I was once more woken when Brunette stretched and got to her feet in the dim morning light. I groaned, wishing I could have slept longer. She nudged me with her nose and snorted before grabbing my scruff. I was beginning to take back that wish about wanting to be carried by my scruff instead of riding.

Our first stop was a creek, and I drank the cool water greedily. Brunette rustled around in some nearby bushes and came back with a mouse. It took her a few tries, but she managed to pull the skin and fur off before dropping it in front of me. Apparently, breakfast had been served.

I had never eaten mouse before, but it tasted a bit like squirrel. Once I finished, I began cleaning my face. Brunette must have decided that I wasn't doing it well it enough since she joined in. The other adults frolicked in the water, almost as if they weren't bloodthirsty creatures.

I paused as I examined my aura more closely. It had shifted as I slept, becoming something that primarily targeted painful memories rather than calming a rage. Considering the ferals weren't eyeing me up as a snack, I decided to take a chance and leave it where it was.

It wasn't long before we were on the move again. I kept tabs on the scents around us as they ran, but oddly enough, I never smelled another pack or even any rogues. From how people talked about ferals, I would have thought they usually lurked around the borders of packs.

If I could pick up a pack scent, I could try sneaking away from this group and locating the border patrol. Even if they wouldn't let me join their pack, they would probably spare a couple of fighters to escort me to another one.

I wasn't sure where the ferals were going, but they were covering a lot of distance in very little time. Most big predators remained in a territory they defended, but since I hadn't picked up any older scents of these ferals, I doubted they had been here within the last month.

A deer made the mistake of running across the trail ahead, and the wolves took off like a shot. Brunette hesitated, clearly wanting to join the hunt, but uncertain of what to do with me. She followed the others at a more sedate pace, and by the time we caught up, the seven wolves were feasting on the dead deer.

She put me down and joined the mass of fur and muscle tearing at the deer. I remained by the base of a tree, hoping there would be something left when they finished. To my surprise, Brunette backed out of the group with a piece of meat in her jaws. I wagged my tail in anticipation and practically danced on the spot when I realized she was bringing it to me.

I yipped happily when she dropped it in front of me. As she returned to the rapidly-disappearing deer carcass, the black wolf came over. Without Brunette standing over me, I backed up in case he wanted the meat. He was massive – almost as big as an Alpha – I certainly wasn't about to fight him for the meal.

He ignored the meat and lowered his head to sniff my fur. Tilting his head as if confused, he bunted me with his nose, rolling me over as I squeaked in surprise.

A roar made him look up just in time for a dark brown wall of fury to crash into him. Brunette tore into him with her teeth, ripping out tufts of fur as her snarls split the air. The black male was caught off guard and tried backing up before standing his ground and retaliating.

I scuttled away from the brawling wolves. Brunette wasn't holding back, and I had never seen a more infuriated wolf in my life. The black male was holding his own, mostly because of his sheer size and strength.

The other wolves paused their meal to watch the two fighters, their body language showing their confusion. They clearly had no idea what this fight was about.

Finally, the two broke apart, still snarling at each other. Brown and black fur was scattered across the grass, although I didn't see any serious wounds. Blood oozed from a couple of minor bites, although werewolves healed swiftly, so the small injuries would be gone within a day or so.

Brunette edged back in my direction as the black wolf watched her go with a somewhat perplexed expression. He swished his tail a few times and went over to the piece of meat Brunette had left for me. Picking it up, he began walking towards us.

Brunette pinned her ears back with a snarl, which he ignored. As he got closer, he moved slower, keeping an eye on the temperamental female standing guard in front of me. When he walked around her, she turned to keep facing him. I backed up between Brunette's legs, and he placed the meat in front of me before stepping back. Brunette's snarl trailed into a low growl as she watched him like a hawk.

The male went back to the deer and began eating. The others joined him, occasionally glancing at Brunette, who had chosen to remain with me. She gradually relaxed and sat down. I decided to eat while I had the chance and worked on the piece of venison.

I looked up as the black wolf came back, this time with a fairly large chunk of meat in his mouth. Brunette's hackles went up, although she remained sitting where she was.

Still carrying the meat, he nudged her shoulder, then set it down by her. Turning to go, he paused and reached down to gently lick my ear. I wagged my tail, preferring this greeting over his last one. I tilted my head when I noticed that his eyes were more of a burnt orange color than Brunette's vivid red. I had assumed that all the ferals had red eyes when I first saw them, although I had been more concerned with their teeth at that point.

The male left, and I continued my meal, occasionally glancing at the ferals while Brunette slowly ate the piece the black wolf had brought over. The deer rapidly disappeared into the ravenous maws of seven wolves. By the time they finished, not much was left other than some bones.

The meal was substantial enough that the wolves decided another nap was in order and went to a nearby clearing. They scattered themselves amongst the long grass while I remained beside Brunette.

Once they had been motionless for a while, I went in search of a place for a bathroom break. I quietly pushed my way through the grasses that towered over me.

Before I had gone far, a sharp bark came from behind me. I looked back and saw Brunette with her head in the long grass as she followed my trail. She lifted her head and spotted me. Bounding over, she gave me a quick sniff and grabbed my scruff before taking me back to where she had been. The other wolves put their heads back down when she returned.

She curled up around me and rested her head on her paws. I lay beside her, waiting for her to fall back to sleep.

After her eyes had been closed for a while, I tried to slip away, only for them to open as she reached out to grab me again, pointedly depositing me beside her. This time, I tried wandering in front of her, seeing if that would give me some leeway. The moment I approached the edge of her reach, she pulled me to her side once more.

In an odd fashion, her behavior reminded me of the games I had played with my old pack. I clambered up her side and onto her back before sliding down the other side. I leaned against her back so she knew I was staying close by.

At this point, I wasn't going to be overly fussy about privacy. I walked mere steps from her and ducked behind a shrub to relieve myself. I came back and, for some reason, decided to tug on the tip of her tail.

Brunette snorted and flipped her tail upward – tugging it out of my gentle hold – before letting it fall back down, lightly bonking me on the head. I sneezed and sat down, surprised by the casual action that looked so coincidental, yet, somehow, seemed intentional at the same time.

Then she flipped her tail again, the tip still managing to tap my nose on its way back down. Now I knew it hadn't been a coincidence. Baring my teeth in play, I pounced on her tail.

She swished it from side to side, each time going faster until I rolled off. Reaching over, she gently grabbed my forelegs in her large teeth and dragged me between her front legs. Even though I knew she didn't mean me any harm, just the sight of her teeth coming closer and closing around my paws was enough to make me shiver and send my heart flying. Her hot breath still smelled of the deer she had just eaten.

Once Brunette let go, I rolled upside down and batted at her chin with my paws. She pushed her nose past my feet and gave my belly a lick. I yapped and grabbed a mouthful of her whiskers, tugging on them. Her tongue swiped from my stomach all the way up my neck and chin in one big lick. My paws beat a rapid drumroll against her muzzle in protest of the bath, although it didn't deter her from licking my legs clean.

Finished, she lay her head down with me under her neck. I squirmed into the gap between her neck and leg, popping my head out of her fur and shaking my head until my ears flopped from side to side. I had to admit that it was nice and warm here. A bit tight, although I wasn't exactly squished.

My view was limited, but I could see four of the other ferals from here. Two had their eyes closed, so I assumed they were sleeping. One had her head down, but she was watching us with dark orange eyes. The black male was laying down as he regarded me and my furry protector.

After a while, he lowered his head to his paws with a gusty exhalation and closed his eyes. I yawned and snuggled into Brunette's long fur for a nap.

I woke up when Brunette sat up and yawned; it felt like I had barely fallen asleep. The other ferals were already stretching and limbering up their muscles for what was likely to be another long day of running. I tilted my head and blinked sleepily at them.

I could have sworn that the dappled grey wolf and the light brown one had red eyes, but they were a muddy orange color. I looked up and did a double take when I noticed that even Brunette's eyes were a very dark orange with reddish highlights. Did they change color depending on the time of the day?

I also noticed that my aura had weakened some while I slept, and I strengthened it once more. My aura usually only faded like that when it wasn't needed, so perhaps the ferals were more aggressive at night, which would explain why their eyes changed color and also affected my aura.

Brunette shook herself off and picked me up, interrupting my thoughts. She joined the pack as they began trotting through the forest. As much as I appreciated that I wasn't being left behind in the middle of nowhere, I began to wonder if it would be possible to evade Brunette if I picked up the scent of a pack border.