A long while back, there was a grand old house painted with the soft blue hue of the sky, that, with the rickety door, creaking floorboards, and the long overdue paint touch-ups, appeared altogether unromantic. Though, it sat on a respectable property, two sizeable elms hung low over the patio, and the elderly woman was always tending to her colorful flowerbeds. On this sunny morning of fair weather, her pride and joy sat on her doormat, her pet, an unusual pet; her fennec fox by the name of Bella. Bella was a dusty brown in color, with copper streaks along her back and grizzled in her tail, and she lay, with her head between her dainty white-tipped paws, waiting for the old woman to come out. Finally, she came out, her rusty little watering can in hand. Today is the big day! she said rhetorically to Bella, Bella responded with a cheerful bark and a hop. She carefully watered her flowerbeds, the occasional pedestrian passerby admiring her unusual pet as they walked by. There was a sudden and loud rumbling that shook the ground, breaking the silence. Bella slinked back with a quiet, low whine, Its all right, Bella, just the truck. The old woman comforted her. Bella stared blankly at the large, shining, monster as it slowly crept around the corner. The old woman opened her garage, it was full of cardboard boxes almost to the ceiling. Each were packed full, and sealed shut for moving. She went into the house, picked up the last of the boxes, and unloaded them on the carport. The truck pulled in, Bella cowering beside its immense size, and it abruptly parked with a thud and a hiss. Bella growled at the monster when it hissed at her. The movers hopped out, Bella watched them with much curiosity as they ran back and forth, placing the boxes in the big shining monster. The old woman insisted on helping, being as independent as she was, and carried some few boxes herself. The movers, trying to be polite, left her with the smaller boxes to load.
About two and a half hours later, they were finished. The garage was empty, the house was clean and it too was barren of furnishings, and poor Bella was left feeling very confused. The old woman picked Bella up and got into the car, in the back were basic necessities, along with Bellas old dog crate, which she then set Bella down in and closed the door. Her weak, shaking hands could just barely lock the squeaking door, she attempted multiple times, then finally gave in when her fingers hurt and when she decided it was just good enough. She closed the heavy car door, which just lightly latched with but a quiet click, and the back of the car was almost full enough to burst open. She and the movers backed out of the sun-beaten carport, and began the lengthy drive to their new home. The woman felt a sense of ambivalence as she became further and further away, shed invested a lot of feelings, memories, and time into that house; leaving it felt so alien to her after having been there for almost two decades.
Trees passed the car by, they started driving into denser forest. Beside the road, on each side, were enormous Oak boughs that bent over them, and steep hills leading far below. Bella awoke from a long nap shed taken to get her mind off of things, after the car suddenly began to shake and rattle. They were on a bumpy dirt road. A strip of light shone in, almost blinding Bella, she squinted and realized that the back of the car was starting to open. Her eyes grew wide in fear, and she hooked her claws onto the thin bars of the crate. The car went over a rock, the door flew open, and Bellas crate went soaring out the back of the car, tumbling down the seemingly bottomless hill on the side of the road. The crate bounced from stone to stone, Bella rolled, tumbled, and crashed into all angles of the crate as it went, and finally, it landed right into a bush and the door swung open. Bella, dizzy for a moment, stared up at the sky as the world seemed to spin around her. She saw a black blur with some odd rufous spots approaching her, the spinning slowed, and she could make out two silver eyes. Are you okay? asked the blur. Bella shook her head and snapped out of it, looking up at him with confused chocolate brown eyes. W-who are you? she asked gingerly, her hocks trembling. The odd canine, a likely second generation fox-wolf who was not much larger than she, smiled at her and replied, My name is Moosepelt, or Moose. Bella stared for a moment before responding, Moose, he nodded at her, I-Im Bella. she added. Now, are you all right? he repeated, noticing that she was nursing a foot slightly after the tumble. Im fine, thank you. she said, slowly regaining confidence. He looked around and noticed she was alone, Come with me. he said. He motioned her to follow as he started to trot off, she thought for a moment, she had no reason not to, she didnt know how to get back to the old woman, after all. Where are we going? she asked Moose as they leapt over a tall bush. To my pack. Moose answered her. Pack? she asked, puzzled. He paused and blankly stared at her for a moment, then remembered that she was a house pet, A pack is a bunch of wolves living together. We hunt together, help each other, make friends, and make mates. He explained. She cocked her eyebrows in interest, Maybe I could join? she asked hopefully, smiling. Maybe so. He replied thoughtfully, pondering the odd concept of a small fennec fox among wolves.
They landed after another high leap, onto soft, plush green grasses. Made a new friend, Moose? was the caustic greeting that Moose and Bella were given when they arrived at the pack. Yes, her name is Bella. Moose replied, She wishes to join. The wolf scoffed back, Surely you arent going to allow her to join! Shes so small, shed be a burden, I doubt she can even hunt for herself. Moose snarled at him, another wolf remarked to the petty one, I doubt youll be staying here much longer if you keep up those comments. Moose nodded in agreement, staring intently at the petty wolf, the wolf kept quiet. Now, said Moose to Bella, Welcome to Hill pack. The nicer of the other two wolves smiled, Welcome. she said politely to Bella. Bella eyed the petty wolf before smiling at Moose and the other wolf. The sun was falling behind the mountain by now, Bella grew tired, Where should I sleep? she asked Moose. Moose pointed a paw to a den of thick branches, You may sleep there. He answered. She bit her lip for a moment, then stopped, trying not to appear snotty she replied, No thanks, I think Id rather go get my crate
The crimson dawn sun rose over the mountain, and a cold breeze brushed over Bella, waking her. She opened her heavy eyelids and stretched, walking out of the crate and into the fresh air. She missed the doting old womans company, this pack thing was surely going to take some getting acquainted with. Ready to go? she heard Moose call out, she approached, Yes! replied several other wolves. Wait, said Bella, What are we doing? Moose smiled, Hunting; I think its time you learned how. Bella watched as the wolves, one by one, trailed off. She followed, learning the whole way. Seeing that they were all crouching down behind a bush, she copied them. See that? asked Moose to Bella, looking at a lone doe, Thats called an elk. Bella nodded, And that is what we are after? she replied, Yes, Moose answered, You go to the other side and scare it over here, and well do the rest. Bella set off, keeping her head low to remain hidden, and popped up on the other side. She leapt out of the tall weeds and growled, the doe was hardly phased by something so small. The doe, instead of running, approached her with eyes narrowed threateningly. Bella stepped forward, flared the fur on her neck, and growled more loudly. The doe finally got spooked and made a mad dash to the other side, the rest of the wolves then rocketed out and tackled it. Nice job, Bella! Moose congratulated her after the deed was done. They shared the meal, Bella felt proud and welcomed now. The snooty wolf snorted petulantly, he didnt want to admit that hed underestimated Bella.
Bella and the pack arrived back home, satisfied with their meal. They even had some meat to give to the pups back home. The hungry pups barked and growled, twirling around in excitement as their relatives arrived. Bella smiled at them, amused by their antics and silly personalities. Moose stared at her for a moment, smiling; she caught him, Do you need something? she asked him, knowing full well why he was staring. No, nothing at all. He answered, a bit of embarrassment crossing over his eyes. He walked away to his den and laid down. Bella evenly distributed all of the meat among the pups, they tugged over one anothers meat and traded pieces. Bella wanted to be the mediator of their little quarrels, but rolled her eyes and decided to just let them be kids.
Days like this went by with incredible speed, they melted into weeks, to months, and lastly to years. Bella developed a fancy toward Moosepelt, and he had finally, after all this time, revealed his fancy toward her. From that day on, they were inseparable, doing just about everything together. Finally, the topic arose about pups. Bella showed him the dedication that the other wolves in the clan had toward the pups. He watched and learned, soon the decision was made. Bella and Moose had a beautiful daughter. She was a perfect blend of the two, they stared in admiration at her features. She had large, keen ears like Bella, and she was mostly black with some orange highlights, just like her father. The pups little ivory claws reached and touched Bellas, Bella smiled broadly, and her heart melted. What will we name her? Bella asked Moose, Moose smiled, Nightingale? Bella nuzzled the pup, Perfect.
Nightingale grew quickly, right before their eyes. It seemed that she would grow and change overnight. Moose and Bella watched as she mastered her walking, explored her surroundings, and met other pups. Shed grown especially close to a silly pup named Squirrel. She and Squirrel would chase each other back and forth, they would race, and they would practice their hunting together by chasing mice. All that practice helped immensely, they advanced onto rabbits, and soon they began going with the hunters of the pack to help. Nightingale was known among the pack as the youngest pup to ever hunt, it was a label she wore proudly. Nightingale was becoming a beautiful, successful young lady.
One day, the bushes rattled, and the birds did not sing a happy song. They sang of danger, with hoarse shrieks and squeals, warning the pack below their trees. A significant amount of the pack was off hunting, and not there to prevent the danger. The short, stocky little herb wolf, Badger, along with Nightingale and Squirrel, shook with fear. Moose and Bella came back, Whats the matter? Bella asked Nightingale. Somebodys here, Momma. Nightingale whispered. Bella growled at the bushes, Now! shouted a gruff voice, a net was thrown from behind the bushes and landed on Squirrel, Bella, and Moose. Nightingale was not captured, for she had quickly dodged the throw. Four creatures that stood on two tall legs came out, two were holding guns and the other two dealt with the wolves, unceremoniously emptying them out into cages and locking them in. Mommy! Nightingale cried desperately, her sad silver eyes tearing up. Go! Just-- go! Bella screamed back, she and Moose tore at the cages bars and thrashed around wildly, but it was no use against the metal. Bella placed her head between her paws and sobbed, Nightingale ran as fast as her legs could take her, tears, innocence, and what seemed like all of her hopes and dreams flying fast behind her. She reached a safe place, she looked back for a brief second, Goodbye. She whispered in a trembling voice, turning then to face the shadow-shrouded unknown that was the vast forest ahead. She began to walk, not looking back any more, nor did she know where she was going. All she knew was she was going away, far away, and needed immediate shelter. She happened upon an old, seemingly abandoned camp, with dens of branches, thick weeds, and dead trees scattered all around. She tiptoed, shaking in insecurity, and approached the den. Relieved to see that it was indeed abandoned, she laid down and got herself comfortable. It was a troublesome, sleepless night for her as the scene of her beloved parents being taken away played over and over again in her mind. She closed her eyes, it was nearly midnight by now, and she went into a light sleep.
Morning rose, sunlight shone down and seeped through the few crevices of the walls, warming the den. Nightingale jolted awake as she heard a rustle. She opened her eyes, saw a rufous blur speed by and smiled, Squirrel! she shrieked with joy, then it all came back to her as she realized it was only a hare running away, she remembered last nights horrible incident. She bit her lip and kept walking, hoping for the best; that maybe shed find another pack to belong to. She searched day and night, finally happening upon a pack. Hope surged through her, a smile touched her face as she saw other pups playing. She screamed, No! as she saw a net fly out of the bushes, the horrid memory of the previous scene rushing back. The creatures emerged, dragging in their prize with greedy eyes, and dropped them into cages before trailing off. Nightingale shook her head in dismay, trying not to cry, she ran further into the endless woods. Her stomach growled, she was grateful to be a good hunter as she caught two hares that were speeding by. She lifted her head after her meal, realizing that shed arrived at a swamp. Yet again, there were some more abandoned dens. She took the largest, the leaders den; and slept.
After time had passed, the days going faster than she could count, shed grown into a beautiful she-wolf. She remembered a device, a strange device that her father had taught her to use to find other wolves. She howled, a low and sad howl, and there was a faint and distant response. It was opposite to the direction of all the taken packs, she smiled, Home. She said, her optimism coming back as she ran. Energy filled her body, the energy of hope, and she ran effortlessly, exhaustion was at the very back of her mind.
