To Lead or To Follow

Chapter 10

    Hera stayed in her den, whimpering with sadness. She stared at the rose Kane gave her, Hera's heart felt heavy and sadness overcame her. Surely he would be dead by now. She chose to do nothing and a wolf that she somewhat had feeling for had fallen off a cliff and by now would be dead. Nothing, nothing could help with the emptiness in her heart. It was already night and she could hear howling. Sad, lonely howling that made her feel even worse. Not just worse, but even more terrible. She rose and stepped out her den and lifted her head back. She howled a sorrowful song and the other wolves who were howling synchronized with her. Ever dreadful note that she howled lifted her heart a little more. Once she no longer felt the need to howl, Hera stopped and went into her den. She lied down and rested her head on her paws, catching a glimpse of the rose again, she quickly picked it up and held it between her paws as she started to settle into a sleep, listening to the howls.

The next morning, Luna came and woke Hera up at sunrise. Was something about to happen? Hera wondered why she had been woken up so early. Oh wait! Today was the big hunt. Where the wolves from Setting Sun and Rising Moon would come together and chase down the coming herds of deer, moose, and many other delicious prey. Finally, something that would ease Hera's mind and help her forget about Kane for a while. Hera and Luna met up with the other wolves and she could see Falcon somewhere in the crowd with his pack. Hera knew she had to forget about Kane. Get Kane out of her mind, forget about him to stop the aching she felt in her heart, but to also fulfill her duty as the alpha's daughter.

"Greeting wolves of all kinds. From wolves short to tall, from youth to age, and from the whitest of fur, the color of snow, and to the darkest of the color of shadow, we have all gathered here to take part in the big hunt." spoke Hera's father. Her father spoke with authority but also knew that he was also only an ordinary wolf and did not act like he was a god. After a brief talk from the alphas, all the wolves gathered together and placed themselves in their spots for the hunt. Hera could smell the scent of prey. All different kinds, ranging from the smallest of prey to the largest. The young pups and elders who could not hunt stayed together and did not take part in the hunt. Then finally, the hunt began. They found an old deer who was straying behind from his herd and the wolves could take him down easily. A couple of wolves came from the right side and drove the deer away from the rest of his heard and the rest of the packs joined the other in chasing down the stag. The wolves would chase it down until it had no more stamina to go on and then, would they have their prey.

After chasing it would what seemed like eternity, the deer could no longer go on and had finally stopped running. Once it had slowed down, Hera and Flacon both jumped at it to get the kill. All the wolves cheered as they had finally caught their prey. They would take a quick bite and return what was left for those who could not partake in the hunt.

After a day of hunting, the wolves all returned to their homes. Hera felt tired and wanted to feel the warmth of her den. When she stepped inside, the first thing she saw was the rose. A petal had fallen off but it still looked as beautiful as when Kane had given it to her. Hera lied down, the rose in front of her, and she looked at the sky, wondering what had happened to Kane.