-Evil laugh- Now we get to see some of Melanie's past.... hehe...

Melanie yawned and stretched in her top bunk as the sun glowed through the window. The floor was bathed in gold light as she jumped down to the floor; as Annie had predicted, the snow had contiued through-out the night. Maddie looked up and sighed. The tall girl sat up and rested her head on her hands, elbows propped on her knees. Melanie walked over, "What is it?" she murmered.

Maddie looked up, her brown eyes gleaming, "Do you think Colton will be okay?" she murmered.

Melanie was taken by surprise at the question, "Well.... yeah. Why wouldn't he be? He's young and strong. He'll be okay." Maddie looked unconvinced.

Annie and Octavion got up then, giving Melanie a quick nod before dissapearing in the back room. Melanie sighed and stood," C'mon Maddie. A patrol will do you some good. That's a good chap," Melanie smiled at Maddie reluctantly stood and followed the shorter girl to the back room.

-----

Melanie trotted out to the edge of the Coble border, overlooking the gorge. A deep chasm that a swift river had once run through, now empty and hollow. The sides were steep and rocky, and once down on the bottom, escape was nearly impossible. Wolves had to be extremely careful. Espcially during storms as the gorge could flood easily and it was very prone to mud and rock-slides.

Behind the brown wolf were four others: Sophie, Jacob, Pamur (A very red, thick-furred buck wolf with green eyes) and Marine (A tall, black she-wolf with brown paws and brown eyes).

"Do you think Coble would really start up trouble?" Jacob asked, his glasses posed neatly on the bridge of his muzzle, "I mean, aren't we allies now?"

Melanie shook her head, "Do you really think that after half of Coble was shipped to Howard?" Sophie gulped, "We can hope can't we? Really aren't all the packs at peace now?"

The brown wolf sighed and shrugged, "I don't know. Neither Howard nor Wester offered help when Coble was being overrun by Jofree... and now Wester seems to want some more trouble."

Pamur stepped forward, kicking a stone down into the deep chasm, "Do... do you think a war will start up? And will Coble side with us or wester if it starts?" he murmered, watching the stone roll down the sides.

Melanie shook her head and raised her eyes towards the sky. That morning it had shone with an orange glow, now though, it was all a deep grey as thick clouds swirled overhead. Melanie sighed, remembering her time with the Coyote Pack, when she was leader of the Agents. Paul had been her trusted friend then, helping her to lead the clan of unruly wolves. She pinned her ear back against her head as she remembered, all too clearly, the morning she had awoken to find he had betrayed her. She remembered the triumphant, cruel gleam in Mimi's eyes as she glared at Melanie from the end of D-hall, the hall the Forces had owned and patroled fiercely.

Melanie shook her head angrily, trying to brush away memories of it all. Mimi, the agents, Jofree's little lackeys, the Force. Melanie wanted to run right then. She wanted to run and never stop, all to get away from her past, from the betrayal...

A-ROOOOOOWL!

The howl shook Melanie from her thoughts as she whipped her head around, facing where the howl had sounded from. "It came from the other side! At the Wester border!" Pamur gasped, following Melanie's gaze.

Jacob and Sophie stood suddenly as the howl was heard again, louder. A bright ginger pelt met the five wolves, her blue eyes wide, "At the Wester border! We were attacked! They came from behind and across their border!" Pamur rushed forward to meet Hannah, "Hannah calm down. Lead the way."

Hannah nodded and ran back, Melanie and the rest of the patrol in hot pursiut through the white forest.

-----

Maddie snapped at a Wild Cat Pack wolf, sending it into the bushes yelping. Beside her Annie and Kaitlin stood, panting. They both had deep gashes in their sides and shouldered and Annie was limping. "We can't keep this up for much longer!" Chris gasped, comming to stand by the three girls. His pale grey pelt was shredded and stained with red, "They've got us out-numbered! It's as though they knew we were coming!"

Five wolves blocked the Knight Pack wolves, "Now we've got you silly little Knights..." one growled. Another stepped forward, "You scrawny little mutts don't belong in this forest. Howard territory has always belonged to Wester." The wolf sprang, aiming at Chris. Then, moments before his jaws met the grey wolf's throat, a yowl sounded and Jacob exploded from the bushes, ramming into the Wild Cat Pack wolf.

The wolf cursed furiously and retaliated, only for Sophie's teeth to meet his ear, "Ow!!! You stupid little rat...!" he snarled, bucking and kicking.

Another she-wolf flew at Maddie. Melanie fell in beside Maddie, helping the already-injured she-wolf, "Get off our land!" she barked, giving the wolf a hard shove and recieving a good slash on the muzzle in return. The buck wolf and the she-wolf fled. The remaining two wolves followed.

Melanie faced Maddie, "Are you okay?" she nodded, "I think we're all fine. But Annie has a bad limp..." Annie nodded and struggled forward, "One of those damned trespassers really did a number on my paw..."

Malanie sighed, her deep brown pelt ruffled. The cut on her muzzle seemed as though it had no intention to stop bleeding and was dripping onto the snowed-on ground. "That's the second time Wester has ignored our borders and attacked a patrol..." Melanie muttered at length, "ll of you, go see Nurse Missy and have a good rest. I need to talk with Sarah," she sighed and stood, walking back to the cabin.

Sarah rushed out to meet her sister, "News has spread faster than wildfire! Did those cowards really attack?" Melanie nodded, sparkling into her human form; Even as a human Melanie only reached Sarah's shoulder, "I had a patrol out by the Coble border when Hannah came through. Maddie had been leading another patrol by Wester when they were attacked."

Sarah noticed Melanie's face. The scratch was still there, across the bridge of her nose," are you okay?" Melanie nodded, "I'm fine, really." Sarah still looked unconcvinced when Melanie sighed, "But hey, do me a favor. Go get Octavion, Maddie, Jacob, Jonathan, Alexis and Grace." Sarah nodded, "Meet you in the Crixa?" she asked, refering to the underground hollow under the camp.

Melanie nodded and trotted towards the building.

Hehehe... Well I do think this chapter is slightly better....but anyhoo...

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