Silverspan: Darkness Arrives

Chapter 1: The Escape

Starguard crouched low under a tree.  Only and feet left and she'd be away from Sorus pack, a cruel and abusive pack. She struggled to control her breathing, for if anyone heard her, her chances of escape would be lost. Starguard only wanted to leave because of her star-shaped mark. The wolves in her pack believed she was cursed and therefore wanted nothing to do with her. Nearby, she heard two voices talking with each other. She had rolled in mud and hoped it masked her scent. Eight paws walked past the tree without noticing Starguard and the white she-wolf crept slowly forward before breaking into a quiet sprint and leaped over the scent marks that drew the outlines of the territory. Her pack wouldn't be able to go beyond their borders to hunt her down. But now she had to be wary without a pack. She ran deeper into the forest as the stars shone.

Starguard leaped over logs as she tried to gain as much distance from her old pack as possible. Finally, the she-wolf dug a small den in a little hill to rest. The crack of a twig awoke her. Starguard raised her head and saw a shadow flash by. For a minute, her heart was in her mouth when she thought a Sorus Pack wolf had found her. Starguard cautious crept out of the cave and looked around. Just as she began to back into the den, a wolf seemed to melt out of the shadows. His fur was usually dark as if he wore the darkest part of the sky on the night of a new moon and he was unusually tall. His eyes were an intense green. Starguard drew back her lips over her teeth and let out a small snarl.

The wolf calmly stared at her and said, "My name is Caine", he informed. Starguard cautiously took a step forward. "Why are you here?", she asked. Caine didn't respond and instead asked another question. "What's your name?", the wolf asked. Something made her feel as if she could trust this wolf, yet at the same time, something told her to be wary. Starguard gave into her more trusting side and told him her name. "My name is Starguard",  she informed. She noticed Caine was staring at the star-mark on her forehead. "I'm going hunting", Starguard said in hopes of being away from Caine. "I'll come too then", the wolf said.

The two spent several moonshifts searching for any sign of prey before Starguard caught a whiff of deer. They followed the faint scent until it grew stronger and before long, they found deer carcass. The corpse didn't smell too bad and only seemed a day old. She glanced over to Caine, who was pawing at the deer. "I smell something else", he said. The black wolf leaped into the undergrowth and disappeared into the shadows. Moments later, he reappeared with two squirrels in his jaws. Starguard cocked her head. She didn't understand why Caine didn't want the deer. "It's poisoned", he said through the squirrel tails in his mouth. "How could you tell?", Starguard asked. "The blood is too wet for a day old corpse", he explained. Starguard looked back at the deer and noticed the blood was still wet. How could I have been so blind? she scowled herself. Caine dropped one of the squirrels on the ground and Starguard began to eat it. Caine ate his squirrel as well. "Where do you plan to go", he asked her. "I don't really know, maybe to Navera Pack", she said hesitantly. "Okay, lead the way", he said to her. The wolves set off for Navera Pack, side-by-side.

As they walked, Caine had a suggestion. "We can move through the trees". Starguard looked at him, bewildered. "We're wolves, not squirrels!", she said. Caine paid no attention to the comment and leaped onto a low-hanging branch before hopping into the top of the tree. Starguard cautiously followed him into the tree.

"Try to leap onto sturdy branches", he advised. "How do I know if it's sturdy?", Starguard asked. "Look for cracks, only jump on thick branches, and try to land near the trunk of the tree", he explained. I think I understand, Starguard thought. She looked at a nearby branch and leaped onto it. The branch swayed and let out a low creak, but didn't threaten to break. Caine leaped onto a nearby branch and motioned with his muzzle to follow. She didn't land on the branches Caine had used since they maybe have been weakened by his weight. They leaped throughout the treetops, moving even faster. The duo set off for Navera Pack.