Chapter four:
As the sun began to rise from behind the trees, Valley crawled out of the cramped den and into the clearing. Rain and Falcon were already awake and were whispering about something. Valley slowly approached them, hoping to overhear some interesting gossip, but Rain stopped talking once Val had gotten into hearing range. "Good morning Valley." Falcon said in his authoritative voice. Val nodded at him and then turned her attention towards her sister. Her black fur was slick and freshly groomed and her eyes seemed warmer than usual, more excited.
"Rain." Valley said evenly, looking for anything suspicious in her sister's behavior. Rain seemed anxious now, but simply nodded. "Calla says the borders are secure and wants us to set out on a hunting patrol immediately. She wants us all well fed and ready for the new pups." At the mention of the pups Valley perked up. They were due tonight and everyone was so excited to greet them. "Of, course. Ill go wake up Mesa and Wren." Rain flicked her tail in approval and Valley darted off toward the hunter's den. She didn't even bother to stop; she just slid right in and landed on top of Wren and Mesa. "What the hell?" Mesa barked. Wren just whined and hid her muzzle under her paws.
"Wake up sleepy heads! Today is the day! The pups are coming tonight and we need to stock up on prey!" Valley barked happily. Mesa seemed to perk up, and Wren sighed in surrender. "Okay, okay. Get out. We'll be out in a second." Mesa barked and Val awkwardly worked her way out of the den and back into the clearing.
As she emerged she noticed that Falcon had made his way over to Oak and Laurel and Rain was now waiting by the entrance. Reminded of the weird conversation Rain had seen earlier, she resolved to ask Rain about it. Valley quickly trotted over to her sister and hoped she would be more honest now that it was just the two of them. As she approached the black and white wolf, Valley noticed that Rain seemed uncomfortable. The way her sister's eyes darted away from her own made Val think that the only thing making Rain uncomfortable was the thought of answering Valley's questions.
This only fueled Val's curiosity. She sat down next to the black and white huntress and looked around to make sure no one was listening. "So…what's up with you and Falcon?" Val asked, smiling smugly. Rain was always so confident and sure of herself; it was satisfying to see her squirming. "Val." Rain tried to say with authority, but it came out more like a whine. Val butted her sister's chest with her head and Rain looked away. "Rain, Falcon is a great wolf. He is strong and loyal and a perfect match for you. There is no need to be so embarrassed." Val smiled reassuringly and Rain seemed to relax. "Do you really think so? You don't think the others will think I'm…" Rain trailed off and seemed to be worried about something. Val started to wonder if there was something seriously wrong. In a concerned tone, Val asked, "What, Rain?" Rain kneaded the ground with her paws. "You don't think the pack will think I'm weaker for taking a mate?" Valley couldn't help herself, she barked out a long line of throaty laughs. Annoyed, Rain turned her back on her sister and pretended to ignore her. Val tried to stifle her laughter as she buried her head under her sister's chin. "Trust me Rain, no one is going to think you're weak. Ever." Everyone in the pack respected Rain. She was the best hunter and had great leadership skills. Val wasn't a bad hunter herself, but she could never lead the group the way Rain did when they were on the hunt. Rain still didn't seem convinced. "Rain, I think you and Falcon will have the strongest and smartest pups the pack has ever seen. Everyone will be happy for you guys." This seemed to reassure her sister, and just in time. Rain could only nod in understanding and appreciation as the rest of the hunting party trotted up to the two sisters.
"Let's go." Rain said with her normal ring of confidence and all the huntress' followed her. Of course, Wren took Rain's right flank. The solid black she-wolf was the pack's second best huntress, though she was usually quiet and stoic. Mesa took Rain's left flank, her light brown fur looking flawless as usual. Val fell to the rear. She was a better hunter than Mesa and faster than anyone else in the pack, but she was also the youngest and the smallest. Sometimes, size did matter.
The hunting party followed Rain as she led them through the forest, weaving between all of the pine trees and oak trees, staying far away from the border. Eventually, Rain stopped and the rest of her wolves followed suit. All four of them crouched down and put their noses to the air to find out what Rain had detected. Deer. There was a herd of deer southeast of the she-wolves. Rain flicked her tail signaling Val and Wren to go south. Wren started that direction, moving silently, and Val followed her. Rain and Mesa headed north. It didn't take long for Val to catch sight of their prey and her mouth started to water. Deer was her favorite. She noticed Rain and Mesa hiding in a bush on the opposite side of the clearing where the deer were huddled. Val and Wren would wait for Rain's signal and then they would scatter the herd. Once the herd was scattered, Rain and Mesa would choose the slowest or weakest deer and attack it. Then, Val and Wren would double back and help take down the deer. Val shifted her weight, anxious to start the hunt. There it was! The signal! No sooner than Rain had flicked her tail, Wren and Val burst into the clearing and the herd of deer scattered. Val looked back and saw Rain and Mesa working on one of the larger deer; his back leg had been injured. Wren bolted towards the duo and launched herself at the deer's hindquarters, burying her teeth there and using her weight to pull the deer into a sitting position. With a bad leg, the deer didn't stand a chance. The three huntresses' had taken down their prey and were delivering the killing blows. Val started to head over, but then she noticed a blur in the corner of her eye. Her instincts kicked in before logic could stop her. She turned tail and darted towards the brown and white blur: a fawn, separated from its mother. Val was fast and knew she could catch it. She kicked her legs as fast as she could in pursuit of this new prey. Her stamina was great too; she must have chased the baby deer a long ways without noticing how long she had been running. Finally, she put all of her energy into one final leap and landed squarely on the deer's back. She might be small but she was still bigger than a baby deer. It collapsed under her weight and she immediately sank her teeth into its neck and shook her head frantically, trying to snap its neck. It took a few times until Val finally heard that satisfying crack that signaled she had won. She looked up triumphantly; ready to gloat to her pack mates. Then, she realized how far she had run. From where she was, she could see the border between her territory and that of the Redpelts, a rival pack. And someone was crossing it! Val immediately tensed, trying to decide if she should go get help or defend her borders. She darted into a bush and crouched down low, observing the stranger. He hadn't crossed very far into her territory so maybe he just hadn't realized where he was yet. She had almost done the same.
The trespasser was large and Val knew if it came to a fight she would lose. His light brown fur was well groomed and reminded her of Mesa. Only, his face and back were both black as a starless sky. He lumbered closer to her and Val tensed. Had he seen her? "You can come out. I won't hurt you." The wolf said softly. He had seen her. There was only one option now; she couldn't let him think her pack or their borders were weak. She crawled out of her hiding place warily, locking eyes with the large wolf. His big brown eyes looked soft and warm, almost reassuring. It seemed at odds with the situation and this put Val even more on guard. It had to be a trick.
"You won't hurt me? I should hurt you for trespassing." Val barked aggressively. She figured she might as well pretend like she knew how to fight. Maybe she could scare him off. He was in the wrong after all. Then the stupid wolf did the most ridiculous thing Val could think of: he smiled. "What's your problem?" Val snarled. The intruder just sat down casually, as if this wasn't about to turn into a fight to the death.
"You. Pretending like you can beat me in a fight? That's brave. You would have been better off running to get help. I would have been more scared of that since I'm alone." Val's muzzled dropped open in shock. He was right. She should have turned tail and ran. What had she been thinking? Then, her shock turned into defiance. "What the hell do you know?" Val spit. The large wolf chuckled and Val felt herself beginning to boil with frustration. She was usually very friendly and easy-going. She was even used to being made fun of since she was the youngest and the smallest. But that was by her pack mates and siblings. As a hunter, Val had always been instructed to stay far away from the borders and with only two years of life experience she had never actually ran into a wolf from a different pack. The fact that the first one she had run into was laughing at her was completely unacceptable to Val. The more she thought through what was happening, the madder she got. Before she realized what she was doing, Val launched herself at the intruder, a snarling storm of long grey fur. Of course, she merely collided with the large wolf and he batted her away with his huge paws. She hadn't even managed to move him just one inch! Val, who had been easily tossed aside, got back to her feet and crouched, preparing to throw herself at him again. This time, he struck first. Within seconds, Val found herself trapped under the immense weight of the stranger, barely able to squirm. "Calm down." The stranger said slowly and Val finally stopped trying to move. She glared at him in defiance while she waited to see what he would de next. "I don't want to hurt you, stupid furball." His voice seemed sincere and Val began to consider that maybe he wasn't a threat. Still, he sure was annoying. "Then, what do you want?" She asked, trying to sound a little calmer. The brown wolf must have sensed her submission; he got off of her and let her get back to her feet.
"My name is Sage. I'm belong to the Redpelts pack." He said slowly, hoping she would understand. Val narrowed her eyes at the irritating stranger. "I don't care and I already knew that. I asked what you are doing here." Val said sharply, but Sage didn't seem bothered by her tone. He wagged his tail and smiled at her.
"You're feisty, aren't you?" He asked and Val felt her muscles bunching up again, ready to try her best to maul this arrogant wolf. Slowly, Sage lowered his head to the ground and laid his body flat, a sign of submission. Val hesitated, but then relaxed her stance and sat down. Fine, they could try and talk calmly. "I was on border patrol and I saw you heading towards my border. I could tell that you didn't mean any harm, but I was with a pack mate who wouldn't have cared. If you would have crossed our border, he would have attacked you." Sage said solemnly and Val started to understand the gravity of the situation. She had been close to the border and she would not have been able to fight off a whole patrol. "I told them to go on ahead and that I wanted to scout a herd I knew was nearby. They continued patrol and I stayed here to stop you before you crossed." Val wondered if she should trust this stranger. His story made sense. Did she owe him gratitude?
"That was a great catch by the way. You are very fast and an excellent hunter." Sage complimented and Val felt her anger slipping away. He had saved her from a very painful fight and it had been a long time since Val had received a compliment like that. "Thank you." Val acknowledged and nodded her head. "For everything." She added with a more serious tone. Sage smiled and then got to his feet and turned away from her, heading back to his border. Again, Val's muscles seemed to act before her brain could rein them back. "Wait!" She called out to Sage and he turned his huge black head back towards her. She didn't know what to say now. She fished in her head for an acceptable topic. "Uhm, that was good fighting you did. I wish I could fight like that. It would sure shut my sisters up." She said sheepishly. Sage smiled and said, "I could teach you if you want." He seemed just as nervous as she did now. Of course, Val reasoned, he was offering to teach an enemy how to fight. That had to be against pack rules. For awhile, she just stood there, speechless, staring into Sage's eyes looking for some kind of evil intention. There was none. His brown eyes were warm and welcoming and now, they were sad. "Nevermind, that was stupid of me." Sage said as he turned around and started for his border once again. "No!" Sage stopped at the sound of Valley's voice. She knew what she was about to say was wrong, but said it anyway: "Meet me back here in three days at moon high. We can practice until dawn." Sage's eyes lit up, but he only nodded in understanding before sprinting back to his territory.
Valley felt her fur standing on end, but she didn't know if it was because of the excitement she felt. Or the dread.