The Wolves of the Gems

Chapter 7

The Farm: Snow Pack Territory: The Barn: Late Spring

  All the wolves returned to the barn, many cleaning their wounds once they laid down. Stormcloud usually kept to himself, but this time he didn't. He laid closer to the others with his niece, the black and grey pup, at his side. Three of the four brown wolves rested on hay bales, either sitting or laying down, their heads facing towards the second level of the barn. Faita slumped onto a bed of hay with Silver beside her, wrapping her tail around the midnight teen. Darkness sat down beside them. The tan and white pup jumped on his uncle before sitting down on the opposite side to his sister.

  The tiny clicks of nails on wood echoed through the barn as Snowstorm stood on the second level, her gem still glowing slightly, with her beta, Tina, and her gamma, Rissca, on either side of her. Faita shivered as she looked at the white wolf, but it wasn't a scared shiver, or a shiver of anger, it was a shiver of cold. It was only then did she realise it was like a blizzard outside the barn. Faita tilted her head at the snow, before turning her head back to the white wolf as she began to speak.

  "My friends," Snowstorm spoke, her head held high. "The enemy we had for long hoped to never find us, has arrived. Now our moves against them have to be presice, and planned, not like we've been doing."

  "Alpha?" one of the brown wolves asked, "may I speak?"

  Snowstorm nodded her head at the male, "go on, Caffee."

  "Thank you," he said, standing up on the hay bale. "No offence to the newbies, but I believe a first move is to get rid of them."

  "I take offence to that," Darkness stated looking at the wolf.

  "Hear me out first," the brown wolf argued, "the Rogues will continue to come back, looking for you until you're dead. You became a threat to our pack without even knowing it." Faita put her head down, knowing the statement was true. Silver looked down at the teen, her eyes showing reassurence.

  "Caffee, your opinion is noted, and action will be taken," Snowstorm said, "Darkness, Silver and Faita, I will ask you to leave the territory, but my brother will accompany you as a protecter." Stormcloud nodded at his sister. All the wolves agreed on the decision, except one.

  "No disrespect, Alpha, but this is not the best idea," Hazel said, stepping forward, looking at Snowstorm, though not in the eyes. "Sending the pack's best defence away to just 'protect' as you say-"

  "Let me stop you there, Hazel," Snowstorm said, "my brother will protect them, as they complete their task." The three loners and Stormcloud tilted their heads at the white she-wolf.

  "What do you mean?" Ths silver wolf asked.

  Snowstorm looked down at the loners. "For a long time, I believed it to be a coiniedence that gems like the ones around mine and my brothers neck exsisted. Then I saw the energy wave come from your gem, Faita. The gem from the legend."

  "What legend?" Faita asked, looking at Snowstorm, before turning to Darkness as he spoke.

  "The legend about the seven gems," Darkness answered, "but even if they all exsist, they're stattered across the land. Finding them is going to be a long and impossible journey."

  "Yay, the pessimistic wolf is back," Silver said with a lot of sarcasm, glaring at Darkness.

  "I'm saying how it is, Silver, many winters will pass before we even find one," Darkness said.

  "Dark, are you blind? Or have you blanked out for the past few hours?" Silver said, looking around the barn, "Spring isn't even over and we're standing here with four gems."

  "Come on Darkness, we have to try," Faita said, looking up at the older wolf, turning her attention back to the white she-wolf. "Snowstorm, is there any way these gems, could take down the Rogues?"

  Snowstorm shook her head, defleating Faita's hopes, then Snowstorm spoke. "These gems won't just take them down, the Rogues will no longer exsist." All the wolves looked up at Snowstorm with wide eyes. "But only if the gems are given back to there rightful Guardians. Well that's what the legend says."

  "Rightful Guardians?" Faita asked, looking at Darkness, hoping he had an answer.

  "Don't ask me, Kid," the dark brickstone wolf said, before turning his attention back to Snowstorm. "I only learnt about the gems, I never knew the legend had a second part."

  "The reason my pack and myself know about the legend is from a wolf-dog named Nightsong, who told me when I was still a yearling," Snowstorm said.

  "Nightsong, I've heard that name before," Silver turned to her brother, "isn't that the wolf-dog that attacked us a few moons back?" Darkness nodded. "And what would she know, she's a wolf-dog, they're lower than coyotes."

  "Still, finding the gems is our first priorty," the black wolf said in his monotone voice, standing up and walking to the three loners. "We can all worry about the Guardians later." Darkness looked at Stormcloud before nodding at the larger wolf. Stormcloud nodded back at the wolf before turning to Snowstorm. "We leave tonight."

  "Very well, I will stop the blizzard before you head out," Snowstorm said before turning and walking away from the edge of the second level of the barn, Rissca and Tina following in behind her.