Life as a Show Dog

Chapter 5

        After awhile of getting to know each other we decided it was time to pick an Alpha and Beta. Harvey had bean telling everyone about how packs work. He said that he'd talked to pack dogs before. 

"I would not like to be either." Hailey decided.

"They say the older you are the wiser you are so that means Lucky should be one." Cocoa declared.

"I think an older leader won't last as long and when they get to old they might go crazy so I think we should pick a younger dog as leader." Brutis told everyone.

"True." Scout agreed.

"So a no on Hailey and Lucky." Cloe piped up. "And I'm to young so a no on me." She added.

"That makes our options for leaders Cocoa, Harvey, Shaylee, Scout, Brutis, and Jake. "I personly would not like a Doberman to be leader, they were bread to be killers, even though not all of them are." Harvey said. A few dog nodded there heads.

"I say Harvey is to young, he just became an adult this year, sense dogs take two years to grow up." Lucky announced.

"Now our options are Cocoa, Shaylee, Scout, and I." I told everyone. "I've heard that Labradors are very energetic, I don't want a crazy leader, no offense cocoa." Scout said.

"None taken." Cocoa answered.

"I don't want to be a leader." Shaylee told us. " Then it's just Scout and I." I said. "I'll let you be leader if you want to, Jake, I rather be a Beta." Scout told me.

"Then l guess I'm Alpha." I said. 

        Now that we had leaders, we would need hunters and patrolers, one dog would need to be Omega though.

"I volunteer to be Omega!" Cloe shouted out.

"You do know thats the lowest rank meant for the weakest dogs and the Omega is like a servant to all the other dogs too." I told her.

"I don't mind." She simply said.

"I would like to be a hunter." Brutis told me.

 "Granted." I answered with. "I would like Shaylee to be a patroller."

"I will." She said gladly.

"Hailey would you like to patrol or hunt?"  I asked her.

"I pick patroler"

"Ok"

"I would like to be an hunter!" Cocoa barked out.

"You may."

"Harvey where would you like to go. Lucky will get the opposite position so that the groups are evened out." I said

"I pick patroller. " He answered

"Lucky gets to be an hunter then."

"Every one now has a part in this pack!" I declared. Joyfull barks filled the area. 

"Now lets find a camp!" Scout barked loudly above the noise. As we walked I spoke to Scout about where are temporary home would be and how the clan would have to break apart one day if everyone finds there person once again. We decided our temporary camp would be in the forest, but in a spot of the forest where there are less trees in the one spot, but more around it. We also wanted to pick a place with some bushes and a close lake. We need a place with plenty of prey and not many humans pass through the area.

        After awhile we were all getting thirsting and there was no place for a drink near by.

"Lets stop and hunt." Scout declared.

"Agreed." I said as I sat down on a big, flat rock. The hot summer sun was making us all very tired quickly. "Brutis and Cocoa, will you two please go hunt." I said sleepily.

"Yes sir." Brutis said and the two dogs trotted off into the forest. Soon they returned with two rabbits and a squirrel.

"Lets all eat by rank, but make sure to only take a fare amount that way Omega gets food too." I announced.

"First will go Alpha then Beta, after that will be hunters then patrolers, and last is Omega." Scout declared. We all got in a line and I ate half the squirrel, Beta ate the other half. The hunters all took a one-third each of one rabbit. The patrolers did the same for the other rabbit. After everyone had eaten but Omega there was only a few scraps left. She still ate at it greatfully.

"Lets try to hunt one more thing next time that way omega can have more, she is, afterall, still growing." I told the pack.

"Yes sir." Cocoa said. It was starting to get dark now so we all worked seperated into three groups to dig three small dens, not deep in the ground, next to three trees. After awhile the bed areas where big enough to fit three dogs per spot, luckily we only have nine dogs so that worked out.

        The next morning after breakfast we started on our journey again, Cloe was getting to be good friends with Shaylee. Scout and I were becoming good friends too. Many days passed. After a while of walking suddenly scout stopped, he had been leading the group today, "This is the place!" He barked joyfully. Every one hurried to where he was and gasped in delight. The sound of water told us a lake was near and the spot had less trees then what surrounded it, what we had hoped for! We all quickly entered the area and the hunters went to do there job and the patrolers left to check the area. Omega marked where each den would be by the trees with her paws. Beta and I started digging with Omega and soon the rest of the pack returned. After four dens where made it was time to assign witch one was for who. Scout expanded the den in the middle of the camp after we claimed it ours. Next the hunters picked a den and smoothed it out after expanding it too. The patrolers did the same. The last den Cloe got, she worked at it till it was to her likings. Soon bedding was created and put in the dens.        

        Suddenly a loud bark filled the air and a St. Bernard jumped out at me and pinned me down. Brutis quickly came to my rescue and started biting the other dog and I started scratching at him too. Just then three Dobermen appeared and started attacking Brutis. Scout, Cocoa, and Harvey came to the battle till everyone one fighting but Hailey, who was cowering in a den, Shaylee, who was protecting Cloe, and Cloe is to little to fight. Two Dalmations came from behind me and started attacking me and Scout. Then a giant, Great Pyrenees ran in and barked loudly many times. Many other strong dogs stood behing him.

"Why do you come into my pack's territory?!" The great, white dog howled.

"We would like to have this spot of the area to temporarly live in." I whined knowing that I was showing weakness.

"You will have to earn it! Give us half the food you catch everyday for two weeks and then we will have a big fight for it. That is how you can win part of our territory." The giant dog barked in a frieghtening way.

"Yes sir." Scout howled bravely. "I like this one, he actually says sir." The Great Pyrenees wisphered to a Husky that was probley his depudy. The Husky just nodded and starred at Scout with an unhappy look in his eyes.

        The huge dog barked then his large pack and him all disappeared into the forest. I quickly had the hunters leave to get more food and the patrolers keep watch for the other pack. Then I turned around to see Scout yelling at Hailey for not helping the team fight the other dogs off. I quickley went over to Shaylee and thanked her for protecting Cloe. Then as I took my place on the top of some high rocks and watched as Beta stomped over to me.

"Lets make Hailey Omega." He mumbled at me grumpily.

"Go ahead, and lets make Cloe an apprentice soon too, but she needs an trainer, we'll have to pick somedog out soon. That's what they do in packs I heard." I responded with. Scout gave me a slight smile and called an assembly at the high rocks.

"We have some clan updates, Beta started out with. Hailey is now Omega and the new apprentice Cloe needs a mentor." He barked out. Then he dismissed everyone and they all went off to do there own things.