"The strength of the wolf is the pack and the strength of the pack is the wolf."
-The Wolf Pack,
Jungle Book
Wynter groaned as she tossed and turned in her bed. The sugar from the marshmallows was coursing through her veins and excess energy was keeping her from falling asleep. Conceding defeat, Wynter climbed out of bed and changed out of her pajamas. The moon was full and bright, so if she couldn't sleep, she could at least enjoy a moonlit stroll through the forest. Maybe that would tire her out.
Wynter slipped on her boots and crept downstairs, careful not to wake the others. She made it to the front door and listened for any movement upstairs to before heading out. The last thing she wanted was for someone to come down and question where she was going.
Certain the coast was clear Wynter slipped out into the night. She sighed in relief as she stared at the moon's warm glow and headed for the forest.
As she reached its edge the crickets chirped their welcome and the lightning bugs blinked their lights around her. The forest was so beautiful at night.
Wynter walked deeper into the forest, humming to herself as she watched the night's creatures move through the trees. Owls hooted and flew overhead, raccoons and possums watched from the trees, and deer tiptoed quietly through the underbrush, taking their own midnight strolls.
Wynter couldn't help but feel at peace amongst the trees. This forest had always been home and it would always be a part of her.
Wynter wasn't sure how far she had walked when her ears began to twitch. She stopped to listen and picked up a faint murmur. Voices? She turned in the direction of the sound and began to follow it through the trees. But as quick as it came, it vanished.
Wynter stopped to listen to the sounds around her and heard movement not too far ahead. She crept towards the sound slowly, tapping into her wolf strength as she got closer. Then, she pounced.
Wynter lunged through the bushes and tackled the source of the sound. Her tackle was met by a loud 'oof', and a thud as they hit the ground.
With her prey effectively pinned to the ground Wynter looked down and her eyes widened when she saw who was beneath her.
"You." Wynter gasped, narrowing her eyes at the young man beneath her. "Didn't Willa tell you to leave!?"
Walker gave his best attempt at a shrug from his current position. "Yeah, she might have mentioned it."
"Then why are you still here?" Wynter growled.
Walker met her gaze. "We were getting ready to. Your friend made it clear we weren't welcome here."
"We?" Wynter snapped, her glare and grip tightening on him. "You told us you were alone. You lied!"
"Easy there Spitfire. I don't want to fight." Walker replied. "And I didn't lie. When I came to your little campfire, I was alone."
Wynter studied him warily. Willa had said not to trust those from the Lupus pack, and he had kinda lied about being alone. But why was the Lupus Pack in their territory if they knew they weren't welcome?
"Um....are we interrupting something?" A voice asked.
Wynter turned and saw four other wolves had appeared nearby, watching them. A female, clearly the youngest of the group, looked afraid, her eyes focused on Walker.
"Shut up Will." Walker replied, snapping Wynter from her thoughts. "There's nothing to interrupt."
Will
Wynter immediately realized the position she was in, straddling Walker's waist and pinning his arms above his head. She scrambled back and got to her feet, keep her eyes on the wolves in front of her.
As soon as she moved back the young female moved forward and dropped down beside Walker, checking him over. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"
"I'm fine Wren, she just knocked me down." Walker reassured the young girl, getting to his feet. "It'll take a lot more than that to take down your big bro."
Wren
Wren rolled her eyes as a smirk tugged at her lips. The smirk however, quickly vanished when she laid eyes on Wynter. "Alright, but who is she?"
"She is a wolf from the Lykensen pack." Walker explained.
"A Lykensen, great." The older female wolf replied, crossing her arms. "Just what we need. You got your point across you know, were leaving. You didn't have to come check."
Wynter huffed and placed her hands on her hips. "First of all, my last name is Barkowitz. Second, no one sent me out here. I couldn't sleep so I took a walk. I heard rustling in the bushes and pounced, turned out to be Walker."
"Oh good for you, you can track. Big whoop." The older female replied sarcastically.
Wynter growled and Walker stepped between them, keeping her from advancing forward before turning to face his pack mate. "Winona that's enough. You're not helping."
Wynter snorted, holding back laughter. "W-Winona?"
Winona narrowed her eyes and growled at Walker. "Its Winnie! I told you never to call me by my real name!"
Winona (Winnie)
"Fine, Winnie. Knock it off." Walker corrected before turning to Wynter. "Alright Barkowitz, what's your first name?"
"I'm Wynter." She told them.
Will looked at his pack mates in confusion. "I thought Walker talked to Willa?"
"He did you knucklehead." Winnie huffed, smacking the back of his head. "She's obviously a different wolf."
"Ow." Will grumbled, rubbing his head.
Walker sighed, shaking his head as he turned back to Wynter. "Forgive my pack, they are usually more welcoming than this. However, things are a bit tense and stressful right now so they are not themselves. I know we all got off on the wrong foot, but will you give us a chance to try again?"
Wynter pondered his words before nodding. "I will hear you out, only because I don't think it was fair that Willa ran you off before you could even explain yourself."
Walker smiled. "Thank you Wynter. Let's start with proper introductions. I am Walker as you know, the blonde is Winnie, the one Winnie smacked is Will, the young one here is my little sister Wren, and the quiet one, who I can tell is laughing at all of us on the inside, is Wade."
Wade
Wynter looked over and noticed a young male wolf sitting a on a fallen tree nearby. He was giving them a small smirk and gave Wynter a solute in greeting when he noticed her watching him.
"Its nice to meet you all." Wynter replied. "So where is your alpha?"
"I'm the Alpha." Walker told her.
Wynter looked at him in surprise. "You're the Alpha? But you're so young."
Walker shrugged. "I had to step up. I was destined to be Alpha one day anyway. That day just came earlier than expected."
Wynter nodded. "I see. So Mr. Alpha, where is the rest of your pack? Are they nearby?"
Wynter watched as the faces of all five wolves immediately fell as they all glanced at each other. Walker wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders and sighed. "This is our pack Wynter. We're all that's left."
"What?" Wynter gasped in shock. "But Alpha Wylda said the Lupus pack was growing in size. That soon we would be equal in numbers. What happened to your Alpha? Your elders? Your pups?"
A tear slipped down Wren's cheek as she clung tightly to her brother who ran his free hand through his hair.
"They're all dead." Walker replied solemnly. "They just started dying one by one, and nothing we did seemed to help them. It hit the eldest and youngest members first, then spread to the rest. Wren and I, we lost our mother, then our father, the Alpha before me. When he died, there were no elder wolves left to do the burial rites. As the new Alpha I had to bury him myself, along with all the others who passed after him. I couldn't bury any more bodies, that's why I brought what was left of my pack here. I had hoped our sister pack would take us in, that we would find refuge."
Wynter looked at the solemn faces of the wolves in front of her. These weren't the faces of traitors who had come with bad intentions. They were orphans looking for a place to call home. They were alone."
"I had no idea." Wynter replied softly. "I'm so sorry."
"What's done is done." Walker admitted mournfully. "We cannot bring back what we have lost. We can only move on and hope to keep their memories alive in the future."
Wynter nodded. "I like that."
"So what happens to us now?" Wren asked. "Do we still have to leave?"
Walker opened his mouth but Wynter cut him off. "No, you don't have to leave. Our people were once one pack, and regardless of our packs' past choices, it would be wrong to turn you away in your time of need. I will talk to my Alpa in the morning and see if she will allow you to join our pack. I know what Willa said, but we are not the same people as our ancestors. They made their choice, now we get to make ours."
Walker smiled appreciatively. "Thank you Wynter. We appreciate your help. Perhaps I should meet you at that fire pit in the morning? I think it would be best if I accompanied you. As Alpha it is my duty to represent my pack."
"That would be great." Wynter agreed. "I will see you in the morning."
Walker nodded. "I will be waiting. I look forward to meeting Alpha Wylda."
Author's Note
So this was longer than expected. I don't typically update on weekends cause mine are usually very busy. So enjoy this chapter and look forward to more probably Thursday.
-Meloetta246