Heiri's Responses:
Maiden of the Collar: Thanks! More is on the way!
I Be Guest: Maybe! Keep reading to find out!
Amaya-Anarya: Thanks! I don't know! Well, actually I do, but that's later in the story!
Kipcha's Note: So sorry for no update for a while. I've just been distracted by a few things. But don't worry, I'm back like Shady, only better! Maybe...kinda...sorta...ok, not really.
"Well, that proves that there are more males," Heiri said as she walked over to her pack members. "At least one other," she added.
"Well, they sent a spy," Blue spoke after pondering on the current events. "They could be aggressive."
"Or they could just be curious," Kipcha reminded, now feeling the first spark of interest in the males as she thought over the possibilities. "Hige's eyes did seem to light up slightly when he discovered there were no males," she added. Kipcha began to stalk back to her spot and lie back down as she continued. "Plus, he did not try to attack me or steal my food."
"But what if they are aggressive? The alpha female could be pregnant because of premature mating," Blue questioned allowed as she looked to her leader.
"Why would he be so happy to see a female?" Heiri growled almost in a bored tone of voice.
"Or a whole pack of them for that matter," Kipcha growled, almost bitterly as she thought of how alone the pack was.
"But Heiri, say they do wish to come to run us out and they are aggressive," Blue began. Looking down, Blue was careful to keep her throat exposed as she began to wonder and pondered over what could take place if they were truly vicious and had massive numbers. "What will we do?" Blue asked, lifting her head to look through her leader without locking eyes.
It was Heiri's turn to think. She did not give an answer, merely shook her head and loped back into the den to think some. She lay down as she looked around in the darkness. She inhaled and exhaled in a huge sigh as she thought. But her thoughts kept drifting to other unimportant and quite silly matters. She hated the scent of the den. It reeked of the foxes that had once occupied them with only a faint scent of their own. It annoyed her so much she could barely keep her thoughts going in a straight line. She scolded herself for getting off the subject and closed her eyes, there was nothing interesting in the cave that she hadn't seen before so the darkness of her closed eyes might bring her some peace.
The one named Hige seemed nice enough from what Kipcha spoke of him. She had explained that she had shown aggression to maybe hopefully ward him off as that would be anyone's natural reaction, but Hige had acted in the opposite many would and he showed no sign of wanting to offend her. If anything, he sounded as though he had wanted to make her feel comfortable around him, which was a sign that he did not want to bring harm to her or her pack. But, at the same time, she had to take into consideration the cunning of her species. Wolves were crafty and nowhere near stupid when it came to creating plots. He could possibly be luring them into a false sense of security, something that they could do around their prey when they felt like having a bit of fun.
Then she had to take into consideration the one that had hid inside the bushes. She mentally cursed the lack of breeze from preventing the wind to carry a scent; otherwise, they would have caught the spy. But why had they sent a spy if they had been so friendly and not trying to run them out. She could see no logic in not presenting themselves if they had just wanted information on the pack rather than spying and being sneaky. It perplexed her as she lay there in the warm abandoned fox den. A good nap may clear her mind, she decided as she let herself be enveloped in sleep's warm arms.
Fur was flying as the two male wolves jumped back from one another. In another clash, they stood on their hind legs, ripping and tearing at each other with their claws and fangs. Tsume bit into Kiba's hackles and pulled him to the ground. Kiba was not easily put down and even though Tsume stood over him, he found himself having to try to jump upon Kiba, rather than actually just go for the throat. Lunge after lunge, Kiba put up his forepaws and pushed the gray wolf back. Tsume had his mouth open and continuously snapped viciously, just missing the throat each time as he felt the great paws of the alpha male slam against his chest. Tossing his head wildly, Kiba bit and snapped at the gray with his mouth until he finally made contact on the other wolf's muzzle.
Giving a loud cry, Tsume jumped back shaking his head as blood landed on the ground. Rolling onto his stomach, Kiba lunged for Tsume and threw his weight into it, causing the gray to lose balance and fall over. Kiba kept his stride, but stumbled slightly, still snapping wildly. Tsume was a smart and skilled fighter, so Kiba missed his target of the neck when Tsume curled his neck around and bit at Kiba's paws. Kiba jumped back, but did not go unscathed as he felt the sharp fangs drag down his leg. Once again, Kiba refused to whimper aloud as the rage continued to burn in his eyes. He raised his tail once more and growled viciously, still protecting his neck and raising his hackles. Curling his lip back into a snarl, Tsume returned the same aggressive stance as he rose to his feet.
The two wolves locked eyes and stared each other down while the brown sugar wolf only watched. He could not interfere no matter how much he desired for the fighting to stop. "Give it up," Kiba snarled.
"As if," Tsume growled maliciously back. The taste of blood was in both of their mouths as they were both already bleeding from scrapes and scratches from both fangs that had only grazed as well as claws that had made some good contact.
They both remained in their positions, waiting for the other to make their move. Tsume couldn't resist the urge to move anymore and set his weight back on his haunches before diving for the white wolf. Kiba instantly set his weight back on his haunches, but did not spring. Instead, he ducked underneath and sprung below him. Tsume barely could even wrap his jaws around Kiba's hinds before he felt the white wolf's powerful jaws clamp around his tuck up. Tsume's teeth were already into Kiba's flesh, but quickly ripped out, which only caused Kiba to bite down harder. Tsume slammed into the ground as Kiba held him. Releasing him, Kiba glared at Tsume.
This time, Tsume did not make eye contact; he did not bare his fangs. The pain was already searing and instantly shot down his leg as the gray wolf lay on the ground. Kiba growled in warning, showing mercy on the injured opponent, and turned away with his tail raised. "That's a warning," Kiba growled. "Don't expect mercy next time."
The words were empty. Tsume knew it. Hige knew it. Even Kiba knew it. Kiba would never kill one of his own. He cared too much about his pack to strike down one of the pack. It would go against his morals and ideals if he did something like that. Kiba lay down beside the mouth of the cave as Tsume pushed himself to his paws. "Hey, look, the runt's coming back," Hige announced as Toboe shook off the water from the stream and was loping towards them. When he arrived on the scene, he saw the gray wolf limping with not only an injured leg, but also an injured pride.
"Guys! Kipcha wasn't lying!" Toboe exclaimed gleefully. Unlike Hige, he was sure to keep his tail down. The blood staining the ground before him reminded him to keep it in check because tempers were still probably on the flare. Hige only glanced at the runt. It also tore him up inside to watch Tsume and Kiba fight. He hated seeing members of his pack at their throats, literally. It didn't help the pack any that Tsume couldn't swallow his pride and just fall in line like the other two. He always stayed though. Hige was not like Toboe and fled every time the rage swelled in the two sets of fierce eyes of the alpha wolf and his challenger. He watched the scuffles and stood still or paced. It put him on edge, certainly, but he would not run from it. He was no longer a cub and hadn't been for nearly three years now.
Hige had not looked at Toboe for more than a second because quite honestly, the duel between the two wolves was enough to take his mind away from the perkier things in life. Every time the fangs were bared and the hackles were raised, the tension was so thick in the air that it made Hige feel almost claustrophobic and locked in a small cell with no key. He rested his head on his paws and merely looked back and forth as the conversation carried on; his mind was racing with too many thoughts to be worrying about Kiba's decision on the females just then.
"How many are there?" Kiba asked flatly, still having ruffled feathers from the fight he had just engaged himself in.
"I saw three," he replied. "And I saw Kipcha with them. There was Blue, Heiri, and Kipcha. I didn't smell any other wolves though." Toboe howled in his happiness and did a circle. Tsume gave an annoyed look with nothing to say as he tended to his wounds. Hige just merely rolled his eyes as Kiba kept still as a stone. The youngster's excitement seemed to have not fazed the alpha as he lay watching. "Heiri looks like she's the alpha."
"Did you approach them?" Tsume snarled from his corner. Kiba only shot him a glare, it wasn't his place to be asking the questions or making the decision, yet Tsume just seemed to help himself. Kiba could only wonder how many more bites like those that it would take before the gray understood that his place was as a beta, not as an alpha.
"No," Toboe shook his head as he trotted over to a comfortable spot under some shade and laid himself down. "I didn't dare to get too close. But I was careful and wasn't spotted." Kiba thought over this. They would eventually find that he had been there and could see it as a sign of aggression. He looked down at his paws and saw the blood dripping over his normally white fur. Licking the wound gingerly, he thought over what information the youngest had just informed him of. It would be a difficult decision. He thought it over quietly as Toboe sat happily, Tsume mumbled to himself, and Hige seemed restless.
The she-wolves would no doubt see the scent of a wolf from the male pack as a sign of aggression due to the lack of contact other than observing. But at the same time, they could see it as the pack's true and honest curiosity getting the better of them. Kiba doubted the latter as he thought over what he would think. As the pack leader, he would take this as a sign of aggression. He would need to send someone in as soon as possible to clarify everything, the situation, Toboe's visit, the proposition, everything. He looked up to his scout as he watched Hige once again change position on the ground, grumbling to himself.
"Hige," the white wolf voiced over to the sugar brown. That's all it took for the ears to perk and for Hige to sit up. "Come with me, I need to speak with you." Kiba rose, but showed no sign of the real soreness he was feeling in his paw from Tsume's bite. He would deny the blue-gray the satisfaction of seeing the alpha in pain. The scout rose to his own feet and trotted alongside the white as they climbed up the slope to the top of the rock wall. Kiba said nothing during their ascension and it was spent in utter silence as they quickly made their way up. When they reached the top, Kiba continued to trot over to the edge of the precipice while Hige hung back.
Kiba sat down and gazed out over the land. It still took his breath away too see the vastness of the land he knew so well. Hige waited for his leader to say anything whether it was about dismissal or to come closer. Whichever the case, Hige waited. Kiba was lost in his own thoughts for a few seconds. He re-thought over what he had already gone over. These were difficult choices he was making, but he had to be confident in his decisions. He looked towards the fox den where it was hidden behind the clump of forest.
"Hige, come here," Kiba finally growled after thinking over his thoughts. He had finalized his decision in his mind. If he were Heiri, the one Toboe told him was the alpha, he would be wary of these males and any sign of aggression like a spy would put him on edge. They needed to clarify, it was the only way they could possibly live in harmony. Hige did what he had been told and scampered over beside him and sat almost immediately. Hige had never been to the edge before and gazed out at the valley. His eyes went wide as he suppressed a gasp.
It was an amazing sight. Below them, they could see the grumbling Tsume and Toboe resting under the shade, then you could see the stream, every cluster of forest, the deer, a few other larger wildlife, birds flying in the sky or diving into one of the forests, and could see so far away that Hige could even see land behind their boundaries. It was absolutely breathtaking. He could see the land for once from so high, it made his pride swell. Hige had little pride at times, but his just made him feel proud to be following a strong alpha, to have the strongest nose, and extremely proud to be a wolf. A wolf was the top of the food chain out there. No one dared mess with a pack of wolves because they knew the bonds that each held with one another. Hige's pride had swollen tremendously to the point he felt his lips quivering.
But Kiba beat him to it. Kiba's mouth formed the perfect 'O' and a long howl was released. Hige almost smiled and joined in. It felt good to howl, because they had no reason to joyously commemorate something with the song of their kind, but just witnessing this land and all they had accomplished was something to celebrate as Hige let the song flow from his mind as they both pointed their muzzles to the heavens above. The howling subsided and the two both lowered their muzzles, satisfied with the chorus. Below, Toboe answered the call with his own as it traveled up to the alpha and his scout. Tsume, despite his irritated state, even joined in the returning call. The white wolf and the sugar brown wolf both raised their muzzles once more and joined their pack members in the call.
Four beautiful voices rose up into the air and flew towards the heavens as they gave celebration and thanks for what they had achieved. Lowering his head to gain another breath, Hige stopped from howling once more. Standing outside the forest blocking the forest den was a black wolf. While she could not see the wolves, she still answered their call and howled as loud as she could. Her howl carried to them as Hige snapped out of it and jumped back into the song. The voices all seemed to melt into one and if a human passing by heard the calls, they'd think a giant wolf was calling to the heavens. The calls all subsided and did not continue after a while, but the pride and joy in the five wolves still lingered within them as they calmed themselves.
"This…this is amazing…" Hige finally got out as he looked around. Kiba said nothing on the subject, but there was a smile in his eyes as he side-glanced his friend.
"Hige," he began. "We need to go to the female den."
"Why so soon?" Hige asked, looking at his commander who only studied the land before him, working a route in his mind secretly.
"They will eventually find Toboe's scent and they could see it as a sign of aggression," he growled in response. "I would too." Hige thought on it as he turned and looked towards the land.
"I see what you are saying."
"Which is why I'm taking you with me," Kiba seemed to almost disregard Hige even spoke. "Tsume would be a mistake as he may offend the she-wolves, Toboe is just too young if something was to happen and you are the perfect candidate. Hige, we need to go discretely, I'm afraid if we are too blunt and just waltz in there, they could become aggressive. I know sneaking probably isn't showing the best either, but it's probably the only way to get them to at least hear us out."
"You've got a point," he replied as he looked back at Kiba. "So what way are we going?"
Reaching out his paw, Kiba almost seemed to point to the route as Hige looked in the direction the alpha was directing. He traced a line with his eyes and understood. Kiba glanced over at his eyes and saw the understanding. "We leave tonight, after the sun has fully set and when we can travel in the cover of the night." Hige saw the thoughtful look in Kiba's eyes and decided the best thing he could do for his leader would to follow and support the difficult decision.
"What about the other two?" Hige asked as he peered over the land. Kiba's eyes did not leave the valley as he thought it over.
"We will tell them where we are going as we leave," Kiba spoke confidently.
"Gotcha," Hige nodded in confirmation. He was about to leave when they heard a lone howl of calling. It was majestic and seemed to summon the breeze that had begun. So powerful, it seemed to make the mountains to the south bow down. The howl subsided as two calls responded in a chorus. Hige and Kiba both thought the same passing thought as unbeknownst to them, two she-wolves were returning for their den.
Heiri stood at the entrance of the den as she saw the other two she-wolves running towards her. Kipcha arrived just a few seconds before Blue, but it did not take long for the black wolf to meet the other two. "Who was howling?" Heiri asked, slight anger was flaring in her eyes as Kipcha looked at Blue and Blue looked at Kipcha. Blue hung her head in shame.
"I did…" she murmured.
"What were you thinking?" Heiri snapped since she had yet to make her decision and making friendly calls like that could lead to sooner attacks from the male wolves if they were truly aggressive.
"I couldn't help it," she whimpered shamefully. "It was such a wonderful call that it made the pride swell up in my chest until I couldn't hold it in any longer, I just had to let it out."
Heiri eyed the black wolf. The call could have cost them, but at the same time, it could have made no difference. She decided the latter and just plainly shook her head. "Don't let it happen again."
Blue raised her head as Kipcha also looked up. She couldn't take the curiosity that was growing within her any longer and finally spoke, "Have you reached any decision, Heiri?"
Heiri only glared at Kipcha and heaved a sigh, "I can only tell you this much." Both wolves, Blue and Kipcha, perked at this and listened intently at what the alpha female had decided. Both of their fates, after all, rested in Heiri's paws. "We will hold our ground, no matter what." Kipcha and Kipcha both nodded in agreement, they weren't about to argue with her judgment.
"But what if they are not aggressive?" Kipcha inquired, her interest in what the alpha had to say in regards to the males was just beginning to spark once more.
"I still have not yet passed my judgment upon the matter," Heiri stated matter-of-factly. "I will need more time to consider it."
"But we may not have much time," Blue chimed. "Time is not on our side on the matter, winter is almost here."
"I know that," Heiri growled as she shifted uncomfortably. "I just need more time to think." Kipcha had lost interest then and gave a yawn.
"I'll leave you to think," Kipcha announced as she padded past Heiri and into the den to get a good nap in.
"I will return to my hunt," Blue proclaimed as she turned and darted back into the forest. Heiri sighed a very heavy sigh. So much was resting on her shoulders at her moment, she felt as though she might collapse under the weight. Sure, she had taken on a lot of responsibility when Kipcha, Blue, and herself had run away from the old pack and became their leader; someone they looked to for answers, but this was a larger responsibility than that. Finally, they had found some place to stay and it turned out that another pack occupied this land. To make it worse, they knew barely anything about the pack and now she was forced to make a decision. Heiri was tired of running away. They had run for so long that she was not willing to run again.
But for now, she wanted a nice run; a nice long run to take her mind off things. Lightening her load with a nice run would do the alpha some good, she decided. Taking off in a random direction, she ran. No. She wasn't running. She was flying. Heiri glided across the land, her muscles not even being strained and the feeling of flight, Heiri was happy. She felt one thing that she hadn't felt when she had laid down in the den to think. Freedom. It was hers. When she was running across the field, no one could touch it and she felt like she was running alongside the birds in the sky, floating on a cloud. She ran as far and as fast as she could, free like a wolf should be. Free like any animal should be, at least in her mind. She was in her place.
A wolf was a wild animal, meant to be free and to run the valleys without worry or without care. Nothing could tame this powerful predator as their pride and instincts were too strong. The wild always was within the wolf since it was one with the wilderness around it. But unlike some animals, it had an understanding that it was only a piece of it. It thinned out the deer herds by eliminating the weak, the old, and the sick so that the strong may continue and prosper. It was the intricate and fragile balance of things. The wolf was the predator. The wolf was the family. The wolf was the wild. The wolf was freedom.
Heiri did not return until late though, but Kipcha and Blue both waited patiently for her, with a large piece of meat. A great prize of rabbit that Blue had taken down in one fatal blow, much like Kipcha had done earlier. It seemed like that autumn night everything would be peaceful and the thought of the male pack had left all three of the she-wolves' minds. But they did not know of the two males who had just left their own den and began their sprint across the field and to the secret route to the females.