Chapter 7: In Disguise (written from September 20th to September 30th, 2014)

Two hours later...

"We've made it," said Chance, smelling the ground.

"Made it where?" asked Squeaky, coming down from the wolf's back. He walked over to the spot where Chance sniffed and took a whiff. "Ugh! That's smells disgusting! Like some bird eggs have gone bad!" He backed up and covered his tiny nose with his front paws.

"That's just the smell of a borderline, you idiot! We've made it to the territory of the Grand Pack."

"Why exactly do we need to be here for?"

"All you need to know is that they're our target."

"Well, can you give me some information about our target? You know, it's like what they say: you gotta learn your enemy." Chance sighed. He didn't want to share anything to the squirrel but if it meant shutting him up, he would.

"Look, the Grand Pack is a giant selfish wolf pack that you don't want to mess with. The pack has a strong army along with good defenses. Taking it down will take extra planning."

"What do you plan?"

"I plan to attack the same way my father did: by raiding under the cover of night. But instead of attacking the wolves directly, I, I mean we... will attack the pack's infrastructure. When we're finished, the pack will break apart under its own weight and fall into civil war. That's when we come in and take whatever's left."

"Did your father succeed?" he asked again.

"Obviously not if the Grand Pack is still here today. But not for long... Come on! I need a disguise. I can't be seen here."

"Are you a wanted criminal or something?"

"I wouldn't say "wanted." I was exiled... by my older brother."

"Older brother? Is he the pack leader of the Grand Pack?"

"What? No! And he's not technically my brother either. He was adopted by my parents before I was born. When he betrayed our family, he left to the Grand Pack. Now I think he his an Alpha among them."

"Oh... Hey, I think that might help." Squeaky pointed at a large mud puddle that was a few yards away and was surrounded by a couple of short pine trees.

"Perfect. Nice one squirrel." Chance ran to the puddle and jumped in like he was an Omega having some fun. He swan around in it for a few minutes, then came out and trotted over to Squeaky who became squeamish about the mud coming out of Chance's nostrils. "There, that should cover my scent for a few days. It's a good thing a lot of wolves haven't seen my face so it's best we avoid the ones I recognize."

"Okay. Do you think I should temporarily change my name?"

"You know you don't need to do that. I'm pretty sure nobody here knows you except me."

"I know that, but it would be cool if I had the name "Starfire" or Ripstreak."

"How about "Lunchmeat?" I think that's a match made in Heaven."

"If you didn't like the idea, you could've just said so."

"True, but where's the fun in that? Let's go. We can't stay here long." Squeaky hopped onto his back and they left the borderline, heading into the populated areas of the pack.

Later...

The area they were now in was obvious when they stopped to see something utterly amazing. It looked so glorious to Chance that it created a shadow taller than himself. It wasn't a rock. It wasn't any plant. It was... food! A huge pile of it! They gasped at its pure beauty.

"Is that what I think it is?" he said. His mouth dropped all the way to the bare ground of which he stood upon.

"I don't know. I'm a herbivore."

"Shut up! Sarah says you're ruining the moment..." Soon, he ran so fast that Squeaky fell off of him. He went straight to the pile of meat and dug in. He hadn't eaten in so long that his stomach was more of a dried up tube.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" his companion asked, dusting his shoulders off from the fall.

"Hey you!" someone yelled. It was a she-wolf. "What do you think you're doing?!" Chance froze in place even know he had an entire liver stuffed in his cheeks. "Yeah you! The one covered in mud! Why are you eating our kill after noon?!" He swallowed the liver so he could speak.

"Excuse me, 'after noon'?"

"Yes, stupid. After noon. I don't know if you're new or something, but in case you don't know, we have a policy where lunchtime only exists at noontime and as I can tell from the position of the sun, it's not noontime!"

"Sorry, he didn't mean. He's really a nice wolf," said Squeaky, going in between Chance and the she-wolf. Chance growled for him to go away.

"Scratch that. He's really a mean wolf. Shame on you!"

"Friend of yours?" she asked.

"A throbbing pain, really," Chance answered.

"Seriously guys! I may have the brain the size of a walnut, but I am capable hearing!"

"May I have a name?" she questioned.

"Name's... Ripstreak."

"Interesting... I'm Kyra. Now about the food..."

"Don't worry. I assure you ma'am, it won't happen again.

"I hope so," she replied before turning around and leaving.

"She let you go?" said the squirrel, scratching his head. "I think the disguise works."

"Me too, but I wonder what's the meaning of this pile of delicious meat."

"Maybe it's a hibernating thing. You know, gotta store food for the winter."

"First of all, we wolves don't hibernate 'cause we make use of all our time. Second of all, it's spring right now!"

"Well, don't look at me! I'm no groundhog."

"Whatever. Get on. There's still much to explore."

Later...

They kept pushing, going deeper. When they came to the leeward side of a mountain known as Mt. Victory where the pack leader lived, they slowed to be awed by it. A trail that ran from the top to the bottom in an S-shaped curve was covered with wolves walking up and down. The trail was surrounded in some areas by dens on both sides.

To Chance, there was something familiar about it. High up in the northeast where he was exiled to, he had crossed structures that he was sure humans have built. They were really flat and had flashy colors on them. They were known as "roads" by the local animals there. And on the roads, these moving structures would go up and down at unimaginable speeds. He wondered if the designers of this "trail of wolves" was an expert on humans and their inventions. If there was, he could have a very practical wolf on his paws. But there was also a problem.

"This might be harder than I originally thought."

"Why do you say that?" Squeaky asked.

"The Grand Pack is more advanced than ever. See those groups of dens over there? They're each at a point of strategic importance. I'll wager that there are at least one Alpha on guard in each of those groups. Smart wolves but not smart enough. I don't think they've prepared in the case of secret espionage. Ha! Ha! We have to get more intel. And I think I know where to go."

"Where?"

"My father has taught me the terrible history of this pack and the rituals they embrace. He has told me that there is someone named Winston that used to be one of the two pack leaders before Garth took over when the packs united. He is an old wise wolf who knows every corner of the pack, especially the western half where he ruled."

"Great! We just gotta find out where he lives. Any suggestions?"

"Well, near the top of mountain, where the pack leader lives. He could be in that vicinity."

"Okay. How are we gonna get up there?"

"The same way everybody else does: up the trail."

Just then, a red wolf passed by Chance. Squeaky went and got his attention.

"Excuse me sir. Do you know where to find this wolf named Winston?"

"Yes. He's the first den on the trail."

"Oh, that should be easy to find. Thank you."

They walked to first den they could find on the trail. It was a large den that was full of pelts, stylish rocks, and seashells,

"Hello. What might you two boys want?" asked an old tan-colored she-wolf who came to the mouth of the cave as Chance and Squeaky approached.

"Hi, my name is Ripstreak and my associate here is Squeaky." He got down int o submission.

"Are you an Omega?" she asked. "You're covered in filth! No Alpha of mine would come to me looking like that."

"Oh, yes! I am an... Omega... We have come talk to Winston if you don't mind."

"My mate? What for?"

"Uhh..." He came up with the first word that popped in his head that had to do with taking over a pack. "...Unification..."

"Unification? My, me and my mate specialize in this kind of talk! Please do come in!" They entered and sat down on a couple of luxurious pelts. Winston was in the back of the cave all wrapped around in layers of them.

"Who might these two be Eve?" he asked with his voice sounding soft and fragile. His fur was dark grey, but his chest was pure white.

"Dear, this is Ripstreak and Squeaky. They want to talk to us about unification."

"Preferably unification of sovereign states," Chance added.

"Oh, I know... So... Unification, huh? Well, that has little history with us. According to the Constitution Committee, it is a process of uniting packs or Regions together, especially for the greater good of them. For example: after Kate and Humphrey's affair, it was very clear to see that the variations od the East and West were not irreconcilable; that we had more similarities than our differences. That is why we united to become the Grand Pack once more.

"But however, there are some who wish that all the Regions should unite. And there's a reason why they all aren't. See, the purpose of the United Regions Act was to keep peace by keeping us separate from each other while still being recognized as one. We wolves are very diverse and love competition. If we were all unified together, who knows what chaos would come. Sectionalism would be everywhere causing civil wars beyond measure."

"How do you know all that would happen?" asked Chance, tilting his head.

"Because... it's happened before," his mate, Eve clarified. "The East and West had started out united under the same name and under the same rule of one pack leader like today, but something sparked, dividing them to the point where they battled each other in the greatest war we've ever known. Unification may be good to some extent but as far as resources go in some places, it can also be destructive."

"Okay... Hypothetically speaking, if someone could unite all of the Regions, how would he do it?"

"To do such a thing would require a great deal of work," Winston explained. "First, he would have to convince the Constitutional Committee which is extremely hard to do alone so you'd need the common citizens to gain popular support of you. Second, he would need to establish a government and an army strong enough to hold the Regions together for a long time. And third, he would have to get the neighboring packs to recognize the United Regions as one whole pack, meaning he would need to renew treaties, trade agreements, and also laws. In fact, now that I think of it, if we were all one pack, we'd probably be the biggest pack on Earth. I don't know."

"That's really interesting to know... Right Squeaky?"

"Oh, yes, yes. Very intriguing."

"Mh-hmm. Now excuse us. You've told us quite enough. Thank you very much."

"Glad we could fill you with more knowledge," said Eve. "See you later."

They exited their den and walked upon the trail again.

"Ya' really think they're gonna try it?" Winston asked.

"Relax, honey. What's an Omega and his half-wit squirrel gonna convince?"

"You're right... Then again... remember Peter?..."

Later...

"You know Chance, I think we need to take a rest. My paws are killing me."

"You're tired? You've been on my back for most of the day. But I do agree with on the rest. Maybe we can rent a den for the night."

"Any plans for tomorrow?"

"Yep. If unification can us the pack we want then that's our answer. We have to overthrow the current pack leader, these citizens their true masters, and keep our territory together with a strong army."

"How will we do all of that?"

"Patience is the key. You ask too many questions. Sarah says that to do this, we need a full scale invasion from the strong army. And there is only one army I know in all of Jasper that's powerful enough to infiltrate this sophisticated pack: the Rogues..."


Next: Chapter 8: Riding the Mountains


(Sorry for the wait. I was working on other books along with schoolwork.)