The Pack

Chapter Twenty-Four

Eclipse was right. They did seem to fit right into the fold of things. The pack created a routine of marking borders, hunting every few days, and play-fighting to keep their skills sharp. Whenever fighting got too rough, though, Eclipse was quick to put them in their place. Luna would even pin down her rival if things got a little too violent, but very violent fighting was extremely rare amongst them. It was usually just a few well placed nips and paw smacks.
Fall slowly changed into winter, and with it came freezing temperatures. The first snow came, blanketing the forest with light, shimmering white crystals.

Eclipse trekked through the snow with Timber by his side as they patrolled the territory's borders. Eclipse marked a few trees every now and again, while Timber sniffed at the border for signs of intruders.
"So... Have you and Luna tried having pups yet?" Timber asked quietly out of the blue.
Eclipse let out a low chuckle.
"All in good time."
They continued padding through the snow. Timber glanced at his leader out of the corner of his eye.
"You have more patience and restraint than any wolf I've ever seen. It's truly awe-inspiring."
"Well if you want to keep a mate and control a pack, you have to have some patience and plenty of restraint. Besides, it must be hard to restrain yourself around Misty. I know how much you care about her."
Timber stopped suddenly and Eclipse stopped alongside him.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," he whispered.
"What is it, Timber?"
The beta shifted his paws nervously.
"You really need to quit that nervous habit. You're my second in command now. Just say what you're thinking," Eclipse urged.
"Okay... I was going to ask you if I could officially take Misty as my mate. It's been a while, and we're practically mates already..."
He stopped as hard green eyes landed on his. Those same eyes narrowed, and Eclipse's lip twitched.
"No... Luna and I haven't even had pups yet. It's too early. I'm sorry, Timber."
"I understand, Alpha," he murmured softly, "I was just wondering."
Eclipse let out a soft growl and continued moving forward. Timber followed a little behind him, trying to hide his guilty and concerned expression from his Alpha.

Luna, Maple, Misty, and Redwood talked quietly at the denning site as they waited for the Alpha and Beta to return. They sat in a circle with the siblings next to one another, their ears stretched forward in earnest during the conversation. Misty took her turn to talk, her eyes bright with excitement.
"I'm really glad you guys joined the pack, actually. At first I was obviously hesitant, because what wolf wants to be pack mates with the wolves who attacked her? Anyways, you two turned out to be pretty useful around here. You're also nice once I got to know you. It just takes time," Misty rambled, a small grin on her face.
The siblings grinned at her and Luna laughed quietly to herself.
"So what exactly is the deal with you and Timber?" Maple asked, "I don't want to overstep my boundaries, but I'm curious."
Misty looked quickly over at Luna before speaking, choosing each and every word very carefully.
"Timber and I were very close friends in our old pack before we were attacked. We reunited here after our pack was destroyed. Luna and Eclipse were extremely generous in giving us a home here."
"So you're not mates?"
Misty stiffened up and looked to Luna for support.
"We have an agreement that Misty and Timber will not be official mates until Eclipse and I give them our permission. Until then they are close friends, nothing more," Luna declared.
Misty looked silently down at her paws, avoiding the gaze of her Alpha.
"Ah, so you do follow standard pack law," Redwood said, "I'm glad, because Drakk was never a stickler for standards."
"Well, we're not incredibly strict like most packs. We know when to draw the line and when to be lenient. It makes no sense to control your pack like they're your servants. We're a family now, and we should treat each other as such," Luna explained.
"Well said."
Eclipse strolled over to sit beside her and Timber sat next to Misty. Luna nipped his ear playfully and Eclipse licked her cheek.
"I'm glad you're back. Any interesting news?"
Eclipse shook his head.
"No intruders. Timber smelled a bear, but the scent was old and I'm sure they're just getting ready for winter."
"Good."
Eclipse looked around the circle of wolves and a sly smirk appeared on his face.
"Now who's ready to hunt?"
Misty and Timber yipped before bouncing to their paws in excitement. The siblings let out a small hunting howl and got to their paws.
The Alphas stood up last. Luna lifted her tail high and bounded off into the forest.
"Let's go!" she howled.
The rest of the pack followed after her, their tails and spirits high.