The Forest: Loyalty

Chapter One

The moon was shining brightly in the sky, signifying the meeting the pack had to go to tonight.  As Blackpelt was gazing up at it, he couldn't help but suppress a shudder running down his spine. His sister, Sunfoot, padded up behind him and licked the side of his face. "We must go now, Blackpelt" she barked solemnly. Blackpelt knew he had to go, but he couldn't seem to move. He was frozen to the spot, just as grass would be in the winter. He turned to face his sister and gazed into her eyes sadly. "I'm scared.." He yipped.

Sunfoot sighed. "I know, ya big wimp, I am too. We have to do this." She turned to walk away silently and he gazed at the moon a few moments more before padding after her. 

 It was a few hours later and Blackpelt was sitting right smack in the middle of a huge circle of wolves. Sunfoot was next to him, shaking. The wolves around him were muttering to one another when Cleanslate, the pack leader and Blackpelt's father, padded into the center and raised his tail for silence. The muttering died away gradually as they realized Cleanslate had called their attention. Cleanslate turned in a long circle to look at all the wolves there, the living and the dead, and then turned to Blackpelt and his sister. "It is time for the ritual of these pups! For after this night, they will no longer be pups, but students!" He barked to the crowd happily as they started cheering "Sunfoot, Blackpelt, Sunfoot, Blackpelt!" Blackpelt could feel his fur bristling with tension and excitement. He was ready to prove himself worthy by showing his pureblood.

 Cleanslate walked up to Sunfoot and suddenly swiped at her cheek, pure white blood dripped slowly from the wound and the crowd started howling. "It seems we have a new student!" Their father yipped happily. "Your teacher shall be Rosepool!" Sunfoot trotted over to their mother, Blueheart and sat next to her as she got approving licks from everyone closest to her. Cleanslate then looked straight into Blackpelt's eyes, more emotion shining in them than one could explain. He took a quick swipe at Blackpelt's cheek, the world seemed to stop spinning, everything went quiet. A sudden gasp came from his mother and he reluctantly looked down into the grass, his mind immediately going blank. There, on the floor, he saw drops of his blood, black as a starless sky. He heard grass crunch ahead of him and saw his father stalking towards his mother, it was pack ritual that the mother of a dirty blooded wolf be murdered as not to taint anymore pups' blood. 

 His father reached his mother after what seemed to be a life time, she stood completely still. She understood the consequences of birthing a tainted pup and wouldn't challenge her mate this time. Cleanslate's paw rose and fell back down, knocking Blueheart over. He got on top of her and pinned her down, clamping his powerful jaws on her throat. Blackpelt's gaze was locked on his dead mother, her throat wounds bleeding profusely as she choked and sputtered on her own blood. He hadn't realized his father had padded up to him and was ready to be killed when a deceased wolf, a Decayed, growled and lunged at Cleanslate, locking himself in battle with him. The Decayed had been Blackpelt's mother's father. He was risking his second chance at life for Blackpelt! "RUN YOU FOOL" The Decayed was being badly beaten by Cleanslate and growled out this command just before he was pinned to the ground again. 

 Blackpelt turned tail and ran, aware of the rest of the pack trailing after him. They were trying to catch him! He pushed his muscles to work harder and go faster. The last thing he remembered was running and running, his paws barely touching the leaf strewn forest floor, even when the sounds of snarling and paws pounding after him were long gone. He ran until he couldn't run anymore, and collapsed, exhausted, next to a birch tree on the outskirts of the forest, far from the pack's territory, having left the scent markers far behind. His vision began to fade, and he curled up, falling further and further into the clutches of sleep...



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Whoo boy! First chapter of the first book! WE DID IT! If you want me to explain my AU tell me in the comments and I will in the next chapter because it's 12 am rn and I'm soooo tired. I'm totally heading to bed after this! I won't be on tomorrow or the day after because of family stuff and school so no updates then but don't worry! Plenty of stuff on Wednesday! My schedule will usually be: Monday, Wednesday, and every other Friday! :) Night night my lovelies!