Rascal opened his eyes to pale sunlight drifting in the den. For a moment he thought he was back home in Stone Hollow Pack with Ella. But then he realized he was in Flame Woods Pack. And that Stone Hollow was never his home, to begin with.
He tried to stand, but a stiffness ran through his entire body. And he winced as he put weight on his sprained paw. Every muscle in him ached. But his heart was aching with homesickness as he missed his sister.
He counted to three and heaved himself to his paws. At first, he was a little unsteady and swayed as he tried to regain his balance. He forced his troubled thoughts aside and limped out into the clearing.
It was a frosty morning, and the air was chilly, but not bitter. Rascal gazed around in awe. The stone walls of the camp looked as if they had been made by the wolves themselves. His eyes fell upon the small caves. They looked as if they could hold two to four wolves depending on the size. The camp walls cast shadows that bathed the clearing in eerie darkness.
Rascal looked around. He was the only one up. Is it too early for them to get up? Wow. They are definitely night owls.
He began to limp around and take in everything about this place. Tall pines sheltered them from most rain and wind. He tried not to shiver as a sudden gust of wind chilled him. Clouds overhead told him it would rain later.
Rascal's belly growled loudly. He remembered he hadn't eaten anything since....well for a while. He looked around hopefully for something to eat. And his eyes landed on a pile of meat on the other side of the clearing.
He cautiously glanced side to side, to be sure no one would see him. Then, he eagerly limped over to the pile of mouth-watering food. He pawed out a piece and stared at it with hungry eyes before bending down to take a bite. But a paw swiped in and knocked the meat away.
Anger raged in Rascal's belly. He turned to glare at the wolf, only to stop and stare. The wolf was Misty. Her eyes lit up in anger. Her fur bristled and looked all spiky.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" She asked as if a mother would scold her pups.
Rascal pushed aside his soft feelings and irritation took over. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm hungry and I was-"
Misty cocked her head and mocked him. "Oh is the wittle puppy hungwee?" She glared at him now. "Look, the rule is this: You're a prisoner. And you don't eat anything but the food we give you. Once you are healed, you'll have to work for a good meal. Got it?"
Rascal rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, Mother." He tried to push past her, but she moved to stand in his way. Rascal thought he was short, but Misty made him feel like he was the top of a large mountain. He always thought of himself as small. Maybe it was because Skylark was like a giant compared to him.
He bit back laughter as the tiny she-wolf stared up at him coldly. He chewed on his tongue to keep from grinning. Finally, he made his way past Misty and limped to a spot over by Blossom's den.
Rascal watched as wolves came from their dens to blink away their sleep and chat with each other about the day. Then some of the wolves whispered something and kept casting suspicious glances his way. He tried to ignore it, but he felt his pelt heat up with embarrassment. Now almost everyone was staring at him now. Either with curiosity or cold hatred.
He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. His whole pelt itched with unease. He could feel their eyes on him. And he wished he was with Ella, and his mother and father. With that sudden thought, his eyes filled with tears. He closed his eyes tighter and forced himself to choke back those bitter emotions.
After a moment of calming down, he opened his eyes to see the brown wolf, Jumper, exit his den and pad over to Misty. Rascal suddenly felt jealous and clenched his jaw. Then he shook his head. Why do I care? Besides, she hates me. And there's no point in fawning over a she-wolf unless she likes me back.
He told himself this, but he couldn't force himself to believe it. He's never been in love before. So why should he start now? Especially with a she-wolf from another Pack? Why would a she-wolf that high up in the ranks like a stupid exile like him? Rascal pushed aside those thoughts as far as he could. He glanced over to see Tyrant come from his den, and look over his Pack with authority.
He began calling out names for certain tasks.
"Moon, you and Thorn check up on the East border. Thunder and Frost can round up some wolves for a hunting party. Jumper, Misty, Melody, and Oak, you guys investigate the area of-" Tyrant cut off and quickly glanced at Rascal. He looked as though he almost said something he shouldn't have. "I mean, you four investigate where....the accident occurred. And be sure to report back if you notice anything suspicious."
All of the wolves nodded and split off to fulfill their tasks. Rascal watched them go with interest. I wonder why they all seem so worried?
He wanted to sneak out and see what they were up to. He planted himself comfortably, to display that he wasn't about to go anywhere. Curiosity nagged his mind as he impatiently waited for everyone to go on with their business.
~ ~ ~
After what seemed like ages, Rascal finally was able to slip out into the open. He sniffed the air and followed the scent trail of Misty, Jumper, and the other two wolves. A steep incline rose before him. He struggled up on three paws, and all of his muscles strained with the effort.
Rascal heaved himself to the top. Victory was overflowing until he realized there was another steep slope in front of him. Great. Just great... He thought sarcastically.
He began his ascend and struggled even more. The pain in his paw was sharp. He gritted his teeth as he pulled up higher and higher. He stepped on a sharp pebble, and almost howled out. Shaking his foot gently, he breathed through the uncomfortable feeling in his pad and turned his paw over to look at it. There was a small puncture, and a little bit of blood trickled out.
Rascal sighed and rolled his eyes. There weren't this many sharp stones in Stone Hollow Pack.
He ignored the new wound and continued up. After a while, he pulled himself to the top. He was faced with a beautiful sight. Land for as far as the eye could see. Trees and hills rose and fell like waves in the distance. The sky was clearing up, and the sun was trying to poke through. It's dim rays splashed over Rascal's pelt and warmed him a little. The crisp scents of the forest wreathed around him. He inhaled the air and closed his eyes.
The troubles of his pup-hood disappeared. He felt as though he was the most powerful thing in the world. The forest around him was aglow with the beauty of nature. A few birds flew away into the sky together and looked like tiny specks from afar.
Oh, how beautiful life can be when you slow down to realize it's there. The song of birds. The light of the sun. The silvery illuminating glow of the moon. And the twinkle of a star. All mixed together to enhance the beauty of life, and how wonderful it can be.
Rascal felt relaxed and safe. His entire body forgot the pain he had experienced earlier. Just as he was beginning to feel better about his troubles, a scent wafted over his nose. It alarmed him, and he crouched down to belly-crawl to the edge of the cliff to peer down.
His eyes widened as he stared down at the wolves below. Misty and Jumper, along with those two other wolves, were sniffing about and looked intent on their task. Rascal was momentarily confused until he remembered Tyrant had sent them off to "investigate" a certain area. The red wolf had this look of fear and worry in his eyes as he corrected himself when he was telling those four what to do.
Rascal wondered what they were doing. He focused his green eyes on Misty. The she-wolf was sniffing the ground. She sighed and flicked her ears to signal for everyone else to gather around.
"I didn't pick up any more evidence. Did you?" She asked.
The sandy-brown male, Oak, shook his head. "No. And it's such a pain to be out here, trying to find more clues to this mystery, when there aren't any prints or scent trails to follow."
The almost yellow wolf, Melody, agreed. "I agree with Oak. There's no point in trying to continue with this unless we have reasonable evidence."
Misty's bright green eyes glowed with anger. "What do mean by, there's no point in trying to continue?" She challenged tartly. When no one answered she added. "Are you giving up on your Packmates? Your home? And yourselves?" Misty snorted and rolled her eyes. "I thought you two could handle things like this. I must say, that you disappoint me. A lot." She took a deep breath. "Though I suppose you're right. We shouldn't spend all our time down here, especially when there isn't anything else to look for."
Jumper looked concerned. He pulled Misty aside. "Mist, I think you're being a little hard on them. You must realize that they may not have the same determination or hope you do."
Misty sighed and nodded. "Perhaps I was," She looked embarrassed but quickly shook it away. "Let's go back to camp. Tyrant needs to know that something should be done about this." Misty gathered the wolves and began to head up the steep hill.
Rascal almost jumped out of his skin. He turned and quickly scrambled down the way he had come. He leaped over fallen branches and twisted logs. Scurried over loose stones and damp rocks.
He reached the bottom and bolted away on three paws. His heart pounded as he ran faster. He rounded a tree by the creek. He slumped against it and relaxed. Breathing heavy, he closed his eyes and caught his breath.
"What are you doing?"
Rascal flinched. And slowly opened his eyes. Oh great...
Misty stood in front of him. Her green eyes glowed with evil interest.