Sinders Arise

8 Determining my place

As soon as I step into the room I change forms. I feel my bones snap and my skin tearing but I don't tear up this time like I did the last couple of times. I close my eyes and concentrate trying to bring all of what Nash and Somantha had taught me to mind. When I open my eyes I see Nash has changed as well. He walks over to me and nudges me playfully with his snout. I nudge him back and nip his ear. The door bangs open and I whip around to see Zac, Seth, Wes and the rest of the group enter. I look down at Wes. I turn around uninterested. I trot to the other side of the room and Nash follows. When I turn back around I see A black wolf with deep brown splotches on his back facing me. His eyes are cold and hard. I look to Nash.

That's Seth. He says. I nod recognizing his sharp angry eyes. Seth walks to the wall with several slightly smaller wolves behind him. The wolves that weren't Alpha's were only about three or four inches smaller than us. I look at a large all black wolf and immediately know it's Zac. He grins at me showing me his big pearly white teeth. A pair of wolves catch my attention. One was black with a reddish color around his eyes and red spots shadowing across his back. The other was black with tan paws.

Which one is Wes? I ask

That would be him. The black and red wolf steps away from the tan one with a swish of his tail. He joins the others. Nash nudges me his nose brushing mine before he joins the others. I face Wes as adrenaline pulses through me. I stand up tall and meet his eyes like Nash had taught me. Wes growls and stands in an offensive position. I crouch in a defensive manner and wait. He growls and launches at me. My mind seems to shift from being nervous into battle mode. My senses sharpen and it feels like I have been fighting for years. Nash once said I was a natural at fighting and now I am starting to believe that's true. I suddenly know exactly what to do to win this fight if I calculated Wes movements correctly. I hold my position until he gets only a couple inches away before I jump. I land behind him in a crouch and whip around a snarl rips from my throat as I bare my teeth at him. I launch myself at him and land on his back. With an ear shattering roar I sink my teeth into his neck and yank backward until his huge furry body is on top of mine. I release my hold on his neck and shove him as hard as I can with my back paws. Wes flies across the room. I stand and shake off. I crouch and he staggers to his paws. When I growl again he shrinks away his ears flattened against his head. I straighten proud of my victory. Nash trots over to me and bows his head.

You did wonderfully Melena. He says. Before I can respond the black and reddish wolf takes Wes spot.

My turn. He says.

That's Tod. He's third in the pack, not including me. Nash explains.

Alright let's go than. I say to Tod. Tod walks to the center of the room as Nash helps Wes off the mat. Tod launches at me with no warning. He crashes into me sending me flying across the room. I twist my body so I land on my paws. I turn and growl at him the sound rumbles like thunder. Tod's eyes taunt me. I launch at him and he meets me in the middle. He bites my neck deeply. I can feel blood starting to run down my sleek fur. I twist myself, ripping out of his strong jaws. The movement hurt, like really really hurt but I don't want him to know that. If I show even a moment of weakness he will be relentless and won't stop attacking until I go down. I bare my teeth and run toward him. This one is a little trickier to calculate his movements therefore he will be more difficult to beat. My mind races with ways to beat him but nothing comes to mind. By the way he's standing I don't have any advantages. Than he does something stupid as I grow nearer. He crouches and prepares to jump into the air. He's trying to use my own move against me. An idea sparks to life and I run faster as he

pushes back on his hind legs. As he jumps I go for his soft vulnerable belly.I slam into him midair and we crash to the ground. I latch onto his neck and growl. My teeth sink deeper into his neck. I growl and he whimpers. I let him go and take a couple steps back. I wait to see if he is alright. He pulls himself off the floor. I huff out a relieved breath. He bows his head.