A/N: This is my version of the book, "Julie" by Jean Craighead George. For The-Fleet-Goddess from . Enjoy, Fleety!
Julie: My Version
Chapter 1. The Wolves
The two wolves ran hard. One, was a big, black male. The other, his smaller, younger light-gray brother. Together, they were the last of their pack. Their white mother, had disappeared, while their littler-mates had all been shot by both Gussak and Yupik hunters. One other had not been shot. A big, dark-gray male, who had challenged the black male for leadership of the pack and failed. He was driven out of the duo's territory. Soon, after days and days of traveling south, they came upon two lone she-wolves. One was rime-gray. The other, white with a mid-toned gray stomach, ears, muzzle, tail-tip, and legs up to her knees. The rime-gray she-wolf the larger of the two, howled to the black male.
"My sister and I have traveled far from our mother and father's territory, looking for a new pack! You look like you could use more wolves! May my we join your pack, Black Alpha?" her howl said.
"Come, She-wolves, to the Avalik River Pack, and welcome!" the black male howled back.
The two she-wolves crossed the boarder from the no-wolf-zone into Avalik territory. They were met with the two male wolves's happy yips. The four wolves exchanged scents, and the black leader asked the she-wolves, "What are your names?"
"I am Gray Cloud. And my sister is Clouded Silver. We were born in he Lower Colville River Pack. Our father, Storm Alarm, and our mother, Star Gentian, were the only wolves in the pack allowed to have pups. We were the ones who cared for them. We left because we want to have our own pups, and not have to care for others that we did not whelp." the rime-gray she-wolf told the males.
"And my name is Kapu." the black leader said.
"And mine is Zing." the light-gray male said.
Clouded Silver moved so she was next to Zing and nuzzled him. Gray Cloud did the same with Kapu. Of the two she-wolves, Kapu had liked Gray Cloud the best. And Zing, Clouded Silver. Kapu howled a loud call. Zing, Gray Cloud, and Clouded Silver joined in. When their song ended, Kapu turned and sped west. Zing took up the position of Beta, or second-in-command, behind Kapu, the Alpha Male. Gray Cloud and Clouded Silver ran behind them. But Kapu looked at Gray Cloud and invited her to come up to the front with him. The rime-gray she-wolf hesitated for a moment, but with another invitation from Kapu, Gray Cloud ran to Kapu's side.
The four wolves ran until they reached a spot to their liking. It was a large hill, partially covered in snow. It would make a good whelping den when mid-spring came. Now, it was early-spring, too soon to mate and whelp pups. The two male wolves, and the two she-wolves were tired, so they laid down in the deep snow, and slept.
The next morning, Gray Cloud was the first one to wake. She gasped at what she saw. The snow had completely melted overnight. Now, the sight they had chosen to make a den, glistened in the sunlight.
Gray Cloud stood up, and began to explore the sight for a place to start digging the den. She soon found a spot in the middle of the hill. It would be sheltered on all four sides for the side she was on, was sheltered by a big tree. She sniffed the hill to see if the ground was still frozen. When she found it was not, she began to dig into the hillside to remember where the spot was. While she was digging, Kapu and the others awoke and found her digging. Kapu looked at her and asked, "Gray Cloud, you've found a spot that is not frozen?"
Gray Cloud pulled herself out of the tunnel and replied, "Yes, Kapu. The earth in this hill is soft, not hard. Easy to clear out for a den. As you can see easily enough."
Kapu nuzzled her. "You have read my mind. I wanted to find a spot that was not frozen and dig a whelping-den. My mate."
Gray Cloud was astonished! She hadn't dreamed of becoming the Alpha Female! Even more astonishing, Zing and her own sister mouthed her chin saying that she was their Alpha Female. Kapu nuzzled her. She found it comforting, and pressed towards him.
"The Avalik River Pack will survive." Kapu said as Zing nuzzled Clouded Silver.
A/N: Again, I hope y'all enjoyed this, Especially Fleety! Who's character will appear in this fanfic shortly.