Darkness Rising ~ Book 1

Chapter 6

Fallen sighed as he tuned out the complaints from his family. 'You're too stupid to even catch prey!' 'Why can't you make us proud like your brother?' He'd heard them all before and they stopped hurting a long time ago.

'You're just a Moor lover!' his mother sneered. Fallen snapped his head up. This was new. 'All you ever do is hang around the Moor border and moon over it!' Fallen just stared at her in shock. His family was cruel but not that cruel! 'Why dont you just live with the moor pack then?' She asked with venom dripping from every word.

Fallen felt something in him snap. "Maybe I will!" he growled then ran towards the Moor pack border. He wasn't sure what he was going to do but he did know that he wasn't ready to leave his pack... not yet anyway. He padded along the border, his tail dragging through the autumn leaves. He kept his head low, not knowing where he was going.

A smell hit his nose and he slowed down. He smelt his brother and another wolf. A wolf that wasn't part of their pack. Fallen hears a yelp then his bother calling him. "Fallen, help with this intruder."

Fawn walked into camp, her head low and tail dragging. Her mother, Blossom, rushed to her daughter's side when she saw the state she was in.

"Fawn! What's wrong?" she asked anxiously.

Fawn muttered something under her breath that sounded something like 'I'm fine.' then pushed her way into the den and curled up into her nest. She ignored the offended murmurs from outside her den and pulled her fluffy tail over her nose. She heard someone brush through the entrance of her den and sighed as they nudged her side.

"Honey, what's wrong?" her mother asked.

Fawn growled and looked at her mother. "Nothing, I'm fine!" she snapped then rested her head on her paws, ignoring the hurt look in Blossoms eyes. A small sense of guilt blossomed in her chest. It wasn't fair to take her pain out on her mother. She started to apologize for snapping at her but her mom was already stalking out of the den. Fawn shook her head. Maybe a nice nap would calm her emotions.

Fawn woke to early morning light pouring into her den. She heard the pack moving around in the clearing and she was surprised she had slept so long. She sat up in her nest and groomed herself quickly. When she was done she stretched then brushed out of her den into the clearing. The noise turned to whispers as she walked over to the beta.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked the tall brown wolf. The beta looked at her and Fawn swears she saw a hint of emotion in his eyes. It almost looked like... suspicion. Dread filled Fawns body as she looked around the clearing. Every wolf she looked at averted their eyes as soon as hers rested on them. Her blood felt like ice as she backed away from the beta and the accusing eyes. They can't know... can they? She turned to race out of the camp and saw Storm smirking at her in the shadows. No... her sister had lied. She told them about Fallen...

Suddenly her sister and all of the wolves in the pack opened their mouths in a screeching howl, their voices all joined as one.

'The bird will soar, to find the fawn...'

"Wake up Fawn!" growled a tall brown wolf. He prodded Fawn in the side repeatedly until she woke up. Fawn jumped to her paws and stood there panting like she had just run around the whole territory. Whatever she was dreaming of she can't remember but all she knows is it freaked her out. The brown wolf recoiled in shock as she jumped up. "Uh.. okay then." he muttered. "You're on the dusk patrol." he woofed quickly then backed out of the den. Fawn just stood there for a couple more heartbeats then padded out after him. She walked over to the group of wolves by the entrance and they all padded out of camp in silence. No matter what she did she couldn't get that dream out of her head. She can't remember what happened at the end but she could remember the fear of Storm spilling her secrets.

"Fawn! C'mon snap out of it!" snapped a pretty brindle she wolf. Fawn lowered her head, ashamed that she got so distracted on a border patrol.

"Sorry Hawk," she muttered, "I just had a bad dream and i can't shake this feeling i have about it."

Hawks eyes softened at the younger wolf's confession. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. Fawn just shook her head. There was no way she was telling another wolf her problems.

"No, i'll be fine." she replied with a determined look in her eyes. She will get through today and the days after that. No matter what happens, she can always rely on her packs support... right?