Horizon's End: A Wolf Story based on RWTP

hey
that's not nice
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whoops my hand slipped
 
Chapter 14



Cedar was awakened by the sound of howling. Her ears swiveled around a bit, and she realized it was within Stonepack's territory. Could it be... it's a bit early for the attack, isn't it? It's only been a couple months... And wouldn't Atra tell me about it? She stood up, nudging a small, thin stray layer of snow that had accumulated just on the entrance to her den. During the night, the temperature had dropped in the blink of an eye and clouds had come in rapidly. Flakes of snow drifted down from the clouds, and dusted the mountains gently. A thin layer of frost coated the rocks and the logs bordering the entrance to Cedar's den. The bubbly roaring laughter of the stream as it rolled over the stones had been replaced by frosty silence; it had frozen over during the temperature dip in the night.

"The first frost..." Cedar murmured to herself as she padded out of the den. The temperature noticably dropped when she got outside; she realized that it must have been very cold, if she noticed it through her thick pelt. She looked up; just as quickly as the clouds had come in, they had gone and the sky was cleared once again. The warm orange and blood red rays of dawn spilled out above the horizon and into the forest, and the spruces and pines bristled through the white blankets of snow that covered them. She took in a sniff of the crisp, cool air, and stepped out into the densite. Around the densite, wolves were milling about. Some were helping to clean the snow out of the densite, and others were dragging in an elk. Faedon was dragging a deer pelt to her den.

The howl sounded through the air again. Cedar felt urgency gnaw at her pelt; she needed to check to see if it was Darkpack. Kodiak and Atra would be furious if she didn't show up when the attack started. She shook a bit of snow out of her pelt, and made a run for the entrance. As she sprinted through the forest, she kept her keen ears pricked and alert for a howl again. A strange scent wafted into her nostrils, and the fur along her spine began to prickle with unease. That's not Stonepack or Darkpack... Nevertheless, despite her apprehension she pursued it.

The scent trail wound through the pines and the spruces; despite the snow that dusted the ground, it was still very clear and strong. It gradually got stronger and stronger, and Cedar had to skid to a stop to avoid colliding with a silver she-wolf. The she-wolf was rolling around on the ground and spazzing out, and she would bolt a few yards about every ten seconds. Cedar was freaked out; she had no idea why the she-wolf was behaving this way, or what she was doing here. Are the hunters back?! Cedar thought as worry gnawed at her stomach. This must be the she-wolf that Aki found! How long has she... The she-wolf's muzzle contorted into a threatening snarl, and a second later, she turned and began to bolt away. About five yards into her sprint, she tripped again; Cedar was able to see that she was trying to gnaw at something wrapped around her neck.

"Are you okay?!" Cedar barked. She stayed back about two yards, in case the she-wolf got aggressive; she could already see that she was in a defensive state right now, and approaching her would be stupid.

"Do I look okay?!" she snapped back, rubbing her neck on a tree as she desperately tried to get the object wrapped around her neck off. "The hunters put this on me! And it won't come off!" She tried to bolt away again, but flopped to the ground. Her sides heaved as she gasped for air, and the many wounds she had slashed across her pelt were gushing blood. Her yellow eyes cracked open and she feebly murmured to Cedar, "Get help. Please." A second later, she choked and passed out.

Cedar wondered who the she-wolf was, and what was happening. The urge to panic was rising, but every time it threatened to grip her, she pushed it down. She was forcing herself to take deep breaths, and to remain calm. I'd better go get Stonepack, she thought. Her mind whirling, she turned and sprinted back to the densite.

Rain was wandering just outside of Stonepack's camp, and saw Cedar running towards her. She bristled, "Who are you?!" she demanded. Her blue eyes burned with distrust and suspicion.

"Cedar!" Cedar wasn't sure if she should be confused or exasperated with Rain for not recognizing her. "I've been part of Stonepack for months, Rain! Do you not remember me?! I think the humans are back!"

"Oh Cedar, it's you! I'm so sorry, I've been on edge ever since humans arrived." Her gaze was apologetic, and her hackles lowered. She cocked her head at the strange smell coming from Cedar. "Who was with you?" she inquired.

Cedar's ears flicked as though something was lodged in them in exasperation. Was Rain listening to a word she was saying?! "I ran into some lone wolf who looked like she was in trouble." Are you going to yap all day, or help me out?!

"What kind of trouble?" Rain tipped her ears towards Cedar. Concern flooded into her sky blue gaze, and she tilted her head to the side slightly.

"She had something around her neck that smelled like humans!" Cedar exclaimed.

"Is it dangerous?"

"I don't know! She ran away before I could ask if it was choking her or something. When I found her, she blacked out." Cedar was becoming increasingly irritated with all of Rain's questions. Less talk, more go!

"Well, let's go find her. Sounds like she needs help." Rain started to sprint into the woods, but stopped and looked back at Cedar. "Oh, forgot to ask, is she part of a pack?"

Cedar didn't even bother to stop. Let's GO for Lupine's sake! "I don't freaking KNOW!" Her legs took long, graceful strides as she swiftly surged through the forest. Her ears twitched as she heard pawsteps thrumming the ground behind her. Finally!

"Where is she?"

Cedar didn't even bother to answer that; instead, a growl just rumbled in her chest. But a second later, she stopped when she heard what sounded like whimpering. She skidded to a halt, and Rain nearly crashed right into her. A few yards ahead, hiding in the cover of pine trees, the silver she-wolf lay on the ground. Blood rushed out of her wounds like tiny rivers, and she was scratching desperately at her neck, where a thick leather collar was wrapped around it. Her movements were growing weaker, and not just because of exhaustion; if she didn't get help soon, she would die. Rain crouched down beside her; the she-wolf, who was in survival mode, snarled as she saw a blurry shape coming into her vision. She snapped at Rain's face, but she was so weak and her vision was so blurry that she missed.

"It's alright," Rain murmured to her, "I'm here to help you." The she-wolf flinched as Rain began gnawing on the collar. It took several long, tense minutes for Rain to gnaw her way through it, but once she had, it slipped off and the she-wolf gasped for air hungrily. "You've lost a lot of blood," Rain murmured. "I need to take you back to my pack. They'll help you." The she-wolf nodded feebly; she was far too weakened by blood loss to protest.

Cedar nodded, "The dens are this way."

Rain grabbed the she-wolf's scruff in her mouth and only managed to drag her a few feet before the she-wolf passed out again. "Cedar. I need you to grab her scruff, right between her shoulders, and pull. We need to get her to the densite, and fast." Rain then tilted her head back and howled to get the attention of any wolves in Stonepack. "HELP!" she howled.

Cedar yanked on the she-wolf's scruff, and mumbled to Rain through the fur, "Got it."

"Hurry."

Cedar resisted the urge to snap a biting retort back at Rain. Together, they struggled back to the dens; Cedar had her jaws on the she-wolf's scruff, while Rain supported her hind legs. Rain grunted under the dead weight of the she-wolf, who was now struggling to breathe and just hanging onto life by a mere thread. They dragged the she-wolf into the densite; her strange scent brought wolves out of their dens, bristling with confusion. Rain yanked her head up to try and keep the she-wolf's shoulders off the ground. She then set her down her carefully on a soft patch of moss. "Hades?! Senkah?!" she called.

Cedar went to check for the alphas in their den, while Rain tried to stop the she-wolf's bleeding with the moss and cobwebs. She pinched the spider webs in her teeth and carefully placed them over the she-wolf's wounds, and the webs soaked up the blood as though they were living, thirsty creatures.

"Senkah?! Hades?!" Cedar barked uncertainly.

Senkah and Hades came out of their den, bristling. "What is going on?!" Senkah barked. The activity was already starting to attract a crowd.

"She's a loner, and she was hurt by the hunters. She's lost a lot of blood," Rain explained as she dabbed another cobweb onto another slash across the she-wolf's chest. She was a bit apprehensive; she hoped that, after all they'd done to save her, that the alphas would not reprimand them.

Senkah's gaze softened a bit. "Alright, then. We can take care of her. Rain, since you found her, you can volunteer to keep her in your den." She narrowed her eyes with irritation at the crowd forming around Rain and the she-wolf, "Go on! Nothing to see here!" She took a few steps towards the crowd, and they began to back off and break away. Quartz and Nebrivo went out into the forest to hunt together, and Zero went over to Nike, murmuring something in the young he-wolf's ear.

Cedar turned her head as she heard pawsteps padding up beside her. Her heart fluttered a bit when she saw who it was, Aki! Without her even realizing it, a grin spread across Cedar's muzzle and her tail began to wag. Just being in the beta's presence filled Cedar with such happiness. "Hey, Aki!" Her yip was almost puppish.

"Hey Cedar." Aki was in a sour mood because of all of the chaos, but he seemed to brighten a bit when he heard Cedar greet him.

"Hey, Aki..." Cedar felt her ears heat up with embarrassment as she realized that she repeated what she'd just said two seconds ago. "Hey, would you like to go on a hunt? I haven't eaten all day; I'm starving." Her eyes lit up with hope as she waited for his answer.

"Sure. I'd like to get out of the densite, anyway. Everyone gets allll worked up whenever there's a new wolf," he sighed in exasperation. Cedar nodded; she remembered all of the unrest that had been stirred within the pack when she'd come here. For a while, until everyone had gotten used to her, she'd had to have Senkah or Faedon walk around with her, so that she wasn't attacked. It had been hectic, but after a time, she'd settled in well and the pack accepted her as one of their own.

She blinked a bit as it hit her like a fierce wave: She was still a spy from Darkpack. With each day, it was becoming easier and easier to forget what her mission was here. She still met up with Atra every night, but on multiple occasions, she had come very close to forgetting, and these incidents were becoming more and more frequent. Cedar dared not imagine what Atra would do if she didn't show up one night. As she stared back at Aki, she felt her heart sinking to her paws like a stone. She was a Darkpack spy... but...

What am I becoming?

Just then, Faedon seemed to appear right beside Cedar. Oh, thank you so much, Faedon. Cedar was so grateful and relieved that Faedon had interrupted the train of thought that Cedar was having; it was overwhelming. If nothing else, it gave her something else to dwell on. "Hey, Faedon."

"Hey, Cedar," Faedon greeted her. "Senkah wanted me to tell you that there's a herd of caribou down the other side of the mountain, if you want to go hunting later with us."

"Oh, thanks Faedon," Cedar nodded. "Aki and I were just about to go hunting." At this, Faedon furrowed her brow and blinked a bit at Cedar with something that could only be described as wariness and confusion. "What?" Cedar blinked back at Faedon with a similarly confused expression.

"Oh, nothing." Faedon shook her head slightly. "Just... thinking. Oh, by the way, thanks for saving that she-wolf."

"Has she come to?" Cedar brushed off Faedon's odd expression, and figured it was nothing.

"Yeah. Her name's Mari; she's so grateful that you and Rain saved her."

"Heh, it was nothing."

"She says that she originally hated pack wolves, but she realizes now that they aren't the selfish creatures she thought they were." Faedon offered a grin. "She might be joining. She's going to think about it as she heals."

"That's great." Cedar could honestly say that now; she was glad that wolves were joining Stonepack, and that the pack was succeeding...

Even if they are all going to die soon.

Cedar forced the voice in her head to fall silent. There was no sense in dwelling on it now; she would deal with it later. The battle was inevitable, as was Stonepack's eventual death. Cedar was a Darkpack spy, anyway; she had no reason to be worried about that. They were her enemies, were they not?

As though this storm fiercer than any blizzard or hurricane wasn't tearing through her mind, Cedar gave Aki the cheery smile that she'd mastered a month into the spy mission. "So, let's go, Aki!" she barked like an excited little pup.

Aki offered a little smirk of his own. "Lead the way, Cedar."

Grinning like a pup, Cedar wheeled on her paws and burst into a sprint out into the forest. She leaped over a gnarled log from a pine tree, landing back on the ground as lightly as a feather. She raced through the forest with the grace and swiftness of the wind, as did Aki. He flanked her, grinning as his paws tore up the ground beneath him. As the two wolves ran together, Cedar found her worries about Stonepack's annihilation evaporate away... and instead, she only had the feelings that she had in her chest when she looked at Aki.

Love.
 
Hehehe, thank you both.

It looks good for Stonepack now... But I can promise you all that the packs are in for a world of hurt soon ;D after this upcoming battle and everyone had some time to breathe, of course. I'm already hatching up the next battle... And that's when the real deaths are gonna start
 
Hehehe, thank you both.

It looks good for Stonepack now... But I can promise you all that the packs are in for a world of hurt soon ;D after this upcoming battle and everyone had some time to breathe, of course. I'm already hatching up the next battle... And that's when the real deaths are gonna start

Yippee!!!
wee.gif
. Blood!!! DEATH!!! WAR!!!

Please, please, please... can we start the battle tonight if Orps is on?!?!?!
bow.gif
.
 
Hehehe, thank you both.


It looks good for Stonepack now... But I can promise you all that the packs are in for a world of hurt soon ;D after this upcoming battle and everyone had some time to breathe, of course. I'm already hatching up the next battle... And that's when the real deaths are gonna start



Yippee!!! :weee . Blood!!! DEATH!!! WAR!!!

Please, please, please... can we start the battle tonight if Orps is on?!?!?! :bow .


Yes, yes... Silkies needs to get her tail on too
 

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