TO RULE RED RIVER

Part 1 - Make me a promise

ISLA

4 years later - (Isla aged 9/ Finn aged 11)

"Not good enough, not good enough at all!" Growls Catherine as she looks down her nose at me with disdain. Her bony old fingers tap her cane frantically, as her dark eyes flash amber with annoyance as she looks me over with her beady eyes.

Catherine is a relic; I wish she'd just retire already. She moved here from Red River when my mum became Luna to Grey Crescent. She tutored my mum, now I'm her unfortunate student and she is a real piece of work.

"Not only are you late, but you're both leaving water trails everywhere!"

She's not wrong, I can hear a squelching noise when I wriggle my toes, my best shoes are totally ruined from a mixture of rainwater and mud that's left a huge mucky trail on Catherine's beloved highly polished dance floor from wherever I've stepped. My dress is so full of rain that large drips keep forming small pools of water all around me making the surface as slippery as ice.

"There's no time for you to change, pair off and fall in line with the rest. Quickly now!" Catherine barks.

I go to throw Catherine a sassy remark, but before I can say anything Finn grabs my arm by the elbow firmly and pulls me into the line, stifling a laugh at me as I skid and slide on the wooden floor as my shoes seem to have lost any traction from being so wet.

"I guess you're with me again." Finn grumbles making me frown.

"If you hate dancing with me so much you should've come straight here to get first pick of a partner instead of following me out to Martha's Ridge. " I growl back.

"Dad's gonna be pissed when he finds out you're late again." Kai chuckles from over my shoulder.

I side glance up at my brother who's standing in line next to us. "Then don't tell him!" I hiss.

"As if that old witch won't beat me to it" He counters back laughing, before he takes his flame red haired partner by the hand and pulls her into the starting position for this god-awful dance, we've all been summoned here to learn.

All children of high-ranking wolves must go through this torture of learning traditional dances and waltzes. It just seems so pointless to me and old fashioned. But that's the problem, my father is traditional and old fashioned, never one to bend the rules and always striving for perfection. So, to have a daughter as troublesome as myself that causes him no doubt daily headaches must be a great disappointment to him.

My older brother, Kai, on the other hand, is the epitome of everything my father wanted in an heir. Kai looks just like our father, Alpha Drake, and I guess my Uncle Lucas too as they're twins. Kai's tall. Even taller than Finn. His eyes are almost grey they are so light in colour, but what's most striking about him is his hair, brilliant white in colour with two large braids that run on either side of his head. He'll be a formidable Alpha for sure, I just wish he'd not keep me wrapped up in cotton wool like the rest of my family.

With only a year apart in age, myself and Kai are extremely close although we look nothing alike. I take after my mother in appearance in many ways with my golden long hair and dark blue eyes but that's where our similarities end. My mother, as my father regularly likes to tell anyone who'll listen, is the perfect Luna. Graceful, poised, well-educated and kind. I on the other hand have yet to receive such praise, my qualities are more noted as wild, reckless, and impulsive and I refuse to change...so I guess we can add stubborn to that list as well.

As the music begins, my focus snaps back to Finn who's looking towards the big bay, floor to ceiling window that has a great view of the forest outside. Today it's particularly beautiful as the mist swirls through the lower branches, plus the rainwater has turned the leaves a richer shade of green. I'm pretty sure Finn would live full time in wolf form out there if he was given half the chance, he loathes dance classes and crowded places. Always opting for the freedom of running wild in the forest than being in the bustle of the pack house when he comes to visit us.