Dree dodged the razor sharp white teeth that came at her neck as she retaliated with her own snarl and snap of her jaws. “Don’t you dare!” Dree said, projecting her thoughts onto her brother Raj. He backed away but continued his dark glare at Dree. The last slab of deer meat sat right in between them, so enticing as its scent enveloped the small hut. Raj, knowing his sister too well, anticipated Dree’s next move as she attempted to lunge at the meat again, but he easily swiped it before she could. Dree yelped in surprise at her brother. Raj’s low rumble of a chuckle projected into her mind as he swallowed the slab of meat whole, “What is it that the humans say again? You snooze, you lose?” Dree angrily snapped at Raj’s neck, cutting his chuckle short as she bit into the tender part of his throat. “Raj is such a pain”, Dree privately thought to herself, “but I can’t help but love his mangy hide.” 

Suddenly, Feryl walked into the hut, his intensely aggressive mood strong enough to be felt in the air. Feryl had been in an extra aggressive mood since Herule had gained Alpha position. Dree and Raj quickly stopped their sibling rivalry and looked submissively up at Feryl. They tried to avoid his attention as they headed for the exit, but Feryl caught Dree’s ribs as she tried running past him. Pain shot through Dree’s side as Feryl’s teeth sank into her flesh. Her knees buckled in pain and all she could do was wait for Feryl to eventually let her go. Raj avoided getting involved, he knew his ranking in the pack and wouldn’t risk standing up to Feryl, so he ran out of the hut instead. After Dree was finally able to tear away from Feryl, she sprinted for the exit. Blood speckled her side from where Feryl had ripped into her flesh.

“Are you okay?” Raj asked Dree as she caught up to him outside. Dree gave a quick nod, acting like it didn’t phase her, but Raj knew she was affected by the interaction. Although Dree was arranged to be bonded to Feryl, that didn’t stop him from taking his anger out on Dree or anyone else for that matter. “I just need to go be alone for a bit” Dree said to Raj. He nodded understandingly and let her run off in the opposite direction towards the mountains. 

Dree had a favorite spot in the mountains that she liked to go to be alone. With the type of wild and aggressive pack she lived in, she needed her alone time. She was quieter and more contemplative than the rest of her pack so she often escaped to be alone. When she got higher up in the mountain, she looked down at her village, Ferox, as it got smaller and smaller. Dree tried to forget the pain in her side as she walked up the mountainside. Luckily, wounds heal quickly but this one she just received from Feryl was pretty deep so it would still take a little while to fully heal. Dree felt deeply distressed as she thought about her arranged marriage to Feryl. He was the pack’s most aggressive and hard-hearted wolf. He only gained respect through fear and violence, yet this was the wolf she was destined to be bonded with. Dree didn’t feel an ounce of love for Feryl, in fact, tough as she was, she was terrified of him. Unfortunately for Dree, her father owed his life to Feryl and had promised her to Feryl. Dree was lost in this sombre reality as she continued to trek up the snowy mountainside. 

Suddenly, the scent of wild flowers trickled into Dree’s nostrils which made her lift her head in interest. She decided to make a detour to find out where the scent came from. After walking for a few more minutes, the trees became sparse until they disappeared completely around a large field of wildflowers and grass. The scene was absolutely beautiful! Snow covered pine trees that surrounded a colorful spring meadow full of green grass with breath-taking white and purple wild flowers. Dree blinked in amazement as she took in another large whiff of the air. She breathed out deeply. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something white with black and grey sections in the meadow. Dree slowly walked closer until she realized that she was looking at another wolf whom she had never seen before. Then, her heart skipped a beat.