Wolves of the Moon #1: The Paws of Darkness

Chapter Four

"I've looked everywhere," Spirit moaned sadly. "No sign of either of them." They had checked every corner of camp and yet found no trace of their scents.

"Even the back corners of the mountain?" Prominence called. The silver she-wolf nodded at her mother.

"They're gone," Snowdrift confirmed. "We searched everywhere. I'm sorry," he added with a sympathetic glance towards the dark brown mother. Snowflake was sitting beside her mother, cuffing the ground.

"It was my fault Massif is lost," the pure white she-wolf barked softly. "I should have been watching." Spirit licked her sister.

"It was not your fault," she said. "We will find them, both Ice and Massif."

Snowdrift nosed her away to talk to her. "Do you really think we can find them?"

"Of course!" she cried in indignation. "We will no matter what!"

"And I thought you didn't like Ice," he snickered. "I wouldn't have thought you would have wanted to save him." Spirit pushed him in indignation. Snowdrift quickly regained his composure.

The he-wolf suddenly turned his head. The gray streaks woven into his coat of white fur sparkled in the sunlight, when otherwise they would not have been visible. He looked quite handsome, actually.

Really? Spirit mentally chided herself. The Pinecone-head is a friend. Not a mate. I will never mate him, nor anyone else. Nope, nope nope nope. His yippy woof alerted her into the real world.

"Okay, we have to start training. Come on, I think Icicle will train us," he added. "She's pretty young, and she picks off the small deer in the Pack Hunts. She helps make the kill, and gets first pick after the Alphas and Betas. Rumor has it she's really good." The she-wolf turned her head to see a small, lithe, very pretty white and silver she wolf. Her hazel eyes were soft, yet had a hard feeling, as if she could be easily angered and you did not want to get on her bad side.

"Hello! My name is Icicle and I will be your trainer for today," she said cheerfully despite the tense and sad atmosphere. Her soft brown eyes scanned the Learners, but soon sorrow filled her eyes as she realized a Learner was missing. Then her gaze hardened and looked straight into the unusual dark blue eyes of Spirit.

When the wolves were pups, each of them had blue eyes, so it was no surprise when Spirit's eyes were blue. But then the silver-gray she-wolf's eyes had not turned a different color after about eight weeks, so the others treated her somewhat like an outcast. But something else lingered in Icicle's eyes, something like... mistrust.

That's how Everest looked at me when we were promoted, Spirit thought with a start. As if she didn't trust me. But I'm only about three months old. I can't do anything to hurt my pack! I wouldn't do anything to hurt them. Right...? Suddenly Icicle's voice rang out, "Okay, today we are going to learn to hunt rabbits." She led them to a deep part of the forest where there was heavy undergrowth and ferns.

"To stalk rabbits you have to step quietly, as Frost taught you," she advised as they walked. She stopped and her ears twitched slightly. The white wolf lifted her nose and flared her nostrils, and turned her head towards a clump of plants. Spirit did the same, and her senses were flooded with the smell of plump rabbit.

"Yum, rabbit!" Snowdrift barked aloud excitedly, and there was rustling as the small creature ran away from the sudden noise. Spirit laughed, but was cut off by Icicle's hard gaze.

Though still focused on the lesson, Spirit's mind wandered till it settled on an important subject, the missing pup and learner. Spirit mentally groaned. After the tragic incident, the young wolf's mind could not stray away from that topic for too long. She couldn't help it, Massif was her brother and Ice was one of her only friends! Perhaps it was those wolves I met at the gathering place, she thought. And we're supposed to find the wolves when they might have taken them!

She growled out loud at the horrid, disturbing thought. Even worse, the forest was completely silent except the quiet chitter of birds, so her growl rang out through the trees.

"Excuse me, Spirit?" Icicle asked, her cool voice filled with mild concern. "Anything wrong?"

The she-wolf lowered her head in embarrassment. "No, nothing wrong. Sorry for disrupting the lesson. You can continue now." Spirit whimpered softly. The rest of the lesson went by in a flash, and she learned a lot but her thoughts kept dipping towards the lost wolves. But she had forced herself to concentrate. This information would be critical when they left that night.

"Hey, why'd ya look so serious and shady? Come on! Prey's waiting, they brought down a baby elk" Snowdrift's call rang out. "Lucky it's spring, there are all the baby deer." Spirit broke out of her miserable thoughts at the mention of elk, and took off in a run.

Twilight was falling, and soon the sky was dark. Spirit padded soundlessly to the place, and caught the scent of the Pack of Shadows and Night. She forgot all about being stealthy and broke into a run, crashing into trees and sending twigs and leaves flying. She jumped out and landed into a familiar black she-wolf with such force Silhouette was knocked to the ground and pinned.

"My brother and one of my friends just disappeared," Spirit snarled. "Explain. Now." Her hackles were bristling and standing on end, so she looked even bigger than she was, although she was pretty big in the first place. Her razor-sharp teeth were peeking through her lips, and a low growl started from the back of the silver wolf's throat.

"Uh, do you mind getting off please? No, our clan did not steal your pups. But one of our pups just gone missing yesterday." Suddenly all her humor was gone. Her gold eyes slanted till she was glaring at Spirit with so much hostility it could have scared off all the prey in the entire forest. "Quit the act," she spat. "I know you or your clan did it." Before the two could bicker any more, Cloud jumped out of the bushes.

"Yeah! You guys ready for this? I'm ready to go fight those evil wolves that are stealing our pups! YEAH!!!" he burst out and danced around. A moment later Blaze walked out, followed by a civilized River. Spirit reluctantly got off of Silhouette.

"Come on, let's find those pups and learners!" the young wolf said, trying to keep a cool, bright attitude. "We are going to find... whoever they are... and show them not to mess with us!"