Fall of the Packs: Void

Chapter Twenty

The sun was rising, although it was difficult to tell through the thick clouds which were emptying the first snowfall down into the forest. Minerva was sitting beneath the overhang, a short distance from the entrance to the healers' cave. As the days had dragged on, Ajax's condition had not improved, and Colt had taken a sharp turn for the worse. In the ensuing confusion over who was in charge, both Desert and Gannon had essentially been leading, and as a result the pack was actually running rather smoothly, in spite of the anxiety over their alpha and beta.

Minerva pricked her ears as she heard the sound of a commotion in the cave. A wail sounded and several dogs began to stir uncomfortably as they wondered which dog had finally passed. Both Ajax's and Colt's families were crowded inside, and Minerva overheard frantic talking. Tansy quickly bustled inside at Sundae's call. The rest of the pack began to cluster around the entrance, trying to hear or see what had happened.

Gannon suddenly called everyone to order with a sharp bark. "Everyone, be patient," he said, the now familiar tone of authority strong in his voice. "We'll hear some news soon, I'm sure."

The dogs milled around anxiously for a few more minutes--which felt like hours--until Tansy slowly reemerged. The dark brown bulldog's face was shadowed with grief and she said nothing at first.

"Tansy?" Desert had pushed her way to the front of the group and was looking at the preceptor with an expression of wary expectancy. "What happened?"

She simply shook her head. "I didn't see any sign of this," she said, her voice barely audible. "Surely the Hunter Dog would have warned us."

"Warned us of what?" Emma demanded, also being close to the front. "What are you trying to say?"

Tansy slowly raised her head to look at the assembled dogs, her face blank. "How do you tell a pack that their alpha and beta are dead?"

A palpable feeling of shock and horror followed her words. Colt's death had become more and more anticipated, but to hear that both he and Ajax were dead was staggering. If Minerva were to be honest--which she always was--she didn't think she would miss Colt very much. Ajax, on the other paw, had always been a good packmate, even if she had never been close to him. But her first thought went to Tinder, and she felt a pang of grief for his sake. I've got to talk to him.

"It has to be a sign," Tansy said after several moments of silence, still sounding dazed. "I told Colt continuing this war was a bad idea, and now--"

"If it's a sign," Gannon interrupted, "it's another sign of everything Wind Pack has taken from us. First Chloe, and then my father, and now Ajax. If we give up now then Wind Pack has won. Are we going to let that happen? Do you really think that's what Colt or Ajax would have wanted?"

"Have we benefited from this war at all?" Desert challenged. "All of you know that I've been saying this for years now. I can't be bothered to keep silent. All we've gained from this conflict is grief. Tansy has to be right. This is a sign, and we have to stop."

Minerva could hear the conviction behind her mother's words. She knew Desert would never had said it out loud, but Minerva guessed that a part of her was almost relieved that Colt had died if it meant the pack would stop fighting.

"We can't stop or start anything," Tucker suddenly cut in, his voice stony. "We don't have an alpha."

Tansy, who appeared to be composing herself, nodded quickly. "That's right. We can't make any more arguments or decisions right now. We have to bury Colt and Ajax and mourn them. Then we'll decide who our alpha is."

Minerva was briefly struck with a realization of how often she had heard Tansy say such words. Night Pack had lost three alphas in the past two years. Maybe we're just cursed.