Xena's heart thrummed in her chest, beating away a mile a minute as she flew through the trees. She wanted to run in the opposite direction, away from the howl that echoed in the dark, but she knew she couldn't. A howl was a call – one that must be answered. She knew when she was close but it didn't make her feel any better.

She wondered what Akan would say to her, what he would do when she reached their den in the trees. Images of past mistakes or wolves that had angered him flashed in her mind. There had been one wolf that had challenged him and had met a sticky end in result. It had all been because the other wolf had wanted to dwell near the edge of the trees, closer to the humans. Akan had refused strongly and that had meant to be it. But the other wolf had pushed and in the end, he had found his neck clamped tightly in between Akan's strong jaws, his life snuffed out in an instant.

Xena swallowed thickly. Would he do the same to her? What the wolf had asked of Akan had ended his life, but she had come into contact with a human, attempted to speak with her, had almost touched her. To Akan that would be a much greater crime – a higher punishment. It would mean her life, she was sure of it. But how he would take it away was a different matter.

His howl broke through her dire thoughts. She had thought it had been silent in the forest, but upon listening intently she heard a strange noise echoing off the trees. Its desperate sound clutched at her heart and squeezed, heightening her fear and filling her with trepidation the closer she came to their dwelling. But it wasn't until she reached the edge of the clearing, hidden within shadows of the looming trees that she realized it was her. She was panicking.

She fought to control her breathing as she lingered there, waiting until it had returned to normal before stepping out into the clearing.

Almost at once she saw Akan swoop down from a pile of boulders. The muscles in his legs bunched and rippled noticeably with strength and power as he came toward her, and it took everything she had not to turn and run away. Out the corner of her eyes she saw Joxer and Autolycus standing together nearby, both looking over at her with equal looks of apprehension. Kaia stood near them. As Akan approached, Kaia made no move to protect her. It confused Xena. If Joxer and Autolycus had already told Akan about what had happened back at the pool, all of the pack would have known by now, and being her mother, Kaia would rush to defend her as always. But she didn't move.

'Where were you when I called?' Akan growled accusingly. The sound of it sent a tremor through Xena's body and his narrowed yellow eyes held an ounce of suspicion as he glared at her.

Xena's eyes flickered to her friends and back. 'In the forest Akan,' she answered quietly.

'Why?'

'Hunting. I was hungry,' she lied

The great white wolf leaned forward and she made herself keep still as he sniffed at her. She felt his nose brush passed her to smell her shoulder; his wiry whiskers tickled the soft skin of her face, but she stifled the need to scratch as he continued his scenting. The heat of the alpha's breath pushed down on her cold shoulder and arm as he circled around her.

She closed her eyes, willing him not to smell any human on her. She had taken precautions on her way back, rubbing dirt and leaves all over her body to mask the smell just in case. As she felt him move around her, air rushing in and out of his nostrils, she could only wish that it had worked. All her nerve endings spiked with fear and she felt her insides turn cold when she heard him growl from behind her. She clenched her hands into fists, coiling her muscles ready for an escape as she felt him sweep passed her, his coarse fur brushing the bare skin of her arm.

'There is danger in the forest!' he growled, the sound rumbling in the clearing. Why did he sound far away?

Xena opened her eyes and saw the alpha wolf pacing near his life-mate, Kaia, looking around at all the wolves in turn as he spoke. Despite the dark night, his eyes were still visible and cast an eerie glow as they passed over her. 'Are you talking about humans?' Xena asked, unable to stop herself. She saw Joxer and Autolycus's eyes flick over to their pack leader, watching, waiting expectantly to see how he might react to her mentioning them.

Akan stilled, looking over his shoulder at her. The cutting look in his suspicious eyes made her wish she'd said nothing. 'How did you know about the humans?'

He hadn't spoken of them before. She had to think quickly, he was coming closer, his lip curling over his teeth. 'S-so there are humans then?' she said, making it sound as though she was guessing.

Xena's eyes widened and she couldn't help but look at her friends. They hadn't said anything yet? Why? After she had attacked them to save the golden human she was sure they would have said something. Joxer must have felt her gaze because barely a second later, he looked over at her, an unreadable look in his brown eyes.

Akan stopped before her; his height and build intimidated Xena. It always had. He used it as an alternative way to getting information from her as a child. Small and scared, if Xena had done something wrong, she had owned up to it straight away in fear of injury or abandonment. But now, a full grown human, Xena had power of her own. Skills he could not possess. In a way it gave her use to them, but on the other made her a threat. She kept that in mind as she held her ground, but at the same time made her stance submissive to dissolve any display of challenge.

Akan sneered. 'Yes, there are, but they are of no concern. They are not a danger to us yet,' he said. 'They will be dealt with in time if they do not leave soon themselves,' Akan finished with a definite growl.

'But if they are no danger then-'

'Silence!' Akan barked, effectively cutting her off. Her mouth snapped shut with an audible click; a sound only she could hear, much like Akan was only able to hear his own judgement, his ears not listening to reason. 'We stay away from the humans unless they become a problem. When they do…I will deal with them.'

Akan stared at her as if he was challenging her to argue. She wanted to. She was of the same species. From her short attempt at interaction with one of them she could tell that they weren't a danger, they were defenceless. She hadn't sensed anything ominous from her. Instead she had sensed a feeling of curiosity, a feeling that was reflected in her own instincts. Without really thinking about what she had been doing, her body had taken over, making her try to communicate with the other human. But it had all been to no avail. Neither had understood each other. She had never been in contact with another of her kind in body. Maybe it was too late to even try? The thought saddened her. She bowed her head in resignation. Akan noticed the action and carried on from earlier.

'As I was saying, there is a potential danger in the forest. One that could threaten our place here if we allow it to. I picked up a strange scent on the edge of our territory's perimeter moments ago. There is another pack nearby.' He paused, waiting until the rest of the wolves had quietened down, their uneasy barks dying. Akan resumed pacing back and forth, his dominance evident in the way he held himself as he addressed his pack. 'They haven't stepped on our land yet, but when they do, be ready. They will either leave, ask permission to pass through…or they will challenge us.'

'Do you know where they reside, Akan?' Kaia asked. Xena noticed a look of worry fill her mother's light blue eyes.

'No. I aim to find out, but to do so would mean leaving the rest of the pack unprotected. If they come to us, so be it, but I did not pick up the scent of more than ten. We are greater in number. If we stay together, they will not try and attempt challenging us for our territory. To do so would be foolish.' Akan looked at each member of his back carefully. 'We are a family,' a quick glance in Xena's direction, 'all of us.'

The statement shocked Xena. She felt her frown fade and watched as the alpha turned, and after a quick lick to Kaia's cheek, disappeared into the trees. As the rest of the pack broke, all heading in different directions in the clearing either to sleep or to hunt, Kaia hung back instead of following her mate into the trees and padded over to Xena instead, amusement in her eyes.

'Xena, why is it whenever I look at you, you are covered in dirt from head to toe?' she chuckled.

Out the corner of her eyes, Xena noticed Joxer and Autolycus grunting under their breath and slinking into the trees by themselves. She felt guilty for what had happened. She needed to fix it, and find out what they were doing at the pool in the first place.

'Xena?'

'Sorry, mother,' Xena apologized distractedly. She reached out and brushed her fingers through the coarse fur of the wolf's ruff. 'What is it?'

'I can sense you are worried, daughter.'

Xena's fingers stilled. 'I'm fine.'

Kaia's eyes softened. 'It's alright; I am a little worried too. But I have faith in Akan. If anyone can protect this pack, he can, so I would not dwell on it too much,'

Xena felt relieved that she did not know what she was truly concerned about, but she noticed Kaia didn't mention anything about the humans in the forest. Instead she seemed to tiptoe around it, acting as though it hadn't even been mentioned, or that the subject was done with.

Xena sighed. She wanted to know why Joxer and Autolycus hadn't mentioned the incident with the human, or the fact that she had attacked them. Her own family. She swallowed thickly as the guilt gnawed away in her stomach like an army of termites laying waste to a fallen log. She turned back to her mother and bent at the knees, kissing her head.

'I won't, mother,' she promised. 'I need to speak with my friends. Are you going to be alright?'

'Of course daughter. I need to talk to Akan about this news of the other pack anyway. Have fun, Xena. But don't play too rough,' she joked, a glint of amusement in her eyes.

Xena smiled half-heartedly. She watched as her mother licked her hand and turned to follow down the same path Akan had taken before jumping into the trees. Xena moved to head in the opposite direction, towards the break in the trees where her friends had left.

It didn't take long for her to find them. After inspecting the ground, Xena found evidence of Joxer's uneven tread, and hardly any trace of Autolycus's stealthy light feet, in the dirt. As she came closer, she took a deep breath. She expected their anger and feelings of betrayal for what she had done. She had expected Akan to pounce on her as soon as she had arrived at their clearing, but he hadn't, because of her friends.

She saw them sat together near a stream that cut through the small area. As she stepped closer, Xena felt the mud seep in between her toes; it's cold send a shiver up her spine and she made a face as she shook it off.

'Hi Xena,' Joxer said quietly when she came to sit beside him.

Xena's brows knitted together when she looked up at her friend and saw, not hate or anger, but love and loyalty in his eyes. He remained quiet as she reached up and gingerly lifted her hand near his face, looking for any damage. When she saw none, she sniffed; the tears stung her eyes but she fought to keep them back.

'I'm sorry, Joxer. I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't know it was you,' she apologized. 'I smelled wolves, but I wasn't myself…I didn't scent you.'

'It's okay. We didn't pick up your scent either-'

'What were you doing, Xena?' Autolycus asked, talking over Joxer. He stared at her accusingly. She noticed he walked with a hint of a limp. It had been impossible to see back in the clearing, but now that she was with her friends, she noticed the almost unperceivable limp when he moved. His front paw bent slightly – as if he was attempting to lighten the weight on it. 'What were you doing there?'

'I could ask you the same thing, Autolycus,'

'We came looking for you. I saw you sneak out of the clearing and thought you might be in trouble.'

Xena bit her lip as she looked at him. 'I think you're lying because I wasn't in any trouble. Nobody was following me –you just came for yourself, didn't you?'

'Xena-'

'No, Joxer, he was being nosy.' Xena turned to glare at him. 'So were you. Why did you follow me?'

Joxer looked guiltily over at Autolycus. 'We were worried about you,' he answered.

'I can look after myself,' she said stubbornly.

Autolycus came back over and sat opposite her. He looked over at the stream, but there was a troubled look she could see in his eyes. Her expression softened as she reached out to stroke his cheek. She took it as a good sign when he didn't move away or object to her touching him. 'We know you can look after yourself, Xena. But…' Autolycus trailed off.

'But…what?' Xena prompted.

Autolycus didn't answer. Instead, Joxer tucked his face into Xena's side, whimpering quietly. 'I don't want you to leave, Xena.'

Xena stared wide eyed at her friend. 'I'm not leaving. What makes you think I'm leaving?'

Suddenly, Joxer's eyes brightened and he stood with his tongue lolling out happily. 'Really? See Autolycus? I told you she wasn't leaving just because there are humans in the forest!'

'That's what this is about?' Xena looked at both her friends and saw equal looks of guilt and worry. She smiled and wrapped her arms carefully around their bodies, pulling them closer carefully. 'You guys are my family. I'm not leaving the pack, okay? I just went to have a look at the humans, to see what they look like – to see if they were like me. But that doesn't mean I'm going to leave the forest.' She paused as she thought carefully of her next words. 'They are of my kind in body. When Akan said he would kill them if they didn't leave, it made me feel sad. I don't want there to be any conflict, so I went to see if I could get them to leave,' she explained honestly.

They were all quiet for a moment before Xena broke the silence with her own question. 'Why were you attacking her?'

The question wasn't accusing or angry, merely curious and interested. It had bothered Xena all the way back. The human hadn't made any move to hurt them, nor had she provoked them in any way. So why had Joxer and Autolycus moved to hurt her?

Autolycus was first to talk, but when he answered, he sounded more confused about it than she was. 'I honestly don't know, Xena. I was looking for you, to try and convince you to come back after I saw you sneak away. But my body took over when I saw the human. I hadn't meant to do anything, just scare the human away. Like you…I just wanted them to leave so Akan wouldn't have any cause to do anything.' Autolycus shook her head.

'Same here, Xena,' Joxer said.

An image of Akan growling at her as a child flashed in her mind; the day she had woken up and joined the family. He had done the same thing out of instinct, to protect his family. Was that it?

'Well, I think you gave her a fright.' Xena concluded. 'After what happened, she might be inclined to leave now. Akan will get what he wants.'

Joxer rested his face on her knee and looked up at her with big brown eyes. 'You sound so sad, Xena,' he said. Even Autolycus looked over at her, his ears flattened against his head.

Xena shrugged, reaching up to scratch behind Joxer's ear. 'I just wanted to see another one…a human, like me. If you were alone, had never known what another wolf looked like, wouldn't you want to go out and find another? To see what they were like? That's what I wanted. I've never seen another human. I was just…curious,' she said quietly. She glanced up at both wolves. 'Why didn't you tell Akan about what happened?'

'He might have hurt you,' Joxer said.

'And we knew you didn't mean to attack us, just like we didn't mean to go after the other human,' Autolycus added. 'We're family, Xena. We look after each other.'

Xena smiled as she ruffled Autolycus's fur. 'I'm sorry about that. Both of you,' she said, leaning forward to kiss them both on their muzzles.

They both reached up to lick her face in return before moving back to give her space while she lay down on the ground. She shifted onto her back, putting one hand behind her head as a cushion, and used the other to stroke Joxer's head as he rested it on her stomach. Autolycus lay on his stomach beside her, his chin rested on his paws.

'Night guys,' she said and smiled as they grumbled tiredly in response.

Xena couldn't help but feel jealous. Both wolves managed to drift off into sleep almost immediately, but her thoughts kept her awake, and as usual she found herself staring up at the star speckled sky, watching them glitter back at her from afar like the sun glinting of the rippling water's surface. She was so tired. Though energy had pumped through her like her pulse earlier, and she had in a way sorted what had happened, she suddenly found herself drained.

She closed her eyes and, for the first time, her dreams were not plagued by broken memories and scary, fiery images. Instead, warm gold tinted her vision and a face that was still new to her, but at the same time, claimed a part of her and made it familiar.

As usual, comments/reviews or feedback are welcome and appreciated. If there are any issues concerning spelling/grammatical errors or con-crit, please don't hesitate to inform me in a PM please. Thank you for reading! :)