Dissenter's Rise Book 1: Smoke-Filled sky (On-Hold)

Dissenter's Rise: Chapter 2

Phyre imagined the pups being awestruck as they sat and listened to the she-wolf's wisdom. Phyre was surprised about how much those words really meant, and how much truth lay in them.

"But, how did imagination come to be?" Dawn questioned curiously.

"Well young one's, as soon as I get Canisp all comfy, I'll tell you all a little story."

"Yeah!" the pups all chided in together.

"Well I don't see why not," Phyre agreed. "I'd like to hear this one myself."

"Lay down here," Shiva instructed to Canisp with a swish of her tail.

Canisp slumped to the ground in exhaustion. After that, Shiva rubbed her paw over Canisp's foreleg, earning her a cry of pain from Canisp. Her eyes clouded with sorrow a she felt the crooked bone underneath the fur and tissues. Shiva paused when she came to the middle of Canisp's leg.

"What...what's the matter?" Canisp pried out worriedly.

"I'm afraid it not just a twist, you're leg is broken."

Canisp was speechless.

"What?" Tain called out abruptly. "There must be something you can do for her!" he wailed.

"I'm afraid we can only hope for her leg to heal in time, on its own. It'll take time and absolutely no pressure on it at all. All I've got is pain killing herbs."

"So I can't...run anymore?" Canisp gulped before an outburst from Tain.

"I hope you're happy Thistle!" Tain snapped with an evil scowl on his face, He could feel what he thought was anger bubbling up inside of him, yet he knew that most of it was pure sadness. Sadness for his sister who might never again feel the coolness of the water on the ocean's shore lapping at her feet as she raced through the waves. The squish of the lush grass that remained and dew seeping between her paw pads. Most of all, the feeling of life. He couldn't take it anymore as he burst out the door.

"Shiva can you watch the children fro a few moments. I need to go talk to him," Phyre whispered in a hushed voice.

She nodded as Phyre's tail whisped out the door. "Why don't we hear that story now hmm?" Shiva reminded in hopes of taking their minds off of their friends and siblings, and cheering them up a bit.

The old she-wolf took it upon herself to give Canisp a teathered and torn up feather pillow that had been found in the disaster wake of the city to rest her leg on as she gave her pain herbs.

"Mm," Canisp started as she licked them up and chewed them. "They taste like mint."

"That's only to mask the bad taste dear," she promised. "Now," she began, "when the first wolves were created by Shivhan, goddess of creation, and Crosion, god of the wolf--a lone female known as Rama had believed she had found the perfect mera at last. You have to understand that back then, there was only black and white-- no shades of gray. You either agreed or disagreed. This particular fera wanted her ceremony to be special. There was hardly any color to the world with little landscaping other than a few trees, and a fluffy blanket of snow. She wanted something new," Shiva said before pausing to take a quick glance at Canisp. The young pup seemed to be handling her problem extremely well for something so serious. Canisp was staring at her intently, obviously begging her to continue.

"Rama had heard talk of how Shivhan and Crosion's son possessed a certain gift that was rumored to be unthinkable and very special indeed. One so valuable that it was not to be shared with the common wolf. And so, for centuries, the mind of the wolf had been dull. Only thoughts of carrying on their species had crossed their mind...life or death. Rama wanted it.