Post by Vєηøм on Jun 19, 2009 18:21:19 GMT -6
Seasons Ago
The full moon floated in the sky, shedding its cold light over the island. A faint breeze murmured through the leaves of four massive beech trees; dappled light and shadow slipped over the pelts of wolves that flooded the island.
A large, gray male emerged from the bushes that lined the edges of the Gathering place. he leaped across the clearing, leaping onto a pile of smooth stones that stood in the center.
Three other wolves waited there. One of them, a beautiful white she-wolf flicked her ears in greeting.
"About time you and your pack got here, Dusk." She said tartly.
"Keep your fur on, Dawnwhispers. We're here now." Dusk growled deeply.
Before Dawnwhispers could bark back, one of the other Alphas interrupted, glaring across the clearing. His gray-black pelt was a mere shadow in the moonlight. "It's time we started," he rasped. "Time is wasting."
"We cannot start yet, Adder." the fourth Alpha barked. Her creamy brown pelt held the frosty shimmer of moonlight. "We're not all here."
Impatient growls echoed through the dark, eyes of the wolves around them glowed darkly. Just then, the Alphas' eyes all strained to look at the outline of a wolf in the shadows, the light around him like a glowing aura.
The alpha and his wolves flooded the clearing. The last to follow was a female and her young pups. The alpha did not bother to join the the others on the rocks. The warrior wolves circled the pups and their mothers protectively.
"In the name of the Ancestors!" Dawnwhispers exclaimed. "Cloud, any wolf would think you brought your whole pack to the Gathering!"
Cloud steadily met the Leaf Pack Alphas puzzled gaze. "Yes," He replied. "I have."
"Why in the name of our Ancestors would you do that?" Water Pack's Alpha, Dusk, asked.
"Because we can no longer live in our territory," the Sky Pack Alpha told him. "No-fur's have destroyed it."
"What?" Dawn stepped forward. "My patrols have reported more no-furs, and noise, but they can't possibly have destroyed it all."
"They have." Cloud stared across the clearing, as if he were seeing something else in the place of the moon-washed bushes. "They came with huge machines that pushed over our trees and churned up the earth. All our prey is dead or frightened off. The machines are crouched in our camp now, ready to spring. Sky Pack's home is gone." Turning to the other Alphas, he went on. "I have brought my pack here to ask your help. You must give us some of your territories."
Howls of protest lurched into the sky, and the Sky Pack wolves huddled together with their strongest warriors on the outside, as if they were braced for an attack.
Dusk was the first to reply. "You can't just walk in here and ask for our territory. We can barely feed our own packs as it is." He growled. "Prey is fine now, but famine starts in winter, and we will all run out of food."
"Then what is my Pack supposed to do?" Cloud demanded.
Silence spread through the clearing like a sickness, like every wolf were holding their breath. Dawnwhispers uttered a single word.
"Leave."
Hows of approval rose around them. "That's right." There was a hint of a snarl in Dawn's voice. "Leave the forest and find yourselves another place, so you won't steal our food."
A lone wolf stood, blond against the shadows. "As your Healer, Dawn, I can tell you our Ancestors won't be pleased with this." She growled. "There have always been five packs in the forest."
"If the Ancestors didn't agree, why is the moon still shining, Lark?" Dawn retorted, snarling menacingly.
Lark shook her head, unable to answer her Alpha's question.
Cloud's eyes widened in disbelief. "Five packs have lived in this forest for longer than any wolf can remember. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"Things change." Dusk replied. "Is it possible that the will of our Ancestors have changed too? They give each pack the skills they need to survive in their own territory."
Cloud snarled as wolves stood. "Let's drive them out now!" A she-wolf growled.
The Sky Pack wolves snarled and bristled as one, teeth glinting.
"Stop!" Cloud called. "Wolves of Sky Pack, we are not cowards, but this is a battle we cannot win. We have seen that the Honor Code is worth tonight. From now on, we will be alone, and we will depend on no wolf but ourselves."
He whipped around and shouldered his way through his wolves until he stopped before the bushes. He signaled with a toss of his head for the pack to follow him. Before he could plunge across the log, Dawnwhispers barked from top of Stone Pile, "May our Ancestors go with you!"
Cloud turned, fixing his cold gaze upon the wolf he had once called friend. "Our Ancestors may go anywhere they please," he snarled. "They have betrayed Sky Pack. From this sun-down on, I will have nothing to do with our wolf ancestors." He ignored the gasps of shock around, some from his own pack. "They Ancestors allowed the No-furs to destroy our home. They look down on us now, and let the moon go on shining while you drive us out. They said there would always be five Packs in the forest, but they lied. Sky Pack will never look to the sky again."
With another toss of his head, he vanished into the bushes, and the rest of his Pack followed.
A large, gray male emerged from the bushes that lined the edges of the Gathering place. he leaped across the clearing, leaping onto a pile of smooth stones that stood in the center.
Three other wolves waited there. One of them, a beautiful white she-wolf flicked her ears in greeting.
"About time you and your pack got here, Dusk." She said tartly.
"Keep your fur on, Dawnwhispers. We're here now." Dusk growled deeply.
Before Dawnwhispers could bark back, one of the other Alphas interrupted, glaring across the clearing. His gray-black pelt was a mere shadow in the moonlight. "It's time we started," he rasped. "Time is wasting."
"We cannot start yet, Adder." the fourth Alpha barked. Her creamy brown pelt held the frosty shimmer of moonlight. "We're not all here."
Impatient growls echoed through the dark, eyes of the wolves around them glowed darkly. Just then, the Alphas' eyes all strained to look at the outline of a wolf in the shadows, the light around him like a glowing aura.
The alpha and his wolves flooded the clearing. The last to follow was a female and her young pups. The alpha did not bother to join the the others on the rocks. The warrior wolves circled the pups and their mothers protectively.
"In the name of the Ancestors!" Dawnwhispers exclaimed. "Cloud, any wolf would think you brought your whole pack to the Gathering!"
Cloud steadily met the Leaf Pack Alphas puzzled gaze. "Yes," He replied. "I have."
"Why in the name of our Ancestors would you do that?" Water Pack's Alpha, Dusk, asked.
"Because we can no longer live in our territory," the Sky Pack Alpha told him. "No-fur's have destroyed it."
"What?" Dawn stepped forward. "My patrols have reported more no-furs, and noise, but they can't possibly have destroyed it all."
"They have." Cloud stared across the clearing, as if he were seeing something else in the place of the moon-washed bushes. "They came with huge machines that pushed over our trees and churned up the earth. All our prey is dead or frightened off. The machines are crouched in our camp now, ready to spring. Sky Pack's home is gone." Turning to the other Alphas, he went on. "I have brought my pack here to ask your help. You must give us some of your territories."
Howls of protest lurched into the sky, and the Sky Pack wolves huddled together with their strongest warriors on the outside, as if they were braced for an attack.
Dusk was the first to reply. "You can't just walk in here and ask for our territory. We can barely feed our own packs as it is." He growled. "Prey is fine now, but famine starts in winter, and we will all run out of food."
"Then what is my Pack supposed to do?" Cloud demanded.
Silence spread through the clearing like a sickness, like every wolf were holding their breath. Dawnwhispers uttered a single word.
"Leave."
Hows of approval rose around them. "That's right." There was a hint of a snarl in Dawn's voice. "Leave the forest and find yourselves another place, so you won't steal our food."
A lone wolf stood, blond against the shadows. "As your Healer, Dawn, I can tell you our Ancestors won't be pleased with this." She growled. "There have always been five packs in the forest."
"If the Ancestors didn't agree, why is the moon still shining, Lark?" Dawn retorted, snarling menacingly.
Lark shook her head, unable to answer her Alpha's question.
Cloud's eyes widened in disbelief. "Five packs have lived in this forest for longer than any wolf can remember. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"Things change." Dusk replied. "Is it possible that the will of our Ancestors have changed too? They give each pack the skills they need to survive in their own territory."
Cloud snarled as wolves stood. "Let's drive them out now!" A she-wolf growled.
The Sky Pack wolves snarled and bristled as one, teeth glinting.
"Stop!" Cloud called. "Wolves of Sky Pack, we are not cowards, but this is a battle we cannot win. We have seen that the Honor Code is worth tonight. From now on, we will be alone, and we will depend on no wolf but ourselves."
He whipped around and shouldered his way through his wolves until he stopped before the bushes. He signaled with a toss of his head for the pack to follow him. Before he could plunge across the log, Dawnwhispers barked from top of Stone Pile, "May our Ancestors go with you!"
Cloud turned, fixing his cold gaze upon the wolf he had once called friend. "Our Ancestors may go anywhere they please," he snarled. "They have betrayed Sky Pack. From this sun-down on, I will have nothing to do with our wolf ancestors." He ignored the gasps of shock around, some from his own pack. "They Ancestors allowed the No-furs to destroy our home. They look down on us now, and let the moon go on shining while you drive us out. They said there would always be five Packs in the forest, but they lied. Sky Pack will never look to the sky again."
With another toss of his head, he vanished into the bushes, and the rest of his Pack followed.
Now
The Honor Code has been changed to fit four Packs now, and there are two Alphas and two Betas per pack. The Ancestors have retold this story to a wolf that did not reside from the Packs when he was young, and he must gather wolves from all the packs to help him on his journey.
They must......rebuild Sky Pack, and bring them back to the forest. While they are gone, disaster will break loose among the Packs, and many lives will be lost. Can the lost pack be brought back, and the forest returned to peace? Or will the forest burn in the path of death? No one can tell, not even our beloved Ancestors. Only time will tell.
We are the Spirits of the Forest. Where do you stand?
They must......rebuild Sky Pack, and bring them back to the forest. While they are gone, disaster will break loose among the Packs, and many lives will be lost. Can the lost pack be brought back, and the forest returned to peace? Or will the forest burn in the path of death? No one can tell, not even our beloved Ancestors. Only time will tell.
We are the Spirits of the Forest. Where do you stand?