Wolves of the moon - Lost home

✧Chapter 10✧

Rain was awoken by Alpha's howl. He was gathering the whole pack to eat the catch that Rain, Swift and Dawn caught. He waited for Storm to get up so they could go outside the den together, she was his mother after all. They were the last to arrive and Alpha's expression seemed impatient.

Alpha and even Beta got to eat first and they both took one rabbit and one rat. After eating it they walked away and the rest of the pack was able to feast on the catch. Rain almost forgot how it went after the peaceful days when they equally seperated their food and everyone ate their share alone. In reality, it wasn't so peaceful. It was chaos. You had to be quick to get your piece of food and the Omega was always the one to get the least, as everytime he tried to get any food, someone was there to chase him away and take the piece. Rain was lucky to get a two rats and half of a rabbit. He also saw both Dawn and Swift taking some rabbit pieces and Storm and Omega got some rats.

Rain entered the den where hunters slept and came to his nest, laying down and closing his eyes. He had the weird taste in his mouth again and this time it was even stronger, as strong as the taste of rabbit and rats. It was strange but he was too tired and before he could properly think about it, he fell asleep.

He woke up feeling awful, his stomach hurting. He lifted up his head, looked around the den. Storm was sleeping and Swift with Dawn were missing. Rain painfully stood up slowly pedded out of the den. Swift, Dawn, Alpha and Beta were sitting together and talking to each other. When they noticed Rain slowly forcing himself to walk, they looked concerned at him and Dawn rushed to help the wolf.

„Stay where you are, Rain! Are you sick too?" she asked him and he just sat up.

„I guess so. Wait. You are too?" he lifted up his head and gazed at her.

„Me, Kestrel and Omega are ill. Well, now we're sure you are too and Storm might also be," Alpha answered instead of her.

Rain quickly put all the clues together and came up with the reason of this sickness.

„The rats. They were poisoned or something. Dawn and Swift haven't had any, so they are fine, but those who ate them fell ill. And Strom with Omega might have it the worst as they had more than one," Rain stated and his stomach hurt even worse.

„Dawn and Swift, you will go hunting and this time no rats, we can't risk you two getting sick too," Alpha ordered, „And we others will stay in camp and rest."

Dawn nodded and Rain imagined she was thinking about what it would be like to lose the whole pack due to some illness that could've been easily prevented. Despite this, she and her cousin left the camp to go provide food for the others, who left to rest in their nests.

Rain couldn't sleep and had to suffer the pain in his stomach for a long time. Eventualy, he did fall asleep but not before experiencing his own mother throwing up in front of his very eyes while he was unable to stand up and help her.

When Rain opened his eyes again, he wasn't in the den nor even in the camp and his stomach wasn't hurting at all. Instead he was in the Sunrise valley but it was midnight and the moon was in it's full beauty, surrounded by thousands of bright shining stars. The silhouettes of two wolves sat beside him, one was much shorter than him and the second was just two paw lengths smaller. They both had white empty eyes and stared in front of them. Suddenly, a white wolf figure with light blue eyes started walking toward him. It's bright fur seemed to be shining, and it wasn't by the moonlight. Rain was sure it was emitting it's own white light. As the figure got closer and closer, the wolf remained completely calm and he patiently waited for the other wolf to get to him. Once it did, it gazed straight into his eyes for a short while. Then it gently licked his nose, nodded and faded away. Rain sat there and realized the wolf silhouettes weren't next to him and he looked behind himself. It appeared they took a few steps back and he didn't even notice. He was probably too focused on the bright white figure that just licked his nose.

Rain opened his eyes to find himself laying in his nest just like before he fell asleep. He heard some noises from outside and recognized Alpha's voice. He peeked from the den entrance and saw him standing opposite to Swift, who had some prey laying before his paws, and Dawn, who was standing next to an outsider. But the strangest thing was that he recognized the stranger and their bright snow colored fur and icy blue eyes. He not only saw the wolf in the dream he just went through but also somewhere else, seasons ago, when he was on the edge of life but got miraculasly saved and vowed to forever respect and believe in Moon. This wolf was there. This wolf was in his dream. This wolf was in their camp for a reason and he knew it.