User blog:SilverwingPhoenix/Horizon's End: Chapter 3

Chapter 3
Senkah was awakened by the sounds of distant snarling. Instantly, she surged to her paws. That's by the border! She could barely distinguish one of them as Zero's, a packmate of Stonepack. She leaped over a fallen tree as she raced to the border. She arrived in time to see Zero get thrown against a tree, and Atra get knocked back by a kick from Zero.

"What's going on here?" Senkah demanded, snarling fiercely at Atra.

Atra growled, "I was on my territory, investigating a scent, when SHE," she pointed at Zero with her nose in accusation, "came over and attacked me."

"If I remember correctly, my mate said he smelled Darkpack over on our borders," Senkah growled. "I have a hard time believing your story." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aki come running. Three wolves against one, Senkah thought. ''Even better. We'll drive Atra out of here easily, even if she has reinforcements.''

"You have no right to accuse us," Atra barked. "What if the wolf you smelled was Pinepack who had been in our territory?"

"Because it would have had Pinepack scents in it as well," Senkah growled. "That scent didn't." ''I swear Atra, your stories and lies are getting worse and worse. Are you even trying?''

"Then maybe you're lying," Atra growled, "or my pack has some hooligan in it, like a few I know."

Aki snapped. "And does that hooligan happen to be you?!" he snarled. "I saw you in our territory!"

Senkah gave Aki a warning look that clearly said, Stay out of this.She turned back to Atra, "I'll throw you right back into your own territory," she snarled, "so called sister!"

"You were never my sister, you rabbitbrain! I never would have come here if it weren't for your brainless follower!"

"Oh, yes you were!" Senkah snarled. "A sad turn of fate made sure of it!"

Atra curled her lip, "I don't care about our blood, unless it's yours being spilled!"

"I'm afraid it's going to be yours instead," Senkah growled.

Atra snarled, "back to puppy games, then, sister?" She spat the word out like poison.

Senkah pinned her ears back against her head as she lunged for Atra. "This is far from that, mutt!"

Atra tried to leap aside, but Senkah's teeth sank into her pelt. She felt blood flowing from the wound. Full of fury, she wheeled straight for her sister with her paws aiming for her neck. Senkah was surprisingly silent as Atra's claws sank into her neck. She jabbed her paw at the spot on Atra's chest where the heart was unprotected. Atra yelped as he blow tore down her chest, but didn't manage to kill her. She gritted her teeth and lunged again, this time going low and veering to the left. Senkah tried to kick at her with her hind leg, but she did it too early, and was knocked down again. She reached around and bit at her sister's throat.

From the background, Aki twitched. He wanted to step in and take Atra down, but he held back. Senkah wouldn't want him to interfere; besides, Senkah could hold her own.

Atra howled with anger and pain as teeth tore through the fur on her neck. She leapt back, her ears pinned and her tail curved under her with the tip twitching. "Next time I come back, I won't be alone!" she snarled, her lips writhing, then she stormed out, breaking into a run for the boundary.

"You're on thin ice, Atra!" Senkah howled. She snarled, watching her leave to make sure she did cross the border and didn't come back. The adrenaline had made the wound on Senkah's neck go mostly unnoticed, but at that moment it faded and Senkah felt it. "Ow," she muttered, and pawed at it.

Aki stepped towards her. "Are you okay?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"I'm fine," Senkah replied through grit fangs.

"That wound looks bad," he protested worriedly. Zero nodded in agreement.

Senkah wiped it with a paw, feeling blood drip down her neck. Her eyes widened for a second when she saw how much blood was on her paw, before she growled. "Atra, if I find you again I'm going to tear you to pieces..." she mumbled under her breath. She looked up at the sky; it was becoming milky with the coming dawn.

"Come on," Zero said, "we need to get you back to the dens."

"No." Senkah shook her head. "The wound will clog faster in the river." She turned and began to walk towards the river, itching to run but refusing to since it would only increase the blood flow. Aki walked there with her to make sure she got there safely, while Zero went back to alert Hades of the fight.

Senkah turned her head as Aki noticed something. It was a Pinepack wolf! "What do you want?!" Aki barked.

Senkah growled, her fur bristling as she walked over to Aki's side. How many intruders are we gonna have to deal with today?!

The Pinepack wolf, called Fox, immediately rolled over in submission. "I only want to talk!" she yelped, "I won't steal your prey, and I'm alone!"

"Okay, okay," Aki sighed, "Talk."

"Do you know who's been trespassing?" Fox asked as she straightened up, but didn't break her submissive position. "We know it's Darkpack, but we don't want to blame them if it's just one bad apple."

"It's Atra, the alpha, I'm positive. I saw her enter our territory and she just attacked Senkah," Aki replied grimly. "They are up to something."

"What?!" Fox yelped, "But the whole pack follows her and her mate Kodiak!"

"I know," Aki sighed, "this is why this is so troubling. They are trying to start something!"

Fox's eyes widened, "What about Emeraldpack?"

"They should be warned." Aki said, "I'll go and talk to them later. If Darkpack is coming after all of us, we need to work together."

"Like... joining," Fox blinked. "Is that even possible?"

"More like an alliance," Senkah said, stepping into the conversation for the first time. Up until now, she'd just been listening. "We have to try. Would you talk to your alphas about it?"

Fox shifted in discomfort as the Stonepack alpha spoke to her. "Yeah. They don't plan on attacking though, but maybe an alliance in war... I'll ask." She then turned and returned to her own territory.

Senkah went ahead and went to the river. "I'll go ahead and warn Emeraldpack," Aki told her. Senkah nodded, stepping into the cold water. She watched Aki race away into the north trees, by Emeraldpack's land.

Sighing, she let the wound on her neck clot as she began to ponder on what they would do about Darkpack. ...Are we facing a possible war?

<<< Previous Chapter                                                                                                         Next Chapter >>>