The Pack

Chapter Twenty-Five

Luna slowed to a stop, her nose to the ground and her ears on high alert. The rest of the pack came up behind her to wait in anticipation as she took in a deep whiff. The fresh smell of elk greeted her and she growled quietly to the rest of the pack, signaling them to move forward with a twitch of her ears and tail.
Eclipse moved up beside her. They walked forward as one unit, their movements hushed and their eyes sharp in focus.
The pack slowly crept up upon the familiar meadow with the small stream. The stream was frozen now, and the meadow was frosted with snow.
A herd of elk stood in the meadow, grazing on bits of grass under the snow and pine needles. One huge bull watched over them with his proud, dark eyes. The pack regarded his sweeping antlers warily, for they knew the damage that they could inflict on a vulnerable wolf. The many cows swiveled their ears and looked around every so often when they took a break from searching for food.
Then the pack spied a calf, less than a year old, by its mother's side.
Luna stalked forward with Eclipse, using the sparse trees and brush as their cover. They skirted the outside of the herd until they were close to the young calf and its mother.
They waited silently as the calf walked further and further away from her protection. Then Luna shot out after it, her paws slamming into the snow as she raced forward. Eclipse followed after her and soon every wolf was in on the chase. The herd snorted and stomped in panic before racing off towards the cover of the trees. The calf started to lag behind, and Luna took her chance. She snapped at its hind legs until it lost its balance and tripped. The calf crashed into the snow and bleated pitifully for its mother. Eclipse ran up to deliver the final blow when suddenly the mother appeared, her legs flailing wildly and her eyes blazing with fury. She snorted and kicked out at the wolves with the forceful determination of a desperate mother. The calf stood up behind her and the two started to run after the herd. Eclipse ran after them. He went to bite at the mother's hind legs when suddenly he smelled the bull's scent very close to him. He jumped back just in time to see sharp, deadly antlers rake the spot where he had once been. He backed up as the bull faced him. The bull snorted angrily and waved his antlers at the wolf with the swagger of a confident male. Eclipse snarled, but he knew that it was over. The bull stomped and snorted once more before turning and disappearing after his herd.
The Alpha let out a frustrated sigh and turned to his pack. They were waiting for him in the meadow. They knew that the elk were lost in the forest. Eclipse had been the only determined wolf to follow them.
He padded over to them and sat down in the thin, crunchy snow.
"We'll just try again tomorrow. Hopefully we'll have more luck then."
Disappointed, he hunched his shoulders. He walked back towards the den site with the rest of the pack in tow.

The pack tried to hunt again and again, but the elk were always one step ahead. After a week the wolves were irritable with hunger, having to hunt small game just to stave off the gnawing pain in their guts.
One day Eclipse brought the pack together in the center of the den site.
"We need to make this hunt count. Everyone must put in all of their effort. If we don't make a kill soon, we're all going to starve... Plain and simple. So let's go and hope for the best," he declared solemnly.
With that, he turned towards the meadow and moved forward at a smooth trot.
The pack followed silently after him, and soon they saw the familiar meadow with the elk.
"Let's try something different today," Eclipse growled under his breath.
He motioned for Redwood and Timber to follow him. He paused momentarily and looked back at Luna.
"When you see us disappear on the other side of the meadow, drive the elk towards us. Now they'll have no escape."
Luna nodded and Eclipse trotted forward through the thin brush. He skirted his way along the elk herd, with his two pack mates close behind.
The meadow was surrounded by forest on three sides, with the fourth side stretching out into more meadow and open land. Eclipse used the set-up to his advantage, staying hidden among the trees and brush as they made their way to the opposite side.
The three wolves spread out with Eclipse in the middle. This way they could trap an elk and converge on it with ease.
Eclipse peered through the herd to see Luna moving forward slowly with the two she-wolves following her lead. When she was sure that they were ready she lunged forward with a growl. The elk snorted and stamped, turning to flee from their pursuers. Eclipse spotted a young cow on the edge of the herd closest to him, and as she turned to run he blocked her path.
She snorted and kicked at him, but the pack had already noticed the commotion. As the herd ran into the forest the she-wolves raced towards the cow. Luna dug her teeth into its rump while Misty and Maple tore at its hind legs to bring it down. Redwood and Timber nipped at its sides, distracting it so that it wouldn't lash out with its deadly hooves.
The cow panted with the effort to stay up and she fought valiantly until the wolves were beginning to lose hope. Then miraculously her back legs gave out. She let out a keening cry as she hit the ground with a thud.
To make the pain brief, Eclipse lunged towards the throat and bit down hard. The elk kicked and squirmed so that the rest of the pack had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. Then the legs started to slow, and her breaths came short and shallow. She took one last shuddering breath before going limp under the Alpha's jaws.
Eclipse held on for a moment more before releasing his hold and looking up at his pack. His tail started to wag furiously and he let out a joyous victory howl. The rest of the pack joined in before digging into their well-deserved meal.