Kipcha's Responses:

Fallen Hikari: Glad you enjoyed that chapter with Toboe's views. No matter how small or young, the opinions still matter.

Maiden of the Collar: Sorry for keeping you waiting! But Heiri got grounded and a bunch of other things were going on, so her chapter is finally here...oops...I just stole her author note. Oops;;;

Karena Gomez: She's got to. She has to be dominating and keep control. It's just the character, but yes, Toboe does have to watch himself. And besides, wouldn't it be nice to see what kind of reaction you can get out of the other male?

Toboe-Angel: Long time no review! The next chapter is here! Sorry for keeping you waiting!

Kiba paced back and forth in front of the rocky cave. The alpha male hadn't slept last night, and he was still restless. He had been thinking for hours on end. Had he made the right choice? He reassured himself that he did. An alpha male must be confident in his decisions, if he wants to be successful that is. Kiba just couldn't help wondering if maybe Tsume had been right. It was nearly sundown, and they would soon be leaving for the female's den. Kiba i did /i hope they would agree to join packs, but he wondered if Heiri really wanted to. Maybe she was stressing out like himself. Kiba raised his eyes to the bleeding sky and decided that it was time to leave. The white wolf leapt down from the rocky landing and trotted over to the sleeping, sugar brown wolf.

"Hige! It's time to go, now get up," Kiba ordered, loud enough for Hige to wake with a startle. As the stocky male dragged his eyelids up, Kiba began to trot in the direction of the abandoned fox den. He would wait for Hige to catch up, and then they would bolt. Kiba wanted to arrive on time, because being late might add doubts to the minds of the other pack. Early impressions were important, and Kiba didn't want to make them think he and Hige were lazy asses. Well, maybe Hige was on the line in that area, but Kiba didn't want to make that known. Mating was one of the main reasons they decided to invite the females into their pack. If the females couldn't stand lazy males, Hige was screwed; though they would eventually come to find his character. Kiba then started to wonder why he was so worried about Hige when they all had their faults.

Hige soon caught up to Kiba, a bounce in his step and a glint in his eye. Kiba almost snickered at this. Of course, Hige would always be happy to see a female wolf. Kiba nodded his head in the direction they were headed, implying that they were going to run. Hige seemed to catch the white wolf's drift and he took off. He seemed to understand that Kiba wanted to be there on time, and the sun was almost touching the jagged horizon. The two wolves bounded across the tundra, enjoying the pleasure you experience when running. Wolves do not tire easily, so they were nowhere near out of breath. They soon heard the rushing of water, telling them that the stream was just ahead. The two crashed right into it, flinging themselves forward. When crossing water, the wolves forget themselves and put everything into that one leap!

Kiba was hoping that the females had made up their mind by now, and the meeting would be short. For a second he wondered what would happen. Would the females come to live in the cave? Would they follow him and Hige home this moon? The pack leader decided to play it by ear as he dodged around a bush. The faint scent of the females was growing stronger with each bound they took, only a bit longer until they would reach the den. Kiba wanted to do everything perfectly, because one screw up can screw another thing up, until it leads to total disaster. If the she-wolves decided to join the pack, the mating issue would be covered. The problem is that the wolves would still be left with the food problem. They would probably have to travel again, following the game. Winter wasn't all that far away. Kiba could sense it in the air, and in the climate. The water from the stream wasn't as warm as it had been, and the food sources were almost all gone. Kiba knew it had been some time since he last had a member of the deer family to eat.

There were more and more trees, getting closer and closer together. The females scent was strong by this time, and Kiba knew they were just behind that far clump of brush. He could hear them now, or Kipcha and Blue at least, but he could not pick up Heiri's voice. Kipcha still sounded confident and Blue seemed a lot less unsure. Maybe Heiri was sleeping, or she might be savoring the last few minutes before she had to make her final decision; Kiba hoped this was not the case.

The sound of paws beating on the earth had been steady in Kipcha's ears for some time now. She had chosen not to bring it up because Heiri and Blue were not hearing-impaired. Bringing it up would make her sound like a know-it-all. Now she knew that the alpha male and Hige were only feet away, so she broke off her conversation with Blue. She turned to face in the direction of the sound, making sure that their entrance would not catch her off guard. Kipcha definitely did not want to look like a pup in front of two wolves, one of which could be her future mate.

The two male wolves pranced into the clearing, Hige looking rather full of himself. Kiba passed right by Kipcha and Blue, heading in Heiri's direction. Kipcha was about to growl, but then she remembered that this wolf might be her future alpha male. Still, she didn't like the fact that he had just trotted past her as if she didn't exist. She just stared after him with a glare. Not three seconds later, the other wolf trotted right past her in the same manner. If she were human, her jaw would have dropped to the floor. She was about to let that growl out this time, when she remembered that it would only create hostilities within the joined pack, if Heiri even decided to join packs, that is. Something snapped inside Kipcha at that moment. These two males were heading over to Heiri who was currently lying down. Kipcha could sense that Heiri was frustrated, so she decided to buy her a bit more time. The gray wolf bounded after the males at top speed, and then she turned around and slid across their paths. She was going to have a bit of conversation, first.

Kiba and Hige stood in front of her, staring at her in shock. Their eyes bore into her, wondering what kind of reason she would have to just jump in front of them like that. Kipcha desperately tried to catch Blue's eye, which wasn't hard because she was currently the center of attention. Blue loped over to her packmate's side, understanding that Heiri still needed more time. Heiri, however seemed like she could care less. She just stood up and started pacing in front of the abandoned fox den. She was either completely oblivious, or doing her best to ignore everything. Hige eyed her suspiciously for a moment, before directing his full attention on Kipcha and Blue.

"I was just thinking that we need to get to know each other just a bit before we all make this big and final decision," Kipcha said, trying her best not to sound nervous. She was so thankful of her wit and quick thinking. Blue gave her a look that seemed to say ' Good Job '. Kipcha almost sighed a great release of air at this; trusting in Blue that she hadn't sounded unsure of herself.

"Get to...know each other?" Hige said in a half-question, half-comment way. Kipcha nodded, making eye contact with the beta wolf. Kiba stared down at the black wolf, making her feel very uncomfortable. She lowered her head, but just barely. Blue still felt really bad about pouncing on the young pup who had come here on his own. She didn't want either of the males to see this action as a sign of aggression, and she was worried that they had.

"We came here on time, trusting that your pack leader would have made a firm decision by now," Kiba said with much more snap than intended. His tone had also sounded a bit insulting to Heiri, even in his opinion. The four wolves looked over to the pacing female, wondering what her reaction to this comment would be. She was still seemingly unfazed, which surprised Kipcha and Blue. Usually, Heiri would have sent a remark back at Kiba for that. 'She must be thinking hard,' was the thought that passed through the minds of the four wolves.

"True, but try putting yourself in her position. She has barely had a day to make this decision!" Kipcha blurted out into the growing silence.

"In case you've forgotten, I practicallyam in her position. I made the decision to invite your pack into ours. Don't you think I had to understand the risks? Make some sacrifices?" Kiba retorted at Kipcha. He wanted her to understand that it wasn't a one-sided deal. Heiri definitely wasn't the only one making a big, important decision!

"Meh, well you've had days to consider it!" The streaked wolf said quickly. He should have given the female pack a bit more time to decide. That was Kipcha's opinion, as well as Blue's.

"You guys could have been the ones to invite us into your pack, you know," Hige said in defense. Joining two packs on a food scarce tundra wasn't a one sided matter. No, not in the least!

"That's not the case. You were the ones who invited us into your pack. Forget about all of those 'what ifs', and worry about what did happen. True, we could have been the ones to bring up the idea of joining packs, but it didn't happen that way," Blue broke out of her silence.

"Just shut up! In a few minutes, it might not be your pack, or their pack! It might be our pack!" Hige's voice rose, slightly.

"You know what? We're all acting like pups. This isn't going anywhere, except maybe a mother wolf's den. Everyone, just calm down," Kipcha said, taking a breath. She didn't want anything to be messed up by a mere argument. However, she was worried that if they did join packs, things might tend to be like this often. Oh well, one step at a time.

"Kipcha is right. Let's just calm down," Kiba stated in a slightly demanding tone of voice.

"Yeah," Hige chipped in.

"Right!" Blue added.

Suddenly, Heiri's head shot up and she looked over to the small gathering. Her emerald eyes held a fiery glint to them. She moved over towards them in a cross between a stomp and a walk. Each leg was brought up slowly, as if each of her legs was a heavy weight. She had finally come to a decision, and a tough one at that. A joining of the two packs could mean starvation, while not joining packs would mean this generation of females would be the lost. She just hoped that she had made the right decision.

"Kiba," she said the name, while making full and complete eye contact with the alpha male. He stared back at her, silently telling her that he was listening. She paused for a moment, as if searching for the right words. Blue pawed the ground, pondering on what her pack leader's final decision would be. She wasn't completely sure of what she wanted, but she was leaning towards joining packs. Kipcha on the other hand stared at Heiri, standing still. She was heavily anticipating the final decision, and personally hoped they would be joining packs.

"I am a strong believer in teamwork, and I believe that if we join packs...We can conquer the problem of food scarcity," Heiri said, trusting in her own words.

"Well, that's great!" Hige shouted right after Heiri spoke. He soon wished he hadn't though, because Blue sent him a silencing glare.

"However, I have made absolutelyno plans of resigning from my position as alpha female," she stated. Kiba paused for a moment before speaking.

"We all understand that. Just know that I won't be stepping down from my position, either," Kiba said, using the same tone of voice Heiri had used. Heiri nodded her head, agreeing. She just hoped this would work. Kipcha's eyes lit up, sparkling in the twilight. The sun had finally set, and the moon was visible. Quite a few stars lay scattered about the dusk sky. The sky was still slightly pink along the horizon line. Blue looked up at the full moon, breathing in its beauty, relaxing from the stress of moments before. At that moment, Kipcha and Heiri both raised their heads to the sky, and let out a long howl. Heiri's being a release of emotion, Kipcha's flowing along that line of melody that only a wolf can produce. Blue, Kiba and Hige then joined in, producing a harmony that could be heard miles away.

Back at the male's cave, Tsume and Toboe heard the howl, understanding that the two packs had been united. Tsume and Toboe each had been laying down on a rocky outcropping. They soon sat up, tilting their heads back to the starlit sky. The brown wolf and the gray wolf also joined in, the notes floating across the tundra and space that lay in between them. Kiba brought it all to an abrupt stop, by stopping his own part in the howl. All three females stopped shortly after, and the last three males being the last.

"Well, I guess that means we're packmates," Hige stated the obvious. The new packmates all sat down for a moment, taking a moment to catch their breath and relax. Yes, they were definitely a pack. Kipcha, Blue, and Heiri were glad. Heiri silently decided to herself that she had made the right decision.