Tail of the Wolves

Recap:

"Mariah." Shimmer called and looked around for her puppy-hood playmate. Mariah's copper coat appeared from the crowd, that was slowly diminishing. "Take care of him. I have to go talk to Kenzie." Shimmer muttered, leaving her son in the care of her best friend as she leaped onto the rock and walked back to the den. She found Kenzie laying in the far back, licking her hind paw, wincing with every touch.

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Story begins; Kenzie's p.o.v.
~ ~ ~

I sat there licking my hind paw, wincing at each touch. Fucking Varian. I'm pretty sure my paws broken or something now. I can't even walk on it and its swollen and stuff, too. I looked up as a cough sounded in front of me, and saw Shimmer sitting there, watching me. I glared at her. I didn't want her near me. I wanted to be left alone. I hate when people try to control me. It makes me want to rip their throats out, which is what I'd planned on doing to Malikai, which scared me for some reason. It shouldn't. I don't like him. He took away my freedom. I shouldn't like him. He ruined my life... Ugh.

Shimmer coughed again, clearing her throat and disrupting my thought-ramble. I kept glaring at her.

"The way you acted was unnecessary, and I hope you realize it. Malikai simply wants to know you're safe. Thats no reason to lash out and try to kill him." Shimmer growled quietly, watching me.

"Right, because he cares about me at all," I snorted, sarcastically. Shimmer just shook her head.

"He does, actually. Do you see yourself? Do you see the way he looks at you? I'm his mother, Kenzie. I know my son. I also know that he picked you, after direct orders from his father and the elders not to," Shimmer said, matter-of-factly. I looked at her, shocked.

~ ~ ~

Shimmer's p.o.v.

I saw the surprised look in her eyes after I finished. I saw her ears flatten against her head. I saw her flinch when she put her hind-paw down when she first saw me, despite how well she hid it. I saw the way her eyes flickered doubtfully as i said he picked her despite direct orders to pick Kendall, though I didn't tell her this. I was the Alpha, it was my duty to be observant and see things nobody would expect me to see.

Kenzie shook her head.

"You're lying." she said, confidently. I saw the flicker in her eyes and knew she heard it to. Her voice cracked. I shook my head simply.

"I heard you two talking outside the den, Kenzie. I heard what he told you. The same thing I'm telling you now. I was one of the few wolves that stood by him when he said he picked you. You have the potential, Kenzie. Use it. You're stubborn, amibtious. Those are great qualities to have, and they'll make you a great Alpha, some day." Every word I said was true, but she still shook her head.

"I never wanted this," She spat at me, glaring. "I never wanted to be Alpha, never wanted to be his mate." She shook her head. I looked at her.

"Whats done is done, Kenzie. Theres no going back now. You'll learn to love him. He's a loveable kind of wolf." I turned to leave, leaving Kenzie alone with her thoughts. I looked over my shoulder at her, she was sitting now, her nose pointing down, she was looking at her paws.

"Go soak your paw in the river. It'll make the swelling go down and numb it up a bit." I said before leaving. She looked up at my voice, ears flat against her soft black head.

~ ~ ~
Third Wolf p.o.v. (get it, like..third person? only wolf? xDD)

Malikai looked up as his mother lept down from the Big Rock. Mariah was sitting beside him, cleaning the scratches and bite marks. He pushed her away and stood up, walking towards his mother.

"Is she ohkay?" he asked urgently. Shimmer looked at him and nodded, licking a bite on his ear. Mariah walked up behind him.

"Its a pain trying to get him to sit still long enough for me to check his wounds," she sighed. "He'll be fine. He just needs rest and a decent meal. Hate to say it, but that deer Kendall and Kenzie got is a nice one. I don't know how they managed to get it with just the two of them, let alone drag it all the way back to the clearing." Malikai's tail twitched with pride, hearing the praise at his mate's succesful hunt. He wondered that, too. Normally, a deer this size, you're lucky to get it down with 4 wolves. They did it with half of that. I'll have to go hunting with them sometime and see how they do it. Malikai thought to himself.

He looked up at his mother, too lost in thought he didn't realize she was speaking to him until she had nudged his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Mother. What?" He said, apologetically. Shimmer sighed.

"Go get Kenzie and tell her to come down here and eat so the rest of us can have ours. Marcie, Carson and Scotty just got back from hunting as well." Malikai nodded and leaped up the big rock, wincing a little bit as he reopened the wound on his neck. He shrugged off the pain and walked into the den, looking around for Kenzie. She was curled up all the way in the back, her black fur blending in to the shadows that danced on den's wall. Malikai walked over to her, stopping a few inches away and watched the soft rise and fall of her side as she breathed.

Is she asleep? He thought to himself. He took a hesitant step forward, trying not to wake her.

"I'm awake." Kenzie said quietly, as if hearing his thoughts. Malikai's ears flattened against his head, shyly, as he sat down beside her.

"Its time to eat, Kenzie," he said, softly.

"I'm not hungry." she countered, not looking at him.

"Its your first meal as Alpha Wolf. You have to eat something . Even if its just a little bit. The other wolves can't eat until we do." Kenzie lifted her head to glare at him. Her gaze flickered from the bite wounds on his neck, then to his face, quickly. The blood that covered his fur was gone, Mariah had cleaned the majority of it off, the only thing left was a very faded red colour.

"Is that another rule? Another way of trying to control everything I do?" Kenzie growled quietly and snorted, turning her head away and laying it back down on her paws. Malikai's ears flattened against his head and he stifled a whimper. He didn't like the thought of trying to control her, and hated it when she was mad at him.

"Kenz," he started, "nobody is trying to control you. Thats just how the pack runs. I remember when we were puppies, you always complained because you were never allowed to eat until the elders and my parents ate. Well now you can eat first and they're the ones that have to wait. Come on. Just a little bit, please?" He nuzzled her cheek with his nose, feeling the same jolt he had felt last night, both in his dream, and as he pushed away the rocks, but it wasn't as alarming as before. The sensation dimming to a small spark rather than a lightning bolt.

Kenzie grumbled under her breath, but reluctantly got up. She limped to the entrance, never touching her hind paw to the cold stone ground. Malikai followed her, prepared to help her if she stumbled.

She stood at the edge of the Big Rock, looking for the easiest way down that didn't involve jumping. Her ears flattened when she didn't find one. Malikai came up behind her and nuzzled her shoulder, surprised when she didn't pull away. He looked up at her as she took a few steps away from the edge and sat down.

"What...?" He said, quietly, walking over to her. She simply shook her head. He looked at her paw, the way it was twisted awkwardly so she didn't sit on it. He lowered his nose carefully and licked her paw gently, causing her to jump away and almost fall from the rock. He grabbed her scruff and pulled her up as she scrambled, knocking pebbles down.

Kenzie put on a brave face and took a deep breath, pulling away from him and jumping off the Big Rock, landing badly on her paw. Her breath caught in her throat and she forced down a loud, painful howl. Malikai jumped down and rushed to her side, but was quickly banished by a worried Kendall, who helped her sister stand up and supported most of her weight as she lead the wounded she-wolf to the deer they had both caught.

Kenzie licked her sister's cheek gratefully, nuzzling her.

"I'm gonna kill the bastard." Kenzie growled quietly, so only her sister would hear her. Kendall stiffled a laugh as they sat down beside the deer. Malikai sitting across from them. Kenzie's father laid his tail on Kendall, and Kendall sighed and took a few steps back. Kenzie's ears flattened against her head. They'd never eaten a meal when they couldn't eat together. Kenzie stepped away from the deer, not touching it.

Malikai just sighed and took a bite out of the deer, followed by the rest of the pack. Only then, when they could eat together like the pair they are, did Kenzie and Kendall start eating.