• The morning light brought with it the heavy scent of another storm. Sildena raised her black head, careful not to stir the cubs, and inhaled deeply. It would rain by noon, she realized. The pack should be hunting by now.
    Even now, she still wasn’t used to staying behind when the rest of her pack—and her mate, Arlash—hunted for enough food to tide the over 40 wolves until the storm was over. On the other hand, Sildena reflected as she rested her head on her paws, she was safer in the small den than with the others at the moment.
    Since the moment of her birth, Sildena had caught the attention of the older wolves. Among their pack, Red Mountain, the standard color of pelts was gray-black-and-white with a few solid-colored wolves thrown in. She, on the other hand, was pure black with a white right-forepaw and a russet stripe from the bottom of her right eye to her throat. Some called Sildena’s coloring a bad omen, but because her mother had come from another pack, they quickly quieted.
    As she grew, Sildena showed that her loyalty was to her pack first. Not only that, but she was already showing promising signs of becoming a powerful warrior. By the time she was a year-and-a-half, she was as high up in the pack’s social order as a she-wolf her age could go. On some occasions, she’d heard that she could be the new Beta if the Code had allowed it.
    Despite all appearances, Sildena was very quiet and only spoke when spoken to…until Arlash rejoined the pack. The male didn’t stand out as far as fur went; in fact, he was quite ordinary looking. On hindsight, Sildena guessed that it was the way he carried himself that had made Arlash stand out. It was smooth but bold, saying that he wasn’t afraid to be himself (or speak his mind, for that matter) and yet knew when to back off. No one knew why he had left originally, but the Alphas, Deka and Ilsev, accepted him back immediately.
    Sildena hadn’t met him right away. Many bordering packs had increased their patrols on their side of the boundary. As Red Mountain was one of the more powerful packs, they didn’t have to be too concerned, but they began patrolling more often as well. More than once, Sildena and Arlash had seen each other, but for some reason, they never got closer than that. Finally, however, Sildena had been feeding on her share of a large moose when Arlash boldly sat down next to her and introduced himself.
    That move was the one that started such a friendship that soon the two were sleeping in the same spot. The first time that had happened was actually out of necessity: Winter had been harsher than normal and sleeping alone had become dangerous. Sildena had been the one who approached Arlash and even now she remembered the happy rush she’d had when he didn’t object. For the remainder of the winter, they stayed together even during hunting. The real problems began when spring came.
    Deka and Ilsev had mated at the very beginning of the mating season and the pack was moving to their more pup-friendly dens when Sildena realized she, too, was carrying pups. She didn’t know how she knew, she just knew. It had scared her that she was pregnant; usually the Alphas of any pack banished those who mated besides them without consent. Arlash wasn’t quite as worried, but he was honest and said that the Alphas had a right to know.
    Small whimpers from the four pups drew Sildena out of her deep thinking. Awe filled her heart as the three males and one female began nursing. The Alphas had been gracious enough not to kill them, she admitted as she began licking her children. They wouldn’t dare say no to cubs, not even the most stubborn of elders.
    A soft whuff at the entrance brought Sildena’s head up and a snarl to her breath. The snarl faded quickly as Arlash’s head appeared around the corner. “You’re back early,” Sildena teased quietly, a smile parting her jaws.
    Arlash set the haunch he carried on the ground before fondly licking the red-streaked cheek. “We were lucky that a herd of deer was close by,” he replied, barely refraining from wagging his tail. Gently nuzzling the cubs, Arlash couldn’t keep the joy from shining in his eyes. “They’re beautiful, Sildena.”
    Nuzzling her mate affectionately and licking him a bit, Sildena eyed the haunch, hunger clawing at her stomach. “Is that meant for me?” She knew he was just as excited as she was, but she was really hungry. When the meat was in reach, she tore into it, careful not to jar the waking pups. She refrained from eating all of the good meat and shoved the rest aside for the pups. They were growing more teeth and needed something to chew on. “What do the borders look like?”
    Having settled down in a half-circle next to her, Arlash shook his head. “Very quiet for once. Haven’t come across any new scent marks for two days.” A soft growl finished his sentence. “Deka is finally considering reducing our own patrols, but I don’t think that will be too soon.”
    Sildena understood how he felt. Normally, when other packs suddenly stop patrolling without notification that meant they might be planning for an attack or something disastrous had happened. “I’m sure they have a good reason, Arlash, whatever it is.” She began, but the scent of an approaching wolf cut her short.
    Leaping to his feet, Arlsash went to stand at the entrance, fur bristling as he growled a warning. “Who goes there?”
    “It’s just me, Arlash,” came the elderly answer. A couple seconds later, one of the senior females, Kona, appeared, undaunted by Arlash’s challenge. “Ilsev asked if I could inspect your pups if you don’t object, Sildena.”
    Relief rushed through Sildena and she relaxed. “Please do, Kona.” She gathered herself and changed to a sitting position. The old gray was one of the most respected members in the pack and to have her approval might make it safe for them to come back.
    Kona limped by a still tense Arlash without a second glance and briefly touched noses with Sildena. Her keen gaze went directly to the pups that were just starting to play with the leftover bones.
    She was quiet for so long, Sildena grew worried. “Is everything all right, Kona?”
    “Of course,” Kona huffed, sniffing a couple of the pups. “Have you named them?”
    “Yes,” Sildena glanced at Arlash before continuing. “The male with the black ear is Tajun; the male with the white circle around his eye is Nerven; the last male is Caja; and the female is Kila.”
    Kona was silent for a few more moments before looking up at the two of them. “Very well. I shall tell Ilsev that we’ll be having a few more pups running around in a short while.”
    Surprise kept Sildena frozen until Kona had left. As soon as the old she-wolf was out of sight, she leaped to her feet, her tail wagging furiously. Arlash nearly bowled her over in his rush to nuzzle her. Sildena couldn’t blame him; they were finally allowed to join the others! She was so pleased by the news like her mate that she couldn’t say anything.
    “Mother, can we go outside now?” Tajun’s small voice whimpered, the pup having grown tired of playing with the remains of the deer.
    Fairly leaping, Sildena nudged the pup towards the cave entrance. “Yes, Tajun, you can. Follow your father and don’t go too far.” Sildena’s heart felt like it could fly with joy as she followed the bouncing pups out. They need this more than we do. A cave is no place to confine pups.
    The wind ruffled Sildena’s fur as she stood next to her mate. Here they looked over the entire carved out meow where the rest of the pack lived. Beneath their paws was an enormous cavern large enough to hold twice their number. Green grass covered every inch of soil not overrun by trees and came to a stop along the banks of a creek at the other end. The birthing dens came to an end where the sides of the recess stopped and revealed a rocky, but beautiful mountainside. Arlash had been right to recommend this birthing den from the others.
    Kila stared wide-eyed at the expanse before them. “What is this, Father?”
    Arlash gazed down fondly at the cub. “This is our home, Kila. It has been our home for many lifetimes.”
    Instead of joining her frolicking brothers, Kila sat down and continued staring.
    Sildena rubbed her head against Arlash’s neck fondly. “Too bad the storm will push them inside,” she sighed. “They would have loved and entire day out here.”
    Pressing his body against hers, Arlash licked her again. “At least they’re allowed out to begin with. Just because Kona said we could return doesn’t mean that the others will be as easily convinced,” he added with a slight growl.
    “If these four were allowed to live, then they’re meant to be here,” Sildena countered more bravely than she felt. Without another word, she started waling down the trail that led to the others. In truth, she was worried about how they would be received. Other wolves besides the Alphas mating weren’t unheard of, but it still didn’t occur enough for the idea to become widely accepted.
    A good portion of the pack was out hunting still, so only a third of the pack was at the main den when Sildena and her family arrived. No one growled, but there was enough hostility in the air to make up for it. Sildena herself was bristling, daring them to say anything. Arlash was even more defensive, a snarl beginning on his face. The cubs, while not understanding that they were the reason, felt the other wolves’ anger and had bunched beneath Sildena and Arlash’s legs.
    Deka emerged from the main cave with Ilsev, six pups tumbling after. Deka merely growled before walking away, but Ilsev approached them. “Deka and I have decided to let you stay,” she began. “Eitsha and Morgis have shown us as much by allowing your pups to live. However, if you wish to mate again, we may not be able to help you.”
    Sildena and Arlash bowed their heads in acceptance. Because the Alpha female had mentioned the names of the wolf gods, her words were final. “Thank you, Ilsev,” Sildena murmured just as Kila cautiously peeked out. One of Ilsev’s pups shyly came closer and touched noses. As if that had been a signal, all ten pups merged into a frolicking mass and the air around them lightened somewhat.
    Finally satisfied that they would be all right, Arlash gave Sildena one last lick before joining a leaving patrol. At first, Sildena didn’t know where to go until some of the other she-wolves not able to hunt or patrol called her over. They were very friendly, she found. Some of them were even in the same wanting-to-mate-but-afraid-to situation she had been in the year before, so it was easy to talk to them.
    The hours flew by and Sildena hadn’t even noticed that the sky was now all clouds until a raindrop landed on her nose. Calling her pups over, Sildena joined the others headed for the safety of the cave. “Children, stay with me,” she explained and was mostly into the cave when a howl reached her ears above the wind. It was Arlash, she was sure. “Deka,” she cried, drawing the Alpha male’s attention. “It’s Arlash’s warning!”
    Because no patrol howled for fun, Deka sped to the entrance at once. Arlash’s howl came again, this time joined by two others. They were falling back, Sildena guessed, because a large pack had crossed the border…one large enough that the Red Mountain pack had to retreat to their second expanse of caves several miles away. Deka howled back and was joined by several other fighting wolves.
    Caja whimpered and cowered near Sildena’s paws. “Mother, what’s going on?”
    Half-heartedly, Sildena reached down and planted a reassuring lick on all four of her cubs. How was she supposed to carry all four? They were still too young to travel on their own paws and the pack would be running much faster than they ever could. As the others filed past, Sildena saw several of them carrying Ilsev’s pups and knew no one would help.
    Kona and one of the others Sildena had talked to stopped in front of her, however. “We’ll take two if you want.” Kona explained gruffly, though she eyed the pups tenderly.
    Relief replaced fear. “Thank you, Kona. You can take Tajun and Nerven. I’ll take Kila and Caja myself until Arlash catches up with us.” As the two others picked up her two cubs in their mouths and left, Sildena felt her heart ache. It had to be done, she knew, but it still hurt her to see someone else taking her pups. “Caja, stay close to me and don’t be afraid,” she ordered sternly and she gently closed her mouth around Kila.
    The route the pack was taking would be too hard for Caja, so Sildena quickly strode to the path she and Arlash had used. The ground had turned muddy from the downpour and she had to go slower than she would have liked for Caja. Even now she could smell the approaching enemy pack and silently urged speed to Arlash’s paws.
    Sildena and her cubs had just reached the top when several Red Mountain wolves streaked into the clearing. Caja yelped just then and a lone wolf sped away from the others and headed their way. “Go! I’ll take Caja!” Arlash cried.
    Not needing a second encouragement, Sildena gathered her muscles and raced off. In the dim light, she could barely make out the shapes of the last few of the pack. That, along with the growing noise of the enemy pack, gave her hope and she surged onwards, Arlash at her side. Eitsha and Morgis, let us make it to safety, she prayed fiercely.
    They entered a large gorge that they rarely used, a sign that Deka was trying to loose their pursuers. Sildena kept an eye on the gorge walls for the faint trails that could provide a quick escape. She hadn’t heard anything behind her for a while now, but that could mean anything.
    A surprised yelp and sounds of fighting brought Sildena to a halt. The enemy was now ahead of them! Those just ahead of them turned around and ran past. Sildena at once saw a trail and nudged Arlash in that direction. Being the closest to the trail, she jumped with a grunt onto the ledge, bumping Kila slightly.
    Sounds of struggle increased behind her and she struggled to reach the top. It didn’t take long and she set Kila down a ways away from the edge before turning around.
    Injured and already exhausted from fighting at the border, Arlash was having a harder time climbing up with Caja. Yipping encouragement, Sildena resisted the urge to reach and take her cub from him. The fighting was beneath them now and they ran the risk of drawing attention the longer they remained put.
    Suddenly, Arlash’s back paw slipped, causing several rocks to fall onto the wolves below. Two wolves glanced up and rushed over. What happened next ripped a hole into Sildena’s heart: Arlash hadn’t climbed very high and as soon as the two wolves leaped for him, he lost his footing and fell beneath a swarm of fighting wolves.
    Arlash’s dead…
    Forcing herself to turn away, Sildena scooped up her daughter and ran into the tree-cover nearby.
    Caja’s dead…
    It took hours before she finally approached the silent gorge. “Kila, wait here. This isn’t for you to see and there may be danger still.”
    “But I want to find Father!” Kila protested, staring at Sildena with more courage than she should have at her age.
    “Fine,”
    Tajun’s dead…
    All along the bottom of the gorge laid the wolves of the Red Mountain pack, dead. The scent of blood saturated the air, causing Sildena’s eyes to sting.
    The only reason she knew the torn body beneath her was Arlash was because the still form of a cub lay nearby …Caja.
    Nerven’s dead…
    Releasing Kila as soon as she reached the bottom, Sildena approached the torn and bloodied form that was her mate. Not bothering to hide her whining, she licked Arlash’s muzzle, not really expecting a response. Very faintly, however, she heard a wheezing whine escape his barely-opened jaws. “Arlash? Arlash, it’s me.” Sildena whispered and lay down next to him, vainly trying to lick his wounds.
    Out of the blue, Arlash stirred and raised his head to weakly lick the red streak like he always did. Very slowly, his head sank to the ground…
    Arlash is dead…
    Rising to her feet, Sildena threw her head back and howled. It felt like her soul was being torn out of her chest and howling did nothing to ease it. A high-pitched howl joined hers; Kila’s first howl, a normally happy moment ruined by the carnage.
    Kila’s alive…
    The last note died and Sildena stood there, not knowing what to do. I should leave the territory, she realized. I’ll have to go past the bordering packs; they will probably join our fate soon. She had never gone so far east in her life, but she was going to have to in order to keep Kila and herself alive. Goodbye, my love. I’ll avenge you one day.
    Calling her cub to her side, Sildena wearily strode away and navigated through the bodies towards the end of the gorge and the eastern border.
    ARLASH IS DEAD…