Laws of the Pack | Book #1 (SLOW UPDATES)

CHAPTER XII

A few Suns passed and life in the pack, although slow, continued to thrive. Leaves began to shift from greens, to yellow, ambers and reds, critters foraged and birds prepared to head South. In the den, every wolf had been assigned to a task. Under Thushar's rule, herds of elk and caribou would move to greener pastures, deep within the Northern territory. The pack would need to prepare if they wished to survive.

With the upcoming migration on her mind, Lunis had little time left for herself. Den's had to be cleaned, pelts stored and bellies filled. Once a hunt finished, a patrol began. So on and so forth. Tucking another pelt in the hollow of the den's wall, Lunis dismissed herself from her now completed task. As she stepped outside, a refreshing breeze whirled in greeting to the young she-wolf, reinvigorating her spirit.

Now that all of her tasks had been completed, Lunis craved nothing more than a refreshing bath by the lake; she hadn't had many opportunities to groom herself over the last suns, leaving her pelt darkened and muddy. She wasn't the only one. Looking around, the pack shared the same muddied pelt, rendering each wolf nearly indistinguishable from their packmate.

''Look at you!'' Turning her head, Lunis barely recognized Blaze under the thick layer of mud coating his body as he made his way to her. His amber eyes gleamed amusingly. ''I don't think I've ever seen your fur look this messy before.''

A smile lifted her lips. ''Have you seen yourself? What did you even do, roll in the mud?''

The youngster looked himself over, seemingly taking note of the state of his fur for the first time. ''Oh... right. I could use a good cleanup for sure!

- Don't look at me.'' Lunis' snout wrinkled into a hesitante grin. ''I'm not cleaning that off.

- Aw, but I thought we were best buds! Haha!'' Blaze's smile widened with glee, earning an eye roll from Lunis.

''Come on then, furball, let's get this muck off of you.

- Yeah, I don't think I can last another heartbeat like this!'' They shared a lighthearted chuckle and trotted to announce their departure to Navira and Rohan. Upon entering the den however, Navira was nowhere to be seen, leaving Lunis slightly alarmed.

''Lunis and I wished to visit the watering hole.'' Blaze chimed in, wagging his tail with excitement.

''I assume you've both finished your tasks?

- Sure did!

- Very well. Be certain to return before Sundown. You will need rest for tomorrow.

- Yes Rohan! Come on Lunis!'' Pouncing like a half moon old pup, Blaze bolted from the den with Lunis hot on his tail. Once outside of the densite, unable to hold his excitement, Blaze nearly crashed into Lunis' side, earning a surprised yelp from the female.

''Careful!

- Ah, come on Loony! We haven't gone out in Suns! Don't you wanna run around? Stretch your legs a little!''

As an idea bloomed at the back of her mind, the Huntress hid a mischievous smirk behind her snout. Stepping at his side, she lowered her back into a satisfying stretch, seemingly yawning in disinterest. Blaze didn't seem to catch on when a gust of wind lifted his fur.

''Last wolf there has to clean the dens!

- Oh, you are SO ON!! AWOOOO!!'' Releasing a joyous howl to the sky, the youngster engaged in pursuit.

Streaks of reds and yellows swept by the wolves' vision, tunneled into a mere blur of colors. Their lungs filled with the smell of the land, immersing them into the moment as the world around melted away. An opening between the trees appeared within the horizon, alerting the duo they were nearing their destination when Lunis gave one final push. Muscles tensed, paws clawing the ground, she heaved herself forward. Crossing the treeline, Lunis skidded to a halt.

''Woohoo! Still got it!'' Smiling, she turned to Blaze, pleasantly surprised to see the youngster had already caught up to her.

''Nice one Loony.'' He panted. ''Ha, really thought I had you this time. How do you manage to last that long anyways?

She chuckled in response. "I managed my energy." Stepping closer, she nudged his side. "You exert yourself too early. Steady your pace and you'll have enough energy left to pull yourself through.

- Oh! Never thought of it like that. Thanks Loony!"

Rolling her eyes at the name, the female turned her attention to the crystal clear water of the watering hole. Perfectly reflecting the forest, one could almost mistake the lake's clear surface as the entrance to another world. Once Lunis set paw into the icy liquid, the forest distorted and blurred with every ripple.

"WOOOOH!" With a grand splash, Blaze leapt muzzle first into the lake. A yelp rose from Lunis' surprise as the icy water washed over her body, soaking her to the bone. "THUSHAR HAVE MERCY!" Emerging from the water, Blaze swan back to shore in a frenzy as he shook his pelt. "It's so cold!

- Maybe if you'd tested the water, you wouldn't be freezing your pelt off!" Irritated, Lunis gave her fur a rigorous shake. "Don't come to me complaining if you catch a cold.

- Sorry..." Shaking his fur as well, Blaze couldn't hide the defeated look crowning his face. "I got a little carried away."

Feeling a pang of guilt pulling at her heart, Lunis gave out a sigh, admitting she was a lot more impatient than she thought. Seems her Suns of labor had taken a bigger tole than she'd originally thought.

"I'm s-" a twig snapped nearby.

Alerted, Blaze and Lunis' turned heads towards the commotion. The forest fell eerily silent.

"Heard that?" Blaze remained utterly still as he spoke, ears twitching towards the brush. Lunis didn't respond, focusing her senses. As her eyes swept through the bushes, she spotted a darkened shape hidden within the bushes. Lips curling into a snarl, she barked in alarm. "THERE!"

A wolf, its tail tucked frighteningly between, scrambled off into the forest as Lunis suddenly took chase. Blaze barked in alarm, calling Lunis back, but his words fell onto deaf ears.

Blood rushed to the Huntress' ears. The pungent smell of humidity and moss choked at her throat, betraying the intruder as he desperately tried to evade her. Leaping under trunks, over rocks and ditches, Lunis didn't relent despite the many obstacles thrown her way. After a long chase, the duo broke through the tree line and found themselves in the middle of an open grove. Seizing her opportunity, Lunis lunged at her target and nipped his leg with her claws. Snout meeting dirt, the runaway found himself crashing onto the ground, abruptly ending his run. Lunis had him pinned in a heartbeat.

''What are you doing on our territory!?'' Her opponent curled his lips in response, eyeing her with fury.

''Lunis!'' Catching up to the frey, Blaze broke through the brush, eyes wild with worry. ''Are you alright?

- I'm fine! I got him pinned down, we need to call the oth-'' A strong thud connected with her back legs, sending Lunis tumbling to the ground.

Stunned, she scrambled to defend herself as the runaway wolf suddenly leapt at her throat and pinned her down. As the ground met her head, Lunis felt a wave of nauseating pain ripple through her body, ripping a yelp from her throat. A warm liquid leaked into her left eye, slithering its way into the corner of her mouth with a metallic taste. Everything became a blur as a deafening ring drowned the nearby commotion, leaving Lunis stunned and defenceless. Struggling to keep her focus, she turned towards the bundle of fur and claws ripping at each other's fur, when one of them broke away and scurried into the distance.

Eyes shrouded with concern Blaze's mouth parted to speak, but Lunis could only hear muffled words as he nudged her shoulder.

''Blaze... Stop...'' A searing pain sliced through her head, sapping all energy from her legs. Unable to stand, Lunis collapsed onto Blaze, feeling her consciousness slowly slip away. Darkness ebbed its way into her vision when a howl echoed at the back of her mind.