Warriors but Wolves: Into the Wild

Chapter 1

     It was very dark. Rusty could tell something was near. The young he-dog's eyes were wide as his gaze darted through the bushes ahead. He had never been here before, but it somehow seemed familiar, as if he had lived here all his life and knew every tree and bush. A tantalizing scent drew him deeper into the forest, hunger spurring him on. He sniffed the ground as he walked, following the scent trail of a large, furry animal. It was easy to distinguish from the sweet scent of flowers and musty scent of leaf mulch.

Suddenly, a flash of brown rushed past him. It was a deer, the deer Rusty had been stalking. Rusty broke into a run, sprinting after it. Adrenaline coursed through his body, giving his limbs extra strength. He put on a burst of speed and raced in front of the deer, startling it. It turned tail and ran in the opposite direction, and Rusty chased after it again, amused. Rusty grew closer and closer, and he bunched his muscles to leap, when a loud clattering noise distracted him. He skidded to a halt, and the deer escaped into the shadows.

Angered, Rusty turned around and scanned the forest behind him, wanting to find what had made him lose his kill. The noise rattled on, until it became more familiar, and Rusty woke to find himself curled up in his bed. He looked up, and saw the source of the noise: his Housefolk, pouring dry food pellets into his shiny metal bowl.

Rusty sighed and laid his head back down again, though he didn't close his eyes. Where a cool breeze had ruffled his fur in his dream, his bright blue collar chafed. The Setterdog shifted in his bed, relishing the memory of his dream. He could still smell the deer. He'd had that dream twice already since the full moon, and every time the deer escaped him.

From his bed, he could smell the stale scent of his food. His housefolk always gave him extra food before they slept. The dry smell scattered the aromatic scents of his dream, as well as his appetite for such bland food. He was still hungry, though, so he stood up, got out of his bed, and padded over to his food bowl. He forced himself to swallow several mouthfuls, before he could no longer stand the taste. He then turned away from the dog dish, and pushed through the dog door into the garden, wanting to feel something similar to his dream.

Outside, it was a bright, moonlit night, and crickets chirped from their hidden perches in bushes. He walked down the gravel path to the back of the yard. Rusty went to the corner of the yard that was devoid of flowers. He could see through the chain-link fence to the forest beyond, as well as the garden of the house next door.

In stark contrast to his starlit yard, the forest that lay ahead was dark with shadows. The breeze blew from the forest towards Rusty, and it carried the slightest hint of deer, as well as an unfamiliar canine scent. He stood up, and put his front paws on the fence. He gazed longingly into the shadows, before he heard a noise from the other garden: the sound of another dog door sliding open.

"Rusty!" a familiar voice barked. Rusty turned and looked to see Smudge, the Corgidog who lived next door, Rusty's friend, bounding over to the fence that separated their yards.

"Hello, Smudge," Rusty greeted.

"You're not going to go into the woods, are you, Rusty?" Smudge asked, following Rusty's wistful gaze into the forest. His amber eyes were huge.

"Just for a look," Rusty put his front paws back on the ground again and paced uncomfortably.

"Don't go in there! It's dangerous!" Smudge whined. "You know what happened to Henry when he went in there, right?" Rusty sighed, as Smudge rattled off the tale of the old Labradordog from down the street who went into the forest as a young pup, only to be chased off by a band of savage wolves who supposedly ate dogs for breakfast and lined their nests with their fur.

"I know how to run, Smudge," Rusty reassured. "I can handle myself. I'm not a pup, you know."

"Yeah, but...if anything happened to you, I'd miss you!"