Night of the moon

Chapter two

"Growl is missing!" was the first thing Shade heard that morning. Waking up with a jolt, she looked around. "He's gone!" Amber was yelping, her bushy tail tucked between her legs and her eyes wide with pure fear. Shade sat, bolt upright, and asked "Is he?", thinking it was all a dream. "Yes! He's not in the den!" Amber whined, looking worried. She and Shade left the den, and padded into the main camp. It was still very dark, and no-wolf was up. It was clear Growl was not there.

"Maybe he's out hunting? Or he went to mark the borders? Or he..." Shade woofed, and then turned to Amber. "Not at this time, he normally hates getting up." the little fox answered. Suddenly, a thundering of paws grabbed Shade's attention. It was Kite, and she was scared. "Growl's not in the den!" she yelped. "I think we've heard." muttered Shade. Amber shot her a look of pure scorn.

Kite sniffed the air. "I can catch his scent. It's faint, but it's there." she barked. "Well then... FOLLOW IT!" Amber ordered, the stress in her voice showing. Kite nodded briskly, and trotted out of the camp, Shade and Amber on her heels. Kite led them to the river, where there was no trace of his scent. The river crashed against the rocks, making a huge noise. "Wait... look!" Shade barked, pointing her nose towards a dark grey shape in among the rocks. Was it... could it be... no, it couldn't...

"No! It's my brother! He's dead!" Amber cried. She ran to the edge of the cliff. She nearly jumped off, but Shade caught her by the scruff. "Don't. We don't need to loose two lives in one day. "She explained gently. "But Growl... he's my brother... we have to get him back..." Amber protested. Her eyes showed the sadness that tormented her, and her legs were shaking, as if she no longer had the strength to stand. She opened her mouth... and howled louder than thunder. Her voice was shaky, and spoke of her grief.

Time stood still for a few heartbeats, the only sign that the world was living was the crashing of the river against the cliffs. Shade only snapped back to reality when she saw the pelts of Sandy and Dusk. "What's happened?" Dusk asked, tilting his head. "It's Growl..." Kite woofed, indicating the limp grey bundle of fur. "He's... he's dead." Amber sighed, her tail down. "Dusk, report this to Ripple and Sorrel. I'll see if there is a chance of recovering the body." Sandy woofed, unhappy.

Suddenly, Sandy trotted down the pathway to the riverbank. It was the only way to get there - that is, if you didn't mind hurling yourself of a cliff. Realisation hit her. Growl had died falling from the cliffs. Even if he had hit the water, the river was shallow in this place, so he wouldn't have lasted long. Sandy emerged back up, with the small, lifeless body of Growl gripped firmly in his jaws. Amber stared, filled with sorrow, at her brother's limp pelt. Sandy laid him on a smooth, flat stone.

Growl's eyes were dull, his body cold, and on his side there were several scratches. "The rocks must have made these when he fell." Shade observed. "The storm would have made the rocks wet, and he must have slipped." she woofed. Amber was still staring at Growl. "No. He had more sense than to take a walk, on the cliffs, in THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, during a RAGING STORM! Besides, these scratches... they don't have splinters of rock in them. I got cut by a stone, and trust me, the splinters made me HOWL." Amber pointed out.

"You mean... that it might not have been an accident?" Kite gasped, shaking slightly. "Maybe." Amber mumbled. They walked back to the camp, carrying Growl's body. Once they reached their home, it was clear that Ripple and Sorrel knew about Growl's death. "I'm sorry..." Ripple murmured sympathetically.

It was High-Moon, and Growl's body lay in a shallow grave, near the edge of the forest. All of his pack were gathered around him, looking sad. Ripple spoke up. "Canines of the Wood Pack, we are here to send Growl, a loyal Pack-member, to the Hunting Grounds of the Great Canis. He will be mourned greatly." the Alpha-male howled. Every-member howled with him, to wish Growl a safe journey.

Amber thought for a minute, and then padded away. She returned with some prey-bones, and buried them next to her brother. "May you be the best hunter there." she whispered. Afterwards, some prey was shared. So little had been caught, that Shade had to do with a mouse. Sharing prey lacked its usual friendly atmosphere, as most of the Pack looked like they expected a huge, snarling enemy to leap out at them. Shade's tail drooped.

And something inside her told her that it would not be the last hardship.