Howls At Dawn

By Thornstar

## Prologue

Rain swept through the forest quickly. Lightning struck as the wolf-dog Bone raced with a bundle of fur in his mouth. He placed the bundle down gently and called out, "Alpha!"

When there was no reply, he called out again. "Alpha!"

A black dog stirred in his nest. He padded out and halted when he saw Bone.

"Bone, it's in the middle of the night, can't you tell me whatever in the morning?" The black dog growled. "Sorry Alpha, but it can't wait," Bone panted. Bone pushed the bundle of fur towards the dog. The bundle of fur seemed to be an animal. A wolf.

Alpha stepped back and shouted, "You dare bring that filth into my pack?"

Bone cowered away and quickly said, "She needs our help! The fierce dogs don't want her! They have abandoned her." "Abandoned her you say? And why would those disgusting fierce dogs leave a pup?" Alpha questioned. "They're scared of her. She's a wolf pup." Bone said quietly.

"A *wolf?*" Alpha took a step backwards. "Wolves don't belong here!" He exclaimed.

"Please Alpha! Why can't Brindle take care of her? Just because she has pups of her own doesn't mean she can't have one more," Bone pointed out. Alpha took a few moments before responding. "Fine. But it's up to Brindle to decide whether to keep her or not," Alpha nodded towards a brown and white dog. "Brindle, I~~---~~" "I know what you're going to say, Bone," Brindle said softly. "I will keep her."

Brindle stalked towards the wolf pup and licked her. The pup gave a small protest but it was silenced by the rain. "I think I'll call her Hoot until she decides what her actual name will be when she grows up."

Brindle picked up the wolf now named Hoot, and stalked back to her nest.

Bone smiled and padded back to the hunting dogs area. "Bone," Alpha growled. Bone turned around at once to face Alpha. "If she becomes a savage like all wolves do, you're taking the blame, got it?"

Alpha eyed Bone.

Bone nodded and went back to his nest. *I sure hope the rest of the pack approves . . . . .*

## Prologue. ( Gallery and Notes )

* Brindle
* Bone
* Alpha
* Accalia ( Hoot )
1/4
Brindle - Dog breed: Husky/Boxer Mix (Patrol dog/Mother-dog)

Bone - Dog breed: Husky (Hunting dog)

Alpha - Dog breed: Great Dane (Leader )

Accalia (Hoot) - Wolf breed: Interior Alaskan wolf (Pup/Soon to be hunting dog )

#### About the Dens

Alpha and Beta have a den in a huge redwood. The inside was carved out so they could both fit into it. The hunting dogs, patrol dogs, and scouts all share a den under some fallen logs. The light reaches through some cracks and there are three dogwoods by the den. By it is where the dogs with pups sleep. This is another tree that is unknown. It has flowers on it and has a wide entrance. This tree can at least hold three dogs (all with pups). Omega, however, has the poorest den. He or she sleeps under a huge tree root with some moss hanging over it. The rain and snow are able to get into the den *very* easily.

## Chapter 1. Accalia

"Settle down! Settle down!" Brindle barked at her pups.

Hoot watched her siblings huddle together by their mother. Hoot stayed in the corner of the den, looking down.

"Hoot?" Brindle said. "Hoot? Where is Hoot?" "She's hiding again!" Toad yelled. "No, I'm not!" Hoot exclaimed. "Come here, Hoot. I'm gonna tell another story about myself," Brindle said softly. Hoot shuffled her paws before joining her siblings. The group sat quietly as they waited for Brindle to think of what story she would tell.

"Could you tell us about the time you saved the fox cub?" Yap asked. "Ugh!" Wind moaned. "We've already heard that story, like, a hundred times," Hoot growled. "I want to hear about the time she got into a fight with a Big Fur!" "No! I want the~~---~~" Hoot stopped talking when she realized her mother wasn't paying attention. She was watching her younger brother Sky. " I-I want to hear about your parents," he said quietly. Brindle thought for a moment before agreeing. "Well, let's see... Aha! I know a story. My father, Peak, and my mother Accalia were hunting one day. Me and my brother were sooooooo hungry! So our parents came back with this huge deer! The whole pack was so surprised."

"Where's your parents now?" Wind asked. Brindle paused and gazed at the entrance of the den. "They're dead," she said simply.

"WHAT!?" Wind gasped. Hoot stayed silent. She knew what her name would be when she was older! It would Accalia in honor of her mother's mother.

"Don't say that," a dog named Mindy said. "I was only saying what was true," Brindle said. She ignored Mindy as she tried to talk. "Lay down, my little ones," Brindle said. Sky and Yap curled up in a ball beside their mother while Hoot, Wind, and Toad huddled together by their mother's front paws.

Hoot opened up her eyes slowly. She heard her brothers and her sister playing outside.

Hoot got up steadily and marched her way out of the den. When she got to the entrance she was pushed aside by Mindy's pups, Shadow and Bark. Hoot grumbled but didn't argue.

"Hey, Hoot! We are playing a game! Come and join us," Toad called. Hoot scampered towards her siblings who were in a circle. "Okay," Toad said. "There are hiders and there are seekers. You guys hide and I'll count, okay?" "Okay!" They all shouted. "Alright. Go hide!" Toad began counting.

Hoot scrambled away as quickly as possible. She wanted to be the best hider. Hoot scrambled behind her den. "Hey! This is my spot!" Mindy's son, Shadow growled. "You're not even playing!" Hoot growled back. "Yes I am, now leave. Or I'll else."

Hoot rolled her eyes and left. *He thinks he can boss me around just because he's older!* The thought frustrated Hoot and she hid behind a different den.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Toad laughed. Toad trotted out of Hoot's sight and she sighed with relief.

Hoot crept out of her place to see where he was.

"Aha! Found you!" Toad jumped out of nowhere, startling Hoot. "Pups! Come here!" Brindle called her pups sternly. The five slowly gathered in front of their mother. "I've told you a million times to play with Shadow and Bark!" "Play? With *them?"* Wind gaped in disbelief. "We'd never play with those bullies!"

Brindle sighed. "Come on. The hunters have brought back a deer and some rabbits," Brindle moved her pups into the front of gathering dogs. Hoot looked at the deer. It looked good! Hoot took a step forward but was pushed back by Brindle. "Alpha and Beta go first," she reminded her.

Alpha padded up towards the hunters and congratulated them. Beta followed behind him, also congratulating them.

Alpha picked up a plump rabbit. "Beta, you go." Beta nodded and picked up a slightly smaller rabbit, and then brought it back to where she was sitting. "Brindle and your pups, come on." Brindle bit into the deer along with the pups. "This is amazing!" Hoot said as she bit into it. After they had their fill, Mindy and her pups came forward. When Shadow got to the deer, it looked like he would eat the whole thing.

Bark tried taking more then she should have and gulped it all down. Shadow was about to take more, but Mindy shoved both of her pups as hard as she could, back into the crowd.

After the hunting dogs, the scout dogs, and the patrol dogs ate, it was Omega's turn. When Alpha told Omega it was his turn, Omega slowly walked towards the kill pile. Only a scrawny mouse was left for him. "What a loser!" Shadow laughed. Omega heard him, but ignored. "He looks so old!" Bark squeaked. "Silence!" Beta growled loudly.

The pups stopped, but glared at Beta. "Learn how to silence your pups," Beta said to Mindy when Omega was done eating and the crowd broke up.

"Beta, I'm really sorry~~---~~" Mindy began but Beta silenced her with a glare. "Alpha will be the one next time to silence them. And we both know, he won't show mercy, unlike me." Beta stalked away after Alpha.

"They got in trouble!" Wind gaped. "Who's the loser now?" Hoot laughed as Mindy scolded her pups. "Hoot!" Brindle gasped. "Learn your manners! Same with you, Wind. Don't be rude~~---~~" "But Bark and Shadow are always mean to us, and they don't get into trouble!" Yap complained. "Well, I'm not their mother. Now, let's go." Brindle lead her pups back into the den.

"That stupid leashed dog! She'll never learn," Hoot heard a dog growl. "I know. She only listens to Alpha. Mindy will never be a true wild dog," a massive brown female huffed. Hoot tried to listen more, but was shoved into the den.

"What's a leashed dog?" Hoot asked Brindle.

Brindle stared at her. "Why do you need to know?" "I heard the older dogs say Mindy was a leashed dog. So, what's a leashed dog?" Brindle sighed before speaking. "A leashed dog is a dog that is in the care of Longpaws. And Mindy was a leashed dog. And leashed dogs aren't welcomed here." "Then why is she here?" Sky chirped. "Because my brother begged the Alpha to let her join." Wind poked behind Toad. "Who is your brother?" He asked and tilted his head slightly.

"His name is Bone." Brindle said shortly. "Can you describe what he~~---~~" "Enough questions!" Brindle snapped at Hoot.

Hoot stared at Brindle. "I'm sorry, but all these questions at once, they just frustrate me." Brindle sighed.

The day went by very quickly. At night there was a lot of dogs hurrying for some reason. "Hoot! You're gonna get your name!" Brindle said excitedly. "Are all of us gonna get names?" Toad said, with a twinkle in his eye. "Yep! Now go, we must hurry for the big howl."

Brindle led her pups to where all the dogs crowded. The Moon-Dog shined brightly upon them.

Alpha and Beta were on a rock. Alpha told the crowd of dogs to move away from the pups, including the parents. Omega quickly brought a plump white rabbit to Alpha and Beta. Alpha called up the two dogs that caught it, Dakota and Bone. Bone placed his ride paw on the rabbit's hind legs and Dakota placed her paws on the rabbit's front legs. Alpha padded towards the rabbit and starting tearing out tufts of fur.

Hoot backed away only a slight bit. Alpha threw the rabbit at Beta's paws and Beta placed it down for the Moon-Dog. Alpha addressed the pups to come onto the rock.

"Time has come," Alpha began. "For you to choose the names you will carry until you meet the Earth-Dog. So close your eyes, and turn your faces to the Moon-Dog. Now that she is at her brightest, she will show you who you are."

Alpha began to howl and one by one, the others began to howl, forming the Great Howl.

Alpha stopped and the others stopped. Alpha questioned the pups on their names.

Shadow slowly opened up his eyes. "My name will be Crow." Bark took a while before saying, "My name will be Tawny, in honor of my mother's brother." Some dogs smiled while others frowned.

Wind chose the name Leaf, Toad chose Bramble, Sky chose Drizzle, and Yap chose Lily. The only one left was Hoot. Hoot thought for a few moments before speaking. "My name will be Accalia, in honor of my mother's mother." There were small cheers and Brindle's face lit up.

"The ceremony is over," Alpha said. "Beta, please take the pack back to camp. I want to talk to the pups real quick. Beta nodded and brought the dogs back to camp.

"I want you guys to only answer to these names now, okay?" Alpha eyed the pups. "Okay!" They all said. "You guys will no longer sleep with your mothers. Tonight you will sleep with the hunting dogs. And remember, if you do something wrong, you might end up as Omega or a patrol dog."

"What about a scout?" Lily tilted her head. "I was just about to talk about that," Alpha said. "Lily and Drizzle will be scout dogs."

"Now go," Alpha told them. They listened and padded back to camp.

## Chapter 1. ( Notes and Gallery )

How you do you like this story so far? Cause i think it's turning out great! Turns out, I'm able to edit a lot more on the week days rather than the weekends. :D Hope you enjoy this story!

* Drizzle
* Mindy
* Lily
* Tawny
* Crow
* Bramble
* Leaf
* Beta
1/8
Drizzle - Boxer (Scout )

Mindy - Border Collie with an unknown mix (Patrol dog/Mother-dog)

Tawny - Border Collie (Hunting dog )

Crow - Black Lab (Hunting dog )

Lily - Husky (Scout)

Leaf - Boxer/Husky mix (Hunting dog)

Bramble - Husky (Hunting dog)

Beta - Bernese Mountain Dog (Deputy)

## Chapter 2. Fighting For Ranks

Accalia found it hard to sleep with the hunting dogs. It was crowded and hot in the den. Apparently, Leaf slept great. (Accalia only knew this because he snored all night long).

When the Sun-Dog rose high in the sky, Accalia decided to get up. She crept quietly through the den of sleeping dogs.

"Good morning, Accalia!" A brown dog said cheerfully. "My name is Frost. Oh, by the way, is anyone else awake?" Frost bounced away to the den.

"Sorry, she's a little hyper," a dog chuckled. Accalia spun around and saw a large gray and white male staring at her. "My name is Bruce. And you're~~---~~Accalia right?" He asked. "Ye-yes," Accalia stammered. "Get up, sleepy-head!" They heard Frost yell at Bramble. The hunting dogs that were sleeping dragged their paws as they got ready to join the group.

"Finally, you're all awake," a huge fluffy dog said. "I was beginning to think you guys would never wake up." "Now that everyone's awake, we can go and start our hunt. Dakota, will you go and tell the scouts we're ready?" Bruce asked gently. The big dog nodded and trotted away. The hunting dogs and the scouts padded away happily.

Lola, one of the oldest scout dogs, lead everyone to where most of the deer grazed.

"Us scout dogs will scout the area to make sure it's safe real quick, okay?" She said. All the dogs nodded and they were off. "I miss Poison being a scout," Suns, a golden male said as they walked away.

"Bruce, who is Poison?" Accalia looked up at Bruce. "He is one of the patrol dogs. He used to be with the scouts, but he fought Suns for his place." "I thought Scorch was the leader of the patrol dogs," Leaf said. "He was, and still is. Lavender was the leader before Alpha made Scorch the leader for doing a better job," Bruce said.

"The area is perfectly fine!" Lily reported. "Good. Let's go." Bramble barked.

They headed into the clearing where there was deer. There had to be at least twenty! *Two deer would fill almost the whole pack!* Accalia thought and licked her chops.

"Get down," Bruce ordered everyone. "We need to drive them away from each other so it's easier to catch them. Crow, Accalia, Frost, and Bone will go for the sides of the herd. While the rest of us will go for the back." "Perfect," Dakota growled. "Let us go."

Accalia and Crow crept to the left side of the herd. (Which was awful because Crow kept bragging about how good of a hunter his father was. Accalia had to shut him up three times).

Finally, when Bruce gave the signal, the dogs from the back darted towards the deer, making them shoot forward. The dogs from the side darted after them, making some deer break apart from their herd. Some of the deer looked very young still, so Accalia went for them. She was hot on a doe's trail, but lost her when more deer blocked her path by running by.

Accalia turned to see Tawny trying to take down a large male. Accalia with the help of Leaf and Bramble, raced towards it. Tawny was bouncing out of its way as it tried kicking her. Accalia pounced and drove her teeth into its neck. Bramble and Leaf helped by pulling on its legs, making it fall. The deer kept trying to kick but soon after, it stopped. It was dead.

"Very good, Accalia!" Bone congratulated. "Thanks," Accalia said. "Quickly hide the deer! Suns and Drizzle have found a rabbit hole!" Dakota said briskly. Accalia, Bramble, and Leaf dragged the deer quickly to some ferns and tall grass and hid it there, while the rest ran off.

They hurried to catch up with the others. "You could've waited for us," Leaf gasped. "You'll get used to running," Frost said without looking at them. She was too focused with the rabbit hole. "Bramble, you're the smallest, get in there and scare the rabbits to make them come out of the back," Bruce ordered. Bramble nodded and obeyed.

He stuck his head into the hole, which must've scared the rabbits pretty badly because they all came exploding through the back entrance. The dogs all pounced. Tawny and Crow collided and they fell flat on the ground. Bone jumped over them and leaped as high as he could. He landed perfectly on a rabbits back, while Frost fell on her side trying to get one of the biggest.

Accalia spotted the one Frost missed and quickened her pace. She pounced on it and it tried scrabbling away from her. "Let it go!" Frost yowled. Accalia ignored her and held on to it. "Accalia! Drop it!" Bone snapped.

Before Accalia could react, Dakota bawled: "GIANT FUR!"

Accalia looked up as massive brown creature roared. Accalia immediately let go of the rabbit and ran for it. The so called "Giant Fur" snatched the rabbit up before all of the dogs took their prey and raced after Accalia. The Giant Fur ran and drove them back to the field where the deer were and stood on its two hind legs, roaring.

"I-I'm so-sorry," Accalia stammered. "It's okay," Bone said calmly. "*Okay*?" Crow sneered."You think it's '*Okay?'* Accalia could've gotten killed! Or even worse, she could've gotten *all* of us killed." "I really didn't mean it~~---~~" Accalia began but Crow continued. "We need to report to Alpha now. Or~~---~~" "Crow," Tawny interrupted. Crow stopped and stared at his littermate.

"It wasn't Accalia's fault. It was mine. I told Suns about the rabbit hole. I thought it was safe, but I was wrong." Tawny stared up at her brother. Everyone was silent for a few moments."Where is the deer?" Bruce finally spoke. "Over by the ferns," Leaf breathed. Bruce and the rest of the group grabbed their prey and headed off. On the way, Bramble caught a few mice.

"Finally, you're back!" Said Beta. *Very welcoming,* Accalia rolled her eyes. "Look at how much prey there is!" Lark, a patrol dog barked. "Me and Dakota will tell Alpha about the Giant Fur," Bone said.

"Accalia, Lily, Bramble, Leaf, Drizzle, come here! I got great news!" Brindle called.

Her pups came trotting towards her. "What is it?" Bramble asked. Drizzle tilted his head slightly, "Is something wrong?"

"No! Of course not! I'm having more pups!" Brindle smiled brightly. "Wha~~---~~what?" Lily stepped backwards. "Scorch and I are having more pups!" Brindle said. "That's great!" Accalia and Leaf said together. "Hello, Brindle." Frost dipped her head. "Come on guys, it's time to eat." Frost gathered everyone and they all went to eat. Before eating, Alpha announced that a Giant Fur was spotted and everyone needed to be careful. Crow gazed scornfully at Accalia, but didn't say anything. After everybody ate, Omega went to eat.

After Omega got done he looked up at Alpha saying, "Alpha, I wish to fight Bone, for his place with the hunting dogs."

Alpha said nothing for a few moments. "Well, alright," Alpha said finally.

Beta summoned Bone and Omega to come over. "As you guys know, we want a clean fight. You may claw, bite, and do whatever you want, as long as it's not killing. Got it?" "Got it." Bone and Omega said together. "Alright, when I tell you to fight, you may fight. But only when I tell you to." Beta backed away before they could respond.

All the dogs started to spread out for the two dogs to fight.

"If Omega wins, we can say goodbye to hunting," Frost growled deeply. "He disgusts me," Dakota huffed. Bruce didn't say anything, but Accalia could tell he wanted to say something rude just like Frost and Dakota.

Brindle whispered something harsh to Bone before retreating back to Scorch's side.

Omega shot Bone a challenging glare, while Bone just stared back with a blank expression. "You may fight," Beta said briskly.

Omega pelted across the clearing towards Bone. Bone just stepped aside and made Omega skid to a halt. Bone turned around and bit Omega's tail, pulling it has hard as he could. Omega yelped and snapped at his face. Accalia heard a tiny gasp from Lily when there was blooding dripping from Bone's nose

Omega jumped over Bone as he tried clawing him. Omega quickly twisted his body in the air and landed flat on Bone's back. Omega bit the lower part of his neck. Bone snarled and rolled over crushing Omega. Omega lashed out on him and started batting his face with his paw. Bone dodged a few blows before lunging for his soft, exposed belly. He knocked the breath out of him and bit into his belly. Omega struggled underneath his weight and finally escaped once Bone slipped off. Blood finally appeared on Omega's fluffy coat. Omega spurt into Bone and knocked him over. Omega finally pinned him down after getting a nasty blow to the ear. Bone went limp after a few seconds of struggling.

"Do you give up?" Beta called to Bone. Bone didn't reply until, at least, twenty seconds, saying, "I do."

"No! No! He can't win!" Frost said in frustration. "Say goodbye to great hunting days," Bruce sighed. Dakota didn't say anything. Instead, she looked away.

"Omega wins. Which means, Omega will no longer be called this. He will be called by the name he chose when he was with Moon-dog. He will be known as Yew. For now on, Bone shall be Omega," Alpha announced.

"Oh, come on!" Bramble moaned. "I don't want that grumpy thing near me when I sleep!" "Neither do I," Leaf protested. "He seems pretty happy he won," Accalia said shortly, ignoring the angry protests from the hunting dogs. "He'll brag all night long about how he won," Dakota growled.

"Bone!" An angry voice came behind Accalia. Brindle pushed her way through the crowd and ran right up to Bone until she was nose to nose with him.

"You let him win!" She snapped. "So? It doesn't bother me if I'm Omega," Bone said calmly. "No, don't call me Bone. I'm Omega." "I don't care what you're called!" Brindle barked. "Would it kill you to do something good for once?" "What? Letting Yew win wasn't good enough for you?" Bone shot back sternly. "I've seen you fight," Brindle growled, pushing her nose to Bone's. "You could have torn his fur off in a second. You're as soft as our mother. You'll die like her too if you keep acting like her."

Before Bone could react Brindle purled around, her long tail lashing in the air. Bone stared after her in shock.

"I've never seen her so mad before!" Drizzle gasped. "None of us have," Bruce said. "Poor Bone," Suns sighed. "He is always getting yelled at by Brindle." Suns backed away and went into the scout's den. Lola slowly called the scout dogs and headed back to the den. Scorch gathered up the patrol dogs and led them into the den.

Everyone left except for Accalia, who gazed up at Bone who slowly went to his den. "Your mother is a little hard on him," Scorch said, stalking towards her. "A little? You mean a lot," Accalia said. "She'll be happy once the new pups arrive," Scorch said with a smile and left her all alone.

Accalia slowly retreated to the hunting dog's den.

## Chapter 2. (Gallery and Notes )

So, how's so story so far? I'm trying to edit as much as I can. Remember, you can always make a OC or whatever for my story!

* Bruce
* Yew
* Dakota
* Scorch
* Suns
* Giant Fur
* Lola
* Lavender
* Lark
* Frost
1/10

Bruce - Boxer (Hunting dog )

Yew - Akita (Old Omega/Hunting dog)

Dakota - Newfoundland (Hunting dog)

Scorch - Rottweiler (Patrol dog)

Suns - Pillion (Scout)

Giant Fur - Grizzly Bear

Lola - Australian Shepherd (Scout)

Lavender - Golden retriever (Patrol dog)

Lark - German Shepard (Patrol dog)

Frost - Pointer (Hunting dog)

#### About the Forest

The forest has tall trees. A few trees are dogwood, redwood, and others are willows. The pack sight is near towards the middle of the forest. (More towards east than west.) The middle of the forest is a huge clearing where deer like to graze. It has tall grass and a few flowers such as marigold and roses. The forest also has some holly, ferns, and sage. On the west side of the forest is a great lake. It's about half a mile from the pack's camp sight to the lake. The clearing is in between.

## Chapter 3. Trouble in Hunting

Dakota was, of course, right about Yew. He kept bragging about how he fought and how good he was. Frost slapped him in the face with her tail at night just to shut him up.

"Get up!" Accalia heard a dog yell. It was Bruce.

Everyone slowly stirred, either yawning or moaning. "The Sun-Dog is awake already?" Dakota said. Frost cursed the Sun-Dog under her breath. (Yew gasped. "No one says mean things about Sun-Dog!") "I don't want to get up," Leaf moaned, though he slowly got up with Bramble. Accalia followed them, dragging her paws. "When will that stupid dog shut up!?" Crow muttered to Tawny. Tawny sighed, "Yew is such a know-it-all."

Everybody was tired of listening to him and Bruce told him to shut his mouth or he would bite his ears off, whether Alpha liked it or not.

"The patrol dogs with be joining us today," Bruce announced. "How come?" Leaf asked. "Yeah, why do we need them? We already have the scout dogs," Accalia said. "They will protect us while we hunt. Remember, the Giant Fur is still out there~~---~~" "We can protect ourselves!" Crow growled. "We *need* protection, Crow. The patrol dogs will not be hunting with us, they will just hang around us until we've had a successful hunt."

When Bruce finished they headed out. The scout dogs found another herd of deer, just a little bit farther than last time.

"I wish I could hunt," Lavender growled. Everyone knew patrol dogs couldn't hunt. *All* of the patrol dogs wanted to hunt. But if they did, Alpha would punish them and Earth-dog would be mad.

The dogs circled around the herd steadily. There were less deer this time and most of them looked scrawny.

*Ice Wind must be coming soon,* Accalia thought if all the deer came to this specific clearing.

Bruce gave the signal and all of the hunting dogs pounced. While they hunted, the patrol and scout dogs looked around the area for any trace of the Giant Fur.

Accalia spotted a huge doe and decided it would be better to get it than the others that were scrawny. Accalia rushed after it while the others broke the herd down into smaller groups. Accalia got as close as she could to it before pouncing. She landed perfectly on it and bit into its neck. The doe tried shaking her off before falling down with a loud thump. "Good job, Accalia!" Bramble praised. "Thanks," she breathed.

Bruce told them to hide it well so that way no animal would get it. Accalia hid it where she hid the other deer last time.

"Did you find the Giant Fur?" Bruce asked Scorch anxiously. "No," Scorch said. "His scent is stale. We think he might've retreated towards the lake. We're going to patrol there. Is that okay?" "Of course," Frost said before Bruce could. Bruce nodded and the patrol dogs left. "We might come back to patrol the clearing again though," Poison, a patrol dog called from behind his shoulder.

"Does anyone else get the feeling that Yew is alone hunting?" Leaf said.

Everyone looked at each other. Yew was not in the group. "Great, we lost Yew," Dakota growled. Frost and Crow both groaned. "Oh, for the Sky-dogs' sake!" Bruce shouted.

"If you want, Bruce, I can gather up the scout dogs and look for him," Lola offered. "Yes, please." Bruce said. "No problem." Lola bowed and gathered up the scouts and headed off.

"Yew?" "Yew, come here!" "Where are you, Yew?" Everyone was shouting madly. Accalia was about to give up, but that's when Poison showed up. Yew was next to him.

"YEW!" Bruce bellowed.

Yew cowered away, his tail behind his legs. "WHY WOULD YOU RUN AWAY LIKE THAT?!" Bruce snarled.

"I caught him trying to look for the Giant Fur, even though that's *our* job," Poison growled. "Thank you so much, Poison!" Frost sighed. "Yes, thank you," Dakota said, bowing. Poison bowed back. "Of course."

Everyone was silent for a second until Poison said: "He was stuck in a yew bush which was kinda funny since he chose the name Yew." He smiled before running back to his patrol.

"I can't believe you went to look for the Giant Fur," Crow growled. "I need to report this Alpha~~---~~" Bruce began but Yew yelped, "Please don't!" "Ignore him~~---~~" "No! Don't tell Alpha! He'll banish me!" "Then stop being an idiot! That's the reason why you became Omega, because you almost got all of us killed! What if you found the Giant Fur? What if it attacked you?" Without waiting for an answer, Bruce turned his back on them and headed for the camp. Yew ran after him yelling. "Come back here!" Frost shouted.

Instead of listening, Yew jumped on top of Bruce. Bruce rolled over and tried crushing him. Yew let go growling. Bruce threw himself at him and caught him off balance. Before Yew could get up, Bruce jumped on him, biting his ear. Yew twisted his neck and nibbled on the side of his neck. Bruce bit down on his ears, causing them to bleed. Accalia and everyone jumped into action. Dakota pulled Bruce off of him when Yew clawed above his eye. Accalia pounced on Yew, digging her claws into his shoulders. Yew fell over rolling over everywhere, twisting.

"Accalia! What are you doing?" Dakota sounded shocked. Accalia realized what she was doing. She was biting Yew's neck. She stopped but stayed on him. What got into her? What was she doing?

"Hey, Yew!" Said a voice. Poison came back growling. Everybody looked up at him. "Hey, Yew!" He repeated. "Me?" Frost said. "No, Yew," Poison said. "Me?" Bruce said, eyeing him. "No! Yew!" "M-me?" Accalia asked. "Who are you talking to?" Dakota and Crow said together. "YEW!" Poison bawled. "DO I HAVE TO SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU? Y-E-W! YEW! My goodness!" "OOOOOOOOH," everybody said at the same time. "Anyway, as I was saying... Hey, Yew! Guess what! I was watching the whole time along with the scout dogs! The scouts went to go tell Alpha."

Yew's eyes widened but he said nothing. "Got ya." Poison winked at him with a huge smirk on his face.

"I hate you," Yew growled. (Accalia pushed his head down with her paw.) "Why do you hate yourself?" Poison asked curiously. Accalia paused for a second. "No, no, I hate YOU!" "Exactly," Poison said, tilting his head to one side. "Why do you hate yourself?"

"Oh. my. Sky-dogs~~---~~" Yew began but he stopped when he caught sight of Alpha.

"What is going on?" He growled dangerously. Everybody fell silent except for Poison.

"Yew attacked Bruce. No clue why though." Poison flicked his tail. Alpha took a few steps forward. "Release him, Accalia," he ordered. Accalia hesitated. She finally got off of him. There was a huge gash around Yew's neck where she had bitten. Alpha didn't seem to care. He let Yew get up before speaking. "Yew, I'm not surprised you attacked one of your pack-mates," Alpha said. "You were always jealous and annoying." A slight smirk was pasted on Alpha's face. "Now, you shall be banished. But first, you must pay for what you've done." He eyed Bruce, who had blood over his eye and a shoulder that was smothered in blood.

Alpha expected Yew to protest but he didn't. Instead, he launched himself at Alpha. Before he could lay a paw on him, Accalia grabbed him by the scruff and hauled him down. He landed down with a thump and he struggled trying to get out of her grip. Alpha came forward growling, "Keep him still." Accalia obeyed and had Tawny come and help hold him down. The patrol dogs came and watched from the shadows.

"No longer shall you be in this pack," Alpha snarled. Alpha then bit into his shoulder and teared off flesh. Yew screamed and made Tawny jump. Yew's shoulder blossomed in blood and Tawny and Accalia let go.

"Get out of here!" Alpha thundered.

Yew winced and feebly got up. He limped quickly away (but fell down at least two times). "Alpha!" Lark, a patrol dog, barked. "Who will replace Yew now that he's gone?" "No one," Alpha said. "Not yet, anyway." "But, Alpha, someone has to," Lavender said. There was a small twinkle of hope in her eye. (*Maybe he'll make me a hunting dog!)* Alpha shook his head. "I said no~~---~~" Alpha began but Scorch chimed in. "Well, then, at least make someone Omega. Bone doesn't deserve to be Omega!"

There was a small gasp from Lavender.

"I will admit I made a mistake in making Bone Omega," Alpha said slowly, "but, I have to keep him Omega. Since no one has done anything wrong... yet... he stays Omega. Now everyone back to the pack," Alpha said and everyone obeyed. They dragged their deer and got a vole and a sparrow along the way. When they came back, Beta came rushing towards him. "Where is he?" She asked.

"He is gone," Alpha told her. "I have banished him from the pack." "If we're lucky enough, the Giant Fur will eat him," Dakota said under her breath. Frost and Crow giggled.

"I smell fresh prey!" Suns, the small scout dog, said. He came skipping over. "That's a huge deer!" Drizzle said. "Excellent work, everybody!" Lola said. "Yeah, great work," Lily said. Before Accalia could talk to her, she stalked away.

Everyone got their fill and Alpha waited until Bone got done eating before speaking. "Everyone, you may know already that Yew has been banished. And someone must replace him. And I choose~~---~~Lark." Everyone cheered except for the patrol dogs.

Scorch and Lavender looked obstruct and were muttering to each other. Lavender came and thanked Alpha and sat with the Hunting dogs. Poison, however, looked happy for him. "Good job, Lark!" He called from the crowd.

Beta silenced the crowd so that Alpha could talk again. "Mindy will return to the duty of being a patrol dog. And also, no longer will the scout dogs and hunting dogs be in groups. Ice Wind is coming soon and we need more prey. There will be at least three or two groups of hunting dogs. Each group will take *one* scout."

There was silence before Alpha added with a smile. "Brindle has had three healthy pups!"

The pack cheered. Accalia noticed Lily looking at her paws. She trotted over to where she was. "Alright, what's the matter?" She asked. Lily hesitated. "Brindle has had more pups." "So? That's a good thing!" Accalia nudged her. "No! It's not!"

Accalia was surprised by her sister's reaction. "When me and Drizzle went t-to go see the pups, Brindle said, 'Touch my pups and I'll rip your fur off!' Has she forgotten that *we're* her pups, too?" Lily looked up at her, her face glistening with tears.

Before Accalia could say anything, Lily continued, "When Drizzle went to go say hi to the pups, he ac-accidentally stepped on one of their tails. Brindle started to yell at him. She told him if she saw him come in one more time he wouldn't h-have a tail." Lily had more tears come pouring down her face. "I had to get Drizzle out of there quickly~~---~~" "I don't need to here anything more," Accalia interrupted. "I see it is killing you to talk about it so I will go in there myself." Accalia got up and had Leaf comfort Lily while she and Bramble went to see Brindle.

"Hello, Brindle?" Accalia called from the entrance. "Who is it and what do you want?" Brindle growled. "It's me and Accalia," Bramble said slowly. "We've come to see how you were doing," Accalia said. There was a faint moan but Brindle said fine. They squeezed in there and looked at the pups. "Wow! Their beautiful!" Accalia said. Brindle grunted.

"What are their names?" Bramble asked. "Wiggle for the male pup, Yip for the female, and Patch for the other female." Brindle said. "Wow! Have you told Scorch yet?" Accalia asked. "Your father? No, no. He won't like them. Yip is a runt." Brindle grunted. "Brindle!" Bramble gasped. Brindle ignored him and nudged Wiggle forcefully. "It is true though," she growled. "Look how weak and small Yip is! She won't last Ice Wind. And Patch and Wiggle are just too noisy. Your other father would have been angry with these pups. He died before you guys were born though."

Accalia got tired of her mother being so rude and she stormed out of the den.

"Is everything okay?" Leaf asked. "No. Brindle is just being a stubborn pup," Accalia snorted. Leaf gasped. "How could you say that?" Accalia ignored him trotted to her den.

Moon-dog was high in the sky already. Her light was bright and beautiful.

Sun-dog soon took her place and this time his light was bright and powerful. Brindle stayed up all night talking about the River-dog to her pups. She loved River-dog better then any other dog. Accalia was wide awake and couldn't wait to go hunting. Lark woke up pretty early, too.

The hunting dogs gathered around and began talking to each other. "We need to split up, remember?" Bruce told everyone. "Frost and Crow will go with me. Tawny, Bramble, and Leaf will go together and Dakota, Lark, and Accalia will go together."

Accalia was head dog of the small group and picked Drizzle to be the scout for the group.

Alpha decided that the patrol dogs and scout dogs would go together. Meaning that whatever scout that wasn't picked would go with the patrol dogs. The patrol dogs could also be scout dogs.

Accalia's group headed out. "Where shall we go first?" Lark asked. Accalia paused. "To the river by the lake," she said. Drizzle was in front of them trying to track any prey or harmful creature. "I can't smell any Giant Fur or tusknose. Everything is fine," Drizzle reported. "Good."

They looked into the river and found a couple of fish. Accalia was about to leap into the water but Dakota stopped her by grabbing her by the scruff. "That's not how you catch fish, you idiot!" She snapped. Accalia lowered her head. "Sorry," Dakota said faintly. "It's just with Ice Wind coming I want as much prey as we can get." *No kidding,* Accalia thought and rolled her eyes.

Dakota stayed by the water's edge, waiting for a fish to go by. Accalia thought it would take days for her to finally catch one. Lark caught a starling while waiting and Accalia caught a mouse. Finally, Dakota jumped in and catch a huge silver fish.

"Nice!" Drizzle said. "Yeah, thanks," Dakota said without even looking at him. *Whats wrong with her today?* Accalia wondered.

When they got back to the clearing, everybody was there with prey.

"Great news!" Bruce said when they gathered around. "The patrol dogs have driven the Giant Fur away from the forest!" The crowd roared with happiness. "That's great news!" Crow said. "Indeed it is! I can see one now scaring it away." Tawny said dreamily (as if she was thinking about a specific patrol dog \***Cough cough\* Poison \*cough cough\*** ) "Let's head back to the pack. I think we've got enough prey," Bruce said. Everyone nodded and Frost went off to get hers. "Oh no!" She gasped. "The deer we caught! It's gone."

"What? Who took it?" Bramble and Leaf said in unison.

"Smells like foxes!" Crow growled. "Let's get them!" Tawny yowled. "No," Bruce said. Everyone turned to him. "Not everyone should go. It might be a trap. Lola, Accalia, Crow, and I will go." "But I'm a scout!" Lola protested. "I don't care," Bruce said. "The rest of you, go back to the pack."

They set off to look for the deer. "The scent leads up to Sunlight Hill," Lola growled. They followed the scent up the hill. It was kinda difficult but they made it. "The scent is really strong now!" Crow said. He was right. "I can also smell the deer," Accalia said. "I wonder how they got it up here?" Lola said. "It was a small deer," Bruce growled. "A really small one."

When they started to move they heard something say, "Who goes there?" A fox jumped out from the bushes, along with five more. "What does stupid dog want?" A male fox growled. "Give us our deer back!" Crow snapped.

"Afraid we can't. No. We need prey for cubs. You stupid dogs kill cub!" A massive female snapped.

"We didn't kill any fox cub!" Accalia snapped back. "No?" The female cocked her head. "How come there be wolf scent in den? Why was little Shine dead?" "We never touched a single cub~~---~~" Bruce tried to explain but a different male cut him off. "Dog lies!!" "Kill cub-pups for fun, eh? Dogs pay for this crime!" "We can settle this the good way," Bruce growled, "or the hard way. Pick one, will ya?" The massive female yowled. "Attack!"

Accalia felt tiny claws rip her shoulder. A small male fox was raking his claws down her shoulder. Accalia twisted her head snapped at his face and missed by a inch. The fox jumped off and went for her long fluffy tail. Accalia quickly whipped around and bit his shoulder. The fox yelped and then clawed her muzzle. Again she snapped at him and bit his ear.

"Fox Petal, now!" The massive female screeched. Accalia turned around to see a female fox almost as big as her. Accalia launched herself at her, but Fox Petal dodged and went for her belly. She clawed her belly as she slid under her. Accalia snarled and bit Fox Petal's tail as she ran. Pulling her back, Accalia bit as hard she could. She quickly let her go before clamping her jaws around her neck. She drew blood quickly and felt her tail being pulled by the small male.

"Fox Fire! Back now," a much larger male snapped at the smaller one. Fox Fire stopped and growled before going back to the den.

"STOP!" A loud shriek echoed. Every fox and dog turned to see who said that. A small female with her cub sat there glaring at each of them. "No more killing," she said. "But Fox Star. Big mean dogs kill cub~~---~~" the massive female began but Fox star cut her off. "I know what mean dogs do, Fox Light. But they pay a different time. No more bloodshed. Scares Fox Fire."

Fox Fire was nudging his mother, Fox Star, in the face. "Mean dogs gone?" He asked. "No. They still here."

Fox Light kicked Bruce in the face and scrambled away.

"Give us our deer back," Bruce demanded. "Afraid can't," the huge male grinned. "We ate it quickly." "He's lying~~---~~" Accalia snapped. "No, wolf. Fox Feather don't lie. He says truth. Only truth," Fox Petal said. "Fine," Bruce said. "But if I see a single one of you again, I'll rip your ears off." "You almost did," Fox Light said through gritted teeth.

"Come on guys, let's go," Bruce said. As they started home, Fox Feather called out, "Stupid wolf! We know it was you who kill cub-pup. Yes, indeed!" "Ignore him," Crow said to Accalia. When they got home everybody was so glad to see them. "Did you get the deer?" Tawny asked. "Tawny!" Mindy growled. "Sorry."

"No we didn't. The foxes think we killed a fox cub. I better go tell Alpha~~---~~" Bruce said and he hurriedly went to Alpha's den. Accalia sat in silence for a bit after eating. *Wolf? What did the fox mean by wolf?* She kept asking herself that. She wasn't a wolf. She couldn't be. Or~~---~~could she?

## Chapter 3. (Notes and Gallery)

Dun-Dun-Dun!

* Fox Feather
* Fox Petal
* Fox Light
* Fox Star and Fox Fire
* Patch
* Yip
* Wiggle
1/7
Fox Feather - Red fox

Fox Petal - Red fox

Fox Light - Red fox

Fox Star - Red fox

Fox Fire - Red fox

Yip - Rottweiler-boxer mix

Wiggle - Rottweiler-boxer mix (Soon to be Patrol/Scout)

Patch - Rottweiler-boxer mix

## Chapter 4. The Leaving Dogs

Bruce got done telling Alpha about the foxes and Alpha gave everyone the right to kill a fox if seen again.

Bruce sat down next to Accalia after they got their fill. "If I see any fox I'll~~---~~" "What did the fox mean by 'wolf'?" Accalia interrupted. Bruce fell silent for a few seconds. "I didn't hear any fox say the word 'wolf'." Bruce said in a small voice.

"You're lying," Accalia growled. She stared at him and waited for him to look away. "He called me a *wolf.* Am I a *wolf* or *dog*?" When Bruce didn't answer she continued, "Was I lied to the whole time? When I first opened my eyes I was called a dog. I was always called a dog. But if I'm a wolf, stuff makes way more sense. Crow and Tawny were always scared of me. They said I had sharper teeth. My fur was nothing like theirs. Or like anyone else's. I was *different.* Wolves are different. So look at me and answer me truthfully~~---~~" Accalia growled dangerously. Bruce turned to her with an impassive look. "~~---~~am I a wolf?" Bruce held his breath for almost a minute. "Yes," he said. Before Accalia could say anymore, he got up and stalked away. Accalia scuffed the ground.

When Accalia was about to get up, Lily came hurrying excitedly towards her. "I got great news!" She said bouncing up and down. "Can you guess?" "Well, uh~~---~~er~~---~~you're getting~~---~~fat." Accalia chuckled nervously, afraid of what her litter-mates reaction would be. "Yeah, I know. But do you know why?" Lily said. "Because you eat too much?" Accalia said, tilting her head slightly.

"No, silly! I'm gonna have pups!" "WHAT?" Accalia shouted. "Shh! Poison doesn't know." "How does~~---~~wait. Wait. Wait. How long have you guys been together?"

"Since I was a scout. Only a scout, and not both patrol and scout dog." "He's way older than you!" Accalia said. "No. He's only a few days older. See when we were born, he was just leaving the den."

"Tawny is gonna be *so* mad!" Accalia started to panic. Would Tawny go absolutely nuts if she found out Poison and Lily were together? "I know she will. But she can deal with it," Lily said with a happy smile. She waddled away towards Leaf and Bramble to tell them about the good news.

Drizzle walked by and asked Accalia if she heard about Lily. "Yeah. It's great, isn't it?" She said. "Mhm. The only problem is Brindle. Not so sure how she'll feel about this." Drizzle sighed. "I thought the same," Accalia said. "But, she'll have to deal with it." "Yeah... So what were you and Bruce talking about?" He turned to her and stared. "Er~~---~~Just about hunting..." She lied. "Hmm... I heard the patrol dogs picked up a weird scent. It smelled like three different wolves. You wouldn't know anything about that... Would *you?"* Drizzle pushed closely to her.

"N-no. Why would you think I would know about them?" Accalia stuttered. "Well, I didn't think all wolves knew each other or anything~~---~~" Drizzle started, but Accalia stopped him. "You know I'm a wolf?" She asked nervously.

"Yeah. Oh, was I not suppose to know?" Drizzle lowered his head. "No! No. But how do you know?" Accalia eyed him suspiciously. "I've known for a while. From the way you look and act. And how Scorch and Lola described how the wolves scent were," Drizzle said. "Well, gotta go!" He said and went to go talk with Lavender and Crow.

\* \* \*

Accalia tossed and turned in her sleep. She still couldn't get over the fact that she was a wolf. When she woke up it was dawn. A fresh blanket of snow had covered Forest-dog. The dainty little snowflakes fell fast. Snow was slowly falling into the dens.

Accalia decided to wake everyone up before the snow got worse. "Is it snowing?" Frost asked. "Yes. Which means Ice Wind has come," Lark said. "Oh, how I love snow!" Dakota said. "Well, we're not going to be jumping in it like pups," Bruce growled. The dogs came out of their den and already Brindle's pups were outside playing in the snow.

Crow picked out the scout dogs. Lavender, Scorch, and Poison. Accalia was head of the group. She had Crow, Bruce, and their scout Lavender.

Accalia sent Lavender in front because, of course, their supposed to be ahead of everyone.

"I need you to go ahead and~~---~~" Accalia began but Lavender cut her off. "I know how to do my job," she snapped. Accalia had a stinging retort but held her tongue. Lavender went ahead and came back a few seconds later.

Instead of reporting to Accalia (like she was suppose to do), she went to Crow and reported to him. Crow and Lavender kept talking to each other until Bruce and Accalia yelled: "GET IN FRONT!" Lavender rolled her eyes and went in front of them again. "You didn't have to yell," Crow muttered. Again, Lavender came back and reported to Crow. "Crow, is not leading this hunt. *I* am. Now GET. IN. FRONT, AND REPORT TO ME!" Accalia snarled. Lavender slumped onto her shoulders before going up ahead. Bruce whispered something rude to Crow which made him flinch.

Lavender came back staring at the ground.

"Nothing is out there," she said and went back to Crow. "I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T~~---~~" Accalia wasn't able to finish because that's when she stopped in front of a deer carcass.

The scent was disgusting. It smelt horrible. It looked half eaten. The crows and flies were eating it now. Another scent loitered the carcass: wolves.

"What happened to it?" Lavender said. "Well, if you looked, you would know it was half eaten," Accalia said with a smile that said "kill me now". "But who killed it~~---~~" Crow said. "USE. YOUR. NOSE. YOU KNOW THE THING YOU SMELL WITH?" Accalia screamed. Accalia breathed then said calmly, "Lavender, go see what's up ahead." Lavender nodded her head nervously.

Lavender went forward and sniffed the carcass. She lifted her head wrinkling her nose. "Something else is here. But I don't know what. We should be good though," she said. "What is that?" Crow gaped. Accalia turned around to see something charging at them.

"TUSKNOSE!" Bruce screamed in alarm. The Tusknose went for the one in front~~---~~Accalia. Accalia jumped out of the way just in time. Its two curving fangs from the lower jaw missed her by an inch. Bruce and Crow attacked from the side. Crow was only able to get tufts of fur. Its hide was sparse, prickly fur that was thick. The Tusknose swung his head and one of its tusk had hit Crow in the shoulder. Crow fell on the ground whimpering as blood started to spurt rapidly from his shoulder.

Bruce bit into the Tusknose's back and raked his claws down the middle of his back. Accalia joined in right as the Tusknose began stomping on Crow. She grated the side of its face with her claws. The Tusknose finally had enough and and stood up on its hind-quarters. Bruce fell off the Tusknose and yelled, "Lavender! Get Crow!"

Lavender obeyed and dragged his bloody body to the trees.

"Get more help!" Accalia ordered as she, too, was thrown off. Without hesitation, Lavender scurried away. The Tusknose began stomping on Bruce. Bruce kicked at it and snapped at it. The Tusknose went low then up, his tusks digging into Bruce. Accalia launched an attack at his stomach. She clawed its stomach and then watched as blood started to surge senselessly out of its stomach. The Tusknose left Bruce's bloody body alone and charged at Accalia.

She slipped away and then she heard a loud cry. "ATTACK!" Poison, Scorch, Bramble, Leaf, and Frost all came. They all attacked at the same time. The Tusknose tried hard, swinging left and right to get them off.

Blood sprayed everywhere as everyone clawed and bit. Finally, the Tusknose fell down, dead. "Everyone who is okay, go help the injured," Scorched ordered.

"Accalia!" Frost gasped. "Huh? What? This isn't my blood," Accalia said quickly. Her coat was covered in blood~~---~~the Tusknose's blood, not her own. "Crow is badly injured. He will have to lean on someone for support on the way back," Leaf said. Frost licked Crow's wounds. He had a huge cut going down his shoulder and a few smaller cuts on his back.

Accalia heard Poison whispering. The words "Get up" caught her attention. Accalia followed him to Bruce. Bruce was on his side with blood leaking from his nose and mouth. He had a torn ear and his pads were bleeding. "Bruce, get up," Poison desperately nudged him. Bruce didn't answer. Accalia spoke suddenly, "Bruce, it's Poison and Accalia. Get up, come on." Bruce didn't move.

"He's dead," Bramble breathed. "No! He's not. He's just acting," Poison said through gritted teeth. "Bruce get up," he nudged him again.

"Bruce...." Accalia drifted off. "We need to take everyone back. Now," Scorch said. Bramble helped support Crow on their way back. ("I'm fine!" Crow said the whole entire time). Poison and Accalia dragged Bruce while the rest got the Tusknose.

"Welcome back~~---~~" Mindy began, but when she saw Crow she wailed. "CROW!" She took him from Bramble.

Dakota was the first to see Bruce. "BRUCE!" She hollered. Beta and Alpha and the rest of the dogs looked to see what was going on. "Bruce," Lark breathed and Dakota began nudging Bruce. Poison looked away. Accalia felt her heart twist. Why did Bruce have to die? Why him?

"What's wrong?" A tiny squeak from Wiggle came. "Go back in the den," Brindle said, not taking her eyes off Bruce.

Bone came stalking towards them quietly. Everyone started to spread out for Alpha and Beta. The patrol dogs took the Tusknose to the prey pile. "Dakota, are you all right?" Beta asked. Beta got no answer. Dakota was just staring down at Bruce through lidded eyes. "Bruce," Alpha sighed. "Before we eat, we will bury Bruce," Alpha announced.

Poison dug up the grave for Bruce while everybody else just lowered him down. They covered him with dirt. The snow covered it too as it began to fall harder. Right as Alpha got up to leave the earth shook. Everybody screeched in alarm but Beta told them to calm down. "Earth-dog doesn't want you to leave just yet Alpha," Bone breathed. "I thought so," Alpha said. "Just give us a sign when we can leave, Earth-dog."

It was at least two more minutes until Earth-dog finally let them. She shook the earth with her mighty bark and they all left. "Where is B-Bruce?" Patch asked her mother. "With the Sky-dogs now," Brindle responded, looking up at the sky.The snow stopped and slowly melted away.

They all ate and each of them had their fill. Three legs of the Tusknose was left. The two front and one hind quarter.

Everyone sat in silence or talked quietly. Everyone was still shocked by Bruce's death. Tawny broke the silence by storming towards Accalia yelling, "Do you know about Lily and Poison?!" "Yes..." Accalia said slowly. "I just can't believe this! Poison chose that ragged sheep over me?" She muttered, tears swelling in her eyes. "You say she's the 'ragged sheep'? Look at you! Your fur is all long and puffy. Also, Poison made the right choice in picking Lily instead of a stuck-up butt like you," Accalia snapped.

Tawny's face streamed with tears and she ran off. "Don't you dare talk to my pup that way again!" Mindy barked. "I won't talk to her that way again unless you teach her to shut her big mouth and stop talking about my littermate!" Accalia was gonna go on but Crow, of course, interfered. He snarled. "*My* littermate would raise her pups to be great and strong. All Lily can do is pass down her weakness to her pups."

"Mindy is a pathetic excuse for a mother," Accalia said dangerously and loud enough for Mindy to hear. "You filthy wolves make me sick," Crow spat. "Always thinking your better then everyone~~---~~" "You shut your face or I'll show you that we *are* better."

The dogs began to gather. "Nasty rat is what a wolf is!" Lavender snapped. "If you don't think she's good enough~~---~~you can fight her!" Dakota snapped back.

"She'll swipe that ugly smirk right off your face," Bone growled, his fur rising. "I'd like to see her try!" Crow bared his teeth at Bone.

While Crow was looking at Bone, Accalia saw that it was her chance. She launched herself at Crow, tackling him into the ground. She raked her claws down his side. Blood began bubbling from the wound he just received.

"ACCALIA! STOP!" Bone wasn't able to help because Lavender blocked his view. Before anyone knew it, Lavender was scratching Bone's muzzle while he cuffed her around the ears.

Crow pushed Accalia off and charged at her. He put both his paws firmly on her head before pushing down. He had pushed her right to the ground. Crow was baring his teeth. *He's gonna kill me!* Accalia thought. Crow was going in but Bone got pushed over into Crow, making Crow only scratch her. Accalia bit into Crow's shoulder tigerishly. Crow made an ear piercing screech and that's when Alpha yelled. "ACCALIA! ENOUGH OF THIS!"

Beta broke up the fight between Lavender and Bone. Bone had blood dripping from his forehead and his back paw was bleeding. Lavender's mouth was bleeding and blood fizzed from her shoulders.

"Accalia, I'm tired of you and Crow fighting!" Alpha spat. "IT'S ALL ACCALIA'S FAULT! CROW IS DEAD!" Mindy sobbed. "He's not dead, you idiot! And we watched what happened. I thought I told you once before to teach your pups manners. I'm guessing you do not care because what I said was in the past?" Beta gave Mindy a challenging look and Mindy just looked away.

"Crow, I am ashamed of you. And you too, Lavender," Alpha growled. "I was only standing up for Crow~~---~~" Lavender began, "Be quiet! You two could've killed them. I'm pretty sure that's what you were going to do," Alpha barked. "Me and Lavender have something to say," Crow snapped looking at everyone.

"Well?" Alpha growled. "We want to leave the pack," Crow said. There were gasps from the dogs. "When did you two plan this?" Beta growled. "When I was hunting and Lavender was our scout."

"YOU FILTHY MUTT!" Accalia bawled. "YOU WERE TOO CAUGHT UP TALKING TO CROW THAT YOU DIDN'T EVEN CARE ABOUT CHECKING SCENTS! THAT'S WHY THE TUSKNOSE GOT US!"

Everyone was silent.

"I BET ALL THE PREY IN THE FOREST YOU DIDN'T EVEN CARE ABOUT BRUCE'S DEATH," Accalia roared. "Accalia calm down~~---~~" Beta began but Accalia wouldn't let her speak. "GO AHEAD LEAVE! AS LONG AS YOU TAKE YOUR WHOLE FILTHY FAMILY WITH YOU~~---~~" "STOP IT!" Alpha screamed at the top of his lungs. Accalia's chest was rising rapidly. "Leave, now," Alpha said to Lavender and Crow. "Or I'll make you leave."

"Fine," Crow said, lifting his head. He and Lavender were flanking up and about to leave when Tawny called after them. "Wait!" She said. "I'm leaving with Crow," she said firmly. "Fine. Go," Alpha said.

The three dog left without another word. Lightning struck and thunder echoed. The earth shook again and clouds began to cluster. "Earth-dog seems mad about this," Beta breathed. "Same with the Sky-dogs and Lightning." "Why is Earth-dog so mad?" Yip asked Brindle. "I don't know," she lied. Everyone went back into their dens to hide from the rain.

*Why were wolves hated so much?*

## Chapter 4. (Notes)

I hope that you're enjoying this! I'm working really hard to make some of the dogs really annoying idiots! (:

#### About the Tusknose

The Tusknose is a boar (if you didn't know). According to the dogs, a Tusknose is very large. Smaller yet stockier then a deer. Its fur is sparse, prickly, and lanky. It has a stubby tail a huge round head, small ears, and two long curving teeth coming from its lower jaw.

## Chapter 5. STRANGER DANGER!

It has been four days since the three left. Sadly, between those days were bad news. Brindle was right, Yip didn't survive the freezing weather. There were good news though. Lily had her pups! Two healthy pups.

A female and a male. The female was Scruff and the male was Tiny. They both looked so much like Poison, but they had the short, soft fur of their mother-dog.

The snow had stopped but the rain kept coming. It rained for three days in a row. But at night it snowed. It was terrifyingly bitter!

Accalia was head of the hunting dogs. She had Leaf and Dakota, while Bramble had the other two, Frost and Lark. Accalia chose Suns since he had the best sense of smell. Everybody was up and working when they left. Bone was making the dens warmer. Alpha and Beta were even helping him!

"Alright, Suns, where should we go?" Accalia asked the small dog. "Why not try the clearing?" He asked. "Good idea." Accalia wagged her tail and they bounded off. When they got to the clearing nothing was there. It was completely empty. "Only snow," Leaf grumbled. "We could try the river," Dakota suggested. "No, it'll be frozen," Accalia said. "And the lake, too," She added when Dakota started to speak.

"Have you ever been over the lake?" Suns asked. "N-no. I'm not sure we should cross it though~~---~~" Accalia began. "It'll be okay! I've crossed it plenty of times when I was a patrol dog," Suns said and his stubby tail wagged as he walked through the heavy snow. Accalia shivered.

They got to the lake and Suns was very excited. The lake had a thick sheet of ice over it. "Alright," Suns said. "I'll go first."

He stepped on the ice which did nothing. Suns just trotted across. "Alright, you can come now!" He yapped. Leaf went second. He was very nervous and looked at the ground the whole time. It didn't seem to crack but when he reached the end he was glad it was over. Dakota just trotted over it too. Accalia took one step and breathed. She slowly went across and was also glad she reached the end. "Thanks, River-dog, for letting us come carefully over. He's so nice," Dakota said. "Not after the ice melts though," Suns reminded her. "When the snow melts there's more water and the River-dog floods our camp."

"This looks like a good spot for hunting," Accalia said. Leaf licked his chops and said, "Rabbit!" Everybody turned to see a fat rabbit just sitting there, minding its own business. "We could catch it easily if we each corner it," Leaf said and started towards it. The others did the same, including Suns. ("I won't kill it, though," he said.) When they got to the rabbit a stream of black fur came into their vision.

A black wolf had snatched the rabbit! "HEY!" Dakota called after the wolf, running. "That's our rabbit!" Accalia and the rest of them followed. The wolf didn't seem to be going that fast because Accalia easily caught up to him. When she pushed the wolf he didn't react. Instead, he spun around. Everybody stopped and waited for him to do something. He dropped the rabbit and sat down, curling his tail around his paws.

Accalia was staring at him. The wolf had blood red eyes. Suns seemed to notice it too.

When nothing happened, the wolf nudged the rabbit towards Accalia. She didn't do anything. "Are you going to take it?" He said and tilted his head to the left. *Was this a trick?* Accalia wondered. She flicked her tail and Dakota snatched the rabbit. "Why did you steal our rabbit if you're going to give it back?" Leaf growled, tilting his head slightly. "I was hungry. But seeing as you guys were already hunting it, I decided to give it back," he said calmly.

"But why did you run?" Suns barked. "I only saw three of you. I thought you were the other wolves," he said and licked his chops. "Wait. There are *other* wolves? So there's more then just me and you?" Accalia said getting excited.

"Well, yeah," The wolf said slowly, his ear twitching. "But the three wolves I'm talking about aren't very nice. I've seen them steal prey from lone-dogs," he shivered. "Even Fierce-dogs. I'm surprised they haven't died yet! I'm still waiting for one to die though," he said. "Why?" Accalia asked. "Because," he said, "the Long-paws have put a cage thingy around her muzzle. She can't open her mouth, so she can't eat or drink." He shook his fur.

"Well, we'll be going~~---~~" Dakota started but the wolf suddenly yelled, "Wait!" They all looked at him. "I've seen you guys before," he said in a small voice. "I'd like to join... if you don't mind taking me there." He shuffled his paws. "Alright, fine," Accalia said after a long pause. "But you have to listen, okay?" "Okay!" He said and picked up the rabbit.

"I'm Naioki," he said happily. "You are?" "Leaf," growled the husky. "I'm Suns. That is Dakota and the head of the hunting patrol is Accalia," Suns responded. "What a creative name, Naioki," Dakota said softly. "Thanks," he replied with a smile.

They stopped to hunt a little bit before going again. Leaf caught a squirrel and Dakota caught a starling. "Time to the lake," Accalia said. Suns ran past them and went happily across the ice. Dakota and Leaf carried their prey as they crossed it. Accalia nudged Naioki to go and he did. he was a bit nervous, but he did okay. Accalia managed too.

"Whoa," Naioki gasped. "I've never been to this part of the forest." "Come on," Accalia said, ignoring what he just said. "We're almost there." Accalia carried in the rabbit while they came. "Good hunt, Acca~~---~~" Frost began but when she saw Naioki, her fur ruffled. "Who's that?"

Naioki was sure getting a lot of attention that he did not like. Everybody was staring at him including the pups. "What happened to his eyes?" Wiggle asked. "Shh!" Brindle ordered. Naioki looked back at everyone growling. "Welcome back~~---~~" Beta said but stopped at the sight of Naioki. "Alpha, come here," he said. Alpha came trotting out his den. Him and Naioki made eye contact and they just stared. ("Are they competing to see who's stare is more stupider?" Wiggle asked.) "Who is this?" Alpha growled ta Accalia. "That... is Naioki, Alpha. He wants to ask you something."

"Well? What is it?" Alpha snapped at Naioki. Naioki stayed silent for a while. "I-I wanted to join this pack," he said. "Why?" Beta suddenly questioned. "Well, I've always been alone and you guys just seem so nice and peaceful," Naioki said. "I don't just let random wolves wonder in here." Alpha glanced at Bone who was looking down at his paws.

"Mhm." Naioki didn't seem convinced because Accalia was a wolf. "If I join, just make me Omega. I don't care."

"Well, who thinks he should join?" Alpha looked at the crowd. "Alpha," Lily said. "I think it's fair if he joins~~---~~as Omega." Alpha stayed quiet. "Anyone else?" Beta asked. "It's fair," Dakota and Scorch said together. "I guess it's fair," Brindle said. Everybody else nodded their heads.

"Bone," Alpha breathed. "You will no longer be Omega. You shall return to your old place as hunting dog." He swung his head to Naioki. "If you are Omega, you will~~---~~" Alpha began but Naioki broke in. "I know, I know. I have to eat last, clean out the dens, and just do all of the stuff that isn't pleasing." "Right," Alpha growled. "But there's one more thing~~---~~Don't interrupt me." He bared his fangs.

"Everyone gather around the prey pile," Beta called. Everybody obeyed. Alpha chose the starling that Dakota caught and shared it with Beta. Brindle and Wiggle went up along with Lily and her pups. *Where was Patch?* Accalia thought.

The Mother-dogs chose the fawn that Bramble caught. The pups bit into it quickly. Accalia never noticed how thin Wiggle was. Lily and Brindle ate small amounts of it before pushing their pups away. Scruff and Tiny looked like the only ones that were fit compared to Wiggle, Lily, and Brindle.

Bone and Dakota shared a squirrel while Accalia, Frost, Lark, Leaf, and Bramble ate the rest of the fawn. All the dogs seemed to be sharing. When Scorch started to go get a shrew, Dakota suddenly barked, "Lily, is that Scruff over there?"

Everybody turned around to see a small pup at the entrance. "No. Scruff is with me," she said without taking her eyes off the pup. The pup ran in the center of the clearing and stared at Lily. "Owl?" She said, tilting her head. "No, my names not Owl," she spoke softly. The pup's ears drooped. "Is Owl your Mother-dog?" She asked. "Yes. But~~---~~" The pup didn't finish speaking because Poison shouted, "HAWK!"

"Lily, get the pups inside the den, now!" Poison told Lily. But she wasn't listening. The hawk was headed straight for the pup. It dived, talons extended. Lily jumped up and bit the hawk's wing. The hawk screeched in fury and tried twisting its body so it could claw her. Lily pushed it to the ground and before it could get away, she bit its neck.

She pushed the hawk aside and sniffed the pup. "Are you okay?" She asked. "Y-yes," the pup was shaking. "It's okay." She looked up at Alpha. "She needs protection, Alpha. I'm going to take care of her." "But~~---~~" Alpha started but Beta said it was alright. "Have you eaten yet?" She asked. "Yes. Right before I went looking for my Mother-dog," the pup said. "Take the hawk for prey," Lily said gently and pushed the prey to Poison. "I'll name her... Swoop until she gets her actual name."

"I'll take the pups back," Lily said. She took the pups and Brindle into the den.

"Well, I guess you have another pup, Poison," Accalia said. "Yeah, I,uh, guess so..." He said. He seemed very puzzled about what just happened. "Well, Scorch, eat your shrew. The rest of the patrol dogs can have the hawk," Beta said. After everyone got done eating, Accalia headed over to Brindle, who was getting a drink of water, by a stream behind the den. "Brindle?" Accalia said.

Brindle grunted.

"Where is Patch?" Accalia asked. Brindle turned to her slowly. "Dead," she said hoarsely. "What?" Accalia gasped. "How did she die?" "I don't know." Tears began to swell in Brindle's eyes. "She kept saying she was hungry so I went to go get a mouse for her and Wiggle. B-but she must've followed me out because she wasn't there when I-I came back. I told Alpha and everyone started looking for her. Then... Bone... brought her to me. She was freezing cold. I asked where he found her and he said, 'Outside of camp. It looked like she went into water.' " Brindle had two tears fall down her face. "S-so she probably froze t-to d-death~~---~~" Brindle started but she stopped herself from saying anymore.

"I'm sorry." Accalia licked Brindle's ear. "It's not your fault. It's mine. I should've told her to stay put. And I'm sorry that I yelled at Lily and Drizzle. After I saw how weak the pups looked, I became afraid. Drizzle came in all happy but he almost stepped on Wiggle." She sighed. "I'm trying my best to keep Wiggle alive," she breathed then went back into the den.

Accalia stared at her paws. Were the Sky-dogs angry at them? Were Yip's and Patch's deaths a **punishment?**

"Hey, Lola? Can you look after the pups while Brindle and I talk for a moment?" Lily asked. The dog shrugged. "Sure. I got a few stories to spare." "Great!" Lily said and bounded off. Lola gathered up the pups and sat down. "Okay. Who wants to hear about Whoosh, and who wants to hear about Lightning?" "Can we hear about them both?" Swoop asked. "Well, sure."

Accalia watched from a distance. Brindle never really told her stories.

"So... Let's start with Lightning. Now Lightning was a very fast dog. Nothing could catch him! He could outrun death itself! Now Earth-dog was very eager to catch Lightning. She thought it was his time to die. She kept trying to capture him by making holes in the earth but Lightning would jump right over them! She even tried scaring him with her Big Growl," Lola said. "Is Earth-dog evil?" Tiny barked. "Well, no. She just thought Lighting lived long enough," Lola said. "Lightning has never stopped running after that."

"Can we hear about Whoosh?" Scruff barked. "Sure." Lola began to tell the story. Accalia stopped listening. Her mind was on something else. Who were the three wolves Naioki was talking about? And who were the Fierce Dogs? Accalia shook her head. The three wolves were in the forest... She knew it.

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

The next morning Sun-dog was high in the sky, his fur blazing. Most of the snow melted and made puddles around camp. Lark this time, was head of the hunting dogs. He decided it would be better if none of the hunting dogs split up. He picked out two scout dogs that were Mindy and Poison.

They headed out of camp towards the clearing.

"We should try Sunlight Hill," Frost said. "But the foxes might be there still~~---~~" Dakota started. "No. The patrol dogs came back yesterday saying that the foxes abandoned Sunlight Hill," Bone said. "It's true. Their scent was stale and the den was completely fox-free," Mindy said. "Thank the Sky-dogs," Poison mumbled. "Sunlight Hill it is," Lark said.

They made their way up the hill slowly. When they got there a new scent lingered. A deer carcass was laying in the middle of the hill. It was bubbling with blood with the scent of wolves on it.

"Naioki warned us about three wolves," Accalia reminded them. "You mean, *Omega* warned us. He's Omega now," Leaf said. "Yeah, whatever," Accalia growled. "We need to split up to find these wolves," Accalia said. "What?" Bramble shouted. "Splitting up is a terrible idea!" "We've split up all the time during hunting," Lark pointed out.

They all decided to split up. Accalia went with her littermates, Bramble and Leaf and also Poison. Lark took Frost, Mindy, Dakota, and Bone. Accalia went farther up the hill where the scent became stronger. Bramble and Leaf went to stop to hunt but Accalia didn't. She went even farther this time where the trees hung low. As she walked she stepped on something. "What the~~---~~" She began. A blood trail was leading to a dead squirrel. The squirrel's blood was streaming from its body.

Why were two things of prey abandoned?

Accalia looked into the forest. Grey and brown fur was spotted along with two brown, glowing eyes. She was being watched. This was a *trap.*

Accalia started to howl but at that moment she was pushed into the dirt. A wolf had knocked her over. He bared his teeth at her and dug his claws into her shoulder. Accalia snarled and lashed out on him. She cut him on the left cheek along with the left ear. He jumped at her but she dodged swiftly. Blood roared in her ears as she launched herself at him. Slamming into the wolf's side, she knocked the breath out of him. She bit his side and he kicked her in the chest. She stood there for a moment gasping. The wolf darted behind her while she was catching her breath. He clamped his jaws around her hind leg and pulled. Accalia fell head first onto the earth. Blood oozed from the wound she had just received.

She twisted her body, flaying her paws. She had kicked him in the nose but he ignored it. She could tell she had hurt him because his grip became stronger. Accalia started howling again, this time with a lot of effort since she was on the ground. The wolf let go of her and tried covering her mouth. Accalia ignored him though and got up howling again. "Shut up!" The wolf snapped and rammed into her.

Accalia swiped a paw at him, hitting his ears. The wolf jumped behind her pulling her by the scruff. "Let go!" Accalia roared. Accalia stopped struggling and went limp. She saw something in the distance. Another wolf. She headed straight for them. She had a cut over her eye and blood was pouring from her shoulders.

"Nashoda!" The wolf gasped. "She's i-in trouble! She is cornered by three dogs."

The wolf that was holding onto Accalia let go. He and the other wolf left her alone to go help this "Nashoda."

Accalia limped after them. When she caught up with them she saw it. Leaf and Bramble and Frost were each taking turns attacking the wolf. Accalia noticed that she had something on her face. Naioki was talking about this she-wolf. She did have a trap thing on her muzzle. She was pure white and lanky. Her ribs were showing and her fur was short and kinky.

She was completely defenseless. She could only use her paws. When Frost was about to attack her side (which had been bloody since she had already been attacked there), the male wolf came and knocked the wind out of her. He tried biting her throat but Frost dodged and instead he bit into her shoulder. The other she-wolf started taunting Leaf and Bramble and when they ran after her she just stepped aside and they hit heads. Accalia ran towards the wolf named, Nashoda, and started pushing her into the yew. "What are you doing?" She rasped. "Saving your life," Accalia replied.

Accalia flinched when she heard Frost scream. *I should be helping my littermates and Frost, not them.* Accalia ignored the thought and had Nashoda lay down. She returned to the fight to see the she-wolf on top of Leaf. She was going to kill him!

Accalia ran as fast as ever and knocked the she-wolf onto her side. Out of nowhere, Poison came jumping onto the male wolf's back and raking his claws down his back. The wolf rolled over, crushing Poison.

"STOP IT!" Lark's voice rang through the forest. Everybody paused, looking up at him.

"Take the wolves back to camp." Lark said. When Bramble began to protest Lark said, "I don't care. Alpha would like to know about this." Everybody stayed quiet and slowly stopped fighting.

Bone and Accalia got Nashoda to come with them (after a very long argument). They gathered their prey and headed off. Nashoda had trouble talking with the trap around her mouth, so she just stayed quiet. The two other wolves stayed near Nashoda, glaring at the other wolves. "Leaf is badly injured," Dakota reported to Lark. Bramble looked at the she-wolf. "It's not my fault. He attacked her," the she-wolf snapped. Bramble looked away. Nashoda was covered in blood. Her ear tips missing and her fur knotted. They passed the patrol dogs that stared at them. ("We'll explain later," Poison told them.)

When they got to camp everyone stared at them. "Wolves again?" Brindle said. Beta and Alpha stood by their den sighing. "Why is that whenever trouble comes, you're all bringing it here?" Alpha glared at them. Accalia flinched.

The patrol dogs came behind them. Naioki looked out from his den. His eyes widened when he saw the three wolves. Nashoda drew a lot of attention because of the trap thing. "What? Do they want to join too?" Alpha said. Mindy shrugged. "We found them on our territory. They attacked us~~---~~" "You attacked us first!" The she-wolf snapped. "We were only defending ourselves," the male growled.

Beta stepped forward. "You attacked wolves that did no harm?" She growled. She looked at Nashoda closely. "What's wrong with her?" "Well, your stupid packmates attacked her," the male replied coldly. "We were only trying to find food for her," the she-wolf said. "As you can see, it's very hard for her to eat." "Would you like me to hep get it off?" Accalia said quietly.

All eyes were on Accalia.

Accalia pushed the other wolves aside. "Lay down," Accalia ordered. Nashoda eyed her suspiciously but did as she was told. Accalia put her paw on her head and dug her teeth into one of the straps that held the trap around her muzzle. The strap ripped and Bone helped with the next strap. It ripped too, including the last one. Nashoda jumped up. "Thanks!" She said. "Answer me," Alpha growled dangerously, "What do they want?"

"We don't want anything. Your packmates brought us here. I guess they were thinking that if they captured us, they'd get a reward or something," the male wolf said with a hint of mockery. The she-wolf was about to say something but Nashoda started before her.

"Alpha, we were only hunting. Is it that big of a deal?" She said. "It's a big deal if there are pups in the den," Mindy growled, looking at Brindle and Lily with their pups. Alpha silenced Mindy with a wave of his tail. "Go on," he told Nashoda. "If we could only stay and hunt until Tree Flower and Long Light~~---~~" Nashoda was interrupted by Beta. "Are you saying you want to *join?"* She asked questioningly. "Well, no. We won't join unless you don't care."

Alpha was silent for a few moments. "I don't care if you join. But you and your friends must agree with each other."

He seemed to only say this, hoping that at least one of them would disagree.

"We all agree," Nashoda said finally after a long talk. Alpha's eyes narrowed. "You'll start as patrol dogs. Patrol dogs don't hunt. They can be picked out as a scout for a hunting patrol, however," he said coolly.

Nashoda bowed. "Thank you," she murmured. "Names, please?" Alpha sighed. "Oh, right. Heh. I am Nashoda. This is Kumba and Oktayo," Nashoda replied gently. Kumba and Oktayo exchanged glances. "Everyone gather around the prey pile," Beta said.

They all ate and were filled. Kumba and Oktayo only talked to Nashoda. Kumba would sometimes talk to others, but she normally was quiet and unconformable around them.

"We can't keep letting strangers into camp," Accalia heard Beta explaining to Alpha. "I know. This is my last time I will let another dog in."

At dusk everybody was getting ready to go to sleep. Naioki however, was wide awake. Instead of sleeping he made the den stronger and brought in some herbs that he could use just in case someone got hurt. Alpha's howl echoed through the camp. Everybody turned to him.

"Tonight is the Big Howl," he said. "Wiggle and Swoop shall receive their names." Everybody went to the rock where Accalia got her name. Wiggle and Swoop were with Alpha on the rock with a dead rabbit by their paws. Alpha offered the rabbit to Moon-dog, who seemed please because she had shone brighter then ever. Alpha did his speech before howling.

Everyone started howling except for Nashoda, Kumba, Oktayo, and Naioki. Alpha stopped and the crowd stopped.

"What names have you chosen?" He asked. Wiggle paused for a few seconds. "I want to be Juniper!" He shouted loudly so that the Sky-dogs and Moon-dog could hear. "And Swoop?" Alpha eyed the small dog.

"Mist. Mist is the name I have chosen," she said and puffed out her chest. The dogs cheered and went back to camp.

On their way back Accalia started talking to Naioki. "How come you and the others didn't howl?" She tilted her head slightly. "The whole *Moon-dog* and *Sky-dogs* is just silly. Moon-dog is just the moon. The sky is just well... the sky. I don't really think Earth-dog is real either. It's just so weird," he said. "Oh." Accalia looked away. "You know, Alpha was one time talking with the Sky-dogs," she said. "Dead dogs talking to alive dogs? I don't think so," Naioki said solemnly. Accalia's ear twitched. It *was* true. Alpha spoke with his mother and father. *Naioki just hasn't learned that they **are** real. . . .*

## Chapter 5. (Gallery)

* Kumba
* Nashoda
* Oktayo
* Naioki
* Mist
* Scuff
* Tiny
1/7Kumba - Ethiopian Wolf (Patrol/scout)

Oktayo - Steppe Wolf (Patrol/scout)

Nashoda - Baffin Island Wolf (Patrol/scout)

Mist - Pit Bull/Boxer mix (Hunting Dog)

Scruff - Husky/German Shepard mix (Soon-to-be Patrol Dog)

Tiny - Husky/German Shepard mix (Soon-to-be Patrol Dog)

Naioki - British Colombian Wolf (Omega)

## Chapter 6. Flames

Tree Leaf had finally came and all of the trees were growing their leaves back. The day was nice and warm. Mist, this time, was head of a hunting patrol. She picked Accalia, Leaf, and Frost to go with her. Their scout was Scorch.

"I have a good feeling about today!" Mist said bubbly. "Where should we go?" Accalia asked, testing to see if she even knew where to go. "Well, I was thinking if we go straight to the clearing we'd hit a deer herd," she said.

They headed for the clearing and there were deer. Not very many though. Only seven. "They have pups so it might be harder," Scorch reminded Mist. Mist's ears flattened. "I know," she said quietly. She thought for a couple of moments before saying, "We'll all charge from the back to get them to start running. Leaf and Frost will take the sides."

Without waiting for anyone to protest she bounded off, signalling the others to come over. "Frost will take the right side and Leaf will take the left side." The two dogs headed off to their sides. "Scorch, I know you're a scout, but can you please help us start the herd running?" Mist asked. She stared at the scout until he finally answered, "Sure, but don't expect me to pounce on one." "I won't," Mist said her small tail wagging.

The three of them started charging and the deer had noticed. They all started scrambling away. Frost and Leaf started for them and divided them into two groups. Frost and Accalia went for the bigger group while Mist and Leaf went for the smaller one, followed by Scorch. "I see one struggling!" Frost yowled so the others could hear.

Frost and Accalia were in the clearing again heading straight for a doe and her fawn. The others saw them and went for the two instead. They all cornered it, even Scorch.

When Frost charged at it, the deer kicked her in the chest leaving her gasping for breath. Mist launched herself onto the deer's back and ripped flesh from its neck. The deer fell limp and landed with a loud thump. The fawn stayed close to his mother and Accalia snatched it up.

"Good work, everyone!" Mist said awkwardly in the silence. Leaf grunted and Accalia was the only one to say, "Thank you."

On their way back, Leaf caught a rabbit. The rabbit was pretty skinny and looked very tired so it was super easy to catch. They headed back happily and when everyone saw them they were pleased. "Let us all eat and thank Forest-dog for such good prey. He has provided us with such a great feast," Alpha said.

Alpha and Beta ate the fawn. Lily and her pups and the hunting dogs ate the doe. Lots of it was left over so the patrol dogs ate the rest. Poison wanted to share the rabbit with Omega so he did. When Poison bit into the rabbit he started gagging. Poison threw up the rabbit. "That tasted horrible!" He gagged again. "What?" Alpha gaped. He went to the rabbit and sniffed it. It had a foul smell. "Where did you get this?" He growled at Leaf. "I-I got it from the rat place," he said worriedly.

"Alpha, something is wrong with that rabbit. We must throw it out," Brindle said. "I know~~---~~" Alpha began. "It was sick, which probably means no more hunting in the rat place," Beta interrupted. "But how did it get sick?" Naioki questioned.

"I've seen it before," Nashoda growled. "The Long-paws have poisoned it. I don't know how they poisoned it, but they have. " "Thanks, Nashoda." Alpha said. "Next time you hunt, be sure to make sure the prey is healthy, okay?" "Okay."

Bramble caught two mice for Poison and Naioki after that.

Everybody started asking Nashoda what the prey would look like and how she knew that the rabbit was poisoned. She just answered with, "They looked tired and skinny. And I just know." "Give her some space!" Kumba spat. "Enough questions!" Oktayo snapped. "We've seen prey sick like this before, okay? Just stop asking!"

Accalia was getting tired and took a nap in the warm sunlight. Wind, however, kept ruffling her fur. She opened her eyes to see the clouds covering Sun-dog. She could hear Scruff and Tiny playing with Mist behind her. "What happened to Sun-dog?" Juniper questioned half to himself. "I dunno," Brindle replied.

The day was dreary and everyone seemed to be upset by it.

"Who cares?" Scorch growled. "Clouds are covering Sun-dog. That's not a problem."

But it wasn't Sun-dog being covered by clouds upsetting everyone, it was the wind and scent. The wind was blowing cold air and the smell it carried smelled horrible.

Kumba sat next to Accalia as she stared at the entrance. "What ya waiting for?" She asked. Accalia shrugged. "Nothing." "Are you sure? Because you've been staring at it for a while now and~~---~~" "I have?" Accalia suddenly jumped. "Yeah, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't interrupt me," Kumba growled. "Sorry," Accalia said. Kumba stalked away towards Oktayo.

She *was* waiting for something. But what? When the wind carried the smell over it smelled familiar.

Accalia told herself it was nothing and went back to sitting down. The day was turning into night and Moon-dog had already risen. She wasn't as bright as all the other rimes but she still had light. The clouds were still in the sky and they went over Moon-dog.

The next morning wasn't that bright. Everybody seemed to be tired too. Frost was head of a hunting patrol so she took Accalia and Leaf and Bramble. Instead of the clearing, Frost steered them to the river. The grass was wet so it must've rained at night. The scent of rabbit bathed Accalia's tongue. A rabbit lay motionless by the river's edge.

"It doesn't smell bad," Accalia told Frost. "But it might have been sick and died. We don't want it, Accalia." Frost trotted away while Bramble and Leaf went together. The urge to pick up the dead rabbit was crazy. It smelled fresh and her mouth was watering.

Accalia sighed and walked off. She spotted a squirrel by the roots of a tree digging for nuts. Accalia crept up on it slowly. However, she got sidetracked by Leaf nearby and she stepped on twigs. The squirrel was alarmed now and scrambled up the tree. Accalia cursed under her breath. She soon saw a starling and started after it. When she pounced she crashed into Bramble. They hit each other and the bird flew away.

"Accalia! That was supposed to be my catch," Bramble snapped. "How was I suppose to know? You were hiding. I couldn't see you," she retorted. Bramble sighed and took off in the opposite direction.

When she headed back to the river, she could hear Leaf and Frost coming nearer and nearer. *If Frost finds out I haven't caught anything she'll think I didn't try!*

Accalia thought of an easy place to hunt. But by the time she would catch the prey, they'd be waiting on her. It was hopeless! Or . . . was it? *The rabbit!* Accalia darted towards the rabbit and snatched it by the scruff. She sat with the rabbit by her paws when Frost and Leaf came back. Frost had a robin in her jaws while leaf had a fawn. Bramble came a few seconds later holding a vole and a mouse.

"Good, a rabbit!" Frost said. "Yeah, heh," Accalia said nervously. Frost eyed her suspiciously but didn't ask questions.

They didn't talk the rest of the way. It was silent and all they heard was the whistle of the wind. Mud clung to their tousled pelts as they trudged through ditches full of mud. When they got to camp the other hunters were there. Their pelts were also matted with mud.

They all put their prey in the prey pile. They ate in silence for a while. After they got done and all the prey was gone, Juniper started to grumble. "What's wrong?" Naioki asked. "I feel horrible," he gagged. Alpha stared at everyone. "I feel weird too," Kumba moaned. Alpha scanned the prey pile and looked at the scraps that Kumba and Juniper left. He sniffed it then glared at the hunting dogs.

"Who brought this sick rabbit?" He said dangerously. All the hunting dogs looked at each other.

"I brought a rabbit," Dakota said. "And so did Mist." Mist looked at her paws, her ears flattened. "Accalia brought a rabbit, too," Bramble growled. "Did anyone notice their rabbit was sick?" Alpha snapped. The three dogs shook their heads. Accalia's heart beat loudly in her chest. What if they found out?

Alpha straightened himself. "The one who is lying must come to me before sundown," Alpha growled coldly. Mist's eyes rounded; Dakota's fur ruffled; Accalia's tail and ears drooped. All the dogs left and talked to each other. Naioki was caring for Kumba and Juniper. "You're sick?" Oktayo questioned. "Yeah." Kumba breathed heavily.

Accalia tried avoiding everyone's gazes. She looked behind her to see Frost following her. Her gaze burning into her pelt. Accalia started staling faster trying to get away from her, but Frost didn't stop. Accalia broke into a run. As she was at the entrance Frost jumped over her, stopping her from leaving.

"What do you want?" Accalia demanded. "You took that dead rabbit, didn't you?" She snapped viciously. Accalia hesitated. "Answer me!" Frost ordered. "I did! I did," Accalia yelled. "I told you not to!" Frost spat. "Well, I~~---~~" Accalia began. "You disobeyed my orders and now you must tell Alpha. Now!" "No!" Accalia snapped back. "Fine," Frost said coolly. "Then I'll tell him *myself."*  Frost marched towards Alpha's den and Accalia ran after her. "No! Wait, don't!"

"Alpha!" Frost said, almost singing. "No~~---~~" Accalia started to shout but when Alpha came she stopped. "What is it?" Alpha said. "Accalia has something to say," Frost said. She backed off and all eyes were on the wolf.

"Well?" Alpha said getting a little impatient. "Go on," Beta nodded to Accalia.

Accalia hesitated. "I-I brought the dead ra-rabbit," she stammered. "It was *dead* when you found it?" Alpha curled his lip into a snarl. "I thought i-it would be good to eat~~---~~" "When it was DEAD?" Alpha sneered. Beta stood behind him, gazing at the others. "Yes," Accalia gulped. "Accalia, I'm ashamed. You've poisoned two packmates bringing in that rabbit. You could've gotten more sick. I must punish you." "But~~---~~" Alpha ignored all of Accalia's protests. "You will stay and watch from the High Watch all day long. Even when Sun-dog comes up, you may only come down for food," Alpha said firmly. Accalia stared in silence. "The punishment begins at sundown," Alpha said and went back to his den. Beta followed trailing after him.

Everyone sat in silence. Accalia gaped after them. Her tail drooped and her eyes were wide with shock.

Sun-dog was already beginning to set. Accalia climbed up the rocky hill they called High Watch which was right next to camp. Accalia was alone for a few minutes until Frost came, her body low to the ground as if she was stalking something.

"Accalia?" She called. Accalia grunted. "I'm sorry. I didn't know this would bring you this much trouble," Frost said. "Yeah, well you were wrong," Accalia said crossly without looking at her. "Well, I just wanted to say sorry," Frost said. "Mhm," Accalia said shortly, gazing at Moon-dog. Frost backed away and climbed down the rocky hill.

Accalia was getting tired but she knew if she slept Alpha would give her an even worse punishment. She blinked trying to stay awake but her heavy eyelids were beginning shut. However, when she looked up she could see clouds forming. She looked at the forest. There was a bright light coming through the trees. Was Sun-dog replacing Moon-dog already? Accalia looked closer. As she looked closer the light became brighter. A tree fell and right away, Accalia knew what it was.

"FIRE!!" Accalia shouted down at the camp at the top of her lungs. "FIRE! THERE'S A FIRE!"

The dogs started running out of their dens. But they weren't fast enough. The fire was moving quickly, spreading from tree to tree. Accalia came scrambling down as fast as possible down the rocky slope.

"Everyone get behind our den!" Alpha ordered. The dogs started moving forward. Naioki was helping the sick as fast as he could. Accalia came to help, and pushed Juniper forward with the rest of them. "Thanks," Naioki said breathlessly. Accalia nodded and went to the front of the group. She helped Lily and her pups move faster. Alpha and Beta stayed in the back, making sure everyone was out and safe.

The fire was much quicker then them and it pushed forward. A tree fell between the pack, splitting them into two groups. "KEEP ON MOVING!" Beta cried out. "Keep moving!" Bone told them. He looked back and watched the others try to get pass the burning tree.

"IN HERE!" Naioki yelled. He found a cave far enough from the fire that could fit all of them. They all got in wheezing. They watched the fire come closer. The fire burned everything on the opposite side. The smell of smoke made Accalia cough again and again.

"Alright, everyone be calm," Accalia said. Everyone either sat or laid down. Accalia started to count them. There was Brindle, Kumba, Nashoda, Naioki, Scorch, Frost, Lily, Scruff, Tiny, Mindy, Leaf and Dakota. But where was Bone?

"Bone?" She called. The cave echoed but there was no respond. "Where did Bone go?" Accalia asked. Everyone exchanged worried glances. "Bone was with us," Lily puffed. "He shouldn't be too far behind." "Where did you last see him?" Accalia questioned Lily. "I last saw him when we were running from the burning tree," Mindy said.

"I'm going back out there to go look for him." Accalia said. "What? No! You'll die," Scorch suddenly barked. "I'll die saving someone," Accalia growled. She ran into the smoky forest, ignoring all the protests. She saw the rest of the pack but no Bone.

"Bone!" She called out his name once more. No response. She did spot him though. "Bone!"

He was helping Bramble and Poison. "Get them out of here! NOW!" Bone commanded. Accalia was about to run with them but instead she didn't. The earth shook and another tree fell. It fell in front of Bone.

"BONE!" Accalia screeched in horror. "LEAVE ME, ACCALIA!" He cried out. It was muffled by the sound of burning trees. "I'm not leaving you!" Accalia snapped. Everything seemed to go into slow motion.

Bone's cry for help pierced Accalia. "BONE!" She screamed wildly. "BONE!" Tears welled from her eyes. Poison stood behind her, tearing up. "Accalia, we have to go~~---~~" he began. "NO! I'M NOT LEAVING BONE!" She shrieked. "BONE!" Poison pushed his way in front of Accalia. He tried moving her but it was no use. Accalia was glued to the ground. "Accalia, move!" Poison growled and kept hitting Accalia so she would move. She stumbled backwards. "No!" She screamed and flung a paw at him. "I'M NOT LEAVING HIM!" "ACCALIA, HE'S DEAD!" Poison bawled. Accalia stared at him, but her eyes reflected the fire behind him. "HE'S DEAD AND HE'S NEVER COMING BACK!" Poison bellowed.

Blood pounded in Accalia's ears. Accalia knew he was dead. Bone had burned, but she didn't want to believe that. She stumbled backwards again, her face streamed with tears. Poison gave Accalia a little shove. "Go," he choked out the words. Accalia felt herself being dragged by Beta. "BONE!" She screamed one last time. Beta dragged her all the way back to the cave. Her eyes were closed.

"Accalia!" Cries of relief sounded from the cave.

"Where's Bone?" Nashoda asked. Accalia's eyes flew open. "BONE!" She shrieked. "Accalia, stop it!" Beta ordered. "We have to go back for Bone! BONE!" Accalia struggled free from Beta's grasp. "We have to go find him. He's alive! I know he is!" Accalia snapped. "BONE~~---~~" Accalia shot forward but Beta caught her by the scruff. "KNOCK IT OFF, ACCALIA!" Beta snarled. Accalia fell silent, her breathing shallow and her mind whirled.

"Accalia....?" Bramble's voice sounded from behind. "Is she gonna be okay?" Scruff said, hiding behind Lily. Lily didn't answer. She just gaped. Accalia began to cry. Her bones felt weak so she stayed put. Leaf nudged her and Beta backed off. Brindle stuck her head into her paws.

"Accalia... It'll be all right." Alpha tried to reassure her but she knew he was just as scared and sad as she was.

"He's dead..." She choked out and gasped. "I should've stayed behind t-to he-help...." Poison and Scorch helped Accalia get up. Accalia laid down in front of everyone. "How's Mist and Oktayo?" Nashoda's worried question sounded from a distance. "Good. Oktayo is doing better then Mist though. Juniper, I'm afraid might die. He's breathed in too much smoke," Naioki said and he gave Mist some berries. She lifted up her head slightly and gulped them down. She coughed after taking them and she stared through lidded eyes.

A few seconds later Naioki lifted his head. "Juniper has died," he said firmly. "No!" Brindle wailed. "First my pups, then Bone? Are the Sky-dogs trying kill us off one by one!?" She put her head into her paws again, crying.

The fire had finally stopped.

"How's Accalia doing?" Scorch asked. "Not so good. She's still shocked about Bone's death. Let her rest," Naioki told him. "I want to see her though-" Scorch growled. "I don't care. Let her rest," Naioki growled back. "you must let me see her! She's my pup," Scorch spat. "And she's *my* patient. Now get away and don't bother her," Naioki snapped. Scorch mumbled under his breath and backed off.

Sun-dog rose high in the sky the next day. Accalia stayed asleep for a little longer then usual. Sun-dog was hurting her eyes when she opened them. Accalia realized they weren't in camp anymore. She looked up and Alpha and Beta turned to her. Accalia turned back to the entrance of the cave, not wanting to talk at the moment.

"Are you able to get up?" Beta asked her. "Probably," Accalia replied with a short sigh. Alpha and Beta glanced at each other. "We were thinking that you shouldn't hunt today, Accalia," Alpha said. "How come?" Accalia lifted her head, her ears high in the air. "We thought that you'd like to rest," Beta said quickly. "You know, so you can your strength back," Alpha added. Accalia seemed to understand and laid her head back down.

She felt so useless. Even when Naioki had her help him with Mist and Oktayo she felt like she wasn't doing enough.

The other hunting dogs left to go fetch prey. They brought back some prey but not a lot. Most of it was mice.

When they got done eating Alpha stood up. " We need to move to a safer and stronger location," he announced. "We will travel right away."

## Chapter 7. A New, But Mysterious World

The pack got ready to begin their journey after their belly's were filled. They headed out of the cave's entrance into the fog. It was damp and warm outside. Everywhere Accalia looked were dead trees. The fire had destroyed lots of them. Accalia felt weary and her shoulders sagged as they walked on. Sun-dog didn't show up until a little after they came across a small stream of water.

"We shall rest here for a while." Alpha announced. "But we've barely traveled," Lark protested. "'For a while' as in, just to take a drink," Alpha added. Before anyone drank the water Naioki stopped them. "You shouldn't drink that water," he said. "Why not?" Accalia growled. "Look at it. It's got a tint of oil in it. It could make you sick and even die," he said.

The dogs moved on.

"Where are we going?" Tiny stared up at Lily, his big round eyes full of curiosity. "Aren't we going home?" Scruff questioned. "We have no home anymore," Lily said.

The fog was no better then before. It covered the forest in its misty air. They were at least a mile away now from where the fire ended. The trees here didn't look so good either but they sure looked healthier than the others. In front of the dogs were two redwoods that faced each other. They had huge holes carved into them from Long-paws. "Here should be a good place to stay," Beta told Alpha. "But not forever," Alpha reminded her. "They won't be comfortable to sleep in day *and* night."

Sun-dog was high in the sky but not not for very long. Moon-dog would soon take his place.

The patrol dogs looked around for any harm at all and found nothing except the stale scent of a Giant Fur. The dogs went to sleep when Moon-dog had finally replaced Sun-dog. She seemed brighter then him, actually. Her glow was much more brighter and prettier. Especially in the night time.

At dawn, Accalia was awake, waiting for the others. Dakota soon woke up, then Bramble and Frost. Leaf and Mist and Lark were still sound asleep. They talked for a while until they woke up. They soon gathered and took Poison for their scout. Instead of splitting up, they stayed together.

They looked around trying to find the right spot to hunt. They came across some holly and yarrow. This was the perfect place for some mice, shrews, or voles. Accalia spotted a couple of mice jumping from place to place in the undergrowth.

She stalked steadily, keeping a very close eye on them. When she pounced a mouse squeaked, spotting her, and the mice scampered off. Accalia chased after two that were close by. With one giant leap and one powerful blow she killed the mouse. "Impressive!" Bramble called to her.

Frost and Leaf scared away a whole flock of birds and caught three. Dakota found a pond surrounded by yarrow and caught a cardinal that was taking a sip of water. Mist found it difficult to hunt in the fog but she managed to kill a shrew hiding in the holly.

"We should hunt in the yew," Poison said. "Why?" Accalia asked. "Because it reminds me of Yew." "How does it remind you of me?" "No, Yew. It reminds me of Yew because they're yew bushes," Poison said. "I know. But how does yew remind you of me?" Accalia stared at him. Poison sighed and chuckled and headed off to the others. "You~~---~~you still didn't answer me!" Accalia said following him. On their way back they caught a vole and two more birds.

When they got back everything was quiet but all the dogs were awake.

They ate in silence.

"Alpha, us patrol dogs have to tell all of you something," Lola suddenly said.

Alpha and Beta exchanged nervous glances.

Lola shuffled her paws. "The Giant Fur has come back." There were a few gasps and everyone started talking. "Silence!" Alpha ordered. Lola straightened herself. "We found it eating a deer," she continued, "he didn't spot us which is good though.." "How close is he?" Alpha asked. "Not too far from here. Until the tunnel of trees end and open up into the meadow," Lola responded.

"We must leave now," Beta told Alpha. "I know and I agree, we must." He stood up and gazed all around him. "We must leave now," he said. "But where will we go?" Lily asked and wrapped her tail around her pups. "We'll go across the meadow," he replied. "But that's where the Giant Fur is!" Suns said, his brown eyes round with fear. "We won't have to fight it," Drizzle reassured him. "Right you are, Drizzle. Now get up, come on," Alpha told his pack.

They went quickly and started for the meadow. The tunnel of trees seemed to go on forever. After it ended the meadow was clear. The scent of the Giant Fur was all over. They hurried into the middle of the meadow where they heard the Giant Fur roar.

Accalia looked behind her to see the Giant Fur standing on its hindquarters. It didn't dare go near them with all the dogs there. Instead it just threatened them. The dogs hurried away into the other side of the forest. This part of the forest had a tunnel just like the other one. It was a tunnel of tall elm trees.

"I'm thirsty!" Tiny wailed. "I am too," Scruff agreed. "Hush, pups. There is no water nearby. We'll have to keep on going." Lily's tail twitched. "But~~---~~" Tiny began to protest but Lily cuffed him gently around the ears. "There is no water. Now be quiet." "It's okay, pups. We'll find water soon," Alpha told the pups. Lily looked at Alpha doubtfully but didn't argue.

The dogs went on. As they got deeper into the forest Accalia noticed that some of the dogs were lagging behind.

"Alpha, we should rest~~---~~" Accalia started. "Rest? Why rest? We just started moving," Alpha said. "But some of the pack is lagging behind~~---~~" "Accalia, don't argue with me," Alpha said. "We are not resting. Come on!" He called over his shoulder to the rest of the pack. Accalia noticed that there were some sighs from her packmates.

They pushed forward.

The fog had finally cleared and it was must better. Sun-dog was high in the sky, his light beaming down on the pack.

Accalia's paw was pierced by a rock. She held in her pain as she licked her paw. She looked forward to see a rocky wide, narrow slope. It curved and zigzagged down the slope. "We need to be careful going down that," Accalia told Alpha.

"I know, I know." He rolled his eyes. *I was only telling you,* Accalia thought. Lily picked up Scruff and Poison carried Tiny. Alpha and Beta went first. They slid roughly down the rocks. As Accalia climbed down, Dakota bumped into her which made Accalia fall onto Beta. Beta rolled on the rocks scratching and ripping her fur. Alpha ran after her and caught her by the scruff. "Oh, Sky-dogs!" Yip squealed and he stayed near Accalia's leg. Beta dangled from Alpha's jaws as he lifted her up. "Tha-thanks," Beta stammered. She seemed startled about what just happened.

"Be careful coming down!" Alpha barked at the others. Beta shook her pelt and she let others pass. Accalia skidded across the rocks when they neared the end. She passed Alpha and jumped off a boulder. She landed on her paws, but barely made it. The pads on her paws were scraped and bleeding. She didn't mind this time.

The others came down quickly. "That was awesome, Accalia!" Scruff exclaimed. "Yeah!" Tiny agreed. Kumba came jumping down too. She landed perfectly on her paws. "No need to show off, Kumba," Oktayo teased. Kumba rolled her eyes.

Alpha didn't take notice of the three. Instead, he kept walking. Beta hurried after him. "They're attached to each other," Accalia whispered to Kumba. "Think they'll start loving each other soon?" "Yeah. They're like glue," she said. The two giggled and went on.

Trees started to disappear. Sun-dog's light was shining brightly. But, he was also making Accalia's pelt hot. She licked her chops as the scent of prey bathed her tongue. Alpha seemed to know that she wanted to hunt so he shook his head.

Accalia let her tongue loll out in the heat. It was getting getting hotter and hotter.

"Can we rest?" Mist asked. "Not until we find a good spot for camp." Alpha growled. Mist sighed and walked on.

All the dogs started to walk slower. "Alpha," Mindy gasped. "We need to find water. A camp can wait, but not our thirst." "She's right," Naioki agreed. "We need to find water." Alpha sighed. "Alright."

They looked everywhere but there was no water. The heat began to become unbearable. Nashoda started to barely even walk. Lily collapsed on the ground, panting. "Alpha!" Poison shouted. "We need to rest,"

"Alpha, I'll look for the water," Accalia said. "So will I," Poison said. "And me." "I'll join, too," Drizzle and Suns joined in.

"Are you sure Suns?" Accalia asked him. "I might be small, and my legs might be stubby, but that doesn't mean I can't walk," Suns pointed out. "Then let's go," Drizzle said. They split up into two pairs. Accalia and Drizzle went together. A minute later Poison howled for them. They came back to the two.

"We found water!" He said. Drizzle went back shouting, "We found water! We found water!" Accalia ran to the water.

It was bickering along the river bed quietly. Accalia took huge gulps of water. Poison joined in. Suns jumped into the water and paddled in it. "It feels so nice!" He said. He got out of it then took a big guzzle of water. Nashoda and Naioki came helping Lily to the water. The pack came swimming and drinking the water.

"Thank the Sky-dogs!" Beta praised

They stayed near the water until Sun-dog began to set. Moon-dog began to rise.

"Alpha! Come here!" Nashoda said. Everybody followed Nashoda. She was staring across a wide river that flowed soundlessly. Across the river was a beautiful forest that Moon-dog was shining on. Nashoda dashed across stones to the side. "Ashoda, wait!" Alpha yelled. He ran after her and the rest of the pack followed.

When they got to the other side, they were amazed. There was a large willow that had a whole in the bottom. Perfect for Alpha's and Beta's den. There was a large whole in the side of the hill with water pouring from the top into the river. This den was perfect for the patrol dogs and hunting dogs. There were two elm trees that were surrounded by gorse bushes. Omega would sleep there. There were also logs and a massive whole under them that a fox or a Giant Fur dug. "We'v found our new home!" Alpha said. "It's like a whole new world," Accalia gaped. "The Sky-dogs have led us here," Frost said. "Or *we, ourselves,* found it without the help of dead dogs," Naioki murmured.

They slept there for the night. It was peaceful and warm. This was the right place.

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

Accalia woke up at dawn. The others were already awake and moving. They picked Lola as their scout and went to hunt.

The forest was alive with prey, here and there. Dakota took off after a rabbit.

"Look, deer!" Lark said. Everybody's head turned. There was a whole herd of deer! And even.... a golden deer! "Look at how big that deer is," Accalia gasped. The golden deer looked up at them and bounded off. "We have to go after it!" Accalia said. "No. We'll scare away the herd. Funny how the rest of the herd didn't follow it," Frost said.

Dakota came back when they were creeping up on them.

"Did you get that rabbit?" Leaf asked. "Yep. I buried it to hide though," Dakota said breathlessly. They crept up on the herd on all sides.

"Now!"

The leaped forward. The deer noticed and ran. Accalia, at top speed, ran after a huge male. She flung herself onto the the deer and teared its neck. The deer tripped and fell head first into the dirt. "Got it!" Accalia said. Leaf and Bramble cheered for her.

Lark and Lola came with a fawn. "Lola~~---~~" Accalia began. "I know, I know, I'm not suppose to be hunting, but I couldn't resist!" Lola jumped. Frost came backing with a robin. "That's all we need," Accalia said. "But I didn't get to hunt!" Leaf protested. "Neither did Bramble or Mist and their not complaining," Accalia said.

They dragged their prey back to camp. At the corner of her eye, Accalia saw the golden deer looking at them again. It bounded off. Was it trying to get them to chase after it? Accalia wanted to but she kept on going.

When they got to camp, everybody was surprised by the prey.

"The forest is filled with prey!" Dakota said. "That can be bad," Alpha said gruffly. "More prey means more Giant Furs and foxes."

When the pack ate, they had a feast. The prey was rich with flavor. When they got done, Accalia went over to Lark.

"What do you think about the gold deer?" She asked. "It's quite a mystery," he responded. "I've never seen a golden deer before. I'm pretty sure no one has. Do you think it'll come back?" He asked, half to himself. Accalia shrugged. "It might."

Accalia got up and went to the river. She looked across it. She saw a dog. They stared at each other for a while. Another dog came from the bushes. Accalia tilted her head. The dogs started coming over. Accalia backed up and ran back to camp. "Alpha!" She called. Before Alpha came out the two dogs were already at their side. Alpha came hurrying out.

The first dog was a curly golden dog. "Wait," she said. The one behind the first was a dark brown male. Alpha waited for the dog to go on. "We were just looking for a-a place to stay," the first dog said. "Why's that?" Alpha asked. "We are looking for our littermate," she said. When Alpha didn't answer she went on. "Please," she said, "only for two or three days!" "Fine, but only for two days." "Thank you!" The dog said. "Yeah, thanks," the other one said. "I am Penny," the female said. "And I am Max," The male said. "Welcome," Beta greeted.

There was an awkward silence so Penny thanked them again and she and Max went off to talk.

"They're weird," Lark said.

Accalia grunted.

.Lily came out from under the logs with her pups. They ran off to Mist and started tugging at her fur. "Give us ride!" They pleaded. "You're far too big for one," Mist giggled. "Please!" Tiny said. "Alright." Mist said, finally giving in.

She was right. They *were* to big. They seemed to grow bigger and bigger each day. No longer were they pups.

Mist finished giving them a ride and sat down. "I can't play anymore," she breathed. "Why not?" Scruff asked, her tail drooping. "You guys are too heavy," she said. "Am I really that fat?" Scruff said, looking down at herself. "Accalia! She'll tell us a story!" Tiny said as he caught her eye. "Er~~---~~" Accalia didn't finish. They bounded up to her.

"Tell us a story!" They chanted. "Alright, alright. Sit down," Accalia ordered. Scruff went silent and sat down. Tiny also went silent and sat down, but his tail kept wagging.

"Hmm... How 'bout River-dog?" Accalia said. The two looked at each other. "Never heard of him," Tiny said.

"Well, River-dog controls the water. He controls all creeks and rivers. Even the Endless Lake!" "Whoa," Tiny said. "He's one powerful dog!" Scruff squeaked. "Indeed he is, Scruff. Have you heard about Whoosh?" Scruff sighed. "Yeah. Lola has repeated that over and over to us." "Well, what about the Golden Deer?"

"Really, Accalia? The Golden Deer?" Lily chuckled. "You shouldn't make things up." "I'm not!" Accalia protested. "Us hunting dogs saw it! It was a huge deer with golden fur and antlers." "Mhm. I'm sure," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "Ask any hunting dog," Accalia said. "Did you catch the Golden Deer?" Tiny asked. "No. It ran away when it saw us," Accalia said. She thought for a moment on what to tell them.

"Have you heard about *Fear-dog?"* Accalia asked. "Fear-dog?" Scruff repeated. "No. Lily hasn't told us about him yet," Tiny said.

"Fear-dog is the *king* of all dogs. Even the Sky-dogs. Fear-dog is the night. He shares his prey with no one. You steal his prey and you'll *become* his prey," Accalia said with a grin. Tiny crouched low to the ground, as if about to pounce. Scruff was shaking. "And?" She said. "And there's no running away from him. He'll catch you in an instant!" "Accalia!" Lily shouted crossly. Accalia looked down at the two. Their eyes were wide fear. "Sorry," she said. Lily got up and gestured the pups with her tail. "Come on. Accalia has said enough. And there's no such thing as Fear-dog." Her pups listened and followed her back to her den.

"She seemed pretty mad at you for making up Fear-dog," Mist said. "You know, she told you not to tell lies to her pups~~---~~" "I'm not lying!" Accalia said. "Are you sure? I've never heard of him," Poison said, coming up behind her. "He is real! I know he is. He has red eyes too. Red eyes, claws; he glows like a star too," Accalia told them.

Poison and Mist looked uneasy.

"How do you know all this stuff about him?" Mist asked. "I don't know," Accalia said. She really didn't. "It's just that in my mind I know exactly what he looks like. Exact detail too. He's a big dog. And he comes up when Moon-dog comes because he is the night."

"Brindle has told you this when you were a pup?" Poison asked. "No. And if she did, she would've said it was just a story so that we wouldn't be scared. But, I feel like I've been told that he is real. Someone has. I just don't know who, though." "You're crazy," Mist muttered. "No, I'm not! I remember their voice telling me he was real! But no one in the pack sounds like him," said Accalia . Poison shrugged and trotted away. Mist backed away and shook her head.

Accalia watched them leave. She remembered the dog's voice who told her. But who was it? And where was he?

Accalia saw Mist and Poison tell Lark and Dakota. She felt uneasy now. They obviously knew it was a male because she said he. They kept looking at Max who gave them a confused look. They suspected him for some reason. What Accalia said seemed to spread through the pack.

Accalia shuffled her paws. Should she be worried about the dog who told her?

She wanted to find the dog who told her. And she would. She would go and find him.

## Chapter 8. Finding Old Pals

Accalia opened her eyes and saw nothing but darkness. She squinted her eyes trying to figure out what was in front of her. A big black blur was in front of her. His scent was familiar. He told Accalia to follow, so she did. She could hear . . whispering as she chased after the dog.

Accalia became dizzy and stopped. The dog disappeared but Accalia still heard whispers. She looked around for a bit, trying to figure out who was whispering. The whispers became louder, all chanting her name. They began throwing insults at her, calling her stupid and a fool. They even called her fierce and evil.

She could hear her name being called over and over again. Finally, Accalia opened her eyes.

"Accalia!" Bramble called to her. Accalia realized that she was outside of the den and was by the river's edge. Moon-dog was in the sky, shining brightly. "Accalia? Are you all right?" Bramble asked. "Uh~~---~~I-I guess so," Accalia stammered trying to figure out why she was by the river. Bramble gave her a disbelieving look. "Are you sure?" He asked again, his head tilting. "You were mumbling in your sleep. Saying things like, 'Fierce Dog,' and 'Fear-dog is king among all.' Who's this Fierce Dog and Fear-dog?"

Accalia's ear twitched. Fierce dog? It sounded very familiar.

"Uh~~---~~I'm pretty sure I said none of that," Accalia said. "May I ask one thing? How did I get to the river?" She turned to Bramble. "I dunno," he answered. "I think you were sleepwalking.Come on. Let's go back to sleep."

He and Accalia returned to their den.

"Oh, you also said, 'I believe.' " Bramble looked at Accalia suspiciously. "What do you believe?" Accalia shrugged and rested her head on her paws. "I didn't even know I was talking." Bramble looked at her for a few more seconds before turning away and falling asleep. Did she really say these things? Accalia was terribly confused. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Accalia felt someone poking her in the morning. Accalia looked up to see Frost, poking her with her nose.

"Finally, you're awake!" She exclaimed. "Huh? What? H-how long was I asleep?" Accalia yawned. "For a long time. We almost went hunting without you," Frost said. Accalia quickly got up and ran out of the den with Frost. "Let's go!" Accalia said.

They headed for the clearing again. Accalia notice that Max and Penny were with them.

"Why are they here?" She asked quietly. "Because Alpha said they could come," said Oktayo, their scout. "But are you sure they'll be good at hunting? They're stepping on every twig they can find. They'll scare away all the prey." "And they'll keep on listening to our conversation if you keep talking," Oktayo growled. Accalia looked over her shoulder to see Max glaring at her along with Penny. Accalia quickly looked away, avoiding their gazes.

They got to the clearing but no deer were there. "Darn it," Lark muttered. "I was sure that deer would come today."

"How 'bout the river?" Dakota said hopefully. "No. Fish won't provide very much," Lark said. Dakota looked sad, but she didn't argue. "I think the river would be good," Max said suddenly. Everybody turned to him. "We might catch a trout or a bird. Birds like hawks an' eagles like to catch fish a lot," he said.

"Alright. We'll go to the river," Lark said. Dakota jumped up and bounded to the river. "Follow that fluff-ball," Oktayo said. As they walked to the river Leaf asked, "Is it true?" He asked. "Is it true you were sleep walking?" Accalia shrugged. "I don't know. But I think I was," Accalia said. "Awesome!" Leaf said. "Yeah, for you. It wasn't very pleasant for me," Accalia mumbled.

When they got to the river Dakota was already scanning it for fish. Accalia was about to sit next to Dakota but she changed her mind when Dakota showered her with water. "I caught one!" Dakota said. When she saw that Accalia was drenched in water, she lowered her gaze. "Sorry," she said. Accalia tried not to get mad (even though it was freezing cold) and just shrugged saying:"No, no, it's okay."

"Look at fuzz-ball! She caught another one," Oktayo teased. Dakota ignored him and put her prey in a pile. "Can we call her fish for now on? It fits her better," said Oktayo. Dakota just mumbled something and went on with her work.

Accalia scanned the river for any fish. A trout came by, zigzagging through the reeds. Accalia swung her paw at it and swam away. "You really don't know how to fish, do you?" Max said. "It's not that hard," Penny said behind him. Accalia looked down at her paws. "No. I've never actually caught fish before," she said. "Then we'll show you," Penny said happily. She bounced over to Accalia's side and scanned the river. "You see that trout?" She asked quietly. "Uh, yes," Accalia responded. "Let it come over," Penny said. Penny waited until the trout swam over. She swung her paw through the water and snatched up the fish. "Got it!" She said triumphantly. "Good job!" Max congratulated her. "It's that easy," Penny said. "Huh," Accalia said.

An eagle screeched from above them, diving. It followed a trout, talons extended. Frost hared after it as quick as ever. Frost splashed through the water and jumped up, spraying it everywhere. Frost locked her jaws tightly on the eagle's leg. Mist bounded after her. She scooped up the trout that the eagle dropped and watched as Frost tackled the eagle. Accalia started after the two when Frost was having some difficulties. She jumped into the air, slamming her fore-paws onto its spine. The eagle fell limp and fell into the water. Accalia picked it up happily. "Good job!" Lark said. They brought their prey back to camp.

The pack had a good time with their food and ate it peacefully.

"Sorry about what I said today," Accalia told Max and Penny after they ate. Penny looked at her blankly. "It's okay," she said dully. "Just don't say anything more about us or you'll regret it," she said with a smile and continued talking to Max. Accalia flinched. She was surprised by the she-dogs anger in her. Accalia left without another word.

Moon-dog began to rise quickly. Alpha called everyone to gather around. "Tonight, Tiny and Scruff shall get their names. I know it has been long over due, but tonight will be the night." He gestured the two with his tail and Tiny and Scruff followed him, heads held high.

The pack followed them to a rock that sat by the edge of the river. Moon-dog shone brightly upon them. Bramble, who had caught a rabbit just before, set it down by the tip of the rock. He backed away and Lily pushed her pups forward onto the rock. The two looked nervous but they puffed out their chests and glanced at each other.

Alpha did his speech and picked their names. Scruff picked the name, Shadow and Tiny picked the name Oak. It was time for the great howl. One by one they started to howl, including Nashoda, Kumba, and Oktayo. They all howled loudly but Poison and Lily howled the loudest. They were truly happy for their pups. They stopped howling and Oak and Shadow came bouncing down the rock. "That was cool!" Shadow whispered to her mother-dog. "Did you have the whole pack howl for you?" Oak asked Poison. "Yes. They howled loudly for a very long time," he said. "Whoa," Oak gaped.

When they got back Moon-dog was right above the camp. "Beautiful," Lily said. The den Lily once slept in was now abandoned. She slept with the patrol dogs now. Accalia went to sleep in her normal spot. She looked at all of the resting dogs before closing her own eyes. Accalia didn't sleep peacefully that night. She kept kicking and barking (according to all the hunting dogs).

Accalia woke up exactly when the others were waking up too. Rain thudded blatantly on the roof of the den. Big drops were hitting the ground with a thump. All the dogs looked at each other and sighed. They headed out of the den into the storm. Accalia's pelt was already sopping wet. They picked Nashoda as their scout. They also picked Poison.

The dogs headed out into the forest. Leaf and Frost caught three robins.

"It's still not enough," said Dakota as she looked at the pile.

They went on and still found nothing else. Nashoda suddenly dashed away from them. Accalia chased after her calling out her name. She realized she was chasing a squirrel and stopped. Nashoda launched herself into the air when the squirrel was by the tree's roots. She landed on the squirrel's head just in time before it climbed up the tree.

Accalia walked back with Nashoda. "Don't ever run off like that again!" Bramble snapped. "I was just chasing a squirrel," Nashoda growled. "Scouts don't hunt," Poison reminded her calmly. "But sense we have barely any prey, it was okay." Nashoda smiled and looked down at her paws.

The hunting dogs went on for a long time. Still no more prey was found. "We should just give up and head back," Dakota said gruffly. At that moment a rabbit caught Accalia's attention. She immediately raced after it, determined to catch prey for her pack.

"ACCALIA!" Bramble called. Accalia ignored it and went on. The rabbit ran faster and swiftly dodged the thickets in the dense forest. Accalia began panting as she chased after it. Drool swung from her chops. She could taste the rabbit in her mouth already! Accalia splashed through creeks until finally the rabbit vanished and a new scent lingered. Accalia tasted the air and screwed up her nose. The scent was a dead animal. Accalia followed the scent trying to figure out what is was.

She looked up, stumbled, and gasped.

Yew's limp body was in front of her. His whole body was twisted and mangled. One of his ears were gone and blood leaked into his lidded eyes. Yew's right front leg was under his left front leg. His legs were glazed in blood and his back legs were sprawled out. His pads were scratched and both his flanks had three claw streaks on them. Yew's head was turned to the right while his body was to the left. His neck seemed to be snapped, and his tail seemed to be broken. Yew's brown fluffy fur was now darkened with blood and mixed with mud.He laid perfectly still in a pool of blood with his chops parted, tongue lolling out, his eyes popping out, and his only ear drooping.

Accalia looked at this horrible sight, almost throwing up. The scent was terrible. The rain was no longer pouring, instead it was just a drizzle. The rain did nothing at all to Yew's body. It didn't wash away the scent or clean the blood.

Accalia looked behind her. She didn't recognize this place at all. How far did she run? And which way did she come from? Accalia tried to retrace her steps but she it didn't seem to work.

"This is pointless!" She suddenly blurted out. "I'm lost."

She went around Yew and started forward. Even if this was the right way, she didn't recognize it. She was too caught up on catching the rabbit that she didn't even look up and look around her to remember where she had gone. Accalia halted in front of a dead mouse. She looked up to see two yellow eyes staring back at her. "Uh~~---~~hello?" She said. The creature blinked and turned its back on her and pelted away.

"Wait!" Accalia called. She darted forward, following the creature. As she caught up with it she realized it was a wolf.

The wolf was bigger then her, black tipped with grey. But if he was bigger, then why was he running? He could've easily pinned her to the ground. The wolf took a sharp turn and receded from view. Accalia twisted her body trying to follow it. But instead of finding it, she ended up in a clearing where the wolf turned.

Accalia didn't feel safe here. She could sense that someone was near... watching her....

Before Accalia could do anything she was knocked off her paws. She landed on her back and opened her eyes. A massive black and lighter grey wolf was staring back at her. The she-wolf pinned her to the ground, her eyes wild.

"Look who it is!" The she-wolf cackled. The wolf that was seen early stepped from the holly a wide grin on his face.

"Bjomolf, look! Do you see her?" The she-wolf cackled again. Drool swung from her mouth as she stared back at Accalia. Accalia's chest rose rapidly as she panted. The wolf so called, Bjomolf, nudged Accalia with his paw. "She's weaker then she was when she was a pup," he commented. The she-wolf slid off of her, keeping her gaze steady. "After all this time you finally decide to show." The she-wolf's voice was hoarse and cold. "Gunnolf, don't~~---~~" Bjomolf started but the she-wolf stopped him with a snarl. "I'm tired of waiting!" She snapped. "I don't care what Bomb says! Blackhawk is *mine!"* Gunnolf lunged at Accalia, jaws parted. Accalia rolled away as Bjomolf took Gunnolf by the scruff and dragged her.

"Blackhawk is not yours! She is Bomb's! If Bomb found out you killed her pup she'd claw your eyes out," Bjomolf snarled in her ear.

Accalia was terribly confused. Brindle was her mother-dog. Not this Bomb.

"Bomb isn't my mother-dog." Accalia's voice surprised the two wolves. "Aww, itty bitty Blackhawk finally talked, eh?" Gunnolf sneered. "My name is not Blackhawk. It's *Accalia."* Bjomolf dropped Gunnolf by the scruff when she started laughing. "Accalia? What kind of name is that?" Gunnolf laughed harder. *What kind of name is Gunnolf?* Accalia held back her anger. "Blackhawk, don't switch names. You were given the name Blackhawk and you're gonna keep it."

Bjomolf stepped towards Accalia until they were nose to nose.

"I don't care if Bomb is your real mother-dog or not, she raised you when you were abandoned. Then you were taken away by that stupid wolf-dog~~---~~" *He's talking about Bone...*"~~---~~and you were never seen again. But now that we've found you, we can take you back."

Bjomolf took Accalia by the scruff and started pulling her. Gunnolf got up and helped pull her. Accalia kicked her legs trying to break free but the two had strong grips. Accalia finally stopped struggling when it was no use.

It felt like she was being dragged forever until finally the two wolves stopped. They dragged her through some gorse, then let go of her.

"WELCOME BACK HOME!" Gunnolf cackled. Accalia looked up to see a pack of dogs staring at her. "Remember this?" Bjomolf whispered to her. "Welcome back, Blackhawk," a dog said.

## Chapter 8. (Gallery)

* Gunnolf
* Bjomolf
1/2Gunnolf - Alexander Archipelago Wolf

Bjomolf - Alexander Archipelago Wolf

## Chapter 9. The New Pack

Accalia stared at the dog in front of her. He was big with a chain collar around his neck. His muscles twitched as Accalia stared back coldly. The dog grabbed her by the scruff and started dragging her. Accalia flung her paw at the dog and smacked him. The dog let go with a grin.

"I expected you not to remember me," the dog said.

The sound of his voice rang in her ears. Accalia knew this dog! This dog was the one that told her Fear-dog was real.

"I remember you," Accalia said as she straightened herself. "Well, your voice, anyway. You were the one who told me about Fear-dog. You said he was the king of all spirit dogs. Even alive ones and dead ones." The dog looked pleased with this. "I am Rifle. Your step-mother's brother," he said. *I knew Bomb wasn't my real mother-dog,* Accalia thought.

"Bomb is waiting for you, so if you'd be kind enough to step this way I can~~---~~" "No," Accalia interrupted. Rifle turned to her. "No?" He echoed. "I said no," Accalia barked. "I'm not going to her. I'm leaving whether you like it or not." As Accalia turned away from him two dogs started at her, smiling. "You're not leaving until Bomb sees you and knows you're alive," one said. Rifle took Accalia by the scruff and started dragging her again. Accalia watched as Bjomolf and Gunnolf trailed along. Rifle called to his littermate saying, "I got something to show you!"

Bomb came out from her den, growling. Accalia was shocked to see what Bomb looked like.

She was a massive dog with a spiked collar and one torn ear. She had a scar running along her flank and her paws were huge.

"Blackhawk is it?" She breathed. "My name is not Blackhawk! It's Accalia," protested Accalia. "Is that the name that Alpha gave you?" Bomb sneered, curling her lip. "You disgust me," she spat. "You should've came home when that wolf-dog took you. You should be strong and well fit but you're not. I can see your bones. You've abandoned your true pack and your packmates." Bomb flung a paw at Accalia but Accalia dodged swiftly.

"However, you're smart." Bomb growled. "I don't want to see you run away or talk back, you hear me?" Accalia nodded.

"She'll sleep with Omega tonight. I don't care what Omega says, she's gonna sleep with her," Bomb told the pack.

Three tall dogs took Accalia to Omega. "If you need anything, just tell us okay?" The female said. "Er~~---~~" Accalia began. "I'm Caliber," the female interrupted. "I'm Bullet," one of the males said quietly. "And I'm Magnum." Caliber and Bullet left but Magnum stayed. "But seriously though, if you need anything, just tell us," he said. "Get away from my den!" A voice echoed. Accalia turned around holding her breath. "Good luck," Magnum said and he hurried away. "Er~~---~~You must be Omega," Accalia said. "Yeah, so?" The dog growled. "Well, uh, I have to sleep with you. Bomb's orders," Accalia said. "Well, I guess I can't argue with Bomb." Omega said, sighing. "Come on," she said.

Omega's den was a large hole in the ground with leaves and moss covering it. Logs were covering the top. Accalia laid down beside Omega.

"What brings you here, stranger?" Omega said. "I was captured by Gunnolf and B-Bjomoth. . ?" "His name is Bjomo*lf.* What's your name?" "Accalia." "Hmm. I'm Luger," the dog said. "I thought you were Omega?" Accalia said. "Well, I am Omega, but my actual name is Luger."

"Psst. Hey you, wolf, get up here!" A small dog said. Accalia looked up lazily. She slowly got up and jumped up next to the dog. "I'm Rocket," the dog said, not taking her eyes off Accalia. "I hear that Bomb is gonna be pretty hard on you. She's gonna test your skills tomorrow." "Why?" Accalia said. "I'm already better then every dog here."

"You can think that," Rocket barked. "I might be small, but I'll kick your lungs out if I have to." And she turned around, storming away.

"She can't actually kick my lungs out, can she?" Accalia asked Luger as she sat beside her. "I dunno," Luger said. "I've never seen her do it before but she is pretty strong."

The two dogs that Accalia saw earlier walked up to them. "Hey, Luger!" One said. "Hey, Cooper!" Said Luger. "Hey, Gunner," she said to the other one. "Accalia, these are my brothers," she announced. "H-hi," Accalia said shyly.

"Bomb says she's gonna get revenge on the dog that took you," Gunner suddenly blurted. "She said she's gonna slit his throat," Cooper added. "He's already dead," Accalia snapped. "He died in a forest fire." "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Luger said. Cooper and Gunner were now embarrassed. "So go tell your leader that he's already dead and he can't die again. Or do I have to slit your throats to keep you guys from telling everyone that?" Accalia said.

"Don't talk to them that way!" A dog snapped. "Tank, stay out of this~~---~~" Luger began. "Shut up, Omega!" Tank barked. Luger backed away. "It's not a big deal, Tank," Gunner said quickly. Cooper shook his head.

Tank ran up to Accalia and pressed her nose against hers. "Don't make me hurt you," she growled. "I'd like you to try and hurt me," Accalia growled back. Tank flung her paws at her but Accalia was prepared. She ducked and shot upwards, hitting Tank in the jaw, making her stumble backwards.

"Stop!" A black and white dog cried out. He came running towards them. "Spike, she was only defending herself," Gunner said. The black and white dog glared at all of them. "But she should know better then to hit Tank." Another dog came along with two other dogs.

"Bow, you can be quiet," A grey and black one snapped. "Wrench, you be quiet," another said. "Spear, we don't need you to interfere," Tank growled.

"Stop acting like pups," Gunnolf laughed from behind all of them.

"We're not," Luger growled. "Sure, Sure." Gunnolf chuckled.

Dusk came shortly after the little fight. Accalia curled up, her nose tucked into her paws. Luger was curled up behind her though she got up and left to go somewhere.

"Blackhawk, wake up," someone whispered to Accalia. Accalia opened her eyes slowly. "What?" She said. "Shh. I've come to get you out. By the way, it's me Magnum," Magnum said and Accalia followed him out. Accalia yawned as she got out. Her eyes widened as she saw who was in front of her. Poison, Mist, Kumba, Oktayo, Dakota, Bramble, Leaf, and Alpha. "We've come to get you back," Alpha said. "Thanks, Magnum!" Accalia called over her shoulder as she went to her pack. "By the way, my real name is Accalia." "Welcome... Accalia," Magnum said.

"Blackhawk? Blackhawk, where are you?" Luger started yelling through the camp.

"We'd better go~~---~~" Kumba began.

"BLACKHAWK, HAS ESCAPE!" Rocket screamed.

"I see her!" Bow said. The fierce dogs started running after them, with Bomb in front of them .

"RUN!" Alpha yelled. They started running as fast as they could.

Accalia could feel Bjomolf's breath on her back. Accalia turned around to see Wrench and Tank both pounce onto Kumba. Kumba hit Tank in the eye but she was having trouble taking on the two. Mist stopped to tun back and help but Poison pushed her. "Keep going!" He said. "We can't leave her!" Mist protested. She jumped over Poison and rammed into Wrench, knocking the wind out of him

Caliber pulled Mist off of him right as she bit into his neck. Poison and Dakota went back too. Poison was about to help Mist but Gunner attacked him. Dakota batted Bow in the face, making her nose bleed. However, Bow wasn't alone. Cooper and Spike came to help. Dakota fluffed up her fur snarling.

Bomb launched herself at Alpha, slamming him into the ground. Accalia and Leaf raked their claws along Bomb's side as Leaf went to help Dakota. Rifle grabbed Leaf by the scruff throwing him to the ground. Leaf batted at his muzzle, twisting. Rifle didn't seem to be bothered by this. He clawed him in the side of the face. Accalia went to go help her littermate. She jumped on top of Rifle, digging her teeth deep into his neck. Rifle rolled on the ground, crushing her. Leaf jumped to his paws, and clawed Rifle's belly open. Rifle screamed and kicked Leaf square in the chest. Leaf gasped and was flung to the ground by Bullet. Accalia still kept her teeth deep into Rifle's neck. Rifle struggled free and staggered forward panting. But Accalia wasn't done with him.

Rifle flung his paw at her and hit her ears. Accalia's ears stung. Blood dripped from her ears as she pushed Rifle to the ground. She bit Rifle in the throat. Rifle yelped and went limp. Accalia looked up. She had killed him. *That was easier then I thought....*

A flash of black fur went by. It was Naioki. He pounced on Bow, digging his claws into her shoulders. Bow snarled and Wrench came to help, jumping up, and grabbing Naioki by the leg, pulling him down. Naioki flashed his red eyes at him and batted his face with his paws.

Accalia quit watching to see Alpha pinned to the ground by Bomb. Alpha's eye was closed because blood dripped from his forehead into his right eye. Bomb's sides were streaked in blood but it didn't bother her. She pushed her nose to his and breathed, "I'll kill your whole pack... One by one." And without another word, it was over in an instant.

Bomb's teeth were digging into Alpha's throat. Alpha yelped and struggled underneath her. However, he stopped. Blood flowed from his throat like a river. Bomb had killed him.

Accalia stood there, speechless. Alpha was dead! How could he be dead?

"RETREAT!" Naioki screeched.

Everybody listened and ran off, trying to escape the clutches of the Fierce Dogs.

However, Kumba and Poison were not with them. Where were they? Accalia looked over to see Kumba pinned to the ground by Tank, and Poison was being held back by both Bjomolf and Cooper.

Bomb was looking at her littermate, Rifle. She looked up with complete hatred in her eyes.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" She shrieked. "I'LL KILL EACH OF YOU WITH NO MERCY! I WANt TO SEE YOU BLEED!" And Bomb ran towards them, gaining great speed. However, Bomb stopped chasing them along with her pack. When they got to where Yew's body was, they stopped. Yew was now skin and bones. Crows were eating him. His stomach was open as if a fox or another animal was eating him.

"We need to head back, now," Bramble panted. "I-I agree," Dakota said.

The dogs ran off again. They got past the clearing, not stopping. When they got back everybody greeted them. Suns put leafs on some of their wounds. So did Scorch and Lola.

"Naioki!" Frost yelled. Naioki turned to the yelling dog, panting. "What?" He said. "You left us! Beta could have died!"

Frost jumped onto Naioki, slamming him into the ground. Naioki swiped his paw at Frost, cutting her nose. Frost swiped at his ears and then proceeded to drag him. Naioki twisted his head and bit Frost's leg. His teeth dug deeply into her leg. Frost yelped and let go.

"ENOUGH!" Beta shrieked. Naioki and Frost looked at her.

Beta's eye was swollen and her shoulder had dried blood on it.

"What happened?" Accalia asked.

"She was attacked by a Giant Fur." Nashoda said. "And Naioki left when she healed," she said, glaring at Frost. Frost looked at her paws. "Where's Alpha?" Beta asked.

Everybody went silent. "Well? Where is he?" Beta demanded. "Dead." Mist swallowed. Beta gasped along with the rest of the camp. "Bomb killed him," Mist added.

"Wait... I thought there were seven of you," Lily said. (Not counting Alpha). "Where are Poison and Kumba?" Shadow asked.

"I thought they were behind me~~---~~!" Oktayo looked behind himself. "Kumba? Kumba!" "Kumba and Poison were captured," Mist said. "We have to go back for them!" Nashoda shouted. "I agree," Oktayo said. "We can't yet," Beta said. She looked up at Moon-dog and closed her eyes. "I'm no longer Beta. I am Alpha. You'll all call me Alpha for now on," she said and looked away. "I'll choose Beta now." She looked around her pack and scanned for the right dog.

"Accalia will be my Beta," Alpha said, smiling. Accalia looked around. "Me?" She said. "Why me? Why not Dakota or-or~~---~~" "Hush, Beta," Alpha said, her eyes twinkling. "I want you because you are smart and clever. I hope the Sky-dogs approve of my chose," she said.

She looked at her pack and then said in a loud voice, "We shall attack the Fierce Dogs tomorrow, by surprise, at dawn. We will fight to the death. and we will get Kumba and Poison back and save them."

## Chapter 9. (Notes And Gallery)

One more chapter and then it is over! Now I just want to tell you something about one of the Fierce Dogs.

**STORY TIME!**

Magnum is an actual dog that my cousins had. He was a doberman pinscher. He was very nice and cute. When you asked him to smile, he would! Except his smile looked evil and it looked like he wanted to kill you. :) Anyway, soon Magnum became deaf. He also became a little blind in his right eye. Magnum died of old age and now he rests in peace.

*R.I.P*  Magnum 2001-2013

* Spear
* Caliber and Bullet
* Bomb
* Wrench
* Rifle
* Rocket
* Tank
* Luger(Middle) Cooper(Right) Gunner(Left)
* Spike
1/9
## Chapter 10. The Last Howl

It wasn't even dawn when Accalia was woken up by Alpha. She gathered the pack and told each one to prepare. If they won, everything would be at peace again. But if they lost, they would face extreme pain.

"We'll go now when they're all still asleep," Alpha said firmly. The pack listened to her orders and her plan. A group of dogs would attack at all sides. One group in front, one in back, and one at each side.

The pack headed out and marched their way towards the Fierce Dogs. It wasn't long when they got to Yew's body. He was just a pile of bones now. Alpha sighed and marched on. When they got there everything was quiet.

Alpha took Bramble, Lily, Oktayo, and Suns and she would head for the front. Accalia took Leaf, Nashoda, Lola, and Naioki to attack from the back. Oak and Mist took the others. Alpha would give them all a signal when to attack.

She gave them the signal, and they all pounced.

The pack took them completely by surprise. Bow and Gunner were protecting the entrance where Kumba and Poison were at. When Accalia pinned Gunner, that's when Kumba and Poison started attacking with their pack.

Accalia bit Gunner's neck. Gunner yowled and Luger came. She launched herself at Accalia and raked her claws along Accalia's back. Accalia yowled and whipped around, flinging a paw at her, and hitting her forehead. Gunner got up and attacked Accalia from the side. Accalia couldn't take these two down. Not alone.

Oak came to her side, yelling, "Imma kill you!" He landed on top of Luger and bit her neck. Luger tried twisting her head and biting him back, but Oak slid down her side and raked her muzzle.

Accalia and Gunner jumped up at each other. Accalia slammed his head into the ground. She crushed his head with her paws. Gunner wiggled underneath her paws, kicking Accalia in the chest. Accalia did everything in her power to resist the pain. Finally, Mist came and swiped his throat. She killed him and went back into the crowd of fighting dogs.

Accalia looked over to see Oak taunting Luger. But she had noticed something that Oak had not.

Luger was smiling. She was smiling because Cooper was creeping up behind Oak, about to pounce and kill.

"OAK! BEHIND YOU!" Accalia screamed before being pushed over by Oktayo who fell.

Oak turned around and rolled out of the way just as both Luger and Cooper pounced. The two hit each other and scrambled away from each other, cursing.

Oktayo got off of Accalia and stumbled backwards again as Caliber launched another attack. Caliber clamped her jaws around Oktayo's leg, pulled back, and made him fall on his side. Accalia darted after the two fighting. She crashed into Caliber who just got her brother, Bullet, to help. Caliber snarled viciously and bit Accalia's shoulder, ripping flesh. Accalia yelped and bit down on Caliber's paw. This time Caliber yelped. Meanwhile, Bullet batted Oktayo to the ground. The side of Oktayo's face was bleeding and his shoulders were almost dried with blood. Bullet's ear tips were missing and bleeding and his flank was streaked with blood.

Accalia and Caliber tackled each other to the ground, biting and clawing. Caliber finally gave up and ran off to a different dog. Accalia came just in time to see Oktayo making Bullet run into the crowd also, tail between his legs.

Oktayo thanked Accalia and ran back into battle.

Accalia was distracted by a scream coming from Suns. Rocket was pinning him. Accalia ran up to the small dog and flung her off of him.

"My goodness!" Suns gasped. "It felt like she would kick my lungs out!" *Huh.. I guess she can kick my lungs out.* Accalia thought.

When Rocket ran up behind Accalia, she just put her paw on her forehead to stop her from getting her. Rocket kept trying to run but she was unable to. "Go help Shadow," Accalia told Suns. "Yes sir, Beta, sir!" Suns said and scampered off.

"Okay, you're getting on my nerves," Accalia growled at Rocket, who was still trying to get her. Accalia took her paw off her and Rocket rolled under her, jumped up and bit her tail. "You really do need to find better moves," Accalia said, trying to hide her laughter. She picked Rocket up by the scruff and threw her. She has no idea how far she threw her but she landed somewhere.

Accalia turned her head to see both Caliber and Bullet running away from both packs. They were running away! Which meant they were winning! Accalia went to go help Mist, who was battling Tank. Accalia was about to help but Magnum came and attacked Tank instead.

"Magnum! You traitor!" Tank shouted. Magnum ignored her and both he and Mist worked together to drive her away. Mist "boxed" Tank while Magnum attacked from the back. Finally, Tank ran off in the opposite direction of everyone.

One by one the Fierce dogs started to run away. However, Gunner and Luger and Wrench all laid dead on ground.

All the fierce dogs had left except for Bomb who was tackling Alpha. They fought for a while until finally Alpha clamped her jaws around Bomb's throat. Alpha let go to see blood spurt from her throat. Bomb was dead with her three packmates, finally.

"Are all of you all right?" Alpha shouted.

A loud wail came from Leaf.

"Their dead!" He wailed. "Both of the are dead!" Accalia along with Bramble, Drizzle, and Lily came to his side. Both Brindle and Scorch were dead. Brindle and Scorch were next to each other. Drizzle laid his head down on Scorch. Bramble looked away, crying while Lily ran off to look for her pups. However, she cried too. Now Lily screamed.

"SHADOW!" She screamed.

Shadow laid motionless on her back. Her belly was ripped open.

"My poor pup!" She shrieked. Poison came over, his eyes swelling up with tears. "No... She can't be dead," Poison breathed. "Lily, Poison, we did it! We beat the mean dogs! We~~---~~" Oak stopped when he spotted his littermate on the ground. "SHADOW!" He screeched. He ran to his sister and nudged her. "Who killed her?" He yelled at Poison and Lily. "Tell me! I wanna kill them!" "Bomb killed her." Lola sighed. Oak looked at her, eyes round. "She came to help Alpha. But it did not work." Oak buried his face into Lily.

Alpha looked around and sighed. "We'll bury the dead," she announced. "But first, we will howl," she said. Dawn came when it was finally over. So, the whole pack howled... at dawn.

**The End.**

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**ShatteredxFeather, owner of Finding Hope and The Hidden Storm.** You were my first comment and that made me very happy!

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