Hidden by the Mountain

Chapter 1, The Lone Pup's Beginning

Hidden In

the

Shadows,

Book one: Kamatz the

Lone Wolf 

Chapter 1 

The lone pup’s beginning 

A wolf pup, with his snow-white pelt glistening in the moonlight and his storm-blue eyes shadowed by the trees. All he knew was that he was hungry and the winter months were coming nearer. Only two moons of warmth remained. The last thing he remembered was a silvery she-wolf placing his sister beside him. 

The rain was soaking him to the bone and his sister looked the same. This 7 month old pup was named Kamatz. His sister, Kahoko, remained by his side no matter what happened.  

Kamatz heard the rustle of leaves nearby. He turned his head and saw a mouse scuffling through the undergrowth. Kahoko followed his gaze and leaped on the mouse, killing it. As they sat down to eat, Kamatz caught the faint smell of dry earth. He followed the scent and reached a cave that dipped into the ground. He began walking down into it, Kahoko reluctantly following. 

Soon the tunnel opened into a wide cave with a strong smell of fox. 

“Turn around!” Kamatz Yelped to Kahoko. The she-wolf turned around and bumped straight into the long orange muzzle. By the smell of it, a mother fox and her kit were entering the cave. Kamatz grabbed Kahoko’s tail in his teeth and raced down another tunnel, the mother fox hot on their trail.  

Kamatz crashed into the end of the tunnel and the fox slowed to a stop mere feet from them. Kamatz forced his sister behind him defensively. The fox’s teeth were now only inches away from his own. He leaped on top of the fox and bit down on her shoulder to hang on. Kahoko quickly joined in by slashing at the fox’s muzzle.  

The angered creature buried her muzzle into her neck. 

“Don’t you hurt my sister!” Kamatz growled as he ran his claws through her fiery pelt. Soon the blood began to flow from the fox’s sides in a river and she toppled to the ground. Immediately Kamatz ran to his sister’s side and saw that a crimson pool was forming on her white pelt. Kamatz helped her up and she limped into the cave with him. 

The fox kit attacked her and scratched into her a couple of times before Kamatz could help. By then, it was too late. He watched the kit scuttle away through a tunnel. He was old enough to survive on his own, but was Kamatz? The white wolf sat down beside Kahoko. With every breath came more blood. When more blood came, the more Kamatz’s fur stained. But how could he care at this point? 

Kahoko was slowly dying in front of him. He couldn’t stand the pain. Kamatz hared through a random tunnel out of love for his sister, fear, and anger. He hated himself for letting his sister die without him, but he simply couldn’t bear seeing her like that. 

The white wolf burst into the storm and stopped to try and see the moon. The clouds parted slightly, revealing part of it, then covering it again. Anger filled Kamatz with energy. He raced through the undergrowth, putting as much space as possible between him and the scarlet filled cave. Throughout this period of time he couldn’t stop thinking, I must live on my own now, and I will survive and carry both our spirits.  

It may have been the end of Kahoko’s life, but it was a new beginning for another. Kamatz stopped under a towering oak tree and collapsed on the cold, wet earth and fell asleep to forget these troubles.  

~ 

The two moons have passed and the first snow of the year floated down on the dried leaves and broken-hearted wolves alike. Kamatz had run into many more foxes, but his painful memories helped him defeat them and settle some of the injuries he carried mentally.