FOUR BROTHERS: PART 4

Chinook

By the time Chinook had gotten to the other guards, he found nothing left...or atleast not full bodied wolves. Blood was splattered on the ground everywhere, and the longer Chinook searched, the more he found.

Two wolves had been shoved in a broken tree trunk, and they looked completely massacred! Ears were torn off, paws jerked out of sockets, ribs broken, bones poking through skin...it was something Chinook had never wanted to see in his life from his pack members.

He went numb when he couldn't find the others, and then flashbacks came through his mind from earlier. He'd passed Kanook. And Kanook had a few scratches on him, but certainly he couldn't beat all these wolves with only a few cuts out of the whole thing? Or could he?

Chinook whipped around, amber eyes wide, to race back to camp. He lunged over a fallen log but tripped over a bloodied tree root, and skidded on his side. He opened his eyes and saw tan paws. His blood ran cold when he lifted his head, and saw familiar brown-amber eyes glaring down at him.

"Kanook! What the heck happened here?!" The white wolf nearly begged for the answer, hoping his friend hadn't had anything to do with this.

He prayed suprise would cross Kanook's face, but instead it was deadly contempt as he surveyed the bloody clearing. Chinook lowered his head to the ground and looked away from Kanook as he didn't answer.

The massive redish brown wolf stepped past Chinook and walked around the clearing, eyes calm and his fur not even bristling as he stepped in deep pools of blood.

After what seemed like hours he finally turned to Chinook, who had backed up against a tree in the shadows, eyes narrowed and accusing. "Oh, c'mon, don't look like that!"

Suddenly Kanook's eyes lighted up like fire. Chinook only shrank back, pupils shrinking. "You think I did this, don't you? Well maybe I did! But I'm not crazy! You tell anyone I'm crazy and..." He made his claws sink into the ground, and his hackles were risen, fur bristling all over and his tail fluffed up.

Realizing that he was only terrorizing Chinook more, he stopped and looked like he recognized what he was doing finally. He sat down, staring at his paws. "I didn't do it, ok? I don't know who did, I don't know why. But I didn't...I couldn't."

Chinook gave a nod. "Of course you didn't." Yeah right, he thought to himself. You're as crazy as old Bloodclaw! Sure Chinook had never met her, but he'd heard stories from the eldest wolves.

Kanook, as if thinking Chinook believed him, nodded. "Great...You go get the pack...tell them what we found." Chinook dipped his head and turned to go, but almost too frozen to move quick enough.

Kanook had blood all over his paws, and it was dry, not new like what he'd just stepped in. The closer Chinook looked, he saw that his friend also had a slight trace of red around his muzzle.

He called over his shoulder while racing away for camp. "I suggest you wash up in the river!" He heard Kanook's pawsteps hitting the ground as he ran to the river, as if he knew what Chinook was talking about.

Kanook had killed the pack. Chinook didn't know why, and Kanook probably didn't have a reason anyway, but it had happened...It had happened.

Suka

The large, well muscled black wolf was lying in the sun, letting his previous wounds heal. Chinook had crossed the line, made him mad, and yet gotten away with it.

Usually whenever they fought, it ended with a small snap on the paws. But it didn't this time, no, it had gotten way too far. Since when did Chinook fight like that? Maybe he'd known how all along and hadn't told anyone.

If so, who had taught him? No one could give lessons and keep them secret. Either Suka was softening or Chinook was actually not a bad fighter, against all odds.

He licked a stinging paw but yelped when a female nipped him harshly on the hurt ear. "Don't, or it will get infected," She growled. He pricked his ears and heard her as she left. "Idiot..."

Suka gave her a snort and put his stinging right paw over the left one. He flicked his tail and looked up at the sky. Atleast it was warming up, and the sun was out atleast three hours a day now. They didn't get much sunlight on this side of the forest, not usually.

He heard a howl near camp and whipped around, almost lunging to his beaten paws. Curling his lip, he saw Chinook, but then stopped when he saw the blood all over his paws and legs, and the horror expression on his face.

"Soro! Soro!" He ran straight past Suka and skidded into Soro's den without even asking. The other wolves around camp lifted their heads and growled at his behavior, but shut up when they saw bloody pawprints on the ground.

Almost as soon as Chinook was in Soro's den, everyone heard what he was saying. "Kanook killed two of the guards! The rest are nowhere to be found!"

Soro lunged out of the den, Chinook following, and growled for the rest of the pack to follow. Suka got up and limped at the back after him.

They had run for quite a while, and Suka's paws were tiring out. Just when he couldn't go on anymore, he scented a strong tang of blood. The pack sped up, and Suka made himself do the same.

Suddenly all of the pack yelped and skidded to a halt, even Soro. Suka nearly bowled into one of the black wolves, but caught himself.

He peered over the shoulder of Soro up at the front, and Suka's blue and amber eyes widened. Blood was absolutley everywhere! But the wolf he saw sitting in the middle of it and hanging his head, he would never forget...

END OF PART 4