I finished Into the Shadows recently and I'm so fucking done with these racist assholes. Storm had so many thoughts she could have lashed into an argument and that would have been much more interesting than hearing Sweet obsess over her puppies. Fuck Sweet; she's a horrible leader. So is Lucky.

Storm barged into camp, gripping a freshly-caught gopher so tightly that blood was gushing from it. The day was gray and dreary, but it hadn't stopped the pups from coming outside to play. Storm felt a brief tug at her heart as she remembered saving Tiny's life at the Endless Lake. Just as quickly as it came on, though, it dried up as she glared around the camp. Storm felt nothing but bitterness toward the Pack now.

She missed Bella and Arrow dearly, and figured it was high time she joined them so Arrow wouldn't have to protect Bella all by himself. Besides, she knew that there wouldn't be any discrimination there.

"Alpha!" she barked.

Sweet emerged from her den. Lucky was not with her.

Storm swallowed. That makes it easier. "I'm going to leave." She kicked the gopher. "Take that as my parting gift."

The swift-dog's eyes widened in shock. "Leave, Storm? Have you thought this through?"

Storm was ready to retort that she had more thinking ability in her dewclaw than most dogs did in their whole bodies. However she could not, for at that moment, Lucky trotted into the clearing and sidled up to Storm. "I told you not to listen to gossip! I told you we need you and love you. You're a hero to the pups and an example to all dogs!"

"Under normal circumstances, Beta, that would be a touching speech," Storm growled. At this point she noticed that Twitch and Sunshine had begun paying attention. Sunshine! I'll miss her. One of the very best dogs here. She won't want to come with me, but oh, I wish she would. "But I've been pushed too far. You don't know what it's like to be hated on the basis of your breed. And what about Arrow? You also told me that he could deal with it on his own. But he couldn't. And now everyone hates him even more for some reason!"

She whipped around to face the slowly assembling pack. "Do you know what makes Fierce Dogs fierce? Why do wolves call them Longpaw Fangs? You know why, right? Then you know the answer. We're just like you! Why is that so hard to grasp?"

Bruno narrowed his eyes. "Wouldn't Arrow just have more reason to attack us, then, if he felt he was being mistreated?"

"Unbelievable! Arrow has himself and a pregnant mate to look after; why would he waste time here? Also, you're one to talk, Bruno! You're a 'Fight Dog.' No one else thinks that sounds more menacing than 'Fierce Dog?' I thought ferocity was a good thing, but only when it's any of you, of course!"

She saw some bristling pelts, but no one said anything for a good, long moment. Finally Alpha began, "Storm, we've been over this. I need-"

"You need what? You and Beta, your problem is that you're awful leaders. Our Pack has been vanishing before our eyes and you've done nothing to stop it! Nothing!" Storm folded her ears back. "All you care about is your litter and the rest of us can rot!"

"That's not true-"

"Then why don't you seem very anxious to prove it? I'm tired of this Pack. All this drama, and now the Fear-Dog is hunting us! Oooh!" Storm looked in an unspecified direction and broke the fourth wall. "Dear God, at least make it possession or something, so we don't have to fight Satan or whatever this is. I'm so done. I swear I can't even."

Storm ran off to get Starbucks with Bella and never saw the Wild (Racist) Pack again.

teh edn