Life With the Pack

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I crouched lower in the snow-covered undergrowth, my eyes focused on my prey. Silently, I stalked closer, stopping a few tail-lengths from the thrush. I lowered myself into the hunter's crouch, judging the distance to the fat bird, and pounced on my prey. As I leaned down to give the killing bite, something crashed into my side, bowling me over onto my back, and I watched angrily as my meal scrambled up and flew clumsily away.

A paw suddenly pressing my turned head into the snow reminded me of my attacker. Gathering my muscles, I shoved upward with all my strength, throwing off my aggressor. Jumping to my paws, I turned and saw my opponent lying winded on the ground a few wolf-lengths away.

"Dark, what are you doing!? Do you realize that you just let my thrush escape?" I growled exasperatedly, stalking over to my friend.

"Snow!" Dark exclaimed, scrambling to his paws, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was you! I thought you were one of the Wilds' scouts tracking us again!"

"Come on," I sighed, "Let's catch some prey then head back to the den. We can't return empty-pawed again, or Alpha Night will have our pelts for bedding."

Suddenly I leaped onto a boulder, propelling myself into the air with my strong legs, and morphed into a hawk. I slapped Dark with my tail in the process. Dark followed my example and shot towards me. I easily avoided his charge, then circled back around to scan the forest for prey.

"Sorry about my tail, I can't control it when I morph, you know," I crowed as he rocketed toward me once again. I dodged to one side and continued scanning the ground.

Without warning, Dark veered off and swooped down to land on a low branch of a nearby tree. He beckoned for me to follow, and as I landed next to him on the thin branch, he motioned with one of his talons towards something in the brush. I peered through a scraggly bramble thicket and saw what he had been distracted by.

"Oh no," I breathed, wondering how they had caught up to us so fast.

"Yeah, I know. We need to tell Alpha night immediately," Dark murmured back. "And I think it would be okay if we returned without prey this time," he added, casting a side glance at me.

Nodding agreement, and I soundlessly leaped off of our perch and into the air, flapping our wings hard to clear the trees. As we headed back towards the den, I cast occasional glances at the forest below us, keeping a look out for any more of our enemies.

. . .

"Alpha Night, Alpha Night!" Dark and I screeched simultaneously as we landed on the ledge outside of the tunnel leading into the mountain that ended at the Pack's den. When no one answered, we transformed back to our wolf forms and sniffed the air.

"Do you smell that? It seems familiar, but I can't quite..." I stopped as I turned to look at Dark. He had stopped sniffing and was looking at me with an odd expression on his face. I stiffened as I suddenly remembered this morning when he had given me the same look. Suddenly, I recognized the scent. I knew why no one had answered us when we landed.

The Pack was under attack.