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Chapter 5
~Punishment~
Tundra padded forward silently, her large, fluffy, white tail swinging behind her. Kyo and Taiki slowly followed, hanging their heads and sniffing quietly. They were in NightPack territory now, and Taiki kept close to Kyo to share his warmth. After all, Kyo was a DawnPack wolf-if Tundra took him to punish him in NightPack territory all alone, he'd probably faint before setting paw inside the border! Compared to NightPack territory, DawnPack territory was like HopePack-or heaven, as humans would call it.
Kyo rubbed his head against Taiki's chin to say thank you. Taiki nodded in return and looked up at the treetops. He almost bumped into Tundra's hindquarters when the alpha female growled, then barked, "We're here. Get on an iceberg."
Iceberg?! Taiki's mouth gapped.
Before him stood a wide, frost-covered lake. Drifting icebergs floated around, half-covered by the icy waters of death. "Y-you expect us to get on those ice-things?!" Kyo's chocolate eyes were wide open, then he barked something bravely that Taiki would never imagine saying. The young DawnPack male snapped, "Are you out of your mind?!"
Taiki froze as he watched Tundra's fur slowly start to bristle in rage, standing on end. She turned around, her icy eyes pools of fire.
She snarled, "GET … ON … AN … ICEBERG … NOW." Kyo squealed and raced towards Ice Flow Lake. Tundra glared at Taiki, and the husky hastily followed.
Seated on the same iceberg, they watched as Tundra took a few pawsteps towards them, then stopped. "Well, I guess I'll leave you there. And, in the morning, I'll come and give you some … 'encouragement'," Tundra gave them a wide, fake smile, then turned around and disappeared into the trees. Kyo and Taiki looked at each other in surprise.
"Well, I guess that's what we get for being rowdy males at the Meeting," Taiki sighed hopelessly.
"B-but, how can we survive on one of these things?! It's cold here already!" Kyo's dark, dark brown nose was already tinted blue, and his knife-sharp teeth were clattering. The DawnPack male's fur was fluffed up against the cold, and he was still freezing.
Taiki frowned, "If only I had the fire element, I could make this whole lake evaporate." "What do you call this place, anyway?" Kyo sniffed.
"Ice Flow Lake," Taiki replied, confused why he would ask.
"Fitting. I'm almost dead," Kyo snapped angrily, "I'll 'flow' along with the rest of the icebergs, if you don't mind me!"
The husky jumped to his paws, fur standing on end, "Don't say that! Tundra wouldn't kill us!"
"She has killed before, though," Kyo glared up at him, "It's probably easy for her. I've barely landed scratches on my prey!"
"Heh, I know that," a female's voice said.
Taiki's ears pricked-this wasn't a grown female that was talking, nevermind Tundra. A small, golden wolf padded slowly out of the trees, her fur fluffed up like Kyo's. Her pelt was almost as yellow as the sun-it looked like someone had bleached it with a yellow herb…or something.
"Who are you?" Kyo snapped grumpily.
"My name is Winry," she smirked, her big, blue eyes shining, "And I'm a WindPack beta!"
"But you're no older than me!" Kyo frowned, immediately confused.
"Success comes with hard work, Kyon-kyon," Winry smirked and swayed side to side alluringly.
"Don't call me Kyon-kyon," the orange male snarled, putting one frozen paw forward.
"Kyo, don't! You'll hurt yourself! She isn't worth our time," Taiki stood in front of his friend, eyes burning.
"Worth your time? Oh, I guess I won't rescue you, then," Winry turned around and headed towards the trees.
Taiki grinded his teeth in frustration, then yowled after her, "Wait! We accept…"
"Oh, really? Then, stand back and watch, males," Winry smirked and dug her claws in the ground. Then, she barked, and a ring of water, air, and fire came from her muzzle. The lake shifted from the impact, and a huge wave lifted and carried Kyo and Taiki's iceberg up with it.
The two males howled with surprise and fear, and a jet of ice-water spouted from the iceberg when Winry lifted her right paw up sharply, shooting them off the iceberg and in front of Winry's paws.
"Stupid female! We don't need your help! Come on, let's go, Taiki," Kyo angrily jumped to his paws, agitated.
The husky sighed, "Kyo! Winry just saved us. She must be talented. I mean, she's smaller than you, and obviously younger than you, and she's a beta! You just started your training, and she's finished with it and has perfected her powers!"
Kyo sat down-he had nothing to say to Taiki's logical reasoning, but he wasn't going to give up to any female like this know-it-all anytime soon!
Taiki dipped his head to the young female, "I'm sorry we didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Taiki, an omega of NightPack. This is Kyo, an omega of DawnPack. He's Shiny and Gray's only pup-Shiny and Gray are DawnPack betas."
Winry nodded slightly in return, "I'm Winry, a beta of WindPack, as you know-" Suddenly, the golden female froze, eyes reflecting horror.
"Winry?" Taiki softly prodded her with one paw.
"You say Kyon-kyon is…Shiny and Gray's only pup?" she whispered, seemingly horrified at the thought.
"Yes. So?" Kyo snapped, narrowing his eyes, "What a dumbbell. Does it matter?"
Winry shook her head and closed her eyes. When she opened the blue gems, they were shining with a determined look, and she straightened her back, "Well, it's like Kyon-kyon said. Anyway, I'll take you back to your camps! Let's go!" Winry grinned and started to march happily towards the trees, when she looked back and noticed the two males were right where she left them. And they looked like they were going to take off in the other direction pretty soon. "What wrong, males?" she asked sweetly.
"We'll get in even more trouble if we go back. We were punished for speaking out at the Meeting," Kyo muttered.
Taiki looked at his paws sadly, "Yea, and you know how Tundra is. If you don't, you'll see if I let you take us back. And Dawn and Blade are sure to be mad at Kyo, too. He'll have the wrath of the alphas and his parents if he goes back."
"What about your parents?" Winry barked, surprised. She didn't mention that Taiki left out Natt-the alpha male of NightPack was likely to let Tundra take her anger out on Taiki for both of them.
"I'm from the zoo. Natt saved me from an evil wolf called Rosengun and took me into NightPack. I planned to train for three days so I would know a few moves to take my family back from Rosengun, but ended up staying here for a while. Now, I'm stuck until I become a beta. Well, that's what I think Natt has planned for me," Taiki bit his lip to keep himself from crying-one, because he missed his family dearly. Two, because he felt uncomfortable telling his life's secrets to this female he just met.
"You know, she's kind of cute," Kyo suddenly whispered in his ear.
Taiki jumped back a few feet, "WHAAAAAAT?!"
Winry tipped her head to the side, "What are you guys talking about? ...Well, I guess it doesn't matter. How about this-I set this lake on fire for both of you guys, and you tell this Tundra of yours that you did it."
Taiki nodded without thinking, his goal of staying warm throughout the rest of the night his only goal.
"Stand back, males," Winry smirked as Taiki and Kyo quickly backed up. She planted all four paws firmly into the ground, and crouched down as if she was going to spring.
But she didn't.
Instead, Winry howled, and a small blast of fire sprung from Winry's jaws. Taiki thought he could see the air compressing together, and when the fire flew through that spot, it quadrupled in size, becoming a massive fireball. It hit the lake, and Winry blew a blast of oxygen right after the fire. The ball of heat flared up, and the lake started to evaporate. Winry licked her singed paws and flicked a small flame off her tail, which flew into a small puddle of water and went out with a small, quick, sizzling sound.
"In you go," Winry nudged them towards the lake, which was now a big hollow in the ground. Actually, more like a ravine or a canyon.
"Down…there?" Kyo looked over the edge and stepped back in fear of falling.
"I left some mud. You males go enjoy yourselves," Winry waved her paw in circles nonchalantly as she left the clearing to Kyo and Taiki.
The two males looked at each other with uncertainty. Then, they screamed.
Chapter 6
~Winry~
Tundra looked around the clearing, astonished. The grass was burnt around the edges of the once-was Ice Flow Lake. Puddles of steaming water were bubbling like lava. The Ice Flow Lake-gone. "This is the work of a DawnPack wolf," Tundra snarled, striding forward angrily. She looked into the "Mud Ravine" and saw Kyo and Taiki-with mud-covered pelts-yapping quietly at each other and drawing shapes in the mud out of boredom.
"Kyo! Did you do this?!" Tundra snapped suddenly. Before he could answer, Tundra whipped around and muttered, "No, he's too inexperienced…Dawn must know. I'll take them with me." Turning back around with an obviously fake, cheerful smile, she barked, "You two are coming with me to DawnPack camp."
"Yay!" they cheered, half-heartedly.
~*~
"Hey, Blade, Dawn!" Tundra called, "Anyone home???"
Even though DawnPack mornings were brighter than NightPack territory at noon, DawnPack wolves were NOT early birds. Blade usually went out to hunt with a few other higher ranking wolves, but then they probably went right back to sleep. As a result, DawnPack camp was very vulnerable in the mornings. Then again, they were known well for their strength. So, DawnPack continued to sleep in late.
Luckily for Tundra, Dawn happened to hear her, and the white-furred alpha female groggily crawled out of her and Blade's den, yawning, "What is it, Tundra?"
"It's bright outside! You should be awake," Tundra snapped, "Anyway, Ice Flow Lake just became Mud Ravine!"
"What?" Dawn quietly slurred.
"Someone evaporated all of the water and ice in Ice Flow Lake! And all that's left is mud and a canyon!" Tundra growled, her shining claws digging into the earth. The wind quietly flowed through the trees, making a soft whistling sound. Kyo and Taiki, who were behind the vengeful Tundra, huddled closer to each other and whimpered.
"And…why…are you…coming to me?" Dawn yawned between every few syllables.
"Because everyone knows DawnPack have fiery specialties. Fire, wind, and electric elements, along with some water, are the talents of your pack. No NightPack wolf would destroy our prized monument! You just want wolves to visit your territory. I know you sent a spy!" Tundra spat, icy eyes narrowed. Her white fur bristled with rage.
Dawn looked at her nonchalantly, "What is wrong with you? Maybe Rosengun did it. Maybe it was SnowPack, or WindPack. Maybe my 'spy' is your favorite little husky over there."
"Taiki doesn't have powers," Tundra snarled under her breath, just loud enough for Dawn to hear.
Pretty soon, other DawnPack wolves started to file out of the dens, murmuring quietly and suspiciously. Shiny and Gray padded out of the betas' den, and their dull eyes shone with warmth when they rested on Kyo.
"Leave this place," Blade growled as he padded out of the alphas' den, "Leave Kyo, and leave us alone." Fire started to swirl around Blade's head.
Tundra could have taken down all of DawnPack, but she didn't want to fuel the rivalry between NightPack and DawnPack anymore, with Rosengun to worry about as well. "Taiki, let's go," Tundra flicked her tail in the husky's direction, "Kyo…"
"Yes, I know," Kyo nosed Taiki's ear in parting, then trotted hastily to Shiny and Gray's side. The whole of DawnPack watched with sneering eyes as the two NightPack wolves left them, the sun slowly rising behind the two as they faded into the forest's darkness.
~*~
In The Pack of Running Wind, a.k.a. WindPack, Winry was nibbling slowly at a baby caribou's belly. Siklore was gnawing at a bone from the same caribou while batting at Winry's wagging tail, and Emmett was laying beside Winry, half-asleep. The silver star on the male's forehead shone in the pre-dawn light, and it hurt Winry's eyes just to look at it.
Shiekra, the alpha female of WindPack, slowly padded up to her pup, Siklore; Winry, and Emmett. "Winry, would you like to go with Emmett and I on the dawn patrol?" Shiekra asked sweetly.
Winry pricked her ears and hopped to her paws, "Sure!" I could use a little excitement right now-I still have butterflies from helping Kyon-kyon and Taiki at Ice Flow Lake. She needed to share her secret with someone, but so far, no one had been proven trustworthy yet. Maybe the butterflies would disappear if she got into a fight with SnowPack on the patrol. After all, there was a 50% chance SnowPack would start something.
After waking Emmett, the three left Siklore to play with her three siblings and father (who was the alpha male, Pitch). Shiekra looked back to stare at Winry, who had her now-dull eyes pointed at the ground. She wasn't usually like this…was she afraid that she'd meet DawnPack at the border? Shiekra remembered that she'd forgot to tell Winry that they'd only go around the SnowPack border. Well, she'll figure it out on her own. She's a smart wolf. After all, she passed the test to get into WindPack, Shiekra thought happily, though something hidden still bugged her.
"Winry," Emmett yawned.
The golden wolf perked up and looked at Emmett's silver-starred forehead, "Yes?"
"We're here. Stop bumping into my hindquarters," the black wolf growled grumpily.
"Oh…oh! Sorry!" Winry jumped back and dipped her head in respect multiple times for her clumsiness. Emmett rolled his eyes and looked at the snow-covered marshes of SnowPack territory.
"Nothing here. Emmett, go to the west and lay down markers. Winry, stay here and keep watch while I go to the east border," Shiekra ordered, quickly turning to the right.
Winry nodded and sat down, feeling lonely as Emmett went the other way. The uncomfortable feeling grew as time passed by slowly. She started to wonder if her packmates had gone off somewhere, or had been attacked and killed. "No, they weren't killed! SnowPack isn't that cruel!" Winry shouted out loud to herself. She quickly changed her mind about that rule, hence everyone knew what SnowPack was like, and whispered, "Maybe they've just gotten held up somewhere. But…by what?"
She moaned and dug up the grass in front of her paws out of boredom and anxiety. Soon, Shiekra ran back to Winry's, her blue eyes wide with fear.
"Shiekra!" Winry jumped to her paws.
"Emmett's in trouble! NightPack's attacking!" Shiekra howled.
"NightPack?!" Winry trembled with horror.
"Why…" Shiekra muttered to herself, tears welling up in her eyes. Her sister, Moonlight, was a NightPack wolf, which made Moonlight's daughter, Tundra, Shiekra's niece. To make a long story short, Shiekra had close relations in NightPack, which also made NightPack and WindPack allies. And to be attacked by her sister's pack was a big deal to Shiekra.
Winry snarled, remembering Taiki. He was a member of NightPack. He probably told Tundra about me! "That backstabbing-" Winry trembled with rage.
Shiekra looked at her with understanding, and now with fire in her eyes, she led Winry into battle and towards Emmett.
~*~
When Winry and Shiekra arrived to the battle scene, they were standing on top of a slope. Short grass waved silently around their paws, whispering secrets and wise words only a healer could interpret. Below they could both see Emmett's black pelt blending in with the shadows of the NightPack wolves' elements, yet the attackers were nowhere to be seen.
Winry caught a whiff of Taiki's scent, and she snarled to herself, promising herself silently that she'd be the first to rip his tail off. Shiekra stood frozen beside her, so Winry gave the alpha female a nudge.
"Yes?" Shiekra jumped and looked down at Winry.
"What's wrong? You seem so preoccupied. You have a distant look in your eyes," the golden wolf barked slowly, blinking with worry.
"This isn't NightPack. This is the work of Rosengun," Shiekra answered, "And I smell that new husky in the crowd. And…Tundra!" The black alpha female immediately raced down the slope to help her niece, while Winry stayed at the top of the slope.
"Taiki, Tundra, Rosengun, and Emmett? What's going on?!" Winry whispered to herself, then she followed Shiekra down the slope. Rocks and pebbles showered Emmett as the golden female slid down to join him and Shiekra.
"Thank the Pack of Endless Hope!" Emmett howled when he caught sight of Winry.
Taiki suddenly appeared beside the elderly male, "The Pack of Endless Hope?"
"HopePack for short. They're the pack of our ancestors, in the sky," Shiekra hastily explained, then she asked, "Where's Tundra?!"
"Fighting off Rosengun's shadow warriors," Emmett snarled with hatred ringing in his deep voice, "But her ice and light elements keep rebounding off of the shadow warriors, and the result is shadow elements beating me up. You see that I'm covered with bumps and bruises. Rosengun is in hiding again. I want to see his face and ruin it!"
"You pack wolves hate Rosengun that much?" Taiki blinked with surprise.
"Yes. It takes NightPack, DawnPack, and WindPack just to give Rosengun alone a few scratches and a bruise. Didn't Natt tell you that?" Shiekra turned to the small husky male. Taiki shrugged; he couldn't remember.
Suddenly, something knocked the wind out of Winry, and she fell to her paws. Shiekra howled and pinned the attacking shadow warrior to the ground, but it exploded into small wisps of shadow and sunk into the dusty ground.
"I hate Rosengun," Winry got to her paws and shook the grit out of her ear fur, then she ran into the cattails. Emmett and Taiki ran after her, leaving Shiekra to watch their vanishing tails.
"I better find Tundra before she gets herself killed," the black alpha female shrugged to herself and disappeared into the tall cattails as well.
~Chapter 7~
Rosengun and the Cave
"Corroso was your father, a loyal and brave NightPack wolf. He had dark brown fur and black streaks, like you, my Rosengun. I can remember his red eyes to this day, and I also recall he had a peppered muzzle, but I am getting off track! He has saved NightPack's wolves and their reputations many times. You should be proud of him. I still respect him to this day. But, once, he did the unspeakable. He dug up Ice Flow Lake and acquired the Death Stone. He became the strongest wolf of all, and he took advantage of his newfound powers. Destroying all and leaving nothing behind. The old, old, OLD NightPack alphas banished him after rebuilding the pack, and no one ever saw him again. But you can relive Corroso's life, and make it better! You can do good for NightPack!"
Rosengun could remember his mother's face like the light of day. She was a beautiful, cream-colored wolf named Silence. Her younger sisters, Wisk and Step, always helped take care of him, even though Silence put all her time and effort into caring for Rosengun and not for the pack.
She admired her mate, Corroso, and always told Rosengun of his adventures as a caring leader. Silence then told him about how Corroso wanted to become alpha male of NightPack and change all pack ways in all three packs, since SnowPack did not exist until a while before Taiki was born. The alphas did not agree, nor did anyone else. Not a lot of wolves supported any of his ideas after a while, in fear that he would take over all three packs with the power he would gain. And, in result, Corroso turned bad.
Rosengun thought about this as he watched Tundra, Taiki, Emmett, Winry, and Shiekra fight the shadow warriors made from his shadow element. The streaked male snorted and turned around, deciding to meet his children in the cave he told them to wait in.
Havoc and Jahika II's, his children's, faces reminded him of his dead mate, Jahika I, and the time they spent together…
"Who's that, mother?" Rosengun asked Silence.
She replied, "That is Jahika, young Rosengun. She is Crown and Sara's daughter. Why don't you go say hello?"
Rosengun grinned happily, "Okay, mother! Hello, Jahika!"
The black, white, and brown female pup named Jahika snapped, "Who are you, mutt?!"
…
"Hey, Jahika! There's a deer!" Rosengun, now an omega, pointed at a white-tailed deer nibbling on a patch of grass.
Jahika snorted, "So what?"
"Well, why don't you try and catch it? You haven't caught anything so far," Rosengun hinted cheerfully.
Jahika sneered at him in disgust, "Why do I have to work for something I don't get in return? Why can't you catch it? What, are you crippled or something? Don't be so lazy, mutt."
…
"Jahika, we're finally betas! Do you want to celebrate?" Rosengun licked Jahika's ear, but she quickly pulled away.
"Don't touch me, mutt! And why would I want to celebrate?! It only brings meaningless joy and happiness to those who need it so badly because they can get pleasure out of anything else in life. Celebrations are for unhappy, negative idiots," Jahika spat at Rosengun's paws, then headed into the betas' den to make her new nest.
…
"Jahika, I want to tell you something," Rosengun shuffled his paws nervously while watching Jahika messily eat a deer.
"Spit it out, mutt," Jahika replied without looking at him.
"I love you," Rosengun admitted.
Jahika froze.
Rosengun sighed. He truly loved Jahika I, even though for the longest time she called him mutt and treated him like dirt. But on that fateful day, when he admitted his love for her, she gave him all her love and affection, but then turned her evil side on the rest of NightPack.
Rosengun believed he got his attitude from her, and sometimes regretted it, but his evil conscience always told him he chose his evil path, and Rosengun listened to it.
His pads suddenly hurt, and Rosengun lifted his right paw to study the pebble digging into his pads. He took it out forcefully and quickly with his sharp teeth and spat it out onto the ground with hatred. Rosengun then looked ahead and into the cave he had set out for.
When he stepped inside, he felt his heart throb. This meant he was losing connection with his shadow element that he used to make the shadow warriors.
He shrugged to himself-if those five were dead, they were dead. If they were alive, they were weak, like all the other wolves in the packs. It was the same thing to him.
"Havoc! Jahika!" Rosengun called into the cave. His deep and rough voice echoed many times, then silence.
Suddenly, a light and rough bark echoed back at him, and he smiled. Jahika I was here-Havoc and Jahika II, his traitor children, were not.
Rosengun didn't really care for Havoc as much as he did for Jahika II. Havoc betrayed him during the war, and even though Jahika II fell in love with a DawnPack beta during the war as well, she kept her mother's attitude.
"Ah, Jahika!" Rosengun started to run, looking around for Jahika I's spirit. He wondered if he would be able to find her black-colored, sparkling spirit in this shadowy cave, but rejoiced when he saw Jahika I running towards him as well. They embraced, and stepped back from each other with smiles on their faces.
"So, mutt," Jahika smirked, "Where are our children?"
Rosengun sighed. No matter how many times he told her, Jahika I still wanted to believe their children were destroying the forest somehow, somewhere. "You know where they are. Havoc's traveling around the packland borders, protecting them. And Jahika II is living in DawnPack," Rosengun rolled his eyes.
Jahika I narrowed her eyes and licked his ear cheerfully, "Just making sure."
~*~
Winry bit the neck of a disappearing shadow warrior out of anger, then watched the shadowy wisps disappear into thin air.
"Well, that's the last of them," Shiekra declared, checking an annoyed Tundra for wounds. Emmett was looked Taiki up and down, while Winry had gone around and tore the shadowy wisps-the remains of the shadow warriors-to bits. Or she had tried to, anyway.
"We should track down Rosengun and give him what's coming to him!" Winry snapped, "Those warriors weren't the last of anything!"
"Calm down," Shiekra snarled. Winry huffed and circled around in a patch of fallen leaves. Taiki watched her, then twitched his ears when the bushes beside him and Emmett rustled.
Emmett leapt to his paws and stared at the bushes, frozen with fear, then shrugged and sat back down, declaring, "It's just DawnPack."
As Emmett had predicted, four DawnPack wolves crawled out of the bushes, their bright pelts bringing a cheerful light into the clearing. Blade came out first, closely followed by Shiny, Gray, then Kyo.
"Hi," Taiki waved his tail slowly at the small, orange DawnPack male. Kyo waved back solemnly, then put his tailtip to his muzzle, "Shiekra, Blade, and Tundra are talking."
Just then, Tundra turned to Emmett, Kyo, Taiki, Winry, Shiny, and Gray with a determined look in her eye, "We're launching an attack at moonhigh."
~Chapter 8~
Attack in the Moonlight
The moon shone like a diamond in the sky, shedding light on the small figures below. Only a few owls hooted on this silent night, and mice raced for their homes, for the air was thick with tension. It suffocated all of the animals of the forest, and the prey were waiting to see who would win-Rosengun or Moonlight.
It had been a battle for moons, and all of the animals populating the forest had heard it time and time again. Once, Rosengun asked Moonlight to be his mate. When the female brushed him off-like he was nothing-Rosengun retaliated and became evil. He ruined his good reputation in all of the packs, but in return, he gained power like no other.
All fear him and hate him, respect him and could care less about him.
The bodies in the clearing below belonged to the eight alphas of the four packs:
Tundra and Natt, who represent The Pack of Eternal Night.
Dawn and Blade, who represent The Pack of Fearless Dawn.
Shiekra and Pitch, who represent The Pack of Running Wind…
And Xhincha and Axel, who represent The Pack of Blinding Snow.
Tundra stood up and dipped her head to Xhincha and Axel, "I would like to thank the SnowPack alphas for attending this sudden Wolf-Circle Meeting. I would also like to bring up the topic of Rosengun for all of the wolves to hear." Tundra turned around and waved her tail in a large semi-circle, pointing at all of the waiting pack wolves in the bushes. The only way you could tell they were there was their scent and their glowing yellow eyes. All of the pack wolves, besides the old storytellers and young, weak pups, had attended the meeting.
Natt took Tundra's place and barked, "I know we are not at the Wolf-Circle, but we cannot risk meeting there at such a late time as this. Rosengun may know we set camp there when we last fought in a war, so this was the only place we could meet at the time. Now, about Rosengun. I have sent out two wolves to fetch Havoc, Rosengun's son, from the packland borders, and we will be stronger with both of Rosengun's children on our side. Rosengun's mother, father, and mate are dead, so it is only him we have to face."
"But you know that we can barely land scratches on that fiend!" Dawn argued, "It may be harder with these SnowPack wolves. They aren't exactly cooperative."
"How dare you insult SnowPack!" Xhincha's nostrils flared, and she hopped to her paws defensively. Axel, who was beside her, started to snarl. Both alphas glared at Dawn, but then Blade stood in front of his mate protectively.
Suddenly, Pitch hopped forward. His small figure wasn't menacing, but Dawn, Blade, Xhincha, and Axel all stepped back. They all knew Pitch used brute force when fighting, and even though he was the calmest alpha male in all four packs, they knew he would make them to be peaceful with each other. By force, if he had to.
"Thank you, Pitch," Natt dipped his head to the small, gray male, then turned to the other seven wolves again, "I want to have three rings of wolves around Rosengun. If he is in a cave, I want five semi-circles around the entrance. We will close up all holes in the circles, and we will charge at him at the same time.
"The most experienced and swiftest wolves will stay back, because Rosengun may use an attack that will take out the rings of wolves all at once. Those few will rush in as soon as he uses that attack, and they will do as much damage as possible.
"And I want the weaker of the wolves to use the elements that are the opposite of their pack elements to surprise Rosengun. That is the plan." Natt licked his paws and ran it over his ears self-consciously.
"We agree to that," Blade looked at Dawn, who nodded and said, "Yes! Blade is right. We both agree."
"That's a wonderful plan," Shiekra's eyes shone with warmth. Pitch nodded, "No flaws. Well, no plans have flaws against Rosengun. All of them will fail." Shiekra glared at Pitch, who grinned sheepishly, "I'm joking."
Xhincha looked at Axel, who blinked and turned to Natt, "Xhincha and I agree to join in your plan, Natt."
Tundra stood up and smiled, "It is settled. We will attack soon. I advise all wolves to get ready for the fight. Oh, and I forgot one important thing! We need to have two wolves in each camp to protect the storytellers and pups."
Xhincha snorted, "We have no storytellers and pups."
Tundra shrugged, "And Moonlight and Carlisle will want to fight. We have no storytellers and pups otherwise."
Dawn blinked and laughed, "Neither do we."
Pitch simply grinned. Shiekra laughed and barked, "Ditto!"
~*~
Moonlight and Carlisle stood at the top of a moonlit hill, eyes narrowed as they watched the long grass wave slowly below them. A great canyon separated the hill from the plateau across from them, and this is what distracted the couple from moving forward.
"Did Rosengun do this?" Carlisle turned to Moonlight, his icy blue eyes filled with worry.
Moonlight shook her head, "It was just an earthquake. That explains the shaking during the Meeting."
The pack wolves had retreated from the Wolf-Circle Meeting because of a sudden shaking. Tundra had commented that she was glad that she told NightPack and the other packs to retreat. Trees had fallen down, and rain coming from a nearby lake had started to flood the marshy area. "'The clearing is now completely destroyed,'" Moonlight whispered the words Tundra had reported to her only an hour earlier.
"We started this war, so lets get it over with, Moonlight," Carlisle urged her, "The past is gone now, and all the others are waiting on us. If we stay here, who knows what could happen."
Moonlight shook her head and looked at her paws sadly, "Alright." Then she turned around and barked to Tundra, "Move NightPack to the outside now! They've had their rest! And, Pitch, Dawn, Natt! Get all of the earth-elemented wolves to close up this canyon so we can move across!"
The three alphas nodded and raced into the crowd of wolves, while Tundra nodded and started talking to Vamwere and Ice Silk, the two top betas. Then both wolves broke off and started to tell their packmates the news.
Moonlight turned to Carlisle and smirked, "Well, I'm getting ready to go. What about you?"
Carlisle simply smiled and waved his tail in response.
Suddenly, Tundra scampered up to them and said, "We're all ready. While you were talking, we closed the canyon and got everyone ready."
Moonlight grinned, "It's Carlisle's fault."
"What?!" the gray-and-white wolf yelped, "If anything, it's Moonlight's moping that took us so long! Don't blame your past on me!"
"Oh, really? You could have left me. I can handle myself pretty well at an old age, you know," Moonlight turned around and snarled playfully at Carlisle, who kicked dust over Moonlight's paws and huffed.
Blade appeared at the top of the hill and howled down to them, "Rosengun destroyed the packlands while we were gone."