Moon, Fire, and Whispers

Chapter 3

"That was a good story." Nalu had caught up with Hade after his story and trotted beside him. "You did a swell job."

"Thanks." Hade licked his shoulder, pausing in a place where he could see the setting sun through the trees, just before it ducked below the top of the cliff. He shook his dark gray pelt in the sudden chill and began to walk back toward the camp. Nalu stood and stared at the cliff before hastily turning to catch up to him.

"Do you know which den you're staying in?" She asked with a little puff of breath.

The Lupus barely slowed. "No. I thought I might just sleep in the open."

The roan she-wolf tilted her head. "Out in the open? Just laying there?" She looked down on the ground, as though seeing it for the first time. Hade lifted an eyebrow without answering her. Nalu just huffed with a smile. "Well, do what you'd like. The Jade pack must be strange." She smiled and flicked his shoulder with her tail before padding away. The dark gray Lupus found himself smiling. No, just me.

He began to walk again, then felt eyes on his pelt and swiveled to look into the trees. He could see Veya watching him with a deep frown from the trees. He looked away pointedly and then started walking away. Distrust me all you want. Hade sniffed. I'll be getting healed, then getting out of your pelt anyway. I'll go home and far away from this place.

Hade found a spot at the edge of the woods where he could watch the waterfall and stars and curled up in a makeshift nest of pine needles, which, when fallen, were surprisingly spongy and soft. He looked up at the sky, watching clouds float lazily overhead, barely visible at night. It was always strangely comforting for Hade to be out in the open. Dens felt confiding and stuffy.

Eyes fluttering tiredly, the Lupus slowly drifted to sleep.

***

"Want to come on a hunting patrol?" Hade stopped grooming to stop and look at the wolf who had made the offer. Bennet, and some other wolves. "I mean- If you aren't healed enough yet, I get it."

Hade started, quickly clambering to his paws. "I can hunt just fine." He grunted. It had been a few sunrises since his arrival to the Pine Branch, and Nalu often said that his leg was healing surprisingly well. She had him walk around the forest daily to try and build the muscle back up, but he suspected it was only to familiarize him with their territory and the wolves inside of it. At first, most of them steered clear of the pup, but a few did work up the courage to come speak with him. And Hade found that it wasn't all that bad. But besides that- his injured limb still had a ways to go before he would be able to run on it again, but it was beyond relieving to know that he would.

"Good. Kia would normally come," Bennet and their party started to walk, "but she's at her den to help Nalu with Misty's pups." After bounding across the river, they began to make their ascent up the cliffside path.

A white and brown Lupus snorted. "It's about time Faver had pups. He and Misty have been chasing one another for far too long. Too bad Adien died, or Kia might have had a litter of her own, too."

"She says she won't take another."

They, one-by-one, stepped off of the track and to the lip beside the trees, which the dark gray wolf hadn't seen since arriving. They looked more foreboding in the early morning light. One wouldn't know what lies beyond.

Hade's mind spun as he tried to keep track of all the names and info being spewed out to him. "W... what happened to Adien?"

Everyone glanced at one another sadly. "Flood last spring, washed him over the edge." Bennet murmured. Hade couldn't help but look down with a shiver.