Dawnmist: Cliff of Shadows

Chapter 3

The shadows cast by the trees blotted most of the evening sunlight as the two she-wolves reached a treeless spot. Blaze nosed the area, sniffing bark and grass, before declaring, "No other wolves are here. This could be a great spot."

Luna looked around, moving her eyes to check for prey. No muddy rabbits or leaf-ridden mice, but a strange, almost familiar scent pierced the air. Among the leaves and other shrubbery, it came in and out before she could match it. Blaze padded parallel to her, then lowered to a crouch.

"Do this before sneaking on prey," she explained, angling her back low but her front and rear high, "It gives you better chances of catching."

"And for finding prey?" Luna asked, pawing over branches.

"Open your nostrils wide. If you can't smell anything, then it's stale or isn't around." She jumped past some fallen branches, motioning for Luna to follow.

"Around here has many prey animals, but most of their scents are hidden by the ground."

Clusters of leaves and twigs scattered the forest floor and crunched under their paws. Luna sniffed the ground once more, but thoroughly. Nothing came at first, but then the distinguishable mouse smell arrived. She prodded around until her snout went through a dirt hollow, pressing nearby grass down. Panicked squeaking met her ears, and with an open and close of her jaws, the sound stopped.

Pulling her snout out revealed the catch: a mouse. Its warm blood ran down her jaws as she trotted to Blaze, eager to show off her catch. Her mentor gave a pleased smile as Luna dropped the mouse and explained what happened.

"Good catch," Blaze commented at the end. "But I think we should try and find something bigger, like a rabbit. A mouse can barely hold a wolf for a couple sun-trots."

They walked around the clearing some more until another rustling of leaves brought them to a halt. Luna raised her muzzle, as did Blaze, before a rabbit burst through the bushes. Remembering Blaze's words, she crouched down, then sprang, only to taste dirt instead of soft, fragile meat. When she turned around, Blaze had the rabbit in her jaws, although she too was covered in dirt. Dropping it, she said, "You could have caught it, but it saw you and turned. You weren't bad or anything," she added, noticing Luna's crestfallen face, "but you need to consider the prey's path. Besides, it's hard for two wolves to catch a sudden rabbit, I barely caught it myself."

Pushing it a bit, Blaze suggested, "You should take it. If the others hear about this, they'll knock you dry."

Luna stared at the rabbit. It felt wrong to lie, but she had to admit, the she-wolf was right. Scooping it up, the two turned to leave.

"HALT!"

A sudden shout swung them around, and they met the face of two wolves. One was a gray she-wolf with a black blaze and splotches around her eyes, but the other was a calmer black he-wolf.

"So, DawnPack is desperate for wolves? Not even MistPack would invite a Lone Wolf!" The she-wolf snarled.

Blaze bounded ahead so her nose was a claw's length away from the enemy. "Say what you want, at least she's a better packmate that you or Raven."

"Oh really?" the she-wolf spat, "then stay away from our borders. Further than is marked, especially for her."

She twitched her tail before turning and walking away. Luna sided with Blaze, her head tilted to one side. She mumbled through the rabbit's fur, "Who are they?"

The he-wolf is Raven and the she-wolf is River. They're a part of MistPack, Blaze explained. "We don't have to listen to her, the Wolf Code lets us stay as long as it's our territory. But she might think we're planning something, so let's call it a day. Our fighting might have driven away any prey."

They padded past the trees and back into camp. Luna stared at the ground, avoiding the hostile stares meeting her eyes. She quietly asked, "Where do I put this?"

"Over there, that hollow log," Blaze whispered back.

She looked up and sighted the log between Ice's rock and a den of overturned grass. Hastily she reached the log and dropped her catch, but her fur stood on end. Abruptly twisting up, her eyes met the she-wolf who spoke against Ice. The she-wolf's green eyes stabbed hatred into her raging glare.

I'm sure Blaze caught that for you. A Lone Wolf has no sense of teamwork," she sneered.

Luna kept quiet as Blaze came to her side and nudged, indicating her to move. With one last glance, Luna asked, "What now?"

Blaze answered right away, "Should I show you your den?"

"Yes!" Luna replied before her mind could process. The she-wolves padded to a large oak tree surrounded thickly by brambles. All over its thorns were many oak leaves, and even some large plants she could not identify.

"This is the Apprentices' Den. I and the other True Wolves live over there," she pointed her snout to a tree whose gnarled roots formed an underground hollow. Luna trotted inside the Apprentices' Den, taking note of the spikes catching her fur. But once they let go, she could feel nothing above her. There were no other wolves inside, but their mixed scents and pawprints spoke of many wolves.

"Where's everybody else?" Luna inquired, heading outside.

"Training," Blaze answered. "Pebble was practicing with Cypress, and Willow was out doing Cliff Watch."

"Oh." Her ears drooped a bit, but Blaze lifted her snout.

"They probably would mock you like Sage did. There's nothing to be sad about."

Luna felt a strange pang of affection for the she-wolf, though she had no idea why.

"You probably should go and rest. Ice might send you on patrol this Sun-Fall."

Nodding, Luna went back inside and turned a circle on the leafy floor. Her tail brushed a bit of dust, but the den had a tolerable temperature and enough space. As she drifted into sleep, a strange wolf shadow appeared in her sight, almost as if it was watching her. Some sort of orange wolf, but its ghostly appearance and her fading vision hid its identity well. At last, the shadow of sleep came, and all faded to black.