DarkPaw

Chapter 2

Darkpaw

Darkpaw's delicate paws seeped into the fluffy, oozing lush pasture. Close by a glistening waterfall fell into the chasms of a minor pond, blossoming bouquets scattered around the beautiful area. Mashpaw strolled elegantly in front of Darkpaw, not even taking a slight glimpse back to see if the black wolf was ok. Around them, butterflies fluttered in the air, mingling in with the luxurious forest. With Darkpaw's concentrated scent, he could detect the fragrance of other wolves ahead.

"Are we near?" Darkpaw asked.

"Yes," Mashpaw answered.

Darkpaw gazed throughout the forest tentatively, sensing an unusual aura. He chose his tracks intelligently trailing closely behind Mashpaw. Each move he grasped was hushed and he retained a deep stance.

"I sense something observing me, Mashpaw," He muttered lowly.

"Well, stay close. We're almost there," She stated, still not facing the wolf's eyes.

Darkpaw swallowed noisily, still traveling casually. Suddenly he overheard a soft growl, very muffled but was obvious. He shuffled his head to the left where the noise was emanating from. Fresh blood eyes were illuminating in the darkness, but Darkpaw did not respond. He held frozen, glaring intensely into the eyes. From the depths of the obscuration, a black-coated wolf, similar to Darkpaw's coat, sprang towards the frozen brute exposing its needlelike fangs. In an instant, the razor-sharp teeth drilled into the shoulder of Darkpaw, gore spurting everywhere. He yowled in agony and Mashpaw abruptly swung around.

"Darkpaw!" Mashpaw yelled in distress. The old she-wolf rushed to aid, slamming her head against the ribs of the criminal. The attacker withdrew apart from Darkpaw and growled intensely from a distance, ready to strike once again.

"Mashpaw! You traitor!" The attacker barked. "How can you deliver a Shadow Clan member to our base!"

"Hear me out, Scar!" Mashpaw commanded, standing in front of Darkpaw, securing him as if she was a shield. "He is not an intruder and means no harm to nobody, I assume. But that's not the case. I guided him here because he was infiltrating our region. He also declares he does not recognize anything. I can't just leave a weak pup out in the wastelands."

"How can you believe such lies!" Scar shouted. "Have you gone mad to believe, that a member of Shadow Clan, the Clan of Deceptions, is telling you that he does not remember anything!"

"Well, that's exactly why I took him here, to see if he is actually telling the truth. If he truly is lying then we'll slaughter him," Mashpaw responded. The rusty she-wolf strolled towards Scar and planted her lips firmly to his ear so Darkpaw couldn't hear. "We are lacking warriors as well. We have been in plenty of fights with the other Clans and many of our members have died tragic deaths. If we figure out he isn't lying he can join our Clan to fight with us. We need as many warriors as we can get."

"Tch! I guess you have a point," Scar admitted. "But that doesn't mean I'll take my eyes off of you, Shadow Clan member. Anyway, I doubt Accailia will accept this nonsense. I'm off!" The charcoal-coated wolf bounded away back toward the shadows, giving Darkpaw one last snarl.

"What a warm welcome," Darkpaw grumbled licking his raw injury.

"Don't mind him, he's always fretful. C'mon, I'll treat your wounds once we get to the camp," Mashpaw stated. She commenced to walk once again and Darkpaw couldn't anticipate what came next.

A ginormous tree stood in front of the two wolves. Compared to the gigantic bark, the two wolves were just insignificant ants. A huge gateway pierced through the trunk of the tree and two silver-coated wolves guarded the pathway. As they grew closer they lowered their heads towards the rusty old she-wolf, appreciating her residence, permitting her inside. But of course, they mysteriously eyed Darkpaw as if they desired to snap his head off.