The Pack

Chapter Twenty-Nine

A month crept by as winter buried the wolves' home in snow and clutched the forest in its icy grip. The world around them was a blank white landscape; it was beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
Fortunately the elk had stayed, so the rest of the wolves were able to keep the pregnant females happy and healthy. They all knew in another month they were due to give birth, and they hoped that winter would stop early. Otherwise, the helpless pups would be born in its merciless grasp. Nevertheless they struggled through as a united front, keeping the pack's needs before their own.

Luna stirred to a cloudy, cold day with Eclipse sleeping soundly beside her. She stretched her legs and yawned before getting to her paws and shaking out her fur. The tiny snowflakes from her fur shimmered and floated momentarily before falling softly with their comrades on the ground.
Luna glanced around the forest, her eyes narrowed. She was barely awake, but she immediately knew something felt off. She sniffed the wind as a bitter breeze ruffled her icy white fur.
For a second she froze, her eyes wide.
No... It can't be possible.
Then a low, searching howl split the air and her heart skipped a beat.
Brother. Oh my loving, sweet brother. You're alive...
Eclipse stirred beside her at the sound of a stranger's howl. The rest of the pack woke around her as well as she desperately thought of what to do.
Then two more howls pierced the chilling air. These two were higher pitched, and they climbed the winter breeze as if they had finally found the summit of their search.
Eclipse perked up and jumped to his feet with a dumbfounded expression. Luna looked back at him, and their eyes locked. They didn't need to say anything.
Instead they lifted their heads in unison and answered the calls with welcoming howls of their own.
Welcome home, my family.
The rest of the pack stared at them in confusion as they smiled softly at one another. She buried her face in his neck and they both sighed, as if a great weight has finally been lifted.
"They're alive," Eclipse whispered softly.
Luna nuzzled deeper into his fur before pulling away.
Eclipse turned his head, his eyes gleaming with excitement. At the edge of the denning site, two black she-wolves lingered. They were about the same size as Luna, with one being slightly larger and stockier than the other. They both had the same green eyes as Eclipse, and they both looked around searchingly for something they had lost long ago.
Eclipse barked at them and ran towards them in bounding leaps. They both howled back with pure joy. All of them met in a flurry of whines and tail wagging, their eyes bright.
"I never thought I'd see you two again! I'm never going to let anything happen to either of you ever again!" Eclipse whined, nuzzling his sisters with his snout.
Luna looked on his reunion with a mixture of happiness, disbelief, and a small amount of bitterness. She was so used to getting all of his attention that it was strange now to see him protecting other females.
Eclipse turned back to her suddenly and gestured for her to come over. She walked over and stood proudly by his side.
"This is my mate, Luna. She'll be having our pups in a moon or so. I couldn't be happier with her," he said before licking her cheek.
His sisters smiled softly and Luna returned in kind.
"...And these two are my sisters, as you probably figured out."
He pointed his muzzle at the stockier, larger one first.
"This is Shade, and this," he said, pointing to the other wolf, "is Midnight."
"It is an honor to meet both of you. Eclipse has always spoken highly of you," Luna exclaimed.
Eclipse turned to the rest of the pack, and chuckled to himself as he saw that they were eagerly surrounding the small group.
"This is my pack," Eclipse stated proudly, and he went around stating each wolf's name and position.
"You've done a great job, brother. We couldn't be more proud," said Shade, reaching out a paw to put on her brother's shoulder. Eclipse beamed at her, but then his smile vanished as they heard a low growl at the other end of the den site.
Luna's fur stood on end. She had completely forgotten her own reunion.
She turned slowly, and her eyes locked on a blue-green pair from her childhood. Instead of the carefree innocence that they usually held, they were filled with bitter hate and disgust.
Her brother stood watching her and her pack, his handsome face wrinkled into a cruel snarl. His fur was white and shiny, so he was nearly invisible against the snowy background.
"Ice..." she whispered, taking a step towards him.
"Murderer," he snarled, taking a threatening step towards her.
She froze and stared at him.
"Brother-"
"Don't call me brother! How could you kill her?! She was weak! She would never harm you!" he howled in a fiery rage.
"I can explain..."
Eclipse completely forgot about his sisters and immediately put himself between his mate and the newcomer. He bared his teeth and raised his tail.
"Let her explain," he growled coolly.
"Who are you?" Ice asked sharply.
"I'm your sister's mate, and Alpha of this pack. I am Eclipse."
The white wolf blinked and stared questioningly at his sister.
"Explain yourself," he growled.
Luna stared him straight in the eye, not wanting to see her mate's reaction when she gave her explanation.
"You know that I never wanted to mate and start a pack when I was young. I wanted to be a part of the family with no extra responsibilities. When Moon was training me, our elder," she said, making sure that the pack knew all the details, " she wouldn't let it go. One day, away from the rest of the pack, she told me I was a disgrace to my family. She told me that unless I found a mate, I would be hated by my pack forever. I was so angry and hurt that I attacked her. I went too far... I will always regret that moment in my life. She was too old and frail to defend herself against me... and I killed her."
There was a long silence as everyone stared at her in shock. All except for Eclipse, who was still facing her brother.
"I didn't want to tell you when you found her because I knew you would hate me, so I ran. I was stupid and reckless, and I could never ask for your forgiveness. Then I ran into Eclipse and the rest of our future pack. Now I have a family again, and I only hope that Moon can be proud of me in the afterlife."
Another long silence. Luna cautiously came up beside Eclipse and buried her face in his neck. Tears ran down her cheeks and soaked into his fur.
"Eclipse?" she murmured softly.
"Yes?"
"Are you angry that I didn't tell you?"
He looked down at her with soft, forgiving eyes.
"No, Luna. We all make mistakes, and I know you wish you could take it back. That's what counts in my eyes."
She whined happily and licked his cheek.
Meanwhile her brother was still staring at her contemplatively. His eyes were narrowed, but his teeth weren't bared anymore.
"I wish you could've explained this to the rest of our family," he muttered thoughtfully.
"I wish I could have explained, too. At least they're in a better place."
Ice perked up, confusion in his eyes.
"How do you know?"
"A few other wolves told me about the attack. I'm sorry, Ice," she said softly.
Her brother looked away and pawed idly at the snow. There was another long pause before he spoke up.
"I... I don't know if I can ever fully forgive you, Luna... but I have nowhere else to turn to. Perhaps, if you would be so gracious, I could stay here for a while?" he asked.
Luna's tail wagged. Deep inside she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted.
"Of course you can stay here! You're my brother, after all. I'll introduce you to the rest of the pack."
She turned to talk to the others to make sure she hadn't scared them, and Ice started to walk forward to meet them.
Eclipse took a step towards him, too, and muttered so that no one else could hear him.
"If you ever think about hurting her, I won't hesitate to do much worse to you in return. Are we clear?" he growled.
Ice took a quick side glance at him before nodding gravely. Then he continued past him towards the rest of the pack.