Wolf Winter

Chapter 3

I yawned - the sun feeling warm as it filtered into the den. The dreams from the night before, especially the images of that silver she wolf and pup me, still echoed in my mind - I felt like that I was close to that she wolf....somehow. But I couldn't be;  I hadn't seen her before in my life and yet...

Puzzled and full of questions, I got to my paws. Mother was already outside, basking in the warm morning sun, while it was out. But today wasn't going to be a fun day - today was the big day that I was going to the meet the Pack. As soon as I was out the den, Mother began tidying me up after yesterday's skirmish with the coyote - which had left my right ear with a little bit missing on the top. The jugular wound had left a fresh new scar but it wasn't visible if you looked at me straight on and it could reopen if I was attacked or if I strained it. Once my fur was clean and neat, we set off towards the Pack territory. The world on the other side of the passage, to me, was like being in another world altogether.

Here, there were huge trees and bushes, more birds singing and lots of new scents in the air, which left me in a whirl - and rather light-headed. We stopped briefly so that I could explore a little bit before we continued our way to the Pack camp. It wasn't too terribly far but it was enough to be worth the walk at the end. I swear that my paws were on literal fire and that the sun seemed to torture me deliberately with its harsh warmth. But neither of this was the case - it was just the fact that I was tired out. But it was worth it to me. The camp was buzzing with activity; middle ranking wolves walking around, sitting together, grooming each other and talking. There were some pups around my age playing in a little patch of grass by a tree; a group of them in one spot and the rest of them scattered around.

I was amazed because I'd never ever been inside a Pack camp before - or other pups for that matter (apart from the previous night's dream). Mother led me towards a huge cave, which I felt I knew. But the feeling was soon pushed aside by awe as I looked up at two wolves sitting outside it and the fact that we were walking towards them was a bit nerve-wracking.

"Alpha Tina, Alpha Rook," greeted Mother, bowing her head at them slightly. She nudged me with her nose for me to do the same, which I did. The alpha named Tina, nodded her head and we were allowed to put our heads back up.

"I have a little pup here. Her name is Whisper," continued Mother. " I was wondering, since she has never been in a Pack before, if she could spend the day here. Maybe make some friends with the other pups?"

Both of the alphas looked at each other, talking quietly. Then Tina turned her light brown head towards us. "Layla, are you sure? I mean, after what happened to your friends only a month ago...and the fact that all the offspring were killed..." she sighed. Rook looked at us through bright yellow eyes - but they were full of welcome and kindness.

"Of course she can stay here, Layla," answered Rook for Tina, who was looking at her forepaws in awkward silence. I noticed that Mother was trying not to cry - which was a bit odd. Tina looked over at me gratefully, smiling.

"Th-thanks, Alphas." she thanked the Alphas, then turned away and started walking away, beckoning me to follow with her tail. "Remember, not a word about your real name, Demi." She whispered in my ear. I nodded and she left the camp, leaving me in the middle of it. I had taken note of a scarred black and deep brown female that had been watching me and Mother from a distance. I was scared but as soon as she saw me looking, she looked away and went about her business.  I was worried though - she looked like the she wolf in my dream. After taking note, I went over to the other pups that I saw earlier.

But before I could get close, the one group that I saw was getting up...and they did not look at all friendly. I instantly looked at my paws after I stopped because I hadn't heard my claws on the dirt and now I saw why - my claws weren't out. That was what might've stirred them up because they kept looking at my paws then talking into each other's ears. It was no good trying to get my claws out because they would've come over any way.

"Hey! Newbie!" yelled the biggest of the group as they stalked over to me. I just stood there - feeling scared but not showing it. "What do you think you're doing?

I was a bit confused about this question. What did it look like I was doing - running? Hunting? But before I could reply, one of the other members of the group let out a growl and ran into my side, making me stumble.

"Newbie, Holly asked you a question - answer it," hissed the group member. "Or would you prefer to be taught a lesson?" My ears went down then - I realised that I had got on the bad side of this group...somehow.

The rest of the group had come right up to me now; most of them smiling in a non-friendly fashion. The biggest one, named Holly, was leaning her head over to my face now and I didn't like it one bit. "Well, can you speak? Why don't you have claws like the rest of us? What is your name?" repeated Holly, growling in her throat. I didn't reply to the first because it was stupid, or second question because there was no answer that I knew of, but I gave an answer for the third; telling them that my name was Whisper.

"Whisper, huh? Well, Whuss-per, you didn't reply to my first or second question! NOW ANSWER THEM!" she snarled, shoving me hard with her fore paw. After that, my tongue was numb - now I was terrified of her. My ears went down and my neck fur stood up. I looked behind them and I saw that the rest of the pups were looking at me curiously and fearfully. I noticed that a small amount of them were looking at me sympathetically and at Holly angrily.

I got rammed in the side by another one of the group. I fell to the ground but I was too stunned to get back up. They laughed and Holly raised her forepaw and gave me a scratch right across my muzzle. I yelped loudly and the rest of the pups gathered round - most too fearful to do anything but stare.

"Hey Holly! Look at her pelt! And the black tip on her left ear!" cried out one of the other bullies. "Doesn't she look like the pup that Adeline described to us about a week ago? About how she nearly killed it if it hadn't been for the pup's mother...and that white wolf?"

Holly's ears perked and she stared straight into my face. My right ear had a notch in it near the top, which I hoped would make them think differently. I mean, I knew then that I wasn't who they were talking about...was I? Holly drew her head back and turned to the gang member who had spoken.

"You are right, Harley," she agreed, then she turned back to me. "If this is her, then I might as well finish the job that Adeline started."

The name Adeline made me freeze. It brought back a flash of my dream...or had it been a dream? I was too confused and frightened to think clearly or do anything. Holly snarled at me and then leapt onto me, her teeth bared. I yelped - her teeth digging into my fur. Suddenly, that urge came back and my teeth dug into a piece of flesh - Holly's flesh! She cried out and I heard gasps from the bystanders. I opened my eyes - my teeth were dug into her back leg and she snarled, her eyes furious. I let go of her leg, panting - what had come over me? She went back to tearing into me and she reopened my wound from the coyote on my jugular. I shut my eyes and whined loudly as I felt it reopen.

Suddenly, several growls came out and I opened my eyes again. My vision was blurry from having my eyes shut but I saw a ginger wolf pup, along with several other different fur coloured pups standing in a semi-circle around me. The ginger pup was furious from the sound of her voice when she spoke.

"Alright Holly!" she snarled, taking a step towards the bully leader. "This has gone too far! We all know that you can fight and that you're Adeline's daughter and that you rule your group - but really?! Treating a new pup like this?!"

Holly just bared her teeth in aggression. She had been stopped by the ginger she pup before, I later learned. The bystanders were beginning to back away from where we were. I stayed on the ground; the blood from my coyote wound running down my leg, my tail tucked underneath me, my eyes wide, my ears down and I was trembling in pure fear. Holly snapped a sharp reply but the rest of the group that was sticking up for me snarled at her and she immediately backed down and limped off to her group's place. The ginger she pup turned around to face me, while the rest of the group, apart from a chocolate brown she pup and a black male pup who remained with the ginger pup, went ahead. Another flash came back of the she wolf named Adeline and the silver she wolf and...!

I blacked out after that.