Huntress: Chapter 2

Huntress was laying down in the evening enjoying the cool breeze. Her thoughts took her back to the rescue of the pup. There have been no wild cats since that dreadful day. Why did they not kill the pup when they had a chance? I will go ask my father if I can hunt them down and find out where they are.

The breeze flowed through her dark fur, making her relax in the darkness. She heard the pups that were playing inside her parents’ den. Starfire was too frightened to return to her home. The pups did not care where they were at, as long as they had their parents with them. Strong-wind had gone to get their cub Twilight, who was staying with her grandparents.

The evening sky faded into the night sky. The stars popped out and grew in their brightness. The moon grew into a full moon; beams of light burst out and hit the land making it glow. The bugs were singing while the birds were resting. The wind played with the leaves, but the trees were still. This gave Huntress peace, and her thoughts disappeared as she fell fast asleep.

Her dream took her back to when she was a young pup, playing inside her parents’ den. She would dash out of the den into the cool, damp air at night to bite her brother’s tail when he was sleeping outside the den. He growled at her and she whined at him. He would get up to move towards the den. Then he pushed her back inside of the warmth and safety of the den. He would lie down sideways against the opening of the den, with part of him was inside. She would curl up next to him and then she would go to sleep, and this became their nightly ritual.

During the night Huntress was awaken from her sleep by Flurry tapping her with his paw. She gave him a quick growl. He sat down in the wet grass.1

“I hate wet grass,” growled Flurry.
“I do not like being woke up before the sunrise,” snapped Huntress.
“There is something wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“There is a smell in the wind that is not right,” explained Flurry.
“Is that all… and why did you wake me up?”
“I can’t find the other protectors who are supposed to be on watch with me.”

Huntress rose out of her sleepiness and shook her body to wake up. There was stillness in the forest that sent shock waves of fear in her tail. She went to the den and saw her father and mother sleeping in the opening. Flurry followed her.

“Daughter, do you know it is still dark?”
“Father, I am sorry. Flurry is here…”
“Go back to sleep…” said King.
“My King, there is something wrong… I can’t find the others who are on duty.”

King stood up and stretched his body. He growled and snapped at them. He was annoyed with them for waking him up. King had an uneasy feeling as he sniffed the wind. A familiar and dangerous scent was in his kingdom; he charged out of his den. Huntress and Flurry was right behind him.

The ground was wet and cold to their paws. It was much more difficult to run at full speed without sliding. As they raced through the kingdom, the branches from the trees and bushes grew in the thicket and were tugging at the tips of their fur. Huntress had picked up the scent in the wind. The scent was frigid and terrifying to her. It made her think twice about following it. But she was the daughter of the king and could not back down from her fear. Flurry was unsure what to do and how to act, so he just followed his leader. King never lost the scent. It just kept getting stronger. He could tell by the scent the other wolves were tracking it down too. Despite the intruder had gone into the water to hide the scent from them. That trick did not fool him and he charged through the underbrush to the river. They splashed into the cold, shallow, and calm river.

“Is this the place where you lost contact with the others?” asked King.
“Yes,” said Flurry.
“Father, what is it?”
“I am your King when you are on duty, Huntress.”

King sniffed the air. He picked up the track and he ran across the river. Huntress and Flurry followed him. They ran through the thinning underbrush filled with seedlings. The dry rocky ground was rigid and unforgiving to their paws. The strong blowing wind was laughing at them. The dust was shooting at their eyes causing sharp little pains. This was the Bad Lands.

“My King, we have entered the Bad Lands.”
“I know, young Flurry. I can smell the pack in this land.”

Huntress stop in the middle of her tracks when she heard a rustling noise. Then she saw a gigantic, hairy black paw striking at her father from the bushes. Flurry charged at the black giant that was still hiding in the bushes. The black giant roared at Flurry.  Huntress jumped up; she bit into the gigantic paw, and pounded her sharp teeth into it. Flurry barked and tried to distract the raging giant. King rolled away from the paw and missed being hurt. The black giant roared and growled at them in frustration.
Flurry saw how huge and tall the black giant was. How easily he swung Huntress around in the air. King saw his old enemy of the kingdom; Claw the Black Giant had returned. The rest of the protectors raced to their aid.

They surrounded the angry bear in a circle. Huntress was hanging on for the ride of her life. The fuming bear swung to the right and then to the left, then up and down. The rest of the outraged wolves attacked when they had an opening.

“Claw, put down your leg and she will let loose,” spoke King.
“Get off my land!” snapped Claw.

Huntress, bit into Claw’s hurt paw with all of her might, locking her jaws, forcing him to put his leg down before she released her grip. She backed away from the enraged bear that was still growling at everyone. Claw realized that he was surrounded by the wolves that they could easily destroy him.

“No one owns the Bad Lands,” said King.
“This is my land, and I own it! You have no right entering my land,” yelled Claw.
“What has happened here?” demanded King.

“My King, some pups gathered in the darkness for a game. While playing they got lost. We heard them crying and found them here. We were taking them home; when he came out and attacked us. Then he entered our lands and we tried to force him back into the Bad Lands,” said one of the wolves.

“Why was I not contacted?”
“There was no time, My King.”
“Flurry, what happened to you?”
“My King, I took the pups’ home, and then I could not find them.”
“Flurry is telling you the truth. I crossed into your lands quietly, right under the noses of your guards,” laughed Claw.

King charged at Claw going for his neck. Claw stepped back as he saw the anger in the wolf’s eyes turned into a raging inferno. King’s fur stood on end making him seem even larger and more imposing. Claw was shaking with fear because he knew King was an old wolf with a powerful body and he knew how to kill a bear with one strike.

“We did not mean to come into the Bad Lands. No one owns these lands. I am sorry the pups bothered you. If you ever attack my pack again, I will hunt you down and kill you myself,” said King.

Claw could only growl in defiance. He knew that he could not fight until his leg had healed. He just roared with all his might trying to scare the wolves, but they did not move an inch. In that moment, Claw knew that he lost the battle.
“Let Claw go,” commanded King.

The wolves moved slowly and opened the circle. Claw limped away to his home in disgrace. King watched his enemy vanish into the darkness. The wolves waited for the next order.

King turned around so he could go home, and the wolves followed their powerful and mighty leader. Huntress had proved her worth as a she-wolf and the daughter of the King.

For no other wolf had attacked a bear except her father.2