Survivors The Path Of The Pack: Thunder's Journey

Chapter 6

A bird whizzed past Thunder's tall ears, making them twitch in surprise.

"I am the highest ranking patrol dog, meaning I am your leader, Thunder," Moon barked, pawing at a stick that lay in her path.

They'd only been walking for a few minutes. Chase, Breeze, and Dart had done most of the patrolling. Moon was still explaining a few things to Thunder as they walked ahead.

"When I assign someone to be the leader of a patrol group, you are abided to listen to them, understand?"

Thunder nodded vigorously, "Yes, Moon!"

"Patrolling might seem easy, but it is a difficult rank to keep up with. I'll give you the basics." Moon stopped and put her black nose to the sky. Every dog paused, waiting for Moon's reaction. The Border Collie swiftly shook her fur, took a sharp right, and continued talking. "We mostly check for new scents, mark territory, make sure the camp is safe, and inform our leaders of any new activity that is going on."

Thunder hopped over a dip in their trail and stared at the sky dreamily, "It sounds... Great!"

Moon smiled a little, "If you think about it, sure."

After her explanatory talk with her patrol leader, Thunder started to copy the patrol dogs' movements. Sniffing at the ground, squatting down at tree trunks, and keeping her eyes peeled for suspicious behavior.

When the Sun Dog was straight above them in the sky, Moon let out a commanding bark. Each dog stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her.

"We've done enough for now, we'll leave it to the next patrol group," Moon said, turning tail to start her walk back to Camp.

Thunder trotted toward the Border Collie and stuck to her side. "Uh, Moon?" she asked softly. Moon swiveled an ear to show she was listening. "Are your pups... Uh..."

"Beetle and Thorn."

"Yes, are Beetle and Thorn... Upset with me? And- and does it seem like that Fierce Dog doesn't like me? Didn't it seem weird how she took them away–"

"Thunder!" Moon barked over Thunder's rambling. She quickly became at ease again, "I will not lie to you... I do think my pups are upset that you've been placed at a higher rank. But please try not to blame them. They've worked very hard, so they're just... Well, you get what I mean."

Thunder nodded and nuzzled Moon so she was reassured that she wasn't angry with her or her pups. "I'm not mad at either of them. I understand. I haven't been here for more than a day and it seems like I'm just ruining their lives."

Moon huffed a laugh, "Don't be too harsh on yourself. And which Fierce Dog are you talking about?"

"There's more than one?" Thunder yelped, scared for the answer she was going to receive.

"Mhm," Moon hummed, "there's Storm, who's quite alright, and there's... Arrow."

Why did she say the Fierce Dog's name like that?

"I'm not a fan of Arrow himself," Moon growled, "but his pups are alright. They're not out in the Camp for very long, but when they are, they're so cute! You might be able to watch them if we get back quickly."

"I'll be sure to meet them!" Thunder barked, "And what about–"

A hollow howl rang into the air, seeming to tear into all the dog's ears and insides. Dart, a brown and white whippet dog, raced to Moon and Thunder's side. "Moon!" she growled, "Was that–"

"Beetle," Moon answered in a whisper, "I think so."

Everything stilled once more until Beetle's howl rolled back into the air.

Without another word, Thunder blinked and Moon was dashing away from her patrol.

×××

AN:

Uh-oh! What happened to Beetle?