A Wolf's Tale (Book #1) The Secrets Untold

Chapter 25

Rascal's eyes stretched wide as he entered the home of his pup-hood and early adulthood. The stone walls of the camp glimmered in the evening dusk. The caves lining the clearing were padded and insulated with elk pelts.

The bare branches in the trees rattled and groaned in the frigid wind. Heavy clouds still dotted the sky, even though the rain from earlier was gone.

Skylark went into his parents' den and returned a moment later with them at his heels. Howler acknowledged Rascal with a blunt nod then settled down with his mate and son on either side of him.

"What do you want?" Howler's voice was steady, but Rascal saw the icy hate burn deeply in his eyes. The Pack leader's fur was bristling, standing on end. Annoyance and hate swept heavily from him.

Before he could reply, Destiny stood and growled. "Why is that Flame Woods she-wolf with you?"

Misty's eyes flared angrily, but she calmly stepped to Rascal's side. "We're here to help you."

Howler looked annoyed, and very cross. "Why?" He demanded.

"Mortals have been invading our territory more and more every week." She explained.

"What's that got to do with us?" Boulder snapped his burning glare on Misty.

"They're reaching deeper into the land, almost hitting the heart of it," Misty's muscles were tense. "And that means if they are already hitting our territory, they'll go after yours next, continuing to expand their forces."

"Are you questioning our strength?" Destiny's lip twitched with the beginning of a snarl. "We can handle anything on our own!" She insisted dryly.

"But this is bigger than anything we've ever seen," Misty stood tall and leveled her gaze with Destiny's. "They have Thunder-sticks, and hunting dogs, and other terrible things I'm sure we haven't seen yet!" She met each wolf's eyes around the camp. "They are a threat that won't go away unless we come together to take them down. If one Pack faces them alone, they're doomed."

Silence hung in the air like fog. Wolves exchanged nervous glances and whispered to each other suspiciously.

"Why should we believe you?" Skylark strode forward until he was nose-to-nose with Misty.

"You don't have to. We're here only to warn you." Rascal replied evenly.

"I suspect it's a trick so they can take our territory." Boulder thrust his way to the front and glared at Rascal and Misty.

"Well, it's not," Misty narrowed her eyes. She walked forward until she stood before Howler. "I know our Packs have a bad history but are you really going to let this happen? What if the Mortals make it to your camp? You'll lose prey, your home, and perhaps even your lives."

Howler looked thoughtful as he stared down at Misty; who was standing rigid with her tail up. The Stone Hollow wolves anxiously shoved their ears forward, waiting for an answer.

Howler glanced at Destiny, Skylark, Boulder, Stone, Buck, and Jade; the highest ranks of the Pack. "We'll take time to decide. I shall give you our answer tomorrow at dawn," He flicked his tail and the high-ranks followed him to his den for a meeting.

Rascal shared a nervous glance with Misty. What if Howler decides he doesn't need help and throws us out? If he joins and tries to take over, what if he leads us into disaster?

Rascal pushed his negative thoughts to the back of his mind. He shouldn't think like this. Although he wanted to be prepared. After all, it was his idea to unite the Packs for one battle.