This chapter is not edited, so beware of mistakes.

wake up on a pile of brown leaves. White clouds float up as I look around. At first it seems like a normal morning. Then I remember last nights events. Baron, Dale, and Raven had been in the clearing when I left, and I wasn't going to stick around longer hen I had to. Being around all of this excitement in the past day had really tired me out.

With a sigh, I sit up, stretching my stiff limbs. Mom, Dad and Helaku were no where in sight. They must have went out with there ranks, leaving me alone. Being rankless is not my favorite pass time, but this was soon going to change. Today is my last test: the Warrior rank.

My nerves have basically been fried, and I feel as if I should be more nervous, but in reality I am as calm as I possibly could be.

A white light shines throught the opening of the den. I walk over to it, cold air pouring down on my face. My head pokes out from the den, I squint, letting my eye's adjust to the brightness. Slowly I open my eye's, and I see a blanket of snow laying over the once brown ground. Only a few bare bushes poke through the snow.

Instead of feeling excited like the rest of the pack, I feel sadness. Winter has never been my favorite season, due to Rosa...

The lump in my throat threatens to make me cry. I hold back a sob, laying ing the entrance of my den. I can still remember, y excitement of that day.

Rosa and Helaku race ahead of me, yipping and yapping. The bare, brown tree's fly past us. Then suddenly Helaku comes to a halt. Rosa goes a few yards ahead, then turns around to face us. A shallow dip is layed out in front of us, with a small creek trickling off of the ice. I gaze around until my eye's fall on a large cream shape. It's long tail flicks back and forth. The beast sits on a frozen rock, watching the forest. Watching us.

"Rosa... we should go back," Younge Helaku states. Rosa stands staring at the cougar, barely even blinking. A low whimper comes from me.

"Wouldn't it be cool if we took down one of those? The Elders would be so impressed!"She whispers back at us. Rosa is always the one looking for an exciting thing to do, but this just seems out of hand. Momma would not approve.

"Rosa, Helaku's right," I speak up. She shakes her head, and looks back at the cat. All three of us fall silent when we see that it had disappeared.

"Maybe we should-" Rosa is cut off by a growl.

"Aiyana. Run," Helaku mumbles under his breath. Just then, through the bare tree's, I can see the dark feline shape of the Cougar. Without thinking, Helaku pushes me in the opposite direction. Terror flows through me, filling me with adrenaline. The feline begins to jog after us, like a cat playing with it's next meal. Rosa! The sudden thought makes me stop. She is behind Helaku and I.

"Go! I'll catch up to you!" She shouts at me. Before I could respond, Helaku's body was in front of me again, pushing me to run. I turn my head back around, using the adrenaline to fuel my run.

The breathing of the cat is heavy. It lets out a terrible growl from far behind us. Without looking, Helaku and I keep running. The tree's fly by us, and that is when I noticed the silence.

I begin to slow, but Helaku stops me, "Keep running," He pants. With fear and dread settling in, we burst throught the tree's, startling the pups, and watchers lounging in the snow. Ignoring the shouts from the other pups, we rush back to our den.

Momma pokes her head out from the opening, mindful of the ice hanging over head.

"What is going on?" She ask's Helaku. He swallows before answering.

"We were just going into the forest, then... then the...the Cougar showed up..." He trails off. Worry replaces confusion one my mothers face.

"Where is Rosa?" I look back into the forest, expecting her to come hopping through any moment. "I must go tell the Alpha's. Stay in the den."

We didn't argue with mom that day. We could see the anger, fear, and stress written on her face. She had notified the Alpha's, and they sent a search party out for Rosa. They even hunted for the Cougar. But it was like they had both disappeared.

That was the last time I saw my older sister.

The sobs have escaped now, racking my body with sadness. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." I mutter to myself, over and over again. Eventually the words get lost in my sobs. That day I could see a part of Helaku that had disappeared. The spark in his eye was gone. He had grown up a little that day. Helaku was never the playful pup ever again.

I don't know how long I have sat here, but the sun raises higher in the sky. The Cougars growl echos in my head. I sit in silence on the outside, but with chaos in the inside.

"Aiyana?" A kind voice says from beside me. I turn my head to the female wolf standing a few feet away from me.

Bell's silver white coat shimmers just like the snow on the ground. The black laced parts of her coat gives her a strikingly peaceful look. She always looks like she is about to lay down and take a nap, but in reality, she is a very active, energy filled wolf.

"Are you okay?" She ask's me. Her black eye's glimmer with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The nerves are finally catching up to me," I lie, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if Helaku wanted to go for a quick snack hunt, but it looks as if he isn't around," She answer's me. I nod, already guessing that it had something to do with Helaku.

"I don't really know where he is, but I can tell him you came over when I see him," I promise. She nods her thanks, and walks away into the tree's, leaving a trail of footprints in the snow.

I pick myself up, deciding to head to the pond. My stomach rumbles in protest. It feels empty, it has been two days since my last meal. The squirrels that I had seen yesterday are now sleeping int their tree nests, so that option of a snack was out. The blanket of snow has no blemishes, the animal tracks are just not present.

Sighing, I keep walking through the grey and white forest. The crunching of my feet keeps me company during my trip. I am heading to my pond. Our pond.

Soon the little water hole comes into view, its surface frozen over. Small snow drifts litter the edges of the bank. I walk up to the ice, staring down into the frozen water.

This pond was where Helaku and I went to after Rosa's...disappearance. Soon we started coming here to escape pack life, and to escape any stress.

Cold air surrounds me, wrapping me in a frozen blanket. The tranquility of this spot soothes my nerves slightly, making me feel less stressed. Tonight is my final test. The test that I will most likely fail at. I am no where near a warrior. They are brave, strong, wise and well...just not me. I am the total opposite of a warrior. I am quiet, afraid of everything, I don't work well under pressure, and I am not very strong.

For these reasons, I am positive that I will not make it into this rank. The sun overhead slowly inches it's way to the noon point, indicating how long I have been sulking. I am usually not the one to waste this much day light.

"I thought you would be here," Helaku's smooth voice calls out to me. Not looking, I hear him approaching. The snow crunches softly under his weight. "You do know the final test starts early."

His statement shocks me,"Why?" I ask him.

Helaku answer's as if it where obvious, "They want to finish before high moon, so we can start your celebration, ranking, and first rank howl."

This makes enough logic to me, so I don't ask any more questions. Helaku sits down beside me, staring at the frozen pond.

"Bell was looking for you," I state. Helaku looks up with a wolfish grin.

"Really?" He chuckles, "I was busy with the Fire Fur plans. Zane asked me to help him sort through the terms and rules for Baron. I guess he accepted the consequence for acting out."

I groan. I totally forgot about Barons punishment. That wolf would have to stay in my pack. The thought of seeing him every day gives me a sense of dread, and a slight sliver of excitement. Not enough to cause any big feelings, but it is there, in the back of my mind.

Shaking my head, I stand up, stretching my body, and go to the edge of the ice. I put my front paws flst onthe frozen water, pushing down enoigh to break through the thin layer. Ice cold water stirs beneath the ice, looking black. I put my snout through the hole, feeling the chilly water touching my muzzle.

"Come, we must meet witht he Alpha's, they would like to start the test," Helaku states. I just nod. We walk back into the forest, leaving the pond behind.

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Thanks for reading this chapter!! I really didn't like writing this.

This chapters picture is of young Helaku, on the left, and Young Rosa, on the right.

Word Count: 1 655