The elders bowed their head as they walked past me.  I held in a groan.  No matter how many times I told them to not do that, they still did it.  I couldn't really blame them either.  They were old and stuck in their ways.

The top ten fighters followed behind the elderly. They smiled and assured me they would handle the front.  I thanked them for their dedication to the pack.  The regular pack members followed afterwards. I assured them of a safe journey to the new location. They gave their little ones fearful expressions.

We may be predators, but that doesn't mean we weren't something else's prey.

I smiled as a little girl ran to catch up to her parents.

I let my smile drop as my remaining of my top twenty warriors took the rear of the group.  They, too, assured me of a safe trip as they shifted.

I nodded and waited a few seconds before going in the direction my pack went.

My bones snapped and readjusted as I shifted into my wolf.  I sniffed the air to check for dangers. I didn't find any.  I kept my attention on my surrounding.  I howled out a deviation as I caught a scent of something.  The reply from the elders told me they caught the scent and would go the new direction.

The fur on my neck rose as I noticed the scent only increased.

I swallowed down my rising panic and anger as I howled out new directions. I could hear the worried mumbles of my people.

I growled as I felt a presence gain on me from the sides. I howled out instructions to the pack and the warriors.

I stopped where I could hear the unknown was running to.  Five of my rear gaurds flanked my sides.

A little girl, no older than ten, tumbled out of the darkness.  Her hair was littered with sticks and leaves. Tears left clean trails on her dirt covered face.  Her clothes were ripped and tattered. They looked like they had never been washed.

She gave a cry of relief as she saw us.  The young girl stumbled and got on her hands and knees, anf her tiny body shook as she begged. "Quick!  Please! You have to help!  My mother is going to die if you don't!"

I shifted and pointed at three of the warriors. "Go back to the pack. Tell them to stop and take a break." I glanced at the other two. "You will come with me."

I turned back to the little girl and knelt. "Take us to your mother."

She sobbed, but got up, wiped away her tears, and dashed off into the forest. My warriors and I easily kept up to the little girl.

The longer we ran, the more prominent the smell of blood became. I grew surprised I hadn't smelled any on the little girl.

I sucked in a shocked gasp as a middle-aged woman weakly grasped at claw wounds all over her body.  A dead bear laid a few feet away.

My warriors gave the woman a look of wonder.

I quickly ran over to the mother.  The daughter followed, pestering me on if she would be okay.  I growled out my demand for her silence.  The little one whimpered her objection, but held her questions.

I inspected the wounds, and clicked my tongue at the injustice.

She wouldn't live.  The bear had made ground meat out of the mother.  It was amazing she still breathed.

"She won't make it." I looked to the woman's face.  Sweat thickly coated her features. I jumped as she gripped my arm tightly.

"Protect them.  He'll come for them sooner or later.  Markis can't have them."

I frowned at the message and stared at the hand as her grip loosened and fell onto the forest floor.

Sobs broke the silence, and I looked over my shoulder at the little girl. "Who's Markis?"

The girl's wide, tearful gaze snapped from her mother to me to back to her mother.  My warriors gave me a disapproving look.  I held back a flinch.

I should have known it wasn't the right time to ask.

I turned back to the mother.  She deserved to be burned for her bravery and sacrifice, but I couldn't afford to take the time to do so.

I stood and tapped my foot my.

Wilson spoke, "Sir, we left earlier than planned and made good progress today.  We should give her a proper burial."

I tapped my foot harder. "But it'll unsafe to stay on the roads longer than necessary."

Jankins cleared his throat. "Beg your pardon sir, but it's no trouble for Wilson and I to stay behind and do what's necessary.  We can run during the night to catch up."

I looked between the two. "You would be okay with that?"

They both nodded, and I sighed as I looked down at the little girl. "Okay. Do it.  The little girl can't keep up with you, so she'll​ have to come with me and travel with the rest of the pack."

"No!"

I blinked at the little girl in shock. "I can't just leave you on your own."

"We have to retrieve my siblings first!"

My eyebrow shot into my bangs. "How many siblings do you have?"

The girl looked down at her feet as she sniffled. "There are three of us.  It's just my two younger brothers and me."

I nodded, "Show me the way."

Wilson and Jankins got to work as the little girl lead me to her siblings.  We found them cowering in a grove hidden beneath a tree.

The little girl whispered something to them, and two identical boys crawled out.  They looked about seven years old.

Their sister introduced us as I knelt to look them in the eyes. "I am Alpha Milo Sarla of Sidus.  I'm going to take you to my pack, and we will find you a new place to live when we get to our winter home, okay?"

They glanced at one another and nodded their agreement.  I picked up the little girl, as she had been the one running around the forest looking for someone to save her mother, and held the hand of one of the boys.

I stared down at them as I made my way back to the pack.

Who is Markis?  Why does he want them? When will he come for them?