Bared

Prologue 17 Years Ago...

Teeth snapped at ankles. Claws flashed in the light of the full moon. Bright eyes gleamed in the darkness. Blood-stained fur rushed by, attacking another opponent. A low growl came from somewhere, but was lost in the noise of the battle. The animals kept on fighting. The growl morphed into a loud series of barks, growing louder and faster, until it was a full-blown howl. The howl cut through the night like a knife, silencing those fighting. All the animals fighting separated to two sides of the clearing, snarling and snapping at each other. Lean bodies littered the ground in piles.

The howl had come from a dog. Its fur was slick and wet, plastered to its sides. Its bright green eyes were fierce. Its gleaming white teeth were bared in a snarl. White fur glittered like sunlit snow on its pelt. Its belly was swollen to twice its normal size. The female walked in the wide berth given to her by the two sides. One wolf stepped forward to growl at her. The white dog's head snapped around quicker than sight, snapping the brown wolf's ear clean off. Blood poured from the wound, staining the oak wood-brown fur. The wolf scrambled backwards in fear, tripping over his own paws.

The she-dog growled to all assembled,"This is your legacy? This is what you'll teach our young? To fight each other? To kill the pack that fed and cared for them their entire lives? No. That will not be our legacy. Our legacy will to be free, wild, and proud. To be fierce, loyal, and strong. If we fight each other now, that legacy will be reduced to ashes. Our legacy would be that of power, blood, rage, and fear.

"We are proud wolves. Loyal to our pack. We live in and for our home. If one little conflict will ruin all that we stand for, then so be it. I will fight to protect what is right. I will fight for my pack. But I will not fight against it. You all have asked me to choose a side. Here's my answer." The dog planted her feet firmly into the ground flooded with blood of dead and wounded wolves.

Two wolves, one from each side, stepped forward. The one who led the pack before was black as night. He stood at the shoulder two feet. His small ears always stayed erect. His tail was bristling. His black lips were peeling slowly back as he walked forward. He came to stand by the white dog. The other wolf, a red male, was smaller than the black, with long, thin ears and a white tipped tail. His thin body was tiny compared to the black's, but he was a much faster and a better hunter and fighter than the black.

The red bowed his head in politeness to the female as he came to her side. She neither bowed her head to either of them nor backed down from her stance. The black growled at the red. The female snapped,"Stop it, both of you. This is neutral ground. You both have asked me to join your sides. This is my answer: I will not join either of you. Neither of you are right in your ways or reasons. The pack chose their sides. I will not. I ask you both to step down from your positions as an act of peace. I will assume the role of alpha in your places. There will be no more carnage, no more spilled blood, no more war. You both didn't rightfully claim the position. So I am here to take it from you if necessary."

Green eyes bore into two sets of amber. Amber eyes watched from the now-joined pack. Excitement, fear, and hope danced in those eyes. Black, gray, red, and brown faces smiled. The pack wanted no more blood spilled. It wanted peace and prosperity. The nodding of the red brought the white's attention back. He bowed before the white, a playful smile upon his lips. He said,"I resign my position to you, Alpha. May you live your life to the fullest of moons." He stepped back, melting into the pack. His amber eyes gleamed along with others. Everyone watched the black for his response.

His amber eyes were cold and dark. His voice scraped like knives across the air."I will not resign. I am not a coward, nor a fool. You want the power for yourself. I will be the one to tell you: you cannot have it. I will take it by force if I must. Say goodbye to our unborn pups who will never see the light of day!" The black leaped at the white, fangs bared, claws out, ready to kill.

Even with a swollen belly the white dodged nimbly. Her claws raked across the ribs of the black as he went past her. He whirled when he reached the ground, blood pouring from five long red slashes across his right side. He growled, and launched himself at her again. She ducked, and bit into the soft flesh of his stomach. A loud yelp and whine followed as she slammed him to the ground with enough force to break his back. The former alpha lay there, bleeding to death from many wounds, with a broken back. The white stood above him, her mouth red. She told him in a deadly calm voice,"The pup isn't yours." With that, she ripped his throat clean from his body, taking his head with it, killing him instantly. She dropped the head on the ground, and turned to her pack.

Yips, barks, and howls erupted from the assembly of fifty. She howled along with them, the death of her former mate forgotten. Her life spread before her, as long as the moon shall reign. Her single pup inside her wriggled. The pack rejoiced after a battle fought, and a battle won. The prophecy was unfolding. The Lost Pack would survive.

Hello, readers. This is my first book, so I hope you all like it. Please comment on the chapters. I love hearing wat others think of my stories. If you have questions about the book, a sequel, or just about the characters in general, feel free to ask.