The hard, dry surface of the earth, moistened by the permeation of the dark, red liquid.

Gray skies fleeted out as it succumbed to the soft calls of nature. The moon appeared, shining its luminous light upon us.

The air was laden with the rotten stench of spilled intestines and battered brains that was already piled up high to a huge mound.

Their eyes were opened and mouth forever parted in the throes of agony. Heads were placed on pikes as warning to any intruder that sought to challenge my birthright.

The fight was bloody and challenging, but the outcome was well worth it. The intruder, Tamark, had underestimated our strength. He was too caught up in his self-inflated ego to realize that strength in numbers does not count.

Brutality and ferocity of a warrior was the deciding factor of his true potential.

My Wolfé and that of Mickey's were merciless with the intruders' group of Wolfés. Heads were beheaded and muscles shredded mercilessly, effectively rendering them weak.

Our Wolfés gobbled down the hearts and livers in their bellies as they satiated their bloodlust in a matter of minutes.
Efficiency, the deciding factor of their success.

Their pelts would be skinned later on and used for making gloves and boots that would keep my Clàn warm when winter arrived.

Their fangs would be ripped out from their gums and made into single necklaces which my Clàn warriors will wear on their necks with pride.

I looked at the headless figure of Tamark right on top of the piled bodies.

It was well into the fight, when Tamark started to notice the dwindling numbers of his small army. The look on his face had pleased me greatly.

Trepidation had kicked in with the stench of his fear as it saturated the air.

The pathetic male had wanted to back out. A worthless male undeserving of the Alpha title intended to leave the battlefield without his Clàn members who were willing to fight for him.

A fight for the wrong cause.

Mickey had given him no chance to carry out his intention. His elongated nails dipped sharply into his back, ripped out his spine in one clean sweep before he even had the pleasure to feel the relief that came with a momentary freedom.

I mounted his head up in the centre of the battlefield, far away from his Clàn members. He did not get the honour of being placed side by side with the Clàn members he had wanted to abandon.

My four-man group of warriors had already gathered their bodies into mounds. Each of them stood close together as they awaited further instructions from me.

''Light them up,'' I ordered.

South Paw, my lead warrior, came forward and bowed his head slightly. With the flaming torch held tightly in his grasp, he lit up their bodies.

The effect was instantaneous. Bodies lit up like wildfire as it circumvented every single inch, leaving no stone unturned. Raw and exhilarating energy infused into the air as it fueled our beings with overwhelming emotions.

One by one, the Stone Clàn members came out of their dens. Each drawn to the magnetic and euphoric energy permeating the battlefield, seeping into their bones while it coursed through our veins like an adrenaline rush.

My Clàn's Wolfés paced around their owners in a restless manner. The energy that affected me and my Clàn members seemed to be have an effect on the Wolfés as well. Each of them, restless to expend the excess energy in their bodies.

The crescendo of the energy's effect continued to increase until it reached that maximum peak, the climax, where we could not control our emotions any longer as we gave into tears wildness of our souls.

Like a pack of dominoes we all succumbed to the effect of the energy. Our mouths were raised to the moon as it produced the perfect symphony of howls. One so powerful that even nature's wildlife joined in on their excitement.

It was my Clàn's tradition that each time a fight ended, no matter how worn out or drained our bodies seemed to be, every member, man or child would partake in The Hunt.

It was our way of honoring the mystical forces for granting us success.

I was the first one to take off on the run. My Wolfé beside me and to my right was Mickey and his Wolfé.

I went deep into our natural forest, basking in the exhilarating trill as I ran with nature.

I watched as the greenery fleeted past me like a blur, taking in the feel of my bare foot as it met with fresh soil underneath my soles.

My muscles felt the familiar burn that came with the effort of the run. I needed to push myself more and that I did.

My Wolfé, who ran alongside me, nipped at my heels harshly, propelling me to move forward. It seemed he got a hint of my emotions and this was his own way of helping me.

That was all the motivation I needed. I pushed myself to the brim, running so fast that my Clàn members lagged far behind, until I could not longer feel their footsteps thudding on the ground.

By the time my muscles started to protest with the amount of strain put on it, my feet had already led me to the clearing. This was were we were to feast on our preys until our bellies were swollen and content.

I deposited my weary form against a tree as I rested my bark on its rough surface.

I tried to calm down my harsh breathing while I waited for my remaining members to catch up.

Few minutes later, they started trooping in with their catches. All sported ridiculous grins and showing off their preys. A group of them caught a large elk, another caught a bear and the last group caught an antelope.

Without further directions, they all dispersed to do their jobs. Some of them proceeded to cut the animals up. Others started to light the bonfire they would use to cook the meat. Their Wolfés tried to take a piece of meat from them but they send them off with a warning growl.

Resigned to their owners wishes, the Wolfés made their way forward, towards my Wolfé's position who sat his ass down on the ground with snout raised in authority.

Show off.

''How was your run?'' Mickey interrupted my silent musings. I turned to see him perched on the ground with legs crisscrossed as he sat beside me.

''Good.'' I left it at that. There was no need to point out my feelings.

Mickey cleared his throat subtly, an indication that he wanted to talk about something important.

His white, milky eyes shimmered with a silver glow, like the moon's reflection of light. I often wondered how Mickey managed to notice subtle changes in his surroundings despite his blindness.

It was true that when one sense failed, the other senses would come to the aid of the failing sense. Sometimes making the defective sense better than it used to be.

''What troubles you Beta?''

Mickey rubbed his beard. ''What is the next course of action now?''

''Course of action?'' I asked confused.

''When you killed Tamark, it automatically made you Alpha of the Clàns he had already taken control of. They would have already felt the loss by now and would be drawn to their new Alpha,'' Mickey paused. ''If they all come here, what are you going to do?'' He asked.

I pondered on what he said.

It was true that the Clàn members Tamark presided over would automatically become mine since I had killed their Alpha. The mantle of power would shift to me and they would be unable to resist the call to their new Alpha.

My entire body singed with the anticipation of having more land and people.

An Alpha's instinct to dominate.

''I will give them two options. Either they accept me as Alpha, or they chose another Alpha amongst themselves with my permission.'' I answered after much thought.

Mickey nodded his head in acceptance. His eyebrows rose slightly upwards, an indication that he agreed with my decision.

We both entered into a peaceful silence after that, observing the activities of the members as we basked in the afterglow of their happiness.

All of a sudden, a large green light blanketed the night sky. Fearful gasps rose among my Clàn members as they all watched the light slowly disappearing. Each pondered upon its dreadful meaning.

Someone had broken into my mystical barriers. The barriers had stood for decades and protected us from the outside world. No one had broken through and this was the first time we were experiencing something of this nature.

I released a subtle growl, one meant to calm the fear of my people. They slowly became less worried as they each returned to their activities. Although they were still casting weary glances about.

''Mickey, I want you to stay with them and guard them. I will go and investigate the cause of this breach,'' I ordered.

Mickey looked like he wanted to protest, but one look from me had him nodding his head before he went to stand with them.

Once I was assured of their safety with my trusted warriors. I headed for the direction of the light.

''South Paw!'' I angrily called out to the golden eyed warrior patrolling the grounds.

''Yes Alpha,'' he immediately rushed to my side.

''Follow me.'' We both ventured deep into the forest.

Something had come into my lands, probably a danger to my people and it was my duty to protect my Clàn.

It was that duty that would fuel me to kill the intruder.