The sun was setting. Time was ticking. That wolf better come back soon. I had been waiting long enough. My fur pricked when I heard a voice to my far left. "Got it!" It was the wolf. He dropped a young buck onto the forest floor.

I stood up and walked toward him. "Cutting it close, huh?" His ears fell back. He looked disappointed in himself and was about to speak, right before I cut him off. "Hey, I'm still impressed. Didn't actually think a scrap like you could come back with something. Well done."  My frown faded into a smile.

"Oh, uh thanks! So does this mean we're a pack now?" His ears perked.

"Well if I didn't know any better, I'd say I recall that being the deal. Now, let's take this back to the den."

"Wait, there's a den?" He questioned.

"I don't know what kind of pack you were raised in, but no duh there's a den." I chuckled before picking up the deer. He joined in, helping me carry it back.

~Two Months Later~

Winter began last month. The days have been hard. Prey was getting lesser and lesser. We needed more territory, so I instructed Mist, my new-ish pack mate to guard the den while I claimed some. We were always aware that another pack lives nearby, and had been planning to take over. The pack consisted of only two wolves, just like us. There was a black wolf and a red wolf, appearing to be mates. We had to dispose of them before potential pups arrived. We had no need for more competition when those little vermin grew.

I picked up my pace, sprinting through the light sheet of snow that blanketed the land. I could see their den in the distance; an old, hollowed our oak. A perfect addition to our territory once we got rid of them. As I got closer, I saw that only the red wolf was out, the other one most likely hunting. I slowed my pace and stalked forward, my pelt blending in perfect with the snow. The wolf looked tired, as if he had been sitting there for a long time. Perfect. This was the time that I sprung up into the air, pinning him down. He yelped. I snickered and prepared to end him quickly, although I was interrupted when I felt a sharp pain in my back. Memories flooded my mind and I completely lost focus as the other wolf who must have been in the den the whole time tore out a chunk of my left ear. I snapped back to reality and yipped, squirming. She let me off with a snarl, but I was free. "Don't ever show your face again!" I heard her howl. Blood trickled onto my face, blurring the vision of my left eye. It was a lot of blood as well. I kept running and didn't look back.

I returned to the camp lightheaded and couldn't help but to collapse onto the den floor. Mist rushed over. "Thunderstorm!" He yowled. I felt his muzzle brush against my face.

"I-I'm fine. Don't worry, I've had worse." I coughed, attempting to gather strength.

Mist lifted his head and pinned his ears back, his expression still just as stressed and crazed as before. "Well that's good to hear, but we still need to stop the blood!" He gathered some moss from the wall of the den and used to to soak up the blood pouring out of my wound. "Now, let's try not to go back there until we both go so that this won't happen again."

I nodded, losing consciousness. The only things I could feel now were anxiety radiating off of Mist and the warmth of his body as he lay down next to me soon after.