Night of the moon

Chapter one

Thunder rumbled, sending shivers through Shade's pelt. She HATED storms, more than anything else, and she needed to get back. The rain soaked her fur, and made Shade want to howl with discomfort. She had to get back, she had to take her kill to her family. Sighing, she knew that she would get soaked. Her nose was to cold to distinguish the scents of her pack, and her eyes could barely see in the torrent of freezing rain.

A blurred image of trees that were so tall they touched the sky told Shade that she was approaching her home. Her mood lifted slightly at the thought of eating warm prey in the sheltered camp. Yes, she was going home, to the howls of her Packmates and the warmth of the dens. That motivated her to stride faster.

"Well, at least I've caught something." she thought, sending a wave of pride through her body. A wave of pride that vanished when she saw that the hare she had caught was scrawny and thin. As she padded towards the sky-pines, she could hear the howls of her pack. Finally reaching the edge of the woods, her tail wagged.

"Shade! What took you so long!" Dusk woofed, bounding up to his packmate. Laughing, Shade licked his face, dropping the hare for a few heartbeats. She picked it up again, and continued towards camp. The clearing seemed warmer than ever, and every instinct in her body told her to go into her den and sleep. Shade shook her head. No, she would need to eat. Placing her catch in the prey-hole, she waited. Shade was waiting, along with the rest of the pack, for Ripple and Sorrel to declare that it was time to eat the prey.

The air was full of the tempting scent of freshly-killed prey. Eying the hole full of limp bodies, Shade licked her chops. Along with her hare, there were two rabbits, three mice, and a woodpigeon. Her pack were good hunters, Shade noted, her mouth nearly overflowing with drool. Even if the harsh season of Winter came, her pack could survive, as they worked so well together.

After a while, as the storm raged on, Sorrel called out. "Pack, it is time to eat our kill. May we thank the great Canis for allowing us to catch this prey." she howled, causing the pack to wag their tails. "About time." Growl muttered, licking his lips in anticipation. One by one, in order of their ranks, the canines were allowed to take prey. As Ripple and Sorrel tore the flesh of a limp woodpigeon, the Pack howled and began to eat.

Almost forgetting the storm, Shade devoured her hare. Letting the taste of her prey sink in, she wagged her tail. All around her, canines wolfed down their catches. Glancing at Dust, she saw that he, being the omega, had only the bones of a rabbit, and he was chewing the flesh off them. Shade briefly felt sorry for him, but then remembered that Dust had stolen prey, and eaten the day's meal. It had seemed harsh when it happened (a few sun-turns ago) , but with Winter drawing nearer, every bone counted.

A few members of the pack were yawing and stretching, ready to curl up in the dens. "Now, we must get to our dens. May our ancestors watch over us as we sleep." Sorrel yawned, and she and Ripple walked towards their den. The rest of the pack fell silent. "You heard Sorrel, get to the den!" Sandy, the Beta, barked. Dust grumbled, and took his place outside the member-den. The others sighed, and crawled into the den. It was warm inside,and Shade was happy to curl up beside Dusk, and settle down.

Shade could feel a cold, icy breeze chilling her back. Grumbling, she tried to fall asleep. Only after shifting around a few times, did she close her eyes. She fell asleep to the breathing of er Packmates, completly oblivios to what was going on outside...

A Pack-member was creeping out, its paws making no sound as it snuck away. No-canine stirred as it left the camp, and padded into the  Suddenly, there was a yelp, and a howl, and then, then there was silence.

The whole of Wood Pack fell asleep, unaware of the fact that their number had gone down by one.