United Glory

Chapter 4, Maroo

Granite. That’s practically my name. Maroo in the old pack language means granite. A stupid name for someone who want’s to blend in. Even though my name sticks out like a Shadow warrior in the Breeze pack, my coat blends in perfectly with the granite around me. My dusty red base with flecks of grey allows me to fade into the background, something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I look at the crystal that surrounds the place where paw and leg meet. Kurok is late. Again. This time I’m not letting this go. This is the twentieth time he has been late. No more excuses. All of the sudden I hear the panting of another wolf. Not one from our pack. I ready myself for any attack, when Kurok shows up. He notices my unusual stance and strains his ears to hear what I do. No matter how many times he lies, I know I am the only one who can hear this wolf. By the way there is little panting even though this wolf is running very fast, this wolf is from the Breeze pack. There is only one so I relax my stance. Seconds later a wolf steps in and immediately sinks down, indicating they are not there for harm.

“I bring grave news. There has been an assationation attempt on our Alpha. We have reason to believe that the Shadow warriors are after all of the Alphas. Thank you for hearing me,” and with that she left.

“I’ll go tell Alpha,” Kurok said, no doubt trying to get out of work.

“No. It is your shift and for the twentieth time you were late. I will go tell Alpha and you will stay here for your shift. No ands, ifs, or buts,” I walk out and head for Alpha’s den. As I near his den, I start getting nervous.

“What are you doing here?” asks one of the guards accusingly.

“I am here to tell Alpha of some grave news and a situation that has come to my attention,” I say calmly even though I’m shaking in my fur.

“Very well,” and the guard moves away. I step inside and I am greeted with the pounding of the Alpha’s heart.

“And what do I owe this pleasure?” Alpha asks, sarcasm clear in his voice.

"A messenger of the Breeze pack has informed me that there was an assassination attempt on their Alpha. They said that the assassins were the exiled Shadow pack warriors. The messenger said they have reason to believe that the Shadow pack are after all of the Alphas,”

“Well this is all very interesting. I do not know how long it will take for this information to spread to all of the warriors, but I want you to stay here and guard me. With your hearing, nothing can get to me,”

“Yessir. Also it has come to my attention that Kurok has been late for his shift ever since he has become a full guard. When he was late I told him how unexceptable it was to be late. He told me it wouldn't happen again, but it has happened for the 20 days he has been a guard,” 

“I see. I will have to talk with the other leaders to get second opinions but I think he doesn’t have the right to continue as a guard,”

“Exactly my opinion,”

“Actually I’ve made up my mind. He will be reassigned to be an adventurer. A novice one at that so he can’t get a reward for his misbehavior. He will not move any higher,”

“Would you like me to go get him sir?”

“No, I will have one of my guards do it,”

“Of course,”

“Oh also look into our Healer’s disappearance. It might have ties to the Shadow warriors,”

“Of course sir,” He nods, dismissing me and I leave with a new hope filling my body. He calls one of his guards inside and the guard is back a moment later, heading toward the entrance. I smile as I hear Kurok protesting and another guard mumbling how he will now have to cover two shifts. Then I hear the light pitter patter of paws on rock. They are not from the Breeze pack as theirs may be light but they don’t know how to keep their claws off the ground. It’s not from the Ocean pack as they just skim the ground and are difficult to hear. The Sun pack practically pounds the ground. The Rock pack pounds the ground but you can’t hear the scrape of their claws. That leaves one pack left. One I have never heard before. The Shadow pack! I rush into Alpha’s den to warn him but I can hear two heartbeats instead of one. I crouch into a fighting position and I growl toward the sound of their steady breathing. I pounce and kill him with a devastating blow but there is still more danger. I hear a heart beating faster as if in a leap I slide out of the way and wheel around to find Alpha growling at me. He lunges again and I let him come and then I go underneath his under belly. It takes three more attacks to realize that he is trying to kill me! Our Alpha is tratorus!