The Great Wolf Trade

Chapter 4

Misty is the wolf above.!. (Enlarged)

Adder growled. "No..." He whimpered. He backed away. "He's not dead.." He glared at the unknown wolf in front of him. "Yes, Adder." The wolf echoed.

"Adder!" Misty spat, pushing him away. What happened? Was I dreaming? Whatever.

Adder stood up and shook his pelt. "Sorry." He mumbled. He smirked. "Gotcha!" Adder pounced onto his sister.

"Oof!" She growled and pushed him off before they began to tussle.
When the two separated, Adder could see almost all the wolves in the pack were dipping their heads in sorrow, pointedly at his mother.

"What happened?" He asked. His ears were laid back, confused.

"I don't know. Maybe Alpha Hare died. But I don't think they would be so upset over it," Misty added. Adder nodded agreement. A few wolves sat and stared at Adder and Misty with sympathy.
"What?!" He shrieked loudly. All the wolves of his pack slowly turned to him as Frost padded slowly towards the two remaining littermates with her head bowed.

"Stone has died." She murmured, Cave running over to her side to support her. He heard her sniffle quietly into Cave's fur.
Adder's head spun. First his sister, then his father. Would he ever be able to love anyone without them leaving?
How long was it until Misty and Frost left him?

"No!" Misty cried. She howled, her muzzle pointed at the rising moon. Adder growled softly, backing away in the snow.

"My dream!" Adder's eyes widened in shock. "Maybe I can still wake up," he persisted quietly. He turned and bit his tail. Every wolf was staring at him. Pain shook his body, but he was awake. 

"It's not true," he rasped. Adder remembered one of the times he had spoken with his father. 

"She's from the MountainPack. She'll be living with us." Stone murmured.

"Where's Duck?" He asked a bit harshly.
"She's with the MountainPack now, she'll be-"
"Why isn't she here with us?" Adder stood up, growling. "She had to leave, for the pack." Stone said sternly.

He always says that! 'For the pack!' Everything's 'for the pack'!

Adder buried his head under his paws after laying down. The snow seemed to warm him. He knew his father wasn't coming back from the patrol alive. "Where's his body?" He had heard of wolves taking care of the dead spirit's body before they left the pack forever from his mother.

Cave stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with sorrow and something else that Adder didn't notice.

"His body was destroyed. Ripped into pieces. You will never see his face again, young ones." This time it was Sun to speak. His brownish golden pelt gleaming the same color of Cave's gaze. 

"What happened?" Misty piped up. All the wolves turned to Misty, his sister that was now crouched beside him. Adder saw Fox and Berry supporting Claw and leading him into the safety of the cave. Claw was limping, grief flooding his gaze. He must have been on the patrol, too.

A thought pierced Adder like a claw. Why had he lived? Why hadn't his father lived instead? 

"There was a band of coyotes. They were oddly in a group, most likely a large litter of pups just barely outgrowing their mother." The words came out of Speckle's throat like the ice that lay daunting him outside of the cave that he called home. He missed his father already, and it was bad enough coyotes were behind it. They weren't a threat to an entire wolf pack, let alone a single wolf, but in a band of coyotes, it was dangerous for only a couple wolves. 

"Why didn't you save him?" Adder murmured. He didn't exactly say it to anyone in particular, but felt it was necessary to be said. "Come on, Frost. Your pups will be fine. You're exhausted. You need some rest," Cave murmured, although it wasn't exactly polite. Adder turned his head to his sister.

"Everyone's leaving," he sighed without hope. "why?" He asked. Misty muzzled his shoulder. "Who do you think is going to be the next beta?" A rigged voice softly asked. Snow turned on the she wolf. "Someone who isn't nosy and grieves for their packmates." She growled, trudging over to Adder. 

Birch was left staring after the she wolf's white fur. Adder looked up from beside his sister. His pelt buffeted in the wind. "Are you alright?" Snow's voice calmed back to the normal, silky soft stream he enjoyed.

Wolves were forming around in a circle, huddled beside each other outside. He stood up grudgingly and joined them beside Snow and Misty, ignoring Snow's question. "He will be missed." Alpha Pine murmured before settling down beside his packmates. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Adder could see Cave whispering to Mole and Dusk with a muffled tone. Adder pricked his ears, but the three had stopped talking, glancing over their shoulders. 
Adder sighed. He needed to be strong, for Misty, for Frost.

Sad, I know. I wish it hadn't happened, but this is how Adder develops. He needs this to make him stronger for the future. :)