Chapter 1: The Battle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Come on, Thunder, get his leg!  Storm, I’ll get his nose, worry his flanks pup,” Lightning roared orders to his Pack. 

 

 

 

“Dad, I got it! I got it!”  Thunder was now a young adult with powerful jaws and needle sharp teeth.  He had latched himself on to the moose’s leg and was trying his best not to be kicked off.

 

 

 

“Hold on son!”  Lightning leapt to his son’s side, almost in unison with Star, and they both sank their teeth in to the moose’s leg.  With the combined weight of the three wolves, the old bull moose began to falter.  Rain took a running leap and landed on the moose’s back.  The moose bellowed and tried to buck him off, but it couldn’t, due to Thunder’s, Star’s, and Lightning’s weight on its hind legs.  To finish the hunt, Gale leapt and sank his teeth into the moose’s nose and rode its head to the ground. 

 

 

 

The moose’s bearded chin hit the dust with a Thump, and it gave a dying bellow.  With a savage snarl, Storm bounded up and delivered the final bite to the beast’s neck.  The moose fell limp and moved no more. 

 

 

 

“I’m starving!”  Rain sniffed the moose’s side excitedly.  “Can we eat it now?  Please?”  Lightning cast an amused glance at his dappled son and, according to Pack tradition, plunged his snout into the moose’s side and ripped it open for his Pack.  “Let us eat.” He said solemnly. 

 

 

 

The Pack stripped the body bare of everything but scraps for the vultures and foxes already sneaking up for their share.  Thunder tore a rib bone off and spanked the ground, inviting his littermates to play tug-o-war with him.  Star grabbed hold of the other end of the bone and yanked.  Thunder shook his head and growled playfully.  Suddenly Storm decided to join in and jumped on to Thunder’s back.  Rain bounded into the fray and all four wolves became a bundle of flashing black, gray, and white fur. 

 

 

 

Lightning looked on with pride as Star, still a little small for her age, outsmarted her much larger brother, Rain, by ducking when he leaped at her, thus putting her in a position that she could leap on to his back from behind.  Star did so, and surprised Rain so much he fell flat on the ground.  She sprang off with lightning speed and head butted Rain’s side so hard it pushed him on to his back so that his belly was exposed.  Before he could react, Star was standing over him with a paw holding him down, and teeth bared. 

 

 

 

Thunder had to fight a bit harder to win the battle than his favorite sibling.  When Storm had launched himself on top of Thunder, Thunder had jerked his head back so suddenly that Star had been forced to let go of the rib bone.  Filled with the momentum of Thunder’s vicious tug, the bone flew back and hit Storm right on the top of his skull.  Storm was only stunned for a few seconds, but those few seconds were all Thunder needed.  He spat the rib out, and then rocketed in to a forward somersault that sent Storm flying.  Storm landed on his feet and did a turn-around that sent dirt in all directions.  He raced toward Thunder and overwhelmed him with the sudden charge.  Thunder recovered quickly and threw Storm off with the same somersault that had unseated his brother earlier.  Storm also used the same move, the turn-around-and-charge one, but this time Thunder was ready.  As the young wolf sped into him, Thunder jumped to one side and allowed his brother to crash into the large oak tree right behind them.  Storm stood up, and shook his head to dispel his dizziness.  Before he could, Thunder bulled into his side and brought Storm crashing to the ground again.  Thunder stood over his exposed stomach and, panting heavily, growled, “Got…ya there…bro, I…win!”

 

 

 

Storm snapped grumpily at his brother’s restraining paw.  “Get off me you great lump, and you only won because I ran into a tree!”

 

 

 

“Well, it was your own fault,” scolded Star, “You should’ve been watching where you were going.”

 

 

 

“Oh, shut up, Star!”

 

 

 

Thunder pressed extra hard down on Storm, and growled, “No, you shut up, harebrain, and keep your flea ridden tongue to yourself, you hear?”

 

 

 

“Oh yes, I hear, almighty Alpha, and obey,” replied Storm sarcastically, “Oh yea, I forgot, Lightning hasn’t died yet, and you’re not my Alpha.” 

 

 

 

“Calm yourselves!  There is no need to insult each other, Storm and Thunder, so behave!”  Although Lightning sounded harsh, he was secretly very proud of his offspring’s amazing instinct for fighting. 

 

 

 

Star made up for her smallness in sheer cleverness.  She knew many techniques that left the enemy flat on their backs, gasping for breath, such as the one Rain had fallen for.  Yet she was the only one of her litter that did not enjoy prolonged fighting, preferring to quickly knock her foe unconscious with a quick forceful tap on top of the head.  Rain was still smaller than Storm and Thunder, but he could still hold his own in a fight.  His favorite move was letting the wolf get on top of him then suddenly lunge up and knock the foe straight in the air.  Storm was, again, different, operating with brute force, and a few tricks Star had taught him.  He was almost as large as his petite mother, and nearly twice as large as his small sister.  Though he seemed uncaring and mean, he would fight to the death to protect any one of his pack members and was totally loyal to the Pack as a whole. 

 

 

 

Yet, even Storm could honestly admit that Thunder was the true Alpha of the pups.  He was aggressive and ambitious, though not so much so as Storm, but he was also kind and considerate toward the weaker members of his pack, such as Star.  The small black female had been intimidated by Storm’s greater size and had not been getting her share of the food.  Thunder would push Storm and Rain away to let Star have some milk.  In return, Star became his favorite sibling and loyal friend.  Wisdom and a thirst for learning were also necessary parts of an Alpha, and Thunder had plenty.   Though gruff and rude, Moon, his grandmother, was a great teacher, if not a patient one, and Thunder could often be found in her den with Star, learning the myths and stories of the Packs of the Fire Mountain and the mysterious two legged Strangers, along with the tale of the adventures of the great and Holy Amaroq.  This wolf was the son of the only God, who came down to Earth to save the wolves from themselves and their sin.  Though Gale remained the Beta, it was obvious who would become the Alpha when the time came for Lightning to move on.a

 

 

 

Lightning was jerked out of his reverie by sudden howl from the direction of the Stone Pack’s territory. 

 

 

 

“Lightning, Alpha of the Forest Pack!  I, Smoke, seek an audience with you for I have news.”  The unmistakable hoarse voice of the Stone Alpha reverberated in Lightning’s ears, yet what worried him was how loud it was.  He’d have to be very close to be that loud, in Lightning’s own territory actually.  In a moment, Lightning remembered how Smoke had always been envious of the prey rich valley on their border.  He must be claiming it at this very moment, thought Lightning, We must move with all haste. 

 

 

 

“Lightning, he sounds like he’s in our territory!  Let’s get ‘em!”  Thunder sounded both excited and worried.  Storm growled in anticipation. 

 

 

 

“You are right son.  Forest Pack, we go to rid our territory of Stones that do not belong.  Ready yourselves for battle!” Lightning howled.  The pack took off, Lightning and Thunder far in the lead.  The wolves put all their energy in running, and they arrived at the valley in a matter of minuets.  They stopped silently at the edge of the valley and peeked through the foliage.  They saw the whole Stone Pack grouped in a dark corner, trying in vain to hide in the leaves of a bush.  Star snorted. 

 

 

 

“Good thing we’re more used to seeing prey in the under growth than they are.”  Thunder nodded in agreement to his sister’s whispered statement.  They all froze as Smoke’s sinister whisper carried on the breeze toward them.  “…buffoon will come charging in here and we will ambush them.  It shouldn’t be long until he realizes I’m in his territory.”  Lightning’s muscles tensed in anger.  He turned and said, “Here’s the plan.  Holly, you will take the pups and you and you and chase them into the woods from behind while I lead the rest straight into the clearing so they will not notice you.  Even if they have more fighters than us, we are much more used to fighting in the trees than them and if you fight hard and I know that we can win.”

 

 

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