great many creatures, and your futile insult hardly amounts to any of them.”
“If all you come here to do is anger me, I suggest you'd better depart.”
“Then I will. Good bye, Lilly. By the way, you're welcome!” he said with an arrogant grin as he walked away to join his own pack.
Lilly shook her head with irritation. She had never in her whole life met someone as domineering and boorish as him. Although she had to admit, at first, she had almost allowed herself to feel attracted to him. His bulging muscles that rippled from underneath his fur made poor Amak look like a shrimp. Sage, on the other hand, seemed awe-struck.
“Earth to Sage!” Lilly shouted.
“Oh, Lilly, isn't he wonderful?” Sage sighed yearningly.
Lilly's head turned sharply to glare at her friend.
“What did you say?” she growled.
“Lilly, how could you be so nasty to him? After all, he did save your life.”
“Ha! I'd rather let Holly kill me than allow him to sass me like that. What does he think he his? The leader of a pack?”
“He is, Lilly. He is the leader of Current Pack. I'm sorry, I thought I told you.”
“To think that I got all aggrieved over that,” Lilly deplored. “What's the use. I guess I'll never earn any respect from males.”
“Speaking of males, Lilly, I won't be around tonight.”
“Who is it, Sage?”
“Torrid...” she muttered.
“Torrid?! Why of all the nit-witted, brainless, pushy guys would you choose him?”
“Lilly, there's no reason to explode. He asked me, and I said yes. It's just a little date. It's not like I'm totally hooked on him or anything.”
Lilly frowned and walked away, leaving Sage to ponder. Evening came, the sky once again blushing into colors of orange, pink, and yellow. Sage wandered to the feet of the White Cliffs, where she met Torrid. Lilly sat alone in her corner of the cave, pouting herself to sleep...
.....................................................
Lilly looked to the western horizon where the sun drowsily set in the distance. Night would be coming again soon, a lonely time of suffering that lagged on until the first beams of light danced across the dark morning sky. Her muscles ached with the pain from all her traveling during the tedious day. Finding shelter under a lateral tree that slumped to the ground, she sighed to herself, pondering about the revelations of love, her lost love with Torrid. She could only dream, hope, and wish helplessly to herself that she would see him again. Whatever he and Sage had become since she was gone was scarcely a mystery. Her thoughts settled into dreams as she fell asleep...
.............................................................................
Lilly and Torrid exited through a side tunnel that branched from the cave to find a glorious flowery meadow, complete with huge trees with thick vines that hung to the ground. Lilly imaged them to stretch to the sky, touching the clouds with each lacy finger. She only dreamed she could reach so high. Torrid was breathless. The beauty left both wolves speechless, although Lilly had seen it several times before. With Torrid, it seemed so inviting and more beautiful than ever.
“Come on,” she laughed, leaping into the fields of wildflowers.
He followed her, chasing her around, upsetting butterflies that lurked upon what seemed to be every flower. They came to a grassy slope and playfully tumbled down into an expanse of tall wispy grass that stretched to every direction. Lilly stopped to gaze across the distance, the smallest insinuation of a profound smirk invading her expression. Torrid followed her gaze, but could not find what her eyes found so interesting in the distance.
“What's on your mind?” he finally asked after a long period of silence.
“Look at it,” Lilly whispered despondently.
“Look at what? Grass?”
“Freedom. Do you know how many times I have come out here and have tried to run away. I can't even begin to take the first step without feeling that I am bound to the pack. It's like a lifelong sentence as leader, commander, nothing. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to run out there and never return? I would run away with you if I could.”
“Then let's go. Now.” Torrid entered the field, stopping to look back at Lilly who remained at the foot of the slope. “What's the matter. Let's run, Lilly.”
She looked back at the trees that swayed in the wind behind her, then back at Torrid. The irrepressible feeling that tugged at her heart for Torrid diminished as she glanced one last time at the trees.
“I can't,” she growled, making her way up the shallow cliff.
Torrid yearningly wished that she could run away with him. He felt a new feeling toward Lilly other than impunity and deference. She was different. He couldn't reminisce the last time he had ever met another female like her. A patent emotion swept over him, one profound and convicted, yet ineffable. He knew, but did she? He looked back at her as she glanced back at him from the head of the knoll. He smiled and ran to the top with ease to join her.
“Then I can't either,” he replied.
She looked up into his eyes, melting away the shield and natural barrier she normally possessed around others. No one had ever looked so deeply into her heart. She felt his eyes searching her mind, her heart, digging deeper to know the real Lilly.
“What are you saying?” she questioned.
“Lilly, I think that I am falling in love with you.”
A wave of shock hit Lilly like the tide. Dizziness overcame her in one sweep of exhilaration, a revelation since the day Amak had left. She felt alive again, as if she had been dormant for a month. Whatever sadness had meant in the past had faded into the rays of love and sunshine that beat down gently upon the domain of the field, surrounding them in its arms.
“Torrid,” she begin in almost a laugh. “I don't know what to say. It seems that all the mysteries have been solved. I think I love you too. I feel a feeling I can't explain. Right now, I just feel that I can touch the clouds along with the trees.”
Torrid nuzzled her. Lilly shut her eyes, feeling the texture and muscle of his upper body rubbing her gingerly. A sensation of safety permeated her as she jumped into an invisible pool of credulity. Opening her eyes, the feeling magically ended. Everything wonderful and beautiful vanished as though it had never existed as Lilly locked onto Sage's incredulous glare. She turned and darted back into the mouth of the ominous tunnel that stretched to the main channel of the cave.
“Oh, Torrid, what do we do?” Lilly whispered, concerned.
...............................................................
The harsh rays of the early sun possessing the dull day seemed to thrash Lilly across the back like a belting whip as she heard the sharp cracking click of a gun. Quick as a flash, she was up on her feet, eyes scanning the region of the field vigilantly, ready to detect the slightest motion of movement. The gray field was still as a painting, no life echoed through the blades of long grass that stretched to the horizon.
A single loud gunshot broke the silence, and forced Lilly to become stuck in her frozen position. Her heart rate rose to to an accelerating pace, pounding so fast, she heard nothing else in the stillness of the morning. Her eyes locked onto the small stretch of trees in the far end of the field. Shadows lurked, frozen in place, but she knew the hunter was nearby.
Another shot cracked in the air, and Lilly felt the wind of a bullet brush passed her chest. The brittle branch of the tree beside her shattered into multiple fragments and splinters. Lilly broke for the trees. The hunter had shot from the direction of the sun, to her east, making it impossible for her to see him or predict his motions, but she could predict his plans. Feeling the coarseness of the grass move past, Lilly bolted to the far end of the thin thicket. Her endurance was low due to the lack of nutrients and the amount of traveling in the previous day. The world was nothing but a blinding blur of colorless objects until she came into contact with the prickly woods with a 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 been for you, I would be a slumped bag of fur slung over that hunter's back. You saved me, twice now. I owe my life to you.” He tried to hide a smile that spread over his face in a split second. Lilly seemed to do the same. “But the fact is, I'm nothing without you. Don't leave me.”
“Lilly, I wouldn't leave you. I just thought that you'd be mad at me.”
“Ha! The only one I'm angry at is myself. My temper had to get the better of me, like it always does. It just goes to show me that problems can't be resolved by fighting. I have to go back.”
“Go back? You're nuts! Didn't you hear Lupine? First of all, we're finally free to be together. Second of all, Sage, or whoever the leader is, will kill you if you go back!”
“We would still be able to stay together if I returned. I am no longer a part of the pack. Therefore, they cannot force me to rejoin unless they take me captive, which is against the Pack Laws. If I return, I can make things right with Sage, which is the real issue that is bothering me.”
“Well, guess I can't really do anything if your mind is made up. Looks like I'll be going with you, then.”
Lilly stood up and walked only a few paces, glancing back wistfully at Torrid. He remained where he was, gazing upon her in his veritable way, the way she loved.
“Do you love me?” she asked with a complete straight face.
He nodded ever so slightly, making sure that Lilly knew that he wasn't joking. She kept a close surveillance on his expression. It was strong, unwavering, and genuine. He finally stood with a stern look in his eyes and walked slowly over to Lilly, keeping a level disposition. Once they paused before each other, he lowered his head to the grass.
“Lilly, I love you. And, although I know I'll never be good enough for you, I would batter myself for the rest of my life if I did not attempt to request your accompaniment. Bottom line is,” he stated as his head raised to meet her widened eyes, “I can't go on without you.”
Lilly tingled with excitement, but she refused to show it externally. With a deep breath of fresh air, she prevented herself from entering a seizure from her exhilaration. Opening her mouth several times, as if she were trying to find the right thing to say, Lilly fell speechless.
“I...,” she shook her head. “What are you saying, Torrid?”
Torrid began to groan at himself. “I'm,...I'm,...formally requesting you to become,...uh...”
“Yes!” Lilly squealed, throwing herself onto him with an extended nuzzle. “I know now.”
She licked his face, forcing his eyes to bulge out. She wrinkled her nose and smiled at him as he gazed down upon her with a transient grin. She did the same, as if their thoughts became one. She leaped to her feet, jumping around the forest like a hyper yearling, begging him for a game of chase. He ran after her and they rolled in the grass, biting each other's fur playfully when each came into contact with the other.
Torrid stood up and laughed at Lilly when she got up with grass burrs sticking to the long regions of fur along her neck. She butted him with her head, sending him backwards into a shallow ditch that held a swamp-like pond. At first, she was dismayed that he had fallen over a perilous slope until she saw him splashing about in the shallow stream.
“Torrid,” she called between laughs, “you look so ridiculous!”
He growled and tripped her from the ledge so she came splashing in him behind him. Frogs and other upset creatures scurried from their underwater homes to the safety of the soggy bank caked with moss and algae. Lilly shook herself free of access water and sat beside Torrid in the most shallow part of the pond where the green water came to her lower ribcage.
“Hey, hey,” he whispered, looking through the trees to the western end of the pond. “Check it out. See that?”
Lilly looked up. The sunset had begun to fade, revealing the set of early summer stars that winked, glimmering with beauty. The sun was still yet visible in the distance, setting half the sky on fire with colors of pink and orange. A cool evening breeze relieved the wolves of the blistering June heat. It blew through Lilly's fur, sending tingling sensations up her spine. Like a magnet, Lilly's eyes turned toward Torrid, sticking to him like gravity, unable to be avoided.
“Lead on,” she whispered to him as soon as he noticed she was staring at him in love.
“Follow me,” he instructed, leading her through the swamp to the dark side of the eastern woods.
They came to another pond once the first had run dry. The cool dampness of the water refreshed her tired feet from the exhausting day. Cattails bordered the trickling stream that ran from the eastern end of the woods. The trees parted, allowing the stars to be seen clearly and making the pond seem like a private retreat. A tiny cataract of water spilled over the tops of smooth round stones that connected the higher ground to the lower pond, creating a rippling movement of water and a relaxing bubbling sound.
All of Lilly's thoughts were put to ease as the music of the thicket began to play. Crickets chirped, frogs softly croaked, the breeze gingerly passed through the water reeds, playing her love song as she gazed helplessly into Torrid's understanding eyes. Fireflies appeared one by one as the sunset faded into night with a mellow ease into darkness. The moon filled the brake with luminescent light.
Lilly rubbed against her mate, becoming familiar with every feeling and change in his long brown fur. He, in turn, simultaneously did the same, caressing her silky white coat that shimmered with crystal-like water droplets.
“I love you,” she hummed with a soothing whisper.
He returned the lick, nuzzling the side of her face. She fastened her eyes, closing gently, taking in every feeling with sensitivity. Fervently, her licked her again, letting the passion last an extended moment. Opening her sapphire blue eyes, she gazed at him, searching, feeling the deep depths of his heart, probing her way to know and love the true Torrid that she would stay with for the remains of her life.
“I love you,” Torrid replied in a melodious undertone.
Lilly sighed slowly, taking in the night air, breathing deeply. Her paws leisurely shuffled in the paw-deep water, hardly making a ripple. Torrid followed her motives, copying every slightest move. Placing the soft region of the side of her face on Torrid's they began slowly swaying, dancing in their own way with meticulous pacing of their paws. Lilly's eyes looked up the stars, twinkling and shining like the sparkle in her own eyes. Without breaking a single movement in their dance, Lilly led Torrid over to a soft grassy slope where they rested their legs, folded beneath them.
She pressed herself against his body, sharing the warmth. He rested his head over hers, protecting her from all harm. Lilly, for the first moment in her life, felt a sensation of safety and comfort. She rubbed against Torrid's course neck before falling fast asleep.
Lilly awoke without a labored breath of exhaustion from a perilous dream. Instead, she gracefully raised her head to find Torrid was still sleeping. She licked the side of his face in the same manor as he had done to her in the past night. He stirred and looked up into her eyes. He rubbed foreheads with Lilly, a smile upon his face until he stretched open his jaws in a lingering yawn.
“Morning, Lilly,” he greeted her. “Was the pond nice last night?”
“Torrid, you really surprised me. I didn't think that you could be so much more passionate than Amak.”
“Amak? Who's he?”
“Just an old rogue I used to know,” she replied while tapping noses with him. “Don't worry; he doesn't amount to anything next to you.”
“Well, Lilly, care to explore the pond some more tonight?”
“Aren't we going back to the pack, Torrid?”
He flipped his tail as if thinking. Then he sighed.
“You still want to go back there?”
“Absolutely,” she stated with a smug grin.
“Well, if it's that important to you, we'll leave right away. But what I don't understand is why you feel that you're still bound to the pack.”
“Instincts, I guess. And Sage,” she replied yearningly.
He yawned again, expressing his peculiar disapproval of early rising. Lilly could tell he was definitely not accustomed to awakening before the sunrise, as she was so adapted to. Legitimately, he sat up, his eyes wilting like morning glories in the August sun.
“Lilly, it's barely morning. It's still practically night.”
Lilly grinned disdainfully and gloated over the fact that he could barely keep his misty gray eyes peeled open.
“It'll be light soon enough. Now get up, and let's get going,” she encouraged, nudging his ribcage.
“All right, all right, I'm up. But let's start out slow. My paws are killing me from yesterday. Don't forget who took out the hunter.”
“With you around, how can I forget?” she grumbled to herself.
“And don't forget,” he called to her from behind, “you owe me...”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I owe you twice now.” She looked back with a mischievous smirk. “Like me to trip and trap you flat on your face and come to your rescue?”
“Just save it for later, Lil'.”
Lilly and Torrid trotted briskly through the wheat fields that seemed secure during the sun's high resting place in the sky. Chasing each other through the meadows that seemed so dead and deserted the first time they crossed it alone, they stumbled across a clear brook the cut straight through the landscape like an arrow. They each settled down for a long cool drink when Lilly's head shot up in the air. Torrid jumped at her sudden sharp gesture and sniffed the wind with curious intent.
“Smells familiar,” Lilly said aloud, pondering.
“Does the name 'Azalea' ring a bell,” questioned a voice behind them.
“Yes,” Torrid and Lilly both answered in unison after recovering over the shock, but they were equally surprised that the other knew of this mysterious stranger.
“How do you know her?” Torrid asked Lilly before Lilly could throw out a million questions.
Her thoughts raced within her mind.
“Back at the pack. I fell into the river and was washed ashore downstream to another wolf pack consisting only of females. She was one of them. What's your excuse.”
Azalea looked at him clandestinely, the shadows along her uniquely constructed face hovering over her whimsical eyes that held forbidden secrets.
“I used to know her a long time ago...” he concluded, his voice trailing off as if he had entered a dream from a past fantasy. Azalea took the time to explore his expression, faint, yet distinct. Lilly, on the other hand, seemed skeptical about this wolf she knew so little about. Their personalities had rather clashed back at Azalea's pack, sending her away in search of the pack she planned to return to.
“What are you doing here?” Lilly snapped, her maddening expression sizzling with the fusions of fury and hostility. “Did Thistle decide to banish you too?”
“No, I left on my old accord. I had some unfinished business to attend to.”
“It's kind of funny that we all arrived at this same place at this same time. What do you hold up your sleeves, Azalea?” Torrid inquired curiously.
“Torrid,” she countered in a flirty tone that made Lilly's nose wrinkle and her brows lower an inch, “my reputation has gotten the better of me, I see. Can't you ever learn to forgive little ol' me?”
“What reputation do you mean?” Lilly growled.
“Dear, Torrid, we can't expect Lilly to know, can we?” she giggled.
Torrid's head shot backwards in disapproval. His facial expression was a mirror reflection of Lilly, who was almost raging in disgust. Azalea chuckled freely again and continued explaining in her taunting voice that neither Torrid nor Lilly cared for.
“Well, since your both apparently slow, I will let you know that my reputation is set on the basis of what other canines think of me, although, of this subject I am careless. Not around these parts, but a separate area in the woods, everyone feared me.”
“Why?” Lilly snapped, growing impatient.
“They called me the 'hunter' because of my interesting way of getting what I want. I worked for a wolf with a name I shall not repeat. We got off in the wrong direction. It resulted in the death of a wolf. Torrid was there. He then left the pack, and I soon followed his example, as I was in love with him. Not to worry, Lilly, he didn't care clouds for me, and probably still doesn't. Silly as it was, I set off to find him, to tell him how I felt.”
“That doesn't explain how you managed to get here at the same point of the creek, the same time and day as us,” Torrid stated, beginning to growl.
Azalea looked anything but frustrated or worried.
“What a minute!” Lilly concluded. “Did you say that Torrid and you got mixed up with a gang that caused the death of a female wolf?”
“That, I did,” Azalea answered with a sly grin.
“Torrid, when we first met, you told me the same thing.” She paused, and Torrid watched as her lips were about to pull back in a fierce growl. “But you told me that you got mixed up with a wolf named Holly.”
“Oh, so you do know Holly?” Azalea commented.
Lilly's head snapped around to face Azalea, her teeth still bared.
“Is that the name of the wolf you would not repeat?”
“Yes, it is, actually.”
“Take us to her!” Lilly threatened, moving predator-like toward the visitor.
“I don't recall the exact location of her, but I do know one place in particular where we might find her. To tell you the truth, Lilly, I've been after her too, but for different reasons, as you can imagine.”
“So does that make you friend or foe?” Torrid inquired.
Azalea bellowed, “Ha! I'll let you be the judge of that. I give you my word that everything I have just told you is the truth. Follow me, or I will follow you.”
“Lead on,” Lilly commanded, her anger melting, but suspicion still lingering. Torrid seemed to feel the same way by his obvious expression.
Azalea headed toward a grove of trees that lined the outer premise of the field, a place Lilly had gone through as she wandered away from the pack. She gave Torrid a helpless glance of credulity and walked on, following Azalea into the unknown pits and terrors of trailing an unreliable guide.
“Funny,” Lilly thought silently to herself after an entire day of traveling, “this seems to be the exact way I took when I left the pack. Holly must be lurking somewhere around home.”
“Hope you don't mind crossing another wheat field,”Azalea called from ahead. “I prefer to take the road less traveled.”
Lilly rolled her eyes and became extremely cautious, as this was the field she came into contact with the hunter. It seemed safer now that the sun was high and a family of deer were crossing along with noisy blue jays and mockingbirds. A single red tailed hawk soared through the cloudless sky, searching for field mice and rabbits that grazed in the tall grass. It's shadow fell upon the travelers for only a moment as it looked on toward another field, finding no luck in the first.
After a long tedious walk through the high grass, Lilly's browsing blue eyes finally caught glimpse of the edge of the pack's forest in the horizon. The tall dark trees lined the pack's ground like pillars to a palace.
“Or a dungeon,” Lilly muttered.
The light afternoon sun had begun setting behind the trees, highlighting long strands of fur on their backs as if they were sunbeams themselves. The June temperatures made it difficult to keep moving toward the line of trees in the horizon, that never seemed to get any closer.
“We're almost there,” Torrid stated, encouraging Lilly to go on, since he noted that she looked weary and sullen.
She nuzzled him in return, only to find Azalea glaring at her with a malicious look in her eyes.
“Can we hurry it up? We're almost there,” she complained from ahead.
“Give us a break; we've been traveling all day today and the day before,” Torrid snapped for he too was exhausted.
Lilly looked up at him as if she were about to faint dead away with fatigue.
“It's just a little further, then we'll be at level ground,” he whispered softly, licking her forehead.
“I just wish this slope wasn't uphill,” she grumbled, proceeding after Azalea toward the trees. The shadows of their branches finally covered the travelers after a few more weary paces. The shaded regions of the woods brought familiar comfort to Lilly as she gazed upon the outskirts of her home.
“We're finally here, no thanks to you two slowpokes!” Azalea growled.
“Save it for later, Azalea,” Lilly replied irritably, a hint of anger rising in her tone.
Rolling her eyes, she turned to Torrid, and curled up beside him, ready to rest for the night, which seemed to pass just as fast as it had come. The moment she opened her eyes to meet the scarce beams of light that passed through the trees, it seemed that only a few seconds ago, she had closed them to fall asleep. However, her body felt revived and replenished of strength.
Glancing around at the familiar domain of the forest, her heart leaped at the sight of solitude. Azalea was no where to be seen, which rose suspicion in Lilly's mind. Twigs snapped and leaves fluttered to the ground from the tree dwelling creatures above. Lilly watched keenly as they played around in the pines as Torrid awoke to find her already conscious.
“How did you sleep?” she asked him.
“Like a bear. You?”
“Same. Wonder how Azalea slept,” she said, almost in a perplexing growl.
“Why don't you ask-” he began to say as he looked around. “Where is she?”
“That's what I'd like to know. I don't like her sneaky tactics.”
“I don't like her either, but she's the only guide we have to Holly.”
“We would have run into her sooner or later,” Lilly explained. “She vowed to kill me if it were the last thing she'd do.”
“Errr...” Torrid thought aloud. “Maybe we better get going. There's no reason to go so near the pack when we don't know where Azalea is, and Holly too, for that matter.”
“I guess you're right,” Lilly stated, her mind off the subject. “We better go.”
“Go where? I was wondering when you two slowpokes would get moving. I've been awake since the first rays of light,” Azalea said with a playful groan. “Not that I'm complaining, mind you.”
Lilly growled and walked up to Azalea with her head hanging low between her legs, and her ears slanted backwards, making it apparent that she was trying to hold back her rage.
“Where have you been?! We've been awake for some time now, and if wasting time was really as important as you claim it to be, why didn't you come when we awoke? I was awake at sunrise, and you were no where to be found,” Lilly snapped, fury burning in her eyes.
Azalea hardly seemed flustered.
“Lilly, do you honestly think that I would just wait around all morning for you and Torrid to get up? I am a highly active wolf with an outgoing personality, and I do not like to just sit around.”
“Well, little miss jumping bean, why don't we get going? Daylight's a'wasting!”
“Fine.”
“Fine!” Lilly thundered.
Torrid exhaled as if he were relieving stress. It was so early in the morning and Lilly was all ready fired up about Azalea. He wondered how long the peace and quiet would last as tension built up between them. He increased his pace, so that he trotted alongside Lilly.
“Lilly, are you sure we should be trusting Azalea? I know her better than you do, and her character is still suspicious to me,” he stated in a low murmur.
“Azalea is my one-way ticket to Holly. This could be my big chance to find out where and what Holly is plotting and give her a surprise attack,” she replied in a whisper.
“You and I both know that Holly is more devious than a wolverine. She probably has spies everywhere, watching us. Who knows? Azalea could even be one.”
“Oh, that's stupid, Torrid. Azalea could no more be a spy than you or me. Even if she is, it gets me to Holly, which is all I'm interested in.”
“I just hope we don't run into anyone from the pack. Wouldn't that be a joy?” he replied sarcastically.
Lilly smiled, then stopped, frozen in her tracks. Azalea had paused too, startled in the same manor as Lilly and Torrid. The stranger grinned, showing his gleaming fangs.
“Lilly, how...interesting to see you again. Torrid, no doubt your pack is looking for you. And as I recall, all our packs share the same rules. You are in just as much danger as Lilly is in for ditching your pack.”
“What problems dealing with me is between my pack and I, Lupine. You are in no position to give commands to me.”
“Actually, I am. Since you 'left', Lilly's pack and your pack have merged, creating a union, invincible to defeat.”
“Power is the downfall of the foolish,” Lilly recited.
“It would be foolish, Lilly, to not obey my orders. You are under code violation, and must come with me. Your companions must follow.”
“Oh yeah? Says who?” Lilly disputed. “There's three of us and one of you!”
Torrid nudged Lilly's side. She noted that while Lupine had been explaining the situation, they had been surrounded by five strongly-built wolves.
“If you proceed to cause trouble....” Lupine began.
“No, there won't be any trouble,” Azalea interrupted, revealing the flighty side of her personality.
“Good. Now follow me. You will be brought to the leader. She will decide what will become of you three.”
Torrid crouched as if he were about to attack Lupine, but Lilly returned the nudge.
“I have many friends in that pack. There's nothing to worry about,” she stated lifelessly, her unrelenting glare sticking to Lupine's emotionless expression. “Remember, I left on my own accord.”
He grinned uneasily as a reply as Lupine and his guards led Lilly and the others to the pack. Azalea looked anything but worried, as before. Lilly rolled her eyes and exhaled loudly. Her jaw dropped open and hung like a door attached to loose hinges as they approached the main cave where the leader of the pack always hung around. Holly stood beside Sage, who seemed to be the main wolf giving orders. The entire pack fell silent as Lilly and Sage exchanged glances, both wandering in a state of stupor.
“You are leader?” Lilly finally managed to say.
“That, I am,” Sage replied, the divine appearance of superiority returning to her face. “Why did you return?”
“Why? I never left.”
“No time for riddles, Lilly, I saw you leave the pack. Your name was stricken from our thoughts, words, and actions.”
“But not memories,” Lilly testified. “As much control as you wish to gain, Sage, you cannot erase everyone's memory of me. Therefore, I never left.”
“Enough of this! Lilly, since you were not permitted to answer my inquiring before you left, I still have a lingering thirst of knowledge for one of your actions.”
“What is it, Sage?”
“Why did you do it?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Why did you leave if you had me beat? If you admitted that I began the fight, you would have automatically won.”
“Have you forgotten the Laws? Death comes to the one who challenges an alpha at a time other than treason and battle. I did it out of love and an act of friendship. It was the most logical thing to do.”
“You brought exile upon yourself to let me live?”
“That is precisely right,” Lilly agreed. “I hope that I have cleared up some confusion for you.”
“I don't know what you mean. I have everything at my fingertips. I understand now, more clearly of how you made your previous decisions, now that I am leader.”
“Speaking is one thing. Acting is another,” Torrid interrupted.
“Torrid, it's very interesting to see you with Lilly,” Sage stated dryly. “I remember our disputes over you. Lilly and I had quite a battle. I won, yet she still weaseled over the prize, like she's weaseled over everything.”
“Sage, what's eating you? Ever since-” Lilly began.
“I'm heartbroken! I assume that you're expecting pups now too, aren't you, Lilly? Did you weasel those from me too?”
“That's none of your concern, and no, I am not, for your information,” Lilly snapped. “Sage, if you want to kill me for coming back, then go ahead and do it. I'm not going to fuss over past matters with you. You aren't even the real blood-related leader. You're the one who weaseled over that!”
“I deserved it!”
“What you deserve is a nice kick in the tail. I bet Holly's putting those words in your mouth. Who knows how much she's rubbed off onto you.”
“Holly just happens to be a wolf of vision and leadership. She's going to help me gain total power and stability of this pack, so that we can gain total dominance and never again have to fear being wiped out.”
“Fear of being wiped out? Sage, can't you see through her? She's only using you-”
“I will not hear anymore of this!” Sage ordered. “Lupine, take her and Torrid to the back of the cave and hold them there until I decide on which method of extermination I should use for her. Oh, and thank you, Azalea, for grabbing them for me.”
Lilly shot Azalea a piercing glare before Lupine drug her away to the far clutches of darkness in the back of the cave. Torrid knocked into her as they shoved him into the same hard chamber.
“Darn that Azalea!” Lilly shrieked in fury, kicking up a cloud of dust in rage. Her voice echoed through the caverns of the dark musty cave. “I should have listened to you, Torrid.”
“What do you expect them to do?” he mumbled.
“Who knows how the Laws have been altered since I left. They could do anything to us. I'm not really concerned, actually. It's Sage I'm worried about. All Holly needs to do is persuade Sage into rounding up more packs, then she will 'do away with her.' Once Sage is out of the picture, Holly will be free to become leader, not only of this pack, but of all packs.”
“What do we need to do?”
“Figure out when Holly plans to make her next move. Once all the packs of the area have been gathered and conquered, she will probably then kill Sage. Unless Sage refuses to take control of more packs, Holly is no threat to her. Once she kills Sage, she will automatically slide into leadership since she's second in command now.”
“That still doesn't really answer my question.”
“I know. There has to be some way we can find out how many packs have been gathered.”
“What if I pretend to blend into their society?”
“Do what?”
“Act like one of them. They won't trust you, but remember, I was once affiliated with Holly's doings. I left because I wanted to, not because they threw me out because I couldn't be trusted.”
“I couldn't let you do that. It's too dangerous. Holly probably has three times as many guards as last time since many packs have already merged. I didn't recognize a single face when Lupine rounded us up. And the worst thing is I know all the members of surrounding packs, which means Holly has begun conquering packs from far away.”
“So, Sage doesn't have much time left, if that is what Holly is planning.”
“From now on, we'll just assume that is what she's planning. We must assume the worst.”
“Still, if I pretend to be one of them, we might find a weakness.”
“They won't trust you since you've been with me. Unless...”
“Unless what?”
“Unless you hook onto Sage. Then she'll really be baffled.”
“You mean act like I have feelings for Sage? No way.”
“Torrid, it's our only hope. If you don't, Sage may face danger of dying even earlier than predicted. If she feels she can really trust you, she may let you in on her plans, which, I'm sure, is much different from Holly's because Holly is two-faced. But, you can still see what Holly has told Sage which could unlock some mysteries for us.”
“I don't like this idea.”
“I don't either, but it's the only way. Here comes Lupine.”
“I don't like to do this. I love you.”
“I love you too. Goodbye.”
Lilly watched as Torrid met Lupine half-way through the long corridor. Lilly had always seen Lupine as tall, ominous, and overpowering, but Torrid was about the same size, which gave her confidence that they had a chance to save the pack. Lupine spoke to Torrid in words so soft, Lilly could not pick up. He then led Torrid out the main entrance of the cave and both were out of sight.
“Part one, success,” Lilly whispered to herself in the darkness.
To Be Continued...