Wolves of the moon - Lost home

✧Chapter 5✧

They got moving again. This time they traveled for two days without any complications. Dawn was still stuck in the same place as before. Almost completely alone, having only her mother to support her. However she noticed her and Alpha grew even closer. Yes, they kept sleeping together but they were together almost all the time. Of course, this led to Dawn being alone more often and even despite her efforts to try and get on good terms with Swift she always failed. Her cousin seemed to be growing distant from his packmates and she couldn't bear to look at him like that. She didn't want to watch anyone end up like her, even worse, a loner in their own pack, always upset, having no friends. It was a horrible thought and Dawn had a hard time trying to get it out of her head.

They have stopped and made another temporary shelter to rest. They were now really close to the edge of Thornpack's lands. Dawn guessed it would take just another day to get out of there.

„Omega," she heard Alpha say „bring us some moss."

Of course, Alpha was laying with Kestrel again. Dawn was worried about Kestrel. She has been changing the past days and Dawn feared this might mean something. What about her father? Did Kestrel stop loving him after he died? Dawn's head was filled with thoughts that felt like they were drowning her.

Omega was already carrying fresh moss to the pair of wolves and they stood up to let him spread it on the ground. Than he bowed and walked away. Dawn followed him with her gaze across the small camp and noticed that Swift was missing.

Where is he? Dawn wondered and searched the place for him. He was really gone but she caught his scent trail that led out into the forest. She followed it until she came across a clearing with no trees, just grass and some flowers. A quick look at it told her that Swift wasn't there. Maybe he just returned to the forest. Dawn padded across the small field following his scent.

Suddenly when she put her paw down the ground wasn't there. Instead there was a steep drop and the she-wolf fell down. When falling stopped she looked around. She was in a deep dark hole that looked like a fox burrow and the only light was coming from the opening she came from. There was even a fox scent but it was old and covered with the smell of dirt and mud. Dawn assumed it was long abandoned.

„No, no, no, no, no..." she stuttered, „where am I? I'm trapped. Hello? Is anyone here?"

She heard a whine coming from the dark and she turned her head around. A narrow tunnel caught her eye and she figured she had no other choice but to go there. The light disappeared but her night vision was just enough to see where to put her paws. The whine repeated two times and Dawn followed it. She felt her heart beating faster than it ever had and she feared from her life. However the whining sounded more like a cry for help and she felt that whatever was making it wasn't gonna be hostile. It led her into a slightly bigger and taller cave than the one she fell into. When she stepped in her paws got soaked in the mud that was covering the whole ground. The cave was filled with sunshine coming from a big hole in the celling.

„Help!"

There he was. Her older cousin was laying on the muddy ground, his fur soaked and eyes wide open and filled with fear. At first, Dawn didn't understand why he was on the ground but then she saw it. A bunch of rocks were laying on top of his tail, completely covering the tip of it. Dawn rushed to him and without a word started pushing the stones away. She figured that if she removed them though, it would force other rocks to fall on Swift's tail.

„Start pulling away, as soon as I push these rocks off you, more are going to fall down so you have to move away as fast as possible before you get stuck again."

Swift just nodded and started pulling. Dawn continued puching the stones and after a few moments of putting her biggest efforts into it, she got it. She quickly backed off so she wouldn't get burried and gazed across the other side of the cave where Swift was laying in the mud, completely out of strength and his tail mangled. It was bleeding a bit and a lot of fur was ripped off in some places but at least he was alive.

„Are you alright? How did this happen?" she asked after coming up to him.

„I'm fine. I was just finding my way out after falling here when a landslide occured and created that hole," he answered, pointing at the gap in the celling.

Dawn looked up there. The rocks have formed a steeper pile but she thought it could work. What she wasn't so sure with was if Swift was able to make it.

„You will go first, if you want I will be helping you, you look exhausted."

„Thanks," he said but didn't really look grateful.

He put his paw on the pile and started stepping up. The mud helped him stick to the surface more easily and it was going smoothly. Lucky for them, they didn't have much difficulties other than Dawn almost falling to the bottom once it was her turn. Swift was able to show his final strength and grabbed her by the scruff, pulling her up to the surface with a determined face. They both had to blink a lot but once their eyes got used to the light they could look around.

They were on the same clearing as before, just a bit farrer away from the camp. They set out to the forest, slowly walking and panting. The mud in their fur already started drying up under the still strong setting sun and no one said a single word or even looked at the other one. They had too much trouble catching their own breath.