Runt In The Wild

Chapter Twenty Four

The warm blood of the rabbit filled my mouth as I ate with Lonnie in our den. Lonnie ate her squirrel and two robins happily. I licked my chops before nudging Lonnie softly with my muzzle. "See you later," I said as I licked the side of her face.

Lonnie didn't say anything as she continued to eat her breakfast, and I ran out of den. The trees of the Golden Forest whizzed past me in a mixture of gold, green, and brown. I leaped over fallen trees and listened to the rhythm of my paws thudding on the soft ground beneath me.

The forest breeze seemed to whisper my name as it brushed my ears gently. The undergrowth of the forest brushed my belly and legs as I raced over them. My paws slid over the smooth ground of the sandy shore as I leaped over a stream and landed delicately on the other side.

I reached the end of the forest and the beginning of the cliffs. I climbed up and ran along the top. The wind whipped through my fur as I ran over the top of the cliffs. All around me I could see views like no other.

I ran free, and I felt like I could fly. I could do anything. I could chase the sun and reach it. I could soar through the bright blue skies overhead. I could be a wolf that wasn't judged because she was a runt.

I reached the end of the cliff and stood there letting the wind blow through my white pelt as I looked over my beautiful home. This is where I belong, and this is where I will stay. I howled into the sky before I leaped off of the cliff and ran happily through the forest once more towards the village.

I broke the tree line and trotted into the village with my head and tail held high. Wolves greeted me as I made my way to the Alpha Cave.

I walked in to see Alphas filing in to see what Alpha wanted done for the day. I pushed through the Alphas to the front. "Kate," Alpha called, "today I want you to patrol the borders on your own. It's been a while."

I dipped my head at him and smiled. "Yes, Alpha." I ran out of the cave and ran straight for the forest. Once again I let everything go as I flew through the magnificent forest towards the border.

I trotted happily along the border, sniffing for intruders and renewing scent markers. As the sun began to set, I had walked around almost the whole territory.

Since I was done with patrol, I quickly ran to Alpha's den to report. After I finished, I raced to the Hot Springs, stopping for a minute to catch a blue jay for dinner.

As I entered the clearing, I heard the laughter of my friends echoing off of the small cliff. My friends were splashing in the hot spring, and I stealthily creeped forward without them noticing me before I howled and leaped into the water.

Lucy and Molly screamed as the boys fell back in shock. I broke the surface of the water laughing like a maniac. "You should have seen your faces!" I yelled through my laughter. My friends joined in as we continued to splash around.

Finally, we clambered on out and jumped at each other playfully with our still soaking wet fur. Me and Molly rolled over on the ground as we nipped each other's sides. I leaped back off of her and ran straight for Leonardo. I crashed into him, and he fell backwards in shock. I gripped his ear and pulled it playfully until he kicked me off.

Suddenly, a huge weight crashed down on my back. "Leo!" I screamed. I heard Leo's laughter as I struggled to get out of his grasp. I squirmed from beneath him and leaped back to face him, growling playfully while wagging my tail fiercely.

He growled back, and we leaped at each other. We wrestled each other to the ground before we finally separated panting. My friends and I started to settle down, lying happily in the soft green grass as the sun finished setting over the horizon.

"You guys going to the howling tonight?" Lucy asked, breaking the silence. Molly yipped excitedly, causing me to smile.

"Yep; Leo and I are going together," I replied. Leo licked the side of my face, making my smile grow even bigger.

Lucy smiled and nodded. "Well, we better get ready and then go," she said as she got to her feet and stretched. We all got up and started to fix our fur for the howling.

After we finished, the six of us ran together towards the howling clearing. Leo's pelt brushed against mine as we ran next to each other through the forest.

We entered the clearing surrounded by cliffs and headed straight for the tower on the left. We all got on our own ledges with our pre-mates. Leo and I sat on the ledge closest to the top.

I leaned against Leo and breathed in his scent as the moon began to rise. Alpha eventually came with Kira by his side once more, and the howling began.

Leo howled his deep howl into the night sky as I added my lighter yet seemingly more powerful howl to his. Like always, I lost myself as I seemed to dance along with the stars and the souls of the many wolves both in my pack and no longer with us. Leo danced with me, staying by my side and never leaving me behind, never caring that I was a runt, never caring about what I am and more of who I am.

Slowly, everything started to fade until it was back to normal. I looked around and saw Leo staring at me sweetly. I licked the side of his face with a smile before I nuzzled back into his black fur.

Alpha started to howl and the beam of light that always appeared soared through the sky with the other lights. The lights collided in the center, and my vision disappeared. In its place a photo of a familiar family of wolves appeared.

Standing together was an older replica of me, a tall-sandy colored wolf, a beautiful silver wolf, and a smaller bluish, silver wolf with white patches and bright blue eyes. Finally, a muscular coal black wolf stood tall and confident, but he looked mad and didn't smile. All of them looked sad and upset. But then I realized that one was missing. The adult coal black male. The father of the family. He wasn't there. Then I heard a voice, "...runt..." The image in front of me disappeared as a blurred image appeared in front of me. It wouldn't clear, and I heard snippets of words from a snarling voice. "...over... runts... disappear... you..." The blurry sight faded away until I was just looking down at Alpha leaving with a look of horror on my face.

What is happening? Where's the coal black wolf? Why can't I see the blurred image? The questions and a million others buzzed around in my head as I made my way home, alone through the forest. All I knew was that something wasn't right.

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Hey! How are you guys?! The first part of the chapter I hadn't planned on writing, but I didn't know what to put. I have been watching Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron (one of my FAVORITE movies) quite a bit, so I was inspired by the opening song, the song above, to write the first part of the chapter. The second part of the chapter I had planned, so you'll see what happens even if it will probably be a while. Also, the picture is of Lucy and Leonardo. Lucy is on the left and Leonardo on the right. Anyways, what really is happening to Kate and the blurred image, and where is the coal black wolf? Have fun! Ask questions and comment! :)