Wolf Crossing
The forest was always quiet in the mornings. Clover Swiftpaw earned her last name as she bounded through the peaceful forest on winged paws. A sudden pounce sent her flying towards her prey, a stag. Landing on its back, she bit deep into the creature's neck, and the stag collapsed underneath her. Clover rolled over ferns as she landed, and she stood and shook her grey-white fur. Her bone necklace shifted as she trotted to where her kill lay. It was ragged and scrawny, but most food she found was always like that. It was still the only thing she'd eaten in a week. Greedily, she tore at the flesh and slowly devoured the prey. The she-wolf licked her chops and left the remains for the crows as she padded off into the forest green.
Clover sat on tree stump, thinking. Where did all the prey go?3 days since I ate the stag and not a rabbit in sight. She was rather young and full of questions. Thump, Thump! Her sharp ears heard a large animal heading in her direction. Clover leapt off her stump into the nearby brush. Thistles snagged her fur, but she kept her attention on the forest. She tasted the air and almost vomited, the air was rank with the smell of bears. Bushes rustled and sparrows flew in fear as a male grizzly bear loomed out into the open. Clover froze in fear, bears were very dangerous. One direct swipe of its paw could kill. A female bear crouched next to the first bear, they started to smell the air. The male bear turns its ugly head until it's black eyes fall on the cowering wolf. She yelps as she backs out of the bushes, snagging her fur. The bears advance on all fours and roar as they charge.
The she-wolf can't tear her eyes off the pair, and ends up bumping against a tall rock wall. It curved into a semi-circle around her, and it was too high to climb. She was trapped now, and a hawk had just alighted itself on a nearby tree. It fluffed it's tawny feathers and cawed, "You in quite a pickle, eh wolfie?" The annoying hawk's head bobbed up and down. The bears advanced and the male swiped a huge paw at Clover. The paw struck stone as she dodged to the side. The hawk watched with interest," Me Spara, who you?" Clover didn't bother to answer as she continuously ducked and dodged. The she-wolf's patience for the hawk was dwindling as she landed a bite on the male bear's leg. Pain shot in her haunches as the female bear clubbed her and sent her flying into the rock face. The hawk continued to watch and called, not aware of the battle below, "This longest time Spara has talked to someone, very nice for Spara." Clover ground her teeth and shook dirt from her pelt. She wished the hawk would leave her alone. "Very lonely in forest now that humans come with boomsticks. All tall plant eaters migrate south." Spara continued. Clover was surprised at the hawk's comment. Humans?
She bolted between the pair of bears and nipped the females hind leg. The bird may be annoying, but she knew what was going on in the forest. BOOM! The massive male bear collapsed in a heap, and the loud sound made Clover yelp. Spara had flung off the branch in a flurry of feathers crying, "Human! Human with boomstick!" Indeed, a human was loading it's boomstick and took aim at the female bear. She roared and charged the human, but was killed by another shot. Clover took her chances and dashed off into the brush, zigzagging in case the human was in pursuit.
'South' was what Spara had said. Everything was going south. The hunter was a wake-up call. Humans were taking over the forest, so she had to move. But, she loved her home. Crack! Clover dove for a bush and waited. Sniffing the air, she detected a large hunting group moving in her direction. This was the time to flee before she became a rug. Gritting her teeth she ran towards the mountain range that bordered the southern edge of the forest. She silently said goodbye to her home as she went. Her deer bone necklace bounced against her chest as she paced herself.
At the mountains base, Clover Swiftpaw had slept under a rock overhang. When light crept into her makeshift den, Clover stretched and prepared for the next leg of her journey. The mountains towered overhead. The she-wolf trotted up the rocks, only stopping when she had to.
Her paws became sore and bruised as she continued. Clover had only reached mid-way up the mountainside when night approached. Choosing a wide crack in a small ledge, the she-wolf rested her aching body under the stars.
Another day passed until she finally made it to the top. The whole world seemed to stretch before her as she stood in the morning light. Going down is easier than going up, she thought, as she slid on shale and scree while loping down the mountain. At a good pace, Clover trekked three quarters of the way down the mountain, when the sun set. After choosing a rock overhang, Clover Swiftpaw settled in for the night.
In the early morning, before dawn, the she-wolf heard voices in the night. Still pretending to be asleep, she listened to the sound of many paws coming her way. She picked up wolf scent all around her, then she pricked her ears to the sound of voices, "Found her after moon-high. Not much, though. Too small and young to join," a gruff voice spoke, followed by a deeper voice,
"I'll decide that, Redtail. Test when dawn comes. Although your right, might be too young."
Clover tensed when she heard running paw-steps stop nearby and a female voice calls out, "Shadowpelt, the way ahead is full of bears and treacherous territory, the deer would walk beyond this place." The deep voice called out again, "Good scouting, Moonfur. We have a possible newcomer to the pack." Clover's heart raced. She thought of bolting down the mountain, far away from the strange, and possibly dangerous, wolf pack. Common sense told her to stay.
Clover had fallen back asleep until she was roughly prodded with paw in the side. Her eyes popped open, and she bolted upright at the sight of five wolves surrounding her. She tried to act tough by snarling and letting her hackles rise, but it was weak compared to the loud bark given by a large black male. Clover kept her teeth bared, as the large wolf circled her. Trying to sound smart, she snarled, "I heard you coming last night and that you were going to test me. Forget it. I don't want to be part of your pitiful pack." Growls arose from the surrounding wolves, and she was satisfied that she had made them angry. The black wolf kept a cool expression and faced Clover at last. He tilted his head and calmly addressed her. "I'm Shadowpelt the Alpha of the Nightpack." He jerked his head toward a red-furred male on his right. "This is Redtail, his sister, Moonfur is the white she-wolf, there" he indicated a snow-white female with broad shoulders and long legs. Clover turned as Shadowpelt addressed the other two pack members. Adderfang was the dark brown wolf directly behind her, and Stareye was a dark grey female with one blind eye to Clover's right.
Shadowpelt turned back to her and continued, "This used to be our territory until the humans killed all nearby prey, and surviving have left." Clover Swiftpaw scoffed at him and replied tartly, "My turf is back behind the mountains, but I left to find where the remaining prey went and live there." Moonfur interrupted before Shadowpelt could say anything. "So are we, and so is every other nearby pack. You lone wolves don't stand a chance if you're going to travel alone." Shadowpelt shot her a glare when she finished and looked back at Clover, "You don't have to choose now, but if you're going to travel with us you need to be tested. We can't let you slow us down, and there are dangers ahead." Clover's head was spinning at the choices and possibilities given to her. She calmly responded, trying not to sound worried, "Okay, test me." A menacing smile appeared on Shadowpelt's face. Around her, the pack started to close in, all of them growling with bared fangs. Too many, she thought. The young wolf's mind whirled and spun, trying to find a solution. Adderfang leaped with claws outstretched. Using her small frame to her advantage, Clover dove under Adderfang and kicked out her hind legs and sent him spinning. Stareye dove low, and Clover leapt over the she-wolf.
Panting, she saw the pack was advancing again, but Shadowpelt just watched. An idea sprung in her head and she went for it. Diving and dodging, she was able to avoid the first wave of attacks. Moonfur's jaws snapped inches from Clover's throat. Finally, she rolled Redtail over and sprang, right at Shadowpelt. He was obviously shocked when she slammed into him, forcing him on his stomach. She opened her jaws over his neck and growled at the rest, "Stay back, or he's crow-food!" They stopped immediately and watched their leader. Shadowpelt stood easily, which threw Clover off. He smiled and nodded, "Welcome to the pack."
It was easy-going down the mountain. Shadowpelt had them going at a brisk pace, but it was easy for Clover to adapt to the movements of the pack. She found out how much she liked the company, and learned a little bit about each member of the pack each day. Stareye, was the oldest and wisest, born with one eye and awfully stubborn. Redtail and Moonfur, used to be in a larger pack. They didn't like it though, the only reason they stayed was because of their mother. When she died, they left without looking back. Clover found this most interesting, and kept asking questions about what their other pack was like. Adderfang was given his name when he accidentally killed an adder when he was a pup. Their Alpha kept mostly to himself, she guessed he was the silent-brooding type.
After several days in the woodlands surrounding the mountains, they came upon a ford. Quenching their thirst, Shadowpelt sent Adderfang off to hunt, while the rest decided how to cross the fast flowing river. They huddled in a circle and began discussing ideas. Clover was feeling left out since her small height couldn't allow her to see over their tall shoulders. Sighing, she settled on the stream bank, with her head resting on her paws.
The packs prattle tried her patience until she burst out, annoyed, "Can't you swim, you ninnies? What, big wolves like you don't want to ruin your fur?! What's the matter?! We could've crossed by now instead of making your jaws sore by talking!" The others looked at her, shocked, with Redtail's mouth gaping. Clover snorted in annoyance, and glared at them.
Redtail closed his mouth and spoke in a small voice, "What if there's something in the water?"
The young she-wolf stared in disbelief at how pointless the whole situation was. Adderfang had returned with two fat rabbits in his mouth. After setting them down, he looked from Clover to the pack. No one was paying attention to him and he commented indignantly, "Oh sure, it was no trouble at all!" He huffed and padded to a bush and sulked.
Shadowpelt gazed at the setting sun and barked, "She's right. We cross in the morning." Clover huffed in relief, and snatched a rabbit to split with Adderfang.
In the morning, when the sun had passed above the treetops, the Nightpack prepared to cross the ford. Stareye had found a long willow branch, and shared an idea, "We can hold the branch in our mouths so we don't get separated." Her idea was acknowledged with nods of approval. Holding a small portion of the branch in their jaws, they slowly descended into the fast moving river. Shadowpelt led with Moonfur in the rear, as they kicked their paws and kept their heads high. Muffled by the branch, Clover shouted to Redtail, "See? Almost to the back and there's noth- Ouch!" Clover let go of the branch as she yelped in pain. Several grey pike were thrashing in the water, angrily attacking the wolves. They all let go of the branch and struggled to keep their heads above the water, as they were nipped at mercilessly by the fish.
Redtail was screaming, "See? See? I told you! Ow!" Everyone was paddling to the shore as fast as they could. Exhausted , Clover Swiftpaw struggled as she kicked out at the pike. Her paw struck sand and she waded into the shallows, watching her pack-mates progress. Stareye came next, bleeding in small spots on her flank. Moonfur half dragged, half supported Shadowpelt ashore, as Adderfang shook his dark brown coat. Redtail was still screaming and thrashing in the river, ugly mottled brown pike swarmed him. Panting, Clover ignored common sense and threw herself at the swarm. Breaking the surface, she ignored sharp bites and grabbed Redtail's scruff. Kicking at the pike, both wolves landed gasping on the shore, blood flowing freely from their wounds. Panting, Moonfur started licking the wounds on her brothers flank. Stareye piled moss on Clover's wounds to stop the bleeding. Everyone was wounded and bleeding when they came out of the river. Shadowpelt stood shakily and called to everyone, "We need to keep going." everyone groaned as they stood while Shadowpelt let Redtail lean on him as they made their way through the forest.
Several days passed since leaving the ford, and the Nightpack were still on the hunt. Feeling better, Clover skipped her way into a large meadow. The long grass looked gold in the sunlight and waved in the breeze. Almost recovered, Redtail dashed into the long grass and leaped high. Everyone else trotted in after him. Clover's bone collar bounced as she and the Nightpack fell back into the woods. A lake lay beyond the meadow, full of lily pads. Quickly lapping her fill, Clover took in her surroundings. A willow tree stood to the water's edge, with branches draping down. A log floated on the lake, coming towards them. Clover paid it no mind until it got closer, and taller. What she thought were knots in the wood, were actually small horns on the head of a young bull moose. It's young pride caused it to challenge the wolf pack. Clover swallowed and saw the others had already notice the threat. Shadowpelt whispered orders to them, "Slowly walk on the bank, when I say 'run', run!" The Alpha slowly led them around the moose, while the moose kept his eyes on the pack. It snorted at them and lowered its bulky head towards them. Shadowpelt called back, "Run!" and they did. With the moose right behind them. Even with its large bulk, the moose was surprisingly fast. Even at top speed, Clover could hear its labored breathing close behind. Pumping her legs harder, she raced out in front from sheer terror. Clover saw the terrain turn into a rocky slope. A cliff, taller than she could measure, was ahead. She skidded to a halt several meters away from the drop. Her sudden stop caused everyone else to crash into her, and Clover had to shrug half of Moonfur off. The moose was still coming at top speed towards them. Frantically, she pushed everyone out of the way at the last possible second and the moose careened over the edge! A loud smacking sound told her it had hit the ground. Then everyone lay on their sides, gasping with relief.
After recovering from the previous trauma, Clover shook her pelt and gazed at the view from the cliff. She gasped at the sight before her and barked with excitement to her comrades," Look! It's all here!" The pack stood beside her as they took in the sight. Deciduous forests spread far and wide, with a massive river cutting through it. Meadows dotted the green landscape, and inside most of them were large herds. Deer, elk, caribou! They were all there, waiting to be chased, hunted, and slaughtered. It was enough food to sustain many packs for many seasons.
Clover looked back for the first time since her journey started. A vague shadow showed the mountain range that once covered the southern border of her territory. Sadness came in waves to her thoughts, Stupid humans! Staring back to what lay before her, the sad thoughts slowly receded. Shadowpelt raised his black furred head and let out a low howl; soon followed by Adderfang, Moonfur, Stareye, Redtail, and finally Clover Swiftpaw. Their chorus echoed across the land, telling everything it heard that the Nightpack had accepted their new home. They howled their joy and excitement to the slowly rising moon.