Wolves of the Falling Stars Book 3: The Fall of the Pack

Chapter 18

Golden Flower could not rid the experience of encountering the wolf pack from her mind. Her parents probably thought it would teach her to stop wandering out alone, but all she could think about every time she gazed at those snow-covered woods was the mysterious pack of wolves she met.

I'm going to go back to them one day, Golden Flower thought happily. She was tired of being confined to this small den with her parents and siblings. She wanted to go out and meet other wolves--real wolves. She wanted to hunt with a pack and drive off invaders and howl at the moon in unison.

Since her escape, her days outside of the den were limited, and she was constantly supervised. Her parents even slept close to the entrance of the den just to make sure none of their pups, though especially her, was able to wander out at night. 

While Black Berry and Rock Path played outside in the snow, Golden Flower sat by a tree stump and grumbled to herself while shoving her paw around in the snow. She looked ahead, wanting to run through the trees, but her parents were close by.

"Golden Flower, don't you want to play?" Black Berry asked.

"I'm not in the mood," Golden Flower answered.

"She's so grumpy," Rock Path teased before turning to play with his brother. Golden Flower caught a glimpse of Black Berry's stare of concern, but she ignored it. Why did her brother care if she was unhappy with this lifestyle? He seemed to have a grand time living out this quiet life that she wanted no part of.

What Golden Flower couldn't get out of her mind was that black she-wolf who seemed to have recognized Crow's Laugh. Perhaps the darkness warped Golden Flower's vision, but she swore she saw a look of surprise in that wolf's eyes. Golden Flower was fairly certain that she-wolf had known Crow's Laugh. Now that she thought about, they looked slightly similar, but that could have been their fur color.

Perhaps he is from that pack, Golden Flower thought. If so, she found it a chance of luck that she had managed to stumble upon the wolf pack her father had once been a part of.

She wondered about her mother, if she had been in the pack too. Golden Flower would assume so, since that not-a-wolf had been the alpha when she'd met him, and Hazel Branch surely fell into the category of not-a-wolf. 

Golden Flower marched up to her brothers as they wrestled in the snow. They were kicking up flurries of the white dust as they tumbled around.

"Let's talk," she said. "But quietly."

"Huh? What about?" Rock Path asked.

"You're not leaving again," Black Berry murmured quietly.

Golden Flower turned behind her. Her parents were speaking of each other.  Hazel Branch lifted her head, noticing the pups conversing, but she seemed to think nothing of it. 

"I'm not leaving," Golden Flower growled. "I wish I could though."

"Why do you want to leave?" Rock Path asked. "I like it here."

"Me too," Black Berry said. "What's so wrong about being here? Don't you like us?"

"O-Of course!" Golden Flower argued. "But don't you feel we're meant to be somewhere else? I want to go back to that pack I found. They were going to take me in if our dad didn't show up. I just don't see myself living here forever. Would you be willing to join me one day?"

"What? Why? We get all the food we can eat here," Rock Path stated. "Don't you have to share in packs?"

"Is the only thing you care about food?" Golden Flower asked, slightly irritated.

"I like the stories our parents tell, but I don't know if I'd really leave to join a wolf pack. Unless we all joined together, maybe," Black Berry suggested.

"But Mom and Dad don't seem interested in joining a wolf pack. I wish they never left so we could just have grown up in a wolf pack. It would be a lot easier," Golden Flower lamented.

"Don't you think we're still too young?" Black Berry asked. "Maybe when we're older and can hunt and travel on our own..."

"I don't want to wait," Golden Flower complained. "Someday soon, I'll get out of here, I think." She turned, ready to leave the conversation when Black Berry called out.

"Don't you think that'll upset them?"

Golden Flower let her tail drop. Of course it would upset her parents. She'd already upset them enough, but she couldn't keep confined to their rules much longer. She was a growing pup with a curiosity that could not be contained.

"I just wish you two wanted the same as me," Golden Flower said as she sadly walked back to the den.

"Are you feeling all right?" Hazel Branch asked, walking up to her. "You didn't want to play with your siblings earlier."

"Oh, I'm okay," Golden Flower lied. Health-wise she was fun, but mentally, no. 

"If something is bothering you, let me know," Hazel Branch said, giving her a cheerful smile. How was she still not angry at Golden Flower for taking off countless times?

Golden Flower nodded, giving a weak smile in response. Letting out a sigh, she laid down on the den floor and stared at the entrance, watching as another round of snowfall coated the forest in more white.

Golden Flower didn't hate her life here. She knew her parents and siblings cared about her a lot, but there was always a part of her that longed for something more, far beyond the confines of the den. She just wished the rest of her family could understand that.