Moon, Fire, and Whispers

Chapter 4

Hade trotted by the falls, finding the mist refreshing after his fight. His heart was soaring, and a new energy filled his paws. After the fights, many of his new packmates gave him their congratulations, then Nalu took him to get his wounds dressed. After all, the day following would be his first day hunting with the other Epsilons. Surprisingly enough, Hade found himself not really dreading having Veya as his superior. He paused by the pebbly shore and bent his neck to lap at the unfrozen edges of the water, then licked his lips as he lifted his head to look at the moon that was falling into the last of night, morning arising in the east.

With a sudden flurry of energy, the dark gray canine darted off, bounding up the narrow trail with practiced ease as he chased the moon. He skipped the last few steps to the top, and instead, cleared it. His landing at the top was graceful, and panting a little, he watched the moon concealing itself behind the trees, as though teasing him.

Smiling, Hade sprinted after it, stretching his legs. The wolf threw his head back in a small howl, then felt himself collide with something, going head-over-heels. He yelped, smelling deer waft into his nostrils. Awkwardly, Hade pulled himself away from the tangle of legs and righted himself. He licked his chops. This buck should have chosen a better night to run into me.

Hade bared his teeth in a growl, circling the animal as it stood. The buck was a yearling, with barely two points on its horns. Hade glanced around them, searching for a place to corner the deer when it ran. Seeing a spot, he barked sharply and jumped at it. But instead of running, the buck sprung back, then reared up, puffing out a breath of air. Hade backed away as it lowered its hooves, then followed up his dodge by lowering his head and sliding past it to pounce. The buck kicked out with its legs, hitting the wolf's shoulder. Unfazed by this, Hade jumped up in the air and placed his full weight on the prey's back, and it fell over clumsily. Before Hade could make the killing bite, the buck flipped over, ears back as it looked the wolf in the eyes.

Hade gaped as he saw those eyes, then saw his own shock and disbelief reflect onto the face of the buck. The dark Lupus backed away, sitting down on the ground and tilting his head. "Conan?" He sniffed, nose twitching.

The buck laid there a moment, then shot to his feet and pressed his nose into Hade's thick mane. "Hade? Hade, is it really you?" The buck narrowed his eyes happily. "You... you smell different! And your leg- it's all healed up!"

The Lupus smiled happily. "I just joined a pack tonight. And yeah... it was able to get better with the help of the pack's Healer. Did you ever find your herd?"

Conan kept smiling, pressing himself against Conan's flank. "No.After those wolves took you, I started following their scents and tracking them. But when I lost it, I couldn't find their trail a second time after the morning dew washed it all away. So, I stayed in the area, hoping to come across you or your captors again, but that never happened." The buck flipped an ear. "But it seems you joined them."

Hade was touched by Conan's words. "You... tried tracking me? But why? They would have killed you."

"You would have stopped them."

The wolf stood and walked up beside his friend, pressing against his side. "I missed you, Conan."

"I missed you, too."

***

"So, how are we to go about this, Hade?" Conan asked, looking through the woods. "What is your plan?"

Hade, honestly, had not thought this through. It was rather unexpected for his companion to show up so suddenly, and it caught him off guard. I can't turn him away... but I can't leave either. "I don't know. But... if I trust you, I know the pack will, too."