Hey everyone! I'm back, with my weekly writing. This is the first book of a series I wanna write. Enjoy!
The Pack
Book one
One
I sniffed the air, searching for any form of prey. Nothing. This was the worst winter yet.
The prey had disappeared, and my pack needed food.
As leader of our hunters, I was held responsible if we didn’t bring back prey. A bush
rustled. My ears pricked, and I crouched close to the ground. Belly fur brushing the snow,
I crept forward. And pounced.
Two
I screamed. A sleek black wolf with a deep gray underbelly was soaring through the air.
Right towards me. Another wolf jumped out of nowhere and pushed the first one to the
ground. But the black wolf wouldn't give up. Pushing the second wolf off with strong legs,
The first wolf growled.
Then spoke.
In a powerful, vaguely female voice it said “Get out of my territory, Val .”
The second wolf, a big brown male replied “It won’t be your’s for long, Whisper.”
The female narrowed her eyes. “Oh yeah? Come at me.”
The male, Val, Sprung.
Whisper dodged, her eyes laughing. “Getting slow in your old age?”
Val growled, and Whisper tacked him to the ground, two paws on his chest. She growled
at him, snapping her teeth, and let him run off, wining.
Whisper turned toward me, Her eyes were deep silver. “Kid.” She said. “Where did you
come from?”
Three
The child backed away, hands up.”Good wolf,” She said, “Peaceful wolf.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so I’m supposed to be a pet dog now? Please, girl, I’m as wild as
the wind. And just has hard to tame.”
The girl looked scared, shivering, frozen to the spot. If she was a wolf, he tail would be
between her legs. But no tail. No fur. No snout. Definitely a human. I sighed. “Are you
gonna answer my question or not?”
“I- You’r- You’re a wolf.”
“Can you get over that and answer my question?”
“W-what was the question?”
“Who are you and where did you come from?”
“My name is Hazel. And… the thing is… I dunno where I’m from.”
“Right. Come with me. My pack should to able to help you.”
“Pack?”
“Yes, girl, I’m a wolf. I live in a pack.”
I began trotting towards the highstones. Maybe ten minutes before we got back? If she
was fast. But I doubted that. She was a human, so she was slow. Just as I thought, The
girl-Hazel, Couldn’t keep up with a decent trot, so I slowed to a walk.
“Who-Who was that wolf? The one you fought with?”
“Val.” I spat, as if the word was poison. “He was part of the light pack, once. But he left
, joined the pack of dark. He is no pack-mate now.”
“ And you? Tell me about yourself.”
“I’m Whisper, leader of the hunters. I’d better explain that. The pack is divided into
groups. Hunters, Healers, Mothers, pups and the Alpha. Our Alpha is Moon. The dark pack?
Their Alpha is Eclipse.”
“Riiiiight.”
“Yeah. Sorry, this is probably too much for you to take in.”
“N-No, its fine.”
I looked back at her. “And we are here. The Highstones.”
Four
I peered around. The- what had Whisper called them? Highstones? Were flat rocks, Piled
on each other. Trees, grass and bushes sprouted from cracks, plastering shade across the
hot rocks. Two wolves sat in the shade, three pups between them. In a shaded cave, about
five, maybe six pups ran about, bumping heads and stumbling off dizzily. A white female
lay next to them, her stomach was swollen, clearly pregnant with a new litter. Trees rose
in a corner, grass covering the shaded space. A deep brown wolf lay there with three
others; A light brown wolf with a white underbelly, a blue-gray wolf who was gently
wrapping a leaf around a black wolf with a brown underbelly, who’s tail lashed, as if it hurt.
And the hunters. About ten on them, a whole range of coats and builds, from blue-black
to chestnut brown, leanly muscular, big and small, tall and short. All stood together, a
handful with hare or squirrel. About three stood even closer together, dripping water onto
the hot rocks. The water sizzled gently, and more dripped from fish clutched between the
three wolves jaws.
I looked back at Whisper, hoping to see something I recognised. Her head was bowed
respectfully towards the two wolves in the shade. I copied her. “Whisper.” One said.
“What are you thinking; bringing a child into our sacred place?”
“Alpha, I…”
“No, Whisper.”
The other wolf cut in. “Moon. At least hear her out.”
So Whisper explained everything. The fight, the walk over, everything.
The Alpha looked impressed.
“Right. I will grant you permission to leave to take this girl back to her home... Or what is left
of it. You will leave at sunhigh, With my blessing.”
By Annelise
