Book 2

## Prologue

**???:**

I flew over a dark forest, a cub dangling from my jaws. The cub fluttered her tiny, black, bat-like wings, making me shiver.

The cub had bat-like wings instead of normal feathered wings, this meant the cub was cursed. It was my job to rid the clan of the curse that came with it.

I landed and set the cub down on a rock near a stream; the stream would soon flood, as a storm was coming.

I spread my russet wings and took flight; I had to get some distance before the storm hit.

## Chapter 1

**Rowan:**

I woke up to sun streaming through the den. I yawned and ducked outside. Blinking in the sunlight, I glanced around for Freddy, but didn't see any sign of him.

Shrugging, I crossed the clearing to the stream. I slipped out of my shirt and fully wolfed out. I leapt over the brook and took off.

Weaving in between the trees, the resplendent sunlight dappled the leaf-strewn ground. The rich scents of Autumn were thick in the air. The leaves had lost their green and the canopies were aflame with reds and oranges.

I slowed to a trot as I neared my old territory. I remembered the cliff that I used to sit on at night and wondered if I'd ever get to see the town from there again.

I was snapped from my thoughts by a snarl nearby and I crept forward. I peered out from between the brambles to see my former friends cowering in the shadow of Midnight, the Alpha of their pack.

"So you *do* admit that you were associated with the outcast?" she snarled at them.

I raised my eyebrows; It had been nearly a whole season since my exile.

"Sure we *used* to be friends, but we haven't seen her sin—"

"Shut up!" Midnight snapped, baring her fangs. "You are hereby exiled for treachery against the Pack of the Half-Moon."

Fang and Star opened their mouths to protest, but the Alpha continued.

"You will leave our territory and never return. If any of my pack sees you, they will have my permission to *kill* you." She snarled at them and they scrambled away.

They ran past my hiding place and I sank farther back into the prickles. I held my breath when Midnight paused next to my bush.

The Alpha snorted and whipped around before stalking off. I let out a sigh of relief and backed out of the brambles. I swore under my breath as one of the brambles struck my nose.

I crossed the stream that served at the border and sat down on the rocks. Most of the brambles fell off me as I felt my fur melt away, but some still remained tangled in my hair. I carefully pulled them out, one by one.

After all the brambles were out, I sniffed the air, hoping to find out where the twins had gone. Once I had located their scent trail, I followed it closer to my camp. They had crossed the stream that went past the clearing and I growled, angry that I could have lost them so easily.

I sighed and picked up my shirt. I put it back on and started the short walk back to camp. Suddenly, I heard a bleat of terror. I recognized the sound, as it was the same sound that Freddy made when startled.

I raced towards the noise and found Star and Fang cornering a young cervitaur. She was backed into a tightly woven thicket and stared at the two in terror.

I darted forward with a shout and leapt in between the twins and the cervitaur.

"Leave her alone!" I snarled.

Their eyes sparked in recognition, but quickly regained their hostile glint.

"Oh yeah?" Fang taunted "And why should we listen to you?"

"My territory, my rules." I said, simply.

The two faltered.

"You have a pack?" Star asked.

I had to think for a second. It wasn't a real pack, in the sense that it had ranks, but I guess that I thought of Freddy, Snow, and Keesh as my pack all the same.

"Yes, I have a pack," I said.

The twins glanced at each other.

"Could we join?" Star asked, not surprising me, as most werewolves thought not having a pack was worse than death.

"I, um… I guess so," I said "But you have to do whatever *I* say."

They nodded and I gave a small smile. I turned to the cervitaur and helped her up. She didn't object as I led her in the direction of the clearing with the twins close behind.

## Chapter 2

**Fawn:**

I trotted along next to a stream, enjoying the autumn breeze. I thought back to the beginning of summer, when I was worried about how I was going to survive without the herd.

I chuckled, I had just recently turned twelve and I now knew how to care for myself.

Unfortunately, I had been a bit *too* sure of myself. I had dropped my guard and soon I was corned against a thicket by two hungry-looking wolves. I considered kicking out at them, but they might somehow use that to their advantage.

I was just beginning to wonder if I'd make it out alive when some girl came up behind them and shouted at them.

"Leave her alone!" she yelled, jumping between us.

"Oh, yeah?" The grey wolf said. Although, I guess technically werewolf, as it could speak. "And why should we listen to you?"

He had a point, the girl appeared to be at least half human, maybe more, although looks can be deceiving.

"My territory, my rules," the wolf-girl retorted and the two werewolves stared at her.

"You have a pack?" the white one asked.

The wolf-girl paused before answering.

"Yes, I have a pack," she replied.

The two werewolves glanced at one another before the white one spoke again.

"Could we join?" it asked.

"I um… I guess so," the wolf-girl said "But you have to do whatever *I* say."

The two nodded and the girl smiled. She turned around to face me and took my hand. She helped me to my hooves and started walking.

I had no idea where she was taking me, but I didn't object; she didn't seem to mean me any harm. If she did, then why would she have helped me?

The two werewolves followed close behind, which unnerved me, but they made no move to attack.

The girl led us across the river I was going along earlier. She held my hand nearly the whole way. She finally let go once we were in a clearing.

I saw what looked like some sort of shelter at the opposite end of the clearing and saw the speckled backs of two other cervitaurs. I also saw something white huddled along with them.

After the girl let go, I cautiously went over to the other cervitaurs.

"Hey!" I called out and they turned to face me. Now that I was closer, I saw that the white figure was also a cervitaur, but none like I had ever seen before.

"I'm guessing you've never seen an albino before?" She said, smiling

I shook my head and the blond-haired cervitaur laughed. "Snow's blind," she said "She can't see your answer."

"Oh, sorry, "I apologized. "No, I've never seen an albino before."

I turned to face the third of their group and gasped.

"Freddy?"

"Fawn!" my brother said, smiling. "I thought I'd never see you again!" He came over to me and wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm guessing you know each other," Snow commented.

"Yeah, Fawn's my sister," Freddy said.

"That's pretty cool, "Snow said "Keesha is my sister."

Keesha whispered something in Snow's ear and she nodded.

"Well, we should just leave you two to your reunion," she said.

"See ya," Keesha said.

After they had gone, I turned back to Freddy.

"Why did you leave the herd?" I asked him "You always said that the herd made us stronger."

"I left back at the start of summer to look for you," he said.

I shrugged. "I can take care of myself, you know."

Freddy just rolled his eyes.

"So where have you been hiding?" I asked him.

"I haven't been hiding," He said.

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"You know what I mean!" I protested.

"I've been living here with Rowan," he said, motioning to the wolf-girl. "I also see that you're just as annoying as you were in the spring," he said, walking away.

"Hey!" I objected, following him. "I'm not *that* annoying!"

He didn't respond.

"Hey, Rowan!" he called out.

The wolf-girl turned around and smiled.

"Welcome back, wanderer!" she said, cheerfully.

"I've been here," Freddy muttered.

"These are my former pack-mates, Star and Fang," Rowan said "They'll be staying with us."

Freddy raised an eyebrow. "Sure they won't try to eat us?" he asked.

"No," Rowan said. "If they do, then they'll have me to deal with." She bared her teeth at the werewolves from earlier and they visibly winced.

After the introduction, Freddy, Star, Fang, Keesha, and I helped Rowan gather sticks and vines to build dens for the two werewolves. Freddy showed me how to weave the ivy into the already exsisting barrier around the clearing.

I settled down next to Freddy and his friends and looked up. I still wasn't used to sleeping under trees, but from where I was laying, I was able to see the sky and the stars twinkling down at me. I sighed and laid all the way down before falling asleep.

## Chapter 3

**Star:**

I woke up to Fang's tail tickling my nose. I snorted and batted it away with one paw before crawling out of our shared den.

I saw Rowan and went over to her.

"Hey," I said. "Thanks for letting us join your, um... pack."

She nodded.

"Hey, you wanna come hunting with me?" she asked.

I smiled, just like old times.

"Sure," I said and followed her out of the clearing.

## Chapter 4

**Freddy:**

Fawn and I grazed near the stream, the sunlight dappling our backs. It was nice to know that she was safe and sound, after all, it was kinda my fault.

My left ear flicked as a leaf brushed against it. Winter would be here soon, and though most of the leaves had fallen, some of the trees still held tight to the few leaves they had left.

Suddenly there was a rustle from the bushes and we jolted upright.

"Rosetta!" shouted a voice "Give it back!"

"You can have it back," A second voice teased "If you can catch me!"

I glanced at Fawn to see her eyes sparkled with laughter. I rolled my eyes and went to check out what was going on.

I pushed my way through the branches to see a pair of young fawns. The two both had flaming red haid and freckled faces.

The girl had a small object in her hand, which the boy was attempting to snatch away from her.

"Give me back my ball, Rose!" the boy complained.

Rose giggled and stuck the object into the pocket of her sweater.

"What ball, Red?" she asked, cheekily "I don't have a ball." She held up two empty hands, grinning.

"The ball you just put in your pocket!" Red shouted, frustrated.

"What's going on here?" a deep voice shouted.

Both redheads froze.

"N-nothing, sir," Rose said, pulling the ball from her sweater. She gave it back to Red as a tall, black haired centaur came through the trees. A small girl trailed behind.

"Jay told me that she wanted to play with you, but after seeing how rowdy you two are, I forbid it," the centaur said. "It is unfitting for a young mare to take part in such foolishness."

"But *Dad!*" the young filly protested.

"Do *not* argue with me!" the stallion roared and he whipped his hand across the young girl's cheek.

Tears pricked at Jay's eyes, but she said nothing. She gave a long look towards her two friends, then she followed reluctantly after her father.

Fawn poked me. "Freddy, we have to do something," she said.

I shrugged. "Not our herd, not our problem," I said, simply.

## Chapter 5

**Jay:**

All I had asked of Rose and Red was to behave while my father was there, but I guess that was too much for them.

Anyways, my dad hit me often, as he thought that my behavior was unfit for a young mare, such as my self – I was used to it. I really didn't care about the pain that it caused, because it was the only time he'd pay any attention to me, when I disobeyed.

I used to follow the rules, but he was always so busy doing other things and never gave a second glance at me. I was just a burden that was passed onto the mares. The mares had cared for me since I was a young filly, because mother had left when I was very young. I had always tried to get my father's attention, but it would always be "Not now," or "I'm busy, Jay."

I sighed. Rose and Red were the only *real* friends I had, but now I wouldn't be allowed to hang out with them anymore.

Once we got back to the herd, Dad went over to a white mare with blond hair, her name was Winter.

"Make sure Jay stays out of trouble," my father said.

She nodded, and I knew that she would keep that promise. The rest of the herd was afraid of my father, as he punished them as well if they did something wrong. One of the stallions in the herd had left, saying that my father was abusive, but I think that he is just over protective; He doesn't want anyone getting hurt.

I lay down next to my sleeping half-brother, folding my legs underneath me. I sighed, glancing at Crow. I was jealous of him because, while my father ignored me, Crow got to spend lots of time with him, as he was next in line to be leader.

## Chapter 6

**Fawn:**

I winced as the stallion struck the girl on the cheek.

After they left, I poked my brother.

"We have to do something!" I told him, but he just shook his head.

"It's not our herd, so it's not our problem."

I stared at him as he walked away. Of *course* it was our problem! We were here when it happened, so it *was* our problem!

I turned back around and saw that the two redheads were still there. I started towards them and they whipped around.

"Hey!" I called to them "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

They seemed wary, but I didn't really blame them.

"I'm Fawn, by the way," I said.

"How fitting," Red remarked, snarkily.

"Red!" Rose hissed "Be nice!"

"I was wondering about your friend," I said, cutting to the chase "What is it with her dad?"

"Jay's from the Northern Herd," Red said.

"The Centaur one," Rose put in.

"No, duh," Red retorted.

"Anyways, her father is the leader and is very strict," Rose explained.

"A little too strict, if you ask me," Red muttered.

I nodded. "He seems a bit cruel," I pointed out.

"A little bit, yeah," Rose agreed.

"So, where's *your* herd?" Red asked.

"I don't really have a herd," I admitted "Just me, my brother, and a few friends."

Red nodded. "So sorta like us, then. It's just me and my sister, Rosetta." He paused "Hey, mind if we tag along with you for a while? Jet won't be too thrilled if he finds us here later," he admitted.

I hesitated – would it be okay with Rowan if I brought them back? She seemed pretty much in charge. I decided there would be no harm in trying.

"Uh, sure," I told them "I'm sure nobody will mind."

Rose smiled and the two followed me back to the clearing.

## Chapter 7

**Fang:**

I woke up to the smell of freshly killed squirrel. I opened my eyes to see that someone had left one a few inches from my nose.

After I ate, I left the den to find Star and Rowan sunning themselves in the center of the clearing. I was about to go join them when Freddy returned. I went over to him.

"It's getting colder," I pointed out.

He snorted. "Thanks for pointing out the obvious," he retorted. "By the way, you smell like something died."

"Whatever," I growled "I'm trying to be nice, so you could at least do the same."

He stared at me.

"Anyways, I noticed you don't have a den like the rest of us," I tried again.

"I share one with Rowan," Freddy said.

"Okay, well, then what about your sister?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess she'll need one for when the cold comes," he admitted.

"You gonna share with her?" I asked.

"Nope," he said simply.

"Any reason why?" I asked out of pure curiosity.

"She's too annoying," Freddy said.

I chuckled. I could get to like this guy.

"I know what you mean," I said, nodding to where Star and Rowan were still napping.

He gave a small smile. "You're not so bad," he said and I smiled "For a werewolf," he added.

I laughed. "Well you're not so bad, for a cervitaur," I retorted.

He smiled. "So want to help me build a den for my annoying sister?" he asked.

I laughed. "Sure."

## Chapter 8

**Star:**

After hunting for most of the morning, I dropped off a squirrel for Fang.

Rowan and I decided to lay on the rocks in the middle of the clearing, since it was a cool day and the rocks would be warmed by the sun.

I had just dozed off when Fawn came back, two younger cervitaurs trailing behind.

They froze when the laid eyes on me and Rowan and glanced at Fawn.

I nudged Rowan awake. "Fawn brought back some friends," I muttered.

"Be nice," Rowan said, getting up.

I grunted and tried to go back to sleep.

## Chapter 9

**Rowan:**

Star nudged me awake.

"Fawn brought back some friends," she whispered, harshly.

I shook my head; Star wasn't too big a fan of the cervitaurs. "Be nice," I scolded, getting up.

I headed over to the group, smiling.

"Hi, I'm Rowan," I greeted "I see you've already met Fawn."

The girl smiled shyly, while the boy stared warily at me.

"This is Rose and Red," Fawn said.

"Nice to meet you," I said, nodding.

"They were wondering if they could stay with us," Fawn said.

"Only for a little while," Red put in.

"Sure," I said "It'll be nice to have more help around here."

"Come on," Fawn said "I'll introduce you to everyone else."

Before either of them could say anything, she was dragging them over to Keesh's and Snow's shared den.

I smiled, Fawn was kind, but, like Freddy said, she could be a bit overwhelming.

I returned to the center of the clearing and dozed off with the sun warm on my back.

*I grabbed a girl's hand and ran. I heard an angry shout and tried to go faster.*

*"Take Jay and run!" I heard Rose shout.*

*"Yeah, we'll hold him off," Red agreed.*

*Freddy ran alongside me, holding a young boy's hand. I couldn't make out either the boy's or girl's faces.*

*"I'll take Jay back to the clearing, you help distract Jet," Freddy said.*

*I nodded and let Freddy take the girl's hand. I turned around and ran back in the direction we came. I saw a large black centaur and charged at him. I snapped at his legs, but made sure to avoid his hooves.*

*Suddenly, both Star and Fang were at my side, nipping his ankles and dodging his blows. We kept this up for quite a while.*

*Then the centaur was able to get in a blow.*

*He reared up, catching Star upside the head and she fell back. I snarled and bit down hard on his hind leg. He stumbled and turned to face me. I took off, him chasing after me.*