Shadow and Dawn watched as the omega, Alphie, picked through the scraps and bones of their meal. The omega always had last pick, and usually only got cold bones stripped from the flesh. Alphie was a very skinny, bony orange wolf. His ribs jutted out, and his legs were wobbly. He had dull, green eyes, grayed from weakness. He dared not look into the eyes of the alpha, who was watching him steadily through narrow eyes, making sure he didn't take more than what he was allowed. Shadow could hear some wolves snickering under their breath. It must be a big embarrassment to live as an omega. 

As the daughters of the alpha and the beta, Shadow and Dawn got to pick right after Meadow, who picked after Alpha. The venison meat started growing cold from the freezing temperatures that stayed all year round. 

The order the wolves got to get their share was the alpha, the beta, Shadow and Dawn, Ice the third hand wolf, and the rest. The wolves who were the best fighters picked after, and the rest sorted themselves out. Then Timber after the fighters, and finally the omega. 

Alphie, being the omega, was basically a toy for other wolves. Even wolves from other packs could look down on him. He was beat and made fun of, and no one did anything about it. Meadow kept Shadow and Dawn from trying to help Alphie to prevent them from humiliation. 

"Just don't pay attention to him." Meadow would say, "He just isn't as fortunate as us."

Alphie wasn't paying attention as Flow, a blue-ish gray wolf and the second best fighter, tripped him over with her paw. Alphie fell on his face and everyone cracked up laughing. Alpha's expression stayed the same, Meadow's face turned to pity, and Shadow and Dawn looked down at their food, trying hard not to stare at the omega. 

The bones of the prey soon grew frozen, glazed with frost. It lay in the middle of the cave, like a bone pile. Two of the lowest fighters, Click and Feather, were assigned to take the bones outside the cave and bury them. The wind was howling louder than an entire herd of buffalo clamping their hooves on the cave floor. The powdery snow whisked around in the air, making white swirls. Click and Feather grabbed some bones in their mouths and tried hiding their faces against the wind. They passed the omega's den. It was a little nook just outside the entrance, and it was very small. It had very little protection from the elements of the outside. Alphie lay there, not moving.

Feather, a fluffy, delicate white wolf with gray eyes accidentally stepped on Alphie's tail, but he didn't move. She let out a little gasp of surprise and stumbled over. Click looked back with confusion as he was going over the drag the rib cage to the prey burial place. He trudged over in the deep snow and stood next to Feather. Alphie still didn't take notice.

Click prodded the omega with his front left paw, he felt frozen solid. Feather crouched down and looked into Alphie's eyes, they were dull and his eyelids hung over them. She sniffed him, but he only smelled of cold. Click gave him one last nudge which rolled Alphie on his side. Nothing happened.

"Do you think..?" Feather started.

"He's dead, let's tell Alpha." Click answered. They showed no remorse or grief for the poor wolf as they ran inside. Their paws made a soft shuffling sound on the hard cave floor, which was now warmer then the numbing snow that blanketed the ground outside.

"Alpha!" Click shouted. Shadow perked her ears up from were she was sitting, bored out of her mind. 

"What peasant!?" Alpha roared as he paused his conversation with Ice. Ice looked down on Click with disgust, obviously thinking he was better.

Click, with Feather behind him, crouched down in a submissive position. But still spoke boldly, "Alphie had froze to death while we were tasking the bones to the prey burial place."

The wolves listening let out quiet gasps, but of surprise and not worry or sadness. Alpha sat perched on his rock for a moment, then finally broke the silence, "Very well, he was too weak to survive a flurry." Then he went back to his oh-so-important talk with Ice.

Dawn came up to her sister, "Who do you think will be the next omega?" 

"Probably Tooth." Shadow answered. Tooth was a tiny, dark gray runt with green eyes. He wasn't very agile and was the lowest fighter. Right now he lay down against the walls of the cave, playing with a little pebble with his paws.

He would also have to get the mark of the omega, which was three scars down their right eye. The scars stood for loss of dignity, rank, and power. The wolf would be tied to little spikes in the ground with frozen vines, and in front of everybody the Alpha would blow three scars with their paw. And they would be permanent, they could not heal. You would then be omega for the rest of your life, for there was no hope of moving up in the ranks ever again.