The Living Wind in the Forest - Fire

Chapter 12

*Petal's POV*

Petal smiled as she gazed at her pups. "I want milk!" Lion howled, his tiny voice shrill.

"Come, honey," Petal replied, her voice weak but proud.

"Good thing Moon and Coyote found some borage leaves, or you pups won't have milk!" Snake chuckled.

"No milk?" Holly gasped. "But then where will we get food?"

Lion scoffed. "That will never happen, there must be millions of queens giving the pack milk."

Snake laughed. "Yes, Lion, we have all the food we need," sounding more confident than he felt.

"Come on, Lion!" Holly prodded him sharply with her paw. "Let's go find Drizzle's pups!"

As the pups scrambled away, Petal whispered. "Are you sure we have enough food? It's a good thing that Lion takes so little milk, but I feel hollow when Holly comes!"

Snake furrowed his brow. "I hope so."

*Snow's POV*

Snow smiled as she saw the Lion and Holly racing towards the older pups, their stubby legs tripping themselves up.

"Those pups have energy in their veins!" Daisy commented out loud. "I told Coyote that we should getting a move on."

"Already?" Moon sounded skeptical.

"I started running two days after I opened my eyes!" Coyote said. "These pups have been alive for almost a week."

Moon sighed. "Alright, but we must go slow."

"Then let's go!" Snowflake said, bounding up. "My scar's getting sore, a good run will loosen me up," she yapped. Howling, the pack came out and Snowflake sprang into a bolt.

"Alright, guess she's leading," Coyote woofed. "Hey, Snowflake! Wait up young'un! You don't know the way!" He shouted, bounding off.

The cold air blew against Snow's face as she ran, putting one paw in front of the other. "This is the best!" Lion howled, his little voice loud.

"Great job, son, but stay near your older friends! Sky, Storm, Pebble, and River would be in big trouble if they lost you!" Snake called back.

"Hey, how are you?" Snow asked Petal. "You just gave birth."

"I'm just fine," Petal replied, only a hint of tiredness. "My legs feel the burn well before my mind knows I'm running!"

The run didn't last for too long until Coyote called out for a halt. "We're here!" He trilled.

What was in front of Snow was indeed a vast sight. In front was a breath-taking view of the ocean, with its waves lapping against the rocky shore, peacefully. On the left was a lush forest of pine trees, and on the right was a small, grassy valley with a river running through into the ocean. Where they were standing was a meadow exposed to the sun.

Coyote smirked. "Quite nice, eh?"

Daisy hopped excitedly. "Those big rocks seem like a great place to soak up some sun," she remarked.

"And we can play in the tall grass!" Sky squealed, ducking her head under.

"The forest seems sheltered if we need protection from the wind," Rain said.

Snow nodded. "Great ideas, guys, but let's settle in first."

"I'll take some wolves for a moss hunt?" Rain offered.

Snow rolled her eyes. "This seems like a repetition of last time. But sure, take Daisy, Drizzle, and Frost."

Moon padded up. "I'm thinking of scavenging for herbs," he said. "Mind if I take Pine?"