Pack Book 1
Prologue
A half-moon glowed on the smooth granite boulders, turning them silver. The silence was broken only by the ripple of water from the swift black river and the whisper of trees in the forest beyond.
There was a stirring in the shadows, and from all around lithe dark shapes crept stealthily over the rocks. Unsheathed claws glinted in the moonlight. Wary eyes flashed like amber. And then, as if on a silent signal, the creatures leaped at each other, and suddenly the rocks were alive with wrestling, growling wolves.
At the center of the frenzy of fur and claws, a massive dark wolf pinned a bracken-colored wolf to the ground and drew up his head triumphantly. "Oakclaw!" the dark wolf growled. "How dare you hunt in our territory? The Sun Stones belong to ThunderPack!"
"After tonight, Tiger, this will just be another RiverPack hunting ground!" the bracken-colored wolf spat back.
A warning howl came from the shore, shrill and anxious. "Look out! More RiverPack Members are coming!"
Tiger turned to see sleek wet bodies sliding out of the water below the rocks. The drenched RiverPack Members bounded silently up the shore and hurled themselves into battle without even stopping to shake the water from their fur.
The dark wolf glared down at Oakclaw. "You may swim like otters, but you and your Pack do not belong in this forest!" He drew back his lips and snarled, showing his teeth as the wolf struggled beneath him.
The desperate yipping of a ThunderPack she-wolf rose above the clamor. A wiry RiverPack wolf had pinned the brown she-wolf flat on her belly. Now he lunged toward her neck with jaws still dripping from his swim across the river.
Tiger heard the cry and let go of Oakclaw. With a mighty leap, he knocked the enemy away from the she-wolf. "Quick, Mouse, run!" he ordered, before turning to the RiverPack Member who had threatened her. Mouse scrambled to her paws, wincing from a deep gash on her shoulder, and raced away.
Behind her, Tiger growled with rage as the RiverPack Member sliced open his nose. Blood blinded him for an instant, but he lunged forward regardless and sank his teeth into the hind leg of his enemy. The RiverPack wolf screeched and struggled free.
"Tiger!" The howl came from a wolf with a tail as red as fox fur. "This is useless! There are too many RiverPack Members!"
"No, Redclaw. ThunderPack will never be beaten!" Tiger howled back, leaping to Redclaw's side. "This is our territory!" Blood was welling up around his broad black muzzle, and he shook his head impatiently, scattering scarlet drops onto the rocks.
"ThunderPack will honor your courage, Tiger, but we can't afford to lose any more of our Members," Redclaw urged. "Bluespirit would never expect us to fight against these impossible odds. We will have another chance to avenge this defeat." He met Tiger's amber-eyed gaze steadily, then reared away and sprang onto a boulder at the edge of the trees.
"Retreat, ThunderPack! Retreat!" he howled. At once his Members squirmed and struggled away from their opponents. Spitting and snarling, they back toward Redclaw. For a heartbeat, the RiverPack wolves looked confused. Was this battle so easily won? The Oakclaw howled a jubilant cry. As soon as they heard him, the RiverPack wolves raised their voices and joined their Beta in caterwauling their victory.
Redclaw looked down at his Members. With a flick of his tail, he gave the signal and the ThunderPack wolves dived down the far side of Sun Stones, then disappeared into the trees.
Tiger followed last. He hesitated at the edge of the forest and glanced back at the bloodstained battlefield. His face was grim, his eyes furious slits. Then he leaped after his Pack into the silent forest.
In a deserted clearing, an old gray she-wolf sat alone, staring up at the clear night sky. All around her in the shadows she could hear the breathing and stirring of sleeping wolves.
A small multi-colored she-wolf emerged from a dark corner, her pawsteps quick and soundless.
The gray wolf dipped her head in greeting. "How is Mouse?" she asked.
"Her wounds are deep, Bluespirit," answered the multi-colored wolf, settling herself on the night-cool grass. "But she is young and strong; she will heal quickly."
"And the others?"
"They will all recover, too."
Bluespirit sighed. "We are lucky not to have lost any of our Members this time. You are a gifted Shaman, Spottedleaf." She tilted her head again and studied the stars. "I am deeply troubled by tonight's defeat. ThunderPack has not been beaten in its own territory since I became Alpha," she murmured. "These are difficult times for our Pack. The season of newleaf is late, and there have been fewer pups. ThunderPack needs more Members if it is to survive."
"But the year is only just beginning," Spottedleaf pointed out calmly. "There will be more pups when greenleaf comes."
The gray wolf twitched her broad shoulders. "Perhaps. But training our young to become Members takes time. If ThunderPack is to defend its territory, it must have new Members as soon as possible."
"Are you asking SpiritPack for answers?" barked Spottedleaf gently, following Bluespirit's gaze and staring up at the swath of stars glittering in the clear sky.
"It is at times like this we need the words of ancient wolves to help us. Has SpiritPack spoken to you?" Bluespirit asked.
"Not for many moons, Bluespirit."
Suddenly a shooting star blazed over the treetops. Spottedleaf's tail twitched and the fur along her spine bristled.
Bluespirit's ears pricked but she remained silent as Spottedleaf continued to gaze upward.
After a few moments, Spottedleaf lowered her head and turned to Bluespirit. "It was a message from SpiritPack," she murmured. A distant look came into her eyes. "Fire alone can save our Pack."
"Fire?" Bluespirit echoed. "But fire is feared by all the Packs! How can it save us?"
Spottedleaf shook her head. "I do not know," she admitted. "But this is the message SpirtPack has chosen to share with me."
The ThunderPack Alpha fixed her clear blue eyes on the Shaman. "You have never been wrong before, Spottedleaf," she said. "If SpiritPack has spoken, then it must be so. Fire will save our Pack."