Janice's POV

Dad said I was too young to become a pack sentry. So did all of the other sentries.

Well, I passed the training with flying colours, and they had no choice but to induct me into their midst. And now, here I am. The youngest-ever pack sentry of the Willow Pack, at your service.

Dad's still skeptical sometimes, but I know that he's proud of me deep down.

I traipse through the dark undergrowth, alert, taking in the earthy smell of the ground, the fresh scent of the pine trees, the dappled moonlight overhead.

I detect the faint but unmistakable scent of another wolf.

It couldn't be any of the other packs. They don't smell like that, the undertone of body odour. Could it be a rogue?

Rogues haven't been very common since the 1990s, when the economy tanked and tens of thousands of them were trying to cross the border to find jobs in New Carinthia. Dad used to tell us stories of how we would find them dead in the mornings, having frozen to death in the night. But now they're rare as hen's teeth. We might come across one a month.

The other night sentries are still some way away. I creep closer. I pinpoint the smell as coming from a creek gully a few hundred metres away. I close in as quietly as I can, walking forward as quickly as possible.

I sense another smell, a more pleasant one. I feel my heart race. Could it be? After all these years of fruitless searching, pointless ceremony after pointless ceremony, and thousands of dollars in witch doctor fees, could this be my mate?

I take a step closer. I can see the rogue now. He's asleep in a small hollow under a tree root, at the edge of the gully. He must have trekked a long way to get here.

The intoxicating smell of fresh hay and vanilla fills my nostrils. Mate, my wolf, Clara, tells me. I feel her raring to go. She wants to take over, to go and claim her mate. But I know I can't let her, just yet. I have to wait until the others get here, and then we have to make a decision on what to do with him. He could be dangerous.

I breathe in and try to rein her in.

Clara's POV

The scent is overwhelming my senses. I can't let myself take control of her, and she can't let me take over. I can only hope that she is strong enough to resist my instincts, for the time being.

Despite the turmoil, it is surprisingly quiet inside my head. My inner fox, Star, is giving me the silent treatment again. We just had a big bustup the other day, and she still hasn't spoken to me since.

We never seem to get along these days. We haven't since Janice had her first shift. I'm just worried that she isn't making the right choices in life. She thinks I'm being overbearing.

The scent washes over me again, stronger this time. It takes every fibre of my soul to resist the urge to take over Janice.

Star's POV

Clara's going crazy again. Probably getting excited over a potential mate again. There's more to life than that, Clara. Surely you know that by now.

It's funny, because I can still remember when we were little, when we didn't have to worry about life and we could just be carefree, and we were the best of friends. Now all she does is nag, nag, nag. I can make my own choices just fine, Clara. I don't need your stupid advice.

Cora, my inner lynx, she understands me. She doesn't question my every move. I don't have to justify my every action to her. With her, I can just be.

Cora's POV

I would never desert or betray Star. She's been there for me when things have been tough. But I can't just stand idly by and just let her talk to Clara like that. Clara's just looking out for her. She cares about her so much, and to treat her like that? But Star's a very opinionated gal. I don't think I could convince her to stop. She'd probably accuse me of taking Clara's side, and I don't know if our relationship could survive that.

My inner tree frog, Kate, is calling me. She can't talk, but she never fails to cheer me up. I can't see her, but I imagine that she's got a smile on her face. Show me the way, Kate. Show me the way.

Kate's POV

Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!

Emma's POV

Isn't Kate a sweetie? I wish we all had as much joie de vivre as her, especially Star.

You're probably wondering who I am. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Emma, Kate's inner garden snail. Kate's a very optimistic soul, and she can take care of herself, but there are times when she's down, usually when Clara and Star are fighting. And that's when I step in.

I hear a stirring come from within me. Daphne, my inner three-toed sloth, stirs. This is a pretty rare occurrence, given that she's usually asleep.

Daphne's POV

Ah. I've only been awake for a little while, but I'm already tired. Everything is so tiring. Emma is trying to communicate something to me. It doesn't sound too urgent. Hopefully it can wait, and I'll worry about it tomorrow.

I let out a yawn. I hear Julie, my inner stag beetle, begin to say my name. But I don't catch the last part of it, as I have already nodded off.

To be continued...