Rising (Revised & Edited)

Chapter 7

Tyler and I had the day off, so we decided to go out on our own for a while. It would be the perfect time to get to know one another, despite the few days we'd been in one another's presence, we still didn't know much about each other. Tyler led the way with his loping gait, quiet. He seems to have something on his mind, but what? Eventually we stumbled upon a meadow that had a small waterfall, wildflowers were everywhere. It was a beautiful place. I glanced over and looked Tyler in his blue eyes, and he looked in mine. I swear if wolves could smirk he was doing it as I watched his muscles bunch, stance changing. As he leapt forth at me I jumped out of the way, Tyler giving chase as he playfully nipped at my legs.

He could easily catch me, pushing me harder and harder, racing around the meadow, into the forest and through the shallow part of the river the waterfall fell into. As we neared the center of the meadow he grabbed my leg, pulling me to the ground as he leaped over me. Lowering himself into a play bow he groaned and yipped as he let his tongue loll to the side. I rolled over, getting to my paws as I playfully shoved his head down with my paw, he bit my leg softly as he groaned, the sound high pitched and warbly.

As we continued to play, I began to grow increasingly aware of Tyler's stomach growling. If you're hungry, why do you play? You should eat. I pinned him, his hunger distracting him too much, I could see it in his eyes. "Let me up," he said.

"No," I told him. His ears went back, an uncertainty coming to his eyes.

"Why not?" He asked, his confidence faltering, I could tell by his voice. I'm not Maverick. I'm not going to hurt you, why do your eyes say I will?

"You must eat. Not play," I told him.

"O-ok..." He stuttered, taken aback. "What...what are we hunting?" He asked as I let him up, trotting towards the forest.

"Something we can catch easily by ourselves, rabbit perhaps?" I asked him.

"Sounds good to me," he said, his entire manner had changed, he no longer was at my side, trailing just behind me, his scent rolled off of him, it screamed uncertainty, he was anxious.

His ears were moving in every direction, nose twitching, eyes searching. I saw white fur peaking out from behind a tree. Crouching down, I carefully positioned myself so the soft breeze wouldn't blow my scent towards it. Slowly I prowled forth, muscles ready as I leapt forth, teeth sinking into the white rabbit, bones crunching. With a clenching of my jaws it went still, I turned towards Tyler who had caught a brown rabbit a short distance away.

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Returning to the meadow I lay with my rabbit at my paws, Tyler dropping his beside it, backing a few feet away and laying down. His ears were back, head on his paws, eyes averted. I rose to my paws, grabbing both rabbits and dropping them in front of him. His eyes widened before he slowly turned towards them. He nudged them towards me with his nose, a different scent rolling off of him...less...more animalistic. His eyes had dilated, and that was when it hit me.

Your actions...like a real wolf's...but...why? What has my brother done to you? What has the pack done to you? I growled, shoving the larger of the two rabbits toward him aggressively. The smell rolled off him even stronger, fur rising as he jumped to his paws, tail between his legs, backing away. In wolves, the alphas always ate first, going down the line in the pack ranks until the omega was left with whatever scraps there were. Or until given permission to eat. Was this what Maverick and others had done to you? Treat you like an animal? We have the labels and hierarchy of a wolf pack, live as wolves, but we are not animals! We treat each other with respect, the structure of the pack is simply to give order to things. Not take advantage of others...