White Hunter's Watership Down: Crossover
Reunited with old friends and arriving to the High Hills
Balto and his pack members were walking through a dried up creek bed as they made their way towards their new home. The creek was in a ditch that was hidden by the branches of trees and bushes that hung overhead to create a thick canopy above the pack members' heads. The group was walking in silence for a while when Tiger and Swiftkill suddenly stopped in their tracks as their ears picked up a sound from behind them. The others walked passed them as the two warriors turned to look over their shoulders in suspicion. A deep frown came over Swiftkill's face as she and Tiger doubled back a few steps. The others quickly noticed that two of their pack members had stop and quickly turned to look at them in confusion. Balto walked back over to Tiger and Swiftkill as he stood beside the two warriors.
"What is it?" asked the wolf/dog.
"Something is coming up the line of the riverbank," whispered Tiger to his leader before he walked forward as he stood ahead of the group.
The pack members walked back the way they came as they stood beside or behind their leader and Swiftkill with curiosity crossing over their faces. Their curiosity quickly changed to nervousness when they started to hear something moan throughout the air. Vivio quickly ran up to Nightrun and stood close to her side as she began to shiver in fear.
"What is that moan?" questioned Exile as he and the others began to tense.
"Can anyone see where it's coming from?" asked Mel.
"No, but I hear it," said Rocket. "And it sounds…big."
"Do you think it's a jungle cat?" asked Nightrun as she looked to their leader for answers.
"I don't know," answered Balto as he looked at the she-wolf behind him.
Tiger listen to the moaning for a while before his eyes widen in fear when he heard a ghostly voice on the wind. The wolf monster quickly ran back over to his pack members as he stood beside Swiftkill, who was starting to shiver in fear. Vivo started to whimper as she tried to make herself as small as possible beside Nightrun who was trying to calm her down.
"Ssshhh…quite," said Balto "I need to listen."
The group quickly did what they were told as they all listened to the moaning until they could clearly hear a voice calling out Swiftkill's and Tiger's names. Tiger and Swiftkill began to shake in fear before Tiger was the first one to speak among his pack members.
"It's the Shadow Hound of Death," spoke the wolf monster.
Everyone in the group, besides Balto, felt fear grip their hearts when they heard what Tiger had said.
The Shadow Hound of Death is the embodiment of death who takes away the old and the sick to the Land beyond Life. He is feared by many and if anyone hears their names being called out on the wind then the Shadow Hound of Death is never too far behind.
Balto had heard many tales of the Shadow Hound of Death and he knew not to let his fear get the best of him. The wolf/dog quickly turned to glared at Swiftkill and Tiger
"Don't talk like that, you'll go mad," growled Balto.
"You don't understand Balto," said Swiftkill as she and Tiger stood up and began to walk a few steps away from the group. "We all go by the will of the Hound of Death."
"She's right," replied Tiger in agreement. "When he calls to you then it means your time in this world is over."
"Stay where you are, both of you!" hissed Balto as he got the two warriors to stop.
Balto walked up to Tiger and Swiftkill to stand beside them and began to smell the air for a second before he called out towards the voice.
"W-who's there?"
Everyone quickly became tense when the voice began to grow louder as it came closer to them: "All dead…all gone!"
Suddenly, the group jumped back with a start as two male wild dogs suddenly fell in front of them. One of them was a white Kishu Ken while the other was a Great Dane. They both had many cuts on their bodies with blood and dirt matting their furs. The pack members were shocked as they quickly recognized the two dogs that were lying in front of them.
"By Frith its Captain Ben and Akame!" exclaimed Nightrun in horror.
The pack members quickly run to Ben's and Kishu Ken's, now known as Akame, aid. Naruto was the first one to make it to the two before his friends as the orange wolf started to nudge the Kishu Ken's head with his own. The others soon surrounded the two members from their old pack as Swiftkill gently started to nudge the Great Dane with her nose while Tiger stood beside her.
"Ben, Akame! Wake up it's us, Tiger and Swiftkill!" exclaimed Tiger.
The two wild dogs groaned before they slowly opened their eyes. At first their vision was a little blurry, but their visions soon cleared when they saw Balto and his pack members standing over them.
"We found you," voiced Ben weakly. "We finally found you at last."
"Akame-sensei, are you alright?" asked Naruto as he got the Kishu Ken's attention on him.
"Naruto," spoke Akame in a tired voice as he turned to look at the young orange wolf beside him. "Thank the ancestors that you're alive."
The orange wolf gave his guardian a smile as he gently nuzzled his head against the Kishu Ken's head.
"You should know that I'm too stubborn to die," Naruto joked.
Akame chuckled softly before winching in pain when his side started to hurt. Nightrun began to look over Ben and Akame to see how serious the two wild dogs' wounds were before giving her report to her leader.
"These two have taken quit a beating," said the black she-wolf. "But their wounds aren't too serious."
"But Ben and Akame are really hurt," added Toboe as the young wolf looked the Great Dane over. "Look at this wound on Ben's shoulder."
Ben mustered up enough strength to up look up at Toboe as the Great Dane stared at the young wolf that stood over him.
"I remember you," said Ben when he recognized the young wolf pup. "You were the one who saw it coming."
"Please," Swiftkill started as she looked down at the Great Dane. "Tell us what happened to both you and Akame."
"And where are the others?" asked Rocket.
"Yeah," stepped in Naruto. "Where are they?"
"I'm afraid that there aren't any others Naruto," spoke Akame as he looked up at the young wolf that he had taken in as his son.
"What do you mean 'there aren't any others?'" questioned Bonnie with a frown. "What happened to my father?"
"Everyone within our old territory…even your father Bonnie…is dead," answered Ben.
Everyone gasped in horror and disbelief when Ben told them that everyone they had left behind in their old territory was dead. Bonnie shook her head as tears started to fall down her face. It couldn't be…her father can't be gone. The she-wolf was soon overcome by sadness as tears started to stream down her face. Rocket noticed the young she-wolf's plight as he slowly walked over to Bonnie and started trying to comfort her by gently nuzzling her neck.
"Can you two tell us exactly what happened?" asked Balto.
Ben slowly, yet painfully, got himself into a more comfortable position before he started his explanation about what had happened to their old pack.
"Human's came into our territory," Ben began. "They brought their guns with them along with their machines. We didn't know how many humans had come into our territory, but there must have been at least 50 of them. The pack tried to escape, but only Akame and I were able to out run the men and their guns. We began to watch the humans for a while when we were far enough away from them so that they wouldn't spot us. They began to destroy the territory by pushing all the grass and plants into the earth while some of the other humans dragged away the bodies of our dead pack members."
Vivio began to cry against Nightrun as the black she-wolf tried to comfort the young female retriever. Mel was trying to hold back his tears, but was failing miserably as they slid down his face. The rest of the pack members hung their heads sadly after what Ben had told them. Thomas was the first one to speak among his peers.
"Men have always hated us wild dogs," growled the Border collie angrily.
"No," spoke Akame with a shake of his head as he looked at Thomas. "They'd only destroyed the territory and killed us off because we were in their way."
"Those humans will never rest until they've spoiled the earth," voiced Toboe sadly.
"We've been looking for you," said Akame as he tried to stand up but soon slumped back down to the ground in exhaustion. "We've wondered for days."
"Not to mention that the Shadow Clan wouldn't let us go," added Ben bitterly.
Balto and his group members all stared at one another when Ben mentioned the name of another wild dog clan they have never heard of before.
"They nearly tore us to pieces when we tried to escape," said Akame as he started to grow tired.
"We tried to find you," voiced Ben as he slowly let his head fall between his paws as he slipped into unconsciousness with Akame following not far behind him.
The group stood around Ben and Akame as the two members of their old pack lay on the ground, collapsed out of exhaustion. Tiger and Swiftkill frowned as they shared a look of confusion with their pack members.
"Shadow Clan," voiced Swiftkill. "What are they talking about?"
"I don't know," said Balto as he looked down at Ben and Akame. "But let's not disturb them right now. They've had a rough journey…they can tell us about it once they're full rested."
The group nodded their heads in agreement as they all started to lie down on the dirt floor of the dried up creek bed. Naruto lie down next to Akame before he began to lick a few of the Kishu Ken's wounds. Swiftkill was also doing the same with Ben as she licked the serious slash mark on the Great Dane's shoulder. Tiger, Ash, Exile and Thomas took up being lookouts while the other pack members got some rest before they would continue their journey again.
As Ben and Akame slept they began to dream about the territory of the Shadow Clan and what had transpired there.
Dreamscape: Flashback
There were many wild dog guards in the territory as they stood watch over many other wild dogs that were of lower rank. A few of the lower members of the pack were lying on the grass while they looked around in fear at the guards that surrounded them. Ben's and Akame's visions soon shifted to a large den where a council of elders were giving trial to a young black wolf who was lying between two strong male wild dogs. They young wolf had amber brown eyes and a burn mark scar over his left eye and the side of his face. With a nod from one of the elders the two male wild dogs started to bit, scratch and tear at the young male wolf's body. The two soldiers of the Akela clan kept watching as they remembered how terrible that place was for all of the wolves and wild dog members. Their vision soon took them to a dark forest that surrounded the Shadow Clan's territory as voices began to speak from the shadows.
"A female has a request for you, sire," spoke a male voice.
"A female wants to see me?" question a second male voice that was much deeper than the first one.
"Says she represents a group, sire," answered the first male voice.
The second male let out a low growl before responding: "Bring her in."
A few minutes of silence passed before the second male, who was obviously the leader of the Shadow Clan, spoke again: "Your name?"
"Jenna, sir," spoke a female voice timidly.
"Don't be frightened," said the leader with chuckle. "You're quite safe here."
There was a few seconds of silence before the leader grew impatient: "Well get on with it!"
"Sir," responded the female, Jenna, as the shadow of her figure came into view. "Several of us propose an expedition to start…a new territory somewhere else."
"A new territory?" growled the leader angrily. "That's out of the question."
"But you don't understand," said Jenna as she tried to get through to her leader. "The system is breaking down."
"Explain that," snarled the leader.
"Some of us can't produce pups, we're over crowded."
"I want no further discussion!" yelled the leader.
"We'll go as far as you like…" continued Jenna.
"Here or anywhere else!" interrupted the leader.
Jenna was about to protest when a male wolf glared at her, telling her that she had over stayed her welcome. The she-dog let out a sigh of defeat before slowly bowing her head in submission.
"Thank you, sir," said Jenna in a soft voice before she made her way out of the leader's den.
"Maugrim," growled the leader as the wolf looked towards him.
"Yes sir," replied the wolf.
"Have that female watched," ordered the leader as he narrowed his red eyes that pierced the darkness that hid his figure.
End of the flashback
Ben and Akame shook within their sleep as vision of the Shadow Clan territory still ran deep within their minds. Naruto and Swiftkill noticed their companions shaking as they lay beside them. Naruto started to gently nuzzle his muzzle against the Kishu Ken's shoulder as he tried to calm his mentor. Swiftkill was also doing the same thing as she tried to calm Ben down as well. Whatever had happened to the once proud warriors who had stayed in the Shadow Clan territory had really shaken them up. The group stayed in the dry creek bed for half of the day as they let Akame and Ben recuperate after their long journey to find the last few remaining members of their old pack.
It was well into the afternoon before the group continued onwards towards their new home once Ben and Akame were fully rested. The journey was an uneventful one as the pack members traveled across the land to the place where Toboe had seen in his vision. They would occasionally hunt for food and rest to regain their energy before continuing on their way. It was nearing sunset when the group finally came to their destination as they entered a lush green valley that was full of game for them to hunt but their attention was full on a hill that stood before them.
"That's it Balto!" exclaimed Toboe excitedly as he pointed towards a giant hill that toward high in front of them. "That's the place for us!"
The group trotted over to the large hill before sitting down at the base of it as they all stared up the hill that was almost as tall as a mountain.
"Let me get this straight Toboe," began Balto as he looked at his adopted brother for a second before turning his gaze back up towards the top of the hill. "You want us to climb this, is that it?"
"Yes," replied Toboe with a nod of his head.
"You have got to be kidding me," muttered Bonnie after she took one glance at the hill. "It's going to take us forever to climb that thing."
"And I don't know if Vivio and Mel can make it all the way to the top by themselves," added Nightrun with a doubtful look on her face.
"Don't worry Nightrun," said Ash in reassurance as he gave the she-wolf a smile. "If the pups get tired we can carry them the rest of the way up."
"And besides," stepped in Naruto. "We've made it this far and I think it's time we finished what we started."
"He is right comrades," said Exile with a nod of his head. "It is time that we see are new home-ski."
Balto turned to look at the rest of his pack members: "Is everyone in agreement that we should continue on what we have started?"
Everyone responded to Balto's question by nodding their heads 'yes' towards their leader. Bonnie and Nightrun were reluctant, but they too started to nod their heads that they should continue on to finish what they had started. With their decision finally made the group started to make their way up the hill towards the top where their new home will be waiting for them.
The climb was straining for some of the pack members, but they were all determined to get to the top of the hill. The group dug their claws into the soft soil of the hill as they pushed their muscles to carry them all the way to their destination. Vivio and Mel were panting as they tried to keep up with their pack members but they soon had to stop for a second to catch their breath. Ash and Nightrun came up behind the youngest members of their pack. The two black wolves nudged the golden retriever pups to give them a little encouragement and the two pups responded by getting up onto their paws as they started their climb up the hill again with Ash and Nightrun following right behind them. Bonnie was also getting tired from the long climb as she stopped to catch her breath for a minute.
"I really need to start working out more," muttered the she-wolf.
"Come on Bonnie, we're almost there!" called out Balto when he turned to look behind him to make sure that no one was going to get left behind.
Balto's words were correct for the group was almost near the top of the hill. Bonnie let out a huff of frustration before she was suddenly pushed gently from behind by Ben as the old warrior encouraged the she-wolf to continue onwards.
"Come on, you heard what Balto said" said Ben. "We're almost there so just keep moving."
"Alright, alright I'm going," grumbled Bonnie as she continued to go forward again.
The group continued to climb all the way up the hill while making sure to help their members make it up the rest of the way. It wasn't long after that that Rocket, Naruto and Thomas were the first ones to reach the top before the others. Thomas continued to go forward while Naruto and Rocket stopped near the edge of the hill as they took in the sight that was laid out before them.
"By the fangs of our ancestors," voiced Rocket as his eyes widened in wonder.
"You took the words right out of my mouth," said Naruto.
"What are you two looking at?" asked Nightrun as she, Ash and the two pups came to stand beside the two members of their pack.
"Take a look for your-self Nightrun," said Rocket.
Nightrun, Ash, Vivio and Mel did what their oldest member had said and what they saw amazed them to no end.
"Oh my…" breathed Nightrun as a smile spread out across her muzzle.
"Come and look!" called Ash to the rest of his pack members in excitement. "You can see the whole world from up here!"
The pack members soon arrived at their destination and were all now gathered on top of the hill as they stared out at the world in front of them. The view that they all saw took their breath away as they continued to stare out at the land in front of them.
What stood before the group was open land that stretched out for miles around. There were lush rolling green hills, mountain ranges that grew towards the sky and the view of a few human cottages that were stationed far away from the deep valley that the hill resided in.
"This is amazing," said Bonnie as she sat between Rocket and Ben.
"We made it, we finally made it," said Swiftkill with a sigh as she sat beside Tiger as she leaned against him with a smile on her face.
"We sure did Swiftkill," said Tiger with a smile as he looked down at his female companion. "We sure did."
Thomas soon came back to join the group as he stood beside Balto with an excited smile on his face.
"I found a large den for us Balto," said the Border collie. "Under that giant oak tree, it has a large chamber with no scent of enemies, death or disease."
"Oh Frith on the hill!" exclaimed Rocket as they all continued to take in the view of the world in front of them. "He made it all for us!"
"Frith may have made it," said Balto as he turned to look at his adopted brother with a proud smile. "But Toboe found it."
At long last the group's journey in searching for a new home has come to an end. They had all made it to their destination and now they can finally feel at peace, but what they didn't know was that they will be taking up another adventure that will determine the future of their new home.
To Be Continued
Sorry for the long wait guys. I hope you like this chapter and tell me what you think of it until then R&R.
White Hunter, howling out to you and the spirits!