Spirit's Bitter End

Chapter 5 ~ Upward Climb

        Kari sat huddled besides her mother as the wind whipped past the small group of wolves carrying the scent of death with it. The now small pack was frightened. What were they going to do if the others had not survived? They were but a group of females, pups and two males, not strong enough to defend themselves against attack. Kari gazed down at the forest that had been set ablaze, the flames thrashing about, growing stronger by the minute. Every tree, plant and animal it consumed was hurting the pack. There would be no food for them if the fire roared on at such a swift pace.

        "Mother, where is Pedrah? I still don’t see him?" Kari asked, looking up to give her mother a look of deep concern. Tears sparkled in Saria’s eyes as she shook her head in dismay.

        "I don’t know darling." She said in a soft voice, giving her daughter a soothing lick behind the ear. This all was too much to take in. What could have caused such destruction? Were the gods angry with them? If so, what had they done to deserve such punishment? Not a single wolf knew. Everyone was very cold, as if ice were running through their veins and freezing their marrow.

        Kari’s sapphire eyes shined ever so slightly. Suddenly, the young pup knew what all this was about. She foresaw immense destruction occurring throughout the land, and this fire was but a small part of it. Merely the beginning of the end.

        The planet itself seemed to shiver, then relax as a strong wind carried in rainclouds that drenched the entire valley, smothering the monstrous fire. Pedrah lifted his head up to the heavens, willing the sky to keep raining. Droplets of water clung to his pelt, thoroughly soaking the young pup. He shivered as a sense of dread embraced him with chilled arms. He turned to go search for his family when he heard paw steps approaching. He whirled around, expecting an attack of some sort. To his surprise, the ash-covered muzzle of Ty greeted him. He blinked twice; his mind trying to register the fact Ty was alive. After a moment, Pedrah gave the hunter a big grin and nuzzled him, glad to see another wolf.

        "Pedrah, what are you doing here? I thought the rest of the pack would have evacuated by now…" Ty murmured softly in a hoarse voice. He looked at the pup. He seemed to be fine. Except for the blood that drenched the fur on his neck. "Oh, I see. You were left behind weren’t you?" He made an assumption. Pedrah nodded and shivered again before finally deciding to speak.

        "Has anyone else survived?" He didn’t dare ask specifically about his father, for he feared what the answer might be. Ty nodded ever so slightly, almost hesitantly.

        "Two others survived. The alpha and your father, Ubron. But they won’t be alive for long if I don’t find help." Ty stared down at the now muddy ground with a sad, lost expression written on his face. Pedrah’s face showed no emotion what so ever, but on the inside, he was extremely worried.

        "I will help all I can." The pup woofed weakly. Ty gave Pedrah a grateful look, before quickly giving him instructions.

        "Most of the pack is likely to have evacuated up to the top of the plateaus of the great mountain of Alderon. There is a path just past camp leading almost directly up the side of the cliffs. Be careful on your way up, for stones often shift under your paws and may cause you to fall. Once you reach the top, the wind will be very strong, so be prepared to fight against the airflow and there is a small cave just to the right once you get to the top. The pack will be inside, assuming they took the normal evacuation route. Do you understand every word I just told you, Pedrah?" Ty spoke insanely fast in a very urgent tone, his brow furrowed. Pedrah nodded, showing that he had understood Ty’s instructions. "Go then! GO!" Ty barked before turning and dashing off back into the charred forest, surely to try and save the alpha and Ubron. Pedrah also turned-tail and ran in the opposite direction, in search of the cliffs that Ty had spoken of.

        They were immense, towering over the camp. Pedrah had always thought that the large rock wall had just been part of the great mountain of Alderon. But now that he was actually climbing up the steep slope that ran along the side of the rock wall, he could see the top. It defiantly was not part of the actually mountain. The great mountain of Alderon was immense and made this plateau look like an ant. Pedrah was breathing heavily as he struggled to keep his balance. Just as Ty had explained, the stones under his feet were shifting, trying to pull him off the edge where he would meet his doom. His hind leg slipped and the rest of him followed.

        "Gah!" Pedrah yelped, as he held onto the edge for dear life. He looked down at the camp, which now looked no bigger than a couple of mice droppings. He cringed, imagining himself falling. His front legs burned as he tried to pull himself up. But his attempts were in vain; he was not strong enough. The long climb had left him exhausted. Now, all he could do was dangle and hope that some wolf would find him.

        It seemed like Pedrah had been hanging onto the ledge for hours and now he was certain of his death. He was going to fall. His right paw began to slip off the rock, then his left. He said a silent pray to the gods, hoping he would somehow survive. Both of his paws slipped off the edge and he began his downward decent. But then, everything stopped. He was floating in midair, not falling down at all. He looked up, and saw the reason why he was still breathing. His mother stared down at him and relief flooded into Pedrah. He was saved. Saria set Pedrah down on more solid ground and began to cover him in licks.

        "Oh, I was so frightened! I thought I had lost you forever, Pedrah!" She barked, nuzzling her youngest pup. She was so relieved. The fire had been put out and now she had her son back. Could another miracle occur? Could Ubron still be alive as well? Pedrah pulled himself out of his mother’s embrace.

        "Mum! Ty told me that Ubron and the alpha still have breathe in their lungs. But not for long if they do not get help soon! The fire is out; it is safe for the pack to come back home. Please, go up and tell them." Pedrah yipped urgently. His mother nodded and began to run up the steep slope that Pedrah could barely walk up. How she did it, he knew not. He turned around and started walking back down. He was going to help save his father and the alpha. He hoped desperately that the rest of the pack would arrive before time ran out.