Thank you for the reviews! I think this will be my final chapter but I wanted just to write one more scene to tie it all up neatly. Thank you for reading and please tell me if you've enjoyed the story so far.

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Fin-Roen watched the silver sticklebacks dart past his ankles in quick, sharp movements. The late afternoon sky was dark with heavy, wolf grey clouds. The young boy bided his time, ignoring the coldness he felt in his feet, waiting for his chance. Suddenly, he struck out his hands towards an unfortunate fish, as he'd seen herons do. It easily slid through his stubby fingers; he lost his balance and fell with a splash into the shallows of the river.

Torak glanced up at the noise, and seeing his son was unhurt, went back to striking up the fire for the new shelter. His mate was outside, quickly laying down branches and tying spruce boughs together to form a waterproof roof. They could tell a storm was fast approaching, so the shelter was long and low and extra sturdy to withstand the bad weather through the night.

By the time their shelter was ready, the sun had set below the horizon and the wind had picked up. Droplets of cold rain were beginning to fall. Torak called to Fin-Roen, who reluctantly gave up his fishing and traipsed back up the hill towards the shelter, which was nestled at the edge of the forest.

'But I didn't catch one yet!' he complained as his father shut the door behind him. The shelter was small and cosy, just tall enough to allow him to stand. It was basked in warm, honey-coloured light by the crackling fire at its centre. His stomach growled as he spotted several boar legs roasting over it. A small hole in the ceiling sucked up the worst of the smoke, leaving only the delicious smells of cooking meat and the sharp tang of birchwood.

'You can try again tomorrow Fin-Roen, it's going to be very stormy outside so you've got to stay here,' his father said sternly, knowing from experience the power of storms. He moved over to allow him to get to the back of the snug shelter, where his mother, sister and the pile of sleeping sacks were. Torak added further branches to the door, sealing it entirely from the cold air outside.

Roen sat down on his soft padded sleeping sack beside his mother, who was suckling his baby sister in her arms. The gentle crackle of the fire was comforting to him, but the wind outside began to howl like a horrible beast, and he could hear trees crying out as it tried to steal their precious leaves. Rain droplets pattered on the roof and walls with increasing harshness. He snuggled closer to his mother, feeling warmed by her presence and familiar scent.

Torak turned the legs over, letting the fire cook them through. 'So what were you playing down by the river?' he asked Fin-Roen.

'I was seeing if I could catch fish like herons do, when they swipe it really fast,' he answered, his face half buried in his mother's fur jerkin.

Torak smiled. He remembered when he used to pretend to be animals when he was younger, chasing after Fa as if he were a wolf and digging holes as if he were a badger. 'Well luckily you don't have to be a heron to fish. Since you're almost in your sixth summer, I'll teach you soon if you'd like.'

'Will you teach me with a spear?' his eyes lit up. Previously all his father had shown him with fishing was how to use nets, which he hadn't found very exciting. The thought of using a spear like his Fa thrilled him.

'Maybe once you've learnt to shoot,' said Renn, adjusting the baby she was holding. 'You can't fish with a spear unless you can aim, or you'll keep falling in – like you did today.'

Fin-Roen grumbled. He was impatient to be a good hunter like his Fa and Ma, 'But shooting's hard.'

'You'll find it easier as you grow, don't worry,' said Torak, taking the boar meat off the fire. He let them cool for a few moments before passing one to Renn, then to Fin-Roen. He then tossed a chunk out of the roof hole as an offering.

They ate in comfortable silence, listening to the muted rumbles of the violent storm outside. Torak hoped Wolf, Darkfur and their newest litter were tucked up somewhere warm.

After eating, Torak began to carve some bone, whilst Renn wrapped up her daughter in a fluffy fur blanket, ready for sleep. The thunder outside grew louder and angrier. Fin-Roen remembered a summer ago when he and Fa had been caught out in a storm. The sky had transformed into a great dark wounded beast that convulsed and rolled in angry movements, as if it had been injured and left to die. It had clawed the earth with savage splinters of white fire and roared louder than the loudest bear.

He was glad to be safe in the shelter, safe from the angry beast. But he could still hear its terrible crashes and growls. He moved closer to his mother, leaning against her shoulder and feeling her long hair soft beneath his cheek.

'Why doesn't Auri get scared of the angry beast outside?' Fin-Roen asked, watching the chubby, auburn haired baby as she wriggled about happily in his Ma's hands.

'She's too young to be scared yet. You were the same, and me, and your Fa. You have to learn fear through experience.' Renn replied with a smile, wiping a bit of mud from his pale cheek as she did so.

He pondered that for a while, before asking another question. 'Ma, what were you like when you were my age?'

Renn thought back to her early life with her Fa before he died, then after with Saeunn and with her uncle. She had been shy, uncertain of herself and of her abilities. Memories of her own Ma came to her, but she pushed them away. That was in the past.

'I was quite shy, but your great uncle Fin-Kedinn helped me to become strong. That's why we named you after him, so you'll be as kind and steady as he is.' Renn finished wrapping up Auri for the night, and placed her by her side in a small woven basket she had made from reeds.

'When will we be going back to the Ravens?' Roen asked, immediately moving onto his mother's lap now that she wasn't busy. She wrapped her arms around him and drew him close, as if sensing his wariness of the noises from outside. Torak smiled at the scene. Roen buried his face in the crook of her neck, fiddling with the familiar shell necklace she always wore when not hunting.

'When summer is here,' replied Torak, knowing how much Roen missed playing with the children in the camp. 'We can go with Wolf and Darkfur and the cubs when they're big enough, and we'll stay as long as you want.'

'How long is it until summer?' he asked. Torak rolled his eyes with a smile at his son's endless questioning. 'A few more moons at least.'

'But that's ages!'

'It'll come sooner than you think,' his Ma said, placing a gentle hand on his head and stroking his soft dark hair. 'Especially if you sleep right now.'

Roen knew this was a trick to make him go to bed, but the sounds from outside were scaring him, though he would never admit this. His Fa didn't look scared at all. He watched as his father's face was illuminated by the firelight, he appeared calm and steady as he carved something in his hands. Roen tried to peer at what he was making, but the embers blocked out the view.

'Fa, what are you carving?'

'A raven amulet.'

'Like mine? Is it for Ma?'

Torak shook his head. 'It's a gift for Auri, she will be one summer old soon.'

Fin-Roen remembered the raven amulet he had owned since he was small, he thought it was somewhere in his pack, though he might have lost it. He was good at losing things.

Since his mother was a Raven, he and Auri were also Ravens, though he wasn't entirely sure why they didn't live with the rest of the clan all the time. He liked the children at camp and great uncle Fin-Kedinn, and all the dogs and the food and the music and the people.

He wondered if, when he was older and got his tattoos, he could persuade his parents to stay with the clan and bring the wolves with them. Auri would surely agree with him once she grew.

The great dark beast outside gave a thundering roar, and Roen was jerked out of his thoughts with a start. Rain hammered on the shelter, and he heard its terrible claws slicing the earth. The wind shook the walls of the hut. His heart sped up a little at imagining the wind lifting the shelter straight off the ground, taking his family with it, up into the dark fiery mouth of the beast.

Renn felt Fin-Roen's heart racing, and soothed him by hugging him tighter and planting a kiss on the crown of his combination of warmth, filling food and his mother's steady heartbeat soon had Fin-Roen's eyelids drooping. The sounds of the storm seemed far away as he drifted to sleep, warm and safe with his family.

'Is he asleep?' Renn whispered to her mate after some time. He peered at the boy and gave a nod. She carefully eased him down onto his sleeping mat, having to half wake him so that he could get inside it. Tucking him up, she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek and he murmured in his sleep.

Renn still couldn't believe she had two children. She gazed down at her son. Other than his freckles and eyes, which were almost black, he had more of the appearance of Torak than of her. His dark, shoulder length brown waves were soft and messy as Torak's, who always looked as if he'd just been hit by a strong gust of wind. He had the same lean build and speed. His skin was a few shades lighter than Torak's honey copper tan, but he was not as bone white as her.

She took a look at Auri, wrapped up in her reed basket. She looked similar to Fin-Roen when he was about a summer old, the only differences being her fine auburn hair and lighter skin tone.

She placed another kiss on Auri's cheek, before moving to sit closer to her mate. She was sleepy and mellow as she rested her head against Torak's broad shoulders. Renn stared at the veins in his hands and the feeling of the muscles as they moved under his skin in rhythm as he skilfully carved the raven amulet.

'How did we get such beautiful children Torak?'

'You take full credit for that.'

'Don't be silly,' she placed a small kiss on the bare skin of his shoulder and snuggled closer, wrapping her hands around his arm. 'You're beautiful to me.'

It may have been the warmth from the fire, but Renn could have sworn she saw a slight red tinge appear on his cheeks. He stopped carving and looked down at her upturned face. Her playful eyes shone in the firelight like glowing embers, and for a moment he found it hard to look away. He moved his gaze down and placed a tender kiss on her right cheek, feeling her smile as he did so.

'We should go to sleep.' She said, giving his cheek a kiss in return. 'They'll be up before dawn wanting to see Wolf and his family like yesterday.'

Torak smiled, remembering how ecstatic Fin-Roen and Auri had been when meeting the cubs on their first trip out of the den. He put his things away and went to lie beside Renn on his sleeping sack, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. Her breathing evened out, and soon she was asleep.

Lying awake in the shelter, listening to his family's light snores and the crackle of the fire, he thanked the World Spirit for so many blessings. Two healthy children and the love of his life; and nearby his pack-brother with his mate and cubs – it was more than he could have ever wished for.

He remembered Fa's words about wolves and reflected on his duty to his family, "They have a fierce love for their mates and cubs. And each wolf works hard for the good of the pack."

As he breathed in the sweet smell of Renn's hair, heard Fin-Roen snore and saw baby Auri wriggle in her sleep, he knew he would do anything for them. With these thoughts, he drifted into a pleasant sleep, which he was rudely awoken from before the sun was even up.

'C'mon Fa, let's go and see Wolf!'