Moonlit Beauty

Silver wolf

Chapter 5

Zhalia groaned as sunlight pierced her eyelids, she didn’t want to move from her soft pillow. Growling in contentment, she snuggled into her warm, moving pillow…wait a minute! Warm, moving pillow? Since when did her pillow move?

Zhalia’s eyes snapped open and fixed on her ‘pillow’. Well, it’s safe to say that it definitely was not a pillow! She had been sleeping on a silver wolf. A really cute, silver wolf!

His soft, silver fur glittered in the morning light, making it seem as if he was from another world. His ears twitched occasionally and his head rested on his paws, he was still asleep.

He had blood staining his fur and claws and Zhalia gasped as she remembered what happened the night before. She was attacked by rogues and the silver wolf had…saved her?

She looked back down at the silver wolf in confusion. Why did he save her? Zhalia yelped then blushed as she silver wolf stirred before cracking an eye open. She wouldn’t mention the fact that she had used him as a pillow.He had beautiful ice, blue eyes that captivated her the moment they looked into her purple eyes. Slowly the silver wolf stood up and stretched, keeping an eye firmly fixed on Zhalia.

“So you’re awake” The silver wolf glanced at her lazily before flicking his ear.

She just stared at him in shock. He was hurt! There was a pool of blood underneath him. The silver wolf cocked his head to the side in confusion at her look of shock before following her gaze down to the puddle of blood.

“It’s not mine…”

Zhalia stared at him in embarrassment. “I knew that!” She muttered. She studied the wolf in front of her. He was tall and easily towered over her.

“Why did you save me?” She looked at him expectantly.

He smirked before answering, “Look princess, I didn’t save you because I felt like it. Those rogues really irritate me since they ruined my last hunt so it’s just payback.” The wolf sniffed the air before wrinkling his snout in distaste. “Yuck, I need to get this foul blood off me…” He started walking away.

Zhalia snapped out of her thoughts and scowled at the back of the wolf. He may be cute but he definitely could not talk to her like that. She ran after the silver wolf that was walking out of the cave they were in. Wait…how did they get into a cave? Weren’t they in the clearing before?

She caught up with the wolf and glared at him. “How did we get into the cave?”

The silver wolf sighed before glancing at her. “I dragged you out of the clearing and cleaned your wounds at the lake before taking you to my cave. Contrary to belief, I am not heartless; I can’t just leave a defenceless lady out in the woods by herself.”

Zhalia’s glare softened. So he did care, maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

“Or even you…” The wolf finished.

Zhalia growled in frustration. This jerk was just too annoying but he did help her and her wounds didn’t even hurt. In fact, the only evidence of them ever being there was the fading scars. Wolves healed really quickly especially wolves that were directly related to the Alpha. She continued to follow the silver wolf in silence. He had to have a name; it was too troublesome to carry on calling him ‘the silver wolf’.

“Hey…what’s your name?” Zhalia looked at the wolf from the corner of her eye. He looked at her before answering.

“The name’s Dante. Dante Walker.”  He carried on walking without missing a stride at her unexpected question.

Zhalia paused before hurrying after him, so his name’s Dante…

 The trees ended and a lovely river came into view. Dante walked over to the edge and jumped in. He resurfaced after a couple of seconds before diving back down, letting the blood that was coated on him wash away.

Zhalia sat back on her haunches and waited for him to finish. After a few minutes he hauled himself up onto the river bed and shook his wet fur, successfully splattering water all over her. She gaped in shock.

“What did you do that for?” With an annoyed glare she bounded forward and roughly shoved Dante back into the river. His eyes widened in shock before he fell in. Zhalia huffed before turning her back on the spluttering wolf behind her.

She didn’t anticipate the pull on her black tail. With a startled shriek, she joined Dante in the freezing river. Resurfacing, she glared at him murderously.

“You…you…”

“Awesome wolf!” Dante finished with a charming smile. He was met with a splash of freezing water to the face.

Zhalia stiffly got out of the river and shook, the water flung off her in tiny droplets that caught the light of the sun. Dante looked at her. She was kind of cute…

Zhalia lounged on the flat rock near the river, waiting for her fur to dry in the warm sun. Dante silently joined her. They both relaxed in a comfortable silence before Dante broke it.

“So…what’s your name?”

Zhalia sighed, the first comfortable silence they shared and he had to go and ruin it. “My name’s Zhalia. Zhalia Hunter from the midnight pack.”

Dante looked at her sharply. “The midnight pack?”

Zhalia just nodded slowly in confusion. What was the big deal?

Dante looked at her seriously. “I want to join the midnight pack.”

Zhalia choked on air in surprise. “What?” She looked at Dante who looked at her with his serious, blue eyes.

“I said, I want to join the midnight pack-“He was cut off by Zhalia.

“No, I heard that, I meant why? Why do you want to join the midnight pack?” She glared at him suspiciously. “You’re not a spy…are you?”

“No and even if I was, why would I bother talking to you?” He replied smoothly.

Zhalia’s fur bristled in anger. “Gee, I don’t know, maybe because I’m the alpha’s daughter?”

Dante stared at her in genuine shock. “Y-you’re the alpha’s daughter!”

Zhalia nodded angrily.

Dante sighed before getting up. “Look, I just want to join the pack. I’m a lone wolf and I heard that the midnight pack is a great pack that has kind wolves. Plus, a friend of mine is in that pack.”

Zhalia gazed at Dante levelly. “You do know that the wolves in the midnight pack all have black fur and you have silver. You’re going to stick out like a sore paw,” Dante just nodded before looking into her eyes seriously, “but…I’ll take you to my father and we’ll see what happens from there.”

Zhalia turned and led the silver wolf back to her village. He seemed to be telling the truth and she didn’t see any harm in taking him to her village. Her pack was the strongest pack in the area so Dante couldn’t really do much against the midnight wolves.

She looked behind to see Dante following her, deep in thought. Shaking her head, she carried on walking. She was curious to hear what her father would say to Dante’s request…