Times Up!

Her feet pounded against the hard packed earth that circled the Moss Creek territory, sweat pouring down her face and her heart hammering inside her chest as she pushed herself harder than she felt she'd ever done before.

"One more mile. Just one more mile." She told herself in between pants.

She glanced down to her watch and launched herself forward faster, determined to beat her time from the previous day. Her long black ponytail swished and bounced back and forth with each step and bright green eyes stayed focused on the trail ahead of her, unwavering.

Lexi Vance was a stubborn, overly competitive individual who refused to acknowledge or accept any physical limitations of herself. Born a werewolf with superior speed, strength, and stamina, her twenty-five year-old body was in impeccable condition, nothing but lean muscle covering her lithe frame.

She rounded a small outcrop of trees and her finishing point came into view. She sprinted, speeds even after 19 miles was still far faster than even some of the fastest human Olympic sprinters. Her lungs felt as though they were going to explode but she barreled forward, stumbling as she came to a halt.

Bent over with hands on her knees, Lexi gasped for air. It felt like she was dying.

"Back at it again?" She heard a familiar voice accompanied by heavy footfalls approaching.

She straightened, her hands reaching up to grasp the back of her neck as she attempted to catch her breath.

"Hey Daddy." She panted.

She was rewarded with his signature bright smile. His short black hair was slicked back in his usual style and his lean frame towered over hers.

"What was the time today?"

A wide grin spread across her face as her breathing finally began to slow. "Shaved off three minutes."

She looked at her watch. "Making today's official time 56 minutes for 20.1 miles."

Her father, Rex Vance and beta male of the Moss Creek wolf pack, slapped her on the back. "That's my girl." He beamed. "Shadow Cliff isn't gonna know what hit 'em this year!"

She smiled and reached up to redo her long black ponytail. This year was the year of the Guardian Games and the entire pack was buzzing with excitement.

The Guardian Games were very similar to the human tradition of the Olympics, but just for the eight wolf packs of North America. Instead of every four years, the games were held every ten years that there was peace amongst the packs and no significant events from the immortal population. And luckily, there hadn't been a peep from the filthy bloodsuckers in seventy years.

Some wolves believed that the blood wars back in the late 1940's, had successfully wiped out the dangerous denizens of the vampire race, only leaving the peaceful few to live out their existence as quietly as possible. Others thought that the wrong kind of immortals were just in hiding, replenishing their numbers and planning something major for the future.

Either way, every wolf pack continued to train and prepare as though the next battle were tomorrow. That was the purpose of their very existence.

But seventy peaceful years was nothing to scoff at. It was still quite a feat. The Guardian Games was a kind of celebration, with more than just competitions to see which pack would win the title of strongest pack for the next decade. There was a week long festival that went with it, full of vendors and foods, dancing, parties, and the mingling of the eight packs. It was a time of shared interests, of building alliances and community, regardless of what part of the continent they hailed from.

Lexi, finally able to breathe normally, followed her dad back toward the main part of the territory. Seeing them walking side by side, it was apparent they were father and daughter. Not only did they share the same features, but both stood strong with an air of authority. It was easily discernable they were tough warriors and higher ranking members of the pack. Betas, to be exact.

Moss Creek was a fairly large pack settlement, with more than 600 members and nestled in the woodlands of North Eastern Alaska. Surrounded completely by miles and miles of forest and secluded from the general population, it was a wolf's paradise. Pack members were able to let their inner wolves out freely and run and romp through the territory as they pleased without the fear of being discovered by humans.

The only other civilization was miles away, on the other side of the state...

Shadow Cliff... Moss Creek's biggest rivals.

For decades, the two packs had competed fiercely in the games, taking turns holding the strongest pack title. Ten years ago, Shadow Cliff had won.

But not this time. Lexi was going to make sure of it.

At fifteen, Lexi had been too young to compete in the last games. She'd watched from the stands, wishing that it could have been her.

"Are you excited about the games?" He asked, observing the scenery as they passed several small homes headed toward the pack house in the center of their settlement.

"I can't wait!" She almost growled in frustration. "I've waited so long and when it's finally getting closer, I feel like time has stopped. It's never going to get here."

Rex chuckled. "Calm down sweetie. I know you're gonna give them hell. You're our fastest and I would almost say strongest fighter."

Lexi scoffed. "Yeah. I'll never hold the title of strongest as long as Tank is around."

Rex leaned in closer as though he were about to tell her a secret and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sweetie... none of us will."

They both laughed.

Tank was and probably always would be, known as the strongest warrior of Moss Creek. His 6'7 frame was overly bulged with massive muscles, so much so, that it frequently looked as though he had trouble just walking. Lexi had even witnessed him bull-doze a full grown oak with his shoulder, knocked the whole thing over, ripping the roots right out of the ground. Thus, his nickname "Tank".

The pair approached the wooden steps of the pack house, the summer sun shining brightly on them. Lexi turned to her father and gave him a warm but tired smile.

"I'm gonna hit the shower." She said and offered a small wave as she disappeared into the log cabin styled building.

He was right about one thing. This year, she was going to give them hell.