Chapter One

Chapter One


          “What? How can the sky get set on fire! Won’t it burn? Oh! What about the stars?” one small and very curious wolf cub was laying next to his slightly older brother and their mother in the dull light of the nursery den. He looked up at his mother, curiously. The mother, a fluffy white she - wolf replied, “Oh Storm! You really do ask too many questions! The sky gets burned a little, then it, and the stars grow back. It’s called, lightning!” her voice was gentle and had a slight hint of teasing to it. Storm looked up at his older brother, Thunder, and looked into his eyes, they were the colour of the deep sea which he had seen when the cubs got sent to high ground during the storm, Mountain Pack has many wonders to it, he thought. He looked back at Thunder, he also has a slightly fluffy grey pelt and his chest was completely covered in white fur. Neither a strand of his fur was out of place. Storm turned back to his mother, “Do I look like him?” he asked full of green envy. His mother smiled, “Look for your self!” she took him to a small puddle at the back end of the den and told him to look in. He peered into the puddle and saw himself. What he saw was a small grey fluffy bundle with tiny white paws and his chest was more fluffed up than his pelt itself(which was nearly impossible!). His eyes were as blue as the sky on the clearest of days. His tail was long and extremely fluffy. He smiled, he liked himself just the way he was. Out of the corner of his eye saw a movement at the back of the puddle, his mother. She was tall and very white, her eyes were hazel coloured. Storm had a strong feeling of happiness then.
  
  The next morning Thunder padded outside of the gloomy nursery then stretched and yawned. “Boring!” he mumbled to himself, no interesting wolf is up and awake! He thought. He caught a movement, maybe not, he carried on. Leaf. Leaf was a beautiful dusty white she wolf with speckles of grey on her, her eyes were mysterious too as they were misty grey. Leaf was also his best friend, she was a moon older though. He padded over grinning, “What have you got up to this time?” he murmured. Leaf had heard him, “Just wai-” she was cut off by a howl in pain. It was Thistle. Thistle was a big black wolf, his amber eyes glowed like hot sparks flying out from a newly burnt fire, he was mean. For sure. He looked at her with his mouth open, “Out of all the seniors - out of everyone you picked Thistle!”. She nodded and then they both giggled untill their stomachs hurt.
   Sunset. The most beautiful time of the day, all the time it is stunning a full of - and of course magical. “All wolves, please gather on the Howl Rocks, the time for the daily howl is here!” The alphas’ announced from the alpha rock, the huge granite rock in the centre of the Howl Rocks. Guards stayed on their duty points, always close to the rocks, looking proudly at their pack, tails wag, all the excitement begins. Healers wait by their hollow, the beta stands in front of the alpha male and female. Cubs stay by their mothers, hunters and fighters with their friends, all the family together made it look so amazing! Alpha Cloud was the alpha male, he was tall and completely grey, his shoulders far apart, his ears pricked up like a fox’s and his only white fur was on his muzzle. His sky blue eyes shone with delight. Meanwhile Alpha Wind, the alpha female, was smaller and completely white and her emerald eyes sparkled, too with delight. Wolves all shapes and sizes would know these wolves, of both packs, Forest Pack and Mountain Pack. “Lets begin!” Alpha Cloud barked, with a cheerful hint. In the distance they could hear that Forest Pack had already started. Alpha Cloud threw back his head and let out a cheering howl, soon followed by Alpha Wind, then the beta and guards joined in, soon the whole pack was howling with delight. Storm and Thunder howled together side by side, like true pack brothers would.
  Thunder and Storm both woke up early the next morning, they were going to catch Leaf before her training, they were gonna play ‘moss ball’. They bounded outside of the nursery cave. The nursery cave, was a natural cave, a puddle eternally there as water always leaked there, the entrance was hidden by a bush, which was very handy in case of predators. They glanced around to the trainee’s den, which was a huge mound of snow, dug out by Mountain Pack’s very own fighters and guards, in was snug inside as leaves and moss were constantly brought in. The two cubs longed to be with Leaf In the den, she was accompanied by her brother, Rock a small grey wolf who was wanting to be a guard, his eyes were misty black. They then glanced at the biggest den of all, the adults den, this was very big! It was a very tall oak tree, with holes in it, they all sheltered inside, even the beta and could fit! It was truly amazing. They then looked at the healers den, a disguised hole with chambers underneath, they knew it couldn’t collapse it was held up by logs underground. They looked lovingly at the alpha’s den, it was just a bit smaller than the adults, it had many holes in it and looked ever so cosy! The den was hidden by a huge holly bush. A cold wind brought Storm and Thunder back to the real world. Storm saw threatening black clouds up above them. Then it started to rain, “No moss ball now then!” Storm shouted as the rain was making so much noise, they went back inside a tried themselves with some leaves.
   
  As the milky dawn light slowly evolved into normal morning light, the cubs grew restless by the minute, the rain had stopped and they were talking by the howl rocks, not on them though! No wolf was allowed to untill the time. It was as if something was going to happen, not today, not tomorrow but very, very soon. Suddenly a tall black wolf came through, his blue eyes shining. Midnight. The cubs father. Storm lightened his thoughts, “Father!” then he bounded towards him. Thunder soon came padding over, just going with the flow, he didn’t really know what he was doing untill Storm nudged him, “Snap out of it!” he whispered. Thunder shook his head and nodded. Midnight turned to them, “Hello, have you seen Haze…err your mother?”  It was Thunder who replied, yeah she’s sleeping. He pointed his tail towards the dull nursery cave, then a snow heap fell from it, Thunder laughed as it happened at the right moment. He padded away, Don’t wake her! he thought, but all he did was turn right towards a caribou muscle on the Prey Pile. Storm padded over to his brother, “Thunder you coming, I’m gonna get the seniors to tell me a story!” Thunder was sinking his teeth into a deer leg, “Jast a minat let me finash thi” he spoke sounding funny as his mouth was full of food, “Swallow before you speak!” Storm barked at him, pretending to be their mother.
   As the cubs waited in the seniors den, waiting for one of them to wake. They waited for seconds which turned into minutes which nearly turned into a hour. Storm got bored. He pounced on an ‘abandoned’ nest, a yowl came, “No!” Thunder screamed dashing out the den, Storm gulped then followed. He had woken up Thistle. He bounded out the den, bumping into wolves, he nearly stood on Alpha Wind’s tail! He found his brother resting at the nursery wall, “You could have told me!” Thunder just grunted, “Pay back!”. Storm grinned, “Thistle ‘saw’ you laughing at him”, Thunder squirmed, “You told him!”
  “There are caribou? Please! Please can we go? Alpha Cloud told us, that we could!” Thunder asked, nudging Storm. Haze replied, “Ok. If you bring me back a leg!”
“She-wolves!” Thunder mumbled to Storm, who just grunted, “WAKE UP!” Thunder shrieked, Haze thumped his ear softly. “We are going hunting!” he whispered. “Now? Let’s go!” Storm shot up and bounded out the den. The two brothers bounded around the field which was where the caribou were. Two cubs can take down an adult! Thunder thought, there. Thunder nudged his little brother and they dashed of to try and hunt him, One slaw of the face and it yowled. Storm pulled his tail and he fell to the ground, Alpha Cloud came over and finished it of with a rake to the throat, “Well done boys!”
     “Storm! Thunder! Come to the alpha’s den!” Alpha Wind called out from the entrance. They froze. Were they in trouble? Storm widened his eyes. They were having a great game of ‘Moss Ball’ and with leaf! They padded inside. Alpha Wind smiled at them, “You’re not in trouble, but we were just wondering-” she pointed her head Alpha Cloud who was snoozing, “What job you want to take?”. The boys smiled. “Hunter!” they howled at the same time, nudging each other and barking in excitement, “Ok! Your ceremony will be soon! Make your last cub days good!” They nodded, and she smiled. “Pack brother?” Storm asked Thunder.
  “Yes?”
  “You will always be my pack brother! We will hunt and oh it will be so much fun!”
  As Thunder curled up to sleep, he realized this his younger brother really looked up to him. Thunder whispered, “He called me pack brother!”