The True Rogue

Chapter Six

The dark furred wolf leapt forwards, just skimming my fur with its bared teeth as Nyx leapt out of the way again.

"Ryan! Calm down!" a voice suddenly snapped from the trees as an older male jogged out from between them in just a pair of shorts. Nyx merged back to our shared consciousness and my body froze as I stared at the scene, unable to comprehend what I was seeing on top of the shock of having Nyx suddenly speak to me again.

The dark brown and black wolf grumbled but padded over to the man's side, eyeing me warily. "Go back to the house now, I will handle this." the older man waved the large wolf away. It quickly turned and disappeared at the man's command and he turned to give me a slight smile.

"Any particular reason you're trespassing on our land young one?" he asked without malice and I just backed away with my ears pinned to the sides uncertainly.

A couple of concerned barks behind me made me glance back as I remembered the pups and I faced the man again, giving a warning growl as I skipped back over to the river quickly. "Can you shift back so we can speak?" he asked as he moved forwards and I quickly growled again before turning and plunging back into the river.

Once I was across I shook out my coat heavily and the pups quickly crowded around, sniffing my coat and licking my jaw with little yips. I huffed and nuzzled them a bit before distant howls from the pack made us all pause and listen as they called for us.

We all howled back and set off in their direction, only pausing to spare a glance to see the man at the river's edge watching me curiously. I quickly looked away and nipped at the pups heels to get them moving faster before bounding in front and leading them at a fast lope towards the pack.

Once we returned we all mingled scents with the rest of the pack to reassure ourselves and then set off to the nearby recent kill to eat and rest.

While resting Nyx explained that the dark furred wolf and the man were others of my kind and that the land across the river was their territory and that is why the wolf had reacted aggressively.

I listened to her closely, realizing how strange it felt to see people and hear them speak; after so many years of living in the wild and being used to the simple nonverbal communication of the wolves it was truly a shock to remember that there was more to the world beyond this life of survival and I soon drifted to sleep with the scene constantly replaying in my mind.

As winter steadily approached I could sense unease in the pack stemming from the fact that Ghost was sadly and visibly past his prime, along with Nova, Widow and a few other pack members. They were all well over seven years old, decently old for wild wolves according to Nyx.

This winter would come with much loss and it was tough to say what would happen by springtime but I hoped the pack would make it through.

I eyed two young wolves that were from a previous litter, approaching three years old now, knowing that they likely would be the ones to tale control. One male and one female, both lightly colored like their parents.

The male I named Apollo for his coat which had more of the light golden tan color from Nova along his neck, back, sides and tail while his underbelly and chest were white along with a striking white face-mask and black detailing around his eyes that made me sad but fond as I recalled his grandmother, Silver.

His bright amber colored eyes matched his father's perfectly and are what I decided to be clearly a trademark for the Alpha males of their bloodline as he consistently gave off the same calm and confident air of his father and grandfather.

The female pup was Artemis, her white fur with light silver-grey detailing was just like her father while she mostly got her mother's warm golden eyes, only darkened by a bit of amber in the centers that gave her a more serious edge. Her quiet demeanor and constantly alert gaze were bound to make her a perfect Beta for her brother.

Sadly it did not take long for the leadership to begin to shift as Ghost trotted away one night in the first week of snow and did not return. All of the pack mourned when we discovered his body a few days later, especially Nova as she refused to leave his side and we were soon forced to abandon her to find food.

By the second and third week Widow, Eclipse, Storm and even Sandy had disappeared one by one and the pack was thrown into disarray as I realized I was now the only wolf left from the founding pack many seasons ago.

I did my best to keep the pack together but a few members dispersed solo or in pairs here and there before things came to a head one night between Apollo and Midnight, a previously mid-ranking four year old male wolf named for his mainly black and dark grey coat that had joined as a dispersal a couple years back.

Midnight and Apollo challenged each other for Alpha, while us remaining five adults plus the four yearlings left after a couple had dispersed with older siblings, gathered in a loose circle to watch closely.

They stood shoulder to shoulder, taking in each others scents deeply before growling lowly. Midnight raised his head and tail confidently as he was a year older than Apollo but Apollo did not back down, staring into Midnight's eyes as he snarled lowly and pressed further into his personal space.

After a bit Apollo decided he had enough and jumped forwards, riding up on to Midnight's back and forcing him towards the ground with fiercely bared canines.

After a bit of struggle Midnight finally conceded, lowering his tail and averting his gaze while Apollo stepped back confidently, maintaining his dominant posture. I trotted forwards to greet him as our new Alpha first, licking under his chin submissively as I lowered my tail and wagged it happily. The yearlings eagerly followed my lead, happily whining as they greeted their older brother. Midnight on the other hand stepped away with a huff before cutting through us.

He herded two of the yearlings along with one of Apollo's sisters that was a year older than him away from the pack, guiding them to follow him. I stood to stop them but a soothing feeling from Nyx stopped me, making me whine with frustration as I had to let it happen.

The few of us remaining gathered tightly around Apollo, looking for reassurance as we all reinforced our pack scent and somewhat solidified our bond. It was then that Apollo stepped closer to Star, a black female wolf with a white marking on her chest that was actually Midnight's littermate. He wagged his tail, eyeing her with interest and she returned it easily, dropping into a play bow before darting off.

I drew the two yearlings attention quickly so they would not interrupt the bonding between the pair, darting off into our own game of chase in the opposite direction. Artemis gazed after her brother knowingly, seeming content to settle down into the snow and Cloud settled near her, a small and timid two year old male with Ghost's white and light grey coat and warm golden brown eyes like his mother's.

My heart constricted as I missed them terribly already and Nyx sent me warm feelings of comfort before I was suddenly tackled into the snow by the two yearlings. Blizzard and Snowstorm I decided to call them, for their mostly white and grey coats with darker markings and dark golden eyes. We continued our game of tag until they both collapsed panting near Artemis and Cloud, tired but happy.

I greeted Cloud and Artemis by nuzzling their cheeks before flopping down between the yearlings, curling up contentedly as they snuggled into my warmth and was soon lulled into sleep by the sounds of their snoring.

----------

A/N: Hope you are enjoying the story!
The end of an era sadly, poor Ghost and all the rest! What do you guys think about the shifter pack on the other side of the river?