Iskra yawned in her cave, her smoldering deep purple eyes blinking awake with the sun. She stood, her lithe, sleek body stretching gracefully. Her black fur blended into the shadows of the cave effortlessly, though it shimmered with purple undertones, licking up her legs and across her sides like subtle flames. She trotted out of the cave to inspect her territory, its quiet morning stillness soothing after her night of troubling dreams. 

She had seen blood sweeping the valley, drenching the ground, her pack drowning in it. 

She had seen a night sky covered in shadows, devoid of light or warmth. 

She had cried out, running, running, running, desperately trying to get to her pack, unable to save them from the blood, from the darkness. 

She woke up twice in the night, sitting up with a lurch, gently padding through the cave system to make sure everyone in her pack was accounted for. Her beta, Dian, who had been on watch, assured her that all was well. She didn't see the look of worry on his face every time she woke, or how keenly he paid attention to her when she was sleeping to make sure she slept soundly. Her brother was loyal, generous, and kind. Iskra was the spicy fire to his smoldering flame. 

But the nagging sense of fear didn't leave Iskra until late in the night, when she curled up tightly against her mother, whose fur blended with hers almost seamlessly, if not for the graying tinge of her fur, and was finally able to sleep. 

This morning, as her pack woke around her, and she heard the yipping of pups, soft conversations, and she breathed in the comfort of her family. 

Dian approached, as his watch was over and he was going to get some sleep, but softly said, "Everything alright, Iskra? Were you able to sleep?" 

"Yes, Dian, I was. Thank you. How is mother doing this morning?" 

Her brother's ears fell back momentarily, sadness clouding orange eyes. Dian was of opposite coloring than Iskra, his fur white with orange hues throughout. He was larger, bulkier, a tribute to their father. But Iskra was every bit her mother's coloring, the rare purple flame wolf whose line had been the Alphas of their pack for generations. 

"She is...growing weaker. I do not think she will be with us for long." Dian responded, his voice low to try and minimize how far it traveled, concern clouding his features.

"I see. Thank you, Dian. I think I'm going to patrol alone this morning. Get some rest, I'll have Agni keep watch of the pups and mother." Dian nodded his head before trotting to the back of the cave to get some sleep in the relative quiet. 

Iskra trotted away from their cave compound, deciding to start her patrol along the Fire Pack and Water Pack border, her lithe, beautiful frame moving with grace. 

[center]~*~[/center]

At the other end of the Valley, nearer the Air Pack's territory, the Earth Pack was digging some new burrows. A large gray and brown wolf trotted between the various digging wolves, murmuring words of encouragement and pointing out places that needed particular attention. From his back appeared to be growing small patches of moss, and the fur on his head is a deeply blended gray and brown, like a crown framing his deep brown eyes. He had not been planning on expanding their burrows today, but had realized late in the evening that with the way their Pack was growing, it was prudent to expand their underground homes now instead of waiting. 

"Tlaloc," a voice called, and the large Alpha trotted over to his beta, Bhumi. "Do you think this tunnel is large enough? You're a big boy, eh, try and fit your shoulders through to see if it'll work," she asked with a cheeky yip. Tlaloc sighed, and ruefully bent down to see if he would fit in the tunnel. 

"Well, I barely fit, but you should ask Shalla since she'll be living here," he responded gruffly, giving Bhumi a playful thwack with his long tail. Bhumi was a sleeker version of him, her deep chocolate brown fur sprinkled with hints of grey and green. Her eyes were a bright, glimmering green, always mischievous, quite beautiful, and never afraid to sparkle with anger at Tlaloc's more reserved nature. 

As Tlaloc walked away, to inspect some more digging, he heard Bhumi call out "Shalla! Come check on this, see if it'll work for you, would ya?" and dipped his head in greeting to the grey she-wolf slowly walking over to Bhumi in response, her belly heavy with unborn pups. 

Tlaloc sat, surveying his territory, his shrewd eyes inspecting the Valley beyond their home. The Earth Pack tended to keep to themselves, and Tlaloc preferred it that way. Most of the Earth Pack wolves were more reserved, Bhumi being their very clear exception to that rule, but something in the air this morning bothered him. 

He wasn't sure if it was the mix of apprehension and excitement that came with new pups coming to the Pack, if it was his naturally suspicious nature, but Tlaloc wanted the digging to be done as [i]quickly[/i] as possible. He wanted his Pack to have the safety of their burrows to retreat to, to know that they were safe. 

"Bhumi! Try and get a move on!" He called back to her, his voice low and deep with urgency. 

"Yah, yah, yah! She called back, flicking her tail at him in annoyance. She tossed her slender head up, irritated at his presumption. "Like we aren't going as fast as we can!" 

He sighed. He knew Bhumi's tendency towards candor and flightiness didn't rankle the rest of the Pack as it occasionally rankled him, but he supposed that's also part of why they made a good team. They looked to her for outward comfort, for a clear direction, for humor and life. 

They looked to him for protection and stability. 

And he would never let them down.