Fall of the Packs: Void

Chapter Four

The group returned back to the clearing and Desert went straight to Draco with her report. Minerva could see how furious her mother still was, even if she had restrained herself from saying anything more on the walk back. Minerva understood why, and she also fully agreed that Samuel was a thick-headed idiot. He and Baron, his adopted brother, were always getting into trouble, and most of the time it seemed like Emma did not discourage them. Minerva didn't understand why the Wind-dogs riled her packmates so. Their taunts were just words. What did it matter what others thought?

"Are you sure you're doing okay?" Tinder asked suddenly, startling her slightly.

"Yes, of course I am," she answered. "Why does everyone keep asking?"

"It's just that your first battle can be a little overwhelming," Tinder said. "It's understandable if you're a little shaken up."

Minerva shrugged. "It wasn't really my first battle. It's not like I actually fought anyone."

"No, but you were in close proximity," Tinder said. "That has to count for something, right?"

"I don't know. Either way, I'm fine. Nobody got killed."

Tinder nodded and then looked over to where Draco and Desert were talking. "It looks like your mom finished telling Draco what happened," he said. ""Do you think he'll be mad?"

"Maybe about the disobedience," Minerva said. "Not so much about the attack. Uncle Draco really wants that territory."

Tinder tilted his head. "Is it weird that the alpha is your uncle? Like, do you see him any differently? Does he still let you call him uncle?"

"Well, yeah. Things aren't that different. He was the beta for as long as I knew him before, and now he's just... even more in charge, I guess."

Pebble's bark interrupted the conversation and all eyes turned to the center of the clearing, where Draco stood before the scouting party. "It would appear that our mission today was not entirely successful," he began. "The hunters did confirm the presence of deer in that area, but Wind Pack arrived and the defenders were unable to claim the territory. We shall make another attempt soon, after Wind Pack has put their guard down."

Minerva saw something flicker in Desert's eye and guessed that her mother wasn't entirely thrilled about that prospect. She herself was not surprised.

"However, I was informed that one of you behaved recklessly and disobeyed the direct orders of the party leader," Draco continued with a hard look at Samuel. "While I respect your willingness to fight for the pack, reckless endangerment of your packmates is no small offense. Samuel, you will have sentry duty for all of next week. I hope you take the time to reflect on how you can better follow orders."

Samuel's eyes flashed and he looked like he was about to say something but Emma gave him a warning look and he reluctantly bowed his head. "Yes, sir."

"All of you may return to your duties," Draco said. "But I want the senior defenders to speak with Pebble and I about future plans of attack."

The pack began to disperse again, and Tinder looked up at the sky. "Well, it's almost midday and it looks like we'll get a break from training for at least a little while. Is there anything you want to do?"

Minerva blinked. "...Like what?"

"I don't know, something fun," Tinder said, his tail wagging. "We've trained together some, but it might be nice to just do something fun. Any ideas?"

"No."

Tinder smiled wryly. "All right. Honest, I like it. Here, maybe we can catch two birds in one jump. Let's spar, but without the adults standing over us and critiquing."

"So like training..."

"But it's fun," Tinder finished. "What do you say?"

Minerva hesitated, although she didn't really know why. "Sure."

"Great!" Tinder grinned and flicked an ear towards the entrance. "Let's head just outside. Wouldn't want to accidentally squash a pup or something."

Minerva followed him out from underneath the overhang and he led the way to a mossy patch not too far from the entrance. "Here's a good place," he said. "Soft ground, and we'll hear if Chloe starts calling for us."

"I haven't actually been in a training spar before," Minerva said. "They're still just doing endurance training and that sort of thing."

"Well, I know you've been in play-fights before," Tinder replied, "and it's not very different, especially since we're not trying to hurt each other. But be careful, because you might not be prepared for how good I am."

Minerva gave him a slightly skeptical look. Tinder scoffed in mock offense. "Okay, so I'm a head shorter than you. I've also been training for three more months than you have. Size isn't everything."

"If you say so," Minerva said with a slight smirk.

"Oh, you'll see," Tinder said, his eyes sparkling playfully. "First one to pin the other wins. And go!"

Minerva sank into a defensive crouch and Tinder charged towards her. She swung at him with her right paw but he dodged out of the way with surprising speed for his stocky frame. He came onto her left, headbutting her and knocking her back. She rolled with the impact and sprang back up quickly, jumping on him and pressing him towards the ground. He pushed off powerfully with his hind legs, freeing himself from her grip, and spun back around to snap lightly at her legs. Minerva swung again and made contact this time, successfully bowling him over, but he recovered quickly. As she reared up to try to pin him down, he drove his head into her stomach, knocking the air from her lungs. While she staggered back, he took advantage of the situation and swiftly had her pinned.

"What did I say?" he declared triumphantly, his tail wagging. "I'm a lot in a small bundle."

"I think the size did matter," Minerva said, pushing him off and standing up to shake dust off of her brindle black fur. "The size of your big head."

"Well, that runs in the family," Tinder said, inclining his head to emphasize his wide muzzle. "It's a mark of pride. I have to say, you handled yourself really well. It won't be long before your almost as good as me."

"And then we can have a rematch," Minerva said. "Then your big head won't be able to save you."

Tinder laughed and then paused, tilting his head. "You have a nice smile."

"What?"

"You're smiling. It's nice. You should do it more often."

Minerva blinked, realizing that she had, in fact, been smiling. She hadn't noticed.

"Well, I just made it go away. Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. Now it's awkward."

"No, it's... whatever, it's fine. This was fun."

"Yeah, it was." Tinder's own smile returned. "It's nice having someone to train with. My siblings bailed on me to be hunters. I think we're going to learn a lot together."

Minerva nodded, feeling her smile start to come back, and then two barks sounded from the clearing, calling their names.

"There it is," Tinder said, shaking out his tri-color coat. "Back to the grind for us."

"It's not so bad," Minerva said. "Keeps the mind off of how much your stomach is growling."

Tinder gave a somewhat sad chuckle in response and they headed back to the overhang.