Young wolf pup Everblaze never expected that his life in the Moonstone Pack could get any harder.
He yearns to be Alpha one day, but still has to survive two vicious forces: the Alpha's son Black, and a cougar prowling on the hunt for Everblaze. Can...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
A month later, I went to the collection point with Moon and Patches. "Wow, Star, so this is what food-collecting looks like!" I yelled across the grounds to Star.
"Looks like Dad and Mum are helping out too!" checked Patches.
He was right. Star, Dad, the Delta, and the *Zeta stood there. Each of the wolves held a bamboo-shoot-woven basket in their mouths. Upon seeing us, the Zeta and the Delta took a bow. Star dropped his basket. "Welcome! Pleased to see you did remember the collection. Take a basket, please," he gestured to several baskets under the shade of a tree.
We grabbed a basket from under the tree. However, just as I took a basket, I realised that there were two extra baskets left. "Is anyone else coming?" I asked.
Star nodded. "Of course!"
Just then, Black and Diamond appeared. I muttered a simple 'oh', feeling silly at not thinking about them. However, Patches and Moon's reactions were completely different. Patches' eyes widened in realisation. He ruffled the fur on his head before he strode over to Diamond proudly. Meanwhile, Moon's jaw dropped slightly. She blushed, apparently embarrassed. Black, too, seemed attracted. Star, Dad and Mum exchanged looks. 'Romance,' I heard Dad mutter under his breath. I sighed. If any of the four mated, I might lose my chance to become Alpha.
I decided to cut into their moment. "So what are the fruits we are collecting today?" I asked.
Star turned to face the dense forest behind him. "Today, we are going to be collecting mangoes and blueberries. To make collecting easier and to prevent the pups from getting hurt, we are arranging everyone into three groups. Team A is Moon, Patches, and **Flame, Team B is Black, Everblaze and ***Bolt, and Team C is Diamond, Nighty and ****Whisper. While I oversee your collecting, Sky will handle the other matters. Right! Team A, you assemble behind me, Team B, behind Bolt, and Team C behind the Pack Cave," assigned Star.
Patches raised a forepaw. "Is there a prize?" he asked.
Star nodded curtly. "Yes, there is. The Zeta will take over for that matter. If you will, please," he indicated Bolt.
The Zeta coughed. "The prize will be a special fighting lesson taught by me," he declared, pointing to a raised mound somewhere behind me. At hearing this, murmurs could be heard from the other eight. Even Black was excited.
"So," questioned Star, "who's ready to pick some fruits?" he called. Everyone cheered.
~
Several hours later, Star stood on the mound. "Alright, 3 hours have passed. It is time to announce the winning team of the competition,"
There was silence as Star counted the fruits in the teams' baskets and calculated the team with the most fruits. After a few tense minutes, Star finally looked up. "The winning team is..."
I prayed to Patrick that I would get the lesson so that if the cougar came back, at least I could defend myself. Black was looking eager, jumping up and down while the Zeta continued staring at Star, waiting for the verdict.
"Team B!" cried Star.
Black and I jumped up and down in celebration; Diamond, Dad, Mum and Flame clapped; Moon and Patches shot me looks of envy: Star smiled and the Delta nodded, looking impressed. I grinned and humbly accepted the 'congratulations' from everyone while Black continued jumping.
"Congrats, Black and Everblaze!" congratulated the Zeta, who had climbed into the platform. "You have won a training lesson from me!" he announced proudly.
I stopped celebrating to turn to Bolt. "When is it?"
"Tomorrow at 10 sharp in the morning," cut in Star, stomping his fore left leg on the ground. "Same place, right here," he added.
I nodded in agreement. "Sure!" Black and I chorused.
~
At night, I huddled into my corner, watching the stars in the night sky outside wink at me while snores sounded from the sleeping wolves beside me.
"Hey," someone nudged me. It was Moon.
"Hmm?" I asked, turning over to face my sister.
"I have more bad news," she said.
"More?" I noticed the extra word.
Moon nodded. "Umm, well...... I saw the cougar again. I'm sure of it, the scars and wounds I made and that look on its face when it saw me ...... I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," Moon hesitated at parts.
I stiffened. Not again! Just as I gulped, an idea struck me. "Let's go and defeat it then."
Want to read more? Please click the vote button before you proceed. Thanks!
