Chasing Sun

Chapter 1

A sea of hushed faces beamed up at us as we stood in front of our pack. They had just selected us to be the candidates for replacing our current leader. He stood tall against the shadows of the surrounding trees as the pack waited for him to choose one of us.

This was a joyous day for the leader of the Grand Peak Pack had survived his life long term as alpha. Now that he was old, he had to be replaced with a fresh face.

Beside me stood two other wolves who were strangers to me. My pack was far too large for everyone to know each other. However, I knew they were my rivals. I had spent my whole life living for this moment. I had dreamed to one day lead my pack. Likewise, they felt the same.

The wolf closest to me was a jet black warrior from the fighting units. He was selected by them to represent the protectors of the pack. The wolf next to him was a mixture of browns and grays, selected from the healing units to represent the ones who keep us healthy. I stood on the left end and represented the hunters of the pack. The only female wolf to ever be selected I knew it wasn't likely for me to become leader, let alone be respected.

Our old leader stood at the top of a pile of boulders while we were at the base. His solid light gray body was riddled with battle scars. One of them crossed through his right eye, making him lose half his vision. That eye was pale in comparison to the orange one on the left, yet he remained focused with a glare at the rocks.

"I've made my decision," his commanding voice rang over the mountainside as he leaped to our level. He walked from right to left, looking deep into the eyes of my opponents. He stopped next to me and lifted his tail to silence the rumbling of voices in the crowd.

"I choose Onyx as our next leader!" He howled as the crowd rang in shock.

I stood there dazed. He had just picked me to be the next leader. This had never happened before in the whole history of our pack. Nobody had ever chosen a female. Wolves would always claim that a smaller female wolf would be too weak to run a pack, yet there I was. Defying odds.

"Now, this may be odd, so bear with me. I am aware that we have never let a female lead. However, I plan to trian Onyx myself with some extra one on one time just to prove it to you all that she is the best pick. I will not only be stepping down as leader today, but I will be stepping up as mentor," he called onto an unsettled crowd.

"Thank you, Stone," I whispered as he bowed to me.

"Onyx, as new alpha, what do you have to say to your pack?" He asked as he looked at me with his one good eye.

I knew it was my time to address them from my new position, so I climbed clumsily up to the top of the boulders. When I reached the top, I could see an ocean of wolves staring up at me. I wasn't planning on succeeding, so I had not prepared a speech.

"Grand Peak Pack!" I called over the roar of many wolves mumbling. "It is my honor to have been selected to serve you as a leader!" I blanked out and didn't know where to go from there. As the pack stared at me, I remembered I had to call up my mate to be my co-lead. It was tradition that the mate of an alpha was to be able to stand at their side.

"Frost-Step! I command you to join me as my second paw!" I howled as my mate made his way to the rocks. He was a cold white with subtle gray markings on his body. His muscles showed through his fur, and his refined yellow eyes met mine.

"Congratulations," he whispered in my ear as he stood at my side.

I smiled in return as a cool breeze swept through my dark gray fur, reminding me that I needed to continue my speech. My eyes scattered over the ears of hundreds or even a thousand wolves as they stood silently below. The trees encroached on the meadow's edge as a wolf came running in. His stark body language caused a commotion in the back of the crowd.

"SILENCE!" I screamed to calm down the back of the crowd. I motioned toward the young gray wolf who had just interrupted the crowd to come. "You, come here."

He nervously made his way through the silent crowd up to the base of the rocks. "Something is wrong!" He yelled up to me with his teenage voice. "Vixen, she returned after being gone for two days, but she is missing her back left paw!" The crowd went into a panic and started to disperse.

"Everyone, calm down, I will handle this! However, my introduction has hence been cut short! You may now go about your day!" I howled as I leaped from the rocks.

The young male stood nose to nose with me shaking in fear. "I thought I was getting banished, I know young wolves can't take part in these meetings, but I just had to let you know about Vixen."

I jumped as Frost landed right beside me, silent as ever. "I understand youngling. Now show me to her please," I asked.

He promptly turned around. He bore a white tail much like mine. I couldn't stop noticing it as we followed the young wolf back to the main den.

Vixen was a hunter who had gone missing on a hunt days before. There had been search parties sent out to find her, but to no avail. We all had begun to think the worst. It was not too uncommon for female wolves to go missing on hunts. Often, they ended up dead from injuries. That was why most females were encouraged to work with the healing units while males did the more dangerous hunting and fighting.

I knew Vixen. She was an acquaintance of mine from back when I was learning how to take down elk. Years ago... I try not to remember my younger years.

I shoved the memories back into the darks of my mind as we approached Vixen. She was clearly hungry and unkempt. Her beige fur was unsightly compared to her usual stuck-up nature. Her black tipped tail covered a mangled wound at the hind ankle joint. The bleeding had been stopped before she managed to arrive. She stared nervously at all the wolves crowding around her, trying to find out what had happened.

As I walked into the chamber where she sat, the others cleared out. Her orange eyes met mine.

"They made you alpha?" She groaned.

"You should be happy. We are moving past our oppressive ways. Your pups will have choices now instead of being forced into the healing units," I snapped.

"No, you got it all wrong, I don't want my pups to end up like this!" She cried as she moved her tail off her hind leg to reveal that from the ankle down, her hind leg was gone.

My jaw dropped into the dirt as Frost gagged behind me. "Who did that to you?! Surely a bison can't do that!" I gasped.