The Living Wind in the Forest

Chapter 22

Snow screwed up her nose as she rolled the moss around in the mud, trying to soak up some water but only getting mud. She sighed. There would be no way anyone would drink this, if it was drinkable. Snow tossed the moss away in the grass and clawed a new bundle from a nearby tree, trying to find a puddle or a creek instead. She trotted alongside the gorge, trying to spot any hint of moistness or water, the pile of moss swinging from side to side. Snow grimaced as the dryness of the moss. What would disappear after the moss was gone? Their herbs? Their prey?

Snow shook her head, trying not to think about it. She clambered into the root of a tree and found a little puddle there, settled in the crevice of the rocky surface. Soaking up the water, Snow trotted the way she came back to camp.

Snow nestled the water into the pup's nest as they clambered over each other for a drink. The moss was almost dry now. The few drops of water would be gone after this. Snow sighed. Will there be a time where they would have to drink salt water?

Snow prodded at the bird that was brought to the entrance of her den, dangling it from her mouth and clambering into her nest. She spun in a circle and laid down, her paws dangling over the side as she ripped off a bite, getting juicy blood on her nose. Unappetized, she nudged the rest to the side for later. Standing up, she ducked under the ferns, tickling the tip of her ears and into the healing den.

"Hi Moon, how is the new den?" Snow asked.

Moon nodded. "It's good," he said as he crushed up herbs with a rock, lightly dousing a mouse with its juices. He wrapped it up with a leaf and set it outside.

He poked his nose under a piece of bark and dragged out a honeycomb, crushing it, and squeezing the sweet honey out. Rolling a few leaves in the honey, he padded out and dropped it at the entrance of the almost-done elders den. Not like they needed it, anyways, but just in case Luna comes.

Snow gazed around. Three dens have been rebuilt; the ones for the younger wolves, the nursery, and the prey den.

"Snow. Can you grab me a squirrel?" Moon asked, hobbling on three paws, with his front paw coated with honey. "I need to wash this off, and then I'll put some herbs in the squirrel. Twig's really depressed, so I'll need some poppy seeds."

Snow nodded, poking her nose in the pile and almost choked on the fur of the squirrel. Snow dragged it out, and tossed it into Moon's den.

"Hey Snow," Snowflake said, Star behind her. "I'm taking the pups to the ocean, can you come?" she asked.

Snow nodded. "Let me tell Rain, and then we can go."

~~~

Snow took big, lumbering steps at River and Sky squealed on her back, holding on tightly to her fur. She sat down, and the pups slid off.

"Are we here?" Storm asked. Star nodded.

Star waded in the water, her strokes gentle but powerful, and with much less splashes.

Snow cocked her head. "Have you swum before?" she asked.

Star nodded. "Vengeance thought it was a good idea to hunt snakes when we learned to hunt, and I helped him when he drowned his enemies." She shuddered. "I can always remember the bubbles sliding out of their mouth and their eyes closing. Sometimes, when Vengeance thinks I'm burning the body, I try to push the water out of them. But it doesn't always work." Her eyes clouded, "One of them was my sister."

Snow nodded sympathetically.

~

*

~

Snow's ear twitched as she heard rustling. Then voices. No, not wolf voices. But, weird, squeaks and chirps. Snow clambered out of her nest and pushed out of the camp's barrier to take a look. Crouching in the long grass, she peered through the shrubs as the voices became louder. Horrified, Snow trembled as pink, tall animals on two legs emerged with baskets with delicious smelling food. Behind them, she heard a deep rumble, then a horrible smell in the air that almost choked Snow, but the weird animals didn't seem to mind.

Humans!