The Sun-Up Pack

Chapter Two: Penetraitng Jeans

I could only get used to being half fox. Moth was told, and then we were split up. I stayed with the Pack, while Moth was with our mother. Sometimes, I almost would refer to her as Violet, but I stop myself before I do. Scrape seemed more interested in hunting than patrolling, until one day he challenged Growl. I thought I was going to faint. "I challenge Growl!" He said, and soo they were fighting. I stood by, watching as the hunter sliced the wolf. But it seemed even though Growl was from the Firece Dogs, Scrape won. "I did it! I'm a hunter!" Growl was moved down a rank, below me, but he was still a hunter. River was still the Omega, and Vine had even beaten Marsh. Omega tried to get Vine, but he lost... again. Scrape came up to me. "Uhm, Clover?" He asked. "Hm?" I was not really interested in his question. "Would you, uhm, hunt with me for my first time?" I heard shyness in his voice, which surprised me. I only stared at him.
Flower jumped in between us. She was only a little younger than me, but her energy was like a pup's. "Clover, can I go hunting with you guys?" She asked. Scrape looked skeptical but I agreed and then Flame also joined us. He seemed worried about me, like Scrape was going to turn his back against me. Scrape seemed annoyed by this, but I just trotted along.
Scrape seemed semi-determined to get Flame and Flower out of the picture. He growled and snarled slightly at both of them.
Flame only looked distrustful of him, and Flower seemed scared and confused, as she had on her naming day. Eventually Flower gave up. "I can't! Not with this bully!" She sped off with her prey. I scoffed. Flame growled at him. "Look what you did. Quit it, or you just might end up taking River's place." The wolf cocked his head and whined. He looked pitiful in his submission. Flame then gave chase to a rabbit, leaving them behind. "Quick!" Scrape yelped quietly, snatching my scruff and dragging me as I was limp from shock. When I had regained myself, and turned on him and freed myself. Only now, we were over a ledge. Below us was the lake. "Clover..." "Stop. What is wrong with you?" I whined angrily. "Clover, I wanted to confess." I stared at him, wide-eyed. "I- I love you..." He said, quietly and shyly. I only stepped back and shook my head, my wide eyes tearing with shock and mixed feelings I couldn't describe. "Please, Clover." He begged. I stepped back, like a pup just learning to walk, wobbly and unstable. "I'm sorry.. I- I can't- I can't-" Tears flooded my eyes and I shot away towards, well, not Scrape and not the camp. Somewhere I didn't know. When I looked back, Scrape was gone. I got a glimpse of the limp, submission-like tail, tucked down, whip away behind a tree. I kept running until I couldn't go any further. It was getting dark and I was starving. Then I heard something. Like a laugh. I was probably miles away from our camp. But then I heard it again. A laughter, a content happiness radiated from somewhere deeper inside the forest. I truged unwillfully towards it, until, then, I saw a camp. A dog's camp. They must've been from somewhere else. Then I felt fear, I smelled it, from the dogs. Especially from the two pups who were laughing. "A DOG!" One screamed. The whole camp was alerted. There was about 12 or 13 of these dogs. I cowered, but then they forced me into the camp from behind. Two of them had come up behind me. They were snarling and growling.
"What is this Lone pup doing in our territory?" The seemed-Alpha snarled at me. "First of all, I am an adult. Second, I just came from my own Pack, miles away from here. I was not expecting anyone else to be out here, so I would like to go home now." I said as angrily and politely as I could with both emotions spreading in my voice. As I turned, guards didn't let me pass. "You? Go home miles away? Now?" He seemed confused and amused. "Don't you know your condition? I thought someone like you would. Morning, please take our new friend where she can stay. Omega, you can fetch her some food?" A little pup nodded and sped off towards a pile. WHAT? I yowled in my mind. Their Omega is a helpless pup ? I thought angrily, stopping my fur from bristling. Soon I was greeted by a kind-looking female dog who was brown and black, white spots dotting her back, flanks, tail, and her face. "Hello! I am Morning. Come with me." She led me to a nice sheltered cave. I noticed four little pups playing inside. As I laid down, I panted. Omega brought me some water in moss and a rabbit leg and mouse. I gratefully consumed the meal. "These are my pups, Moonrise, Evening, Sunup, and Dawn." She all had time-themed names, as was her name. "They're so cute." "Yours will be too I'm sure." She said back. I only stared in confusion. "What? Where am I?" I asked skeptically. "The nursery, of course." She said, seemingly confused herself. "Your expecting pups." Her words stung me. "But I can't be! Who's even the father? WHY? I just told him I didn't even like him! I do.. but.." I blurted. She threw her neck back and stared. "Wow. Who even is the father?" I sighed. "A wolf.. named Scrape." I said. She seemed to scream. "ALPHA! ALPHA WE CAN'T HAVE HER HERE!" She scared the spirits out of the pups. The Alpha came to her. "Why?" He asked gruffly. "She has Scrape's pups!" She yelped, whispering.
"Well, then." Alpha said. "Do we make her go home?" "No. She'll have her pups, then leave." "But what about the- the Furmoil?" She whispered fearfully. "Well, we won't know which one until it happens." Alpha snarled. Morning only scowled. She came in, and glared at me. "Of all dogs, you had to come here." Morning growled to herself. "Or, if you really want to, we can send her away, along with the Omega. Then Whip can fianlly be Omega again and I won't have to listen to Frost's whining." Alpha suggested, coming in the entrance. The little white pup with gray spots yelped. "YES!" Morning said, jumping to her feet. "Oh please, I don't want my pups in danger, not after..." She looked down. "Yes, that is why he was sentenced out in the first place." Alpha snarled. "You- you will leave here the next dawn. If you don't, I'll have Beta kill you." I gulped. I couldn't stay with a threat like that. "Frost, when she leaves, you go with her. You are too insufficient here and weak. You have no reason to stay, wolf." Frost whined. "Good." Alpha then said. I got up and Frost followed me. "I'm going out to the clearing." I said to Morning. In the forest, to leave. I had no reason to stay, no reason that I should wait 'till dawn. But something jerked me. I shook it off the feeling. "Come along, Frost." I said sweetly. Frost was a little 4 month old white and gray spotted wolf pup. She seemed to be crying. "I was abandoned and they made me Omega. Otherwise, if I didn't take the job, they would kill me." She sobbed. I held her up on my back. She soon fell asleep, listening to my soothing rhythms.
Frost was awake by the time I entered the camp. "Clover!" Scrape exclaimed. "I thought you'd left for good." "No, I didn't. I did run into another Pack though. I think I overheard them saying they were called the Yowls. The Yowl Pack made me see that I was expecting our pups. I didn't know what to do." I looked down shyly. Before Scrape could answer, a confused but certain whimper came from Frost. "Sc.ra..pe..?" She asked, very hesitantly. "You're... alive..?" Scrape only seemed scared by this. "They let me live as Omega." She said. Frost sounded like a mature, wise adult. "No! They wouldn't! I'll go rip the throats-" Scrape was interrupted. "No!" Frost yelped. "Please, Scrape. Clover is expecting your pups and you know I need to be there. If there's another war, I'll be killed." She seemed very pleading. "Fine, but only because of you-know-what." He looked around gruffly. He glared out at the forest. "Don't worry Sixth. I promise to protect you, especially after that back-stabbing little cry-baby traitor we knew as Fifth." He said calmly and gently, as if it was perfectly good. "Thank you, Second." Frost hugged him. It seemed to be a connection only they knew of. "Oh, sorry Clover. I'm Second, this is Sixth, or Last, as her father called her. "Where there's one there's always more." Said a voice. I looked behind me. There he was. "Second! Sixth!" Yelped a big, gruffy-looking male wolf. Frost yipped. "First. Third. Fourth." Scrape said happily, wagging his tail. First looked at them all as if he was their Alpha. I noticed Third and Fourth were females, however. "No, our real names are different. I'm King, that's Tail, and she's Soot. I was the only one named by a longpaw." First, I mean, King, said sadly. "That's what makes you special, Alpha." King smiled. "You too, Beta." Scrape yipped.
I used my hide legs to hide the fact I was pregnant. If anyone but Scrape or Frost knew, I might be murdered. I had to leave. I whimpered at Scrape and galloped best I could to the entrance. He, confusedly, followed, Frost behind him. I pawed at the ground before trotting off. I needed to find somewhere to have my pups. Somewhere far from here. I decided to go the other direction from the camp that Frost had come from. I scented my father, along with wolves. Then we heard fighting and a battle cry. "Father! My father, he's in trouble!" I tried to go, but my heavy stomach made me go maybe some paw lengths. "Stop, Clover. You are almost to the point of birth." She gave a weird look to Scrape I couldn't understand. He grimaced and looked away. I knew something was up. The- the Furmoil. Rang Morning's words. I felt pulses that had pain. I gave out a sharp yelp. I rushed for cover inside a stump. There was nothing I could do except wait. "Clover! It's happening! We're fianlly going to find-" Scrape kicked her. "Whoops. Sorry." She seemed sorry.
-----Frost-------
Scrape rushed me to find the Lone Pack. I ran until I couldn't. I had to get a healer. I had to get Fever. "FEVER! WHERE'S FEVER?" I came to a halt in the camp. "Frost?" Fever asked. I tugged on her and yelped. Then I ran. She followed me. "PLEASE!" I said when I got back. "Help her!" She seemed to immediately understand. She got a weird blue flower thing and a stick. Clover held the stick to stop her from yelping. "Now, you go and guard outside." I nodded and sped out. Outside, a cool breeze brought the scent of blood and horror. A scent of fear. I knew what it was. It was the battle in which the Sunup Pack were fighting wolves. Mother. I ran hard. I ran faster than I did to Fever. Faster than I did back. There was blood at the battle, slashing claws and sharp teeth. The Beta in the Sunup Pack noticed me. "What are you doing here, pup?" He asked worriedly. "MOTHER!" I cried, ignoring him. "MOTHER WHERE ARE YOU?" I yowled, fighting back tears. Then I spotted her. She was lying limp on the ground. Then I cried out her name and tears flew from my face as I ran to her. I was able to drag the dead wolf back to the Sunup camp, where First, Third, who is Tail, and Fourth, who is Soot. I cursed Fifth's name and, ignoring the troubled Beta, brought her to the clearing. First immediately hugged her along with Third and Fourth. Mother was gone...

------Scrape------
I looked around outside. Frost was panting, running towards me. "Scrape." She collapsed. "Mother's gone. Dead." I shrunk back and threw my head back, giving a wail of grief. O Forest-Dog, protect Mother's spirit and guide her to her resting place. I prayed silently. "But, the River-Dog and Martha were generous today. I caught four whole fish!" She pulled out the large trout. "Perfect!" I said, trying to forget about Mother. "Clover will love this." But Fever came out with a great expression of confusion. "She's alright, just gave her what she needed. The pups are fine," she seemed to shiver with fear in the moment, "and they're even suckling." She looked at the fish, then at Frost. "Fine, but only one!" Fever snatched one and cantered away. "Scrape!" Clover cried. I dropped the fish I'd been holding and ran to her. "Is everything okay?" "Look at them! She's brown-ish gray, and-" Clover seemed to catch her breath in her throat. "She's pitch dark black!" Clover exclaimed nudging the tiny runt with her nose. The other one, unspoken of, was red and white with gray spots. I instantly knew who the Furmoil was. "We have to kill her." I gulped. Clover looked shock. "What? Why? She's mine and I say no!" "But- but the Furmoil, Clover. We have to get rid of it before she does it." I protested helplessly. "NO!" Clover yowled. "And that's final!" She sweeped them closer to herself. I sighed.
-----Furmoil/Flicker-------
Images flashed in my mind as my sister, Fern, headed toward longpaw trash. Ones of her getting stopped by Mother... ones of her dying. No one was nearby. Panic went through me. "Fern! Stop!" I cried out. Ignoring me, Fern cut herself on the sharp, shiny silver broken cylinder thing. Blood went from her muzzle down to the ground. I tried to drag my bigger litter-sister, crying out for help, blood trailing behind us. Fern suddenly went limp. No, no, no! I scrambled and let out a horrified wail. "Fern!" Clover came to us. She picked up her and took her to our healer dog. My father came to me. "Are you okay?" "No, it's not my blood. It's Fern's." I whimpered.
-------4 moons later still Flicker's pov------
I got up painfully. Visions blurred my mind. I didn't understand what was happening. My parents were arguing. Fern had died yesterday, after a long four moons of trying to save her. I took a deep breath and stopped my visions. I spied on my two mad parents. "She wouldn't be dead if we had just-" "We wouldn't have found Fern at all if it wasn't for Flicker!" Father growled at her. "But maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't have gotten into this at all if we had just killed Flicker from the beginning instead of giving her a name and keeping her alive! Her being alive is responsible for this. You killed Fern because you couldn't just kill an enemy!" He stormed off. I was confused. Did Father want me dead? Was I not supposed to be alive? Did Mother convince him I should live? Terror went through me. I walked away to find my other litter-sister, Robin, getting her red and white and gray fur all matted and dirty. My horns had a feeling of sorrow. "Robin... I think Father wants me dead." I said to her. She looked at me. "Of course not, Flicker!" She tried to comfort me. "You led them to Fern, you let her live for more time." She said. Robin gave me a lovingly look. "I know. But he blamed it on me, which he blamed on Mother. He even said Mother was a coward for not killing me the instant I was discovered." My four bee-like wings shuddered with fear.