The Pack

Chapter Eight

Eclipse followed Luna's scent, his head low and his ears alert.
After seeing her the other day he realized that he must find her and stay with her. He couldn't live alone anymore... not after meeting her.
Her scent whirled around him as he got closer and closer to where she was.
Suddenly, he froze.
A new scent was on the ground and in the air all around him.
He inhaled deeply, trying to decipher everything that he could from the unfamiliar smell.
He could immediately tell that it wasn't a male. The scent was hardly earthy or musky. If it was another male, he had to be extremely young, and he just knew that wasn't possible this far from pack life.
It had to be another female.
He should've been elated, but something inside made him unsure.
What is Luna waiting for? Why hasn't she driven the other female out?
He kept following the scent, dreading whatever would happen once he found Luna.
Finally, after a little while of tracking her scent in the forest, he could hear noise up ahead. He knew the clearing was near because he could hear the low trickle of the stream nearby and the trees were beginning to thin out.
He padded ever closer to the tree line, his eyes inspecting every detail around him.
No blood. I guess things haven't escalated into a fight... yet.
Suddenly a snout popped out of the brush in front of him.
He snarled and jumped back, his entire body tensed.
He heard a light giggle and the snout moved forward to reveal another wolf's face.
Her scent came wafting towards him on the breeze and he inspected her silently. It was the same female that he had caught a whiff of earlier.
She stepped forward, revealing her entire body to him.
She was small; smaller than both him and Luna. Her coat was a light silvery grey, almost like the color of mist or fog. Her eyes were a deep liquid brown that shone with a kind and carefree attitude.
Her tail was down as she looked at him and her head was low, but she still smiled and wagged her tail slightly.
"Wow... Luna was right," she said slyly, " You are quite the stud."
His eyes widened a little as he looked at the female. She certainly was eccentric.
Then he heard an all too familiar snarl behind the submissive she-wolf.
"Misty! I never said anything like that! Now back down before I make you back down."
The she-wolf, Misty, as Luna called her, immediately backed away from him. She was still grinning as she backed off.
Then Luna came into view.
His eyes locked on hers and she held his steady gaze without hesitation.
Something's changed.
He stepped closer to her.
She didn't shy away.
"What's going on?" he growled softly.
Luna glanced over at Misty before returning her eyes back to his.
"A lot of things have... changed. We need to talk."
She hesitated and looked back at Misty.
"Alone," she growled.
Misty's grin widened.
"Sure, sure. I'll give you two some time alone."
With that, she laughed and ran off into the forest.
Eclipse watched her leave before turning back to Luna.
He raised one brow, his mouth turning up slightly at the corners.
"I guess we really do need to talk."