Dispersal

Chapter 1: Start of a New Journey

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     A/N: Hello! This is my first story I'm going to write! It's about a female dispersal wolf by the name of Neva, on her journey to find a mate, or join a pack of her own! Quick note, while I do know the "hunter" and "guard" and "scout" ranks aren't true, I wanted to add them to the story to aid in more dramatic scenes and adding upon the characters role.

Without further a-do, I present, Dispersal!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        She never could have imagined this day would come.

        Neva always remembers life with her pack in Prospect Peak. She didn't want to change that... she didn't want to leave.

        But she knew it must happen. Inside, beneath all her fur and bones, she felt it. Her heart pulled her to see what was beyond her pack's territory.  Her instinct craved a mate, pups, and a pack of her own to call home.

      "Oh, father... I will miss you..." Neva said, turning to her father, Kleo, a grey wolf.

     "Oh, how I will miss you too." He responded, but gave a wag of his tail. "But do not be down! You will have your own pups and a pack to call yours, even if you aren't the Alphess." He gave with a shy smile.

    She licked him a last time, with a gentle wag of her tail. "Goodbye, father!" She called. She heard him call back as she raced down the slopes of the peak. This is it!   Thought Neva, I can finally make my own home! 

    She stopped at a small creek, lapping up the cool water as the wind whistled, blowing her white fur around. She took her head up from the water and turned, only to watch a squirrel fall out of the tree. Having trouble in the snow, Neva took this chance to clamp down on the squirrel's windpipe and temporarily satisfy her enormous hunger.

    She left the bones, eating everything else, even the marrow inside. The wind picked up more, and it began to snow, but this did not deter Neva's determination. She padded across the creek, getting a bit of water on her, and leaving her territory, what she called home. 

    She turned a last time, looking over what was once hers, but hers no more. If she went on it again, she'd likely be killed. It was nature of her alpha. He was very strict, and a rule was if you left, you were no longer one of them. She bayed into the sky, in hopes to hear her father's voice one last time. And as sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, her father responded. She felt her heart ache, the last time she would likely hear him, and continued on her adventure.

⑊⑊ Timeskip ⑊⑊

    Neva awoke from the cave she had rested in, and her stomach rumbled. She knew that squirrel wouldn't keep her long. She  ventured out of the cave, and picked up the scent of an old carcass. Her hunger, in a desperate attempt for food, followed the smell. But as she approached the smell, Neva came to her senses and halted. A line only known to wolves was hinted- a territory marker had passed by recently, telling any wolf or other animal whom dared that this was their territory.

    Neva's will restrained her, but her hunger was stronger, and she crossed the line. She rolled in the snow, hoping it would do decently to mask her scent. 

    She traced the scent to a rotting mule elk carcass. She looked around, and scared some scavenging ravens from the carcass, sneaking in as much as she could. She took her fill, then tore off the tail, as a snack for later.

   She nearly had left when a snarl made her freeze in place.

     "You!" Barked this unfamiliar voice. Neva whirled around to see a reddish wolf. "What business do you have stealing our kill?" She snarled at Neva, her tail lashing.

     "Please." Begged Neva. "I'll do anything, I'm hungry and this is my second day alone." 

     "Our visitors don't go unpunished, not in the pack of Druid!" She said with a snarl, then lunged for Neva. Neva leaped back, and the other wolf fell into the snow. Neva began to run, but this wolf was much, much faster than she, and was close behind. Tail tucked, Neva dropped the tail, and sprinted faster.

    "You can't get away!" Barked the female, and sprinted faster, too. Neva's heart raced, and her adrenaline kicked in. Faster! Faster! C'mon Neva, Faster!  She growled to herself, disappointed in her slow speed. She began to kick up snow, making a powdery dust. The reddish female began to fall back. She was growing tired, but Neva, too, was growing very tired. 

    Finally, Neva turned to stop. Accepting her fate. But her fate was to be unpunished, for the other wolf had disappeared, growing far too tired to continue, Neva assumed. But she too, was tired, and had grown far more hungry than before. She panted, and fell into the snow for a quick rest. 

⑊⑊ Timeskip ⑊⑊

     Neva's rest was not as quick as she had anticipated. The sky was now dark, and a light snow had been produced. Neva forced herself up, and wearily trot in search of food. 

     Neva found herself in front of a small yet powerful river, and began to drink the water. The cool, crisp water was very refreshing, and Neva found her thirst quenched. She began to think of ways to find food when-

Splash!

      Salmon had began to jump around and swim upstream in an attempt to be able to have young, it wasn't too uncommon, but Neva seised this opportunity. 

       Try as she may, Neva struggled with catching the salmon. Further downstream, though, she noticed a mother bear hitting the fish as they leaped. Neva began to try this strategy. And, surely enough, after many tries, Neva caught a small salmon to eat. She began to eat the salmon, and caught a few more. 

     Suddenly, Neva found herself slipping. She began to claw back up in an attempt to reach her perch, but, the end was inevitable, and Neva found herself in the freezing waters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: What do you all think? Is it good? Do you like it? Would you read more? I'd love some reviews/critique on it! (Please not too harsh though, heh.) I personally enjoyed writing it, and I hope you all enjoyed it too! Happy Friday, everyone, and have a great night!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~