Kingdom Wolves: The Flames of Struggle

Chapter 2

     Kira scanned the group of wolves gathered at the Introduction meeting. She couldn't see Mitch anywhere. He hadn't come back last night after running off, and it was all that her, Trace, and Livy could do to keep Sierra from following him. Kira glanced over at Livy, who was half asleep, her head lowered and her eyes drooping. Kira rolled her eyes. Livy was always tired these days.

     Trace and Sierra stood together, whispering quietly. Kira strained to listen, but then spotted Mitch slipping into the announcement bowl. She opened her mouth to call out, then snapped it shut. She was last wolf that Mitch wanted to hear from right now. "Hey Sierra. Mitch just came in." Sierra's eyes lit up as she scanned the crowd and spotted him.

     "I'm gonna go check on him! We'll talk after, okay?" Sierra bounded off, and Trace glanced at Livy. "Uh, I think Livy's sleeping..."

    

     The night was deep, the liquid darkness stretching far across the land. A soft wind blew through the trees, making the leaves rustle quietly. The stars dotted the endless sky, like little shimmering spotlights from other worlds unknown. The largest light, the Moon, shined brightly, calling to all those who inhabited the lands.

     As the night wore on, a small she-wolf loped gracefully up the side of Blue Rock, the shafts of moonlight illuminating her gray and white pelt. She came here every full moon to see her parents prancing in the stars. As she gazed up into the starry sky, her brilliant green eyes searched nervously, then sparkled with thrill.

      Two figures, dancing in the starlight. They approached her slowly, floating down from their starry world in sky. As their paws touched the tip of Blue Rock, the she-wolf exhaled slowly. "M-Mum?" Her voice shook as the starry she-wolf, with a very similar pelt, stepped forward.

     "Livy. Livy!" Livy jerked her head up, blinking her eyes rapidly. She looked around, confusion wrapping around her mind, as she tried to figure out where she was. As her eyes settled on Grove and the elders chatting in the corner, she jerked awake. It was the first event of Initiation. "Good, you're awake. I can't believe you fell asleep before the Introduction. We haven't even been in here fifteen minutes yet!"

    Livy looked down shyly. "Give me a break Kira, I didn't get much sleep last night." Kira rolled her eyes, then turned to focus on Grove. "Nervous, are we?" She asked quietly.

     Livy sighed and nodded. "A little. I don't even know what I want to do with my life. I'm just wishing I could have stayed home with Lucia, and spent my days learning how to heal with her."

    "Maybe you could be a Kingdom Healer. Like... Ah, what's her name... Hylya, is it?" Kira tilted her head in thought.

    "When will you two learn that you need to be quiet during meetings?!" Trace snapped at the two of them. "The elders will NOT be happy with us! And I, for one, do not want to be in bad light when them!"

    Kira rolled her eyes, but went quiet, and nodded for Livy to do so as well. As the two looked back up, Grove and two other wolves mounted the speech rock in the center of the cave.

     "Good Morning, Cadets! I hope you are all well rested and ready to begin the day's events. Today, we shall be doing two different challenges, one hosted by my buddy Reyson, and the other by my old pal Laurini. Reyson will be hosting the first event, which will be a Hunting event. You shall be split into teams, with each team being sent to a different area and having to catch a certain amount of prey before HighSun to succeed. Then you all will return here, where we shall examine, split up, and then eat the catches."

     "After you are all well fed and rested, Laurini and her Lieutenants will lead you on a climbing expedition of the nearby Mount Taryar. Then you will return here once again, and your first day of Initiation will be complete. Simple, right?" Grove chuckled to himself, then nodded to Laurini and Reyson.