Ch 4

"Rose, my love." Whiptail spoke sweetly to his mate Rose, who was a houndoom just like him. She smiled and nudged him with her nose. "We have done it." he said "we have made peace with Hephaestus and her fox clan." he nudged her with his snout affectionately "I have missed you so much."

"I missed you too Whiptail. And I am glad the campaign went well."

"I am really exited about all of this, it was your fathers dream you know."

"Yes I know"

Rose, her name said all about her. Beautiful, graceful and kind but also brave, proud and full of fighting spirit. Everyone in the clan looked up to her for her wisdom and hope. And she seemed to always know what was going on. She was born daughter of the last great leader of the pack. Her father Darkpaw was a kind and much loved leader and he had passed that kindness to her. She had grown up with responsibility and power but had never used it for her own benefit. Whiptail looked at her affectionately. But thinking for a moment suddenly felt sad.

Rose looked at him. It was to bad he would not tell her what was wrong. Instead she decided to change the mood. "The scouts have caught a stantler so we will feast in celebration of this wonderful occasion." she said happily. Whiptail smiled a weak smile.

"You are too good for me dear Rose."

"Hello, Whiptail." A female voice called from behind the pair. Whiptail and Rose turned around and saw a female Miteena walking from within her burrow. She came up close to whiptail and gave him a little lick on the snout. The miteena then bowed to Rose but then turned her attention to Whiptail again.

"It is good to see you Winter" whiptail said with a pretend happy smile. Rose smiled too.

"Hello Winter." she said very calmly. The two females stared at each other, Winter with a small grin, and Rose with a sad look in her eyes.

Whiptail not knowing what to do between the two females left a long pause before saying anything else. I think we should talk in private." he said to Winter. Turning to Rose he gave an apologetic look . "Is that alright with you Rose?" His mate nodded her head giving a fake smile.

"Go ahead, I have things to get done anyway"

She turned and walked away towards a couple of female Mantrakes (yellow electric type dogs with a large crest on their heads) down the hill a short ways "there will be a great feast for all of your returns tonight so don't be long." she said still with her pretend happy smile.

When they were out of the view of Rose Whiptail turned to Winter angrily. "How dare you do something like that in front of Rose!"

She gave him a sad pout "but Whiptail, it has been too long I missed you so much. Why did you haft to go and stay with that little rose?" she wept a small tear. "What about what we shared?"

Whiptail gave a sigh. "What we shared..."

"You know I still haven't told him who his father is, my little shadowbind." she said sadly.

"Must you remind me of the mistakes we made?" Whiptail said almost yelling.

There was silence as they were now walking through the valley forest a half a mile away from the clans den. She stopped next to a cool river and drank a little bit, light that filtered down from between the trees fell on her back and made her long black fur shine. He was calm now and looked fondly upon his secret mistress with a forbidden love. But as he watched her drink he felt his heart break in two. "It is not fair" he said quietly. Winter turned to look at him. "Oh how foolish a dog am I" he cried out. "I do not deserve to be lord of this pack." Winter moved to his side affectionately.

"Whiptail..."

"I cannot keep going like this" he said "I cant have both of you...and yet I cant let ether one of you go..."

Winter slowly walked towards him and rubbed her body next to his. She felt like there was nothing she could do for him except be there for him.

"I love you winter" he said with tears in his eyes

"I love you too Whiptail." she replied as she continued to touch him affectionately.

Not far off a pair of bright red eyes watched and flared with a secret anger.

"Tag your it!" Pearl said happily jumping from behind a tree at Blackfang and tapping him on the shoulder.

Not expecting the attack Blackfang lost his balance and fell down into the grass.

Flametail and Pearl burst out laughing as blackfang got up and brushed the weeds from his fur. "Hay that's not fair!"

Pearl smiled. "I'm sorry Blackfang I didn't mean to knock you over." she brushed up against him and gave him a quick lick on the snout which made him blush uncontrollably. On the near by a pair of dark angry eyes watched as the threesome continued their merry making. The shadow y figure jumped out of the bushes revealing himself to the playing pups. He was black, shaggy, but lean and fit. His young red eyes had not seen more than two seasons but he held a stance of a pro battle pokemon. Blackfang, Pearl and Flametail stopped chasing each other around. Looking at the intruder blackfang gave him a dirty look and started talking casually.

"Shadowbind! What are you doing in the bushes like that? Do you like spying on all of us?" he moved with a proud march up to the Poochyena and gave a big smile. "Haha! I am just kidding, come on over and play with us Shadowbind the more the merrier." Blackfang held out his paw for a friendly hi five but shadowbind slapped it away bitterly.

"Humph" he growled "I don't want to play with you weaklings, I have battle training to do." with his final words he ran off back through the bushes and out of sight.

"What's his problem?" Flametail said puzzled.

"I don't know" Blackfang answered shaking his head

"Come on guys, we should be getting back. It will be getting dark soon." Pearl said with a little cute smile. "Race you home!"

Rose sat next to a large tree in the middle of the clan's valley. All around her growlithe, houndoom, electrike, Poochyena, and arcannine were in there little family groups having fun and greeting the ones that had just came home. " I wonder where my little blackfang is. And where that devil dog winter and Whiptail are."

"Rose my lady" a large male Arcannine named Prometheus (named after the Greek Titan who brought fire to mankind) walked alongside his own mate another Arcannine named Selene towards her. She gave a weak smile to them so as to not let her sadness show.

"Hello good friends" she said in her usual cheerful self.

"Ma'am we came to tell you that the feast is ready. We can start eating whenever you wish."

"Thank you for telling me. But we must wait for Whiptail he went into the forest for a little while.

"Alright, see you in a little while then." the happy pair smiled kindly and walked off.

"How could you do this to me Whiptail?"