WOOOOOHOOO! Th next chapter, finally. I know some of you have been busting for this one, so here it is!
This one doesn't reveal much, but just keep reading and you may find it interesting.
Through the Forest
Suddenly from the other side of the circle, Cazadora barked loudly. The pack looked up.
“Pack, we are a step closer. Now, we need to get into small packs to split up, because we will cover more ground and we will be harder to capture with smaller numbers. Remember – bark twice and howl if danger threatens. If that call does not respond, do it as loud as you can. The mountains will echo your call, and hopefully someone will hear you.” She spoke to the group in her instructiony voice. “Now, with seventeen, we will need two groups of six wolves, one with five. All the groups must have one of the pups, and one group should have two. Do you understand? Go.” Everyone went about finding a group to go with. Gaze parted with Bjorna, Simbas and Balliar, and walked around the clearing. He saw Aldoro and Sapphira with Gudinna and Arick. A little family. Sapphira was Gudinna’s sister. He trotted over to them and Aldoro smiled.
“We were looking for you, mister.” He said, nuzzling him like a father. “Now, I think we have a group!” They all sat down and waited. Gaze looked around at the other groups.
He saw Bjorna with Scar and Kulma, as well as Dahlia, Copaci and Cazadora. Simbas was with Stalk, Tuteur, Omega, Adrianna and Balliar.
“Pack!” Cazadora suddenly called. Everyone quietened. “We are now to our most dangerous part of the mission. We shall split, and you shall all go your ways. Stay away from other wolves, and look out for signs. Good luck, as of now, we are entering enemy territory.” She stood and led her group quietly into the forest.
Aldoro spoke to his little pack. “Now, are we all ready?” he said confidently. “Sapphira dear?” Sapphira looked up with her big, green eyes. A little tear glistened as it slipped from her eye to her cheek. She sighed and nodded bravely. Aldoro nuzzled her side sympathetically. “Well, come along pack.” He turned and walked off into the trees. Gaze, Gudinna, Arick and Sapphira followed him. Arick walked alongside Gaze.
“I hear you’re living with my sister and parents. You’re practically like brother to me.” He smiled. “Moon-Gaze, is it?” Gaze nodded. He was quite nice.
“Tune said you were training to be a guard.” Gaze said, trying to make conversation.
“Yeah. It’s a bit odd, because they’re my own Aunt and Uncle. But I wanted to spend time with them and learn skills, so father suggested becoming a guard.” He replied. “Tuteur is a great trainer.” Gaze smiled and looked at the ground.
“She means something to you, doesn’t she.” Arick said. Gaze looked up quickly. He sighed. “A vision just doesn’t come to any pup like that, Moon-Gaze. You wanted her back, and the spirits showed you the way.” Gaze stared at his paws walking through the dead pine-needles. Maybe he was right. Maybe the spirits did send him that vision. They kept walking.
“Well, it’s good to meet you, Moon-Gaze.” Arick said a moment later, and he trotted ahead to speak to his father. He and Aldoro chatted away, and Gaze just looked around the forest. It was very quiet. Not even the trees howled with the breeze. Ravens called from the sky, but no other little life-form scuttled, fluttered or even chirped. This place was a bit creepy.
Suddenly, from up ahead of them, came some barking. The group stopped. Gaze pricked his ears and listened. There were wolves. He went up beside Sapphira at the front and looked on. Through the trees not far away was another clearing. Aldoro woofed quietly and the pack ran behind a shelf of rocks with a fallen log on it.
“Aldoro, what’s happening?” Gudinna whined. Sapphira had the same expression. Aldoro eyed the clearing.
“It’s a camp. We’ll either fight or go around them.” Aldoro replied, not looking away.
“I say go around. We’d be outnumbered in a fight.” Said Sapphira anxiously. Gudinna nodded. Gaze and Arick agreed, and Aldoro led them up the rock shelf. Gaze struggled to the top, but he was fine. They then slunk away from the camp, unseen and unheard. When they were well away, Aldoro started to run. Gaze leapt ahead, and the rest of the pack copied, and soon they were bounding through the forest.
On and on they went, not finding anything that could lead to clues, and soon Gaze was so tired he was trailing at the end. He tried to keep up his energy, but without any food or water, he was exhausted. He panted and puffed, and soon Sapphira felt the same. She fell behind. That was when Aldoro turned.
“Oh, Sapphira, Moon-Gaze. I’m sorry.” he said. He went up to his wife and nuzzled her, then helped Gaze to his feet. He had fallen to the ground, panting. “We need food. Pack, it shouldn’t be hard, but try and find some food.” Gaze climbed over a rock and searched for a little meal.
* * *
Soon the pack reunited near a huge log. Gaze lay underneath it, in a little ditch. His raven lay at his feet, and he ate it hungrily. Feathers covered the ground as he filled his empty stomach, and soon blood was on his muzzle. When his meal was merely a pile of feathers and bones, he stretched out his front legs and yawned.
But now he was thirsty. He squeezed from his little hole and stumbled down the rock slope. The rest of the little pack were lying down eating their snacks. Gaze went up to Aldoro, who was munching on a rabbit bone between his front paws.
“Um, Aldoro?” Gaze said, approaching him. “Where can I get a drink?” Aldoro looked up.
“We’ll be going to find the river soon, son. We’ll just wait until everyone’s ready.” He replied, and went back to his meal.
“Pfft.” Replied Gaze, and he climbed back up the hill to his log. He ran around the back of it and with one mighty leap, jumped on. He slipped on the wet moss, but the log was wide and not easy to fall off. He sat down and licked his muzzle, washed his paws and scratched his ears. He shook his head and his ears flapped against the sides of his head. Gaze sighed.
He lay down and stared around at the forest. They were quite out f danger, and Gaze felt more secure and relaxed. But the scary feeling of being constantly watched still made him uncomfortable, and every little rustle of leaves or twigs made him jump or turn around. It was always little birds and animals though, but that didn’t make him feel anymore comfortable.
Suddenly Aldoro stood and dropped his bone. The pack looked up from their half-meals. “Come on, pack. We need to get water now, and continue. Has everyone finished?” he said. Everyone stood and Sapphira stretched her legs. “Let’s go.” And they all followed Aldoro as he turned and walked into the trees. Gaze started and jumped from his log – off the other side or he would have fallen down the rock ledge. He ran after the pack. Clambering up the rocks, he reached them. He shook, and his tail flew around. Gaze looked down at his paws as he carefully walked over the rocks. Pines needs were scattered over them, and dry moss covered a lot of the rocks and trees. He trotted up to a large tree and lifted his leg. This place deserved it. He scratched the dirt beneath with his back paws and went back over to the others. Aldoro had watched him and laughed as Gaze looked so proud of himself. And he did.
Soon the roaring sound of a raging river was up ahead, and Gaze pricked his ears to the noise. Through the trees, he noticed a rock cliff that went straight down with more forest on the other side. As they approached it, Gaze ran to the edge of the rock and looked down.
Below was a huge, white river, thundering over rocks and drowning logs. It was very clear water, like the one at home, but it wasn’t nearly as peaceful. On the other side he saw the forest, and there was an enormous fallen tree going from one ledge to the other. It was old and brown and mossy, with a couple of vines hanging into the water. At least if anyone was to fall in they could grab on. But this tree wasn’t a pines like the rest – it was an ancient oak.
Aldoro approached the log carefully and looked at the huge roots sticking up it the air. Each one was as thick as a wolf’s body. Some were even bigger, like a stag. Gaze watched as he sniffed it. He jumped and put his front paws on the side of the log and looked at the top. After a moment he jumped back down and went back to the pack. “It’s obviously been used by many wolves, their smell is all over it.” He said. “We should be able to cross, we just need to climb up first.” Arick smirked as they all went up to it. Aldoro leapt on first, his back legs dangling slightly as he struggled on. Arick was next, and he jumped on with ease as he was very agile. Sapphira scrambled on, followed by Gudinna. Gaze backed, then ran at the log. He jumped up with a big bound, and yelped as he almost fell over the other side onto the grass. Aldoro grabbed his tail though, and he regained his balance. That was close, though Gaze.
With a heave of breath, Aldoro walked out. He went carefully and slowly, and Arick waited until he had gone a few paces before going himself, just to be sure no one fell off. Sapphira copied, going a few paces after her son, and then her sister went after.
Gaze didn’t really want to cross. The log was mossy, slippery, and he didn’t like what was below. But he sighed and crept on. He looked at his paws and tried not to step on any moss or slime.
“Don’t look down, don’t look down….” He muttered to himself. The water roared under his feet, and he could have sworn it was making the bridge rumble. He looked over at Aldoro, who was almost at the other end. In front of him Gudinna was looking very scared, and she gulped as she looked cautiously over the edge. As Gaze looked over his shoulder at the grass on the other side, he suddenly heard a yelp.
He looked back over so quickly he almost slipped. Then he noticed only Sapphira was in front, and she had a look of horror on her face. Gaze looked over the edge and saw it. Gudinna, she was clinging onto the edge of the log by the tips of her claws. Her body dangled down.
“Gudinna!” Sapphira yelped, and she ran to her sister. She was whimpering. Her eyes were full of fear. Beneath her the river rumbled on like a monster, ready to swallow her up if she should fall.
“Help!” she whined, trying to pull herself up. Sapphira had her tail between her legs. She ran to the edge, but started pacing quickly back and fourth, whimpering.
“Aldoro! Aldoro! Help!” she howled. Gudinna’s claws slid down through the bark, and she yelped. Arick turned and as Gaze saw, Aldoro had already leapt onto the other side. He looked up in alarm.
“Sapphira?” he barked in question. Arick turned to his father.
“Father!” he said. “Gudinna’s in trouble!” Aldoro leapt back onto the log and ran past Arick. Arick watched on.
“We need someone to pull her up,” he said frantically. Gaze suddenly had an idea.
“Hold my tail!” he cried. “I’ll pull her up!” without thinking, Sapphira did just that and grabbed his furry tail. Aldoro grabbed hers, and Gaze bent cautiously down. He climbed onto the side, clinging on. Gudinna had her eyes closed with tears streaming down the side of her face. He opened his mouth slightly, then grabbed the scruff of her neck. She opened her eyes and looked at Gaze.
She tried to claw her way up, with her back legs on the underside of the log pushing herself up. Gaze pulled, and Sapphira walked backwards, with Aldoro pulling her tail. Gaze’s own tail was in pain as the weight of Gudinna was all on it. But he tried his best to ignore it.
With one mighty pull, he yanked her and she climbed up. Sapphira pulled Gaze back into position, and Gudinna was safe. Breathing fast, she lowered her head for a moment. Then she smiled.
“Thank you so much, Moon-Gaze!” she said gratefully. “I could have drowned!” She nuzzled him and Gaze wagged his tail. Was he the hero?
“Well done, pup.” Said Aldoro. “Well, some on. On with the mission!” he turned and walked to the end of the log, jumping gracefully off next to Arick, who was already on the grass. Sapphira leapt off next, then Gudinna, then Gaze. He hit the ground with a thump, and actually kept his balance. Trotting behind the others, he followed them across the grass and into the forest.
The trees were still pines, but the ground had changed – in this part of the forest it was flat with bare ground. The dirt was covered in dead pine needles instead of grass, and scattered through the trees were large boulders and a few bushes. He could still hear the roar of the rapids behind him.
Above their heads no birds tweeted, and under their feet no rabbits bounced. The whole forest was so bare, so empty. So lonely. It was silent, except for the crunch of pines needles and twigs under their paws. As they kept going, Gaze suddenly heard something. It was up ahead, through the trees not far away.
He stopped suddenly and pricked his ears. “Stop.” He said. The pack stopped abruptly and turned to him.
“What is it, Moon-Gaze?” asked Gudinna cautiously.
“Wolves.” Replied Gaze. He heard a few yaps and barks and whines. Gudinna looked to where Gaze was looking, and pricked her ears too.
“Oh, I hear them too!” she said. “Pack! Be careful, there are wolves ahead. It sounds like a small camp.” The other three looked ahead and listened.
“How will we get through the camp?” asked Arick, turning to his father. Aldoro was staring into bare space, thinking. Then he blinked and looked at the pack.
“I’ve got it!” he said. “Just follow my lead.” He turned and ran towards the sound. Gaze bounded after, and the others did too. Aldoro was going straight to the camp! Gaze felt a little worried. But Aldoro was wise, so he decided to go with it.
They skidded to a stop right at the edge of a small, bare clearing. In the middle was a burnt out fire, and around it were about six wolves. Three adults and three pups. The female was brown with a grey muzzle and stripe down her back, the larger male was jet-black with a white star on his forehead, and the younger male, probably his son, was the opposite – white with a black star. The pups were all black, except for one which was white with blue stripes on her sides. They were peacefully talking, the mother checking out her pups, when the large male suddenly lifted his nose.
All of a sudden, he spun around and saw them all hidden in the trees. He lowered his head and let out a fierce growl, low in his throat. All the other looked over at them. Gaze was just waiting for Aldoro to start running. He looked at the ground, waiting. But then, he did something completely different. His front right paw was held off the ground, as though he was limping.
He limped out of the trees slowly, mock yelping with every step. The wolf looking at him stopped growling, and lifted his head. Aldoro slowly approached him. He eyed the limping wolf, clearly believing it.
“What do you want? You dare approach my family?” he snarled.
“Please, I am travelling through this forest, and I am weak.” Whined Aldoro. He wasn’t doing a bad fake. “Please, my family and I are starving. Do you have any food to spare?” the wolf looked at him with slight pity.
“I’m sorry, we don’t have any meat.” he replied.
“Well, could you please show the way to the Alpha?” Aldoro asked. He was still in a limp. Gaze felt a nudge on his side and looked around quickly. Gudinna walked out of the clearing. She looked at him over her shoulder and winked. Right! He lifted up his foot and limped like Aldoro, and Sapphira and Arick followed. They went up to Aldoro’s side.
“Well, if you go through the forest straight that way,” replied the wolf. “You will find the Alpha’s cave. It is on the mountainside.” Aldoro nodded.
“Oh, thank you for your sympathy, my family and I will leave now. Thank you.” He said. As he limped back towards the trees, the others followed one by one and nodded at the wolf. He smiled a crooked smile as they all went into the forest.