Wolves of the moon - Lost home

✧Chapter 2✧

Dawn looked up. For a little while, she was hearing distant, quiet sounds, but as they were closer and closer, and louder and louder, she started feeling uncomfortable. What were those sounds? Some animals running toward them? After a moment, Dawn could recognize what they were.

Pawsteps, she thought. An enemy pack hunting something? Or maybe running away from Thornpack like they were? Then she recognized the smell. The familiar scent she knew all her life. The smell of her pack. At that moment, the wolves ran into the clearing. They were returning from the hunt.

Kestrel dropped her catch on the ground and came to Dawn. She licked her nose as a greeting and looked at her.

„Are you feeling more relaxed?" she asked.

„Yes, I'm feeling much better. I see you caught enough for the whole pack."

„Mhm. It was a really good hunt. Alpha ordered you and Swift to guard the prey while we get some rest," she replied, licked Dawn's nose again and curled up next to Alpha.

Dawn looked at them worried but quickly turned around and paded to Swift. He was talking to Wind and when Dawn came, he gave her a teasing look.

„Don't have any friends to talk to besides your mother?" he asked.

„I don't want to talk. We have to guard the prey until sunset," she ignored his tone and started walking toward the pile. Swift followed her and they sat down, looking at the catch.

„Very good for a daytime hunt, right Shortie?"

„Oh, please, just leave me alone. Guarding this pile is our duty and if we fail and it gets stolen, Alpha is gonna rip our tails off and demote us to Omegas. So just shut up," she sat straight, gazing into the wasteland.

Alpha didn't trust the tunnels enough to put their food inside. There could be rats or the food could get infected by some kind of sickness. Either way, the grass is much more reliable in this case.

It was time to eat. Alpha called to his pack and waited until everyone gathered around him.

„Today, I have decided, that our catch will be divided equally and everyone, including Omega and me, will have the same amount," Alpha announced shortly after his howl.

„Divided equally? That's against the pack customs!" Storm growled. The elderly wolf was not afraid to stand up to her Alpha and it showed her confidence. Dawn wasn't there in Storm's youth, but she knew she had been a great hunter and fighter, not afraid to speak up.

„It is fair for all of us. Everyone went through the same and if we want everyone to survive, everyone needs the same amount of energy," he walked to the prey and started separating the catch into eight smaller piles. The hunters got their food first for the work they have done today. Then Storm, Omega and finaly Alpha took the last piece for himself and paded further into the tunnel alongside Kestrel.

The sun was nearly set, Dawn was eating her food alone. Once everyone had full bellies and the night has come, Fieldpack set off to find a new home.

„Finaly we're leaving that wasteland!" Wind whined and turned to his brother.

„I hope Shortie won't have trouble on this journey!"

„Be quiet you two! Remember that we're still weak and endangered, so keep your mouth shut," Alpha shouted at them.

Finaly, i don't have to listen to these two ranting about my height Dawn thought. She was glad to finaly have some peace and quiet to think.

They walked for a long time. The further away from Thornpack, the better. They found a nice spot for a camp, so they settled down and got some rest.

After a few days, Alpha called Dawn, Wind and Rain to talk with him. Rain, a loner in the pack, only ever talking to his packmates when nessesary and Wind, one of Dawn's two annoying cousins. Dawn felt awkward and uncomfortable around them and she hoped to get away from them as fast as possible.

„I have called you here to tell you something important. Some days ago, after we fled our territory, I have seen something strange. It was a vision, a strange one. I was thinking for some time about it and I think it is about you three."

„How... Did the vision look like?" Dawn asked nervously.

„A bright white figure with blue eyes stood in front of me. It told me that speed, wisdom and friendship will save our pack and find uuuh... The... Sunrise valley! Yes, that's right, Sunrise valley."

Dawn quickly understood why Wind and Rain were picked. Wind was the fastest wolf in the pack, he could outrun everyone. On the other paw, Rain was the wisest and Alpha often took advice from him. Dawn was at first even surprised why he didn't choose him as Beta but then she realised that he fell in love with Kestrel and found her as the best pick for the position. But then... What about her? She didn't have any friends, so... Why was she picked as „friendship"? She waited for Alpha to say anything about it and started to get really anxious.

„I am worried about what this might mean for the pack. This place is great but we may have to move away. This camp might be still too close to Thornpack..."

„Maybe there's a better place for us in that Sunrise valley. Or... maybe it's just meant to be...?"

„I think it's better to go there than stay here. As Dawn said, there's a better place for us," Wind announced, „I'm deffinitly not getting chased out of our territory by those pesky Thornpack wolves. I suggest we leave as soon as possible."

„I agree. This place is still not good for us to live in. Sometimes I come across those dirty water puddles that were everywhere around the tunnels. And we all know that they don't mean anything good," Rain stated.

Silence. The four wolves had to think about this conversation. And then... Growling... Howling full of pain... And the scent of their worst enemy.

Thornpack, they're here...