Autumn stared out from the trees. The clearing was beautifully lit by the moonlight, but she was afraid of Scarlet, afraid that she would come for her like she had promised.

Green eyes peered out of a bush from across the clearing and out stepped Fall, his wings glinting in the blue white light. "Autumn?" he called. He was waiting for her!

Autumn decided to finally step out and show herself. If Fall was there, she was safe.

Autumn ran to him and nuzzled noses. "Hey there, big guy," she said.

Fall purred. It was the most wonderful sound Autumn had ever heard, that deep rumble mixed with a high pitched meow in the throat. She licked his muzzle, but when she looked up he was no longer looking at her lovingly. He was staring ahead of him, wide eyed and a blank expression on his face. Blood dripped on Autumn's paws as she saw more of it run from his slitted throat. Autumn screeched in shock and fear until she was taken into darkness.

............................................................

Autumn jumped up, disturbing Fall's slumber. She panted. It was just a dream, she thought. Just a dream.

Moonlight still shone in the night sky, but it was getting close to sunrise. Fall pricked his ears up and opened his eyes. The bleeding had stopped from his scratches, but his head was badly hurt. He would still need a few days for it to be back to normal again.

"Are you alright?" Fall asked hoarsely.

Autumn shook her head, clearing away the bad thoughts that filled her mind. "Yeah. I'm alright. Just a bad dream."

Autumn crawled out of the big nest. "I have to go," she said. "I'll check on you tonight." Autumn figured it was early morning by now.

Fall purred. "Alright. I'll stay put."

"I'll come and bring some food for you if I can get away," Autumn said. She licked his muzzle and then flew away.

.............................................................

Scarlet lay on her side, still achey from the small fight. Her second in command, who was also her son, Bone, padded into the pack leader's den with a dead squirrel in his jaws. He dropped it by her muzzle. "You should eat. The pack needs our leader."

Scarlet sat up with a groan. "Don't worry about me. Have you seen the betas lately? They need to eat! They've been working harder than normal to find food." She growled. "If we had those two Atorinas dead, we'd have enough food to last us for the beginning of Winter."

Bone sat down. "Why do you hate Atorinas so much?"

Scarlet shot up and pinned him to the ground. "How dare you ask such a question!" she snarled. "Don't you know what happened?!"

Bone shook his head, scared of his own mother and hoping he wouldn't be eaten. Scarlet loosened her grip and let him get up before she spoke.

"Back when I was a pup, my father was the leader of the pack," Scarlet said in a sad but angry growl. "He was one of the best we ever had. We thrived under his rule."

Bone pricked his ears, taking in every word.

"Atorinas roamed wild back then. Not many of them, but there was at least one pack of them. We competed for food. One day, while I was hunting, I heard a ruckus. I rushed back to find our pack under attack-by Atorinas."

Scarlet flattened her ears. "I remember my brothers, my mother, and father, laying there."

Bone leaned in. "What do you mean?"

Scarlet looked at, her eyes filled with hatred and sorrow. "Don't you get it?! Even though we killed off most of their species, they killed my family! They deserve to pay! They killed the best leader that we ever had! Every Atorina we see, we will kill in order to avenge their death!"