The trees and the wind, and all the residents of the forest rested quietly, too quietly almost. Behind them, one could barely spot a furry ear, peeking out like an antenna. The owner of the ear peaked its furry head out. Zamara, the new leader of the pack. "Arf, arf," she barked to the other wolves. "Arf, arf, arf!" The wolves scuttled around her. "Arf! Arf! Arf!"

"English please," Salela mumbled. "Tired of translating your barks."

"I'm sorry," Zamara murmured. "Just tired right now.

"Do you see that?" Rena asked her. "Hunters!"

"Fluff no!" Zamara cursed. "Get down!" The hunters rolled through the forest, strange metallic barrels in hand. "What are those?" Zamara asked herself.

"Where are we going?" one of the men yelled to the driver.

"We're out of gas!" the driver shouted.

"Crud," the man said to himself. "We're dead as furry animals in the middle of the night if we don't have gas." He pointed the metallic barrel downward, and a loud BANG echoed through the forest.

"Hey Ramnez," a man said into his ear. "We ought to run."

"Holy coyote!" Rena whispered to Zamara. "Hunters!"

"What was that?" the man said, panicked.

"Wolves," Ramnez muttered. "After them."

"What do we do?" Salela said, stammering.

"Scatter up, gang!" Zamara barked. "Hunters in bound!" The wolves parted ways, as the hunters scavenged through the forest, leaving muddy footsteps behind them. Zamara hurried up a tree, while the rest ducked behind bushes and nestled themselves in leaves still turned autumn colors, whilst the rest of their surroundings were snowy white. The eerie sound of leaves being trampled rang through their ears.

"Do you hear that?" Rena whispered to Salela. "That's the hunters." The footsteps grew louder and louder, the wolves whimpering growing quieter and quieter, softer and softer. "When they turn around, we strike!" The hunters whipped the peculiar metal barrels around.

"An opening!" Salela barked. "Go! Go! Go!" Salela pounced at the hunters, Zamara and Rena bolting behind her. Behind Zamara, sparks of fire formed. Her eyes turned the color of the evening sky. Massive flames ignited amongst the trees, the pine bark burning away slowly.

"After them!" Ramnez cried. "After them!" Zamara's long fur swayed in the breeze as she hustled away with the pack. They ducked behind a small blueberry shrub, the loud ringing still lingering in their ears.

"Where- where's Veram?" Zamara shouted.

"Right here!" Veram cried heroically. He barked into the wind, scaring off a couple hunters. The barking, combined with the fire chipping away at the bark, caused a tree to tumble to the ground, blocking off the hunters.

"What took you so long?" Zamara complained. "What were you doing- admiring yourself in the lake?"

"Course I definitely wasn't," Veram replied. "I was definitely not out by the lake- preening my fur before I headed into this fight!" Rena howled what could only be described as an abrupt, ear-piercing, heart-racing howl into the wind, the hunters being blown back by the ferocity.

"You were admiring yourself by the lake?" Zamara barked. "How lazy are you?"

"Certainly not as lazy as the hunters!" Veram remarked, leaping out of the bush and crying out the words, "Did you hear that? You can't make a shot! You're lazier than I am! Arf! Arf! Arf, arf-"

"We're missing someone else," Zamara uttered. "Where's Ujare? Where's Ujare?!"