Spirit Wolves Book 1 -completed-

Running

"Hey Ghost-eye, can you carve?" She whirled around to see Orion standing awkwardly behind her.

"Don't. Call me that." She growled lowering her neck and pinning her ears.

"I'm not looking for a fight Crimson. I was just wondering, honest." He said and she noticed his stance was narrower and his ears were back submissively opposed to a wider stance and a threatening posture showing her that she could trust him.

"I guess I can carve. I mean, I was okay at it before. Though that was when I had hands and used a knife instead of teeth."

He laughed a little before saying, "Well there's a ceremony after the hunters get back, and our age group is  supposed to carve two bones from each animal they kill."

"Ah. I might wanna practice then."

"It's pretty simple. I can teach you if you want."

She wanted to say yes, but she didn't trust him completely.

"Sure, I'll ask Stormflare if he wants to practice with us."

"Sure, okay." Orion with a strange look in his eyes, that Crimson hadn't seen before. She
recognized it as sadness. He shook it off so fast, she began to wonder if she'd really seen it at all.

"I'll go get him then." She said, walking towards her gray friend.

A few hours later, they were still practicing their carving on small deer bones, when they all heard the alpha's howl, saying the hunters had returned. As they loped to the feasting place, Crimson noticed how graceful Orion was running. His paws seemed to barely touch the ground and he looked like how she'd imagined flying. She noticed how his facial structure made him look 15 rather than 13 and she realized that he would make a very handsome guy when he was older. She noticed all kinds of little things about him and she felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. She hated herself for feeling it in the first place let alone to this particular wolf.

She didn't realize she had run into the feasting area until she rammed right into her mother, Forrestfire.

"Sorry mama." She apologized.

"It's alright baby." Her mother said. Crimson noticed that her mother's brown fur was splattered with blood from the hunt.

Rockwood howled, long and low, silencing the pack's exited chatter, "Alright everyone, settle down. Thanks to the hunting team that brought down the two biggest moose of the season for this rare event. Also to the seven to eleven year old age group, be searching for the two best bones for the carving after we've all eaten our fill. Now without further delay, let the feast begin!"

As every wolf in the pack ripped into the moose flesh, Crimson swelled with happiness like she did every blood moon as she saw that even the skinny Omega was smiling and laughing with her packmates. Laughing and telling jokes with her new friends, she was able to forget about Tristen, Aiden, and Trace for a while.

But that happiness was short lived as a bloodcurdling scream tore through the pack. A she-wolf ran out of the darkness crying and yelled, "She's dead! My baby girl! She's dead!" Crimson recognized her as Askara's mom. Stormflare gasped and whispered no and Crimson could feel his fear radiating off him. As Crimson's mother and a few other wolves comforted the mother, and Crimson and Orion their friend, low growls were heard as a group of rogues stepped out of the brush, growling.

"Why have you killed one of our pups Alpha Redfire?" Rockwood addressed the unfamiliar rogue.

"I've not come for any specific reason except your territory has the best land for rogues, and my pack is dying from hunger, or freezing to death. Now if you'll excuse me, I will have this territory no matter what. You can choose to either, one, you leave peacefully and find somewhere else to live, or two, I'll kill you and your pack, and take it that way." Alpha Redfire explained, "Don't make this any harder than it has to Alpha Rockwood."

"You want this pack, you'll have to kill me for it."

"Oh I was hoping you'd say that. I've been having a horrible day." The enemy Alpha said as he lunged for Rockwood's throat. As the two leaders fought, the rest of Redfire's pack attacked Rockwood's. 

She turned to Orion and Stormflare and saw that Stormflare was gasping and backing up slowly. Orion looked at her just as a rogue slammed into him and started fighting him. 

"Orion!" She screamed and jumped to protect her friend. 

"NO!" He yelled at her, "Crimson you'll get hurt, let me handle this!" Redfire's rogue was on top of him but Orion kicked him in the stomach and threw him off. Standing up, he looked around for Stormflare and saw him fighting a different rogue. Her breaths came faster and she heard a slight ringing in her ears. She slowly turned and saw chaos. An enemy's teeth sank into the throat of the Omega and her scream was cut off. All around Crimson wolves were getting killed. Their blood soaked the ground and turned the dirt into mud. The stench made her stomach churn and she felt sick.

"Hey you don't look so good." Orion said with a concerned look on his face. His white fur was splattered with red and his chest was dripping with blood. She felt like she was about to pass out. He must've seen that on her face because he suddenly ran to her and pushed against her swaying side, supporting her. Stormflare saw too and he did the same. She looked at him and saw his fur was coated with blood as well.

She could hear them talking to her but couldn't make out what they were saying. All she could hear was screaming. A rogue jumped on her back and the white hot pain cleared her head. She growled unnaturally low and turned her head to bite the other rogues paw. As she did she tore him from her back and got on top of him, clawing open his back. He yelled in pain but she didn't care. Her brain drowned out all other thoughts but one. Kill.

When Orion and Stormflare pulled her off the only thing left of the enemy was a mess of fur and blood. He was definitely dead and Orion and Stormflare were looking at her horrified. 

"Crimson!" Her mother ran up to Crinson and her friends. She stopped short when she saw the dead rogue. She shook her head and turned her attention to Crimson. "Crimson, listen to me. You have to run. All of you, run. Run into the woods. Run until you feel your legs are going to fall off." Crimson snapped out of her haze and saw her mother's eyes were full of fear. It scared her more than the battle going on around them.

"No mama, I can't." Crimson said, choking in her tears, "I can't leave you."

"You must Crimson. You must. Look around. This isn't a fight, it's a slaughter. You have to run." Behind her screams were heard and blood was splattered on the trees all around her as wolves from both packs were ripped apart by sharp claws and strong teeth.

"No! I'll be all alone, I won't have anyone."

"But that's not true babygirl, your friends will be with you, and they will look out for you. But you must leave, now." Her mother said gently, hugging her daughter for what could be the last time.

"Come on Crimson. We can't wait here any longer. We have to go." Stormflare said gently.

"Go. Live. Live for me, for our pack. Please. I love you, don't ever forget that. And don't look back." Her mother said.

"Okay mama, I'll go." Crimson said as she started running. She felt her throat close soon and sobs racked her body. Stormflare ran on one side, and Orion on the other side of her. As they were running, Crimson made the mistake of looking back. Just as she did another wolf tackled Forrestfire and as she fell with him, another wolf attacked her. Crimson stopped running, looking back and she watched the enemy bite her mother's throat. A killing bite.

"No!" She screamed and Stormflare and Orion both had to hold her back using all their strength.

"Go Crimson, I love you!" Her mother shouted her last words before the same wolf that bit her throat went for her belly.

Crimson turned away with tears streaming down her face and started running as her mother's scream tore her heart apart. She should not have looked back.