Dark Stones #1: The Rising Darkness

Chapter 26: The Pack of Deep Hollow

Libby tried to relax, but the question of who'd put a trap here lingered in their mind. Maybe this Deep Hollow Pack isn't so peaceful after all...

Suddenly, sounds could be heard from the round tunnel-hole in the pit's wall. Libby noted that it was just large enough for a single adult wolf to walk through if they held their head low.

"Hello?" Libby called quietly. "Who's there?"

Without a moment's warning, a large gray wolf emerged from the tunnel. His brown eyes glared furiously as he started to circle Libby.

"Thought you could infiltrate us, huh?"

Libby opened their mouth to shout for Dreven and Red Spirit. Before they could, the gray wolf stuffed a hairless pelt into their mouth as a gag before pressing their jaws into the ground. "Better not call for help!" The gray let out a soft but menacing chuckle. "You're coming with me."

He grabbed them by the scruff and pulled them into the darkness. Libby struggled and whimpered; pain searing through their body as they were too old to be dragged by the scruff like this. But the wolf did not relent, and Dreven and Red Spirit were nowhere to be found. Soon, only darkness engulfed them.

Libby hoped their eyes would eventually get used to the blackness surrounding them, but it was no use. The large wolf simply hauled them over the rocky ground of the tunnel. It seemed to be an entire system of tunnels, judging from the various scents, yet he seemed to know exactly which ones to take.

Finally, Libby started to make out shapes. At first they thought their eyes might've adjusted to the darkness after all, but soon they realized that the end of the tunnel had an orange-yellow glow. They entered a larger, well-lit central cave. Several torches along the walls had been set alight to illuminate the room.

At last, the large gray wolf set them ungracefully down on the ground. Libby tried to escape , but two moments later a few more wolves came and bound their front legs together using a strap of leather. The gray male from before roughly removed the hairless pelt from their mouth, nearly triggering Libby's gag reflex, and tied another strap of leather around their jaws. After that, the three adults vanished into another tunnel

Libby could now finally peer around thanks to the light of the torches. Many tunnel-openings led into the larger cave, and there were several levels of boulders in it. Numerous wolves of various sizes and ages were roaming about the cavern. Some were eating around a fire pit. Others lay on the ledges carved into the stone walls, and some larger wolves seemed to be on guard, rigidly fixating on the many exit points.

There are so many more wolves here than in Dark Stones... Libby realized. They also noticed that, though the wolves all looked different, a lot of them had dull pelt colors, mostly grays and browns and a few blacks here and there. Some had their fur caked with mud and dirt, making their main pelt color even harder to tell. The guards appeared to be wearing armor, however, all of it was made out of tough-looking leather rather than metal.

The large gray male appeared in front of them again. "You done staring?" he growled.

Libby couldn't respond.

The stranger let out a bark and some of the wolves walking about looked at him. One of them, a black wolf with a mud-caked coat who appeared of no discernible gender, approached.

"What is this?" they asked, tilting their head. It was striking to see that they had one orange and one blue eye. It reminded Libby of Dreven's mismatched eyes, though neither of these seemed to blind.

"I found this one in one of our trap pits, Rose," grumbled the gray." Maybe it's Army scum. I say we put them out of their misery."

Rose eyed their captive. Libby tried to read any expression on the they-wolf's face, but none could be found. Finally, Rose turned back to their companion. "I don't think we should do anything yet, Caderyn. Seems unlikely the Army would send someone so young and scrawny. Also, they don't smell like the Southlands."