The wolves were arranged in a wide ring, eyes darting about, fur fluffed up in anxiety. The Prince of Packs stood over the Gathered, a group of items to help with survival in the Game. His tan fur was flat, his cool composure showing that he was undisturbed by the death. The cold, merciless killings that occurred each year. Delaney bared her teeth. Lumi the Fifth. His eyes were an unusual blue, something that apparently ran in his family. It was an uncommon feature in wolves. The Lumi before him, a grey female, had also had the piercing eyes, their deep, dark blue seeming to stare through your and into your soul.
But Lumi the Fifth had murdered her.
Delaney remembered the day as clearly as yesterday.
She had been playing, and the news had come. How could a wolf murder his own mother? She certainly couldn't imagine it. But then again, her mother was dead. She linked eyes with him, a small frown on her face. They had something in common. Motherless wolves. Hmm. It made her sick, having even one thing in common with this wolf, this murderer. But she had more in common with him then she would have liked to admit.
The Gathered was small this year. Sharpened claw extensions, prey, and herbs. A small pile of flint was heaped in the center. Delaney flicked her ear. She had a plan. A plan she knew would have to work. The flint was everything. She twitched her tail nervously.
An alpha walked slowly around, giving out sponsor gifts. Adine was presented with a few green leaves, which she sniffed interestedly. They smelled strong, like the meadow by the river. She smiled fondly as she thought of the swaying golden grass, the dusty, pebbly ground, the bright yellow butterflies that flitted carelessly around. She wagged her tail once. I don't suppose I'll ever see it again, she thought sadly.
She didn't know it, but at the same time, Aamu was thinking the same thing, sitting in the peaceful meadow and mourning. She knew that her daughter's body would never be brought home. Her little daughter. Her precious little bundle of fur. She had hoped that she would grow up, have pups of her own. Raise them with love. Watch them play in this meadow like Adine had loved to do. But that would never happen. As much as she hated to admit it, her beautiful, perfect daughter was as good as dead.
She looked at the smooth, black rock she had fished from the river. She smiled sadly, a love for her pup filling her broken heart. It was shattered. She would never nurse a pup again. Her paw reached out, feeling the crude etching she had placed upon the rock. Adine. It wasn't near the monument her gorgeous daughter deserved.
She scraped the earth with her claws, her tears splashing over the earth. She formed a small hole in the sun-baked ground, gaze hazed by grief. A grief that bore down on her shoulders. A tremendous weight she could not hold. She picked up the smooth stone, holding it lovingly in her jaws for a moment, its cool surface soothing the dull ache that was fresh in her heart. Her frame shook, and a sob escaped her throat. She slowly let go, letting the memorial slide into the shallow hole. She scraped dust over it, head low. Her eyes were shadowed with a sorrow that would stay there forever. She turned and walked quietly away, crying softly.
"Twenty," Lumi called.
Sylvia glanced at Delaney, who flashed her an encouraging smile. She gathered the large sponsor's herbs in her mouth. Thank you, Lupus, she prayed silently.
"Eighteen,"
The moments went by in a blur for Livadi. Her muscles tensed. Her teeth clenched. Her eyes blazed. She was ready.
"Fifteen,"
Leif eyed the prey. No claws. He would grab a fishing net and the prey. It would be easy to carry. Good. Yes. Very good. Prey was good.
"Twelve,"
Jay bared his teeth in Livadi's direction. A piece of him wanted to join the Career pack, but his pride held him back. She ignored him.
"Ten,"
Adine shivered, legs trembling with fear. Her ears were flattened back against her skull, and her breathing was quick and frightened.
"Nine,"
Sarahi smiled smugly. The other tributes were weak. Stupid. She could definitely win. She grinned at Laine. He returned a kind smile.
"Five,"
Margo glared at Livadi. Not even a proper tribute. Ugh. She would kill her the first chance she got. Her eyes flashed menacingly.
"Two," Lumi smiled as the Tributes assumed their running positions.
Shard snarled loudly. He would go down fighting.
"One,"
Adine's vision blurred. She stumbled forward. Her head swam. Her legs gave way. The herbs fell from her mouth. She scurried to grab them, shaking uncontrollably. Claws ripped at her shoulder. Her world went black as teeth closed around her tiny throat, blocking airflow.
Sylvia slashed a Career's face as he advanced on her. She dug her fangs into his leg, feeling blood wash over her tongue. He pulled away. She sped forward, grabbing a mouthful of flint. It sliced her mouth, and the taste of her own blood mingled with that of the Career's. She turned and fled. The way Delaney had signaled for her to go, but dodged into a bush to hide herself as the fighting raged on.
Leif snatched the net. A heavy paw clubbed the side of his face. His vision was cloaked in a shroud of stars for a minute, but he shook his head violently and grabbed a mouthful of prey, fleeing before his attacker could hurt him worse.
Sitala scampered toward the Gathered. All she wanted was a bit of prey. Her twisted paw slipped, and she fell heavily to her side. She struggled to her paws, sobbing uncontrollably. The tears stained her beautiful white fur. She stumbled again, scrambling to get up.
A howl rang out as each Tribute fell. One. Two. Three. Four. Shard lost count. He threw himself at a Career, claws outstretched. The male tribute from Two. His claws pierced the wolf's neck, and the Career howled as Shard knocked him to the ground. His jaws closed with a snap as he fastened them to the Tribute's throat. Blood flowed freely as the Career's struggling grew feeble. Shard snarled menacingly, releasing the Tribute's neck and scampering over to a small huge white she-wolf. Her teeth were closed around a pup's neck. She was suffocating it.
He flung himself at her with an infuriated screech. Her head turned up and she released the pup, eyes wide with surprise as he barreled into her. They rolled around on the grass, which was slick with blood. It made Shard sick. Wolf blood.
Shard broke away from the fight, snatching a set of claws from the Gathered and darting off into the forest.
Laine smiled at Sahari. She grinned back. They had done it. All of the other Tributes either lay dead upon the blood-drenched grass or had fled to the woods. He had already obtained a trap from a sponsor. But a sudden sadness swept over him. Dead wolves lay on the ground, pelts sliced, throats ripped open. He flattened his ears. The pup from Eight. She was tiny, Her front paw was twisted, apparently from birth. A thin stream of blood trickled from her mouth.
He walked over to her still form. Her eyes were glazed, open wide, staring up at the sky unseeing. Her paw, the twisted one, was sprawled out beside her. But there was one thing that struck him. His eyes were beginning to cloud. Her fur. Her fur was sleek and soft, ruffling softly in the wispy breeze. Blood stained it, and it was sticky and wet where claws had pierced her. She couldn't have been more than six MoonCycles. Her fur. Her fur was pearly white. He had only seen one other wolf with that color of fur. That specific color, that gleamed a pale gold when it caught the sunlight. That creamy white. That white, blue in shadow and gold in light.
Liisa.
His dear sister.
His kin, the only wolf that knew him better than he knew himself.
She was the reason he had to win. This wolf was a reminder of that. This wolf, who was a total stranger to him.
So, as the other Careers chattered and laughed among themselves, he lay down beside this pup. This wolf, who looked so similar to the wolf he loved most, his dear, dear sister. He pressed his nose to her soft white fur. A tear leaked from his eye, and for just a moment, he grieved.
Sylvia lay, concealed, in a bush nearby, scanning the dead to see if Delaney was among them. Her eyes fell upon Laine and the pup.
She sensed that something important was there. Something special. A Career, mourning a wolf he might have killed himself. She watched in awe. Deep in her heart, she felt a small connection to this Career, this wolf who would probably kill her later, and she smiled sadly.
Suddenly, Laine turned.
And for a second, just that one special second, their eyes met.
She held her breath. His eyes. They were filled with grief. Fresh grief. She looked fearfully at him, but he smiled softly, a sad, agonized smile. He turned, and walked away.
Delaney nosed the pup. She was gasping for air. Coughing, and coughing hard. It was a harsh, raspy cough, and Delaney placed a paw on her chest with a sigh. She had pressed the herbs the tiny red pup had been carrying to her shoulder, as she had seen a Healer do, and, to her surprise, the bleeding had stopped in a few minutes. She smiled at the pup. Her cough had slowed to a hoarse, labored breathing. As she parted her thick fur, she spied several bruises around her neck. As the pup fell into a fitful sleep, she whispered into her ear. "It's okay, I have you."
Shard sat alone in his shelter. His makeshift shelter. Carved strategically from the earth beneath a rotting tree branch. His claws were stained with blood. His fur was torn and bloody. I his jaws, he held a feather. It was also stained with blood, but just at the very tip. It was a raven's feather, sleek and thin. He bit down hard on it. It bent in half, and he spat it out. He slid his paw across the den floor, leaving a smear of blood. He would die. He knew that. But he had vowed to bring as many as he could down with him.
Night swiftly fell. And beneath the glimmering stars, the Tributes settled down for the night.
Their first night in the Game.
Same sponsoring rules as last chapter. Good luck!