The battle is not over yet... the continuation of this epic shall begin...

Part 1: Separation

Chapter 1: The First Date (written from March 26th, 2014 to April 7th, 2014)

Through the ashes of a broken land known as Jasper Park, light had arose and brought a brief peace and tranquility. It had been two moon cycles since Stone's death, marking the end of the Stone War. Wolf packs have celebrated, including the Grand Pack (which consisted mostly of the Eastern and Western Regions) and the Southern Alliance; sometimes known as the Southern Pack. For the flames had gone out, thanks to the recent rains.

Tonight was a special night. Henry, Stormfast's youngest son had fallen in love with Autumn. He had saved her life by literally jumping through fire to escape. That was his legend. And it was one of the things that Autumn liked about him. She never kept these kinds of thoughts in her head, though.

"It sure is beautiful out here, Henry. It's the perfect time to spend with you."

They were on the beach of the lake. There, they silently sat next to each other in the sand, staring at the sun dropping in the horizon.

"I agree," said Henry. "I'm so happy that you promised me this date so we can start over and meet each other for real; without distractions, doubts, or anything holding us back." He turned his head towards Autumn, who came in and nuzzled him.

"Well, we were in a war back then, right?" she replied.

"Yep. We all were." Their eyes locked. It seemed as if they both were looking at there reflections since they both had black fur. They felt their hearts intertwine as they smiled. This was the perfect first date. What could be better? All was quiet besides the sounds of the waves crashing against the ground. This harmonious peacefulness was something these two would never forget.

After a while, they began to talk. It was mostly about their life experiences, such as times in Alpha School or even before. When it was Autumn's turn to speak, Henry listened as best as he could. This was the first time she had ever spoken of her history. He admired her voice all the way down to the syllables; every single sound brought happiness to him.

"I have always been facinated by philosophy and how the world works," she informed. "I also wonder about humans. Like, how do they navigate? How do do they build those tall objects? And why do they go inside little boxes when need to give off waste?" Henry never knew Autumn was so intrigued by non-wolfish ideas. Wolves usually feard humans. Many years ago, humans used to hunt wolves and use them for activites. Nowadays, they've stopped hunting kept them in enclosures they call "parks." Autumn was the first wolf that Henry knew that was actually interested in learning about humans. Henry, however, wasn't interested in them. And he didn't care if he wasn't. Relationships were never completely perfect.

After talking about her interests for a few more minutes, Autumn changed the subject.

"So tell me about your father. Of course we've not gotten a formal introduction."

"You wanna learn about Stormfast? Hmm.. where do I start?" Henry tried to think hard. The farthest back he could remember was when he graduated Alpha School. He started putting these thoughts into words. "

"My dad... was awesome," he bragged. "No doubt about it. He was the best dad any pup could have."

"Oh, really?" said Autumn.

"Yep. But you know, my father is almost middle-aged now and me and my brother and sisters already have our own dens. It seems like life is slipping past my paws really fast. These days, I wish those days wouldn't end. Oh, how I loved my dad."

"You're lucky."

"How so, Autumn?" Henry asked.

"Because you had a father. Mine died a long time ago."

"Oh..." Henry felt sorry. He wanted to cheer her up." "You know, I don't think I'm lucky because I have Stormfast. I'm lucky because I have you." It did cheer her up.

"Aww... I think your parents are lucky too because together they created a wonderful; one of great courage and bravery; one who shall continue Stormfast's legacy and touch the hearts of others."

"Oh, I love love," said a voice behind them. They both turned around. Stormfast was there. "I hope I'm not interrupting you two lovebirds."

"Umm... no, sir," said Autumn.

"What do you want, Dad?"

"Calm down, son. I'm pretty sure your girlfriend can wait." Henry blushed.

"Dad!" Autumn giggled as two red spots began to appear on his cheeks. "Excuse me," he said to her bofore standing up and walking towards his father. "What is it?"

"I need to talk to you in private." Stormfast now spoke in an unusual tone. "Autumn, do you mind?"

"Umm... sorry." She turned around and covered her ears with her front paws. Stormfast continued.

"Son, you know your mother's father, right?"

"What about Justin?"

"Henry... he's dying..." His heart nearly collapsed. He started breathing heavily. "Are you okay?"

"No..." In his head, horrifying images came back to him, images of death and destruction. It reminded him of the death of his oldest brother, David. He remembered seeing him for the last time alive, lying in one of the tunnels of the family den.

Stormfast tapped on his shoulder.

"Henry, don't drift off on me now... Wake up... Wake up!" He then came back with a dying gasp. "Son?"

"What happened?" he asked his father who stared at him, puzzled.

"You stopped moving for a few seconds or so. You scared me."

"I'm sorry. I kind of dozed off."

"Don't tell Autumn about Justin, okay?"

"Why?"

"It's best I don't make everybody sad. You'll understand when you have pups of your own." Henry nodded. "Now go and enjoy your date." He smiled.

As Stormfast left, Henry walked back to Autumn who was waiting patiently. She was curious to know what the boys were talking about, especially since the conversation was kept from her. Her and Brooke were trustworthy she-wolves. And she knew Henry knew that.

"What was going on?" she asked.

"Sorry. My dad says I shouldn't tell you." He sat back down next to her. She looked at him quizzically.

"Oh, really..." She kissed his cheek. "Mind telling me now?" Henry then laughed.

"Ha, ha. Nice try but thank you for the kiss, though." Their eyes locked again.

"Hmm... I'll found out sooner or later," said Autumn. "Just wait..."

Next: Chapter 2: Disturbance