Wolves of the Falling Stars Book 4: The Return

Chapter 20

Strong Boulder and Tall Willow were enjoying the company of their grandmother again in her den. Silver Snowflake was once again regaling them with tales of long ago, while also sharing some stories of how great their mother had done in training while she had been growing up.

"I know soon you and your sister will train. If you have your mother's blood in you, and your father's intelligence, then I'm sure the both of you will be outstanding members of the pack," Silver Snowflake said.

"Will I be good enough to be alpha?" Strong Boulder asked.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Silver Snowflake said, though she add a wink at the end. Tall Willow huffed at her response.

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by Feather Wings popping his head into the den. 

"Sorry, but Silver Snowflake, the alphas need you. We caught scent of more rogues in the area and even had a brief sighting," Feather Wings said.

"A shame to hear," Silver Snowflake murmured. "So sorry pups. Feather Wings, would you--"

"I can walk them back," Feather Wings said.

Though the walk would be barely a minute, Strong Boulder practically rushed to walk along his father's side. Tall Willow joined him on the other side.

"Guess what Silver Snowflake told us today?" Tall Willow asked him.

"No fair. I want to talk to him," Strong Boulder complained. "Guess what? Mom says my pouncing skills are getting better! I want to show you!"

"But I want to tell Daddy about the stories," Tall Willow complained.

"Settle down, both of you," Feather Wings murmured. "This is not the time to be messing around."

The news of rogues in the area had spread fast. Strong Boulder could hear their whispers lingering throughout the dens. There were mentions of the losses from the last battle, the concern that they had so many pups to protect, the suggestion of finding allies from other packs.

"We shouldn't ally with other packs. We're strong!" Strong Boulder argued.

"Hush," Feather Wings murmured. "It might be what is necessary." He came to a halt at the entrance of the den and quickly ushered the pups inside. "It's important you two stay in here for now. It might not be safe wandering around even the other dens right now. Stay with your mother, okay?"

Strong Boulder huffed.

"Strong Boulder," Feather Wings urged.

"Fine," Strong Boulder said, returning to his mother's side. Tall Willow was quick to follow him. Before he even could turn around to say good-bye to his father, Feather Wings had vanished once more.

"Did you know there are rogues nearby?" Tall Willow asked her mother.

"I just heard the news myself," Shining River said. "Don't worry, pups. They'll drive them out in no time."

"But what about the last battle?" Tall Willow asked. Upon glancing at his sister, Strong Boulder noticed her limbs were quivering.

"Stand up straight," Shining River barked. "There's nothing to fear. We drove them off last time, and if they come back, we'll drive them off again. I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Those wolves murmuring frightening things clearly don't have confidence in their own skills."

"I heard some say we might need help from other packs," Strong Boulder said.

"Absolutely ridiculous," his mother replied.

Strong Boulder smiled, glad she agreed. "We can take them down ourselves," he said. "I'll train soon, and I'll bring them all down myself.

"I'm sure you will," Shining River responded. "Now where did your father go?"

"He told us to stay inside and left," Tall Willow said.

"It's no fair. He was being mean."

"I'm sure he was just being protective," Shining River explained. "He's probably going to go investigate and doesn't want you pups getting into any trouble. I know you want to play, but just stay in the den for the time being. I'm sure this will blow over tomorrow."

Strong Boulder grumbled and laid down next to his sister. As the day stretched on, all he could hear were the whispers and murmurs between wolves about the possibility of another battle and the threat that the rogues posed. It was close to sundown when Maple Leaf and Raven's Wing called a meeting.

Strong Boulder peeked his head out of the den's entrance. Though Small Fox had made her pups stay inside and sleep, Shining River was content letting her son and daughter peek their heads out to listen to the announcement.

"Pack of the Falling Stars," Maple Leaf announced. "As you know, rogues were sighted in our territory today, closer than they have in a long time. For months, we have kept a close eye on our territory and have prayed that the rogues we fought many moons ago would not return, but today it is clear that the rogues are coming back in numbers, and a battle will be forthcoming."

There were gasps and murmurs from the wolves gathered near them.

"No battle has been established at this time, but we can expect that in a few moons, the rogues will return in many numbers and try to claim this land for themselves again," Raven's Wing explained. "We do not intend to make that happen, but we will need to take some steps to keep the pack safe."

"We will be increasing patrol numbers. No wolves should go out alone in the forest, and pups especially should not wander past the dens. Vigilance will be important, and we hope we can prevent a battle by stopping the rogues as they come, but that may not be possible. We will need to freshen up on our battle practices, and pups who are near training age will start to train shortly and will be taught quickly and efficiently. While not an option we want to choose, we may need to reach out to other packs for help," Maple Leaf explained.

Cries of disagreement sounded below.

"We do not want this option either, which is why we need your cooperation now more than ever. We can no longer ignore this rogue threat, and we need to be prepared for whatever comes. Tomorrow, we will start working to enforce the pack."

Low howls sounded into the night. Strong Boulder turned to his mother, who was growling to herself.

"This wouldn't even be happening if certain wolves were not in power," she grumbled. 

With those words, she shooed her pups off to bed. Strong Boulder could not sleep though. When he thought of how he would be training soon, and how he would probably have the opportunity to fight off rogue wolves and make a name for himself, his paws tingled with excitement.