Wolves of the Falling Stars Book 4: The Return

Chapter 6

Apologies for the delays in updates! It became difficult for me to find time writing once I started my new part-time job, but my hours are decreasing by half, so I have a lot more free time on my hands now. Stay tuned for more chapters :)

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Golden Flower had been continuing her training as normal. The days where she got to explore the woods with Copper Rock by her side were exciting. Each day she learned something new about the forest or the wolf pack she hadn't before. All the while her skills were steadily improving. The other day she had caught a plump rabbit, and Copper Rock had let her take the rabbit back with her to eat, as a celebration. Golden Flower longed for the days when she and the pack would be able to take down large prey together, but for now, she worked at excelling at small catches and some simple defense moves.

On one afternoon of training, Golden Flower and Copper Rock were practicing defense moves. Golden Flower didn't seem to think it would be difficult, considering she was near Copper Rock's size already, but the small dog was nimble and swift. His sly attack skills seemed like they would aid him well in battle.

"How do move like that?" Golden Flower asked. She couldn't help but pout, wanting to move the same as her mentor.

"A lot of wolves gather their energy from strength. I'm not a wolf though, so I've had to rely on other methods. What I'm teaching you is basic wolf training, but maybe if you do well, we can try a few of my moves as well," Copper Rock suggested.

Golden Flower's ears went flat. "I think I'd be better moving like you though."

"You haven't reached your full size yet, so while it may seem ideal to train like me now, it won't come in handy later," Copper Rock warned. There was a pause, then he let out a sigh. "I wish what I was teaching you wouldn't need to be used, but the rogues..."

Golden Flower knew of the situation already. She heard of it every day. The rogues never seemed to appear, but the entire pack was tense as it waited for the inevitable battle that was soon to come before the weather turned cold again.

For now though, it was still spring. The air was warm, the breeze cool, and prey plentiful. Golden Flower hoped the season would never end, especially on a beautiful day like today, where the wind rustled in the pines and fluffy clouds dotted the sky.

"It's interesting that you pick up on some of these moves so quickly. Where did you say you were from again?" Copper Rock asked.

"Around here? L-Like I said, I really don't remember the location that went well. Once my family was killed, I ran. I'm not sure I could find my way back," Golden Flower lied. These questions about her personal life seemed to come up more often these days, though she was quick to shoot them down, still feeling like she owed it to her family not to share her origin.

"Your nose could probably find the way. I'm sure you know with hunting already how strong your scent is," Copper Rock explained. "Maybe your skills come from your family. Did you have siblings?"

"Well, yes, but I don't see how--"

"Any bit of play is going to help you grow into a stronger wolf. You must have done a lot of it."

"Well, there wasn't much else to do..." Golden Flower stopped speaking. She shouldn't have let herself ramble too much.

"You didn't belong to a wolf pack, then, right?"

"No."

"How come?"

"How should I know? I was only a pup!" Golden Flower exclaimed, clearly growing heated. But in fact, she was still heated about the topic. She still didn't understand why she didn't get to grow up in a wolf pack. Copper Rock was staring at her interestingly, clearly waiting for her to say something else. She dipped her head and said, "It wasn't a topic to be discussed. I did what my parents told me to because I thought they knew better."

"I understand that well enough," Copper Rock explained. "As the son of the alphas, I was always held to certain expectations, just as they were. The transition from wolves to dogs didn't sit well at first with the pack. With some it still doesn't. It was miraculous that Lightning Storm let them join, but the fact that they became alphas is incredible. They were always held to higher standards though and had to do their best to not mess up. So I listened to what they told me to."

"You never fought with them?" Golden Flower asked, thinking of how often she and her mother quarreled over decisions that could not be undone.

"I didn't like confrontation. I'm okay obeying orders. I'm quiet, but nimble, right? Like the fighting moves I use," Copper Rock stated.

"You really never had anything against them?" Golden Flower wondered.

"Well, yes, but...it was a small sacrifice," Copper Rock said. "Anyway, this conversation is growing off topic. Let's run through the exercise again."

Golden Flower did as she was told, but she had trouble concentrating. How could Copper Rock have never spoken out against his parents? It was something all wolves went through, she knew. There was something he was keeping quiet, something she couldn't quite figure out. Golden Flower was obedient in that she followed pack rules, but she couldn't imagine being obedient to the same standard as Copper Rock day after day. It was why she had fled her family in the first place.

After the training session had ended, Golden Flower returned as the sun was setting to her lonely den. She rested with her head looking out over the other dens. Wolves were lounging in the sun, pups were chasing each other, and a few were sharing some meat. There was a strange desire in the moment to be with her family. Golden Flower felt accepted here, but with not many wolves her age, it was still taking some getting used to.

Letting out a sigh, she turned her body, noticing Copper Rock's stare in the distance. She quickly looked away from him and turned away from the den entrance. It was not the first time she had caught Copper Rock staring at her. She was yet to figure out why she entranced him. It wasn't in that sense, nor did she feel creepy when he stared. It always seemed like he was deep in thought when she did catch his stare.

Perhaps he's thinking of what I said earlier today, Golden Flower thought.

Not wanting to linger on such thoughts, she shut her eyes and found herself drifting off into a peaceful slumber.