Chapter 13 : " Hard Days "

Sun started to slowly rise above the horizon. It was so quiet, so peacefully, the sound of the wind between treees, the cool breeze caused me to wake up.

'Mornings are realy beautiful' i talked to myself as i woke up.

"Morning Sky" i heard Orchid saying from behide me.

"Morning sis. Did you even sleeped? You look realy tired" i replied quite surprised.

"Not only her Snacky" sayed Kalash.

"Someone had to keep on watch" he added.

'Grrrr can he ever stop calling me Snacky?!' i thought to myself as i was at the same time angry and afraid. I knew if i will start argue with him it might not survive that.

When sun was even higher others started to wake up.

"Morning everyone!" i spoke up when i saw Enna's, Haute's and Chaos's heads peeking out of the forest.

"Morning Sky hows the hu-" sayed Haute and she took a pause when she saw we had bringed food.

"Wow you got another shant! Good job!" she finaly spoke up as she began to praise us and ouer kill.

"Might be last we will get from here" sayed Kalash.

"The herd will now understand that there is a big predator so they will move" he explained shortly after.

"So better safe this meat and your enegry because if we wont find any prey in three days we will have to move" he added.

"Why are you so pessimistic Kalash? Lets enjoy what we have" replied Chaos.

"I'm not pessimist, i'm realist" answer Kalash.

"Since when seeing the worst case scenario is being realistic?!" sayed Chaos anoyed.

"Guys thats enought! Argueing wont make ouer situation better" sayed Enna. She is always getting anoyed when someone is argueing.

Some time has passed as we started to eat from the killl, but we were not takeing too much so it wouldwould last for tommorow.

Rest of the day went by realy fast for me since i was play fighting with John again. We both like to do this even if he is bigger then me.

"Ha i got you!" sayed John when he pinde me down.

"Not for long!" i replied trying my best to escape his grip, which i did after a short struggle.

"Heh nice" sayed John when j freed myself.

We both stared at each other, the only think was that i was panting a lot and my legs were shakeing since i was the one trying to be attacker. John was only defending himself and fact he make me fall and pinned me down afterwords drained my stamina realy fast.

"We should finish before i will have to make you give up again" sayed John, certain he had already won.

"I won't ... give up" i sayed bearly standing.

"Then go on" replied John with a big smile on his face.

As i charged at him with little stamina i had left i tryed to catch John's side and top him over but what he did surprised me.

When i was about to colide with him he pushed me away with one fast move of his head which made me fall.

"Will you give up now ?" he sayeed as he pined me down with his leg again.

I tryed my best to free myself, but i was unable to.

"Just give up already, you wont escape now" sayed John satisfied.

"I ... i don't ... want to ... give up" i replied trying to catched my breath.

"Listen i appreciate your enthusiasm, but you cant do anythiml else. You were fighting longer then ever, with each day you are stronger. One day you will be grate fighter. Just dont think of this as a fail, its just new hill you have to overcome to be better and with every day you are closer to the top of the hill" he sayed as he relised me from under his grip.

"Th-thans ... " i sayed as i started to stand up.

"Look ... you are smaller and in compare weaker but you still are peaking a good fight you surprise me with every fight with somethink new. And thats what make you be better then me" he sayed when i was a little bit let down.

"Thanks!" i sayed now with a wag of a tail to show i appreciate a good word from him.

It was almlst sunset when we finished playing. Only Kalash did not like we were playfighting since it could bring atention of whatever was i could not help it, i just needed to het stronger, and i knew i wont be stronger form only sitting and not doing anythink.

As time went by we begine to slowly moveing to ouer sleeping spots.

"Good night everyone" i sayed as i walked to my spot.

"Sky come to me before you go" sayed Enna.

"Yes mom ?" i asked as i walked closer to her.

"Stay here with us" she sayed.

"Well if you want me to" i answeres as i bagine to look for sime spot to lag down somewhat close to them.

"Come here" sayed Enna insisting i lay down next to her.

When i did just that i noticed how much i needed that motherly warmth to which i sigh in relife.

"Thanks mom ... you alwas know what i need" i sayed as i layed nearly under her.

"No problem Sky" she replied puting her head and neck over my back to hug me even closer to her. I then noticed that Roody and Maugrim are already under her sleeping. Just that small gesture maked me feel alive, maked me feel like i was always a part of this family. I soon fall asleep as well, thanks to the warmth and heart beating that i missed to hear.

The next morning i woke up to a noises Maugrim and Roody were doing by niping each other in they little playfight. I noticed that Enna was still laying nearly on me even when she woke up.

"Morning mom" i spoke up.

"Oh morning Sky, how did you slept?" she asked smileing.

"Very well thatks to you" i replied nuzzleing her cheek.

Many times i'm forgeting i'm actualy an allo not a giga since she is takeing good care of me like if i was one of her childs. I like that feeling. Enna just fills the giant hole i had in my life after i lost my whole family. I'm so glad i can feel that warmth again.

"Your welcome" she replied to which i just wagged my tail since i could not stop the happyness i felt whenever i heard her voice.

Shortly after we all stood up and walked to what was left from the kill before me and other hunters will go for another hunt.

"Alright we will crate four grups" sayed Kalash when we stoped on the hill.

"We adults will go alone and you Lynx and Orchid will take Snacky wih you. Good luck on a hunt" he sayed as they all started to walk their own directions.

"Come on Sky whe have to keep moveing" sayed Orchid from behid me.

"Oh yeah sure ... " i replied as i turned around and walked to Orchid.

Some houers have passed and we still havent found any prey nor heard it.

'Not good if there will be no prey around we will have to move out' i thought to myself as i looked at the ground disappointed we cant find anythink to hunt.

Because i wasn't paying atention where i go i collide with Lynx.

"Hey whatch where you walk!" he growled at me.

"S-sorry did not mean to" i whimpered as i lowered myself.

" sigh sorry as well ... its just ... the tension that we cant find food" he repiled.

"I-its ok i feel the same way" i sayed as i stood up

We went so far out yet we did not found enythink. We decided that we should head back to ouer spot sice it was almost sunset and it will be dark before we come back.

When we finaly made it it was already few houers after sunset. We have came back with empty jaws ... we haven't found prey. When we got spotted by Enna awateing ouer arival i noticed we were last to come back.

"Took you long enought" she sayed as she came to meet us and nuzzled each of us to make us feel better.

I looked around to see otheres did not had luck with prey either. We all failed. I just lowered my head and tail when i saw there is almost nothink to eat as what was left from shant will be eaten by youngests.

"What is it Sky?" asked Enna when she was about to nuzzle me as well and she saw i was sad.

"We had failed ... the hunt" i answered.

"That happends you will maybe find somethink tommorow. Thast how it gose" reassured me Enna with a nuzzle and i stood up with new hope for next day.

We all went to sleep since it was already late.

Whes sun had rise i woke up in a rush since i was thinking that if we will gow to hunt early we might catch some prey off guard. So we moved out before others woke up.

Plan was the same as yesterday spred out to have biggest chance of finding food but this time Orchid decided we will go towards gulf on the north and hope we will find somethink. It was almost noon when we made it but ... the area around gulf was ... empty not even a single sign of anyones presents in long time.

" sigh where now sis? We still have time to go somewhere and bsck before sunset" i asked.

"Well ... " she started.

"I actualy don't know ... maybe we can go to the other side of the gulf it looks to be somethink strange on the other side" she added looking at this strange bright grey think on the other side.

"It looks like some small hill but ... how it can be in the middle of the beach?" i sayed confused.

"I have no idea" replied Orchid.

"Lets investigate" she added as she moved first.

We walked along side the beach and we found a land bridge betwen two sides of gulf. As we corssed it we walked to this strange think on the beach. After some time we came closer to it. It was not a hill at all.

"What is that ?" i asked expecting thatthat others might know.

"I was about to ask same question Sky" sayed Lynx.

"I never saw that before" he added.

"Lets go back i dont feel safe near it" sayed Orchid.

"I dont feel good here as well, my head hurts" i sayed.

As we walked back and distance between us and that strange think grow bigger my head was hurting less and less.

After few houers we made it back home. Agaim with empty jaws. None of the hunters bringed the kill.

Just before sunset Kalash gathered all of us and spoke up.

"As you can see there is no prey around. Tommorow we will move up with the river maybe we will be more lucky there" he started.

"Dad?" asked Orchid.

"Yes Orchid?" replied Kalash.

"Well me, Lynx and Sky went to the gulf to look for prey and-"

"Wait what ?! I told you that noone gose to gulf its too risky" Kalash stoped Orchid as she was speeking.

"I just want to say we found a strange think that looks like hill but its on the beach on the others side" she finished what she wanted to say.

"Do you know what it can be?" she asked Kalash.

"No. And never got there again its too dangerous even for me" replied Kalash.

"End of the meeting go to your sleeping spots we are moveing tommorow" he added shortly after.

When everyone walked back to their spots i decided to stay close to others, close to Enna's side.

"Hi Sky" sayed Maugrim when he saw me comeing in.

"Hi Maugrim" i replied as i layed close to him and already sleeping Roody.

I slowly close my eyes as Enna came to her sleeping spot as well.

She just layed down nuzzleing both Maugrim and Roody. Then she nuzzled me as well and to which i nuzzled her side back and fell asleep soon after.