Dog Season (Discontinued)

Part I: Chapter Sixteen

     The mucky ground sunk the paws of the Hunting Patrol as they stalked through the soggy forest. Charity lead her pack-mates with alert eyes now that the scents were washed away.
Though her eyes were alert, the Alpha's mind began to wander back to Cori. Just thinking of the handsome Greyhound mix made her cheeks burn.
I don't understand...am I sick? Am I in love? This never happened around Forest. But was our love real? Am I in love with Cori?
Charity quickly shook her head and snorted with disgust.
Why would Cori love a dog like me?
A blur of fawn flew by, making the Windhound nearly jump out of her skin. She looked toward the front to see Suzie dangling a huge rabbit in her dark colored jaws.
"Suzie, that was amazing! I didn't know you could move so fast!" Charity praised the young dog.
The Mastiff mix gently laid her prey on the ground and stared at the mud shyly. "My inner Greyhound must be showing."
"You're part Greyhound?" Dash gasped in awe with his brown eyes bulged.
Suzie smiled. "Yup. I'm half Mastiff, a quarter Husky, and a quarter Greyhound."
"That's quite the blood line." Kimora mumbled.
The Mastiff mix nodded and picked up her rabbit, walking with a spring in her step. She fell in line next to Dash as the Hunting Patrol continued its journey.
Charity emptied her mind and began to focus on her mission, trying to locate any sign of prey. The sound of rushing water caught the female dog's attention and she carefully stalked ahead of her team.
Up ahead, laid a huge pond. The water was covered with a thick layer of algae and tall grass surrounded the body of water. Charity stuck her nose in the washed air catching familiar scents.
Cave. Wolf. Blood. Fish.
She inhaled deeply and caught a faint smell that stabbed her heart like a claw.
Axle...this must've been were we fought that rabid wolf.
Right away, the Alpha recognized the stoney cave where she and her elderly friend stayed. The memory caused a small whimper to escape her throat.
"Alpha, are you alright?" The warm voice of Kimora startled her. Charity glanced at her litter-sister and nodded.
"This was the place where Axle was attacked by the wolf."
The older female pinned her ears to her skull, then tried to brighten the mood. "The other side of the pond is where we found each other! And I bet we could catch some fish like you did the last time we were here."
Charity smiled, thankful for Kimora to distract her from the tragedy she witnessed. "You're right." She faced the remaining members of her Patrol. "Do you guys know how to fish?"
Suzie and Dash exchanged confused looks and answered, "No."
"Well that's gonna change. I'll show you guys how. C'mon." The Windhound signaled her packmates to follow with a swing of her feathery tail. She pushed through the grass and slipped a paw in the murky water. "Watch exactly how I do it." Dash, Suzie, and Kimora locked their eyes on their leader as she slowly lowered the rest of her body in the water.
Charity paddled farther from the edge and cleared the algae with her tail. The female swiftly spun her body around and glared down at the water for any sudden movement. A silver body caught her eye and she dove deep in the pool with jaws wide open. Her teeth clamped around flesh and she shook it. Quickly, the Sighthound bursted through the surface and inhaled sweet air.
Howls came from the edge. Charity shook the algae off her face and turned to see her packmates cheering.
"That was awesome, Alpha!" Suzie yelped while wagging her curly tail.
"Here, catch!" The Windhound hurled her prey at the younger dog with a swing of her head. Suzie caught the fish and laid it on the ground. "C'mon in guys. Let's see how well you can fish."
Kimora, Suzie and Dash all mimicked their Alpha's moves when entering the water. They paddled smoothly and wagged their tails. Suzie had to wiggle her rump to clear the algae since her tail is curled over her back.
Charity couldn't help but smirk at the huge dog who continued to wiggle with her tongue partially out. She watched carefully as the young dog spun around and scanned the water. In a blink of an eye, Suzie disappeared under the pond. With a huge splash she returned with a large fish in her mouth. It squirmed in her grasp but when she tighten her jaws it stopped.
"Well done, Suzie!" Charity barked at the massif dog, who grinned around her fish with pride.
Two splashes hissed to the Alpha's right. She glanced over to see Dash and Kimora both holding a fish. "Great job!"
The Hunting Patrol continued to fish until there was enough to feed the whole pack. They crawled out of the water and shook the green algae out of their pelts. Charity and her packmates gathered the prey and began to journey back to camp.
"Hey, Alpha!" A call echoed from behind the group. Charity turned around to see Macy leading her own Patrol which consisted of Rose, Axe, and Rosita.
The Windhound dropped her fish on the ground and looked up at the huge, shaggy dog. "Hi, Macy. What's goin' on?"
"Well, I was wondering if we should go around the territory and mark the borders. Ya know, to alert intruders to stay off. Plus, the markers were washed off during the storm."
Charity nodded. "Great idea. And next time, no need to ask me."
Macy returned a nod. "Thanks, Alpha." She turned back to her group, "Alright, guys let's move out." Charity watched the Patrol follow Macy until they disappeared through the trees.
"Ok. Let's get back to camp." She picked up her fish and lead her Hunters back to the brush that surrounded the den-area. The female pushed through the leaves and gaped up at High Rock where Cori sat. A smile found its way on her lips as she dropped off her prey at the prey-den. Her fellow hunters did the same and crawled into their own den.
Charity leaped onto her ledge and was nuzzled by her Beta. "Did everything go okay while I was gone?"
The Sloughi nodded confidently. "Had a little trouble with Omega but he's doing his job." He pointed his muzzle behind Charity. She looked to see her former mate with jaws full of bedding from her and Cori's den. The German Shepherd quickly glanced at both leaders with his head low and tail between his legs. She noticed he limped a bit and noticed cobwebs wrapped around his left hind leg.
After Forest climbed off of High Rock, Charity turned to Cori. "What did he do?"
"Well, he wouldn't get up and started saying things about you that I wouldn't tolerate so I snapped. I grabbed him by the loose skin and dragged him out of his den. Then he still wouldn't move so I bit his leg." Beta began to laugh. "That got him moving. I've never seen a dog run so fast. Anyway, he cleared Scarlet's bedding too."
Alpha smiled at Cori. "Well done. What would I do without you?" She leaned on his shoulder and licked his cheek.
"Charity..." The male dog's voice vibrated in her ear. She figured it must be serious since he used her name instead of "Alpha."
The Windhound hummed a response, while snuggling with her fellow leader.
"What are we?"
Charity felt her cheeks begin to heat and jumped up in surprise. She locked eyes with Cori. "What do you mean?"
"I mean are we...friends?"
"Of course!"
"Well...I mean to ask..." The Beta uneasily scratched his ear with a hind leg.
"Cori, just spit it out." Charity snarled, getting impatient.
The male groaned. "Are we mates?!"
His sudden words made the female's heart slam into her rib cage. "U-um..."
"Sorry, that was too soon." Cori got up and walked away from his Alpha's side towards their den.
"No, Cori wait!" Charity sprinted into the den to her Beta who she loved. She tackled him onto the stone floor. Both of the dogs' cheeks turned red as they stared into each other's eyes. Brown meeting brown.
The Windhound closed her eyes and passionately pressed her nose to the male's. She could feel Cori tense underneath her, then relax and return the nose touch. Charity pulled away, her eyes flash open. "Yes. Yes, we are mates." Then leaned in for another touch.