The sun slowly rose over the horizon. It's orange gaze cast bright flashes of orange and yellow light across the melting snow. Navare cringed and slowly awoke as an arc of sunlight drew itself across his eyes. He yawned and stretched, then stood and looked around the cave. His eyes finally fell on a young white wolf sleeping only a few feet to his left. His eyes narrowed slightly and he remembered yesterday's events and how Winter and her siblings had come to the pack, supposedly seeking shelter and rest.

He glanced around the cave again, looking to make sure the other newcomers were still there. He saw Jared sleeping in the corner. Veena was next to Jared, although she was awake and seemed to be staring out of the cave entrance, deep in thought. Navare then turned about to find... nothing. He was disturbed to find that he couldn't see the black wolf anywhere, and began to fear that something was up. "Where are you?", he said quietly to himself.

"Looking for me?", a voice hissed from behind him. Navare spun around to see those two eerie, yellow eyes staring at him from a dark corner of the cave that almost never saw the sun.

They both turned to see Erak walk from his separate den at the back of the cave. Navare nodded his head in respect for his alpha. "I suppose not, sir. May I have a word, in private?", he asked, giving Twilight another suspicious look.

Erak nodded. "Over course." He turned to Twilight and said, "Good morning." Then he followed Navare outside the cave entrance, nodding at Veena as they went by. Veena returned the nod and gave him a small smile before returning to her thoughts. "Alright, Navare. What's this all about?"

Navare motioned to the cave with his head. "How do we know they can be trusted? They could be spies from some other pack that wants to take over our territory now that we are weak from these dogs' attacks."

Erak shook his head sadly, and said, "They couldn't be much older than you are. And I know of no pack anywhere near this forest that would send wolves as young as they are on a mission of that sort." Erak peered closer at Navare, trying to see the bright young wolf he had known so well before this whole mess started. He couldn't find him, but he just knew that the old Navare was in there somewhere.

Navare looked down feeling uncomfortable under the larger wolf's scrutiny. "Well... perhaps you're right." He may not have trusted the strangers, but he trusted Erak.

Erak nodded. "Good. I'm glad you understand. At least get to know them, before you pass any judgments about them." Navare looked back up and grudgingly nodded, then turned and walked toward the cave.

Once inside, he made his way towards his spot in the cave. He laid down and took a deep breath. Then he heard a noise to his left. He turned to see Winter waking up. She stretched and stood, looking around the cave.

As she took a look to make sure her siblings were alright, she caught sight of Navare looking at her. Winter remembered his opposed behavior to their staying. She couldn't understand why he was, though. She decided to try and clear things up. "Good morning", she said, giving him a friendly smile.

He grunted and gave her a curt nod. He would try to 'get to know them', as Erak had said, but he would do so with caution. He was still weary of the four siblings. "Good morning. You slept well?", he asked.

Navare shrugged. "Well enough." In fact, he hadn't gotten much sleep at all. He had stayed up for a good portion of the night, suspecting that Winter and her siblings would try and do something to the pack while they were sleeping. He had made the effort to stay conscious, but his need for sleep won out in the end.

Winter nodded and said, "Good." The other wolves were beginning to awaken and get up. "Twilight?", she called softly. Navare got up and walked away, not really wanting another encounter with the black wolf.

Twilight slowly nodded, a frown across his face. "Yes. I asked the old one, Gareth. But I think we should leave no sooner than one day from now." He took a glance out of the cave at the sun, seeing that it had risen a few feet above the horizon.

She looked at him curiously before a frown spread across her face as well. "Another one of your odd predictions?", she asked. Her concern deepened as he confirmed this with a nod. She now thought that leaving sooner would be a very wise choice indeed...

Two dogs made their way silently though the forest, constantly on the lookout for any sign of movement. The first dog, a male with white fur and light blue eyes, moved along with his nose trained to the ground, casting about for a scent of some sort. The second, a light grey female with eyes that were the same shade of light blue followed closely behind.

Rose nodded and ran after her brother as the two raced to give their scout leader the information they had attained about the enemies' movements.

Erak cleared his throat. The pack and their visitors had all woken up some time ago, and all were hungry. "Alright. It is time for us to hunt once again. The supply that we had stored has run out. It is dangerous, but necessary that we get food.", he said.

The members of the pack nodded their heads gravely. Their last hunt had been enough to last them a month and a half, but the dogs had attacked them and they had lost yet another member of their group.

Erak took a glance around at the wolves and then continued, "I will be leading the hunt. Holly, Gareth, Arlen and the pups will be staying behind. I need at least two of you to join me. I will understand if you wish to stay."

Navare was the first to step forward, his face blank and obedient. Juno and Chase joined him after that, hesitation and a small bit of fear in their eyes. Erak nodded in recognition of their courage. "Very well. Then-" He was cut off by another voice.

"I'll come as well.", Winter said, stepping forward. The everyone looked at her in surprise. Even Twilight's eyebrows rose at that, which is about as much of a surprised reaction as you could get out of him.

Erak frowned. "There is no need for you to come with us, Winter.", he said. "This could be particularly dangerous, and you could seriously injured, or worse."

She nodded. "I know that. But my father always taught me that I should repay any act of kindness towards myself or my family whenever possible. I intend to do just that.", she said.

A small smile tugged at the corners of the alpha's mouth. This young wolf had a good set of morals about her. "Very well then. You may come."

Winter nodded and said, "Thank you, sir." He nodded in return and then turned to head out of the cave. Before she started out after them, Winter turned to Twilight. "Take care while I'm gone."

Navare stayed near the back of the group, mostly to watch their backs', partially to keep an eye on Winter. There was still a small doubt within his mind that she and her siblings harbored malicious intentions toward his pack, but the majority of this doubt was now replaced with a certain amount of curiosity. If she was really here to stir up more trouble, why was she putting her life at risk to help them hunt? The answer soon came to him that her siblings were also in need of food. But then did that not also mean that she was a caring, and therefor trustworthy individual? His distrust and his curiosity were locked in an inner struggle that the more curious side of himself seemed to be winning.

He decided to see if he couldn't find out more about her. He walked up beside her and said, "I notice you seem to speak with your black furred brother a lot."

She looked at him briefly before looking forward again. "Yes. I go to him whenever I need advice, or I need him to take over while I'm gone for whatever reason.", she said.

Winter laughed quietly. "He may be a creep, but he's a smart creep. That's what father always said before... " She suddenly stopped. The laughter drained from her face and the recent ghosts of painful memories flitted across her eyes. The unsaid words hung in the air, somewhere between shadow and substance. Before he died...

Navare, noticing that she was no longer beside him, turned around. He saw her standing there, feet planted in the snow, and felt a pang of empathy for the white wolf. He looked back to see the others had stopped at a ridge just ahead of them. He looked back at the she-wolf and ran to her. "Winter? Are you alright?"

Winter looked up at the others at the top of the ridge, then raced past him to see what was up. He stood there for a minute, his inner struggle coming to an end. He was sure that Winter, at least, did not mean he or those he cared for any harm. The pain he just saw in her eyes had totally convinced him of that. Having reached this conclusion, Navare turned and ran up to the ridge to join the others.

Winter looked down from the ridge to the open field that spread out before her. A heard of at least twenty deer dotted the half snow-covered ground. She was still a little shaken up about the sudden reminder of her parents death, but she couldn't let that get to her now. The hunt was on.

Erak cleared his throat and the others looked up at him, waiting his instructions. "We need enough to last us for some time.", he said. "We'll go for the oldest and those with injury. They'll be the easiest to catch." They nodded in understanding and he continued. "We'll have to split up into two groups. Chase and Juno will come with me. Navare, you're with Winter. The three of us will attak the herd from the front. You two will circle around to the back. Wait until I give the signal, then go for your targets. Everyone got that?" The nodded once again. "Good. Now let's go."

The group split up, Winter following Navare around the edge of the clearing. Once on the other side she looked about for injured and old deer. She found two on their side of the open space. "You see them to?", she whispered.

Navare nodded and said, "Yes. All we need to do now is wait for the signal." He crouched down, ready to spring at a moments notice. Winter followed his example, her muscles tense and waiting for the moment to uncoil.

Twilight sat near the entrance to the cave, peering out at the forest around them. His keene eyes searching the branches and shrubs bordering the clearing. "We're being watched. I can feel it.", he said.

Jared, who was standing a few feet behind him cast a worried glance about the clearing outside the den. "Are you sure? You know, it could just be your imagin-"

"I'm sure.", the black wolf said, cutting him off. "The question is, why aren't they attacking yet?" As he puzzled over this he started backing farther into the cave. He turned to Jared and said, "Keep a close eye out for any trouble. Howl if anything happens." Jared nodded and turned back to guard the entrance.

Twilight turned and walked to the back of the cave, where the Alphas' small den was located. He scratched on the outside of the entrance and waited. A moment later, Holly came out. "Oh it's you.", she said, giving him a tired smile. "What can I do for you?", the Alpha female asked.

Twilight nodded his head in respect. "I'm sorry to disturb you ma'am, but I feel I must inform you that there are intruders hiding in woods outside of the cave."

Holly gasped. "What? Are you sure?", she asked. The dark wolf nodded. She looked down and frowned in thought. "This isn't good. Arlen needs to watch her pups, Gareth is too old to be much good in a fight, and I can't do anything in my current state.", she said, looking down at her stomach. Twilight realized then that the Alpha was pregnant. It would be too much of a risk to her pups if she were to fight. The she-wolf looked back up at Twilight. "Can you handle it if it comes to a fight? You'd only need to hold them off until Erak and the others return."

Holly sighed with relief. "Thank you so much. I wouldn't ask it of you if it wasn't necessary.", she said. The black wolf nodded again and silently walked back to the front of the cave.

The black wolf calmly laid down and continued watching the forest. "We're going to sit here.", he said. "And hope they don't decide to get hostile."

The dog nodded in reply, but said nothing. The two of them had been assigned by their scout leader watch the cave while he went to inform Kale, the leader of the whole group, about the hiding place of the last wolves in the forest. So far all they had seen were the two wolves below them that had exited the cave only a few minutes ago. A large grey wolf that looked to be the stronger of the two, and a smaller, yet somehow more imposing black wolf.

"Don't worry about it, sis.", he said, turning to her and smiling. "Whatever they're doing, by the end of tomorrow, it'll all be over, and we'll be safe." He turned back to watching the wolf... "Huh?", he gasped. "Where'd he go?"

Rose came up beside her brother to find that there was only one wolf in the clearing below. The black one had disappeared. "I knew that one was going to be tough to keep an eye on.", she said. "He just looks like one of those guys that's there one minute and gone the next. This proves it too."

"He might have just gone back inside.", Jasper said, although he himself knew that something was going on here. "I'll get a little closer and have a look."

Jasper finally made it to the bottom of the hill and took a glance around. The black wolf still wasn't there, but the larger one was. Now that he saw the wolf up close, the dog was able to see just how strong he looked. "Man... I'd hate to be the one to take him on in a fight.", he said quietly to himself. And yet... something else bothered him. Besides the more rough-looking fur and a few other physical differences, this wolf didn't look all that different from any other husky on the streets of the town he was from.

The sudden appearance of the black wolf from the cave caught his attention and broke him free of his thoughts. The larger one looked back at the other and whispered something. The black wolf responded, but Jasper couldn't hear them well enough.

The larger one walked back and forth along the clearing, looking very uneasy. The black wolf could only take so much before it got on his nerves. "Jared, sit down!", he said. "Relax yourself." Jasper shivered at the sound of the wolf's voice.

The larger wolf, Jared, did as he was told and sat down. "Ok. You don't have to snap at me, Twilight.", he replied. "I'm just a little jumpy. Aren't you? You're the one saying that we're being watched." The black wolf didn't reply, but sighed in frustration and continued to watch the forest.

It was all Jasper could do to keep from gasping and alerting the wolves to his location. "They know we're watching them?", he thought to himself. How could they have known? He needed to tell Randy, and Kale. If they knew that they were being watched, what else did they know? He pondered these questions as he slipped away to get Rose and book it out of there.

Winter was exhausted. The hunt was over and had been a success. Roan had taken her hunting before, but she had always played a minor part, and never had to attack the prey full on like that. It was hard work, but she got a certain amount of satisfaction making her first kill on her own. sighing heavily in relief the group entered the cave clearing with their catch. A total of four deer. It should last them a little while.

Erak dropped the deer he had been dragging and nuzzled his mate. "We did our best. How did things hold up back here?", he asked as the others dragged the deer into the cave.

Holly hurried to try and calm him. "No, no. No one was hurt. They didn't even attack us. They ran off after awhile. It was very strange." She looked at the ground, troubled, as she led her mate back inside.

Erak nodded his agreement, the same troubled look apparent on his face. "We'll have to be extra careful for the next few days. Now that they know where we are, they may try to attack.", he said. "Where's Gareth? We need to speak with him about this." The Alphas went farther back into the cave to seek out the old one's advice.

Meanwhile, Twilight was giving Winter the same news near the back of the den. "We should leave now.", he said. "The longer we stay, the more likely it is that we'll get caught up in some sort of battle." His eyes swept the cave as he spoke.

Winter was deeply troubled by this news. "You're right... It would be best if we leave.", she said. She was about to continue, but as she looked about the cave the words died in her throat. Arlen was playing around with Orek and Pine. Veena was smiling and laughing lightly while talking with Renn. Chase, Juno, and Jared were all joking about how Twilight must have scared the dogs off with his creepy appearance. The white wolf felt a sudden pressure on her mind. "But what happens to them if we do?", she asked.

The black wolf shot her a quizzical glance, then not a moment later let out a low groan and gave her a look. "You can't be serious...", he said.

"Twilight, just hear me out, please.", she pleaded. She looked back out at the pack as she spoke. "They've been kind to us. Just look at Veena.", she said, gesturing towards their sister. "This is the happiest I've seen her since mother died.", she winced as she said this. "We'd be turning our backs on them if we leave now. They didn't ask for this, and it's not right."

Twilight stood by as she spoke with an unemotional look upon his face. "So you would have us stay and get ourselves killed because of a little sympathy?", he asked with distaste. "And here I thought you were smart. Guess not."

Winter looked at him, her eyes flashing with anger. "I admit it may not be the smart thing, but it is what I think is the right thing. Father would have helped them.", she said.

Twilight gave a dark chuckle and spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Oh golly. I guess it is absolutely wonderful father and I saw everything with the same point of view then." He walked past, giving her a mocking bow. "As you wish, leader.", he said, disappearing once more into the shadows.

Winter sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. "I'll never understand him.", she said to herself. The sun was nearly below the horizon. It had been a long day and the pack was getting ready to rest. She walked over to her spot next to Navare and laid down.

"Goodnight.", he said. Soon the sound of her even breathing reached him and he knew she was asleep. He and Gareth were the only ones still awake, besides Twilight. Navare was sure that black wolf never slept at all. He laid there for a minute, but decided that he wasn't all that tired just yet, and he wanted to talk with the older wolf. They hadn't just talked in quite some time.

The red wolf got up and wandered over to Gareth, who sat quietly at the mouth of the cave, watching the stars. "You always seem to be doing that.", the younger wolf said.

The old one chuckled. "Everyone needs a hobby.", he said, looking over his shoulder and patting the snow next to him with an aged paw. Navare walked forward and sat next to Gareth. "So, I suppose that all your suspicions about these newcomers are at rest?", he asked, glancing at the red wolf.

Navare nodded and said, "Most of them. Not all, but most." He looked back at the cave with a withering stare. "That black one is still questionable."

"Oh indeed.", the old wolf said, nodding in agreement. "I would actually encourage you to keep an eye on him." Gareth frowned in thought. "There's something odd going on with that one."

Navare nodded. "Alright. I'll watch him. Although Winter seems a well enough leader to me." He looked back at the sleeping she-wolf as he spoke. "Why wouldn't he want to listen to someone like her?"

Gareth cast an amused glance at the young wolf, and followed his gaze. "Yes, she is very capable. That's why Twilight does listen to her. He's smart enough to respect authority, even if he disagrees with it. She's firm enough to keep him in check, but she's also gentle when she knows it is best to be."

Navare thought through that and nodded. He turned to the old wolf and smiled. "Thanks for the talk. I should probably sleep now. Eh, old timer?"

Gareth chuckled and looked around. "Old? Where? I see no old person around here. Must be your imagination.", he said, giving the young wolf a friendly wink.

The red wolf laughed quietly. "Alright, alright, I'm going. Goodnight Gareth.", he said, returning to his spot by Winter. The old wolf smiled at the youth, then turned back to his stargazing. It seemed as though the old Navare was back again. The smile slowly faded from his face as his memory took him back to some far off time...

Looking up at the same stars, a pair of intense brown eyes were glazed over with old memories as well. A sudden voice brought him back to the present time. "Kale, sir?"

The leader of the raiding dogs looked back at Leon, his second in command, and best friend. Leon was a muscular malamute with a mix of light brown and white fur, with forest green eyes. "Yes, Leon, what is it?", he asked turning about to face him.

Leon nodded in respect and gave his report, "I have a member of a scouting party and his scout leader requesting permission to see you sir. They say they have uncovered vital information about the enemy."

Kale snorted and an easy lopsided smile slipped over his face. Something that was rarely seen these days. "When did you get so serious, Lee?", he asked, chuckling.

The second in command let his posture slip and laughed. "I got serious when you became top dog of this group of ragged soldiers, Kay.", he said, laughing at his own pun.

The "top dog", as it were, returned the laugh and shook his head. "Alright, alright. Tell them I'll be along to the barn shortly." The larger dog nodded his head and left the small shed with a smile. The leader of the dogs took one last glance at the stars. "Soon this will all be over...", he said quietly.

Kale turned and exited the shed, walking across the thawing ground to the barn, where the others were gathered. They all looked up and moved out of his way as he walked by to hi spot on a raised platform in the center of the barn.

He looked out at his friends and followers. "I was told that a group among you had some information that is important to the mission.", he said. "Please come forward."

Three dogs from the crowd came forward. Another good friend of Kale's, Randy led the group, followed behind by two dogs he didn't personally know. Randy was a tan colored husky with cloud-grey eyes. "Kale. We have uncovered the location that the remain wolves are hiding.", he said. His words drew excited words from the other dogs around them.

Kale smiled down at them. "That's good work, Randy. Now the day after tomorrow will go smoothly. They'll never see it coming.", he said. The dogs barked their agreement and couldn't believe that the conflict would soon be over, and they would have won!

"It's not what you think!", a voice rose above the sounds of the other dogs. They shushed and looked to the owner of that voice. Jasper suddenly fell very small as all eyes in the room turned to him.

Kale frowned and spoke, "What do you mean by that, boy?" The lad seemed to be quite a bit shy. The leader stepped down from the platform and walked up to him. "What's your name, son?", he asked.

Jasper spoke, stumbling over his words a little. "W-well, sir. I saw two wolves outside of the cave hideout. They... they were talking and... uh... " He hit a roadblock in speech as he tried to put his thoughts into words.

An impatient dog nearby growled and tapped his paw, but stopped as soon as Kale gave him a stern look. Then he turned back to the younger dog. "Take your time. No need to rush it.", he said.

Jasper nodded his head and then took a deep breath. "They... they knew that we were there sir. They knew we were watching them." The crowd went silent and they all began to look at each other. Then the exact same thought ran through all of their heads all at the same time. What else did they know?

The dogs all erupted into speech at the same time, chaos breaking out. Kale sighed and shook his head. He looked back at Leon and nodded. The second in command returned the nod. "Hey!! Pull it together and be quiet!", he yelled at the top of his lungs. "Kale wishes to speak!"

All the dogs in the room became silent almost immediately. Kale looked around the room. "Let's not overreact here!", he said. He looked back at Jasper. "Is there any way that the wolves could have spotted you?, he asked. The scout shook his head. "You're absolutely certain?"

Jasper nodded his head. "Y-yes sir. We were too far away to be seen through the trees before, and they wouldn't have spoken as loud as they did if they had known I was there when I got closer."

Kale slowly nodded his head. "Alright... alright.", he said. He gave the young scout a firm pat on the shoulder. "That's good work, son. Good work." The leader turned and walked back to the platform. "It seems that these devils are smarter than we thought.", he said to the crowd of dogs around him.

A black and white female from the crowd took a few steps forward. "What now?", she asked. "If they know when we're watching them, they might know when we plan to attack." This drew nods from everyone in the room.

The leader nodded his head with them. "You speak the truth, Nina.", he said. His keene eyes swept the room, looking at all the anxious faces around him. "Which is why we're going to do something unexpected." He turned to Leon, who stood next to the platform. "I need you to help me get everyone ready.", he said. Turning back to the crowd, he stated, "The attack will be moved up to tomorrow!"

Veena walked slowly through the forest as sunset cast rays of red and yellow light between the branches. Her legs seemed to move of their own accord, carrying her where they willed. She felt an almost overwhelming sense of defeat, and anger. Thoughts of revenge that were not her own poured through her mind like sand through an hour glass.

She suddenly stopped, and found herself staring at a wall of thick thorn bushes, impossible to get through. The young wolf then turned to the right and moved along the wall, looking for a break or gap that could be squeezed through. She finally found one. A small space at the very edge, where the trees and bushes were stopped by a wall of rock. The she-wolf stepped through, and into an open space filled with sunlight.

Veena looked around the clearing that she stood in. The tree line of the forest stood to her left, curving to form a half circle. To her right, a cliff rose high above the ground. The ground was shielded from sight by an unearthly vail of mist.

She looked about again, but saw no one nearby. Then, a loud swish of disturbed air, followed by a large thudding sound and a crunching of snow under a heavy weight caught her attention. She turned around and saw a dark figure laying upon the ground, crumpled from what she guessed was a long fall from the cliff above her.

Veena looked up at the top, but didn't see anything. She turned back to look at the body, but to her surprise, it was gone. She turned around, looking for the disappeared figure. The last thing she saw were flashing teeth aimed for her neck...

Veena jerked awake, gasping for air. She sat up and took in her surroundings. She was once again back in the pack's cave, perfectly safe, with no fangs coming forward to end her life. She sighed with relief.

She turned to see Arlen standing behind her, concern plastered across her face. Veena shook her head. "It was just a nightmare. I'm fine.", she said.

Arlen walked forward and laid down beside the young wolf. "I know how you feel.", she said. "I had nightmares for a long time after my mate was taken. He was the first from our pack who were killed by the dogs." The she-wolf closed her eyes, a tear leaking down her left cheek as old memories brought back an almost forgotten pain.

"Wow. I'm sorry.", the younger wolf said. Veena and Arlen had become very good friends in the short time that the traveling wolves had stayed, and she looked up to the older wolf as a motherly figure.

Winter's ears twitched as she picked up on the clicking of claws on the ground. Her eyes opened and adjusted to the dim, pre-dawn light of a new day. The dark outline of a wolf stood outside, watching the distant horizon. The white she-wolf got up and silently made her way towards the other. As she got closer she saw that it was Navare.

She turned towards him and said, "When we first came here, you were completely against us being anywhere near you. But now... you aren't. Why?"

Navare looked at her, and opened his mouth, but he stopped. He realized he didn't really know. He shut his mouth again and shrugged. Winter thought about pursuing the subject further, but decided to let it drop. The two watched in silence as the sun rose over the horizon.

She nodded, her eyes riveted on the scene. "Yes. Yes it's beautiful.", she said. Her eyes moved to look at him, his fur a fiery red in the morning sunlight. She smiled and placed her paw over his. "Thank you for sharing it with me."

Navare looked down at her paw, then at her and returned the smile "You're welcome.", he said. With that, Winter turned and walked back into the cave. He watched her go and then turned back to looking at the sunrise, an oddly warm feeling spreading through him.

Twilight lay in the darkest corner of the cave he could find, staring at a crack in the rock wall. His siblings were fools if they thought it best to stay in this place, where they would surely die. The need to be absolutely alone swept over him and he silently got up and made his way out of the cave. No one saw him leave.

Walking through the forest, he thought over his situation. He could stay here, and maybe convince the others that they should leave, or he could go off by himself. Go his own way. Leaving the others had a certain appeal to him, but logic told him that any lone wolf would have difficulty surviving in the wild. Therefor, at least for now, he would stay with his siblings.

Almost regretting his choice, he turned back toward the cave, but suddenly stopped. The world slowed and time became a thing of no importance. His yellow gaze lighted on the sky, where the early morning sun cast a red hue upon a formation of clouds, which looked curiously like a river. A river of blood.

The black wolf broke from his trance, and understanding hit him like a tidal wave. "They're coming.", he softly to himself. In the same instant, he took off, his feet carrying him faster than ever before. He practically flew as he jumped over the bushes around the clearing and dashed into the cave to deliver his message.

A group of eight dogs slowly moved in on the wolf pack's cave. The leader, a yellow husky, nodded his head and said, "Yep. Right where that scout said it would be." The dog nodded his head again and the attack force moved up to the edge of the cave clearing. All was quiet. After only a moment of hesitation, the leader nodded a final time and the attack began. The dogs rushed from the forest, barking and snarling, teeth bared, fangs showing, ready for battle... but they weren't ready for what came next.

An almost unearthly howl suddenly rose from the trees, shooting off to the sky like a flare. The dogs stopped dead in their tracks, fear suddenly blossoming in their stomachs. More howling calls joined the first. The leader became nervous and looked all about him. There were so many. So many calls! There had to be dozens! Doing the calculations in his head, he knew that his small force couldn't stand up to an attack against that large a number of wolves. Some of the howls had turned into snarls, and he could see figures flitting in the bushes near the clearing, they could attack any second.

Then he suddenly became paralyzed. In the shadows of a nearby bush were two eerie, yellow, frightening eyes. The sight froze the leader with fear. That was the final straw. "Retreat!", he called to his comrades. "Get out of here! Retreat at once!" The others were only too happy to oblige. They turned and ran back they way they came, hurrying to escape this fearful menace. Soon, they had gone and clearing was quiet once more.

A few minutes passed, then a black wolf with yellow eyes walked into the clearing. "All clear!", he yelled. Around him, thirteen other wolves came from the forest. Holly, Juno, Chase, Arlen and her pups all went into the cave. The others stayed outside.

Gareth walked up to the Alpha and said, "He is right. They won't give up that easily. That was probably just a testing party, to scout out how strong we were and to see i they couldn't soften us up. They will be back."

The pack leader considered this and slowly nodded. "Yes. We will have to be ready for when they return.", he said. Then he turned to look fondly at the four traveling wolves. "I thank you for your help. You have been good friends since you have come." He smiled at each of them in turn before continuing, "But I cannot ask you to take part in this conflict. You could get hurt and it isn't your fight. I would suggest you leave now, before things get ugly."

Winter looked at each of her siblings. Veena shook her head. One vote for staying. She looked to Jared. He just shrugged in his way of saying 'It's up to you. You're the boss.' And finally she looked to Twilight. The two stared at each other for a short time, Winter giving him a pleading look. Finally he rolled his eyes and gave a sharp nodded.

Winter smiled and turned back to Erak and shook her head. "Sir, I think my siblings and I would rather stay here. You've been good to us, and we just feel like we belong here. May we stay?", she asked.

Erak raised his eyebrows and turned to look at Gareth. The older wolf smiled and shrugged. "Why not?", he said. "I find them quite charming."

The Alpha smiled. Then he turned and looked at Navare. His eyes met the young wolf's and a hidden message passed between the two. The pack leader turned to look back at the four travelers. "I find you all to be honorable and good people. I would be honored to have you as members of my pack.", he said.

Winter smiled. "Thank you sir. Thank you so much.", she said. The four siblings finally had a new home. But soon they would have to defend it from destruction, as the dogs attack once more....