The Age of Cris

Prologue

The pack was gathered in front of cave’s entrance. In that strange moment many feeling were mixed among Drift Pack members. Wolves were touched by tragedy that had happened and was happening still, but also they were ready to run on the slightest sign of danger. They had escaped the enemy, but the enemy was still near. Even death of the alpha couldn’t stop that endless alert.

It was October afternoon, but on Chukchi Peninsula meant an almost a night. Light frost, soften by warm ocean-current from Bering Sea, made that afternoon beautiful. Aurora Borealis was shining on snow-covered taiga forest. A gentle snowfall filled the air, made evening milky-bright, glowing with soft and soothing warmness. It was about 5 Fahrenheit degree, but for northern wolves that was pleasant and optimal temperature. Groove, where they had found a shelter was also beautiful – a mixed wood of pines and larches was covering the slope of moderate rock. There was a den in rock and inside that cavern was lying Alexander. His view was drastically disturbing the peace of scene. Alpha was dying.

Over wounded leader’s body were standing three wolves. Natalya, daughter of chief and pair of betas: Olga and Sergey. Alexander probably wasn’t recognizing them already, but he was calling his children. Not only Natalya, who was standing before him, but also her four litter-siblings, who had died long before. Betas were just looking on passing leader, silver-furred she wolf was trying to lick father’s wound from pus, although she knew it was useless. Injury was already inflamed and a fever was killing once mighty Drift Pack’s alpha. It was just a matter of time when he was to pass away.

“Natalya?” moaned old, silver-furred male, in moment of clarity. He recognized his daughter and was desperately trying to tell her all he had on mind. But his body was too weak to stand it. “Please...” Natalya expected a last warm farewell, a words of love from dying parent. But Alexander was a leader even in his last moments. “My child... you must get the pack out of here. Far away... I it’s possible, beyond the sea. You have to success where I failed... That is your family... save it!”

And those were the last words of chief. Then he just coughed and ultimately fell silent. Silver-furred nestled to his side and when she heard no breathing she burst with cry. She was a strong and independent, almost three-year old female, but in that moment she felt like a tiny pup, when two years earlier her mother died.

Olga and Sergey slowly went out from cave, saying nothing. But they serious stares were telling everything. Just a few seconds later whole Drift Pack cried with one, mighty howl to salute deceased leader. Betas joined it too, but Sergey – heavy-built male with brown fur and a scar across his forehead – tensed his face in uneasy expression. After a moment of common call, he ordered with decisive voice.

“Silence! Humans could hear us!” pack stopped a howl and looked on beta. Although Alexander left no clear last will, most of wolves thought that Natalya, as daughter of chief, was about to take a lead. But beta immediately started to play a role of leader. In fact, no one was ready to resist it – pack was too scared by tragic events of last week and Natalya was still cuddling to father’s side, crying not like a alpha, but helpless omega. So brown-furred male had no rivals.

“We will celebrate our leader and protector in some better times.” Continued beta. “But now we must leave this place. Humans with rifles are still tracking us.”

Under orders of Olga, the pack formed a rank to march away. Meanwhile Sergey entered a cave and nudged Natalya’s side. She was still cuddled to Alexander and seemed to be totally indifferent for surrounding world. Beta hemmed to catch her attention.

“Hey, we must go.” Whispered, trying to sound soft. “Humans...”

“How nice, you are still waiting for me.” Replied she-wolf, mixing in her voice a tune of grief and an irony. “I though you are so busy with ordering your pack...”

“Natalya... don’t say that!” murmured beta. “You are the daughter of the leader and you will...” he stopped for few seconds then added. “Just understand me, that pack needs to be lead.”

“Father said we have to go east.” Replied she-wolf with crying voice.

“We will.” Assured her Sergey. “But I will lead you.” Added in mind. “Just give me some time and I promise I will make you an alpha, as you deserved.”

“Isn’t you who want to be an alpha?” asked Natalya with suspicious stare.

“I see no conflict in that.” Smiled brown-furred and licked her cheek. Then le left cave to announce the wolves. “We are going to the shore! Olga on lead!”

Natalya shivered, hearing willful voice of new alpha, but she couldn’t find a strength to do anything. She was helpless like a child whom she still was somewhere deep in heart. But she had to grow up quick. In that moment she understood that she was on only orphaned, but also left completely on her own with no friend to defend her or her father’s legacy. She clenched her jaws and made a silent sworn over dead leader’s body.

Meanwhile the Drift Pack was setting off in shore’s direction. Rank of wolves was marching in fresh snow. All they were in hurry, because all they had seen what happened to three of theirs companions and chief who had tried to save his charges. Humans in green uniforms were shooting to kill, not seeking for meat or fur. Due to some unintelligible reasons, they want to eradicate whole wolves kind. This was a madness that Drift Pack was unable to fight with. The escape was the only way to survive.

“And we will survive, father!” whispered Natalya in October night. “I will do everything to secure your pack and let no other of our brothers and sisters die. Whatever it takes.”

She was walking on the tail of rank, followed only by Sergey. Wolf few times, pretending that was accidentally, wolf rubbed against her side, giving a possessive nudge. it was clear, he already considered himself as an alpha and Natalya as his mate. Silver-furred narrowed her eyes, trying to ignore her companion, but she started to understand that fulfilling her sworn was much harder that she thought.

I. Home, dull home

Silver arctic fox was sneaking on the edge of forest clearing. It was about midday and sunrays were reflecting on fresh, October snow. She-fox was extremely uneasy and scared by perspective of leaving dense forest and entering a free-air. In deep snow-layer short paws of white-furred were unable to move fast. A clearing, although it had no walls nor fences, was a kind of trap.

But creature slowly entered a glade, wading in snow – her back was just a few inches above the white layer. Fox’s fur was almost perfect white, only in few places some remnants of summer coat were seen. But even those remnants could doom the owner.

Brownish and white mass of fur and muscles sprang on clearing. Long and agile wolfish paws had no problem with long jumps in deep snow and predator got in several second to terrified fox. Claws of attacker clenched on victim’s nape and with sudden move canine threw white fox in the air. She screamed aloud, waving her paws helplessly. Predator was looking few seconds on fox then jumped to catch the prey. With perfect accuracy he grabbed her neck in the same moment when she was hitting the snow-layer.

“Ups...” yelled white-brownish-furred.

“Damn! Cris, have you lost your mind?” moaned shocked fox. “I want to play tag, not to play fly!”

“Sorry, Kitty!” replied wolfdog with clear concern. He laid her on the snow, turning her on back and looking on her paws. “Have broken something.”

“No, no... stop it!” called fox. “I’m fine...” Dog drew back few steps still looking on smaller creature with shame and fear. “Right, in fact it was quite cool.” Said Kitty, standing up on paws and almost instantly submerging under snow-layer. “But don’t do it without warning.” Called from below snow. “But give me a paw, I’ve stuck here!”

Wolfdog gentle grabbed fox’s nape and raised her up. Then he started to forest’s direction, still carrying his strange load in mouth. It seemed quite curious – although brownish-white wolfdog wasn’t too heavy-built but it was anyway probably ten times heavier than white arctofox. It was looking more like wolf with his cub, but that <cub> has foxish coat and furry tail.

Finally Cris put down his friend on trunk of fallen pine in grove nearby. She instantly jump down in snow (there much shallower that in clearing and started to clear her coat. Wolfdog was looking on that for a moment then asked.

“Are you mad on me?”

“Yeah, of course...” hissed arctofox and dog lowered his ears. Then she burst in laughter. “No, I’m not, just sparring with you. Well, so big and so naive...” Cris seemed to lost his temper and again grabbed her nape with clear intention to throw her away. “Stop! Sorry... I’m just...”

“Sparring.” Smiled dog, letting loose fox on soft snow. “I know.” And burst in laughter too.

Kitty stood up, shook snow from her coat and looked on her strange friend.

“Ow, that’s better.” She said. “Morning you was cool and chilled like a ice-float. But that is the Cris I know.” She went to wolfdog, jumped on his back and lower her muzzle to his ear. “And that was a nice trick with throwing me up. But don’t make it after meal, please.”

“You don’t want to play, or don’t want a meal?” asked dog, still smiling.

“Ow, I forgot, you provide me them both.” She slid down from bended Cris’s back and landed in snow, that time with graceful agility. “Thanks, man. You’re the nicest wolf I know.”

“I’m not a wolf.” Murmured dog, sitting in snow and based on pine trunk. “I’m a...”

“I know, I know, I remember it well.” Replied Kitty. “Half malamute, one-eight Siberian husky, one-eight wolf and quarter