Training had become a bit more nerve-wracking for Golden Flower. Though Copper Rock assured her they would not venture far into the woods and it was best she keep up training, the thought of the rogues frightened the she-wolf. She had only been a pup when her father had saved her from that rogue, and though she knew she was larger now and well-trained, she still shivered at the thought of that memory.

While Golden Flower tried her best to focus on training, it was clear that both she and Copper Rock were not focusing well today.

"What do you think will happen?" Golden Flower asked her trainer while practicing a few moves he had shown her.

"Whose to say?" Copper Rock said. The announcement a few days prior had shaken the pack, and everyone was on their guard. Copper Rock seemed to be no exception. He kept his ears perked and gaze alert as they practiced in the woods.

"What happened with the battle last time?" Golden Flower asked. "Was it an easy victory or--"

"It was not easy," Copper Rock said. "There were casualties. We were thankful the rogues called off the attack, but we know they're planning to return with larger numbers."

"I'm worried," Golden Flower murmured.

"This pack is strong, and I'm sure Raven's Wing and Maple Leaf will find a way somehow to strengthen our numbers. Small Fox and Shining River's pups should be training soon. Things will improve."

"I am worried for the pack but," Golden Flower paused and shuffled her paws into the dirt, "I'm worried about my family. I never mentioned this, but the rogues passed by near where we lived when I was a pup. My brothers and I ran into one. My dad saved me, but I was terrified. I don't want them to come near my family again, nor do I want them here."

Copper Rock paused for a moment. "I have a crazy idea," he said.

"What?" Golden Flower asked.

"If you still know where your family lives, then...maybe we can recruit them to help us fight. It won't be a large number, but four more wolves is better than one. And then, maybe, their crimes will be overlooked. There are more important matters at hand right now," Copper Rock explained.

Golden Flower froze in her tracks. "No. It won't happen."

"Why not?" Copper Rock asked. "I'm sure you miss your family. I miss my sister."

"It's not about missing them," Golden Flower growled. "It's...it would never work. My parents don't want to come back, and you should know especially how dogs are treated. My mother said I had to keep my identity a secret, and that's final. You promised you wouldn't share. You can't share now."

"I won't," Copper Rock argued. "But I just thought..."

"No," Golden Flower growled. But in a way, she wanted Copper Rock's plan to work out. Though she loved living in the pack more than back home, she would be lying if she said she didn't miss her family. She missed her father's protectiveness and her mother's gentleness and the playfulness of her brothers. Not a day went by that she didn't think about them, and she only continued to do so now that there were rogue threats again. And if their crimes could be forgiven, that would be wonderful, but she knew what Copper Rock went through and the alphas too and heard the whispering between some of the wolves in the pack.Her parents would not be forgiven.

"Can we just keep on training?" Golden Flower asked at last. "It'll help me keep my mind off of everything."

"Yes, but...will you keep thinking about what I said at least?" Copper Rock asked.

"I told you that the answer was no."

"Just keep it in mind. We may be desperate as the days go on," Copper Rock said. 

"Fine," Golden Flower grumbled.

Needless to say after that conversation, the rest of her day training with Copper Rock didn't go as smoothly as normal. She normally picked up on new moves well, but she kept tripping over her own feet and could barely catch a rabbit when Copper Rock suggested she hunt for a bit. Copper Rock seemed to sense her poor mood as well, and finally, he decided to end training early.

"Go and get some rest," he told Golden Flower. "The alphas will work something out with this rogue threat. We probably won't need your family."

Golden Flower thanked him and managed a weak smile, but she knew he was lying. With a sigh, she slowly trudged back to her lonely den and curled up into a ball near the back. She supposed soon she would have denmates once more when the newer pups trained, but right now, the only denmates she wanted was her family.

For just a mere moment, Golden Flower considered the possibility of going back. But there were consequences that would occur. Her parents would be furious to know she wasn't actually dead, and she wasn't sure if she could handle the guilt of causing them so much trauma. She had not shared these thoughts with Copper Rock, though she suspected that he knew there was something else going on that she wasn't sharing. She just hoped he didn't pry any further.

Golden Flower rested her head on her paws and shut her eyes. Visions of the past filled her head, of that scary rogue that her father just managed to save her from, of curling up next to her siblings in their old den, of her mother gently licking her fur clean even though she just wanted to go out and play.

I've been so selfish, Golden Flower thought to herself. All she could hope now was that the rogues wouldn't be too much of a threat, that the Pack of the Falling Stars would be able to fight them off, and that the rogues would leave her family alone. But she knew as well as Copper Rock that the possibility of all three of those things happening were too good to be true.