Rising (Revised & Edited)

Chapter 6

We followed One-Eye into the den, herbs and other things lined the walls in little nooks, Tyler was looking in wonder at them. "How many of these do you not know? Perhaps she can teach you," I said, managing to access his mind. I saw him jolt in surprise, turning to look at me with wide, shocked eyes.

"Perhaps. How did you do that? I wasn't opening myself to anyone for mindspeech," He asked.

"We were almost connected before, when Maverick drove me into the river. I guess it was that partial connection," I replied. He nodded his head before turning back towards One-eye. As he did I suddenly had memories get trudged up. Memories of father leading me through the forest, the colorful fall leaves drifting slowly down to the ground. Mother had disapproved of him bringing me out here so soon, but he insisted. I watched as he put his paw in front of me, causing me to almost tumble over it as I looked up in awe at him. I was still a tiny pup; it was just before the hill was turned bloody and broken.

He had looked down at me with those brown eyes, he touched his nose to mine, whispering to me to stay still and quiet as he crouched down, eyes honing in on something. I remember straining my neck trying to see what he did, but I was just too small. As he crept down the hill I saw a deer cross between two trees, small antlers resting atop its head. As father approached he stopped, the deer looked in our direction before snuffling around the leaves for food. Father had continued forward, when suddenly he leapt forth, mighty jaws closing around the deer's throat, the deer screaming as it struggled before eventually going limp. I ran towards father in excitement. He had to teach me that!

I followed One-Eye with my head down, my ears drooped, tail between my legs, paws dragging as the memory faded. One-Eye kept a close eye on me the whole way through the den.

Finally, she sat down near a bed of moss and I lay down, putting my head on my paws as I looked at the ground. "What's wrong, young wolf?" One-Eye asked softly.

I let out a sigh and shrugged, I don't know why I was suddenly so mopey. It was a happy memory. "Your eyes are a dark blue, you're depressed or sad one of the two," One-Eye said quietly. "You can talk to me, and Tyler won't tell about anything we say in here because whatever words are said here stay here or between you two," One-Eye said as she prodded.

"I don't know, I just feel...what was it you said? Depressed," I mumbled.

"Cheer up dear, let us talk in a minute. Tyler what was it that she said about dying earlier? I see some healing wounds on her, I take it you were the one to care for her?" One-Eye asked as she gave Tyler some attention. I could see him looking at me with concern, I noticed he was careful around me, more than he was around Scar or anyone for that matter. His blue eyes had an intensity to them as they seemed to bore into my soul, bringing back the memory of how he looked at my spirit.

"Her and Maverick have been going at it for quite some time now, a few days ago it escalated into a full-fledged fight between them when he tried to attack me in front of the pack. Scar couldn't stop them, luckily they tired themselves out and left each other be. Then the next day, he tried to start stuff and cornered her at the river bend. Instead of fighting him again she jumped in the river and nearly drowned before splitting her head open on a rock and passing out," he explained. "Between the moments it took me to get her from the riverbed to the time it took to get her to the surface, she had suffocated."

"Am I correct to assume that it was you who was howling a few days ago then?" One-Eye asked.

Tyler nodded his head and as he spoke something flickered in my brain as I remembered the conversation we had when I awoke again the next morning along the riverbank. Ever since he saw my soul nothing has been the same for him, he swore everything had a blue shine to it and that he saw some of the dead. At this both mine and One-Eye's ears perked up.