Crossing the Silver Thorns

Chapter One

Alema didn't know much about the outside world, but that didn't bother him.

It wasn't that the idea of what lay beyond the barrier didn't intrigue him, but ignorance protected him from the possible realization that one—or all—of his fears were true; he could rely on the tiny sliver of hope that the land outside the secluded veldt did not hold the frightening lore that was whispered in the ears of every savanna animal. It wasn't a subject Alema acknowledged that often— in fact, besides the stories told to scare mischievous pups into behaving, the other wild dogs seldom spoke of it.

So why today? Nothing brought on the thought, it simply popped into Alema's head and grabbed on. Perhaps it was the weather. Puddle season was always a stressful time. It was right after the generous green season and on the cusp of dry season, which pushed all the animals to race towards the drying up watering holes to get a sip. The bountiful collection of prey served as a feeding fest for all kinds of predators. To take the trip meant facing the ominous threat of becoming a lion's meal. A wild dog like Alema was no match for a lion.

Thirst led to tension in the pack. And not the good kind of tension like when you're about to burst into a prey's flight zone line during a hunt. It was the kind of tension that brought on arguments. Earlier that day, Kato—probably one of the only dogs in the pack to ever lend an ear to Alema—refused to be the one to stay behind and look after the pups when Alema asked him. He claimed that he was the most valuable hunter in the group. It wasn't like Kato to grow arrogant all of a sudden, and even less like him to respond with such spite towards the dominant male of the pack.

In turn, the three pups complained about an assortment of things from boredom to an invisible thorn in their paw. Kayode whimpered about the dusty ground, Zuri rattled on about the hot sun, and Adanna moaned about her annoying siblings. After a while, Alema suspected they were just making things up to lament about in order to fit in with the griping adults.

But now all Alema had to focus on was the upcoming hunt, and he was partly relieved by that fact. He assembled the hunting party, made up of Esi, Kamaria, Zuberi, Kato, and himself. Rudo, the only dog left, was stuck watching the pups and handled it bitterly.

"I can't believe I have to play puppysitter again," he huffed. "Shall I simply lay down and milk them myself?"

Alema ignored his eldest son's bickering, silently hoping Rudo wouldn't let his younger siblings wander into some ditch and placidly listen to their cries for help. "Just make sure they're entertained," he told him as the hunting party grouped together.

After watching his son return to his younger siblings, Alema gave a sharp bark to start the hunting rally. As they did before every hunt, the dogs brushed up against each others' flanks and yipped in excitement, giving short nods to each of the hunting party members. Once everyone was properly hyped, Alema signaled for them to follow him up the slope and towards the open savanna.