Mark of the Moon- The Begining

Chapter 8

   I yawned and stared out into the forest. I was on duty of watching the pups. Moons (or months, as I used to call it) passed since I firstgot here. The pups were almost full grown, but not quite. They still got into plenty of trouble.

  

   "Catch this!" a black and white pup tossed a rat over to his fellow littermates. A silver and white female jumped up and caught it in her mouth. She ran away with the rat hanging out of her mouth. The others chased her and tried to get the rat back. I watched them as they tackled the gray female. She squealed and a gray and white male took it from her. It was like tag. One pup gets the prey, and the others try to get it. 

   I stared up into the trees. I kept watch for the bird I met a moon ago. But it didn't show up again. I was relieved at the time, but now I started to get worried. What if that was an omen of some kind? What if the bird was warning me of something in the future? If it was, I needed that bird. I needed that bird to be here, to tell me what he knows.

   I sighed and rested my head on my paws. I watched them play with the rat. But eventually they got bored. And then the black and white male ate the rat and stared around boredly. I tried to think of a game for them to play.

   "Do you want to go...." I thought. "maybe play catch?"

   The gray and white male looked at me. "What's that?"

  

   "It's when I throw a moss ball somewhere, and the first one to get it is the winner. Do you guys want to play?" I asked.

   "Play?" scoffed the black and white wolf. He was the one who attacked me and forced me to fight Fang. "We don't play."

   I growled. "Really, Badger? Than what were you three just doing? Exercising in an exciting fashion?"

   "Practicing." Badger replied. "Practicing for battles."

  

   "Then why don't we do it the correct way?" I growled at him. 

   They exchanged a glance. "What do you mean, Jay?" asked the silver and white female. "What correct way to do it, then?" I stepped over to them. I crouched and growled.

   "Attack me, Stream." I barked to her."But don't really fight. The first one to pin the other down wins and they are the stronger one." I told them.

   "But your bigger than us." Storm, the gray and white one poined out.

   "But in battles, sometimes there has to be a wolf bigger than you. Just rely on your swiftness, not strength." I waved Badger over. Stream and Storm cleared out for me and him. "Attack me."

   Badger paced around me, and we stared at each other for a moment. Then Badger lundged forward. He tried to bite my neck, but I doged and got a sharp nip on his flank before he turned around. "Be faster." I told him.

   Badger then struck out his hind leg, tripping me. I fell to the ground and before I could get up, he pinned me down onto the ground.

   "Good." I told them. I got out of his grip and shook my fur. "Now you guys practice. Correctly."

   Storm and Badger did, but Stream only studied me. "When did you learn all those moves? And how to hunt, too. Usually our mothers or fathers teach us."

   "Um.... being a loner really.... I don't know how to explain it. I guess I just learned along the way. And I had to fight a lot for my food." I lied. I didn't really know where I got those moves. It just came naturally, like running.

   Stream seemed sasified with that awnser. "Oh. Okay, I guess. I bet it was hard as a loner, right?"

   "Sure is."

   "I'm glad I'm not a loner, than!" Stream turned back to her brothers. They all practiced moves and how to do them. I sat back and watched them. They were clumsy at first, but eventually got it correct. They turned out to be really good at attacking from behind. 

   Suddenly I smelt blood. Stream let out a high- pitched yelp. She was bleeding from her shoulder.

  

   "What happened?" I demanded. "Why is she hurt?"
 

   Storm looked down shamefully. "I accidentally scratched her."

   Stream sniffed. "I'm alright. You just startled me, is all. I'm fine. Honestly." I looked at her. She didn't seem to limp or anything.

   "Be carefuller!" I snapped at her brothers. "And Stream, just put some snow on that." She nodded and scooped up a pawful of slush. She pressed it onto her wound. I noticed that the snow was melting rapidly. That only meant one thing.

   Spring is near.