Chapter 2: The Patrol (written from September 8th to September 17th, 2024)
"Martha darling, we're home!"
She smelled her two restless boys coming. Martha looked, by most accounts, more vulpine than any other Eastern. Blackness tipped her ears and toes, which contrasted her dazzling crimson fur. Unlike her son, however, neighbors didn't call her a fox, and it was ironically because she had a vulpine personality to match. Garth's mother kept a low profile. She hunted alone and preferred to do so under the cover of night. She stayed out of other wolves' affairs. It wasn't her to converse with peers, much less lose herself in frivolous gossip. As a matter of fact, she was wholly devoted to her family, for whom she had become the main provider, though she expected not to hold the title for long.
"Mrom! Mrom! I caught a brole!" Garth mumbled. He dropped his kill at his forepaws as Martha ran out to meet him.
"You did?! Aw, I'm so proud of you!" she praised.
"Dad showed me how!"
"So it seems," she replied in a flat voice. She turned to her mate. "You just couldn't help yourself, could ya?"
"It was either now or never," asserted Tony, confirming that he did terminate Garth's puphood as she knew it. Martha wanted her son to learn humility, to understand mercy. She believed he couldn't do either unless he gained a meaningful perspective of innocence. She quietly hoped that pieces of it would survive the harsh Alpha training. In some ways, to become an Alpha, one had to sell their soul.
The family gathered inside the den. While most abodes were humble, theirs was anything but. They lived in a natural cave system, massive enough to shelter half the pack. The stentorian echo of the main chamber attracted socializers, namely exhausted flankers looking to share an embellished yarn or two. Garth would listen from his room with an ear pressed against the wall. He would repeatedly be filled with envy. He aspired to be just like them. As Martha divvied up the vole, the pup spared no delay. He regaled her with his epic saga. The colossal space of the main chamber projected his voice. Not a word exited his lips without its vowels carrying an otherworldly presence. "I think you're well on your way to becoming a master hunter!" Martha encouraged. She then served him the meatiest portion as per custom. The pup dug into his prize. "You need to go through Alpha School, but to get in, you must pass the Admissions Test," she added.
Garth knew about Alpha School. For pups to be fully accepted in their social class, they had to complete various courses, which were held far from the Eastern Den Grounds. Garth wouldn't be able to see his parents for the entire winter. "Mom and Dad, do you think I could get into Alpha School?" he asked meekly.
"Oh, well…" Martha began, but Tony interrupted her.
"Of course you can! Well, when you're older, that is. The Admissions Test is a basic skill and knowledge test. We Easterns only want the top hunters, the top fighters, and the top leaders, so we added a test before Alpha School to ensure pups will be ready for the challenges ahead. You're afforded three attempts. The knowledge half of the test is a breeze. A lot of it covers basic wolf etiquette. You'll be given a bunch of questions surrounding the duties of Alphas as well as the duties of Omegas. The skill half of the test, on the other paw, is quite hard and will require dedication and commitment. Few wolves pass it on their first try. That's why you can take it three times."
"I want to do it!" Garth exclaimed.
"Sure thing. When you're older," his father reiterated, "but tomorrow there will be a practice test, so you can see what it's like. When the real one comes around, you should be ready for it."
"Do you think I'll be able to pass it on the first try?"
"You're my son. As far as I'm concerned, there are no second or third tries. No son of mine is going to wait an entire year before he can get into Alpha School! Winston would never let me hear the end of it..."
Martha cleared her throat as she shot Tony a glare. She lowered herself to the pup's eye level. "Just do your best, honey. We'll see what the future holds! There's no shame in failing."
"Yeah, right," Tony remarked sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. After swallowing his meal, he headed outside. "I have an important meeting with my captains soon. Garth, you and your mom are going to do the morning security checks. You will monitor our patrols on the western border to make sure they're awake and ready for war should it ever come to that. Hopefully, the Westerns are still doing their part of the peace treaty. I'll see you two later this evening."
"Alright, dear," Martha replied. "Come now, Garth. It's bathtime."
"Okay, Mom."
The two found a clear pond and immersed themselves in it. They shook off dirt collected from the previous day. Martha finished first, then waited patiently for her little ball of energy as he got distracted by yellow herring swimming beneath him. They tickled his drab underbelly.
"Ready for our security checks?"
"I sure am, Mom!" Garth happily replied. "Can I get a friend to tag along with us?"
"Sure, why not."
"Yes! I wonder if Alex is available. Can I ask him?"
"Go for it. He's your best friend, isn't he? Let's go!"
Alex, Garth's best friend, was busy digging next to his parents' den. Like Garth, he had no siblings but had both of his parents, who loved him dearly. He was a dark brown wolf with a spotted black pattern on his back and a pair of brown eyes that complemented his fur in a rather handsome way. If Garth had the slightest clue of what being handsome meant, he might have been jealous of Alex's superb looks. As far as he knew, the redder your fur was the more attractive you were.
Alex looked over his back to see Garth and his mother. "Oh, hey, Garth! How's it goin'?
"I'm great! My mom and I wanted you to join us while we check the territory's borders. Wanna come?"
"Are you kiddin'? Absolutely! Just give me a sec!" he exclaimed, still stubbornly trying to excavate a huge rock. "Uh, could you give me a paw? This sucker's a bit heavy. Please, friend? Best friend?"
Garth laughed. "Okay, sure. Whatever you say."
The red pup entered the hole and helped Alex push the rock out. It was as big as both of them put together. "Is this a project of yours?"
"You could say that. My mom sprained her left forepaw during a hunt, so now if I want my own room, I have to build it myself, at least that's what my dad says."
"I'm sure if you asked my mom, she would let you stay with me. We have plenty of room!"
Alex shook his head. "My dad says Alphas should know how to be independent. If you want something done, you have to get your paws dirty."
"Are you ready to come now?" Garth asked.
"Yeah, sure. Where to, Martha?"
"We'll start with the Maligne Trail and work our way toward the Dividing River. Tony wants us to pay special attention to it just to make sure our friends are keeping up their end of the deal."
"Sounds good," Alex replied.
"Let's hoof it, boys."
The she-wolf led the way through the Eastern territory. Alex and Garth tried to keep up, but their innocuous chatter put them well behind her. Several wolves greeted them with friendly hellos along the way, including one of Martha's sisters named Cassandra, and Alex's mother named Pamela, who greeted her son cheerfully, but Alex was in a hurry to move on, so he could spend more time with his best friend.
Martha led the boys over to the Dividing River, which acted as the borderline between the East and the West. She warned them to be extremely cautious and stay in their territory at all times unless they had permission from Tony. If someone crossed the river, the consequences would be dire. Winston would technically have the right to kill the intruder, though that wasn't expected since he had a reputation for being understanding and kind. According to rumors, even Omegas were treated nicely under Winstin. Still, the pups closely adhered to Martha's guidance. Throughout the inspection of the patrols, they never strayed away.
One patrol piqued the pups' interest. Stationed particularly close to the river was Tony's estranged brother, Owen, the most senior of all the Eastern patrols. A wolf with egg white fur, Owen was infamous for his poor health. As a pup, he fell into the Dividing River where he contracted distemper, a life-threatening illness exclusive to canines. Although he barely escaped with his life, Owen's lengthy bout with distemper left him with multiple sequelae that included endless fatigue, recurrent muscle spasms, and partial blindness in his right eye.
Years before Garth was born, Owen begged for his older brother to promote him to the rank of secretary, the rank just above patrol, but the chieftain refused, citing Owen's sluggish pace when it came to inscribing on bones. It was no secret that Tony thought lowly of Owen. The chieftain even went so far as to call him a disappointment, which led to them never speaking to each other again. Garth managed to run into Owen a couple of times. The two formed a cordial, albeit distant, relationship.
"Oh, well if it isn't my favorite nephew!"
"Hi, Uncle Owen! I'm your only nephew."
"You are? Oh, that's right. Silly me. I have to remind myself that you're one wolf. I hear about you here and there and everywhere."
"He made his first kill this morning," informed Martha.
"Did he? Oh, my… That's… That's great to hear!" Owen turned back to Garth. "The winds of change are blowing real hard, aren't they? Pretty soon you'll be a full-fledged Alpha, and then… well… you're just gonna take off like your father did and our father did before. Speaking of which, how is my brother doing? Good, I hope."
"My mate sends his regards," Martha replied. "Also, he intends to reconnect with you, but… heightening tensions with the Westerns has taken precedence."
"It's okay. Yes, I'm sure he's busy, what with the large caribou herds of winter not arriving in the Valley at their usual pace. It is deeply concerning. One may wonder if the only caribou up for grabs will be outside our borders by the time winter ends. A scenario like that will spell trouble."
"Hey, I'm supposed to be the Eastern chieftain after winter ends. I will fix everything!" Garth promised.
"I'm not so convinced. I've watched this border for years. I've studied the movements of the Western patrols. They've been increasing their numbers along the river as of late. That suggests that they know we might be facing a food shortage in the near future, and they're preparing for the possibility of us going into their lands. In other words, they mean to oppose us. They're not backing down without a fight. To make matters worse, my brother underestimates them. I find it hard to believe that Winston is the fool that he thinks he is. If war comes, it will be the end of the Eastern Pack. I think at this point, the only thing that could save us is a dang union, and that just happens to be the last thing that'll ever happen! We're doomed!"
"Doomed?!" Garth replied.
"We're not doomed," his mother assured. "Owen, I would appreciate it if you kept your pessimism to yourself. The Eastern Pack is strong, and we will prevail no matter what happens, especially with my son at the helm."
"I'm sorry, Martha. I didn't mean to downplay your son's achievement. Today is in fact a big day for him and should be treated as such." Suddenly, Owen gave a strident cough, nearly spraying the red wolves with phlegm. Garth took note of his disfigured nose. Together with his hardened paw pads, they were the identifying markers of a past or present distemper infection. "Sorry about that. I can usually feel them coming."
"I think we're going to move on to the next patrol. It seems everything's in order here," said Martha.
"Okay… I wish you all the best. Until next time, Garth."
As the group continued down the river, Alex once again drew close to Garth. "Geez, would you believe that's the father of Stormfast? They couldn't be further apart!"
"I can see why Stormfast and Stone never talk about him," Garth replied.
"Do you think he'll live for much longer? My dad doesn't think so."
"What do you mean?"
"If caribou becomes scarce, he'll be among the last to eat whatever's left. Wolves as weak as him get the smallest portions."
"Why is that?"
"Because Pack Law states that the strong members cannot be held back by the weak members," said Martha. "In times of hardship, the fittest wolves need their strength to keep the pack going. The wolves who are too weak are likely to die, which means any food given to them will go to waste and not benefit the pack as a whole. You'll learn about this in more detail in Alpha School, but for now, let's not worry about your uncle or the caribou. We don't know anything for certain, but a negative mindset isn't going to help us."
Martha and the two pups spent the rest of the day supervising the patrols. After they completed their minimum number of rounds, Martha and Garth headed back home while Alex separated to join Pamela.
"Thanks, Garth! Thanks, Martha! I had a great time!"
"You're welcome, Alex, and be careful with your project," Martha cautioned. "You don't want to dig your own grave."
"Ha, ha! Don't worry. I'm careful!" Alex assured.
Twilight fell upon the territory. Soon Garth and his mother saw Tony dragging a carcass into the den. "Here's dinner. Hope it's a good one."
The family sat down to a deliciously savory meal of freshly killed caribou. Wolves relied on caribou more than any other animal. Compared to moose or muskox, they were easy to hunt down due to their vast numbers and manageable level of aggression. A younger Tony once challenged himself by occasionally hunting moose, whose nutrient-rich flesh was extremely rewarding, but his stiffened back eventually made it too risky. Plus, having a family required him to swallow some of his pride.
"Looks great, Dad!" Garth praised. "By the way, when exactly do we go to where the practice test is taking place?"
"We'll go shortly after breakfast. If I were you, I'd wake up early again and fetch us another vole, maybe a squirrel if you're up to it. Then, we can get there sooner. I recommend going to bed right after dinner."
"Yes, sir. Oh, and I have another question."
"Go ahead."
"What's a union?"
"A union? That is marriage, two wolves committed to one another for life. What makes you ask?"
Before he could answer, Martha cut in. "A patrol mentioned the dwindling caribou numbers. He suggested, in a sarcastic manner I might add, that the Eastern and Western Packs of the Valley should unite."
The mere suggestion prompted Tony to laugh. "Oh, I get it. A formal union of the packs like our ancient ancestors used to do. Ha, that's funny. I do wish we could go back to the days of our ancestors, when things were simpler. Everyone did what was best for the pack. There was none of this open-minded malarkey. You either did what you're told or you were exiled. Effective leadership comes from discipline. Period."
The thought of marriage stayed on Garth's mind. He pondered his future. Enjoying a full belly, he laid himself down on his pelt and stared at the sloped ceiling. The red pup smiled. Maybe someday he would meet a beautiful Eastern wolf and fall in love and have a happy family just like his parents had. He would love to make them grandparents! Garth could hardly wait!
