Chronicles of the Packs | A Dark Stones One-shot Compilation

Rising

Pike flicked her large ears against the wind. She was traversing the prairie known as the Plains together with her sister, Kathryn. They were both coywolves, with narrow muzzles and smaller postures than the average wolf, but still hardy in their own right. Both looked a bit disheveled, especially with the strong gusts blowing through their fur, but their strides were determined and steadfast.

"Pike!" Kathryn called from behind her older sister, her voice raised as to overpower the sound of the wind. "We've got to shelter somewhere! I can smell a storm coming up!"

Pike sensed it too, but wished to persist. Where would we even hide? It's all open here. The fact that it was dusk and the sky was covered in ominous, dark clouds didn't help. Pike couldn't even smell if they were on another Pack's territory or nowolfsland. She had to face it—they were lost.

She narrowed her eyes against the wind and took a few more steps forward. She bayed over her shoulder, "Look, over there!" Ahead of them, a lone boulder was located in the grass.

The two coywolves ran towards it. They nestled in the lee of the rock. Still, the icy gusts chilled them. To make things worse, the first raindrops were starting to fall. Just great, Pike thought.

Soon enough, they were caught in a thunderstorm. The boulder didn't have an overhang, so freezing water pelted their fur. "I'm starting to think we shouldn't have left home!" Kathryn called.

"We set out to find our own Pack, and we're sticking to it!" Pike shouted back. "It's just a storm, it'll pass!" She knew there was a grain of truth to Kathryn's words, though. The duo wasn't well fed; catching prey had been hard with them having crossed a lot of Pack grounds, where they weren't allowed to hunt much. Their late summer coats hadn't shed yet, so they weren't protected against this intense weather.

A large thunderclap sounded above them, and Kathryn let out a whine. Pike didn't move, not fearing thunder as her sister did. The two sisters huddled together to keep each other warm, but it didn't help much.

They sat like that for what seemed forever, until Pike felt Kathryn startle. "What's up?" Pike bayed.

"Look!" Kathryn stood up and her eyes widened.

Two wolves were walking against the wind, one blonde-and-white and particularly large, the other an old gray-brown they-wolf with a shaggy coat.

"What're you doing here?" the blonde wolf called to them. Pike had expected his words to be hostile, but it sounded like a genuine question.

"Sheltering! Or, well, trying to!" Pike shouted back.

"That won't do much good. Come with us," the they-wolf said.

Kathryn stepped forward. "You don't have to tell me twice!"

Pike was a little uncertain. This was a mighty genuine offer from two complete strangers. Was there a catch?

"What are you waiting for?" the large wolf called back, his eyes narrowed against the pouring rain blowing into his face.

Pike followed, somewhat reluctantly.

They walked through the tall grass, until finally they reached a muddy, open space with a single tree on it, where a group of wolves sat together against the storm, their backs pointing outwards and their muzzles to the center.

"We huddle together against the storm! We'll talk after it's over!" the gray-brown wolf said quickly. "Come on, guys, make room for our guests."

There were a few surprised mumbles from the huddle of wolves, but they did as ordered. Pike took a spot between the blonde-and-white wolf and her sister. Wherever we've ended up now, we'll see later, she guessed.