Runt In The Wild

Chapter Four

My head jerked up at first light even though the only light in my room was from the glowing moonstones that wolves always bring into their dens, so it's easier to see. I guess it was just instincts.

I trotted into the living room to find Lonnie already up with two squirrels and a fat robin laying in front of her. I licked my chops, and Lonnie pushed a squirrel and half of the robin to me.

I immediately dug in, almost choking on my breakfast. Lonnie laughed and said, "Slow down. You have plenty of time."

I looked up at her, swallowed what was in my mouth, and replied, "I just don't want to be late. School starts soon. And I want to get there early, so the girls can show me around." I gulped down the last of my food as Lonnie ate hers slowly with small bites. I licked the side of her muzzle and yelled over my shoulder, "Bye. Wish me luck."

"Have a good day," she replied. I ran off to the cliffs, for that was where there was a humongous set of caves that was the school.

The cliffs were a great place to practice with its great views of the vast open spaces to train to become an Alpha.

As the big rocks came into view, I saw Lucy and Molly waiting for me. I slowed my pace as I neared them.

"You ready?" Lucy asked as they turned to start the tour. I wagged my tail in response, and Molly giggled. The girls showed me around the school until it was finally time for class.

About one hundred teenage wolves were seated in the cave with one male adult wolf pacing in front of his class.

"Good morning, class," he said.

"Good morning, Mr. Rocket," the class replied. Mr. Rocket went on teaching hunting techniques and the rules of the pack until about two hours after high sun. High sun is when the sun is at its highest peak in the sky.

Then, we all got up, stretched our legs, and walked outside in a crowd of white, red, gray, brown, and black wolves. Everyone lined up on the edges of the field.

I sat next to Lucy and Molly, of course, and watched as Mr. Rocket called wolf after wolf to show what they could do. There were flips, twists, and spins as each wolf took their turns to show off.

Finally, Mr. Rocket called my name. "Welcome to the class. Just do your best." He whispered to me and offered me a smile. I nodded my head and walked to the edge of the field.

My heart was racing. All my life I had waited for my moment to shine, to show that runts are not weak. I took in a deep breath and ran.

I ran as fast as I could towards the rock wall of the cliff. My ears twitched as I heard murmurs flow through the crowd, but I tuned them out of focus. I was nearing the rocks, and I would reach them in a minute. When I was so close to the wall that I wouldn't be able to turn around, I leaped as high as my legs would allow.

I felt like I was soaring over the clouds until I landed on the rough rocks of the wall of the cliff with a thud.

But I didn't stop there.

I ran up the side as if I had suction cups on each of my paws or as if I were on even ground.

I jumped up onto the top of the cliff and looked down the one hundred and fifty feet drop. Everyone watched me to see what was my next move, but no one could have guessed what I did.

I jumped.

The wind whistled past my ears as I fell. As soon as I landed on the grass, I zoomed off. I ran several laps around the perimeter of the field, gaining speed with each step. Sand stirred up until I was invisible in the cloud of dust. Then, I jumped on the cliff walls and ran along the edges without anything to hold me up. The other wolves gasped and cheered at the sight, but I still wasn't finished.

I jumped off the rocks and stood still for a few moments but not for long. I turned around and dashed away from the crowds. My ears flattened and my eyes narrowed to slits. Then I met a huge oak tree that stood alone and off to the side of the field. My claws sharpened as I grabbed a hold of the bark.

And I climbed.

I climbed and climbed and climbed until I was at the very tip of the tree. Some wolves had there jaws wide open while others had gone wide-eyed. What many were probably thinking was that I was the first wolf to ever climb a tree and wondering how was I going to get down.

I closed my eyes and jumped. But this time, I spun. I twirled as I pointed straight at the earth with my muzzle, my back legs straightened out and my front paws tucked under my chest.

I felt like I wasn't even there until I neared the ground. I opened my eyes and landed gracefully on the ground in the center of the field.

Everyone was quiet. I looked left and right, but everyone's expressions were unreadable. I started back to my spot next to my friends when a wolf started pawing the ground. Others joined in until the whole field was filled with the thunderous noise.

I trotted back to my seat as wolves who passed me said, "Great Job!" And, "You were great!"

But one group of wolves were different.

A medium-sized dark gray teenage wolf with bright yellow eyes stood in the front of five other wolves, clearly the leader of the group, and whispered, "You're just a runt." She walked away with a devious smile. The other two girls stuck their tongues out at me while the three boys smirked.

I know everyone can probably tell that I'm a runt. I mean, I'm smaller than anyone there, and nobody is nearly as small as me unless they were a bit younger. And there are definitely not any other runts in Alpha school.

"Stacy," a voice said. Startled, I turned around to find Lucy and Molly standing behind me with worried expressions on each of their muzzles as they watched the group of wolves go.

"Who?" I asked. The girls turned their gazes back to me.

"Stacy," Lucy repeated. "She is the meanest wolf you will ever meet in this pack. She's the leader of that little group over there. The guy next to her is Max, her pre-mate," Lucy said.

Molly continued, "The two girls behind her are Macy and Lacy, her best friends. And the other two guys are their pre-mates, Sebastian and Nick. Just don't go near them or you'll get in big, big trouble."

I took one last glance and started to walk back to class with Lucy and Molly to get ready to go home. But Stacy's words still rang in my head, and they didn't seem like they were going to go away anytime soon.

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Hey! I hope you liked this chapter. What do you think of Stacy, and what about Kate's moves? Ask me any questions and comment. :)