Chapter 1:

Storm was chasing a leaf outside of the pup's den. She jumped onto the leaf and flipped onto her back, padding at the leaf with her paws. "Still playing like a pup?" Storm sat up, her brown fur ruffled. She saw a small patchy grey male sitting in front of her with a smug smirk on his face. "Oh, shut it, Thistle!" Storm said, rolling her eyes at the male who was only one moon older than her.

"You've been no fun since you've become a Learner!" said Quail, Storm's sickly littermate, his voice cracking from dehydration and sickness. Storm and Quail had been born early, causing them to be more prone to sickness. Storm had shaken hers off quite quickly, but Quail's had stuck around, haunting his body and making him look think and brittle, as though the wind could blow him away into dust at any moment.

"Quail, you need to come back to your nest!" Called a small black female dog from the pups den. "Coming Sapphire!" Quail called to the mother dog. Sapphire's pups had left her teet many moons ago, but she enjoyed looking after the Packs little ones, so she decided she would stay there and help while the other mothers were hunting or patrolling.

As Quail padded away, Storm sat down and began grooming her pelt. "So you and Quail are becoming Learners next moon?" Thistle asked Storm. "Yes, we are. Who do you think will be my teacher?" Storm asked, a gleam in her green eyes. Thistle just shrugged "I don't know." He admitted. Storm rolled her eyes at the know-it-all.

Storm watched Alpha, a huge grey female named Salmon, pad into camp, followed by Beta, a small grey male called Thunder, Lion, Alpha's best friend, and Jay, Beta's mate. Storm walked over to her mother, Flower, and curled up beside her as the prey was being divided up between the ranks of dogs. The pack's Omega, a small, skinny pale brown male dog named Snook, walked out of his small, flimsy den near the entrance to the Camp. Snook was the type to stir up drama. He was hated among the pack, and many completely ignored him. Still, he walked right up to Flower and Cloud, Storm's father, and sat down. "They scented Her today." Snook sneered at the two bigger dogs. Flower, who was cleaning Storm's ears, shot her head up and looked at Snook in disbelief. At first, curiosity held her gaze, but it quickly turned to anger and distrust. "Get out of here, Snook, or I'll be sleeping on your pelt tonight." Flower warned him. Snook just smirked and stood. He flicked his tail in her face and Cloud growled, jumped up, and clawed as Snook's cheek. The small pale brown dog looked so skinny next to her father, Storm thought. Alpha jumped down from her rock and intervened the fight "Don't do something you'll regret, Cloud." The female called to her packmate. Cloud growled and sat down again, as Alpha gave the Omega one last clawing which sent him howling back to his den. "Mother," Storm started "Who was he talking about?" "Don't ask questions you won't understand the answers to." Was all Flower said "Go find your brother and go to sleep."

Storm laid in her nest that night, Quail snoring beside her, staring up at the stars. She has overheard her parents and Lion, her older brother, talking about some dog named Sky. Who are you? Storm thought desperately. 'And where are you? She curled tighter beside her brother and fell into a fitful sleep, nightmares of demons and death haunting her.