A nice breeze swept through the small strip of the Forest as we slowly maneuvered our way towards the Grasslands. The wind swept my fur in all directions, chilling me to the bone. But it felt good. I felt free. We had outsmarted the Bayont Pack before, and we could do it again. They might not even bother us once they realize how far out of their way we're going to be. I trailed behind as the caboose, taking my leisurely time, looking all about. The large trees swayed with the wind, they're complex limbs inter-weaving with each other. Bare branches ricocheted off of others as the wind bullied them around. Below me, old decaying leaves littered the ground, tiny insects scurried this way and that. It took me a moment before I realized that I had to catch up with Phantom who had kept on walking. As soon as I was next to him again, I looked around. All of the new sights and sounds continued to interest me. And to think that my puppies would be born into this magnificent world, just a couple of minutes away from this jungle-Forest.
A large Vezco Willow stood, its bare limbs stretching above the ground where there was no grass. Its limbs angled downwards, creating a dome-like shelter above the entrance of a den, and outwards several yards. I slowly stepped forward, my mouth opened in awe. Inside, the branches formed a curve, their delicate limbs reaching for the ground. Soft dirt settled beneath my paws, little tufts of grass poking up here and there. A small trickle to the right of the tree's roots came cascading down the small slope towards the Grasslands that sat just past a few Pines that sprang from the Blino Forest. Phantom turned around.
"Isn't this beautiful?" I asked him, my eyes venturing past him towards the den's entrance. "How did you know about this place?" I wondered, my gaze returning back towards him.
"My mother. She told me about it before she died…. Timber killed her. He also murdered other Wolves in the Hikaylo Pack who were too weak. I wasn't one of them. I left at midnight and was able to escape. Man, Timber wanted me bad. He thought I would play a key role in his war. But I'm not subjecting myself to him," Phantom said, his lips twitched into a smile as he watched my eyes fill with pity. "It's fine. Really. I have you," he said cheerfully, his tail wagging. He paused before saying, "And the pups." I nuzzled my head into his chest as he licked my withers. I couldn't believe I was going to have puppies. It was too much to take in. I couldn't hold the excitement, even if it would be several months before I had them.
I padded down the tunnel that led to a large den that could easily hold ten Wolves. The Vezco's roots slithered through the dirt wall, small leaves strewn on the ground.
"I'll go get us some food to eat," Phantom said.
"No—I want to come." I got up and walked out of the den with him. I lowered my head as we came out of the Vezco's fortress and into the blinding sunlight. Small patches of left over snow painted the ground as we ventured into the Grasslands to find some prey.
A lone Balaen cow stood in the open field, her tail swishing at the flies. Her small tusks curved just a little so that she couldn't stab enemies. She was young, and alone. The males must not have decided to round her up into their Harems. Some don't take injured or sick cows…. I took a whiff of the ground. Large amounts of her fur and skin particles were spread across the stumpy grass. She was infested with ticks. And she probably wasn't finding enough food for herself without the strong sniffer of the bull to search for lush greens. Phantom let out a soft bark as he quickly ran past the cow by several yards and stopped to her side, far enough away so she wouldn't notice. I yapped as I started the hunt, my saliva uncontrollably frothing from my mouth as I ran, the knowledge of a meal kicking my drool into high gear. The cow lifted her head up, her dull eyes widening in shock as she saw me charging. She turned tail and ran the opposite direction towards the Kiko Desert. But the Desert was far off and wouldn't save her. She would just die. Phantom charged from the bushes he found, startling the Hog, causing her to stop in panic. She couldn't escape easily. Phantom and I began to circle at her. She tried to thrust her tusks at us, but they were blunt and couldn't severely injure us.
I nipped at her nostril. She let out an earsplitting wail as Phantom chomped down on her croup. I kept lightly biting her face so she would be distracted. But she had had enough. She wheeled around and bucked over and over, eventually flinging Phantom off. He landed with a loud thump on the grass. She pawed, her hooves kicking up loose grass and soil. Phantom took charge of biting at her ears and nose, just to keep her preoccupied, but if he got the chance, he would latch onto the Hog's nostrils to stop her breathing. I leaped up and latched my canines onto her loin just above her croup. The Hog reared wildly, the whites of its eyes showing as it kicked at Phantom. He snarled and dug into her throat.
I repeatedly bit at the Hog's back, trying to make her topple. Blood spilled from her, covering my paws in clumpy, crimson liquid. My muzzle was saturated with blood as I tore into the cow. I lunged backwards in pain, tumbling off of the Hog as blood sprang from my gums. I had bitten down on the backbone. The Hog squealed, kicking this way and that to try to prolong the inevitable. But she was losing blood rapidly, and she wouldn't live much longer. Phantom lunged at her snout and clamped his jaws shut. He held a firm hold as she swung around, trying to break free.
I licked my chops as I watched the Hog tumble and fall with a sickening crack on the grass. Phantom stood stock-still until her sides stopped heaving. He let go and began to dig in. I bounded forward and tore away the thick fur and skin, revealing the meat within. I ate ravenously, my face becoming covered with blood. I played tug-of-war with the Hog's intestines to get them out of the way of the meat. Sure, the innards were edible, but they weren't very tasty. I snarled, thrashing my head to the left then to the right. I heard a strange noise and pulled something stringy and light brown out of the Hog. Then I laid it down a couple of feet away, continuing my feast.
I sat down, feeling bloated. Phantom let out a loud yawn, blinking his eyes. We should get back to the den, but we just continued to sit there, almost like we were waiting for something. I lifted my nose to the air. I could smell something… another Wolf. It had to be from the Bayont Pack. I stood up, my fur bristling as the scent became clearer.
A figure formed from the trees—near our den. It bounded towards us, its tail high. It wasn't trying to hide. Maybe it was some sort of prank, and before we could move, they would surround us. I bared my teeth, about to go and investigate before I noticed Phantom trotting heavily over to the Wolf, his ears pressed flat. The Wolf's tan fur was matted from traveling… and what seemed to be blood from a fight. They stopped just far enough away so I could hear.
"Where did you come from?" Phantom asked, his eyes blazing.
"I derived from the Bayont Pack," the stranger said, his head high, tail low to show he wasn't a threat. Phantom flicked his tail.
"Why are you here? And who are you?" Phantom demanded. It gave me shivers to hear him talk so fierce and stern.
"I'm here to… accommodate you. It's hard to raise pups with just the parents. That's why there are Packs," he added matter-of-factly as he glanced my way. "And that's also usually why new parents," he looked at both of us, "stay in the proximity of their old pack when they have their first pups." Phantom stammered. He didn't know what to say.
"How can we trust you?" He finally spit out.
"You just can't. You would make a sizable misconception if you did." I rolled my eyes slightly at his use of different words. Why couldn't he just use average day-to-day words?
"And," I added on to Phantom's question, "who are you?"
"Duskt," the Wolf replied, his yellow-lime eyes staring into mine.
A/N: Before I go on a decently long vacation, I will be posting one more chapter for Silverflash!
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