Dog Season (Discontinued)

Part I: Chapter Seventeen

     Sun shone brightly onto pack-members while they ate their fill of fish their Alpha and her hunting party caught them. Everyone happily ate until the tiny, former-Omega, Max, finished his last bite of fish. After he swallowed and backed away from the prey pile, Forest stepped towards High Ledge to eat his share. The male stared down at his meal and lowered his head to smell it. His lip peeled back in disgust and he glared up at Charity, who returned his gaze with a scornful look. She tilted her head in a teasing way. "What's the matter, Omega? Fish got your tongue?"
The German Shepherd rolled his eyes and snorted with annoyance. "Oh no," He shook his head side to side. "I'm just surprised our great Alpha is feeding us like cats!" A growl rose in Charity's throat. The vibration in her windpipe sounded cloned. She glanced to her side to see Cori was growling as well. His dark, brown eyes glazed with anger as he stared down at the large, tan and black dog. "Is that any way to speak to your leader, Omega? You oughta be ashamed of yourself." The Beta snarled as his neck-fur rose like thorns on his spine. "You didn't even do your duties until I give you a good beating! Do I need to do that again?" After his last word, Charity could see her mate's leg muscles bunch together, ready to spring any second. Dogs began to stop in mid-conversation to stalk over to High Ledge, eyes beaming with curiosity.
"Cori, this isn't necessary. You're making a scene." The Silken Windhound nudged her Beta with her shoulder, but his eyes were still glued to her ex-mate's. His growl became an open mouth snarl, revealing all of his white, dagger-sharp teeth. "When dogs are disrespectful to their leaders, they need to be taught a lesson." With that, the tan male unleashed his muscles and tackled Omega with a loud thump. A storm of growls erupted from below Charity's ledge. Forest rolled onto his back from under Cori and snapped onto his long legs. The Beta yowled and leaped off of his opponent, then pounded the Shepherd over. Omega tumbled into High Ledge and fell onto his belly. Cori slammed a paw in between his shoulders and leaned over the loser. "Just for those comments, I'm gonna rip your other ear off-"
"Beta!" Charity's enraged howl made her mate's head snap up. "That's enough!"
"No, Alpha! I'm gonna do this!" Cori's teeth were just about to sink into Forest's ear when Charity pushed the male off of him. The Beta yelped with surprise after Charity pinned him to the dirt. "THAT IS AN ORDER!" Without a word, Cori nodded and the Sighthound crawled off of him. He marched up to their den with his tail and head low.
After watching Beta disappear into the darkness of their cave, the Alpha turned back to Omega who stumbled to his paws and gave her a grateful grin. His tongue lolled. "Thanks, Alpha-"
"Don't thank me." His grin shrunk to a surprised frown. "You will continue to be Omega until I decide. Now go change bedding; starting with Scarlet."
"But-But Alpha-"
Charity lunged and snarled in the German Shepherd's face. "Are you going to disobey me again, Omega?!"
His body hunched over and his head and tail were almost touching the ground in submission. He trembled with fear. "No, Alpha. I'll get to it right away." Omega padded slowly toward the Nursery. He stopped at the leafy drape and glanced back at Charity, then disappeared into the den.
The Silken Windhound noticed packmates were still staring. She made eye-contact with Suzie, who tilted her head with wide, brown eyes. "Alright, show's over. Everyone, get to your duties. Suzie, go lead a hunting patrol."
"Right away, Alpha." The young, mastiff-mix bowed her head and turned to her fellow hunters–who consisted of Kimora, Dash, and Hunter–then lead them behind the brush. Charity shook her long-furred pelt, trying to remove all of the stress she's experienced within the last few heartbeats. She sprung onto High Ledge and cautiously stepped into her den. Not a sparkle of light shown, darkness swallowed all of it. An uneasy feeling sank in her belly. "Cori?" Her voice sounded tiny.
"Yeah?" A low rumble echoed through the cave.
"Come here. I can't see you"
A sleek, muscular figure emerged from the darkness. "Here I am."
Charity snorted. "I wanna see your face."
Serious, brown eyes and the slender shape of Cori appeared. "Tada."
"What was with you out there?' The Alpha gestured towards the exit of the den where the sun shined through.
The male lowered his head. "I..." He shamefully exhaled. "I know I overreacted."
"Ya think? I've never seen you act that way! It was almost like you were a completely different dog, Cori. And we just became mates, for God's sake? What gotten into you?" Charity looked down at her mate in an expectant way.
"Well, you know how male dogs can get territorial and that can make them have a short temper?"
"Yeah. But what does that have to do with Forest-I mean Omega? It's not like he was an intruder! You had no right to-"
The Beta interrupted with a sharp bark. "Because you're my territory!"
Charity tilted her brown and white head. "What?"
"I know it sounds pathetic, but when a dog marks on another dog's territory, he gets angry. That was like Omega saying those bad things about you. I got angry and I needed to protect my territory; aka, you. I'm stupid, I know." He avoided his mate's gaze the whole time and hung his head shamefully.
The Alpha smiled thoughtfully. "Cori, look at me." Her mate slowly raised his tan head and stared at her unsteadily. In a heartbeat, Charity pressed her nose to Cori's. She removed her nose from his and almost whimpered without his warm touch. "I understand. You don't have to be ashamed anymore. I love you" Charity curled her neck around his.
Cori let out a relieved sigh. "I love you, too." Then returned her embrace.
She pulled away. "C'mon. Let's go." The female dog lead her mate out of the den and squinted once the sunlight shone in her eyes. Cori's warm flank rubbed hers when she sat on the stone surface of High Ledge. Her white paws settled on the curved edge and her head rested on them. She could feel her mate's neck lay on her back. A yawn made Charity widely part her jaws and she stretched out. She almost drowned in sleep when a terrified howl interrupted her slumber. The Windhound's head flew up, startled, and she glanced at the alarm, which sounded toward the Nursery. There stood Scarlet with bulged eyes, trembling in shock.
Charity stood up right away. "Scarlet, what's the matter?"
The mother dog whipped her head around and faced her Alpha, still shaking and wide-eyed. "Th-they're g-gone."
"Who's gone?" The Alpha barked, Cori stood up next to her.
A rustle  in the brush shuddered and River emerged from behind. "What's going on here? I heard Scarlet howl!" The Golden Retriever demanded and looked at his mate then Charity.
"They're gone." The Irish Setter hissed barely audible.
Charity's snarl echoed through the camp. "Dammit, Scarlet, who's gone?!"
"The pups! They disappeared! I-I-I don't know where they are." She burst into tears and began to sob. River tried to console her by resting his golden head on her back.
A sharp feeling stabbed into the Alpha's gut like a spike. Her heart sagged into her chest when she thought of the pups; alone and afraid, not knowing where they are. She inhaled a breath through her nose and a few familiar smells flowed into her nostrils.
Milk. Warmth. Fuzz. Water. Algae. Fish.
In an instant, Charity knew she had found the pups' scent.
They're by the pond!
"Scarlet! River! I know where your pups are!" The Silken Windhound exclaimed.
"What? Where?" The mates asked desperately in unison.
"Follow me! Cori, stay here while I'm gone." Charity took off before her mate could respond and broke through the brush. Behind her, she could hear the shudder of the brush and the thump of paws on the ground. She glanced back to see Scarlet and River keeping up. With a quick burst of speed, she began to extend her strides, knowing that the pups might drown if they step into the deep pond. The thought pumped adrenaline through her veins and she instantly increased her speed. Trees on either side became blurs until the reflection of sun flashed in the corner Charity's left eye. She dug her white paws into the ground and lunged toward the flicker of light, then continued her search for the pups. Up ahead, she could make out four red and black and tan bodies near the surface of the pond.
There's only four? What about the fifth?"
"Pups! Get away from there!" Charity gasped. The four furry bundles turned back, startled.
A tiny, pure red, female pup looked up at their leader with a lolled tongue. "Hi, Alpha! What are you doing here?"
"I should be asking that question, Crimson. What are you guys doing here?" The leader gaped from pup to pup.
Okay, Crimson is here. She glanced at a tan pup with a black cloud on his back next to Crimson. There's Storm... To Storm's right was an all tan female. June. Lastly, there was male, black, and tan Fawn. Sky is missing?
Storm padded to his leader and looked up at her with admiration. "We wanted to catch fish for the pack like you did! Isn't that right?" He turned to his littermates and they yelped their agreements. "But none of us had the guts to get into the water so Sky stepped up and dove right in!"
Charity peered out behind her over the large body of water and spotted tiny Sky swimming around. "Sky!" The Alpha called out to the runt of the litter.
The pup turned around and smiled. "Hi, Alpha! I'm gonna catch fish for everyone just like you!"
"Sky it's dangerous out there for a young pup! You barely just started walking! Come back here!"
"Alright." The blue-eyed female began to casually paddle back to the edge with a huge smile on her face. Charity inhaled a relieved breath but it stopped in its tracks when she spotted a pair of eyes and a scaly nose sticking up out of the water behind the pup.
Oh God no!
"Sky!" The sighthound bounded into the murky water and clawed through it. In a heartbeat, the pup disappeared under the surface with a yip. The pups behind her squealed in horror from the pond's beach. With a quick gulp of air, Charity dove under the water and continued to frantically swim. She opened her eyes and her heart leaped into her throat. A medium-sized alligator had its teeth around Sky's tail while she anxiously tried to get out from under the water. Charity swam rapidly toward the scene in front of her. As soon as the creature was a dog length away, Charity attacked its eyes with her sharp teeth. It clenched its jaws in pain and a crack sounded. Sky howled in pain and the water turned red as she began to desperately swim back to safety but shortly went limp. Charity burst through the surface and gulped in air. She caught up to the pup and grabbed her by the loose skin. At the beach, Scarlet and River's eyes bulged with shock. Without even looking at any of the dogs, the Alpha sprinted past them, eyes set on the path back to camp. She ignored the twigs painfully slapping her head and limbs and the fact that Sky was bleeding all over her white chest. A large tree trunk tipped in her path and she leaped over it, the pup bounced in her jaws and moaned in pain.
"Stay with me, Sky." The Alpha mumbled over the young dog's fur. Finally, up ahead, the familiar bushes became visible and she lengthened her strides. In a single heartbeat, she burst through the brush and headed straight to the Medicine Den. She pushed into the leafy curtain of the den. Thyme's eyes were wide with surprise then she glanced at the bleeding bundle in her leader's jaws.
"Put her on the bed." The Golden Retriever solemnly uttered then turned to her medicine stash and gathered cobwebs and medication leaves.
The Silken Windhound did what she was told and stared down at the bleeding pup. She breathed shallowly and her eyes became large. Her gaze gave the Alpha an uneasy feeling. "Thyme..."
Briskly, the Nurse Dog dropped her supplies and examined Sky's eyes. "She's going into shock..." She quickly headed back to her stash of medicine and grabbed a few green, jagged-looking leaves then laid her dropped medication next to Sky.
Thyme turned to her Alpha with the jagged leaves in her jaws. "Chew these leaves until they become a bit watery; Sky must drink it. I need to wrap up her wound."
Charity nodded and took the herbs. She began to chew them vigorously until she could feel the blades began to squirt their juices into her mouth and soon became a thick liquid. "What do you want me to do?"
The Nurse Dog didn't look at her and spat out a green mush onto what's left of Sky's tail. She rubbed it in with her nose gently. "Carefully put the juice into one of those bowls over there-" Thyme gestured with her golden head toward her desk-like rock which held stacks of woody bowls. "-then give it to Sky. It will soothe her shock."
Charity nodded and hurried over to Thyme's desk. She leaned over one of the little bowls and let the rich fluid stream down her jaws. After the last drop spilled out, she warily held the dish in her incisors and made her way over to Sky. She tipped the pup's head up and slipped a paw under her neck. Slowly, Charity poured the solution down her throat. The tiny red and black dog swallowed and her body began to relax.
To her right, Thyme finished up wrapping Sky's tail in thick layers of cobweb. The Golden Retriever sighed heavily and looked at her leader. "What happened?"
"All five of the pups ran away to go catch fish for the pack. Sky was the only one who went into the water and an alligator ended up biting off her tail."
Thyme stared down at the sleeping bundle on the bed. "Poor thing." In the corner of Charity's eye, she could see the Nurse Dog stare up at her. "If it weren't for you, she would've died. I think River and Scarlet chose wisely for their pups' backup parent."
They made eye contact. Alpha smiled. "Thanks, Thyme."
The leaf curtain flew open and River and Scarlet appeared. They rushed over to their pup's bedside and stared down at her with concerned eyes.
"Is...Is she going to be alright?" Scarlet whimpered.
"She's fine." Thyme reassured. "If it weren't for Alpha, Sky wouldn't have survived."
The two parent-dogs looked like they were on the verge of tears. "Thank you, Alpha. Thank you so much." River walked up to Charity and curled his neck around hers. Scarlet copied his actions. The Alpha stood there in surprise and returned their embrace. After a few heartbeats, they pulled away.
"You're amazing, Alpha. Truly amazing." Scarlet whimpered. "You're an amazing leader and friend and I'm so thankful you're here."
River nodded his agreement and laughed. "I'm glad you beat me in our fight."
Charity chuckled. "Glad I did too." She winked, glanced back at Sky one last time, then pushed through the curtain.