Year of no Stars

Chapter 2

Aaaaaaand Chapter 2 is UP!

Year of no Stars- Chapter 2

    “This is Dapt, my mate and Alpha male,” Tera says, flicking her tail to the grey wolf that had trotted up beside her moments before.

    Jasper dips his head, I following the gesture. She nudges him away playfully and Dapt pads away to the three pups not far from us.

    “Over there,” Tera’s gaze follows Dapt, “are our pups; Bara, Bala and Lantor. Almost 4 months old.”

    I smile; the tom of the mix pounces on the smallest female, squashing her to the ground but she responds with such fierceness you would have never guessed she is the runt. With speed, she rustles from his grasped and rolls him over, nipping at his ears. Lantor surrenders immediately.

    Tera chuckles as Dapt desperately tries to save his only son from the intense grasp of his daughter. “Bala may be the smallest but she’s boss.”

    Two grey and black wolves suddenly race up to Tera, a fearful presence to them. The larger of the two has his lips curled in a growl, his body tense and ready to pounce. “What is going on?” demands Tera.

    “Jispil is back,” he spits the name as if it is a fatal disease. I catch a whiff of panic coming from Jasper and a small whimper but I’m the only one who seems to notice. “Her scent was caught on the border.”

    “Egaru and Jigal, thank you for telling me.” Tera sighs and continues, clearly bothered of the news. “These are Laura and Jasper. They are joining the pack so make them feel welcome.”

    I can feel their gaze rest of me; I know I was different but why should I care? I have a home, nothing else matters. I stay close to Jasper, his fur brushing against my bare skin; the warmth of his pelt is comforting. With all these strange scents around, his smell is soothing.

    They dip their head briefly before running away. “Wait!” cries Tera and one, I believe Jigal, comes running back. “I want you to find Arey and tell her to come here. I want her to take Laura out on a patrol. I believe Jasper knows the borders, already.”

    Jasper visibly tenses, his fur rising. He goes to say something but changes his mood from defensiveness to aggression. Who is Arey? Why did he respond like that? He nods tightly but puts a protective paw in front me. A bit of me loves how much he cares but I can take care of myself… sort of. “I won’t leave her side,” Jasper growls, more fiercely then needed.

    Tera dismisses Jigal with a flick of a tail and suppresses a sigh against Jasper’s outbreak. “She’s in good paws now, Jasper. You can’t be there for her every single moment, you know.”

    Jasper lays his ears back, tense but I speak up before something happens. “Tera’s right. I’ll be fine!” I laugh quietly to myself. Jasper, oh Jasper! So worrying, aren’t you? Tera nods and a beautiful brown and white wolf trots up. She has blue eyes and thick fur, much like Jasper’s.

    “You called, Tera?” she barks happily but her tail ceases as her and Jasper’s gaze meet. A strange tension fills the air, a mixture of guilt and longing. Arey glances away before muttering, “Hi… dad.”

    Now it’s my turn to freeze up. Did she just call him… dad? The taste of bile rises in my throat, a feeling I have never met. I paw at the dirt and sit in silence, watching the tension quickly rise. Feelings I’ve never had wash over me; panic, confusion, fear. Why didn’t he say anything about having a daughter? Why would he keep something like that from me? It makes no sense. Maybe there’s more to him than I know and that frightens me more than anything. Just the thought of my dad keeping secrets like that terrifies me more than when I watched him fight of a cougar or that bear or that time I thought I had lost him in the woods. My eyebrows furrow into an unpleasant expression.