Shadowpack: Visions of Red

Chapter 1

The sun shone through the trees surrounding camp. Blizzard opened his eyes, yawning and stretching his achey joints. He poked through the stony den entrance, and made his way across the camp, his eyes scanning the other dens around.
"Good morning Blizzard!" A cheerful voice sounded from the Healer's den, a pale grey she wolf trotted out of the den, her ice blue eyes glinting in the morning sunshine. "Have you had anything to eat yet?" she pointed her snout toward the small stony hollow the pack used to store the fresh-kill.
He glanced over at it longingly, his mouth watering and belly grumbling.
"Good Morning, Mystic! No, not yet. I was going to go check the pile and if it was running low, I was going to go out hunting."

"Oh, very good! I was just going to tend to the elders, Boulder is very ill, he refuses to eat, I have to keep bringing him what blueberries I can find, and I've tried honeycomb, they'll energize him, and help with his appetite, and the honeycomb will take away any muscle pain." She paused, worry flooding her blue oculars. "But he just turns his snout away and says he doesn't want it." She sighed, Blizzard could sense her worry, and a tinge of anxiety in her tone. "I just don't know what to do."

Blizzard brushed her shoulder softly with his tail, "If anyone can get Boulder to eat, it's you, Mystic! You're so patient, and caring, you were meant to be our amazing healer, don't lose hope in yourself." He smiled, tilting his head to the side.
Mystic smiled, and gave him a little nudge with her nose, "You're going to make a great leader one day, Blizzard"
He shifted on his paws, uncomfortably, "You really think so? I-I don't know if I'd have the courage and bravery Snowstorm has."

Snowstorm was Blizzard's father, a sleek furred dark grey wolf, with piercing blue eyes, he had been leader for many, many moons. They didn't have a Deputy currently, as their former Deputy, Snake, had been killed in a battle with Flamepack over territory. Snake had been very close friends with Snowstorm. He had been alone since birth, his mother, Ebony had passed during birth, due to illness, all of her pups were born dead, except for Snake, and Snowstorm's mother had decided to raise him as one of her own. The two grew very close, and the death of Snake had shaken Snowstorm, and he still hadn't chosen a new Deputy.

Mystic smiled, her eyes sparkling, "Oh, Blizzard, don't you worry about that, you're as brave and courageous as any pack warrior, or leader." she fluffed her tail up and touched the tip of her tail to Blizzard's nose.
He felt warm inside, if Mystic believed in him, he could believe in himself, too.

He bent his head in thanks, and smiled back, "Thank you Mystic!"
She nodded, and turned to leave, "Well, I've got a sick elder to care for! I'll see you around, Blizzard!" she padded off towards the elders den,

"Ill bring you some kill later!" he called after her, before making his way to the fresh kill pile. He nosed his way through the pile, sniffing carefully at each piece, there were only a couple pieces of prey left, a rabbit, half a blackbird, and a couple squirrels. "There's hardly enough to feed even a part of the pack!" he gasped, turning away from the pile at once. He padded back into the clearing and made his way to a stony den, where a couple other warriors slept. "Bones! Sheila! Dawn! Wake up!" he prodded them each with his nose.

Sheila rubbed her paws over her eyes, then down her snout, and groaned, "Ooh is it morning already? I had a terrible sleep last night!"
Bones got up and stretched, yawning, "I'm starving!"
Dawn sat up, and licked her paws, beginning to wash herself, "I'm in the mood for a hunting patrol."

Blizzard gazed up at the clear blue sky, the sun shone brightly nearly blinding him. "Yea me too, are you guys interested in coming along with me?" he dug his claws into the dry dirt, "The fresh kill pile is nearly empty. It's not even a pile anymore! There's hardly enough to feed the she wolves in the nursery!"