Midnight's Dream

Midnight's Dream: Chapter One

Dream raced through the forest, dodging thick-barked trees and jumping rotting logs, chasing after the biggest, fattest rabbit she had seen all winter. Thinking back, Dream was sure this was the biggest rabbit she had seen in her life, maybe even in the world. She was closing in on the rabbit, stretching her stride with each step. Suddenly the rabbit started to change, mid stride. Its ears grew smaller, its legs grew longer and wider, it's fluffy black-and-white fur shortened until it was coarse and brown, until it had completely morphed into a bear. The newly changed bear swung a left, and started to climb up the first suitable tree it saw. Without a second thought, Dream leapt up after it, not noticing how strange and unnatural it was that she was climbing a tree, only amazed by the wonderful view. They climbed higher and higher, until Dream forgot what she had climbed the tree for in the first place. As far as she could see were snow-covered trees, soft rolling hills, streams and rivers she'd never known existed, and in the distance, a cluster of mountains stood mighty and proud, blocking the direct sunlight for the valley, as if they were protecting it. In the distance opposite the mountains, a strange shaped valley hugged the tree line, filled with strange shapes that Dream couldn't quite decipher. Bringer her attention back to the chase, she noticed that the bear had disappeared, and without thought, Dream leapt out of the tree, flying like a squirrel, into the next tree. She did it again and again, leaping from tree to tree, until she landed on a thinner-than-safe looking branch, which cracked under her weight. As she hurtled towards the ground, she woke with a yelp.

"Dream, are you okay?" Her brother, Shadow, asked as he rolled onto his back and looked over at her.

Dream let out a sigh, "Yes, just dreaming again." Dream fluffed out her fur, feeling as if the wind from the run in her dream had stuck to her fur.

Dream was known in the family for having more-than-occasional crazy dreams, thus her parents re-naming her from Larka to Dream. There were other reasons, she had been told. Such as being compared to her brother, who was overflowing with mischief and was almost always getting himself in trouble, whether it be with Papa or some porcupine, she was a dream to raise.

"What about?" He asked, bringing Dream's attention back to her brother, who was now stretched out on his back, trying to reach his paws to the ground over his head, and her odd dream.

"The biggest, fattest rabbit in the world," she sighed, and as Shadow's eyes started to glow, she added; "until it turned into a bear."

An odd expression warped Shadow's face, and Dream wondered what was going on in his mind. It was probably the thought of food.

This winter had been harder than most,with deep snows falling over the forest, then melting, then falling again. Right now the forest was in the melting stage, but Dream's father had predicted more snow would fall before the next day. As if summoned, the large, dark wolf, Kra, known to Dream and Shadow as Papa, stuck his head into the bush the two young wolves had been sleeping in lately.

"Come on, you're like a pair of dormice," he barked. "We have food to find,"

As he pulled his head out again, Shadow made an ugly face.

"Oh, come on," Dream shot a glare at him. "We're going to have to get out soon anyways, we may as well do it with our tails still attached."

So, grumbling, the two wolves crawled out from under the bush and into the clearing where the Treasure Pack, as they called themselves, was staying. Treasure Pack was really just Dream, her parents and her brother, living in a clearing in the forest. Papa was sitting in the middle of the clearing, apparently waiting for everyone, and obviously not very patiently.

"Who are we hunting with today?" Dream asked.

"No one," Papa answered in a gruff voice, sounding as if the answer had been obvious. "Today Treasure Pack hunts alone,"

"But Mama's coming, too, right?"

"Of course!" Another gruff bark.

Then, as if summoned, Mama appeared, the pale sunlight glinting off her golden coat. Dream couldn't help but wonder if her parents could always be summoned by just talking or thinking about them.

"Summer," Papa growled, "you're late,"

"I'm sorry Kra, I didn't sleep well last night. Hunger, and the thought of my family being hungry kept me awake," Mama murmured, barely loud enough for Dream to hear.

"You hunt better when you sleep," Papa barked, standing up.

"You hunt better awake, in my opinion," Shadow butted in, taking on a sly look.

Papa turned towards him, then lunged and pinned Shadow to the ground, Papa's strong jaws latched onto his son's neck.

"You do not interfere!" He growled fiercely, "and you do not. Make. Jokes."

Dream leapt up, and scooted closer to her mother.

"Make him stop! Make him stop!" She begged.

Mama nodded. "Kra, release him," she said, her voice calm but full of authority. "Killing your son won't fill our bellies, unless you want to go Cannibal. And with so few of us left, do you really want to risk that?"

Papa released Shadow, though he seemed a bit reluctant. Shadow stood up, shaking out his thick fur and glaring at his father.

"Since we are hunting alone, we must start soon," and with that, Papa started into the forest, walking away from the sun. Dream shivered at Mama's words. "So few of us left" Dream knew that her kind was rare, unlike the old days. She only knew of two other packs nearby. One much bigger, and one only a wolf and his mate, and their one son.

The rest of Treasure Pack quickly followed Papa into the forest, and Dream fell into step beside Mama.

Mama's warning words to Papa had shaken Dream, and she decided to ask Mama about them.

"You said with so few of us left," Dream said.

"Yes, yes I did," Mama had a strange look in her eyes, but Dream kept talking.

"How many wolves are there now?"

"I don't know Dream, but very few. I have heard that another pack died off recently. Shia, the wolf who told me, claimed that it was from poisoned meat."

"How many wolves were there before?"

"There were very many wolves, too many to count. They lived all over,"

"Were you alive when there were many wolves?"

"No, but my mother's mother was,"

Dream loved learning about the old times. When wolves where everywhere, the things called "hunters" stayed away, and the animal called "deer" still existed. Dream had learned that deer used to be a main food for wolves, but now they had to live mainly off of rabbits and mice. They occasionally got to eat moose, but Papa made them leave moose alone most of the time. He said there were very few left. She wondered if they would soon all be gone, like the deer. A deep growl from Papa snapped Dream out of her thoughts.

"What is it Kra?" Asked Mama anxiously. She gasped when she and Dream caught up to Papa, standing over a strange patch of paw prints.

"No," Mama breathed.

"What is it?" Dream demanded, walking up to sniff the strange prints. They were long, and had interesting patterns along the bottom of their feet, and it looked like they walked on one big toe. Papa pulled Mama aside, and Dream could only hear snippets of their conversation. She heard things like "humans," and "guns," and "dangerous."

"Let's go back," Papa barked, summoning Dream and Shadow. "Today we will go hungry."

What is happening? Dream wondered. Papa seemed tense as ever, and even Mama looked worried. Confused and hungry, Dream followed her family back to their camp.