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Morning had once more arrived, but nothing promised a happy day. The skies were gray, signaling that once more, rain would fall through out the humid forest. It was a matter of time, for it seemed it was about to burst. Everything was quiet, a deadly silence. No one wanted anything to do with coming outside for the time being, because thunder would often strike, and there was a chance that rivers would over-flood once more.

" Cheryl." The she-wolf turned around to see her mate. Smiling, she walked over, but his serious face intimidated her somewhat.

" Anything wrong, dear?"

" I know I told you I'd be happy for those pups. But, I had a dream again."

The dark brown wolf knew what was coming. Anytime those dreams came, a fight over the pups future would be formed. But she was prepared to fight for them.

" Apollo, I know this scares you, but they're on the way. I can feel them now. Just a couple of weeks and they'll be born, nothing can stop that." She hoped to calm him, but failed.

" Those aren't my pups."

" What?"

" Those aren't my pups, Cheryl." He said with a stronger tone. " I'm afraid we can't keep them. It just doesn't feel right." The she-wolf tensed up with panic.

" Of course they're yours, Apollo. We'll raise them, just like the others. I understand if you're nervous-"

" This has nothing to do with nervousness!!" He snapped at her, anger reflecting in his eyes. " Those pups, Cheryl, have to go. This will be hard for both, but the only other option is killing them. Do you want that, Cheryl? I prefer them living a life away from them. I don't need guilt on my life knowing that I was forced to do that."

Cheryl's silver eyes were watery. " You can't do that."

" I have no choice."

" You won't do that."

" I must."

" I won't let you." She shouted at him, and ran further into the den. Apollo sighed. He knew this was going to happen. He just prayed he could keep them, but those dreams would probably come true if he let that happen. Apollo was convinced they were more than dreams.

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Cheryl nuzzled her pups awake. Thankfully, their den was rather big, because it had some chambers. That meant her mate couldn't hear them.

" Wake up, little ones."

She proceeded to rub another one awake, but when he refused, she nipped him on the rear, receiving a yell as an answer.

" Momma, what's happening?"

" Mum will tell you in a bit, just let me wake up your siblings."

She walked over to the two left, and pushed one awake, making him land on the other one, and have both of them alert. Soon enough, she hushed all the confused pups, and made sure to gather them as they headed towards an escape exit.

" Mommy, what's happening?" The pregnant mother turned to the others, and gave them a sincere but worried smile.

" We're leaving, without daddy."

Coming along. I see you are working harder on the descriptions and the story as a whole, and I thoroughly enjoyed this new part of it.

Unfortunately I am unable to give any more constructive comments and criticism (as there is no real comments I can give, because of lack of sleep, and nothing to criticize; which is good for you ;]), but I am looking forward to the next part of the story.

That's good to know. =3 Wow. it'ls been a long time since I last updated. By the way, before I start this chapter, I have a little announcement.

Many things have been happening as of late. There has been flaming, bullying, theft, and more. It's time for all this to stop. And Ways of Freedom is going to band together to be part of the solution. The time has come. Animation Source continues to steadily decline. Are you ready to make a stand?

Topic: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=21940&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Thank you. =D
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It had been a while ever since the pups left with their mother. Rain had fallen hard from black clouds, starting out as barely noticeable, now soaking the wolves to the bone. Every minute one pup or two would start whining, only to be shushed by the she-wolf, warning them of any predator. Finally when midday, Cheryl had decided to rest at a nearby tree. The rain had not ceased, and to the residents of such a forest, it only meant more, probably until next day.

The dark brown wolf watched as her pups took this oportunity to run around and play in the puddles, spashing each other with joy. Their mother barked at them time from time for them to come and dry themselves off. Howeer, the she-wolf would fail to notice their disobedience, more focused on the mornful and painful howling from a distance. Apparently the wolf had suffered a great loss.

An hour later, after a few minutes of silence, nothing but the sound of rain drops, Cheryl quickly gathered her litter and continued, knowing that her stubborn mate had probably decided to search for them. Alarmed, she decided to take her pups to a different place, far beyond this forest. And more friendly.

So with that, she decided to take them past the flooded rivers, high mountains and dangers. She'd heard the forest was much more different. The views weren't as nice, but the dangers weren't as high. Also, not as much rain and fog, but more sunny days. Yes, that was were they'd head.

As Cheryl walked, she pondered about this new life. During the next weeks life would be hard. To have to raise her pups, and teach them how to hunt in order to actually eat, all the while in her dangerous condition, risks would be high. And, not to mention the already dangers of the forest. Other wolves, bears, cougars and possibly humans meant high stakes at risk.

Then there was their new home. They'd have to adjust, and mark the territory quickly. Also to get used to it, and actually find a good home were all things the she-wolf would have to consider. However, with the puppies' help, surely life would be better. All in all of course she'd have to keep on moving after some days, but, nobody said this would be easy.

It's just the game of life and death.

By nightfall, Cheryl had finally found a nice place to relax. A small unoccupied den, a growing tree almost covering it from sight. The she-wolf settled with it, and told her exhausted litter to go rest while she guarded a bit. She watched the night, which rumbled slightly, signaling that a storm was to come. What a surprise.

Sighing, and deciding not to get wet, as her stomach kicked a bit, the she-wolf walked inside the den, and layed down next to her pups. Taking a glance at them one more time, she fell onto an unpeaceful sleep.

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" I heard such a magnificent noise. Strong, bold and somewhat deadly, it made me wanted to cry out and join it, but I felt trapped in such warmness, that all I could do was kick. Soon, after escaping this place, would I find you and acompany the strong clap. "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time morning had come, and the she-wolf had come, the scent of water had served more than an alarm clock, even if wolves had no idea what they were. She woke up, but quickly jumped up, splashing her litter with the water of the puddle that had formed in her temporary den.

" Looks like I miscalculated." She muttered to herself, carefully shaking off the water from her pelt.

" I'm innocent! There hasn't been an accident since months!" One of the pups half yelled as he woke up.

" No! You twit! It was the storm!" Another began arguing.

" Hunter and December!" Cheryl scolded her pups. " Both of you hush up." All the pups quieted for a moment, before asking their mother what to do.

Sighing, she told them to follow her, and quickly headed out, wrinkling her nose as she saw more water, soon enough recognizing the bank of a river which had overflooded. It was really large, pine trees surrounding it and the clear blue sky right above. Golden sand had been turned into light brown mud, but was barely recognized with all the pebbles and rocks. And of course, the over flooded water flowed smoothly like a creek, and you could easily see the rough but sandy ground and sea weed and different typed fishes that inhabited the transparent waters.

The she wolf's ears quickly pricked up at hollow growls, and she turned to her pups, who all had red cheeks due to certain hunger. Shaking her head, the mother wolf quickly told them to try and hunt a fish. And five minutes later she regretted it.

With all constant movement and uncooperation of the pups, every fish was starting to rush off and dissapear, and anytime she almost caught one, they would run and chase it away. Groaning as of what to do, Cheryl told them to try and drive a fish at her, and they did as told. The first three fish had run off, but on the forth try the dark brown wolf had managed to lung just in time.

Satisfied as every pup cheered, she watched proudly as they ate the large fish, and she kept looking, hoping to get a catch as to at least feed her other pups. It wasn't long before she had surprised two fish, catching a medium one with her jaws and crushing the other small fish with her leg.

So hungry she had actually ate the first one then and there, staining the water with thick blood, and the other one at shore, not giving it a chance to suffocate. A soft smile graced her face as she finished her breakfast, quickly gathering her six pups and heading forward.

This was gonna be a long trip.

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So far, so good. Apollo won't be appearing until much later, and now you know a couple of names from the river. It's actually Hunter, December, River, Juneau, Sky and Cobalt. Those are the now official names of the pups.

I like this new part, and I must say; I enjoyed reading it. You're putting hard work into making the story into something special, and you're slowly getting there. I'm getting this warm feeling when I read it, and so far I've read it twice. The first scene in this part starts out alright with the pups and their mother moving in the forest (if I recall correctly from previous parts) in the rainstorm, before resting by a nearby tree.
That seems natural and flows with the story quite well. Let me point out an unnecessary comma, though.
"The rain had not ceased, and to the residents of such a forest it only meant more, probably until the next day."
Notice the absense of the second comma here; it's unnecessary and only gives the reader a pause where it should not be, and this can prove to be confusing at times.

In most cases there is no need for a comma before "and". I notice a place where the comma doesn't fit later in the story; "They'd have to adjust and mark the territory quickly."
I removed the comma before "and" here. Read through it both with comma and without comma and see what fits. A comma usually is half a second to a full second of pause, and such an unnecessary pause can often lead the reader astray.


Going back to the story itself, it's flowing fine and I enjoy reading this story. Keep writing ^^

=) I'll try and not over use the commas. As for the fic, my aim is to make it as special and unique as possible, so it's good to hear that.

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The rest of the day had gone fine and quite boring, the rain not ceasing even though the sky had cleared and clouds were a mix between gray and white. The only things the wolves seemed to do was actually walk, but because of the silence, the mother decided it would be nice to talk to her pups about the soon to be arrivals.

She sighed unconciously, rather unsure of where to start while they all walked on a ledge. The pine trees weren't as thick from the view, and you could see a herd of buffalo in the distance, grazing on the wet grass obviously, also waving between the few trees in their way.

The pups had noticed the she-wolf lacking the proper pace, and turned to see where she was looking. They caught sight of the herd as well, and rather tired of the silence, Juneau had spoken up.

" Mum!" He called out, trotting over to the larger wolf. " Mummy! Why are those animals attacking each other?"

Cheryl had been slightly startled at the disturbance of such silence, but at the same time, her mind was relieved for all the tension to have disappeared. She turned to see what exactly the sorrel pup had meant, and caught sight of two buffalos, no doubt male, head-butting each other.

" Well um... " The brown wolf took this as an oportunity to bring up the subject she'd been wanting to talk about. Gosh, this was going to be hard without her mate.

" They're fighting... because they want to impress their loved ones." All the pups by now were staring at her with wide eyes, and the mother stiffled a chuckle because of how funny their squished faces looked.

" Loved ones?" Cobalt spoke out, laying on his dark brown fur that earned his name. " Like... family?"

" No..." Cheryl shifted her eyes on River and Sky, who were wrestling each other, but both pairs of ears turned towards her. " Like... me and your father. Maybe that someone special you'll find someday."

Love filled sighs, 'oooh's and 'ewww's had filled the air, and the dark brown she-wolf found herself smiling in amusement.

" When you grow up, you'll understand. It's bound to happen." She soon continued to walk, now taking on the front as her one year old pups followed behind, had they not been bouncing up and down, they'd seem like trained wolves.

" Mama, what will it be like when you find that special someone?" Sky had asked, walking up next to her mother as she abruptivly paused, quick to begin walking again after catching the grunts of her litter bumping into each other.

" It's...a feeling you can't explain. You'll know when the time comes. You're gonna grow up with him, or in your brothers' case her. Have wonderful adventures, and talk. The next thing you know, you'll become mates, and have babies." The she-wolf said.

" Will we have to get into fights, like those buffalo?" River was quick to ask, lifting his tail as to point to the sky.

" No!" The dark brown wolf was quick to blurt out. " No, no, no. With luck, you won't. Unless hunting for your loved one counts."

" Mum, where do babies come from?" Though expecting the question sooner or later, the words had been sudden, causing the mother to be knocked down as she tumbled with her pups.

" Oh! Um... how do I explain this?" A large silence followed as the pack stood up, shaking off the dirt from her dark brown pelt. Only one sentence was enough to explain how she felt that very moment.

' Well, this is awkward.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next days Cheryl spent her days talking about the subject very often. She was very touchy when it came to being blunt, making sure to choose her words carefully as to not scar the pups or something like that, also to not get them into a ramble of questions, which would probably make her panic.

She'd often explain well the process of birth, how everything would change your perspective on males, and at one time, explain the difference between wolf and duck birth. Even when resting, while her litter played, often one or two of them would come up to her, and start debating about why things were like that, pain that having babies would bring, and much more.

All in all, the days that had followed were never boring. Her stomach had barely begun to swollen, but if you didn't pay much attention you'd never notice. Some nights the mother would explain to her pups about why her tummy kicked them, and they'd compare all of this along with their little 'talk'. Of course, when mentioning that they'd have to learn how to hunt much sooner the litter was excited.

She felt relieved that they were happy, but knew better than to let their guard off. Food would be much less because of this, and no doubt teamwork was going to be worked on for months. Cheryl wasn't as tense, knowing that together they could catch small deer.

The days to follow were also pretty calm. The puppies enjoyed the small rain that still hadn't ceased, and the small swamp that had drowned the grass, leaves and other small plants. The she-wolf wasn't very happy about having muddy legs and itchy fur, but she knew better than to complain, having grown up with all this. Pine trees were often dripping, and the sky was often a soft blue, humid air lingering around, making for rather hot times.

Cheryl was often snappy, especially whenever a pup would nip her in the stomach. She'd had explained that this was normal, and often the older pups explained and repeated this to the others, trying to encourage them if down. Hunger was much more often, and Cheryl was complied to take her pups on a hunt. She was rather proud, but somewhat disappointed, since they'd only chase the prey, leaving her to attack and kill.

Everyone understood that soon they'd had to learn how to kill their food, but none of the pups dared to try for the first time. At least, not until someone made the first move. The dark brown wolf looked forward to change that the next hunt, which was probably gonna be soon.

XP Next Chapter! New characters! And happy b-day to me! =D

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Two more weeks had past, and Cheryl's belly had become swollen, and her moods were much more intense, and she'd be much more tired. The pups often begged her to wake up in order to help them with their hunting lessons, but she'd meerly groan a go away or snap at them, nipping at their paws in order to make them leave her. Even so... hunger became so constant that it seemed every hour of the day the year old pups were out from their den while mother waited tired and hungry.

Ten minutes past and the pups heard a howl resound in the air. Pricking their ears as they listened, they all groaned after translating the message, which would be a 'hurry up already! I'm starving!' Ignoring the comment, the puppies kept trotting at their own pace, one of them keeping a nose up in the air as the others looked around.

Some time had passed by, just how much was unsure, but everyone noticed that the silence became more dreary, they all halted, turning around and searching for what seemed to be the threat. Hairs raised, and lips pulled back, but the low growls emitted were interrupted by a menacing roar.

A female cougar slowly stepped out of the bushes, her lips pulled back and glowing golden eyes, curtesy of the night time effects, narrowed. Her hair was raised, and she looked just about ready to attack unexpectably.

" Get off of my turf." She growled. The year old litter, stood together, in a neutral position.

" We'll leave soon, ma'am. Just looking for game." Hunter, the oldest, quickly bowed his head in respect and trotted off, the others following in a singe file. The mountain lion watched as they disappeared from her view, and then returned to her den to bathe her kittens.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sky, Cobalt and Juneau sneered as they crouched low, waiting for the proper moment to strike at the small herd. Most of the does were expecting, too happy as they ate grass to notice the pups.

Three...

Two...

One...

A shrill howl cut through the edge of the night, throwing off the concentration and causing the wolves to run at the herd in the worst possible way. Panicking, they quickly ran off, the rest of the family to confused to charge at them. The only thing to do was avoid sharp hooves and antlers and wait for them to pass.

The same howl cried once more, stopping abruptivly only to start again. The moon, which had been hidden in the dark skies, shone beyond the barely visible clouds with an unusual light. Of course, everyone had forgotten that a red moon ruled the skies that night.

Forgetting all about the failed hunt or the red orb, the pups quickly ran to the den, howling a response and barking as nothing but a natural instinct. After what seemed like half an hour, the pups got there, eyes widening as Cheryl pawed the ground, pushing to give birth.

December, the oldest female, walked over while shooing the others away. She licked her mother's forehead as the she-wolf whined.

" They're not due until a couple of weeks." She spoke.

" They've come early." The mother gasped. " Have your brothers guard the den and bring in Sky to help me with birthing."

The cream and chestnut wolf nodded, walking out to obey her guardian's orders.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" I didn't know what to do. I panicked and wriggled, trying in vain to cry for help. Curiousity had gotten the best of me, and I'd fiddle with my surroundings, trying to figure out what I was in. To not be able to see anything was awful, to feel everything around was worse. No. No. I didn't want to leave, and yet that sucking feeling pulled me.

It wasn't long before everything turned cold, and chilly. I sneezed, and whimpered, shivering as I waited for something to happened. I could sense someone in front of me. Another two near us. They kept moving, never stopping. Almost as if in a frantic. There were other two, I think. But I didn't know anything. I hated it. Let me learn. Let me know more.

I couldn't see anything. I couldn't hear anything. I could feel. Something I'm not used too. The ground was rocky, hard, cold, and wet, small bumps made me uncomfortable. I felt the stingyness and numbness of the cold. I could smell a metallic scent. And more. I couldn't identify anything.

Tired of waiting. I cried. I cried my lungs out, begging for someone to help me. Something soft and raspy warmed me. I was still cold. I was still uncomfortable, but I felt safe. I kept crying, until it got softer, diminushed, and almost as soon as I started, I stopped completely."

Happy B-day and good job I give it two thumbs up

happy bday how old are you? love the newest cchapter

Thanks for the comments. Rain24, no offense of anything, but I'm not sure if I should reveal that.

its kool you dont have to

Yay! Holidays are coming! That means no school! =D PS. In this chapter you'll finally get to meet the protagonist!

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A moan was the only thing she could muster, her ears flicking as the she-wolf lifted her eyelids, and then closing them, taking a minute to focus before opening them once more, revealing refreshed silver eyes.

" M-m, mum?"

The she-wolf looked forward, seeing Sky and December, both with tails tucked between their legs and ears pointed backwards. Their muzzles showed signs of tears. Cheryl felt guilty once she looked at them.

" Oh, my pups." She slowly lifted her head. " What's wrong?"

" You... you passed out." The she-wolf looked out the cave, finding night still reigning in the sky. She layed her ears back in embarrassment, something important tugging at the back of her mind.

" How long have I been out?" She asked, and her pups both looked at each other, earning an eye-brow raising. Before they could answer, she spoke once more.

" What happened?" Her voice raise slightly, a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. The one year olds felt tears pricking at the edges of her eyes.

" M-mom. Y-you've been unconscious for an hour." December spoke as Sky's breathing grew ragged.

" W-we're sorry! We didn't know what to do!" She cried out, burying her face into her mother's chest as muffled sobs were heard.

" We thought you were dead." The female pup continued. " They cried and we were so overwhelmed. We panicked! We didn't know what to do!! F-forgive us, mother!"

Only loud crying was heard then. Cheryl felt her heart race as her memory snapped.

" The pups...!" She looked around, only seeing dried blood, until she spotted some bundles at the end of the den. December jumped in front of her with glassy eyes and tears flowing down her muzzle.

" Mom. I'm sorry. W-we're sorry. You passed out and well..." Cheryl's eyes widened.

' Oh, please no.'

"... They died mom. " December lowered her head, trying to shake the thought as if it didn't happen. " They're dead."

Cheryl stared at her with an open mouth as tears fell down her muzzle. The tri-colored wolf's heart broke.

" No. No, no, no, no, no..." She took a glance at the unmoving little bodies and then yanked her head to the opening of the den. The skies had cleared, revealing beautiful stars and a silver October moon.

It all seem like lies.

" Mum?" The she-wolf's ears pricked backwards as she tilted her head slightly to see December, her lower lip trembling.

" I'm sorry. I failed you." Cheryl shook her head, thinking of the words to say.

" You've done nothing wrong, honey." She licked the salty tears off her daughter. The year old pup had a coat that was dark brown, with a tint of the strong shade of gray. Tiny white flecks ran down her back, earning her the name of the snow fallen month.

Sky yipped, then barked slightly. She sniffed, before barking, although longer than the previous. It wasn't long before that bark turned into a meek howl. Sky joined her sibling, and she howled once more, strong as it echoed into the night. Cheryl joined them as they sang a good bye, the other pups, who had gone hunting with sorrow, adding their voices.

The mother suddenly stopped, ears pricking while the other howls died down. Sky spoke up in confusion.

" Mom?"

" Shh-shh." The tri-colored wolf listened as she turned towards the den, ears high in alert. The two siblings could barely make out something. Something that seemed like the squeak of a mouse.

Cheryl walked quickly into the den, following the source that seemed near her.... dead puppies.
She finally stopped, fighting back tears as the squeaking continued, the bundles have been huddled together, and the smell of death mixing with a metallic scent.

She stared at the pups, taking in the features she was able to make out. All of them were so tiny, and fragile. Solid colored, each and every one had no unique markings, but were of one solid shade. White, Brown and Black. The white pup wasn't an albino, but the dirty coat would've blended perfectly with it's little black nose.

' Mama, look! What is that white rain? .... Snow? It looks so pretty!' She or he would've looked wonderful with the snow.

The brown pup was the biggest, barely, but had a beautiful coat that like some of it's would be siblings, was grayish brown. Somehow, the dullness gave it such uniqueness.

' Mum said that the big brown hill in the distance is called a mountain. Some day, I'm gonna climb it, and wave at you guys all the way from the top.' She could already imagine a cracking male voice informing cockily at his siblings.

The last pup was much smaller than it's siblings. The dirty and unhealthy coat seeming a very dark shade of gray. She knew that such a color would've evolved into the luscious black one would've seen rarely in wolves.

' Well of course you didn't see me! Mom said that I have the color of the shadows. That's why I like to play hide and seek during the night.' She knew that even a cougar wouldn't have been able to see the hidden figure during night time.

Suddenly, the squeak broke her out of her thoughts, and she immediately thought of some rodent seeing her babies as a luxurious buffet. Angered that a rat would eat her children, children that she'd never get to know, Cheryl sniffed closely, her hair standing up as she snarled, teeth baring.

The squeak stopped for a moment, and then started up, and just then could the she-wolf see the slight movement between the bundle of death. Her heart raced up, as she grabbed what seemed to be moving and lifted her ears, a large cry ringing out, echoing in the den. Both Sky and December ran in with wide eyes.

Their eyes became glassy with tears of joy.

Cheryl gazed lovingly at the squeaking object in her mouth, laying at the entrance of the den as she cleaned up the mess. December walked over, mouth wide and unbelieving.

Cheryl quickly let the black runt nurse, curling up slightly as puffs of breath flew from her nose.

" Well, who's this miracle?" December joked, her voice breaking up.

" Yes. She's so pretty." Cheryl whispered, not taking her eyes of her main joy that moment. She turned to her daughters.

" What shall we name her?" She asked. December thought for a moment before answering.

" What about Shadow?" The oldest female pup asked.

" No." Cheryl answered as she turned to the puppy. " Shadow's too common, and it doesn't seem to fit her. It has to be unique. "

Silence followed as all tried to think of a name, though unsuccessful to find one. Finally, Sky broke the quietness.

" How about Silhouette?"

Yay more

wow this is best so far

Wow this is one of the best things I have ever read, and believe me I have read a lot, I can't wait for the next bit, this is brilliant!!!

Thanks everyone for the compliments! Uh.. happy late Christmas and New Year, or any other holiday you might celebrate this time of year.

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Sunrise had come, and with it, large clouds of humidity, a warm fog surrounding the forest. Sunlight beamed into it, only managing to get blocked. Even so, the fog seemed to turn a light yellow that resembled some sort of gold. Trees of pine stood graciously and majestically everywhere, growing high like a three story building. Their leaves turned gold and orange, decorating the ground as they practically floated. Those that still depended on the tree had small crystalline drops that made them turn slightly towards the ground.

The sky seemed a very light blue from those on the ground. Practically white. The air smelled wet, and if one was out enough, their fur or skin would turn slightly moist. Animals that wandered through the forest invisible felt their legs sink in, creating a non existent sound. The only sign of life would be the sudden crunch of leaves, unless you happened to meet another creature yourself.

The fine morning looked beautiful from the sky too. Different tones of dark green trees would be interrupted by blue streaks of water, ranging from creeks to large rivers that rushed peacefully. The white and misty fog created from the humidity gave the entire range a mystical look. Should you manage to be at a high altitude you'd be able to see the green mountains that also had different appearances. Huge round hills that presented large gaps and bumps, tall rocky points that had flickered specks of white on their tips and other types that were similar.

Cheryl raised her head slowly as she woke up late morning. Her eyes were half hidden as they remained drooped, her ears slightly down as her tri colored fur was messy, full of dirt, sweat among other things. All in all she looked tired, yet once shaking herself more awake, the she-wolf looked more rested. Her body was curled up almost entirely, with Sky and December still sleeping warmly at both sides. She looked around her den, finding her male pups having not yet returned from the hunt. Sighing deeply, she turned back to her miraculous pup.

Little Silhouette.

The name had been suggested by Sky. She had grown close to the only one that pulled through. One stare at the solid black wolf puppy had been more than enough to say that the name fitted. Her features would've been hard to make out hadn't it been for the different lighted the sun rays gave her moist fur. Cheryl couldn't wait for her to open her eyes and see the forest like this for the first time. It was different than what any inhabitant was used to. Then again, when she opened her eyes, it would be winter, and all of this would be covered in snow.

That was another thing. It would be winter. Even though a survivor, the cold of winter was a high risk. A high, dangerous risk. She feared for her pup. Still young and developing anti bodies, any virus could kill Silhouette. It would be a shame and a bigger stab in the heart if they lost her at such a young age. Even if little Silhouette thrived over sickness, there were predators. A black wolf pup in winter had a strong chance of being seen. Cheryl sharply suck in breath as she thought of her new daughter encountering any other creature alone. She could feel the nursing pup slightly shivering, and began to lick her warm. Most of the dried blood still stuck on the newborn's fur, anyone could see it.

Cheryl knew Silhouette would get sick soon enough. The chances of her surviving became minimum, but no matter how hard the she-wolf thought it, taking the blame didn't appear. Her anger, though not on purpose, began to focus on Apollo. She begged, but having a litter in late October was practically killing them on purpose.

The first thing that came to her mind was that he planned it all along.

Shaking her head and quickly changing the subject. She stared at Silhouette, that sucked hard as if she still had competitors to fight over with. Her silver eyes soften as a smile spread on her lips, proud of her pup. The tri-colored wolf wondered what eyes her pup would inherit. Blue eyes would make her seem more petite should they be light or aqua, and yet aqua or dark blue could give her a more serious appearance. Golden eyes would make her seem slightly wise or kind.

Still thinking about her appearance, she turned back to the den, wondering where Hunter, River, Juneau and Cobalt could've been.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hunter sighed with depression, walking slowly with his head hanged down. His brothers had a same posture, not a word said from anyone, especially River, who had the most similar personality and appearance from his father. He stared at the forest that greeted the tired litter that morning. Frowning, he turned back to his siblings with ears standing straight.

" I know it's been a long night." He spoke with the authority as firstborn. " But we need to pull ourselves together. The spirits wouldn't be proud seeing us broken right now."

" What use will it do?" River complained. " Ignoring what happened doesn't blow away what we felt on the inside." He turned to his other brothers. " We all can see how it's affected us."

Everyone knew what the second born meant. After joining the howl late night, they had tried to hunt down a wild boar, but the lack of effort and sloppiness had made them fail the hunt, and everyone was forced to rest before searching for food at hours the year old litter hadn't been used to staying awake. It didn't help that they still were learning how to hunt, without a father.

" I know we've taken big blows." Hunter responded. " Leaving dad and losing siblings we never knew. But we'll just have to come through. We're all just irritated because we're tired and haven't had anything to eat."

" Hunter." Juneau spoke up. " Will things get better after we knock down some game?" He asked with a sigh. The oldest pup lightened a bit.

" Yeah. After some food everyone will feel better. And think about it. You can chanel all that rage into something useful." He grinned along with everybody.

" C'mon. If we move a little faster we might find something to eat sooner." The tan and gray firstborn said.

With that, he broke into a trot, everyone following with theirs spirits slightly higher. The forest seemed cheerier after that, and soon enough the litter had walked onto a large pasture as the trees began to diminish in amount. It wasn't long before they had become scarce across the field. The fog was much smaller in that area, one could barely notice it. The ground was uneven, descending and ascending like bumps and hills, making puddles gather in the small gaps.

The grass was still light green, though dull, humid and in small patches. Everywhere else was mud, sticky though much more solid and moist than what one would expect. The sky barely had a tint of blue, and seemed more grayish white. Hills in the distance gave the landscape a cold appearance, showing a small mountain range.

However, what made the pups basically slobber was a deer herd in the distance, where the grass was slightly longer. Smirking and nodding to each other, they began trotting towards it, spreading out to trap them together in a circle.

Let the hunt begin.

-----------------------

Everyone meditates on the latest successions.