Fall of the Packs: Blood Ties

Chapter Four

"Patience is the key to becoming a great defender. Patience is a virtue. Without patience, we can gain nothing."

"Are we almost done?" Seamus interrupted.

Oak, a light brown Shiloh Shepherd, gave his son a stern look. "As I was saying," he said loudly, "all of you will have to learn patience if you want to be able to defend this pack to the best of your ability. You may think that within a battle you don't have to wait for anything; it's either act fast or not at all. But being a defender isn't just the heat of battle. Our home is safe, but there are still many predators in this forest. And that's why we have sentries around the clearing at night. To be a sentry, you must be very, very patient."

Aaron listened attentively, ignoring Seamus for once. He wasn't thrilled that Oak had gotten them up in the middle of the night for this lesson, but he understood that it was important.

"I want you all to sit as still as you can," Oak instructed. "Do your best to not move a muscle. Expand your senses until you can feel the forest. I want you to hear more than just the wind in the branches or the racket the birds make. I want you to smell more than just the pine trees or your packmates. The forest has a rhythm, and once you feel it, you'll be able to know exactly when something disturbs it."

The three trainees complied, sitting still and exhaling slowly. Aaron pricked his ears, trying to catch a sound of anything unusual. He let the normal sounds of the forest fade into white noise and he realized he could hear the sound of Tara breathing next to him and Seamus's paws shifting on the loam. Moving past sound he focused on scent, inhaling deeply. He smelled all the usual things, but he took Oak's advice and tried to locate the more delicate individual smells underneath.

"Do you feel it yet?" Oak asked softly. "The woods have a life all their own. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Aaron nodded, feeling his heart start to beat faster with excitement. But suddenly, the flow was disrupted. He could hear something coming. All three trainees spun around just in time for a dark shape to come flying out of the bushes. It dove for Tara but she dodged just in time. Aaron and Seamus were on top of it instantly, but it was only a few seconds before Aaron realized it wasn't a threat.

"Chronos?" Seamus asked incredulously.

"Yes, now could you kindly stop crushing my ribs?" the dark Malinois growled good-naturedly. He stood up and shook himself off. "You passed the test, so congratulations."

Oak nodded. "Great work. Like I said before, you were able to notice a change in the rhythm and prepare for it. You'll still need to practice this, though; in the future, you should be able to not only identify when something is coming but whether or not it's truly a threat. Also, Chronos wasn't trying very hard to disguise his approach. When you're dealing with something sneaky like a lynx, you'll need to be even more attuned to what's happening around you."

"Wow," Aaron said. "That was crazy."

Oak smiled. "It's a tough skill to master, but it's a skill that can save a life." He glanced upward to where the moon was moving across the sky. "All right, the lesson's over for tonight. Go get some rest."

~

"Siglitun take me!"

Aaron winced hearing Blizzard's swear thunder across the clearing, but he had to hide a smile when he saw the reason for it. It was late summer and rainstorms had been lashing down for days, leaving the clearing a gigantic mess of mud. Quebec and Rosalyn, two three-month-old pups, had been running about and had accidentally splashed mud onto Blizzard, turning his pure white coat into a light brown. He was snarling at them and they fled for the safety of their mother.

"This weather has your dad in an even worse mood than usual," Aaron commented to Sortita, who was sitting next to him underneath a tree in an attempt to get out of the rain.

"Oh, you noticed?" she answered sourly. "It's taking a toll on all of us, I think. It's getting hard to remember what being dry feels like."

"Well, I heard Mom say that this always happens in the summer. We just have to wait it out."

Sortita sighed heavily. "I know. But I'm sure going to be glad when there isn't mud between my toes anymore."

"Hey!" Cameron's bark interrupted their conversation. "Get over here, you two. Just because the Hunter Dog has decided to pour the lake on us doesn't me we don't still have patrols."

Reluctantly, the two crept out and joined the other dogs that were assembled around the beta. "Let's see," he said thoughtfully. "Rachael, Chronos, and Tara, go check the Frost Pack border. Blizzard, Seamus, and Sunlight, you take Night Pack. Josie, Salixa, Hyperion, Sortita, and Mercy, go see if you can find us any food in this mess."

The dogs began to disperse to do as ordered. Aaron scowled. "Really, Dad? You call me out into the downpour just so you can not assign me to a patrol?"

"Hey, watch it," Cameron said sternly. "I do have a patrol for you. You're going with Kestrel and Soleil to check the lake. The water's been rising with all this rain and Kestrel wants to make sure we aren't in danger of a flood."

Aaron straightened up and shut his mouth. If he was going on patrol with the alpha, he needed to be on his best behavior.

The three set out into the wet woodlands, Kestrel chatting amiably along the way. Aaron marveled at how she good remain in such a good mood even with this rotten weather. Even cheerful Oak and patient Josie had started to show signs of frayed nerves, but Kestrel was still as chipper as ever.

"Funny thing about rain," she barked now, "it washes everything out, gets you ready for the next season. It's always rainiest after winter and before fall. The mud is the worst part, certainly, but it sort of clears the head, wouldn't you say?"

"I don't feel very clear right now," Aaron muttered, sneezing.

Kestrel laughed. "Well, I guess it depends on your perspective. Now snow is another matter..."

Her voice trailed off as she came to stop. Aaron looked ahead and saw water rising halfway up the tree trunks that were down the slope. And they were still a good distance from where the lakeshore normally was.

"I think the lake is flooded," Soleil said quietly, her eyes wide.

Kestrel nodded, her previously relaxed countenance now grim. "Indeed it is. And we have a problem."

"Why?" Aaron asked. "The rest of our territory is uphill. We shouldn't have to worry about it, right?"

"Normally, I would agree," Kestrel said, turning around. "But if the lake is flooded, then the river is flooded too. We need to get back to the clearing."

I don't have anything clever to put down as an author's note. Hope you liked the chapter!