Running with wolves

Chapter 3

Light filtered through the leaf screen as Sky blinked her eyes open, she rested her head on her paws thinking about the scolding her parents had given her the night before. She had been confined to the cave for a quarter moon and wasn't allowed to see Flame. He's going to be so bored without me she thought smiling to herself. Stretching she got up and looked around wondering where everyone was, she then poked her head out of the leaf screen. "It's that time again" began Harac standing on a giant rock next to the entrance looking down at his pack. Glancing at Ylva he said "Ylva will be going this moon as we still have the human hunters nearby so who ever would like to go sit by her and good luck." He jumped off the rock and went to talk to Fang while the rest of the pack split up muttering to each other about whether they should go or not. Excitement bubbled through Sky as she raced down the ledges towards her mother; Everyone had talked about the kingdom of Emolia but she didn't really understand why her parents had two packs. As she skidded to a halt in front of Ylva, Harac stepped forward and growled "why are you not in the cave like we ordered?!" Sky narrowed her eyes and stood before him "because father you said I could listen to any meetings from our ledge so that's what I did and when I heard you saying about the kingdom I wanted to come. Have you got a problem with that?" By the time she had finished speaking she was out of breath and snarling with hatred creeping into her eyes. Harac looked down at Sky who was fighting the urge to leap at him and simply smiled. "Of course you can go Sky." Both Sky and Ylva looked at him confused "you can't keep her locked up Ylva she's growing up and I think this tree is starting to make her crazy." Ylva sighed and nodded "fine but I'm not happy about this." Sky bounded away spotting Flame watching her, she went up to him hardly able to keep still. "I get to go to the kingdom! Its going to be so much fun! You should come!" Flames only response was "so your leaving me for them! Hope you have fun." He spat the last words out then sulked away. Was that sadness and disappointment in his eyes? She shook the thought away as she heard her mother calling to her.

Sky walked in silence with her tail dragging as she walked with the rest of the group. Only Sky, Ylva, Nymph, Alisha and Fang had joined to make the trip to Emolia they all had been walking for three hours and Sky didn't know how long she could go on before her paws fell off. She dropped to the back of the group where Nymph was also struggling to keep up. "How long is this crazy she wolf going to make us walk? Were not all as fit or young as she is" she wheezed. " Be a dear and go convince your beaver brained mother to give us a rest until morning" Sky looked over her eyes clouded with pain and exhaustion, Nymph looked at her amused and full of sympathy "I promise you can have the best prey that I get." Sky smiled slightly her eyes lit up as she race towards the front. Ylva had let them stop fifteen minutes after Sky had asked they had come across a clearing and everyone immediately set off hunting and making sure the temporary camp was safe and easily protected.

Nymph looked around at everyone working and at the edge of the clearing she noticed Sky sleeping she laughed slightly and went and curled up around her. Sky had fallen asleep as soon as she stopped which had angered Ylva as she wanted Sky to help build camp, she had gone over to wake Sky up but each time Nymph growled and said that she was to be left alone. Nymph watched Sky wriggle in her sleep to get comfortable and couldn't help thinking about how much she loved and was proud of this pup even though she wasn't hers. Sky blinked her eyes open and locked them onto the camp entrance "I smell prey!" Nymph watched Sky stare unblinking at the entrance until the hunters returned. Sky had fallen asleep again as the hunting party shared out the prey so as promised Nymph left the best piece next to her and began eating her own.

The next morning Nymph woke up narrowing her eyes from the sunlight she looked down to see the barely eaten rabbit and the empty spot where Sky had slept. Leaping to her paws she scanned the makeshift camp panic rising in her chest "Sky? Sky!" Her voice shook thinking of all the horrible things that could have happened. Sky trotted into camp struggling to drag a rabbit half her size, bolting to her Nymph pulled her close and began licking her head rapidly"don't ever leave camp without me knowing ok?" Confused about what had happened she replied "err ok?" Standing back Nymph watched Sky catch her breath and point to the rabbit with her tail "Ylva told me to hunt for you." Nymph just tilted her head "but you haven't been taught to hunt." Shrugging Sky left Nymph to glare at Ylva and went to her own meal she'd left.

Gentle prods woke Sky "come on sleepy head it's time to leave." Grunting she staggered to her paws shaking her head to clear the blurriness. She bent down and wiped her eyes with her paw but she shouldn't get rid of the blurriness "Ylva? Ylva?! Ylva!" Her whole body shook as she fought the fear rising in her chest. "Shh it's Nymph what's wrong?" Swallowing she said "I...I...I can't see. Every...everything's blurry." Sky jumped as Nymph started growling, opening her mouth she recognised the sent straight away "what do you want?" Nymph spat baring her teeth. A low growl answered "I'm here to see MY daughter!" She turned to look at Sky "Sky what is this nonsense about not being able to see?" Sky opened her mouth and closed it again as Nymph cut in "if you didn't have bees in your ears then you would have heard that her eyes are blurry and she can't see!" She brushed her fur against Sky's and placed her tail across her "I shall guide her until we get to Emolia." Ylva stepped forward and grabbed Sky's scruff and threw her in front then nudged her to walk only turning back to stare at Nymph and sweetly added "if only you had pups of your own then you would know its a trick. Stay away from Sky before you do real damage."

Sky walked at the front of the group and every so often she would stop to wipe her eyes hoping to be able to see. She would trip often on the brambles that would snake onto the path, cursing each time a thorn dug into her paws. "Can you open your eyes or you wont have any fur left by the time we get there?!" Ylva said lashing her tail as Alisha and Fang pulled Sky out an abandoned badger sett, sighing Sky followed behind while twitching her nose and ears to try and get a picture of her surroundings. Sky was limping by the time they got another rest,she collapsed as far away from everyone as possible and began pulling thorns out of her pads. A whisper made Sky look up and the smell of mouse made her mouth water bending down to sniff it she noticed that something was off about it. Snarling She sneered "what did you do poison it?" The ginger she wolf backed up surprised by Sky's tone "I was just doing what Nymph asked." Sighing Sky bit into the mouse and muttered a thank you Alisha under her breath. She finished the mouse in a few small mouthfuls and trotted over to Ylva who had just announced that they would be at Emolia by sun set. Sky charged along the group thankful that her vision was getting better, the group moved swiftly through the forest only stopping when they reached the edge and stared out. A huge palace stood magnificently on top of a hill. A town spread out below it surrounded by a stone wall and at the main entrance a towering iron gate with guards stood before them. As the group walked towards the gate Sky noticed the burnt orange sun through the palaces towers and watched as it cast orangery gold rays of light down into the town.