Little Wolf

Chapter Six

*two years later*

A girl with dark red hair, about ten or so, raced through the forest. A grin was plastered on her face. Alongside her wolves ran. The girl ran on all fours, just like the wolves around her. A small belt made of animal hide held two twin daggers made of mountain cat fangs. Barks were passed between the wolves, the girl understanding what they said perfectly. Up ahead at the front of the pack, a large golden wolf lead them. This wolf stood four times as large as the normal wolf, the rest of the pack standing twice as big as normal wolves. He skidded to a halt, his head moving back in forth, searching the surrounding woods. The wolves and girl behind stopped behind him, tasting the air for scents of prey. The Alpha's ears perked, his head snapped towards the scent of prey. He let out a bark, signaling the pack to follow.

The pack was soon running through the forests, their paws kicking up dirt, their snouts sniffing the air to follow the scents. The girl amongst wolves now ran alongside the Alpha, her eyes searching for the wolf's targets. Soon they were spotted. A large herd of deer, with a buck at the head and multiple does. Young fawns stayed close to their mothers. The deer let out warning calls, and the herd quickly began to run forward in attempt to flee from the large pack of wolves. The Alpha barked commands and the wolf pack quickly separated and worked together to take out as many deer as possible.

The girl ran forward, lifting herself up onto two legs and taking out the daggers from the animal hide pelt. Her eyes locked onto a doe, it was young, just barely out of fawn-hood. The girl's eyes darted around before she leapt into a tree, running along the branches and leaping to another tree. She continued from tree to tree, following the young doe. The doe was soon separated from its heard, it let out a fearful cry, struggling to run faster in an attempt to escape.

The girl kept her gaze locked on the young doe, running along the tree branches, getting closer and closer to her target. With that, she leapt forward, soaring through the air and crashing into the doe. It cried out, kicking and struggling. The wolfish girl quickly put her weight on the doe, pinning it down. She lifted one of the daggers, placing it at the throat of the doe.

"Thank you, wolves of the stars, and the moon, and the sun, and the forests, and the rivers, for the life of this animal. May it feed the pack well tonight." The girl sliced the dagger through the doe's throat. Its life slowly faded away, crimson blood dripping from the slice on its throat. The girl grinned, feeling proud. She slid the daggers back into the animal hide pelt and stood up. She took the limp body of the doe in her arms and headed towards the sounds of the wolf pack.

The wolves of the pack had gathered in the clearing where the deer once were. Multiple pack members held deer carcasses in their jaws or had the deer near them. The Alpha as well held a doe, and some of the older pups here for training exams held fawns. None of the wolves held the buck, as expected. The Alpha's gaze found the girl and he padded over to her, his eyes gleaming with proudness.

"You caught a doe. Most pups at your level caught a fawn. I am very proud of you Fire-Flower. I knew you would make a great wolf with plenty of training. This proves it." Some of the pups of her level glared in jealousy at her, wishing the Alpha would praise them. Older wolves of the pack looked at her admiringly, regretting ever rejecting the idea of her being apart of the pack all those years ago.

"Alright pack, we have a pack to feed and pups to celebrate! Let's move!" The Alpha barked. Wolves quickly snatched up their catches and they all headed back to the pack camp.

"Fire-Flower did well during the hunt. Caught a young doe." Lionheart told his mate Starlight.

"Really? A doe? That is very impressive." Starlight said, looking at her adoptive daughter, clearly proud of  the accomplishment.