Forest's Journey

Chapter 24

Six days later, the flood water had receded, and it was time for the wolves to make their way back to their territory. The damage done to their camp was terrible. The moss and fluff used for their nests were washed out of the dens, and they clumped together in a pile in the middle of camp. The Theta and Iota's herbs had been washed out from where they were stored, so they were now unusable. A lot of debris, such as leaves and sticks, had been washed into their camp as well. The plants that grew around the camp and protected it were damaged. The clean-up was going to take a long time. Despite that, the pack was in high spirits. At least they got their homes back. The wolves merrily jogged down the hill. A Lambda slipped and slid down the hill, limbs flailing in the air.

"I'm alright!" the Lambda yelled.

Every wolf burst into laughter. Forestson and Meadow's pups raced each other to the pups' den. He was surprised that they still had energy despite not eating for the past few days, as all the dead prey were inedible by then and there wasn't anything else that was edible. As he watched them race, he marvelled at how much they'd grown already. Meadow's pups were ready to be Psis, and Forestson was only about a month away. In fact, he'll probably make Meadow's pups Psis after the majority of the clean-up has been done. He shook himself after he realised the wolves were looking at him and Rose for guidance.

"Lambdas, please go out and find as much edible prey as you can. They can be dead, but please don't bring back any rotten ones, though. The last thing we need right now are illnesses." directed Forest.

"Etas, please help the Omegas do the clean-up in the camp. You don't need to patrol the borders, since I doubt anyone would attack during this time. Sigma and pups, please help as well." instructed Rose.

Every wolf, including Forest and Rose, got to work.

"I think after we do the clean-up we should make Meadow's pups Psis. They're old enough already." Forest suggested when they were dragging a heap of wet, mulchy leaves out of camp.

"Yeah, they're old enough, aren't they?" agreed Rose.

Some time later, the Theta hurriedly walked up to him.

"We need to go out to gather herbs. Kestrel's pups have a cold and two of them have a fever." requested Feather.

"Sure, I'll come with you and grab two Etas to help. What herbs are we looking for?" asked Forest, beckoning for two Etas to come over to him.

"Feverfew, which is a green plant with small, white flowers, to reduce their fevers and catnip, which is a green plant with hairy stems and purple flowers, to cure their colds. We probably can't find fresh herbs, but if they aren't rotten, bruised or dead they should work just fine." Feather replied.

They hurried out of camp, and while they travelled Forest surveyed the damage that the winds and rain did to the territory. Large branches were snapped off trees and lay on the ground, making it difficult to conveniently travel. Rotten or mulchy debris and carcasses of prey littered the ground, already beginning to rot. He would need to tell his wolves to bury them or else the air is going to smell like rotting. The Theta took them to a relatively sunny part of the territory.

"Here is the feverfew. Find some leaves on the inside that aren't so damaged. Make sure not to damage the stem so that the plant can still grow." the Theta instructed as she nodded towards the patch of feverfew.

After they collected the feverfew, she led them to a partially shady part of the territory, where the catnip grew.

"Nip a few of these out too. Make sure not to damage anything, catnip is rather rare in this territory." the Theta directed.

They obeyed, and once the Theta was satisfied she took them back to camp and immediately took the herbs to the pups' den.

"How was herb hunting?" Rose asked.

"Tiring, but it was good to go out on a run and get my blood pumping again." Forest replied.

The work was hard, but with the cheerful atmosphere, it seemed like no time before the Lambdas brought back prey for prey sharing. Forest was quite happy with the progress. Almost all the debris had been cleared out and some of the nests were already made. They couldn't do anything about the damaged plants but give them time to grow. The Lambdas were exhausted too, as they hadn't eaten any prey in the past week and still had to hunt. They were only able to bring back birds, and there wasn't enough for everyone, so the wolves who ate first ate slightly less so the wolves who ate later still had prey.

"I have an announcement to make today." Forest declared to the pack after prey sharing.

The entire pack turned their curious gazes towards him.

"Can I just say, I am so impressed by how this pack handled the flood situation over the past week. Your teamwork and cooperation in keeping each other safe and warm never ceased to amaze Rose and I. I want to especially thank those who risked their lives to hunt for the pups so they wouldn't be depleted of strength or starved to death. I'm so, so happy with how the members of this pack have truly melded together as one and I'm so proud of each and every one of you. Thank you so much, everyone." Forest said.

The whole pack murmured with agreement.

"It's time that I made Meadow's pups Psis. They are old and strong enough to be trained and they have even proven themselves worthy packmates already. Midge, Cherry, Olive and Hickory, come forward." Forest instructed.

The four pups nervously made their way forward, but behind that nervousness he could see great excitement in their eyes.

"Do you accept your new position as a Psi and all the duties and responsibilities that come with it, and pledge to train and work hard for the pack under the Sigma?" Forest asked.

"I do." the pups replied, their voices shaking with nervousness and excitement in equal measure.

"Then from this moment on, until you complete your training, you are a Psi in the pack." announced Forest.

Meadow and Juniper's eyes shone with pride.