Snow Survival - The Crystals

Chapter Eight

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Storm sighed sadly as he saw his friend bound out of the cave, then he walked up to Rose who was curled up around their pups. He whispered in her ear. "They'll be pack members tomorrow." She smiled then fell asleep. He laid down next to her and let the sounds of the night drift him into slumber.

In the morning, Storm blinked the drowsiness from his eyes and yawned. He stood up and turned to Rose and the pups. I have another plan, not just making the pups members, He thought. I will make a new pack rule. The gray and white wolf shook his fur as Rose woke up.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." He lightly teased her. She giggled. "You're the first one up!" Storm glanced around to see his sleepy packmates finally waking up. The gray and white wolf bounded over to the alpha rock. He leapt onto it and sat down, watching as his packmates walked over to the clearing in the cave, looking at him expectantly. "FrostPack, I have an announcement. Pebble, Raspberry, come here." Rose nudged her pups with her nose towards the clearing, in front of the alpha rock. "Today, I will make my pups members, but I have something else I have to announce, a new rule." He shuffled his paws, anxiously. I hope I'm doing the right thing. No. I know I am. "I feel that it is necessary for mothers to be the ones to name their pups entirely. What I mean is that FrostPack will no longer change names of pups when they become new members." A quiet murmur rippled across the clearing of wolves. "Now, it is time to make two fine pups into members. Pebble, step forward." The shy gray and white pup scampered over to the front of the rock, and Storm touched his nose to his pup's forehead. "Will you defend, hunt and protect your pack?"

"I.. yes. I will." Storm closed his eyes, scanned the clearing at his pack mates, then looked back down at Pebble. "Now you shall be a full member of FrostPack." He turned to Raspberry. "Raspberry, step forward." The pink and white wolf skipped over and sat down right next to Pebble. He repeated the words he said to Pebble. "Yes!" He smiled at her enthusiasm. "You are now a full member of FrostPack." Storm could see her mother's optimism in Raspberry's eyes. He surveyed his surroundings, his fellow packmates smiling. "Meeting dismissed." He swished his tail and leaped off the rock. Storm watched pridefully as his packmates congratulated Pebble and Raspberry on becoming full members. We can take on DarkPack. I know it. Storm walked up to his pups. "It's time for your first lesson. Rose, you will help with the training, too. If you don't mind." The pink and white wolf smiled. "Of course I don't!" Then the four wolves walked out of the cave into the forest. They soon found a nice clearing with bushes surrounding it. Storm started to crouch, his tail frozen behind him in a stalking position. Pebble watched, interested and observant, while Raspberry watched a butterfly flutter past her happily. "Focus, Raspberry." She quickly obeyed. "You two, try to do what I'm doing." Pebble obeyed his father and started to crouch, as did Raspberry. Pebble's happily wagging tail swished leaves. Rose spoke up, "Pebble, make sure to keep your tail still so no prey hears you." The gray and white wolf nodded and did so. Raspberry already found a rabbit and was stalking it with wobbly paws. She slipped and the hazel rabbit ran away. Pebble giggled and Storm shook his head sympathetically. "Watch as I do." He continued crouching and leaped up into the air. He pounced on the rabbit Raspberry scared off and killed it. He picked it from the scruff and placed it in front of his pups, their eyes wide with surprise. "Now you try." Pebble stalked towards a leaf Storm placed in front of him, his tail in the air. He leapt onto it almost perfectly. "Good job, Pebble! It's your turn, Raspberry." She tried to copy her brother, but she slipped again. "Good try!" Pebble helped his sister get up, she was visibly embarrassed. Storm laughed and looked at Rose. "After we practice hunting a bit more, should we show them around the territory?" She nodded.

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Cherry sat down next to a blossoming tree, small, pink flowers drifting slowly to the ground from its branches. He heard pawsteps behind him and turned around to see Moon. She smiled warmly at him and sat down next to him. "Hey, you alright?" The brown and cream wolf sighed and dug his claws into the ground. The black and white wolf licked his cheek. "We will all miss him, but the pack needs you," He met her gaze. "You're beta now, and DarkPack is rising. Do you want any more wolves to die?" He shook his head. She nodded, stood up, and swished her tail. "Come on, don't you want to see our new pack members?" He nodded and followed her towards the cave.