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

Chapter 27

Apologies for another two month long break. Earlier this year, I was lacking the creative motivation to finish this story (even though I only have a few chapters left). I felt ready to take on and finish this story over spring break. You'll notice the last chapter was written March 11. That was right before Coronavirus became huge and my university decided to transition online for the rest of the semester. Needless to say, it was a bumpy last half of the semester doing online school, but now that it's been about a week since I finished finals, I feel ready to finish this story. Thank you for your patience. I plan to be done with this novel in the coming weeks.

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The rogue wolves that had once wandered pass Golden Flower's home had now been long gone. Her father had reported no sign of any strange scent, and slowly but surely, she and her siblings were allowed to wander outside the den again. 

But it still wasn't enough.

"Golden Flower, you still can't possibly be thinking about going to the wolf pack!" Rock Path exclaimed.

"Remember the mountain lion? And the rogue wolves?!" Black Berry asked.

It was true Golden Flower had had her touch with danger recently. But the idea was also thrilling. She knew that if she was trained properly in a wolf pack, she would be able to fight those dangerous animals on her own, or at least have others to aid her.

"But I'm unhappy," Golden Flower stated. She shuffled her paws in the snow as she said this. She had assumed as she grew older, she would grow to appreciate her quiet life, but as the days grew by, she grew more discontent with that life. Only true happiness would come from her joining a wolf pack. That desire had only been growing since her birth. And Golden Flower was finally sure of a way to get that.

"Black Berry, can I talk to you?" Golden Flower asked.

"Fine," Black Berry grumbled.

She led her brother away from her other sibling to a tall pine tree. It was at a reasonable distance from her parents, who were too occupied playing with Rock Path to know that she and Black Berry were secretly conversing.

"I have to go, Black Berry," Golden Flower said.

"That's what you said last time. You always get into trouble, and one of us has to save you," Black Berry said.

"I will join the pack this time," Golden Flower argued.

"Mom and Dad will just come after you," Black Berry warned.

"No. They won't. Black Berry, please help me. I'm going to stage my own death," Golden Flower stated.

"Golden Flower, that's cruel," Black Berry murmured. "What would our parents think? And Rock Path?"

"If you help me, I can help you. You can join me. We can escape to the pack together!"

"No. Believe it or not, I like it here. I won't leave to join the pack with you," Black Berry said. There was a pause, and then he dipped his head and sighed. "I'll help you though."

"You will?!" Golden Flower exclaimed.

"Yes, but you need to make sure this is what you want. Because you're going to rip our parents' hearts out," Black Berry said. "They'll blame themselves for not protecting you."

"I know. I'm sorry. You can't even tell Rock Path this, all right?"

"All right. But I have one more request, Golden Flower," Black Berry said.

"What is it?"

"When you get to the pack, you can't tell anyone who you really are. I don't know why, but there's a reason Mom and Dad are out here. It could be for bad reasons. You must keep your past a secret," Black Berry warned.

"I will. So...should we discuss the plan?"

That night, Golden Flower snuggled close to her parents. A few tears dripped from her eyes at the thought of leaving them, because she knew, deep down, that they loved her. She wished she only loved them enough to stay, but there was a new love calling her, and that was a call to join a wolf pack. She had never felt at home here. It was only that time, when she had wandered to the pack, that she had finally felt a sense of belonging.

It was the early morning hours that she and Black Berry snuck out. They spent some of the early morning killing what pieces of prey they could, which they used to smear blood in a trail across the snow-covered forest. It was at the gorge that things became tricky. It took a few tries, dropping the prey to smear the blood across the gorge's walls and down at the bottom, as well as dumping leaves and sticks to cover the animal bodies they threw down.

With the leftover prey, she and Black Berry ate to their heart's content. The sun was slowly starting to rise in the horizon. It was time for the plan to begin.

"You know where you're going?" Black Berry asked. They stood near the gorge, ready to depart.

"Yes. My nose remembers the scent, almost too well. You remember the plan?" Golden Flower asked.

Black Berry nodded. He was to tell his parents that he and Golden Flower snuck out to practice hunting skills because they were bored. Then, a rogue came and attacked Golden Flower, leading to a brawl that eventually lead Golden Flower to tumble over the ledge of the gorge, where she met her demise. The blood splatters would lead to the area.

Meanwhile, Golden Flower had spent her time digging the snow away to roll in the cold, muddy dirt to mask her scent. She would have to roll around in whatever would mask her scent for the first half of the journey, Black Berry warned her. Her parents had a great sense of smell. So while the dirt would do for a little bit, Golden Flower realized she might have to roll in some unpleasant substances later on to rid her scent. If it was for the pack though, it would all be worth it, she thought.

Soon, the plan was ready to be set in motion. Golden Flower's fur was painted dark with mud, and Black Berry kept his distance from her unpleasant scent.

"Good-bye, Black Berry. Thank you for being a good brother," Golden Flower said.

"You stay safe out there," her brother responded. For a moment, Golden Flower pondered if she should go through with the plan. But the sun was rapidly rising, and her parents would wake soon.

"Farewell," Golden Flower said, beginning to walk away from her brother.

"I hope you find what you're looking for," Black Berry said.

She could only look back at him once or twice, because soon he took off, and she also headed off in a sprint. She had to get out of the immediate area as quickly as possible before her parents had the chance to find her, as well as any other animals. She sprinted as fast as her limbs could take her, across the winter woods.

It was when she was nearing the edge of the territory that she heard her father's solemn howl range through the forest. She paused for just a moment, realizing that they now believed she was dead. She glanced down, and her heart sunk. She could not imagine the pain she was causing her parents. Her father's howl sounded so sad, unlike anything she had heard before.

And yet, she lifted her head and kept going, toward her final destination.