A week or so later, Reba, one of Shakey's unprecedented two mates, came limping to us crying tears and weeping blood from two bite wounds on her right rear leg. "Reba? God. Brandon, get Eve or Janice or one of the other healers." As the fox ran off, I brought the younger of the two vegetarian wolves into my den and laid her down on our bed of pine.

"Reba, what happened?" Heather asked.

"I was gathering herbs and berries up North when some Northern wolves ambushed me."

"Hold on. I'll get the head-Alphas." I ran over to Garth and Lilly's den. "The Northern wolves are making a move against us, I think."

"What makes you think that?"

"Some of them ambushed Reba."

After we went and delivered the same message to Kate and Humphrey, we went back to my den where Janice was already tending to her friend's wounds and Shakey was consoling his two wives. "Reba, tell us what happened," Kate demanded.

She stated the same sentence she told us and added, "They told me to tell you that they want a battle between their best five warriors and our five best. The winner gets the territory."

"And the resident pack?"

"They didn't say, but I think that we'd have to move out and find a new territory or die."

"Did they specify a time or place for this contest?"

"No and yes, respectively. They want us to contact them when we are ready to arrange a time for the fight, but the battleground they want is a small valley somewhere on the crossroads between the borders of all three territories, East, West, and North."

"I know where it is," Humphrey replied as he nodded his head. "Because of where it is, no pack has truly claimed it, a no-wolves' land, if you will."

"Wait. Reba, why are you so sure that we will lose?"

"Jeremiah, the Northern wolves have the second-best fighters in the entirety of Jasper Park; they are only a small step behind the Southern wolves," Garth admonished.

"Oh."

We then heard someone clear his throat behind us. We looked and saw my father. "Because of the struggles our pack survived, I believe that the Glacier Bay wolves are some of the best fighters that exist," he stated with combined pride and humility.

"We shall see," Garth said before he howled for a pack gathering. When the entire pack, all ninety-four members, was assembled outside our den, he announced, "The Northern pack has issued a challenge for our territory. They, knowing that we have superior numbers, have decided to pit their five best warriors against our five best. Thus, for the next five days, we shall have contests of strength, stamina, speed, and combat skill to determine our five best warriors. Rest up tonight, for the contests start tomorrow."

As he walked back in, I warned him, "Some of us might get killed in those contests."

"No, I will strictly tell them not to kill each other."

"And if lethal accidents happen?"

He was silent for a few seconds, and then he replied, "I hadn't thought of that."

"Tomorrow, I'll scout the area…"

"No, you're one of our best. Have Salty do it…" Heather began to object.

"No, I'll do it," my dad interjected, cutting her off. "I am too old to be a viable candidate for one of our five best warriors, but I know enough about combat to know what to look for in a combat area."

"Well, I'll go with you," Eve added, "I know where it is and know the valley and surrounding mountains well."

"Lead the way, my lady."

As I watched them walked off, I asked Kate, "Is your mother using my father to distract her from her grief?"

"I dunno, maybe."