The Pack Of Mist [Remake]

Chapter 3

     The pups trailed after the two large brutes, their gazes lowered fearfully. Their paws crunched on the debris below them. Flame lifted his chin gruffly as he took the lead, his pace quickening. While Flutter had no trouble catching up, Moon slacked, her bleeding paw giving her access to only three legs. The golden brown wolf realized this, and whirled around, his gaze hardening. "Keep up! At this rate, you would've been killed by a hungry coyote." he snapped, his brown eyes sharp. Sam came to a stop at his bark, and glanced at his companion sternly. "Just a second," he growled to Flame, eyeing Moon "Something's wrong." Flutter watched as the tall while canine approached her sister slowly, his large head bending down to the black pup's level. "You're wounded," Sam remarked, his gaze narrowed. "Let me see your paw." As Moon nervously lifted the swollen paw, she revealed her punctured pad, the thorn glistening. Flame grunted. "As expected. We have a healer back at camp, lets just keep moving." he narrowed his eyes, continuing. Sam nodded at the pups, signaling them to move. "You heard him, get a move on."

     After a while of trekking through the thick undergrowth, the group approached a large thicket, its branches forming a hole within it. Flutter exchanged a glance of unease with Moon. Are we going to be prisoners? Flutter shivered with fear at the thought of being held from ever returning to their precious barn. Flame nudged the two forward, guiding the pups through the entrance of their camp. Flutter winced as the briers tickled her face with irritation. Moon was pressed close behind her. When they entered the camp, it was like a new place. Flutter gazed around the new setting, her eyes showing a hint of amazement. The large thicket circled around the camp. Multiple patches of shrubbery decorated the area naturally; many of them sheltered other canines. Looming before the two pups was a large rock pile, drawing up to a den carved naturally into a small hole. Moss, ferns, and other various shrubs carpeted the den's outing. So beautiful... Flutter almost forgot about her situation, until Flame separated her from Moon. "W-what are you doing?" yelped the brown pup, as he nudged her away from her sister, who in return watched, consternation prominent in her gaze. "Relax whelp," he growled, shoving her towards a smaller thicket. "You're going in here."

     His brute force sent Flutter through the ferns roughly the dirt clouding into the air upon disturbance, leaving her whining in fear. Almost immediately, a head poked up from the greenery, eyes widened. "Huh?" a female voice yelped, alarm in her voice. "What's going on?" The golden brown brute flicked an ear, his gaze narrowed. "We have new pups; came from the Barn. Your mate and I tracked them down." The female rose to her paws, her white coat glistening in the dim light. "Sam? Where is he?" her light brown gaze hardened, as she continued,  "Are you telling me you two stole them?" Flame snorted, "Not stole; they were several meters within our borders." A growl rumbled in the female's throat. "So you thought it was okay to take the pups here like this? Look how scared she is!" Their gazes burned on Flutter, who tried desperately to avoid them. Please leave me alone... Flame returned his cold stare to the white female. "It doesn't matter. Your job is to raise pups, and I brought you pups. I'm going to talk with Alpha about them." With that aside, he left the den quickly, his tail flicking behind him.

     The female glared at Flame as he retreated from the den, snorting angrily. Taking a deep breath, she glanced down at Flutter. "Are you okay, sweetie?" The brown pup recoiled; never had she been this fearful in her life. Back at the barn, all Flutter had to worry about was when her mother returned to the shed. Now, she was dealing with animals, far more larger than Mother, and much more capable of ripping her pelt apart. Surprisingly, this female was very patient, and gentle, like a motherly figure. This caused Flutter to relax a bit, as the wolf sighed softly. "That's it," she murmured gently. "Take a deep breath and calm down. You look petrified." Flutter raised her head to meet her gentle gaze. "I didn't think this would happen," she chirped in a small voice. "I only wanted to explore.." The white female's voice became stern. "Many pups enjoy leaving their comfort zone," she chimed. "But you do know that this place belongs a pack, albeit a large one. This isn't your place." Flutter looked away from the motherly wolf. "I-I know, I'm sorry.." The female shook her head, disquieted. "All will be solved in the morning," she mumbled. "I'll give you a place to rest at, alone with your sibling."