The Pack

Chapter Twenty

Eclipse placed his jaws firmly around the elk's neck. Then he looked up at the other wolves and dropped it again.
"We need to figure out somewhere to put this. I want the food to last as long as possible."
"Then maybe we should find a permanent place to settle down. You and Timber should guard the kill while Misty and I go find an area for a den. It doesn't have to be permanent, but we need some place other than the thicket," Luna said.
Eclipse growled in agreement and stood in front of the elk carcass. Timber cautiously walked over and took a place next to the kill.
Misty bounded over to Luna with her tail wagging frantically behind her. The two she-wolves walked into the forest and left the males behind.

Luna walked at a brisk pace, her paws sinking momentarily into the soft dirt before looming back up into the air. She sniffed the ground, hoping to smell a fox den or a rabbit hole that could be renovated to fit the pack's needs. After all, it would only be the pups' home for a period of time. Even with that being the case, a pack was not truly a pack without a birthing den.
"So when are you and Eclipse going to have pups?" Misty pried as she came up beside Luna.
"I'm not sure. A few moons ago I would've told you that I would never want pups, but now I feel like I could be a mother. Perhaps I'll mate with Eclipse this winter. I know he wants to be a father, and I know he'll be a good provider."
Misty let out a happy whine.
"I'm so happy for you! I honestly just love the little bundles of joy. They're so soft and cuddly and full of innocence! I want to teach them everything I know."
Misty was practically bursting with excitement, and Luna grinned over at her. Then she put her snout back to the ground and continued searching. She almost immediately smelled the faint, yet musky odor of a fox, and she walked faster until she was practically trotting on the scent trail. Misty stayed beside her until they reached a small hump in the ground surrounded by trees and brush. A hole just big enough to fit a fox lay at the center of the hump.
Luna padded quietly forward, her ears alert and her nose pointed towards the ground.
The odor was still faint, but she wasn't taking any chances. Any denning mother would be viciously protective of her young.
She continued to walk up onto the hump and poked her head into the den. It must've been abandoned for a few days; it hardly smelled like an adult fox or kits. She took her head out of the den.
"Is there anything in there?" Misty asked as she came up beside her.
She shook her head and pawed at the dirt surrounding the hole. It gave way with some effort, so she knew that they could make it bigger. She grinned over at Misty.
"I think we have a den," she said.
Misty smiled and started to dig away at the hole.
Luna lifted her head to the sky and released a short call to the others.
We're here.
She listened intently for a response, and she was relieved to hear a low, brief howl in return.
We're on our way.
She lowered her head and joined Misty in expanding the den. Their claws worked at the dirt until Misty could fit half of her body comfortably. They kept digging until they heard movement in the trees, and they both looked up to see Eclipse and Timber dragging the carcass towards them. They dropped it by one of the trees before walking over to the she-wolves.
Eclipse inspected the small den with a smirk.
"We'll definitely need to do some more work with expanding it, but the location is perfect. We can rest easy in all of this cover."
He looked around at all the trees and dense brush.
"Plus it's not too far from the meadow. We'll have plenty of food and water to get us by," Timber added.
Luna smiled. She was relieved that the whole pack liked the new denning area, especially since she still wasn't used to making these important decisions.
She started pawing at the dirt again and Eclipse joined her. His paws slammed into the dirt and shoved it back in strong, forceful movements. Luna was just as forceful, but her movements were more graceful and calculated.
By the end of the day they were able to fit Luna cozily into the den.
"We can dig a little more out of it, but I think it will work," Luna said as she got up out of the den.
Eclipse nodded and licked her cheek. She nudged her face gently against his.
Misty looked down into the den and hopped in with an excited yip. Timber laughed and, without thinking, followed after her.
He ended up tumbling on his bad leg, sprawling awkwardly on top of her in the process.
He howled in pain and Misty scrambled frantically to get out from underneath him.
Eclipse growled and grabbed the back of his neck with his teeth, pulling him sharply off of her.
Timber laid there and panted hard from the pain. Misty climbed out of the den and Eclipse shoved his face in Timber's.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?"he snarled.
Timber whimpered.
"I'm sorry, Alpha. I just wanted to have a little fun..."
"You nearly crushed Misty and you hurt your leg again! Is that your idea of fun?!!"
Suddenly Luna nipped Eclipse on the side of the neck and he turned around so fast that a small amount of saliva flew into her face. He bared his teeth, but as soon as he saw her icy glare he let his mouth relax.
"He made a mistake," she growled, "we all make mistakes. Whatever this male rivalry is or Alpha instinct or whatever, you need to calm it down," she growled.
He lowered his ears and looked at the ground. Timber took the opportunity to limp away from the pair. He curled up next to a tree facing Luna and Eclipse. Misty sauntered over to him and nudged his face with her snout.
"Are you okay?" she whispered.
"Yeah. I'm so sorry that I fell on you. I wasn't thinking," he murmured into his paws.
"It's fine. You didn't hurt me or anything. It shocked me a little bit, that's all."
She licked his injured leg and curled up next to him, resting her head on top of his side.
She watched as Luna stormed off, leaving Eclipse to dig absently at the den.