It has been a day or two since Second has stopped hunting me. It is a strange thing, this wolf, for even weakened, she races and leaps as if well. My Alpha's magic must have finally caught up with her though. She only growls and barks in greeting or play.
Ambercrown still roams, but I have grown wiser. Whenever near, I relax, coming apart, and have taken up the nights by sleeping in the pile of the Unmoving near the den. It is a grande and terrible show of power to leave such corpses out and obvious, though I can only assume my Alpha has done so in hopes to staving off other predators.
As if our massive herd and the den itself aren't enough.
Still, Second has been coming to find me much more. Often, she will race around barking and yapping before slowing to sniff the ground. It is obvious she is a weak hunter... she cannot seem to track me at all and I have sometimes watched her until she wanders close enough to touch. Even so, I have waited until she has fled before coming together and stalking her.
It would not do to let her know all of our pack's tricks. If she resisted my Alpha's magic this long, she might yet break free like Ambercrown and The Predator did before.
Another strange thing. While my pack was out hunting again, I listened through my twig and continued to hear the others, constantly barking and yapping and whining and especially the loud one that silences the others. I have listened so that I would know if I needed to help, even if they do not know I am still alive.
If I have learned stealth enough to trick my pack, surely I can hunt our tormentors. Yellow Red may still be weak from her illness, Dirtysap and Whiteflower may still be soft and fragile, but if I can stop these other wolves, if I can push them back out of our territory, perhaps my pack can rest enough to recover. I can hunt now, on my own... I would hunt to provide for them all. I would even give them all my kills, if they would just recover.
Today I learned something of my Alpha's magic. While I do not know yet what it does, or even how I learned it, I know it is important.
I was listening to the other wolves through my twig while Second was off hunting with Ambercrown when I suddenly realized that I heard Yellow Red growling. I also heard the Loud One. There were others, but I was so confused that I nearly fell down from the pile of Unmoving near the hidden tunnel.
Yellow Red would growl, then the Loud One would growl or bark. Then Yellow Red, and then the Loud One again.
Back and forth, sometimes other wolves, but always going back to the Loud One in between.
Still, I couldn't figure out why it had caught my attention. They were just growling or yipping, like they always did when they weren't fighting wherever they were.
And then, Second came racing by, barking about the pests in the herd.
She was going on and on and on and I finally couldn't stand it. I was listening to my Alpha! Why couldn't Second understand that?
And then I understood... just before I had pulled myself together to howl at Second.
I understood some of what Yellow Red was barking.
And then I realized, I knew what Second was barking about: the small pest had run up one of the Unmoving... and Second had wanted to catch it.
I am beginning to understand them. My Alpha is still strong enough to help me understand even when she thinks I am dead.
My pack came back today from the hunt, but my Alpha was not stalking well. Dirty Sap and White Flower were doing their best to help Yellow Red, but no amount of bluffing could hide her injured root.
Even from the pile I could see the wood was cracked and leaking a bit of sap.
They wandered up the trail until they came to the barrier before letting her try to show her health by going alone. Never show weakness before a competitor or enemy. Even when injured, my Alpha put on a strong face to intimidate and enforce her position.
So while Dirty Sap and White Flower watched, Yellow Red tried to appear unharmed as she came to the den.
She was doing so well until a brazen Unmoving sent a root to strike her, right on her cracked root, and caused her to yelp.
In an instant, the bluff was over. Yellow Red fell to the ground, dew falling from her face as fresh sap seeped from her root.
She needed to be quiet, to slink away and pretend to be healthy. She needed to put on a fierce face, to intimidate and cow her enemies. She needed to be strong to defend herself.
But her injuries and her illness were too great to overcome, and she howled before she could contain herself.
I had just started to pull myself together, to reveal my life, all in hopes of protecting my Alpha, when the Predator came racing out from the herd.
Not a moment later, Ambercrown was there too, loping along and baying at Yellow Red and Evil.
Second was there before either of them, but only whined when she sniffed my Alpha's root.
I didn't understand why Dirty Sap and White Flower didn't even try to defend her. They just barked out at her and came over, but didn't try to stop the others.
Betrayal! From within the pack itself!
But.... but Ambercrown didn't pounce. And the Predator? The Predator came to a stop nearby, but didn't attack either.
Evil pushed through them both and I could almost hear her branches and vines ripping as she moved, but she only went to sniff and yip at Yellow Red.
Soon enough the other pack was barking and yipping back and forth with Dirty Sap, White Flower, and Yellow Red.
And, after I calmed down from the fear of losing my Alpha, I began to understand.
Yellow Red had 'fallen'... and her root had been 'cracked' on a 'rock.'
I could tell from how Dirty Sap and White Flower barked that they were bluffing. But, even so, after a time, Ambercrown took Yellow Red back into the den, Evil and the Predator following after sending Dirty Sap and White Flower off to hunt again.
They didn't seem angry anymore, the other pack, but even so, my pack seemed worried.
A new wolf arrived today. This one was taller than Ambercrown, though thin and having a very large brush. His muzzle was clean and his eyes soft yet old and the color of the sky. He had a single long green leaf from his neck but was otherwise just the color of bark and mud.
Even though he seemed harmless, there was something about him, about how he moved that warned me to stay hidden. It was like looking at one of the older Unmoving... motionless but just waiting for the right moment to hurl their branches and crush you in your sleep.
Still, Ambercrown met him at the barrier and, after they barked and snorted a bit, she led him in.
I listened and waited. I couldn't see inside the den anymore... the last of my bits and pieces had all been cast out except my twig in the traveling den. Yet, I listened and listened carefully.
After a bit, I heard the new wolf near my Alpha. My bristles and barbs were set... no wolf, especially a strange invader, should be near my Alpha when she was injured.
But, I listened and when I heard Yellow Red whimpering and yipping back and forth with him, I decided to wait.
After a time, the new wolf left, quietly barking to Ambercrown and Evil before doing so.
I do not know what this "Diamond Tiara" or "Silver Spoon" is, but Ambercrown seemed more than angry when it was said.
I remember Dirty Sap and White Flower saying 'it' was 'Diamond Tiara' and 'Silver Spoon'. I remember Yellow Red leaking dew.... crying. I remember my pack saying they 'couldn't do anything.'
I remember Ambercrown saying 'Diamond and Silver' and Yellow Red saying 'rock'...
I remember Yellow Red said 'rock' when she fell down.
I remember her root was already cracked before the 'rock.'
The Predator took Yellow Red away from the den and back towards the trail when the new wolf left, carrying my Alpha on his back. Ambercrown and Evil watched them go.
Ambercrown looked angry. She kept bristling her brush and flicking her leaves and looking back the way the Predator and Yellow Red had gone. It was like she wanted to hunt but knew she couldn't. Maybe Yellow Red's magic was keeping her in our territory, near the herd. Maybe she wanted to eat the other wolf. Maybe she wanted to eat the Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
She didn't. She went back to the den and the smell of Evil's meal took over the night.
And then Second snuck up on me and asked me to help... because she couldn't leave 'our' territory.