Wolf Pack: Part 6
=WOW o.o;;; I've been gone for so long that I can't even remember the last time I've been at my computer... This is the last, and FINAL installment of the Wolf Pack series where I have been asked, harassed, and threatened to put it up so many times already >.< I've been gone away from home, so I couldn't have written it even if I wanted to, so I apologize to EVERYone who liked the series that I should've gotten it written faster. Well, this story doesn't contain any yiffy scenes (sorry big boys) and has a very dramatic ending. I want to point out to everyone right now if they don't like the ending: Don't criticize me, I like the ending!!! Well anyways, you can go ahead and read the story now ^.^=
Everyone knows the old saying, where there's smoke there's fire. Shadow and I must've been too caught up into the moment of one another to actually realize the smoking billowing down into his den. It was so strong that even I was amazed that I didn't smell anything. Shadow and I, now mates, were as dumbfounded as we ever could've been. The smoke was blindingly powerful that it made both our eyes tear up from the strength of it. A forest fire, no doubt.
I quickly got up but not before I felt Shadow shove past me and run out of the den as quickly as possible. I soon followed after him on all fours, still trying my best to fit into the pack, even if it was more of a crisis emergency than having to deal with fitting into this pack. The den was dark but a small flicker and glow lit the way for the both of us. My paws were blind as I ran across the dirt ground as quickly as I could manage, my eyes and nose being my only way to find the exit. As I threw my head into the cold night air that signaled freedom, that's when all the pack's and even my worst nightmares came true. It was a forest fire, and not just any, the entire forest was ablaze.
Kosan was driving everyone out of the dens, ordering others around to search for possible exits to get past this blazing inferno. Shadow was quickly gone from the den to run to Kosan to talk to him, even though the smell of our previous encounter must've been overpowering to the senses. This might have given us both away easily to the mightly alpha, but Shadow must've been brave enough to walk right up to Kosan and do this, for why else would he?
My large fox ears strained to hear what the two were talking about, but the screaming, whining, and whimpering of the pack made it difficult to hear anything. I took only one step forward before I heard a crackle that was as loud as the thunder. My head swivelled around to see the trees that were of ablaze of firey inferno that, even from a distance, seemed to heat up everything around them. The trees were beginning to crack, about ready to fall apart. If we stayed here much longer we were all going to perish.
I couldn't take it anymore as I quickly stood up onto two feet this time. My eyes were of firey tears that glistened into the night from the light of this fire. I couldn't beleive what was happening around me. Everyone was running, screaming, yelling for help everywhere I looked. I couldn't help everybody, I couldn't save everybody, I didn't even know if I could help or save myself at this point. Wolves were running almost in circles as they ran from point to point, trying to find themselves a way out, a way to freedom from this hellish world. Pups were left alone while their parents ran off to find a way out to save their little ones. Elderly wolves layed down in the middle of the forest, as if knowing their time had come as they awaited to be swallowed up into this forest fire. Some adolescents were actually playing and pawing at the fire, not knowing what to do without someone to guide them.
This pack, this forest, this place, this was my home. I couldn't let it be swallowed up by this fire's hungry torent of flames, I had to help them, I had to help everyone. I quickly lowered my head as my paws came up and grabbed my ears. I tried to shut out everything and everyone else, trying to think, trying to think of something that would work to save the pack. My mind raced as quickly as my heart with adrenaline pumping in every available space inside of me. Oh what I would give now to be curled with Kosan and Shadow inside of a den, with their pu-... That's it!
The problem I had now was to get everyone's attention, to make them listen. I ran up to the highest point in the ground and looked around, everyone was still screaming but I knew one way to make them turn and listen. Though still not very good at it, my head flew back as I let out a monsterous howl, it hurt like mad to breathe that hard as he looked at everyone. They stopped and turned to me, some even came up to me to listen. Once done howling my lungs out, I looked around. Every wolf, pup, and ederly was looking to me for hope, I couldn't let them down now.
"Everyone listen up!" I exclaimed, hurting my already pain-filled throat more as it was. "Everyone, this forest will destroy us all! I can't think of any way to save us but to do what wolves do best!"
A small and arrogent whelp down below me spoke up with a cocky attitude. "What's that? Mate our way outta here?" Two of his friends next to him began to giggle and snort along with him, but this was hardly the time for jokes.
"NO!!! These dens! All of you! You've dug numerous dens along this entire plane, no den can ever be this masterful as yours are! If all of you started to dig again right now, we could literally dig our way right out of this forest!" I stopped and looked around. Their faces of sadness was slowly becoming into realization. They listened to me, they heard me, they were following my orders as if I was the leader of the pack. Kosan, Shadow, Speedy, Hack and Sack, they were looking at me with pride, as another pack member, not as someone they brought in. I've done it, I'm part of the pack.
I stood down as Kosan took control, since he knew everyone far better than me. The strongest and most able wolves were to dig into the alpha's den and try and dig up and under the forest. The forest had an interesting layout, since it was a large ring around the small pack area, it could be done. Kosan and Shadow both worked together this time, they both ran into the den with over fifteen other wolves after them. Before I knew it, a wild storm of dust and dirt flew out of the den, signaling they were digging like mad. Speedy was running around with almost ten other female wolves, dragging the dirt away and throwing it into the fire to attempt to put it out. Hack and Sack were taking the larger rocks from the digging party and tossing them out, having almost five other adolescents helping them out. My job was simple: find everyone who might have wandered away and tell them to hurry back to the alpha's den.
I found almost ten wolves hiding, in reality I actually had to drag four of them to the alpha's den from them being so fearful. I checked all the dens and the entire area, but I could find no others. I ran over to the alpha's den before I heard it, a distinct call from behind me. It was a pup, a pup calling for it's lost parents.
I quickly spun around and sniffed my way and listened my way all over to try and find the crying pup. There was no place to hide except inside of the burning trees, where I quickly ran over to as fast as I could manage. I through brances out of my way, I singed fur on my coat, I even cut my foot open on some rocks. The strange thing about all of this was that I barely felt a thing, it almost didn't hurt at all practically. The adrenaline must've been really pumping.
Once I found my way through the thickets, I found at my feet a small pup, it's back legs were twisted in ways I couldn't even describe. I slowly picked up the crying pup and turned to carry it back. That's when a snap through off my ideas as a blazing branch flew down onto the ground in front of me, blocking my path.
"I-it's alright, lil guy!" I said to the small pup in my arms, trying to encourage it not to be afraid. "We'll find a way outta here soon enough, don't you wor-" my foot was met by another flying branch, smashing into it as it singed most of my fur off my leg. I flew backwards as the puppy in my arms let out even louder cries of fear. "Alright, perhaps you should start worrying now..."
Most of what was around us was completely fire, and it was closing in fast. Though the grand was partially covered in snow, the fire easily melted it and began to start the animal droppings on the ground on fire as well. Turning everythign around us into a firey hell. The flames began to suck the air from both our lungs, but I still had enough mind to scream my head off for help. I yelped, I screamed, I howled, I hollored, I even went so bold as to scream like a little girl. But there was nothing, no one could hear us. I began to fall to the ground, getting ready to accept my fate of death...
What's this? Cold nose, hot fur. I'm being attacked? No, carried. Golden eyes, black fur. No, it couldn't be...
Before I knew it I was carried out of the fire and thrown into the snow by my very own Shadow. He panted heavily as he looked me over to see if I was alright. His fur was almost completely gone on his right flank as it was burned off in the rescue. Some of his paws were halfway burned to almost a crispy color, but he ignored the pain just to save me.
"S-Shadow? You saved... me?" I said, in almost disbeleif. I couldn't beleive that the same wolf that I beleived was trying to kill me or stalk me was saving my life only a few days afterwards.
"Of course I did, runt," he said with a half-ass smirk. "What else are mates for, huh?" He gave me a gentle nuzzle before his muzzle met mine, planting a kiss of such firely passion (no pun intended) onto me that made my body come alive with happiness. But that's when the kiss was broken as his head threw into the air to watch the fire. It was getting bigger, the ground was slowly coming aflame as well. The entire area was going to be burned down to nothing if we didn't hurry...
It was over an hour later when we were slowly beginning to reach our destination. Every last wolf, even some of the pups, were breathing hard and panting like mad. They've been working non-stop without a break from this work just so save everyone else. I myself was breathing in hard as I tried to pull everybody into working faster, but it was no use. I felt the possibilities rush over my body as a flood of dark thoughts. What if we couldn't make it? What if this fire got bigger? What if this was the end for all of us? My mind raced wildly before I heard Kosan scream for me down into the dark, unwinding cave.
I ran as blind as any other wolf in the cave down to where I sniffed out Kosan's presence. It was dimly lit in there, but I could still make out the lines of Kosan's dirt and blood filled body. I saw clearly that some of his own claws have actually been ripped from his paws as he tried to dig his way out faster.
"We can't work any faster! The wolves have are falling over exhausted and we've already lost two to this digging!" came Kosan's angry and worry-filled voice.
"No, Kosan! I refuse to give up like this!" I exclaimed back to him. "I won't let these wolves die from this, I won't let another die from this forest fire! We continue on, we keep digging, and no one is to give up hope until we've finished!" I opened my mouth with shock of what I just said. I would never stand up to Kosan like that in a million years. But to my shock and suprise, he nodded and went back to digging.
Things went smoothly for a while longer, the fire had moved in to almost a few feet from the cave's entrence, now almost everyone was digging, even I was. We dug and pulled dirt away, driving away large boulders of rocks, throwing dirt wherever there was space, and completely wearing every last one of ourselves out.
Shadow and I were digging together before we heard a wolf behind us letting out soft yips of craziness. Turning around we saw a small adolescent teenager dragging behind him what appeared to be another one close to his age. His brother, no doubt. It's fur was burned completely off with half it's body smoking in the small of the cave. We couldn't do anything now, only shake our heads and dig faster.
After almost an hour and a half from digging, my paw hit something. It wasn't dirt nor rock nor anything of that, it hit... nothing. I yanked my paw back and let out a scream of pure bliss. Everyone saw the small air hole that led to freedom, the small area that promised us a way out. We were free, we were going to be free. Only a few more seconds of digging then-
A scream, another scream, but not just any screams, these ones screamed then died suddenly. I couldn't bear to look, but my head turned around slowly as every available wolf there was digging the hole larger, some of them already squeezing themselves out. I felt it before I saw it. A warm wind, blowing against my face, the heat from the wind slowly increased before I saw the cave lighting up just as brightly as the fire from outside. I knew it was coming, I even saw it coming before I even started digging. This was it, this was what was going to kill us all if we really didn't hurry now... backdraft.
"EVERYBODY DIG!!!" I screamed before throwing the smaller ones into the already large sized hole, trying to get everyone back out as quickly as possible. The fire was travelling into the cave at speeds that were faster than even Speedy could outrace. I got the pups and adolescents through the hole, now it was time to get everyone else. Every wolf, young and old, piled into the cave hole like crazy, only Shadow, Kosan, and me waiting for everyone else first.
After we got everyone through and we three were left, me and Shadow both ganged up on Kosan and shoved him through, since he was arguing who should go through first. After we got everyone through Shadow grabbed onto my shoulder and jumped into the hole backwards. He was pulling me out with him when I looked back and saw the firey inferno move closer.
Time stopped, the air stopped moving. The fire, it was moving so majestically. To me but no one else it moved like a graceful dancer. It spun here yet it's body and shape held full. It didn't move where you expected at times, it didn't go where you thought it would, it moved with such grace that it was impossible to control, only to be stared at and pray to be harnessed someday. I heard them, the wolves, they were screaming for me to hurry up, to climb with Shadow and help him. They called, screamed, whimpered, howled, but I couldn't hear them. I could only watch - watch the impossible dancer of the flames come nearer and closer to me. I saw it's hand reach out, to touch me, to touch my very being. I accepted it, I even reached out my gloved paw to reach her halfway. Her fingers wrapped around me and grabbed me, held me close... Then all was black.
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I woke up in a cold sweat as my paws grabbed onto whatever was nearest to me. I quickly brushed away the sweat from my face with my sleeve and - ...my sleeve? I pulled my arms away and looked at myself. I was in the same clothes as the day I took off on the plane. I was neat and organized like I always was. I wasn't dingy or dirty like I was when I was with the wolves. My seat was even comfortable then - my seat?!
I looked all around me. I was in a plane seat, flying over head of a great ice sheet. My mouth was hung open in shock as I saw that I was still in the plane, that there wasn't a crash. I looked at everybody in there. My family, my friends, everybody was around me; talking, laughing, having a good time. This can't be, this isn't right, this isn't where I am!
I looked out the window again as I heard plainly about an area below me. My face went a pale white as I heard the names being spoken about the areas he was talking about... "The Kosan reef under the Shadow of the mountain range HakSak that was visible towards the Speedy riviera that flowed just South of this area." No... I won't beleive it, I can't... I wasn't dreaming.
I looked around with fear and shock in my eyes which alerted my older brother's curiousness.
"What's wrong, bro? You were so excited before, you get scared of heights all of a sudden or something?" he asked, his face full of both worry and humor.
I could only stare at him. To me, I saw his face only a few days before when I burried him, when I burried everybody and had to be raised by wolves to survive. I shook my head as I looked away before doing a double-take and quickly glancing back. I didn't notice my brother's shirt, but it had a distinct design on it... A black wolf that was maybe an inch smaller than Kosan was. I smiled at his shirt which made my brother look at it and me with curiosity.
"I'm fine, bro..." I said with a small smile. I may have dreamt the entire thing, but the memories are forever. To me, I was flying on a plane and got into a crash. I burried everybody else that was on that plane and had to forge for myself. Wolves kept me company until they took me in as one of their own, and I lived there with many of them who I can never forget. Kosan, the great and wonderful pack leader; Hack and Sack, the two hackie-sackie fanatics who love to play games; Speedy, the pack's most agile and fastest wolf there; and finally Shadow... mysterious and fearful, but the greatest person I could have ever known, and who I shall never forget about.
I looked down at the mountain range below me, seeing as how we were coming up close to Alaska. My brother leaned over and pointed out to me how wolves live down there in freezing cold temperatures, yet they survive by teamwork. I only smiled to him and nodded, I told him that I already knew that it was Alaska without him or the pilot telling me. He gave me a sucker punch and asked me how I could possibly know something like that without any history of knowing about Alaska or one of them telling me.... Simple...
I can still hear the wolves howling...
THE END