Warriors but Wolves: Into the Wild

Prologue

     A half-moon shone over the mountain, casting foreboding shadows down its face. The only noise in the forest was the wind whispering through the empty clearing, and the hoot of an owl beyond. A river cut the clearing in half, bubbling smoothly along its pebbled banks.

The silence was broken by the sound of pawsteps sliding over leaf mulch, and of the muffled breathing of a large group- no, pack of animals. Sharp teeth and wide eyes gleamed in the moonlight. Ears stood pricked at attention and tails swished. And then, as if on signal, the animals leaped, and the clearing was alive with wrestling, snarling wolves.

At the center of the whirling mass of teeth and claws, a massive dark brown he-wolf pinned a red he-wolf to the ground and snarled.

"Oakheart! How dare you hunt in our territory? The Sunning Clearing belongs to ThunderPack!" the dark wolf growled.

"After tonight, Bearclaw, this will just be another RiverPack hunting ground!" the red wolf spat back.

A warning bark came from the shore, shrill and anxious.

"Look out! More RiverPack warriors are coming!"

Bearclaw looked up to see more wolves emerging from the river. They didn't even stop to shake the water from their pelts before launching themselves into battle.

The dark wolf glared back down at Oakheart, who was still struggling beneath his grasp.

"You and your warriors may swim like beavers, but you do not belong in these mountains!" He drew back his lips and showed his teeth, as Oakheart kicked at him.

The frenzied shriek of a ThunderPack she-wolf rose above the foray. A thin RiverPack he-wolf had pinned the small warrior to the ground. He lunged for her neck.

Bearclaw heard the cry, and leaped off of Oakheart to intercept the RiverPack warrior. He skidded directly into the wolf and knocked him over, freeing the she-wolf from his grasp.

"Quick, Mousefur, run!" he ordered. Mousefur scrambled to her paws, briefly stumbling in pain before racing away.

Behind her, Bearclaw howled in rage as the RiverPack warrior tore open his ear. Blood began dripping into his eyes, obscuring his vision, but he shook his head and lunged into the front leg of his opponent. The RiverPack wolf screeched and struggled free, fleeing to the river.

"Bearclaw!" The call came from a ThunderPack warrior with a tail longer than a snake. "This is useless! There are too many RiverPack warriors!"

"No, Longtail! ThunderPack will never be beaten!" Bearclaw howled back, running to Longtail's side. "This is our territory!" Blood continued to drip from the wound in his ear, and he shook his head once more, scattering scarlet drops onto the grass below.

"ThunderPack will honor your courage, Bearclaw, but this is not a battle we can win, not without losing any of our warriors," Longtail barked sternly. "Spottedstar would never expect her warriors to fight against such impossible odds. We must retreat now, if we wish to live and avenge this defeat another day." He gazed into Bearclaw's eyes a heartbeat longer before leaping towards the trees which he had emerged from.

"Retreat, ThunderPack! Retreat!" he howled. At his call, the ThunderPack warriors pried themselves away from their enemies and regrouped towards Longtail, snarling and growling at RiverPack. For a brief moment, the RiverPack warriors looked baffled. Could the Sunning Clearing really have been won so easily? Then Oakheart began howling, a triumphant and victorious howl. One by one, the rest of his Pack followed, until their voices blended into a cacophony that wordlessly sang of defeat over the ThunderPack wolves.

Longtail looked back at his warriors, and with a flick of his tail, he gave the signal. The wolves of ThunderPack melted backwards into the forest, leaving no trace that they had ever been there.

Bearclaw followed last. His amber eyes were glowing slits of hatred. Growling angrily to himself, he turned tail and raced into the trees, following his Pack into the forest, which was silent once more.

~~~

In an empty clearing, a scarred tortoiseshell she-wolf sat alone, staring up at the star-filled sky. In the shadows surrounding her, she could hear the snores and stirrings of sleeping wolves.

A large blue-gray wolf emerged from the darkest corner of the clearing, her pace brisk but quiet.

The dappled wolf dipped her head in greeting.

"How is Mousefur?" she asked the larger wolf.

"Her wounds are deep, Spottedstar. But she is young and strong. With time, she will recover," the blue-gray she-wolf replied.

"And the others?" the dappled wolf pressed.

"They will all live to fight another day."

Spottedstar heaved a great sigh. "We're lucky not to have lost any of our warriors this time. You're a gifted healer, Bluefur." She grew silent for a moment as she gazed up at the starry night, before speaking again, this time much quieter. "Tonight's defeat deeply worries me. ThunderPack has not been beaten in its own territory since I became alpha. The past moons have been difficult for our Pack. The season of newleaf is late, and we have had fewer pups and apprentices. ThunderPack needs more warriors if it's to survive."

"But the season is only just beginning," Bluefur calmly pointed out. "There will be more pups come greenleaf."

The dappled wolf's ear twitched. "Maybe. But training our young to become full warriors takes time. If ThunderPack is to defend its territory against the other Packs, we need more warriors now."

"Are you asking StarPack for answers?" Bluefur gently asked, observing Spottedstar's saddened gaze directed towards the sky.

"It's times like these when we need the words of ancient warriors for guidance," Spottedstar muttered. "Has StarPack spoken to you?"

"Not for some moons, Spottedstar," Bluefur shook her head.

Suddenly, a shooting star shot over the treetops. Bluefur gasped and stood up, staring into the night sky.

Spottedstar looked into Bluefur's eyes and saw reflected in them the burning flames of a thousand fires. She remained silent as Bluefur gazed into the distance. After several heartbeats, Bluefur lowered her head, and a distant look came across her features.

"It was a message from StarPack," Bluefur whispered. "Fire alone will save our Pack."

"Fire?" Spottedstar echoed. "But fire is feared by all the Packs! How can it save us?"

"I do not know," Bluefur shook her head. "But this is the message that StarPack has chosen to share with us."

The ThunderPack alpha stared at Bluefur. "You have never been wrong before," she murmured. "If StarPack has spoken, then we must listen. Fire will save our Pack."