Mutatio

Chapter 4 FlamePup

The rest of my day was spent watching over the younger pups while HollyScratch and WaterStone cared for SkyPup, and while NightSky and the other older Mutatio talked with Delta about her journey. Poor SkyPup had long scratches all over her body and her fur was torn and ruffled from trying to get out of the briars. I hoped FoxFeather and CrowTail didn't get mad at HollyScratch. If they went to Beta about it, she might have HollyScratch go without food for a few days. Of course, the pups would always sneak her a squirrel or two, not to mention the Kappa's always hunt extra and leave food in the Prey Pile for her to get after dark, but it was still humiliating to be called out by Beta. I sighed as WinterPup and JunePup squealed and wrestled with each other. I stepped back as they rolled past me, ready to be out of the nursery.

"You know, FlamePup, some of the apprentices are as bad as pups when it comes to playing." I blinked and turned around. KindlePaw smiled at me, her purple eyes warm. With a flick of her cream colored ear, she sat down, wrapping her tail around her grey speckled paws. I smiled and sat down as well.

"Not you, though, right?" I teased. She shook her head with a laugh.

"No, of course not!" She replied with a smirk, narrowing her eyes in a nonthreatening challenge. I growled playfully and tackled her. She laughed as she rolled over, pushing me off. "I'm an Eta apprentice, FlamePup, you really think you can win against me?" She joked, batting at me with a paw. I narrowed my eyes at her and smirked.

"I think you should put your claws where your mouth is!" I tackled her again. This time, when she rolled over, I braced myself by digging my back paw into the soft dirt and ducking my head under her paws. She gently grabbed my ear with her teeth, pulling me off of her. She jumped on top of me and I kicked out with my hind legs, knocking her feet out from under her. With a surprised yelp, she collapsed on top of me. We laughed as we struggled to get to our feet. KindlePaw's laugh was rich and smooth, like honey. She shook her fur back into place and smiled at me.

"Nice moves, FlamePup, but you look a mess!" She laughed. I tried to smooth my fur down, but I couldn't reach the top of my head. KindlePaw giggled and stepped forward. She licked the top of my head, smoothing down my fur. She sat back, smiling at me. I said nothing, my breath trying to catch back up with my heart. KindlePaw blushed and looked at her paws. Suddenly, I felt somebody's breath tickle my ears. I turned around and saw TearPaw towering over me, his dark grey eyes hard as he looked at me. He smirked, stretching out his muscles, his dark brown fur rippling in the sunlight.

"So, FlamePup, you're about ready to be an apprentice, is that right?" He questioned. I nodded, nervous.

"Yes, that's right. I'm going to be an Eta." I replied. TearPaw pursed his lips, studying me.

"Personally, I don't think you're cut out to be an Eta. Alpha might put you as a Kappa." His words shouldn't have bothered me, but they did. I held my head high, suddenly aware of the fact that I was bigger than the last time TearPaw and I had a falling out. He was still bigger though. And stronger.

"There's nothing wrong with being a Kappa," I said, my voice wavering slightly, "they provide food." TearPaw huffed a laugh and leaned in close to me.

"That's because the only fight they can win is one against a mouse. The only thing worse than being a Kappa is being an Omega. I'll bet your parents were Omegas. I'll bet that they were both so pathetic that your pack couldn't decide which one was worse, so they demoted them both." He hissed. Anger flared up inside me and I growled. Without thinking, I lashed out at him. TearPaw let out a howl of anger as blood squirt from his nose. With a swipe of his paw, I went flying into one of the stone walls around the camp. I fell to the dirt with a yelp, shaking off the dizziness and pain, ready to retaliate if needed. TearPaw was glaring at me, but he didn't approach. Instead, he gave KindlePaw, his Socius, a quick lick on the cheek and stalked off to the Apprentice den. KindlePaw gave me a sad, apologetic smile filled with concern before running off to answer CrowTail's summons. I rubbed my nose with my paw, hoping that nobody saw what had just transpired. I scolded myself for attacking TearPaw. That was stupid of me, even if he had insulted my parents. I sighed and laid down, putting my head on my paws. Why did I defend my parents? It's not like I knew them, or anything. They dumped me outside the pack's entrance and left my fate up to Alpha. I twitched my ear irritably and got to my paws again. I quickly scanned the camp for the other pups and saw them roughhousing in front of Alpha's den. The old wolf was sitting at the entrance to the den, watching them. I approached the pups and Alpha slowly, my head and tail down respectivelly.

"Sorry, Alpha." I apologized, looking at my paws. He chuckled.

"Sorry for what, FlamePup? There's no harm done. Come, sit." He replied. I did as told and sat down next to him, my fur tingling with the anxiety of being so close to the pack leader. We watched JunePup and WinterPup play in silence, their actions becoming more sluggish as the sun went down. After a few more minutes, Alpha spoke up. "Those are some sharp claws you've got, FlamePup. You can bet that TearPaw's going to be training harder for the Apprentice tournament when you get involved." My pelt burned with embarrassment and I kept my head low.

"Sorry." I muttered. Alpha laughed again.

"HollyScratch tells me that you have a temper, and NightSky claims that you're pretty head-strong, but you wouldn't know it from the way you're acting right now. Is everything alright, FlamePup?" He asked. I looked up at him.

"I'm just nervous about tomorrow, I guess." I admitted. Alpha nodded in understanding.

"I see. My son tells me you are a formidable fighter, is that true?" He wondered. I smirked.

"I like to think so, yeah." I replied, formalities forgotten. Alpha smirked at me.

"Tell me, FlamePup... Do you wish to be an Eta or a Kappa?" The question caught me off guard. Apprentices were never asked which one they'd prefer, they were just assigned a task. I wrapped my tail around my paws.

"Whichever position will benefit the pack the most is where I belong." I said firmly. The moon was beginning to climb into the starry sky, the warm air beginning to cool. WinterPup and JunePup had long since gone into the nursery. Alpha smiled and nudged me with his shoulder.

"Go get some sleep, FlamePup. You've got a big day ahead of you. And I still haven't picked your mentor yet!" My stomach flopped.

"Who do you have in mind?" I asked hopefully. Alpha chuckled and flicked my ear with his tail.

"Go to sleep, FlamePup." Then he turned around and went inside his den. I sighed and walked over to the nursery. I laid down next to the entrance and watched as the Kappas and Etas went to bed. I saw a wolf I didn't recognized and realized that that must be the Delta, MistTail. She was lean with slick grey fur, the tips of her ears and tail and her paws black. Her eyes were a shimmering aqua blue, and as she walked, the muscles in her legs made her fur ripple. She was obviously built for speed, seeing as the Delta was the one who ran from pack to pack in attempts to keep the peace and deliver messages. Her footfalls were silent as she curled up in a patch of soft grass in between Beta's den and the Eta den. Before she could fall asleep, though, Alpha walked over to her. They exchanged a few words, MistTail looking surprised. They both dipped their heads to each other and Alpha returned to his den. MistTail looked over at me and I quickly pretended to be asleep. After a few moments, MistTail laid her head down and went to sleep. I let out a breath, relieved that I hadn't been caught looking. Or at least that the Delta hadn't brought it to Alpha's attention. As I fell asleep, I realized something... Was MistTail going to be my mentor?

A/N: Hey guys! So...yeah. I'd just like to say that the Mutatio MistTail is dedicated to Oreo_Converse! She's been really supportive of this story, and I asked her to make a wolf, and she made MistTail! So...yeah! Thanks, Oreo_Converse for all your support! Oh, and I'm planning on writing a lot more of Mutatio this week, so you'd better get those chapters ready to update in your story! ;) Haha!