The rest of my day went by as a blur. Tristan had to go help with a lone wolf that was causing trouble, and Helaku had to do something with his scouting group. I was left alone until the ceremonies second test.

Right now I look down into the pond. The tree's around me green and yellow. The polar tree's would be bare by next week, winter is creeping closer and closer. My face stares back up at me. Tonight feels different, I feel less nervous.

"Are you ready? "My mother ask's from behind me. I turn to look at her. Her and Helaku look very similar, with their white coats, and loving stare. Everyone adored my mother. Helaku couldn't make it tonight, and I can't help but feel disappointed. I wanted to him to see me start my next test. I sigh and walk towards my mother. We walk in silence, unlike last night. A breeze begins to pick up, bringing with it a chill. I shiver and look to my mother. She had stopped and is a couple feet behind me.

"Mother?" I ask. She looks at me and starts to shake. A whimper escapes her lips."Mother! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I say hurriedly, running over to her. Then I realize she is crying. Wolf crying. Her eyes are squeezed shut, and she grimaces. Wolves don't usually cry, but when they do it's mainly whimpering and gasping.

"My baby is all grown up!" She wails helplessly. I go to her and nuzzle into her neck. Her scent envelopes me, pine and soil.

"Its okay mom, I will always be your pup."I murmur. She cries and nuzzles me for a little while longer before she backs away from me.

"Im going to miss you."She says. I shake my head.

"Im not leaving mother. Even Helaku stayed in your den,"I tell her. She sighs, and then starts walking again. We reach the clearing, earning a series of howls from the wolves around us. I spot Shasa in the crowd. She gives me a look of encouragement before joining into the howl. We walk up to the ledge where the Alpha's stand.

"Welcome Aiyana, tonight we will be giving you the second test of your coming of age ceremony."Another chorus of howls. Dakota waits for the interruption to pass."You will be tested in, " Dakota looks around at the wolves staring up at him, " The Scout Rank!"

Joy floods me. This was the test I have been waiting for. I have been training and getting advice from other wolves, just so I could ace this challenge.

"You will bs joining Sam's group tonight. He will watch your progress. " Dakota explains. I look over to a groups of wolves. A white and grey wolf stans in the middle of them. Sam I'm guessing. A black wolf, pale brown wolf, and a dark grey wolf, stand in a huddle. Then a familiar face steps out from the crowd. Helaku beams at me, and starts to make his way towards me.

"I get to keep watch of you tonight," He goes to stand next to me,"I'm also going to be your partner." I bump his side, and look over to the pale brown wolf that had made his way over to us.

"I think she should be my partner,"He states in a rough voice. His greasy, matted fur shines sickly in the moonlight. The wolfs eyes look far off in the distance, not quite looking at me. I cringe away from his scent. This wolf was not very old, maybe a couple years older then me, but you can tell that he is diseased. A decaying smell emits from him.

"Back off Clyde, she's my responsibility, " Helaku growls at him. Clyde shoots a nasty glare towards Helaku before he walks away. As he walks to the group of wolves, I turn towards Helaku.

"You didn't have to be so harsh with him, " I say, keeping my voice low. Helaku shakes his head, letting a few loose hairs float to the ground.

" I didn't like how he was staring at you, and I could tell that it was bothering you too,"He states. I look over at the group. Clyde stares at me from across the expanse.

"He does creep me out a bit,"I admit. Helaku leans closer to me.

"Rumor has it that he is Clunked. " My brother whispers to me. I sneek another glance at Clyde. That would explain his sickly appearance. Clunked is the term we use to describe a rabid wolf. They always end up going crazy and attacking anything near by, even pack members. Most of the time though they end up getting lost in the wild, or getting themselves killed.

" Okay rank-less, are you ready? " Sam calls to me, raising his voice to get my attention. I give him a quick nod, trying not to look hurt by the nickname given to subordinates. "So, we will do this like any other regular patrol. Clyde and Rodney, you guys take the Eastern Border. Zane and I will take the Western Border. We already have a team South, so Helaku and Aiyana, you guys take the North side." Sam order. He earns a nod from everyone."head out."

Helaku and I waste no time jogging to our North Border. The bare trees sway in the wind, causing their naked branches to knock together. This creates a steady whisper, adding to the howl of the now strong breeze.

" We're here, " Helaku states. He slows to a walk, and heads over to a ledge protruding from the ground. Using his claws, he hauls himself on top of the rocks. I go a little farther. My nose touches the ground, I sniff the dorment trails left by animals a while ago. The newest scent was a fox that had crossed this path a day ago.

Finding nothing on the ground, I tilt my head up, testing the air. Nothing. All I smell is the warm scent of fallen leaves and soil.

"We need to..."I cut Helaku off mid sentence.

"Patrol along the border of the territory, and notify the partner if we find anything." I finish for him. He looks at me, annoyed and slightly impressed.

"I didn't think you actually listened to my advice,"He states. I shrug, and I head off along the Western side of the border. Helaku went off along his side. His presence slowly disappears, leaving me alone with the forest. The sound of my paws hitting the ground sound very loud. My senses sharpen as I here the wind howl.

Whenever I came to a major path, I would stick around there, sniffing and testing the air.

After what seems like a life time, I hear footsteps approaching. I crouch down under a bush, waiting for the animal to come into view. A dark furred animal walks into sight. Not a bear. I let out a sigh of relief when I realize that my path and Zanes path must have overlapped.

I hop out from under the underbrush, making Zane jump.

"Sorry,"I quickly say to him. He just looks at me with a calm stare.

"No, that was very good, I didn't even hear you approach."He compliments me. He looks past the tree's, and out into the valley beneath us, perking his ears up.

I crouch like him, keeping my guard up."What is it?"I ask him. He curses under his breath.

"The Fire Furs."He hisses. I look into the the valley, and sure enough I see four wolves making there way through the brush. There scent floats up to us. Definitely Fire Furs. And they are heading into our territory. The fur on my back rises, and I let out a low growl.

"We need to go confront them," I begin to walk towards them, but Zane moves in front of me.

"If you want to alert the entire forest of this meeting, you better go ahead and stomp through the tree's. Thats not what we need right now, so just follow behind me and don't speak unless spoken to."He explains. I nod. He looks back at the group of wolves before going into the tree's.

I follow behind him quietly, keeping track of where we are in my mind. The land slants downward as we get closer to the wolves, and the tree's begin to thin out. The valley was near, but the Fire Furs were closer.

Soon we hear voices from the other wolves. They were ahead of us, speaking in hushed tones.

"Dale, we should just take care of the bears ourselves,"A smooth voice say's. His tone sounds angry, but not enough to start a fight.

"Raven you know why we can't do that. All the other pack's will want to know about our plan," The wolf that is probably Dale retorts. Silence follows, indicating the conversation had ended. Once Zane was sure about the wolves, he emerges from our hiding place.

"This is Silver Claw territory, state your business," Zane says with authority. The group of Fire Furs back up a little. A grey, well built wolf steps forward, and everything crashes down on me.

His eyes are the color of the moon, and his fur shines like it was laced with silver. This wolf has a certain air to him. He is a leader, and a strong one too. His eyes also show compassion, love and respect for thos sround him. I stand there gasping, still hidden from veiw.

"We come to inform the Alpha's of a plan. The grizzlies have crossed to many lines, and we would like to put a stop to this."The grey wolf tells Zane in a husky voice. Cautiously I step out from under the bush, and I test the air. It is full of tension and stress. I scan each wolf's face until I meet the grey wolf's eyes,

Everything melts away. One thought bounces around in my head. Mine.

____________________________________________________________________

Okay! I finished the chapter! Sorry for the delay guys, and I hope I nwver lose my work again. This vhapter is EXTRA long. Baron is going to have a very intense chapter when I finish writing it (hint, hint)

I would like you guys to meet Baron! The picture in this chapter is of Baron, and I hope the wolf is strong enough looking.

Thanks for sticking with this story!

~Sierra

Word Count : 1 760