Status: Officially my longest story ever!!! So excited xD Hope you like it guys! ;) Let me know if there are any typos.
The Shadow Moon Pack
Chapter Nine
I woke up with a start the next morning, having had a dream of fire. All I could see were the orange flames eating away at something. I shook my head before getting up to check on the pups. I noticed that Nathan was gone, but I thought nothing of it until I smelt the faint scent of smoke.
x x x
Nathan’s POV
I woke up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. I could hear the crickets chirping outside and the soft dripping of water every now and then within the cave. I laid my head back down on my paws and was about to go back to sleep when I heard it, an odd crackling noise coming from somewhere in the forest.
I got up and went to investigate. Upon exiting the cave, I saw smoke rising above the trees in the distance. I raced off in that direction, my instincts guiding me.
An old cottage was burning in the middle of a large clearing, the orange and red flames covering it like a blanket. Inside I could hear the howling of a wolf, they must have been trapped.
I ran inside, following the howl to the best of my ability. There was a red wolf trying to free a light brown wolf from a beam that fell on her. I went to help, lifting the beam with my back. The brown wolf crawled out, whimpering the entire time. I noticed both of her left paws and the tip of her tail were a darker brown than the rest of her.
Soot rained down from the ceiling as I let the female lean on my shoulder. I looked for a way out, seeing a bit of green near the outer wall. There was a hole in it, just big enough for us to squeeze through.
I led the others over to it bravely, letting the injured female and her male companion leave first. I went next, walking until I reached semi-fresh air. I breathed it in deeply, trying to get the smoke from my lungs. The others walked toward me and we all plopped down on the grassy floor.
“Thank you,” the girl said softly, her companion nodding in agreement.
“No problem, who are you guys?”
“Titus and Naomi of Scar Forest,” the red wolf, Titus, replied.
“You’d best get back to your territory then, I don’t think my pack would like you on ours after what happened last time. I’ll keep the fire contained until it dies out,” I said.
“What happened last time?” Naomi asked.
“Your alpha caused a rockslide that trapped two of our pack members in a cave.”
“Hmmm, that sounds like something Lillian would do,” Titus nodded.
“Lillian? I was talking about Damien,” I said.
“Oh…We’ll be leaving now, c’mon Naomi,” the male helped her up.
“Thank you again, what’s your name?” she asked as she got to her feet.
“Nathan,” I answered with a wolfish smile.
Her cheek brushed my own and I blushed, unknown to them because of my fur. The two of them walked back to their territory, I stared at the girl until she was out of sight. She was so sweet, I have to see her again.
I ripped up the grass around the burning cottage and moved it away from the flames, leaving only dirt so that the fire wouldn’t expand and eat away at the rest of the forest. I eventually made it back to the cave just as Acacia woke up, after bathing in the river to get the smoke and soot off my pelt. She asked me where I went, to which I replied that I went to the river. It wasn’t entirely true, but at least I wasn’t lying.
x x x
Nathan’s POV
I woke up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. I could hear the crickets chirping outside and the soft dripping of water every now and then within the cave. I laid my head back down on my paws and was about to go back to sleep when I heard it, an odd crackling noise coming from somewhere in the forest.
I got up and went to investigate. Upon exiting the cave, I saw smoke rising above the trees in the distance. I raced off in that direction, my instincts guiding me.
An old cottage was burning in the middle of a large clearing, the orange and red flames covering it like a blanket. Inside I could hear the howling of a wolf, they must have been trapped.
I ran inside, following the howl to the best of my ability. There was a red wolf trying to free a light brown wolf from a beam that fell on her. I went to help, lifting the beam with my back. The brown wolf crawled out, whimpering the entire time. I noticed both of her left paws and the tip of her tail were a darker brown than the rest of her.
Soot rained down from the ceiling as I let the female lean on my shoulder. I looked for a way out, seeing a bit of green near the outer wall. There was a hole in it, just big enough for us to squeeze through.
I led the others over to it bravely, letting the injured female and her male companion leave first. I went next, walking until I reached semi-fresh air. I breathed it in deeply, trying to get the smoke from my lungs. The others walked toward me and we all plopped down on the grassy floor.
“Thank you,” the girl said softly, her companion nodding in agreement.
“No problem, who are you guys?”
“Titus and Naomi of Scar Forest,” the red wolf, Titus, replied.
“You’d best get back to your territory then, I don’t think my pack would like you on ours after what happened last time. I’ll keep the fire contained until it dies out,” I said.
“What happened last time?” Naomi asked.
“Your alpha caused a rockslide that trapped two of our pack members in a cave.”
“Hmmm, that sounds like something Lillian would do,” Titus nodded.
“Lillian? I was talking about Damien,” I said.
“Oh…We’ll be leaving now, c’mon Naomi,” the male helped her up.
“Thank you again, what’s your name?” she asked as she got to her feet.
“Nathan,” I answered with a wolfish smile.
Her cheek brushed my own and I blushed, unknown to them because of my fur. The two of them walked back to their territory, I stared at the girl until she was out of sight. She was so sweet, I have to see her again.
I ripped up the grass around the burning cottage and moved it away from the flames, leaving only dirt so that the fire wouldn’t expand and eat away at the rest of the forest. I eventually made it back to the cave just as Acacia woke up, after bathing in the river to get the smoke and soot off my pelt. She asked me where I went, to which I replied that I went to the river. It wasn’t entirely true, but at least I wasn’t lying.