After such an invigorating ride if felt good to splash cold water against her face and neck. Autumn Mist too enjoyed the stop. She was able to quench her thirst and also to have a nibble on the rich green grass the surrounded the little pond. Victoria wasn’t overly concerned when Autumn Mist wandered a little further away from where they’d originally stopped.

With her back to a large old tree Victoria closed her eyes for a moment and let her thoughts wander back to the house earlier in the day and to her children. They were planning something, she could feel it. The way Nick had encouraged her to go riding, the fact that Heather spent more time then usual with Silas in the kitchen, the parcels that had mysteriously turned up when Heath and Jarrod had returned from town. Yes those children of hers were planning something.

The thought of her children caused her to smile. They were gifts to her. All five of them. Jarrod, her first born. The one who had taken charge after the death of his father. Jarrod the nominal male head of the family. Nick, her second born. The one who had inherited his father’s passion and temperament. Nick who couldn’t enter a room without bellowing and yet when the situation called for it could be as gentle as a lamb. Audra her blonde haired daughter. Audra who also had inherited her fathers passion but without the temper of her brother. Audra who was taking an interest in her mothers charities. Victoria knew that in Audra the charitable works started in the Barkley name would continue. Heath and Heather. The twins. Born out of a brief encounter between her husband and another woman. Victoria never once regretted making them a part of her family. Heath the perfect counter to Nick. Where Nick was loud Heath was quite. Blood and love of ranch work and in particular the Barkley ranch bound them together. Heather with her red hair and the temper of the Barkley’s. With her blue/green eyes that flashed deep blue with love and laughter and deep green with anger. Heather who could paint up a storm for either her family or to be sold for the orphans.

Mothers and Children Moonwolf reflected as she watched her latest offspring sleep. Over the years she’d had many cubs. Most of them by now were securing territories of their own and having their own families.

Hopefully the Great Wolf Above would allow her to guide this last offspring of hers along life’s path to maturity.

Like another Mother she’d been observing lately. This mother had five cubs of varying ages, spirits and tempers. It took great wisdom, strength and patience to keep five energetic, full of life cubs in line.

Only the most revered and wisest of the dominant she-wolves earned the pack name of Silverwolf, this particular dominant female had well and truly earned the name.

With five human cubs in tow the dominant female of the human pack had indeed earned the name Silverwolf.

The distressed neighing and whinnying of Autumn Mist brought Victoria back to the present. And there was another sound. The sound of some sort of dog howling and whinging. Treading lightly, so as not to draw attention to herself, Victoria crept to where she had last seen her horse.

What she saw shocked and horrified her. Autumn Mist was surrounded by a pack of some five or six wolves, each one of the snapping at her fetlocks. Autumn Mist was doing what she could to keep the wolves at bay, kicking at them with her back legs. But she was just one horse against six hungry wolves.

Victoria was helpless; there was nothing she could do. Her rifle, which the boys made her take with her each time she went riding, was on her saddle and her saddle was still on Autumn Mist

Snap.

Looking down Victoria saw where the unexpected noise had come from. Unknowingly she had stepped on a dry twig. Quickly she looked toward the wolves. The big black, obviously the leader, turned its head and sniffed the air.

Knowing that she had to get to some sort of high ground where she would be out of reach from the pack Victoria headed, rather quickly, back to the large tree which she had rested under not that long ago.

The black dominant male wolf and his pack were hunting again.

Once already the dominant male had been sniffing around her den. Threatening both her and her offspring, only luck and her very strong inherited will to survive had driven him away.

Now he was on the hunt again and from the message on the breeze had cornered something. Silverwolf and her equine. Their only hope now was if Howlswisely, Growlshard, Softpaw, Firefur and Sunfur could get there in time.

While her brothers were in the parlour with their neighbour Heather went back to the kitchen to see how the preparations were going.

To her surprise Silas was nowhere to be found in the kitchen, nor was he in his own room that was next to the cooking area.

Footsteps coming down the corridor told her the Silas wasn’t that far away. What Heather didn’t expect was for Silas to be carrying a shotgun when he returned.

“Miz Heather” Silas said as he entered the room “Miz Heather you stay right there Miz.”

“Silas what’s wrong?” Heather asked surprised. In all her time with the family she had never known Silas to pick up a gun.

“There’s a wolf at the door Miz. A great silver wolf.” Silas fiddled with the weapon.

“Where Silas? Show me where.”

Silas opened the back door that led out to the corrals. True enough sitting not far from the open door was the silver/white she-wolf.

“Silas” Heather ordered as she gazed at her canine friend “Calm down. She won’t hurt you nor is she after the chickens. Now please go and fetch my brothers.”

“But Miz I can’t leave you alone with that wolf. Mr Nick and Mr Heath would skin me.”

“Don’t worry they won’t touch you and I’ll be fine now please go.”

“IF you say so Miz.” Silas backed into the kitchen area never once taking his eyes off the wolf.

Once she was sure Silas couldn’t see them Heather approached the wolf.

“Mother?” She queried “Victoria?”

The she-wolf looked at her, got up and walked away. Stopped, looked back walked back toward her and repeated the process.

Heather had never seen this kind of behaviour from her friend before. It puzzled her. After the she-wolf repeated the sequence one more time it finally dawned on Heather what the wolf was actually wanting.

“You want us to follow you. This that it?”

The she-wolf huffed. The closest thing to a yes Heather could interpret.

“HEATHER?” Nick called ‘What’s going..?” He stopped when he saw the wolf “Mother?”

“Yes” Heather confirmed “Hurry get the horses she wants us to follow her.”

Jarrod and Heath, who were five seconds behind Nick, didn’t bother to stop or ask questions they just hurried toward the stables and their own horses.

Following the she-wolf proved no easy task. Being smaller then a horse the wolf could cut through places where a horse couldn’t. A number of times the family lost the trail only to have the she-wolf reappear and guide them another way.

“Does anybody know where we are going?” Jarrod asked after they’d lost the wolf for the fourth time.

“Just that we’re following a wolf who is supposed to be leading us to Mother” Nick replied “Who, according to said wolf, is in danger.”

“Well do either of you know where Mother was planning to go?” Heather interjected. Both brothers shook their heads indicating no. “Then this is the only lead we have.”

The frightened whinnying of a horse and the howling of the wolf pack reached their ears long before they could see any of what was going on.

“That’s Autumn Mist.” Jarrod stated.

It was at that point that the fatigued and stressed horse along with her wolf tormenters came into sight.

All eyes were drawn to the lead wolf

About twice the size of a normal wolf, black from nose to tail, with burning orange eyes and jaws like a steel trap, the dominant rouge male was indeed an impressive sight.

“It’s that rouge pack Ed Covertington told us about” Heath whispered, “Look at the size of the lead wolf. Ed was right he’s huge.”

“But where’s Mother? I can’t see her anywhere.” Audra fretted.

“THERE” Nick pointed to the old tree just beyond the black wolf.

Some how Victoria had managed to make it to the first solid branch above the ground. Well out of reach of the dominant male. But this didn’t stop him from circling the tree making it impossible for Victoria to get down. Orange eyes glinting and teeth bared the black wolf snarled the whole time.

Nick quickly formulated a plan. It was rushed and didn’t make a hell of a lot of sense. But this was Victoria’s life and he didn’t have time to think about the consequences now.

“When I distract it’s attention you and Heath get Mother down and outta here.” He instructed his brothers.

“Don’t do anything foolish” Jarrod cautioned his younger brother. “We don’t want to end up losing you to that wolf.”

Nick disappeared for a moment and then returned carrying his rifle.

“You have any better ideas?” He threw at Jarrod.

“No.”

“Then get ready”

He discharged the gun.

The shot didn’t kill the black wolf, only catching the big black in the shoulder. Howling in surprise and pain the wolf turned his attention away from his prisoner in the tree and to his tormentor on the ground.

“Go!” Nick called to his brothers.

He raised the gun ready let go with the second barrel.

The wolf charged him.

He pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

The wolf got closer

The rifle jammed.

The wolf kept coming.

Two things happened at once.

The black wolf slashed Nick with its claws knocking him back against a tree stunning him. The jaws of the wolf latched onto this upper right arm.

The she-wolf attacked her black counterpart from the side, the force of her attack loosening his grip on Nicks arm and forcing him onto open ground closer to Heather.

Under normal circumstances the rouge black would’ve had no problems defending it’s self from the attack of the smaller, lighter opponent. But these were not normal circumstances. With the bullet from Nicks rifle still in its shoulder the rouge was at a disadvantage.

Black and Silver/white streaks growled and snarled at each other, fur flew as first the she-wolf got the upper hand only to have it taken away by the rouge.

The pair continued the struggle for a few moments. The rouge inflicting several bites to his opponent’s legs and neck. He had the she-wolf pinned to the ground and was about to deliver the fatal slash when Heather, due to the position he was in, was able to line up a shot on him.

The gun discharged, the rouge gave one final howl of surprise and collapsed at her feet. The light in his orange eyes dimmed. He was dead.

Shocked, and feeling very sick, by what she had just done Heather dropped the gun and all but collapsed herself. She had just shot and killed another living thing.

Autumn Mist’s tormentors quickly disappeared when the shot rang out. They knew that their pack leader was dead.

Jarrod, Heath and Victoria, who had watched the whole thing from where they had taken shelter, rushed over to the pair.

“I’m fine.” Was Heathers response to their unasked question.

That wasn’t totally true. She was sick and just wanted to be alone for a moment.

“Heath, Jarrod help Nick.”

Sick and shaking she stumbled off.

“NICK.” Heath rushed to his older brothers side. Jarrod and Victoria quickly followed.

Lifting Nick’s head onto his lap Heath examined his brother carefully. There were four or five deep scratch marks on Nick’s chest; they were still bleeding rather badly. The bite marks to his right arm also bleed freely. But, thankfully, Heath could detect no lump or bump to any part of Nicks head.

“Just stunned I think” He reported to Jarrod and Victoria “But we need to disinfect these.” He indicated to the starches and the bite. “And get that bleeding under control.”

“I’ve got clean cloths in my saddle bags” Victoria hurried back to Autumn Mist.

“And there’s whisky in Jingo’s.”

While his mother and brother were getting the first aide supplies Heath began to peel off Nicks vest and shirt. The wolf claws had done a rather nasty job of Nick’s chest.

Nick began to stir.

“Hey Big Brother easy now” Heath cautioned.

“What happened?”

“Very simply you took a shot at the rouge black, it attacked you, the silver/white wolf attacked and fought it. And Heather ended up shooting it.” Heath filled his brother in. “Now stay still, you’ve got some nasty gashes here on your chest, not to mention a good size hunk of your arm missing. Mother and Jarrod are fetching some first aide stuff. Now don’t panic and think about disappearing again like the last time. This wolf wasn’t rabid.”

“Sure?” Nick asked with concern as the still form of the big male.

“Checked it myself.” Heath reassured him.

“Mother? What about Mother?”

“She’s just fine. Your plan worked perfectly big brother. When the rouge attacked you Jarrod and I were able to get her to safety.”

“Nick” Victoria called as she returned with the now damp cloths.

“Mother”

Mother and Son embraced. Nick’s blood smearing the front of Victoria’s riding jacket. But she didn’t care. Her second born was safe and awake.

“Brother Nick” Jarrod joined the family group “Glad to see you’re back with us.” He handed Heath the flask of whisky and gasped Nick by the shoulder.

Victoria took the task of handing the first aide. Carefully she washed the cuts.

“Nick get ready this will sting a bit” She prepared her son.

Grasping both Heaths and Jarrod hands Nick braced himself for the sting as the whisky was poured in the cuts.

Several minutes and quite a few colourful remarks later it was over. Heath and Jarrod bound the cuts and helped Nick put on his rather shredded shirt.

Nick looked around. Somebody was missing.

“Heather? Where’s Heather?” He looked around “And the she-wolf?”

“Yes” Victoria asked “About this wolf?”

Feeling sickened and revolted by what she had just done Heather stumbled away from her family and into a corner of the grove area where nobody could see her. There crying and alone her stomach gave out on her.

When she had regained control of herself Heather realized she was not alone. The she-wolf had followed her and was lying near by head on paws watching.

“I know I did the right thing.” Heather said to the she-wolf “ I saved you and most likely my brother as well. But it was hard, so hard. I’ve never shot a living thing before.” She started to cry again “And I hope that I never have to again.”

The snapping of dry twigs caused both wolf and human to raise their heads. The she-wolf growled, almost a warning growl.

The growl of the wolf told the rest of the Barkley family that they had found their missing sibling, and that she wasn’t alone.

“Heather?” Heath called to his twin “Are you there?”

“It’s alright” Heather reassured her canine friend “It’s my family”. Then out loud called “I’m here.”

Heath broke through into the hidden area and held his twin.

“Are you alright?”

Heather smiled weakly at her twin brother. “Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

Heather nodded

Together twin brother and sister rejoined their mother and two older brothers.

“Nick.” Heather was amazed that Nick was back on his feet already. “Should you? Are you?”

“Yes.” Nick held his little sister “Thanks to you and to the she-wolf. Where is she?”

The family looked back to the area that the twins had just come out of. There was no sign of the wolf. She had vanished again.

Several Days later.

It’s time. Moonwolf thought to herself. Time the human pack met the next in line to the Moonwolf legacy. Littlewolf, her silver/white cub.

Nature had given her a sign.

The birth of a silver/white cub was nature’s way of saying that a new order was coming.

Her time as the Moonwolf was coming to an end and the time to pave the way for the next generation had begun.

It had been this way with her mother and her mother’s, mother and her mother’s mother’s mother all the way back to the very first Moonwolf and Mooncub.

“Miz Heather, Miz Heather.” Silas called urgently

“Yes Silas?” Heather stuck her head around the kitchen door.

“That wolf is back again Miz” Silas pointed out the window.

Sure enough sitting just by the door was the silver/white she-wolf.

“Shall I get Mr Jarrod, Mr Nick, Mr Heath, Miz Audra and Mrs Barkley?”

“Yes please Silas.”

While Silas was rounding up the rest of her family Heather opened the door and approached her friend.

“Hello again. Thought we’d seen the last of you.”

The wolf walked to Heather, turned walked away and then walked back again.

“You want us to follow you again?”

Again the she-wolf huffed.

“Okay, just wait until the others get here.”

“She wants us to follow her again” Heather informed the rest of her family.

“Well I for one have learned to trust her feelings” Nick admitted.

They followed the she-wolf to Mystic Gully. There she led them to a cave almost hidden by brush.

A growl told them that they had come far enough.

“I get the feeling she wants us to stop here.” Jarrod told his family.

The she –wolf disappeared into the cave. Several minutes passed then she reappeared, followed by a single wolf cub. A silver/white wolf cub.

“The next generation” Heather breathed

“Seems you not only saved her life the other day” Nick observed as he watched the little wolf. “You also saved that of her cub and possibly the next generation of Barkley’s as well.”

Together the two families watched each other.

“She seems so peaceful.” Heath smiled at his twin. Heather was asleep, her back resting against a tree. A book on the history of the Barkly lands resting on her lap. “Seems almost a shame to wake her.”

“Yeah I know what you mean.” Nick said by his younger brothers side.

“But gentlemen if we don’t wake her we’ll never get to the picnic races at all” Jarrod put in.

Both Nick and Heath nodded.

“Shall I?” Nick inquired.

“Go right ahead.”

“Hey sleepy-head wake up.” Nick tapped her younger sister on the shoulder.

“What? Where?” Heather woke from the dream she was having.

“Come on rise and shine. We’ll never get to the picnic races at this rate.”

“Okay Okay I’m coming” Heather closed the book she was reading and rose to her feet.

Jarrod took the book from her and looked at the cover.

“Where did you find this?”

“At the back of one of the bookcases in the library.”

“Why? It’s only a history of the lands. Surely there are much more interesting books then this one.”

“I saw something the last time I was here and wanted to check it out.” Heather explained as her brothers helped her into her carriage.

“Okay just asking.” Jarrod swung up onto Jingo and waited while Heath mounted Charger and Nick mounted Stealth.

Together the brothers and their sister left Mystic Gully.

From within a clump of bushes a pair of yellow/green eyes watched them leave.