READ PROLOUGE BEFORE THIS PLEASE!
CHAPTER 1
Please read prologue before reading this chapter.
The wind rustled through the leaves on the ground. Piles of them had been formed since fall had come. And there were lots of them from all the trees in the woods. Every time you took a pawstep they would crunch. Right now there was lots of crunching from the two wolves taking a walk in the woods.
The first wolf was named Thistle. He was an Arabian wolf with thick fur. He was part of the Red Oak pack, one of the most thriving and popular packs in the woods. He was a warrior of the pack, and he would do anything to defend it. One of the most things he was known for was bringing his pack exactly four piles of prey in two days.
The second wolves name was River. She too was an Arabian wolf and Thistles sister. She was another brave warrior of the Red Oak pack along with being part of its night patrol. She has been known to win all the battles she has fought.
As they walked, they also searched for prey. Prey was usually very nice during this time of the year, although with the leaves it was easy to be heard while searching.
With no luck finding anything, the two wolves walked back to their pack home. The location of the pack was a secret to all wolves outside the pack, and was only given away at the end of the year meeting, where all the other packs would meet and get to know each other. After the meeting the pack would gather everything they needed and would set off to rebuild a new camp somewhere that no one knew about.
Right now the pack camp was located in the middle of six old red oak trees, giving the pack its name. The plants grew high in between each tree making walls. Two circular holes were made in the Center of two of the trees. One in the front, one in the back. These holes were used as entries inside the camp and they were heavily guarded by two wolves each.
River and Thistle lifted their noses to the smell of fresh prey that had just been brought back. Mouths watering, the two sprinted in through the holes, right past the guards, and up to the food pile. They both grabbed a piece and gobbled it down.
Licking her lips, River settled down next to the food pile as her brother finished his sparrow. She looked around the camp. Everything was beautiful. There was the wolf den where all the wolves slept. There was the pup den where the newly born pups slept with their mother and father. There was the leader den, where the Alpha males, betas, and their mates slept. The food pile in front of her was in the middle of everything, and the meeting place was next to it. Home she though.
The Alpha male, Hummingbird, came out to the meeting center and signaled all the wolves with a howl. Every wolf other than the pups and their families came out to the meeting area. River got up and walked over to the area, her brother behind her.
“Prey is scarce now.” Said Hummingbird. He looked at every warrior wolf and continued. “We must send out groups to go hunting. Thrush, take Rose and Sycamore with you. Daisy, take Fern and Bark. Thistle, take Hill and Hedge.”
River frowned. She was the only one staying back. Hummingbird never chose her. He always thought she was too young. Even though she had only just become a wolf, she still thought she was old enough to be out on patrol.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her brother. “Hummingbird, Hedge hasn’t been seen since yesterday afternoon.” He said. Her ears perked up. Thistle was right. He hadn’t been seen since yesterday afternoon. Where was he? She thought. Hedge had been like a second brother to her. They had been best friends since they were pups. But where could he have been?
Hummingbird nodded his head and said “Your right.” He looked around for another wolf to join the group. As his eyes wandered they stopped on River. He thought a little while then turned back to another gray wolf. “Pond can go with you” he said flicking his tail at the gray wolf. Darn she thought. He had to choose pond.
Hummingbird told all the groups to keep a look out for Hedge before they all headed off into the woods. River slowly walked to her den. Inside she settled down on the hard rock floor and put her head in her paws.
She closed her eyes and imagined herself sprinting through the wolves, her leader and her brother running behind her, with the whole clan following her. She smiled as she continued to imagine Hedge run out of the trees and join the run. They ran up the mountain and ran so fast that everything was a blur to them. At the end of the mountain a cliff hanger hung over the vast world. The packs pelts shone brightly in the night as they stopped at the end and howled at the moon as it came up into the sky, bringing night to the world.
She then lowered her head and smiled. Hedge walked up next to her and told her something in a language she could not understand. The words then turned into “River! River! Wake up!” She frowned, and tried to understand what he was saying. “River! Wake up!” he said again.
River shot up into the air like a thorn hit her. She was back in her den. It had been a dream. Thistle stood over her looking shocked. “River come on!!” He said sacredly “We found Hedge!!”
