Wolf Tech 7 - The Cats

Chapter 1 - Arrival

The leader of the pride looked over the large valley from the pass, overlooking a pocket valley. There were two streams she could see, going to a small lake, before heading out of the valley.

*It's small, but should support us, if we are smart.* Anila told her mate, as Nazar came padding up beside her, from where he had been tail-guard, as the last of the pride flopped down for a rest. He was a werewolf, that she had found as they had moved to this new land. The Pack he had led had merged into their pride.

Their pack had joined into the pride, as they were under the normal minimum size of a pack, as they too had dealt with others moving into their territory, and were down to a young Alpha, single Elder, only one of the required three Betas, three of the nine Deltas, although they had the needed fifteen unranked. What had surprised her, was that they had no issues with cats, unlike every other pack they had come across.

The pride had barely enough to meet the minimal numbers. If they had lost anyone more before the pack joined them, they wouldn't technically be considered one. Most Packs and Prides would allow them to pass through the pack had found that since they were below what all Weres traditionally considered required to form a group. The wolves had found several mates with the cats, which had cemented the acceptance of the pack joining them.

She had a grandfather that was a wolf, and while her pride had no issues with wolves, the other prides and even packs had forced them out of their ancestral territory. It had cost her grandmother–the Pride Leader–and her mate their lives, as they held off the attack, so that she could lead the pride off to find a new territory. Anila had only started her second century, and Nazar was a few seasons away, but both had been working as leaders for much of their lives. Hopefully, where they could protect their kittens from attack.

*It looks nice.* he replied, as he nuzzled her neck. *We need to see if there is some caves to set up as a den.* They would need to find somewhere for a foul weather place, or would have to make it.

They had been travelling for a year. This was at the altitude that the cats while there were enough trees for the wolves.

The ridges around the valley was steep hard rock around most of it. They wouldn't need to do too much to secure it. The smells coming from the valley showed it was full of prey animals, and didn't show any packs were there.

Moving down off the ridge, the Enforcers moved off in pairs to start patrolling, leaving a Beta to lead the Unranked that had taken some of the fighting training to help guard the young and two Elders, as the Pride leader and her mate led them down to rest at the lake. The enforcers were due back between dusk and last light to report in. With it just after the equinox, there were still snow on the passes, but the trees were starting to green up in the valleys.

*Hopefully, at the Solstice, we can honour our losses.* Anila commented, this time taking the rear, as Nazar's nose was better than hers, as they went into the trees, leading the paw-sore pride to their place of rest. Several of the unranked broke off to hunt. While unranked rarely hunted in most prides or packs, as it was generally a duty of the enforcers while they patrolled, they were so down, that they didn't have the numbers for their security and to hunt. It did mean there were more rabbits and smaller animals, and fewer larger ones, until a few of the unranked started to learn the more advanced skills.

Now, many of the Unranked acted and had duties that would go to Deltas.

When they shifted to deal with the very humans in the area, they had to use motions, as they didn't understand their language, were quite to let them pass through, often trading meat for some of their tools.