Howling Heart

Chapter 5 - The Hunt

 I felt the trees rush past me as my feet pelted the earth. There were well-worn paths that ran through the forest and up the mountain. The pack owned a huge chunk of land. Now that I think about it, I don't even know how much we own. I loved the woods. When I was younger, I would race the river. I found peace up in the woods even when I wasn't a wolf. Tonight, however, we ran together. As the ground raced away behind me, my paws could feel the rhythm of my pack.

There was one thing about the hunt that enthralled me. The night air would bristle through my rust-colored fur as I ran under the stars. Something in such a simple task as running felt so magical as I bobbed between trees with the pack trailing me. That rush was my drug of choice. Outside of good coffee, at least. 

My father could easily feel all of us. It was a benefit of being a leader. But we always worked better as a pack. I could feel his thoughts and his feelings as well as the others in my pack. As if we were all connected. It was hard to keep things a secret from them. 

I shoved the thoughts of Mae behind a wall in my own mind. All women, actually. That was something I wasn't ready for. Not yet. I dared to glance back. Ronan was right behind me as always. Mae had caught up with us and ran in the center of the pack, I could see her white pelt bouncing in the moonlight. My heart skipped a beat, but my paws didn't. 

We ran as one, enjoying our freedom and the fresh air. The scent of pine overwhelmed my sense of smell, but I savored it. Between the pine needles, I could smell the spray of running water. Another smell tinged the air. It was faint, but the tang of iron was still there. Blood had been spilled. 

My father was a good way ahead of the pack, but he wasn't far enough to have a kill already. His head lifted to the wind and sucked in the smell of the world around us. He never paused but switched directions mid-stride and fell to all fours. 

I followed his lead and dropped to all fours as well, and used my limbs to throw myself into the new direction. The pack followed the action. Some of the younger members of the pack skidded on the turn, causing a few elders to snap their jaws in frustration.

The trees parted as we rushed into the clearing. My father skidded to a stop and returned to an upright human position. I skidded next to him. The sudden stop almost caused me to fall forward. My balance was off from switching from four to two legs. I stood tall next to him, and my eyes were glued to the clearing as the rest of the pack caught up to us.

I blinked my eyes because I didn't believe what they saw. It was a full-grown brown bear and a moose. Both were speckled with blood, and the moose seemed to favor one leg. The shaggy bear shook itself and charged the hooved animal that had its back to the river. The moose was at least twice its size, but the bear launched an attack. Its jaws sunk deep into the animal's front leg. The moose shoved its rack towards the attacker, flipping its head while it screamed in pain. 

My father looked back at us. "Kill them both." His wolf jaw moved, and it spoke a garbled form of human. Wolf maws tend to move a bit differently than humans, but often enough, we can get the same sounds across. 

We could all understand him, and we waited for his cue. The bear's grip was broken from the moose, and it reared up for another strike. My father let out a roar and charged the animals. I followed him. Some of the pack flanked our right, some to the left, and a few kept a pace behind us. 

Ronan raced around my left side and swept wide. As we neared the animals, their focus had turned toward us. I glanced back, wondering where Mae was. My eyes spotted her behind me. I could keep her safe. I flexed my claws and closed the space between me and the bear. 

My father ended up between the two animals, breaking up their fight. His focus was on the moose with the pack members that had split to the right. Ronan and I were to lead the bear attack. The difference between predators and prey is that the moose would try to run, but the bear wouldn't. His plan was to take the moose out quickly and then help us if we needed it. I took that moment as a chance to impress Mae. 

I lunged towards the bear without thinking too hard. I let my instincts take over, after all, they haven't failed me yet. The bear stood up on its hind legs to let out a roar at me. On its hind legs, I still stood eye to eye with it. Ronan stood a good foot over. Pack members stood behind us, waiting and watching. The bear's open mouth wouldn't deter me in the slightest. I threw myself at the animal. My arm stretched out as I grabbed for it. 

My haste made me the main target. That was a good thing for the pack, not so good for me. I winced as the bear's teeth sunk into my arm. I should have expected it. But if its jaws were locked on me, I knew where they were. I snarled and snapped my wolf muzzle at the beast. 

I let myself fall, pulling the beast with me as the rest of the pack ran up. My non-chewed hand wrapped around its throat. My long nails dug into the thick fur. I wanted to keep its attention for as long as I could. 

Ronan saw his chance and lunged. His massive weight jarred the monster, sending its teeth further into my arm. A cry escaped my lips, but I held steady. He wrapped himself around the bear. Ronan shoved his arms just under its rib cage and crushed it. The bear snorted into my fur as the air was forced from its lungs. 

Ronan sunk his teeth into the fat at the back of the bear's neck. He was locked onto the bear, and blood flooded his jaws. The animal gasped for air and released my arm. I spun in the wet grass and turned to lunge again. Its paw struck me this time. Its claws raked my fur. Where it struck would most likely bruise, but again, I was the distraction. 

Another wolf latched onto the bear's arm and pulled it back. My face was almost struck again by the action, but I was just out of range. I threw myself again at the animal, and this time, I was able to latch my teeth onto the front of its neck. My fangs sunk into its fur. It tasted of salt and blood, and my eyes rolled back a little.

Mae seemed to have come out of nowhere, but she appeared next to me. I had been so focused on the bear that I had lost track of her position. "Pull its head up!" She yelled at me over the ruckus. As the rest of the pack latched onto the beast.

I didn't think I just pushed off the ground with my legs and twisted around. My plan was to land behind the bear. The best case would be that I would snap its neck. The worst case is that I would land on Ronan. My hands wrapped around its muzzle, and as I pulled, Mae launched. Her teeth landed on the under side of its neck, and her claws sunk into the creature's chest. Its body twitched as her hand ripped at its heart, and then it fell to the ground in a heap of fur.

As the bear's body slumped into the grass, I turned to look at how my father was doing. He was still locked onto the antlers of the moose. Other wolves' jaws snapped at the air while other pack members clung to the large animal's back. 

I didn't pause in my victory and lunged towards the moose. Its hooves struck at me, but it couldn't make contact with all of the extra weight on it. My jaws bit into the side of its neck, and blood flooded my mouth again. This time, my bite was true. I hit the right spot, and the animal fell next to the bear under the weight of the pack.

"Tonight, we feast." My father spoke between breaths as animal blood dripped from his fangs. He let out a howl into the night wind at their victory, and the pack followed. The haunting melody was a tribute to the animals that sacrificed themselves to feed us. We sang their names to the sky in our song.