by Pistol Annie #1 NPC » Mon Nov 07, 2016 8:45 am
[Reminder that you definitely don't have to post as long as I do! I'm gonna update the front page in a second.]
It was a pleasantly cool summer morning. Solara walked out of her den, nodding to greet Recreant, who had been on night watch. The sentinel scowled unpleasantly. Not amused by the behavior, Solara stared straight until his eyes until Recreant's hackles fell. He looked away in submission.
Churl padded out of his den, and Maggot crawled out of his. Solara's son let out a yawn, and wagged his tail at the sight of his mother. Maggot stretched, blinking his eyes sleepily.
It seemed like a peaceful day, but Solara could sense danger lurking in the forest. Not all the diseased wolves had died. Solara had received a prophecy from her father last night.
"What should my next move be?" Solara had asked.
"When does a phoenix rise from the ashes?" With a cryptic smile, her father returned question for question.
"My son comes back by sunrise," Solara explained.
"The sunrise always brings light back to the ashes." Juniper smiled at his daughter. "You have always followed the light. Rise and shine, my sunbeam."
Roughly, Solara interpreted this to mean the Ash Pack needed to head east. That was where the sun always rose. They would need to cross the river. Felon was already working on a safe way across, with no success.
Maybe it was a good idea to consult with her middle son, Hunter. His precognition gift could help figure out the prophecy. Solara walked around some of the young wolves. Phoenix (that delinquent) was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Felon... that teenager was a hard worker, but she did have some issues...
"Obtuse, could you organize some border patrols?" Solara offered. "You can take wolves of any rank, since we do not have many wolves to begin with."
"I would like to speak to Hunter." She made sure her voice could be heard. "Also, where are Phoenix and Felon?"
Phoenix backed away from the river. "No, no! You can't make me do it."
He backed up, right into Felon. Panicked, the Alpha male turned around. The scout's face was emotionless, but he could tell by Felon's eyes that she wasn't amused.
"This is the only way out of the forest." Felon explained.
"Well, uh, we haven't tried everything!" Phoenix crouched low to the ground. "We could, uh, we could... can we just turn around and go back to camp, and ask mom for help? That's the best idea. That's the only thing you haven't tried."
Felon took a step forward. "Come on, Phoenix."
Phoenix whimpered, walking closer to the riverbank. It was practically a cliff. The river was narrow, but very dangerous. The water surged violently below, breaking around rocks and foaming, like a giant wolf with the foaming-mouth disease... Phoenix felt his legs began to tremble.
This really did look unpleasant. The first time had been quick. His throat had been in agony as the disease progressed, and his mother had found out. Solara had placed her paws on his neck, and the next thing he knew, he was being annoyed by a bunch of Sky Pack pups. The second time though, that was a disaster. He was forced to swim across the river (thanks to Felon) and he got swept away by the current, to the wrong riverbank. He couldn't get a pawhold to climb up, and he eventually got washed down the waterfall. Now that was not a fun experience.
"Jump, Phoenix."
He closed his eyes, took a few steps back, and sprinted towards the riverbank. He leaped as far as he could. For a moment he felt weightless, heart pounding in fear, and then he hit the water. Immediately, his back leg struck a rock and he howled in pain. He opened his eyes wide, flailing at the water helplessly. Fortunately the current swept him close to the western bank. Felon grabbed hold of the Alpha male's scruff and pulled him onto shore. He collapsed onto his belly.
"I knew we shouldn't have tried it," Phoenix whimpered, shivering. He kept his right back leg completely still. "Can we go back to camp now?"
"Your paw is broken." Felon's voice was completely emotionless.
Fear washed through Phoenix, and he tried to scramble to his paws. He couldn't get up, but he could try to wriggle away. Felon walked after him calmly.
"Now we could do this here, or I could take you to your mother-"
"I'm fine! Really! I can walk, just give me a moment!" Phoenix made a feeble effort to stand. He got to three paws shakily, but fell over after a moment.
"Let's just go back to camp," said Felon.
Phoenix breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll see you there," Felon continued.
"Wait-"
"You're here again?" the giant black wolf growled. The Alpha of the Underworld didn't exactly have a soft spot for Phoenix (even though the General really resembled his mom), and he knew it.
"I'm sorry, General! If I had a choice, I wouldn't be here."
"Well, you have a choice now. Get out of here and quit bothering me, whelp!"
"Aaahh! Yes, ma'am!"
Solara watched as Felon returned to camp. She was alone.
"Here I am, reporting for duty," said the scout.
Solara nodded. "Do not go out alone. I know you are capable of fighting, but we are all safer in a pack."
"I wasn't alone when I left."
Solara knew what had happened. She nodded to Felon with an expressionless face, but her tail was held rigid in an unhappy gesture. She went to the Alphas' den.
"Phoenix."
"Aaaaaaahh! Not again!"
Groaning, the Alpha awoke in his den. His mother was calling him. With a whimper, Phoenix slunk out of his den. Felon was just standing in the clearing emotionlessly. Phoenix hid on the other side of his mom.
"The river again?" Solara asked.
"She made me jump, and I broke my paw, and then she got me out, and then she..."
"Just relax. Your father went through worse." Chuckling, Solara licked her son's ears. "Go help out Obtuse with the border patrols. Two heads are better than one."
"Okay." Phoenix dipped his head, then bounded off to Obtuse's side. "Hey Obtuse. If I'm on a patrol, can I please not be on the same one as Felon because I really don't want to die a second time today." He said it all casually, but he had an awkward face. He was just an awkward teenager.