Applebloomed

by StormDancer

Graft

It has been two days since I pulled myself back together and found the first of the brown things.

Two days since I started to hunt on my own, to patrol our territory and our herd of the Unmoving.

The air is growing colder and the Unmoving have made their discontent all too obvious. Where once they were a vibrant green, and later in their angery reds and yellows, they have since decided to drop even the appearance of civility and have thrown their leaves to the ground in loathing.

They now claw at the sky and clatter with the wind. They have had all of their buds taken by Ambercrown or The Predator. I cannot say I would not do the same in their place.

If all their buds are stolen, they cannot have seedlings and, later, saplings. And without saplings, their herd is doomed to stagnate.

Ambercrown is truly a wicked creature. I would hardly even call her a wolf at this point.

Despite all that, I have been watching my pack, always from afar, hidden in the herd of the Unmoving. For the last two days I have watched as they went off to their hunt, always followed by Ambercrown. For the past two days, I have listened as they fought time and again, only to hear the Voice reign supreme, even amidst other packs. And for the past two days, I have followed, slowly, until I finally found the end of the herd.

I dare not leave our territory though. Despite how injured and weak my packmates are, they are still stronger than me. If they are returning battered and bruised, with cracked bark and broken twigs in their bushes, I fear how I might fare in their place.

I cannot risk going back to the whelping den... if Ambercrown were to see me, there is no telling what she might do to Yellow Red. Feigning a kill is no less a crime than to steal from the pack. No, for now, I will patrol the herd and make sure that they can return to recover.

It is the least I can do. It is also the most.

---

I was stalking the Unmoving today when I heard something that made me freeze.

There was a barking, a barking I knew.

I spun around and bristled. Yellow Red can not protect me now. Not only does the other pack believe me dead but my Alpha is far too far away to be of any help.

No, I must protect the herd myself.

I quickly dug down in the cold damp and pulled up one of the dead buds I had buried there. Taking a moment to consider my opponent, I decided upon the direct approach.

When Second came bounding through the herd, bellowing her challenges, I bristled further and growled back, the bud held gently in my maw.

Seeing me must have startled Second, because she skidded to a halt.

I took the opportunity to bite down upon the bud, slicing it into shreds with my barbs and thorns. Holding Second's gaze, I proceeded to devour the helpless thing, savoring every moment as I imagined what must be going through Second's mind.

And when I was done, I growled again.

Surprisingly, Second growled back, determined, even if clearly unsettled.

We stared at each other, trading threats and promises until it seemed all that was left to do was tear each other apart.

And yet, just when it seemed that we were about to commence our battle, the branch shaking howl of Ambercrown came from somewhere in the herd.

We stared at each other, neither willing to relent, until Ambercrown howled again and Second's leaves flicked back, tracking the sound.

I knew I had won.

Well, not won so much as not lost.

If Ambercrown was howling, Second would have to respond. No one would come howling for me, so I could pursue our threats.

It was a moment where we both came to understand our packs a bit better.

I remembered my Alpha; strong and determined, even while ailing and succumbing to her blight. I remembered Whiteflower and Dirty Sap, tenacious and fearless as they were. I remembered the strength of our lessons and the power of my Alpha's magic.

And Second? Second remembered that Ambercrown wanted her return.

NOW.

So, with a brief whine, Second took a few halting steps backwards before turning upon her brush and darting away.

I blinked. I had won. I had defended the herd. I had beaten Second.

And, for some reason, Second seemed smaller when I thought back on it.

---

I continued to prowl our herd, watchful for interlopers and determined to ensure Yellow Red's return would be the best that it could be. After all, having bested Second meant that I was stronger and more powerful, perhaps even able to help the pack more directly now. If I could defeat Second, then I could potentially guard the whelping den, freeing Yellow Red to hunt or patrol on her own. My Alpha could get fresher kills, more potent food, and possibly even begin to recover from her ailment. My growing stronger meant we had a new chance to reclaim our territory.

It also meant that I could return to my pack.

With these thoughts, I stalked the herd even more diligently, striving to root out any further dissension in the Unmoving and safeguard what little remained of our hunting grounds that were not frequented by Ambercrown and the Predator.

And yet, right after checking upon the hidden den, I came across Ambercrown as she prowled on her own. She was stalking through the herd, bold as a seedling and fearless as the Predator. And yet... she wasn't hunting.

I watched her, using all of my stealth training honed in the whelping den over weeks of Yellow Red's care, strained my senses and stilled my brush from its anxious twitching. I watched and studied her as she alternately crept around or trotted off only to slow and prowl again.

Time and time again she would do this, trotting along and then dropping her muzzle to the ground as if stalking some elusive prey... only to repeat the process.

Finally, having had to follow quite a distance behind her so as to avoid making myself known, I discovered what she was doing. She was searching for all the remains of the buds I had been burying.

Why? I do not know, but she seemed to be able to find them.

I shall have to be more careful with my meals. If she suspects another wolf in 'her' territory, she may well start to hunt for me herself. I will sleep further from the den tonight... perhaps the rock pile?

---

I did not sleep at the rock pile.

The place is dangerous. I do not know how or why, but even approaching it sends me to my stump and makes it difficult to move.

Instead, I slept at the furthest edge of the barrier, watching the herd.

And this morning, I awoke to find Second looking at me.

I quickly spung to my paws, thorns and barbs bared, and growled with as much threat as I could muster.

Second, appropriately, bounded back, but did not flee. Instead, she lowered herself into a half crouch, ready to spring, and bared her own barbs and thorns.

The two of us growled and threatened, bristling and promising painful death as we felt each other out.

She was healthy, for being as diseased as she was, and bore no lack of thorns or barbs. Indeed, she still maintained the only full set between our two packs, other than my own. She seemed quick, nimbly stalking around as I did the same. She seemed alert and aware, all too intent and capable of violence. Her brush, for being as fine as it was, appeared full and sturdy. Even her eyes were clear... if oddly dark and wet looking.

But among all of them, she bore the most clear signs of health and clarity. She alone had shaken off Yellow Red's magic... had taken to seeking me out despite my 'death'. She was fast and light, intent and willful. Even her bark had close to the proper color... a reddish brown so unlike the bright splashes of our packs' blighted bark.

If I didn't know better, I would almost believe her to be the only other wolf in our territory.

We circled, growling and bristling, posturing and sizing each other up until she, abruptly, sat down and quirked her head.

It was such a strange thing that I wasn't sure what to do.

For a few moments, neither one of us moved; she doing whatever it was she was doing, and I too confused to respond.

But, eventually, she tilted her head again the other way, and barked softly.

We looked at each other for a few more moments, until she barked again.

One odd thing, I can handle. Two, I can work with.

But three? And her not even seeming to be threatening me anymore? It was too much.

I slowly sat down, stilling my brush and watched her for any signs of deception.

We stayed that way for some time, watching each other, waiting, silently studying our opponent until she finally looked back, over her back and turned away.

FINALLY! A break in her concentration! I had just tensed my trunk for a killing leap when she turned back around with a branch of one of the Unmoving in her mouth.

It was the first time I had seen Second present evidence of her hunting prowess.

I suppose it shouldn't have surprised me... they did have to eat after all, and Ambercrown and the Predator seemed all too fond of the buds. It just made sense that there must be a wolf amongst them that was capable of hunting the Unmoving themselves. I had just assumed that it would be the Predator... given his size.

But, instead of threatening me with her trophy, she... dropped it, and pushed it towards me with her muzzle.

... and after a bit of time, I found myself chasing Second around, or her chasing me.

Which seemed entirely sensible at the time.

Until Ambercrown's howl broke through the herd and Second stopped her game with a tumble before racing off with a bark.

I'm... not certain what just happened, but I think Second might have just been trying to tell me that she's willing to help our pack.

...

And I'm not sure... but... when I think about it, I don't think she ever really meant to hurt my Alpha in the past either.

My Alpha is incredible. Even as weak as she is, she's managed to adopt Second without Ambercrown ever realizing what she's done.

Comments

[Dracon_Pyrothayan]

Wherein Winona makes a friend