Fresh powdery snow was beginning to drift in fat flakes from the underside of thick iron grey clouds hanging low in the sky, Coding the already snowy landscape with an unblemished layer of white. Between the snow, the frosty temperatures, and the way that each breath fogged in the air in front of mouths and noses, mother nature was giving the impression that winter was arriving early, though autumn's glory and warmer temperatures were still clinging desperately on the valley floor. Yet higher on the mountain's shoulders and head, winter was beginning to cling unforgivingly to the landscape.

Though it was only the middle of the day, everything seemed to be suspended in an early evening glow. Far below the looming clouds, two wolves threaded their way across the fresh powder in a winding line that threaded through the trees of the mountain forest, their lithe figures expertly maneuvering around snow laden bushes and frosty trunks, ears perked as they both seemed to be listening to a group of younger wolves farther ahead of them. Puffs of white fog erupted from their open muzzles as They kept up a steady ground eating lope, pink tongues lolling out as they panted With the exertion.

The Larger leading wolf Was a shaggy thick coated male, his fur as blindingly white as the surrounding snow, but changed abruptly to black along  each of his legs from shoulder and hip down to his toes and the majority of his face, save for the fringes of his cheeks and the top of his forehead, the color fading slightly closer to the edges, becoming a dark grey. A pale grey stripe also ran from the base of his skull to the middle of his tail, this raised high in the air behind him.

His companion Was a smaller and lithly Built creature, with ample Amounts of fluffy white fur That made her appear bigger then she actually was. But splashed unevenly across her back in a saddle pattern, tipping her bushy tail, And splashed onto each of her paws and ears As well as a streak above her pink nose were spots of reddish brown. Then, As if this hadn't been enough, it appeared as if someone had taken paint the exact same shades Of her coat And randomly splattered the opposite color with speckles, creating a multitude of rusty speckles in her white areas and a handful of white within the red.  If the way her tail kept waving In the air behind her was any indication, her personality was as sweet as the powdered sugar her fur resembled.  At least, she was as much as she could, despite being a werewolf. Vivid gold eyes Sparkling with bright excitement, She somehow managed to bounce Forward and playfully nip at the end of The tail in front of her, erupting Into mental  giggles as it brought her companion to an abrupt halt, his icy blue gaze falling on her And staring disapprovingly.

[I]"Cassidy,"[/I] he projected his thoughts sharply into her mind, releasing a loud  huff, [I]"This is no time to be playing games. You're old enough to know that, especially-"[/I] His ears turned back against his head as this resulted in further giggles that interrupted him, definitely not the result he had been hoping for. A small crease formed along his forehead, Making him look more worried than anything, especially not the anger that he felt bubbling up.

Briefly baring her white teeth in a wolfish Version of a grin, Cassidy seemed thoroughly unfazed as she bounced forward once again and swiped her tongue across the puckering in his forehead, probably because she knew she could out run the larger male if she needed to, The idea making her tail wiggle happily. [I]"Aw, my dear brother Hutch,"[/I] she chirped as she plopped her rump in the snow And began to create her own version of a snow angel with her bushy Appendage., [I]"You're just grumpy because we have to plow through fresh snow."[/I] Her fur puffed up a little as she saw him open his mouth to refute her statement and she quickly added, [I]"and the fact that no fresh game has shown up for the youngsters to prove themselves with."[/I] At this, she tilted her head in the direction of the three younger wolves, freshly turned and looking to prove themselves on a first hunt.

Hutch shut his muzzle With a soft click of his teeth, ears lifting Slowly as he regarded his Younger sister. She may not have been his full sibling, his father having found a new mate after his own mother had died, but she somehow had a softening effect On him that couldn't deny his fondness for her. Her near perpetual sphere of happiness was just a bonus he was going to have to live with. At least, that was her opinion. Despite this, it didn't stop the small snort that escaped him in a cloud Of white. [I]"I'm just... worried... What if I completely mess up this whole hunting assessment? I don't understand why our father asked the Alpha to give me this sort of assignment. I don't really... Connect with anyone else. ."[/I]

Cassidy's eyes lit up as if she had just accomplished something very difficult. Her brother didn't normally come out of his shell and admit so readily that he was worried, not even to her. [I]"Exactly! You're so down and stressed that I can't help it. You should be happy that Father has spoken so highly of you to  Thatcher. The Alpha is showing trust in the opinion of his second and in turn is trusting you with something very important. He would never trust me with something as major as testing young werewolves... Maybe he is trying to give you confidence to try and move up in the ranks."[/I] Cassidy piped cheerfully, Jumping up to her paws and shaking out her coat vigorously, dislodging any snow that had had the thought to hitchhike. [I]"Why deny a bit of sunshine?"[/I] She asked brightly, once again turning towards the distant recruits and starting off at a trot, her tail held high.

After a moment, Hutch bounded After her retreating figure, gently biting at her neck as he passed by, prompting them into both running again. [I]"The sun is covered up today Cass."[/I] He said with one of his rare chuckles.

[I]"Exactly why it is called for!"[/I] The she wolf said in a matter of fact tone. [I]"There's nothing quite like the happiness you get from making your brother forget his worries momentarily."[/I] Her head tilted back slightly, her mental laughter strong enough that a barking version of the noise escaped her maw, bubbling up towards the sky.

[I]"well if you want that happiness to continue, you better shut your mouth before you scare off all the prey on the entire mountain."[/I] Hutch growled over his shoulder, receiving a cheeky and completely silent grin in return that made him shake his head ruefully, but smile softly when he was sure his sister couldn't see him doing so. Unbeknownst to him, she did see it, and it made her tail wag.

But soon, sooner than she would have liked, Cassidy found Hutch sinking back into his surly mood from earlier, his thoughts drifting back into all of his concerns. She caught the hint of his thoughts in her mind through the connection with the pack, worrying that if Cassidy was right and their father was trying to push him into challenging for a higher rank, a fight between them would break out inevitably. He wasn't concerned with rising in the pack hierarchy, content with living his life in the middle, showing his dominance just enough to not attract an endless amount of fights, but not giving into the pressure of becoming submissive and sinking to the bottom of the pack where he would be guaranteed to end up The target of someone else's frustration. This thread of thoughts, impressions, and observations she herself had made was enough to put a slight damper on Cassidy's good mood. Growl rumbling silently in her throat, the white and rust werewolf pushed herself up onto the crest of a low hill after her brother, coming to a slow stop as the land fell away before them in a sheer cliff that looked out over an indentation within the side of the mountain. Releasing a slow  controlled sigh, Cassidy flickered her thoughts towards the  new wolves, tasting some of the disappointment and anticipation from the emotions that they had yet to learn to keep from leaking over their thoughts with every connection. With that touch, she was reminded of her task to help her brother make sure the first hunt went smoothly and keep his spirits up. With a renewed hopefulness, she gave her tail a brief wag, body turning away from the cliff and plunging back into the forest after her brother.

Hours had seemed to drag by as the wolves had steadily threaded their way down the mountain side, searching for prey that had fled from the storm. It wasn't until they were nearly to the ground level when they discovered a herd of deer grazing on tender shoots of grass, The younger wolves excitedly working together haphazardly to separate a large buck from the others, Hutch doing his best to guide their actions with comments and images, gaining additional insights after prompting Cassidy to do so. Finally, as the clouds in the sky were beginning to Break apart and lighten to a pale grey tinged with gold, Cassidy  felt a surge of pride from her brother as they watched the trio of newcomers overcome the struggling deer, The animal  sinking to the ground amidst a mass of grey and brown fur.

Unexpectedly, the Black and white werewolf turned his head to look down at her, shuffling his paws. [I]"can I trust you to watch them until I return?"[/I] He asked her, an expression of surprise crossing her face at the sudden request before she nodded once.

[I]"where are you going?"[/I] Cassidy queried curiously, tilting her head to one side.

Hutch seemed to be thinking quickly, shutting down his mental connection tightly so that only his words were able to come across, already turning towards the forest. [I]"I am going to check the border while we're here, give the young ones a chance to enjoy their first kill without me watching over their shoulders.[/I]

Cassidy forced  the look of confusion that had been coloring her expression to  fade away at his words, giving the impression that she had completely bot his excuse. She blinked her golden eyes at him once before she sank to her haunches in the snow free grass, turning her attention back to the feast. One last thought was sent his way as Hutch vanished into the trees. [I]"be safe.[/I] Then Hutch tightly closed off even words from his thoughts and she was left alone with the three new wolves happily gorging themselves on their fresh kill.

With her brother gone, Cassidy was no longer able to divert all of her attention to making sure he was relatively happy. And with the hunt completed, she also couldn't focus on making sure that the task from the Alpha was being pursued either. As a result, she was left to gradually return to an awareness of a distinctly unsettled feeling turning within her stomach, making her feel uncomfortable, nervous, and somewhat nauseous all at the same time. It was as if her subconscious was trying to tell her something, warn her of something that was wrong, but she couldn't quite place her finger, or toe, on The particular dilemma. Heaving a deep sigh, Cassidy had just begun to consider spreading out on her belly when the ground beneath her paws began to tremble and shake.

[I]'Not another one! There aren't even any fault lines here!'[/I] Cassidy thought frantically, digging her partially retractable claws into the ground for stabilization.

[I]" Cassidy! Are you all right?"[/I] Hutch's Voice suddenly flooded back into her mind, worry coloring his tones.

[I]"I... I'm fine. Are you all right?"[/I] she responded quickly.

[I]"All in one piece. And the others?"[/I]

[I]"We're fine. Scott hit his nose on the ground and Jared and I fell over. But nothings broken."[/I] One of the new wolves spoke up, A large chocolatey brown male with a cream colored patch over one eye. If her memory served her right, Cassidy thought his name was Luke.

[I]..."Good. Go with Cassidy and start heading back to the truck... Will head back for the house to make sure that none of the rest of the pack have been injured."[/I] Hutch instructed, each of the wolves besides Cassidy dipping their heads in acknowledgment and turning towards her.

The She wolf nodded her head once sharply before taking point and beginning the run back towards Cottonwood Canyon her thoughts turning towards her mother and father, her pack and her friends. [I]'Please let everyone be safe.'[/I] she thought silently as she and the other wolves ran hard through the snow.