The Aviants

Chapter 3

            Silver lifted her head in a yawn. She frowned and got up, desperate for a drink. She padded out of the den and over to the pool of water collecting to the side of the den. Dipping her head to the cool water, her mouth filled with the refreshing taste. Silver lifted her head and stared at the pool. She saw her familiar silver fur, but something was different. My eyes! Silver internally yelped. They were blue. Not Blue-eye blue. A stunning Crystal blue. Holding her head high, Silver bolted back to the den. "Mom!" She yelped. Sapphire Jay sleepily lifted her head. "I got my eye color!" Sapphire Jay's head shot up, her eyes gleaming.
            "That's wonderful!" She barked. She got up and walked out of the den. "Stay here," she told Silver briefly. Silver sat and looked back in the den. Blue Raven was still asleep, as were her pups. Where's Sapphire Jay going? Silver's thoughts wandered as her mother entered the den, a large white wolf emerged. Silver caught a gasp in her throat. That's Alpha Winter Hawk! The small pup dipped her head as she bowed to the ground.
            Blue Raven sleepily arose, and her pups did the same. All of them quickly shot to their paws and bowed when they saw their Alpha. "There is no need for that," Winter Hawk cooly stated. "I'm here because it appears the last pup here is no longer a blue-eye. Blue Raven, Sapphire Jay, you know what that means." Silver watched the two mother wolves exchange expressionless glances. They walked out of the den, Alpha Winter Hawk following.
Listening to the best of her ability, Silver could only hear hushed whispers, unable to make out their words. Frustration pricked her fur. Finally, the three older wolves returned. "I've assigned you five to Black Osprey for your introduction training," Alpha Winter Hawk told the pups. "Follow me so you can begin."
            The pups excitedly followed their Alpha to a small den, hidden in an opening in a boulder. The ground sloped down as they entered a tunnel. Silver couldn't help but gasp when she reached the opening from the tunnel. A small hole covered in leaves let sunlight trickle in, and a small pool of water collected from a faintly trickling stream of water. There was a small rock that was slightly elevated on the far side of the cave. A black he-wolf sat on the rock, his eyes bright as he saw the pups.  Alpha Winter Hawk dipped her head to the black wolf and turned, before exiting the den.
            "Hello, pups! I'm Black Osprey, and I'm going to be your trainer," Black Osprey introduced. "Go ahead, sit." Silver found a spot and sat, shifting to get comfortable.
"As I've been told, it's always best to start at the beginning," Black Osprey said. "Well, once there was a small pack of wolves. They were led by a wolf known as Sun, and the pack was a pathetic sight. All the wolves were starving and weak. Sun stared at the birds in the sky, and knew that his pack would be healthy if they could touch the sky. 'What a foolish idea' the other wolves said to him. When he was at his breaking point, the starvation tearing away at his energy, he was attacked by an eagle, who apparently, he was close to the nest of. He fought and eventually killed the eagle. Sun knew it was large enough to feed his small pack. 'Thank you, Eagle, for your kindness, mercy, and leadership,' he told the slaughtered eagle. To forever remember the eagle, he pulled one of the strong wing feathers off of it and placed it in his chest fur. It was then, when the first Aviant was created, as a flash of light enclosed him, he came out with wings. Sun quickly told his pack, and soon, all of them had wings. He was renamed Alpha Sun Eagle, and is the greatest leader known to our history. He dedicated the rest of his life to forming a system so that the tradition of the Aviant warriors would not die out." All the pups stared in awe. I never knew we had such an amazing history! Silver wagged her tail happily. "Well, what about the Serpens?" Silver turned to see Spiral staring in wonder.
"Good question! A wolf known as Lightning thought that the wings were a terrible idea. He thought the stealthy and terrifying snake could solve their problems. After Sun returned with his wings, Lightning was infuriated, and went to find a snake. He killed an Adder, but I'm not sure what he thanked it for, and was given the striking speed and venomous fangs of the snake. Some wolves followed him, and some followed Sun. Lightning was also renamed, and was known as Alpha Lightning Adder. Now, enough history, we need to get to the important stuff." Black Osprey shook himself as he told the pups.
            "Okay, so you've all been blue-eyes, but now that you aren't, you must get your wings. Starting on the next full moon, you will all be sent out into the forest. Find your bird, kill it, but make sure it is respectfully and-"
            "How do you kill something respectfully?" Crystal's voice could be heard.
            "You'll know," Black Osprey swiftly answered. "Anyway, you must bow and pay your respects to the bird you have killed. Once you have thanked it, pull a feather from it and place the feather in your fur. If this is done correctly, then-" Black Osprey abruptly stopped as a flash encircled him. Brilliantly patterned wings appeared as he slowly folded and unfolded them. In another flash, the wings were gone. The pups gasped. A smile made its way onto their teacher's muzzle.
            "For the entire hunt, you have a moon," Black Osprey explained. "When you return, you will be assigned a mentor for your group. Once you've trained long enough, you will be given a final assessment. If you pass, you will be given your rank and your new name. Your name will be composed of your pup name, combined with the name of the bird who's wings you have been granted."
            Black Osprey dipped his head. "You are dismissed," he said. "Don't hesitate to ask me any questions." Silver slowly padded up to the black wolf. "Black Osprey? What happens if you can't get wings before the end of your hunt?"
            "I hope you don't have to find out," Black Osprey muttered ominously.

Long and full of explanation! I'm tired, and I heavily feel like I missed something... Let me know if you see a plot hole! Thanks! Hope it was worth the wait!