Lock your doors and turn the lights off.

Riley's body ached, and she forced herself to keep walking. "How much further?" She whined, struggling to keep up with Calibur. He called over his shoulder, "We're almost there. Say, you're kind of slow." A low growl formed in her throat and she heard a faint chuckle from Calibur. Her paws were stinging from hours of walking, and she wondered if they'd ever reach the pack.
                           "So this Gemini, you know her personally?" Riley asked, relieved to find that Calibur slowed his pace.
"You could say that." He said, flicking his tail. Riley decided it was time she repay him for that beer he splattered on her. She halted next to him and pushed against his shoulder with her own. "Oh, but surely she is of importance to you." She said, innocently batting her eyes at him. She had a feeling this would irk him, and it did. He bumped her out of his way and as he began walking again spat, "It's none of your business."

 "None of my beeswax you say?" She muttered to herself. Damn, he's not going to break, is he? Maybe this Gemini can tell me what happened. Riley caught up to him, and after a few minutes he stopped abruptly. She skidded to a halt and had to dig her claws into the ground to avoid knocking him over. "We're here." He declared.

  Riley barked with joy, and like a puppy sprung up onto his back. "Dangit, get off!" He huffed. She rolled off of him and snickered. "What, did I exceed the weight limit?" Calibur rose to his feet. "Just about, you darn near popped a disk out of place." He grumbled. Quite pleased with herself, Riley strutted up to two large oak trees. "This the entrance?" She asked. He gave a nod, "C'mon."

   Passing in-between the trees, Riley found that once she stepped foot there the Earth thudded. A single movement, as if a balance had been restored. She shrugged it off as purely something falling, perhaps a tree weakened by the storm. The two wolves padded over to a den by the creek, and Calibur ushered her inside. A wolf with snow-white fur was seated in the middle of a pile of herbs, looking at them with deep concentration.

    "Hey Gem, got'cha a new arrival." Calibur noted. The wolf flashed a look of admiration at him, but it was gone just as soon as it came when she nodded in thanks. Riley, looking ever so confused, had decided to plop herself down on the pine-needle flooring. The white wolf, Gemini, slithered around the herb piles and made her way to the young dog. "She's got lovely fur." She said to nobody in particular. Riley shyly drew her tail around herself as Gemini circled around her. "She seems to be fit as well. I think she'd made a lovely addition. Say, what's your name?" Calibur chimed in, "Her name's Riley, short for Rilata apparently."

   Riley gave a small nod. Gemini surveyed the girl once more. "She'll obviously need a new name for when she is deemed a pack member." Calibur nodded in agreement, and Riley found herself struggling to keep up with the conversation. "You're going to change my name?" She asked. Gemini nodded, "You will be given a name that you shall be known as only to the canine. No human shall ever call you by it unless you wish them to."

A new name, a new family. Am I going to be able to handle all of this? Riley thought, nervously kneading her paws into the ground. Maybe, just maybe, it could work out. After all what family does she have as a human? Although there is the academy, and her magic. Would that be a problem later on? That's just it, later on. What would happen later? Would Lucinda track her down? She pushed the thoughts aside and rose to her feet.

"Alright, I'll do it." Calibur gave a small huff of laughter. "You'd best come out and meet the rest of us then."

As Calibur and Gemini passed through the entrance of the den they shifted to their human form. Riley nervously followed them through the hole. Her shoulders clacked together and her fur disappeared. Her canine parts morphed to return to her same old self, although really she'd never be the same. She was relieved to find that she was in fact clothed, as was everyone else. Calibur grabbed her by the bend of her elbow and guided her over to a large rock, which he helped her scramble up onto the top of the boulders. Careful not to fall, she balanced herself on the rock.

"Gather before the pack stones. We bring you our newest addition, this young female." Calibur called to the dogs that began to form a crowd below them. One by one they changed into humans, and Riley spotted some that she guessed to be her age.

"Riley Carver, you are one of us." He boomed. Riley found herself grinning due to a mix of shock and joy.
The crowd was chanting quietly, "One of us! One of us!"

"Calm yourselves!!" Came a loud voice. Everyone fell into silence as a tall woman approached the rocks. She hurled herself up onto them and looked Riley dead in the eyes. Riley found herself trembling as the hazel orbs focused on what she felt was her very soul.

"You will need a name." The woman mused.

The crowd hummed with whispers being passed around. They must be guessing, Riley figured. After a few short moments they fell silent again. The woman grabbed Riley's wrist and lifted it into the air as she faced the crowd.

"Channon." She bellowed.

The pack went wild, hollering and hooting. The woman let go of Riley and dismissed the crowd, herself disappearing into a nearby cave. Calibur chuckled, "It's good for you all right." Riley turned to him, "What does it mean?" Calibur smirked, "Young wolf." A groan escaped her lips. "Greaaat.."

After the ceremony was completed and everyone was once again in their wolf form, Riley had realized how late it really was. The sun was setting already. Calibur motioned for her to follow, and she did without question. He lead her down by the creek, into a small den. He sprawled out on a patch of pine needles, looking rather comfortable. Riley cleared her throat. "Uh- where do I sleep?" She asked. Calibur opened an eye and said "Over there."

Riley nodded, and curled into a ball where she had sat, her bushy ginger tail wrapping around her. She exhaled, blowing a few needles from the dirt on which she lay. Her eyes closed, but she didn't fall asleep. She was terrified. Terrified of forgetting, of leaving everyone. What about Lucinda and her friends? What about Logan? Her stomach churned at the thought of never seeing him again. It pained her to imagine it, so she emptied her head of all thoughts but one. Sleep. Yet still it did not come. No dreams took her away.

She looked over at Calibur, who was snoring loudly as he lay face-down in the dirt. She quietly planted herself next to him and greedily took in the warmth of his brown fur. She didn't care that he had taken her from all she knew, as long as she could still see her friends and relatives.

And finally, sleep knocked at the door, and with a final exhale Riley welcomed it.