He had never been so glad to see morning. The ceiling crystals seemed to brighten all at once. One moment they mirrored the luminescence of stars and the next he couldn’t see any separation in them and the light they gave off was painful for him to look at for long.
William turned and followed Charles back to the clearing. Achelois kept a steady distance between her and William and the small group emerged through the trees into the clearing together. The three stood for a moment looking at each other, grateful that the night was over. William was glad that Aceso’s precautions weren’t necessary and that nothing had happened. The three looked at each other and William couldn’t help a small smile from forming on his lips. Charles returned the smile and Achelois gave a curt nod and spun on her heels back toward their den. William shifted his gaze back to Charles who looked at him. The two left the clearing and followed Achelois.
William once again was cautious when he returned. He and Charles did a thorough search of the surrounding area. When the two were satisfied that no one was around they squeezed into the crevasse one by one. William stumbled into his area and crashed hard on the soft, warm bedding. He closed his eyes and was instantly asleep.
“ALL RIGHT, PUPS, RISE AND SHINE!”
William jerked upright at the sound of the loud voice inside their den. He felt like he had just gone to sleep, he may have. William was on his feet in an instant of recognition. Someone’s inside the den! William first instinct was to attack. He crouched low in the darkness and with just the seconds old sound to guide him he dove headfirst into the intruder. He made a glancing contact with the shadowy form that elicited a gratifying grunt. William hadn’t knocked the intruder down and he hoped that no one else would join the fray. William realized that others may have already joined in the fight. William spun low on his heels and crouched down. He inhaled and identified his pack mate’s scents. There were three other scents that didn’t belong to his pack but he knew those scents very well. The three grey wolves that had been sent to kill him and had fought with the other pack last night were inside their den. His sight adjusted to the darkness of the den just as he made the assessment through scent. He saw the three grey forms standing boldly in front of him.
William didn’t hesitate. He launched himself headlong into one of the greys and made a direct hit. He felt the grey’s fur and muscle under him and he let loose a barrage of blows before he was yanked off of his target.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” the one holding William yelled into the darkness. The grip on William’s arms tightened noticeably then he was shoved forward as the grip was released. William stumbled a half step and whipped his body around to face the intruders. By this time Charles, Aceso and the rest of the pack were on their feet facing the unwelcome guests.
The greys didn’t seem in the slightest bit worried. The leader, the one who had pulled William off the grey that he had tackled, stood in a leisurely stance in the middle of the common area of the den. He looked at Aceso for a moment then took a few more moments to look around the den. To William he might have been looking to make a comment on the interior design. After a moment he shifted his gaze down to Aceso. “Get your pack outside, they want to see you.”
Aceso seemed to be trying to assess the truthfulness of this statement with a level stare. To William the intentional word of ‘they’ was not lost on him, and he found himself curious as to who would want to see them. Aceso nodded. “Get out of our den.” Her voice was lined with cold steel.
The grey smiled at her, not a reaction that tone should have elicited. William found that he really wanted another go with these three. The three turned and left the den through the crevasse without comment. William felt a little disappointed in that. He did not like those guys at all. He allowed his mind to fill with images of him ripping through their fur and breaking their bones. The images made him want the chance to make those images a reality even more. Whatever pain that he could cause those three, they deserved. They had tried to kill him, and they hadn’t exactly been easy on him during the test two nights ago.
When they were gone Aceso looked at the rest of her pack. No words were needed. She gestured with her arms and everyone, including Achelois for once, followed her unspoken command without comment or complaint. William wasn’t the only one who wanted to see who was waiting for them outside.
This thought brought to mind the intrusion by those greys to begin with. They had been so careful; how did they find us? He glanced over at his friend. Charles had a pensive, thoughtful but troubled look that creased his brow. His tail was drooping much too low for there to not be anything wrong with him. William wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what might be bothering him. He placed a comforting claw on the man’s shoulder. Charles glanced over at him with listless eyes. William smiled at him and let his claw fall back to his side. Charles managed a weak smile and a nod. There was something bothering him that they didn’t have time to talk about.
The pack squeezed through the crevasse one-by-one. William was second to last in front of Charles. When he emerged into the bright day of the underground cavern, he had to blink several times and ride through the almost painful adjustment that his eyes went through. He blinked away the tears and looked around the clearing.