The Living Wind in the Forest

Chapter 7

Snow woke with a jolt when she heard a wolf howl. Slowly, one by one, a voice added into the howl and made Snow feel like she was protected, and the song was warding away beasts and bad luck. Tipping her head back, she howled along with the pack. Then slowly, one by one, a wolf closed their mouth and bowed their head. As silence finally came, Snow jumped when a paw cuffed her gently on her chin. Looking down, Snow gazed at Sky affectionately. No one could resist a chin-pat.

Snow stood up and shook scraps of moss off of her pelt,"How about I take a group of wolves hunting?" She suggested.

Bamboo nodded,"Take as much as you like, we'll continue building the dens," she replied.

Petal, Frost, Drizzle, and Hail padded out of the camp and immediately spotted a herd of deer.

"Which one should we take?" Hail whispered to Snow.

"We need some wolf to scare the deer into running, so we can see which one is the weakest," Snow said thoughtfully.

"I'll do it," Petal suggested. Crouching, Petal slowly slithered over the ground to the other side of the herd. Letting out a small whimper, the deer's head shot up and they started to gallop away from Petal, into Snow's direction.

"There!" Snow whispered,"The deer near the end seems to have a leg wound, let's take that one and it's young, a female."

Snow stood up and with loping gallops, started to go around the herd. Making a sharp turn with her group close to her heels, separating the weaker deer from its herd. Pushing off of the ground, Snow vaulted onto the deer's back and sank her teeth in. The deer cried out and thrashed, trying to throw Snow off. Meanwhile, Petal sank her teeth into one of the deer's front legs, hindering the deer. Drizzle was under the deer, clawing her belly, with drops of blood trailing behind the deer. Hail darted in and out of the deer's path, trying to slow or trip her. In the end, the deer stumbled and Frost made the killing bite, and the deer kicked out one more time, then lied still.

"We did it!" Petal howled.

"I'll go back and tell the others!" Hail shouted, taking off.

Snow turned back to the deer and bit off a piece of the belly, chewing,"Come on! Dig in!" Snow called out. Petal, and Drizzle took a bite.

Soon, Hail came back with the eldest wolves, who always eat first. Wolves have eaten in shifts ever since they existed,"This is some good stuff!" Daisy remarked. As the rest of the wolves finished up, wolves the age of Snow and Petal padded over to the kill and started feasting. When Snow reached camp, River came up and stuck his snout into the corner of Snow's mouth. Arching her back, Snow regurgitated food and River and his siblings set upon it with a snarl. When they finished, River gently bit Snow on the chin saying, All hail the chief.

"Nice job catching that deer," Daisy commented.

Deep in the heart of the forest, under the starlit sky, the pack had settled in for the night. The air was filled with the soft rustling of leaves and the gentle whispers of the nocturnal creatures. Snow and the rest of the pack had gathered around a crackling fire that the Spirits magically made, exchanging stories and basking in the warmth.

Suddenly, a thunderous commotion shattered the peaceful atmosphere. Trees shook, branches cracked, and the ground trembled. Startled yips and growls erupted among the wolves as they hastily sprang to their feet, their senses alert.

Out of the darkness burst a beast, its fur dark and imposing. Surprisingly, it was the same creature that had attacked before. The beast, disoriented and startled, let out a deafening roar that echoed through the woods.

The wolves, taken aback by the unexpected visitor, stood their ground, their instincts urging them to protect their territory. Snow, the Spirits and the others formed a defensive circle around their camp, their eyes fixed on the bear. River, Sky, Pebble, and Storm, huddled together in the heart of the circle surrounding an unconscious Snowflake, the pups whined and squealed in fear as the beast wandered up to the circle, soothed by Daisy who stood directly in front of them. The younger, stronger wolves made the outer wall.