I look down at my paws, and see that I am standing. Curls of fog twine around my white legs, causing them to blur with the surrounding pale mist. I recognize the muted scents and silence almost immediately.

                 I'm dreaming.

      Though I've been here before, I still can't shake the feeling of being watched. Not being watched by the kind yet piercing eyes of Whitetail, but the eyes of a killer who stalks me and thirsts for my blood. The feeling usually subsides when Whitetail arrives.
       I'm almost used to this dream landscape. I know that no matter how much I search, all I will find is endless fog. And after a little bit of time, Whitetail will appear. My amber eyes search the cloudscape, but I know that I won't be able to see anything until it parts for the long dead Alpha.
        While I am waiting, I wonder if this truly is just a dream, thought up out of anxiety and a search for a sense of purpose. Everything seems so realistic and vivid. And unlike most dreams, time seems to progress at a normal rate. I suppose there really is no way of knowing, but deep down inside, it all seems too realistic to be just a dream.
        I pad through the fog, my form slipping through the deep mists, deep in thought. It doesn't take long before my eyes catch a light in the distance. The sound of pawsteps grow closer by the second, and the fog soon parts to reveal Whitetail. The large wolf stands stiffly and silently, bright yellow eyes piercing my own.

"Answer me truthfully, Cadmium." Whitetail speaks calmly. His voice reminds me of a pine branch splitting apart, with the scent of sap filling the air in its wake.

        I nod, unsure of what to say to the Alpha. He got to the point in record time, not even sparing a greeting.

"Do you truly think this is just a dream?" He questions, shifting his shoulders in place.

       My ears straighten slightly. How did he know of my uncertainty?

"W-Well, truthfully, I don't really know what to think. I mean, this is all pretty unexpected and strange..." I stutter, the words spilling out quickly and in a mess.

        The grey wolf chuckles, his white paws churning the thick fog.

"I won't tell you that any of this is real, because I could never prove it. So I will say nothing. It is all up to you."

         My tail lashes once, but I quickly tuck it beneath me again.

"Why do you keep doing this? Why me?" I question, an edge of confusion and slight fear crossing my tone.

"You're doing so well, Cadmium." He assures me.

"That didn't exactly answer my question."

"There are some questions that cannot be answered." He says simply.

         A distant howl sounds in the distance. But unlike my previous dream, Whitetail does not follow it. Instead, it starts to come closer. The large wolf merely turns his head, posture calm and expecting.
         The only other wolf I've ever seen in one of these dreams reveals himself. Even larger than Whitetail, the brown canine's pelt covers bulging muscles. Across his snout, four clawmarks scar his skin. The marks of a bear. The same marks that destroyed my eye. His entire body is riddled with similar scars, I notice. One on his foreleg, another on his back, and several notable smaller ones interrupt his pelt. His pelt is clean, yet ragged in a sense that no amount of grooming can fix. The most noticable wound on him is his right ear, which is completely torn off.
It takes me a moment, but I recognize him from the legends passed down in stories.

                    Bearclaw.

        The most fearsome warrior of the four original Alphas, and the first leader of the Bearclaw Uplands Pack. The strongest. The most powerful. The cruelest. The battle-scarred fighter. I pin back my ears with an instinctive intimidation, and my thick tail is hidden completely between my legs.
         Bearclaw flicks his single ear, and exchanges glances with his fellow Alpha. Whitetail seems too clean and pristine beside his scarred friend. The huge, umber-colored wolf's green eyes turn to meet my own, and I force myself to keep them open. It's very hard to maintain eye contact with a wolf of such prestige.

"A fine wolf, Whitetail. I would have been proud to see her in my own Pack in times past." Bearclaw finally speaks, turning his head to address Whitetail.

         Whitetail smiles with an expression that one could interpret as pride.

"That she is." The grey Alpha agrees.

           Bearclaw's almost friendly face falls, and he turns his gaze back to Whitetail. His expression is stony.

"And that's why I'm going against your better judgement, Whitetail. The Packs need to know about-" Bearclaw suddenly roars, but Whitetail cuts him off with his own vicious snarl.

         The Alpha raises his stormy hackles, white teeth bared.

"You cannot tell them! There are rules, Bearclaw! And we're breaking them just to help the Packs get over the humans! If you let her know, you'll have us all banished! I'm not being cryptic just to mess with her, you must realize!" He growls, advancing on his fellow.

         The larger brown wolf stands his ground, retaliating with his own snarls. It's terrifying, and I back away as inconspicuously as I can. What are they even talking about? I wonder, hunching myself as close to the ground as I can.

"They're all in danger! There are too many odds stacked against them, and they will not be able to rise against them all! It's not possible!" Bearclaw roars, snapping his sharp teeth.

       Whitetail advances even closer, so his snout is practically touching Bearclaw's. He puffs up his pelt as much as he can, and raises his tail. But both of them are in a fight for dominance. As big as Whitetail is, Bearclaw is bigger.
       This is not the feeling I remember from the other dreams. I'm usually confused and scared, but I feel safer around Whitetail. But now, I feel the unknown killer's eyes watching me again. I'm petrified, and I want to leave. But I can't flee in this endless place.

"Have you no faith in the Packs anymore?" Snarls Whitetail, lashing his fully white tail, his namesake.

"You know that I believe in them as much as realistically possible. But this is too much!" Bearclaw retorts.

"That is not up to you to decide!" Whitetail shouts.

"Nor is it up to you!"

         I shift my paws, and lower head. With my teeth clenched and eyes closed, I make a decision. I have to say something.

"What danger are we in?!" I shout suddenly, lifting my head up.

          Green eyes blazing, Bearclaw looks at Whitetail. He bares his teeth, and then turns to look at me. His furious expression drops, and he pads closer to cover the distance that I backed away.

"I'm sorry, Whitetail. They need to know." He says solemnly.

          My ears swivel forward, ready to listen. I nod, signaling for him to go on.

"Cadmium, there's a traitor in your midst. You have to get rid of them before they make any moves. He will rise to destroy you at your weakest moment, and you must be ready." He instructs, eyes constantly flicking back to check for Whitetail's reaction. He hesitates to say the wolf's name, glancing backwards at the grey wolf behind him.

         The entire time he spoke, Whitetail grew even more furious. His hackles raised more, and his teeth were completely visible. I'm scared he could jump on either of us at any moment.

"Who?" I whisper.

         Bearclaw opens his mouth, but no words come out. Only a surprised yelp. Whitetail has leaped onto him from behind, jaws open and teeth ready to catch his pelt. They close around the back of his spine, and he falls to the ground. I'm terrified, and tears cloud my vision.
         Bearclaw rolls around, snapping his own teeth at Whitetail. He buries his fangs in the smaller wolf's white paw, causing him to leap back for a moment. The brown wolf rises quickly, and doesn't hesitate to barrel at his attacker. The fog is churning around them, billowing out in all directions.
          I back away quickly, stumbling through the fog. I try to force myself to wake up, but I can't. I'm trapped. Barely thinking, I turn around and flee from the sparring Alphas. I can't explain why, but I feel the need to get away.
          The fog does not part for me, and I'm stumbling through the milky abyss completely blind. The eyes that I always feel watching me are stronger than I've ever felt them before, and that only increases my speed. If the other nights I was dreaming, this is a nightmare.
        The fog presses against my fur, and I feel as if my eyes are closed. The screen of mist is so thick that I quite literally cannot see my own paws. Not even if I hold them up to my face. The stuff is as dense as snow.
         It takes me a moment to realize that I'm not alone. I can hear four other paws hitting the ground along with mine. It only causes me to run faster. I'm in a state of pure panic, and logic is failing me. Whatever is chasing me, my mind has classified as a threat.
         The pawsteps following me start to move faster, and to my surprise, the fog behind me begins to part. I quickly glance behind me, but whoever it is is entering from my blind side. I can hear the other wolf panting as they come up next to me, still running. They slow to keep pace with my sprint.
      I turn my head completely, and my eyes meet those of a blue grey she wolf. I've never seen a wolf's pelt look this blue before. Even slightly blue fur is rare in Whitetail Valley Pack. But it's fairly common in Storm Creek...
         The she-wolf is only slightly larger than myself, and her ear tips are a dark shade of blue grey that fades into her pelt. Her underbelly is white, and her eyes a soft silver. I'm surprised to see a new wolf in the dream. So far I've only met two, and this is only in one night. The blue grey wolf begins to speak in between heavy breaths.

"Please... so slow down. I'm not here to attack you." She pants.

        Cautiously, my sprint slows to a trot. And that slows to a walk, which ends up as a full stop. My body is poised to leap away at any second, but my chest is heaving, protesting the long sprint. Panting, I lean my head down slightly. My amber eyes are wide, reflecting nothing in the emptiness of the fog. The blue grey wolf continues walking for a second, turning midway so we are face to face.
       The colors in this empty land are muted, but the silver eyes of the she-wolf are glowing brightly. Her features are sharp, yet her expression is soft, calm and kind, leaving me with a natural sense of security. My breaths are heavy, lungs heaving in the cold, damp air.
       My eyes glance over the stranger, trying to place who she may be. My ears flick upwards immediately when my swimming mind catches on a name. An old name, whispered down through generations in tales of her cunning and kindness.

              Storm, the first Alpha of Storm Creek Pack.