Living in A Pack (Book One)

Chapter Seven

The trees closed over my head as I ran into the forest. The sun filtered down the the leaves casting shadows that whipped past as I ran.

"Quickly" I felt Dylas' hand close around mine. I felt my body being pulled in another direction as he quickly changed direction. "This way, I know a great place to hunt." We ran side by side through over the forest floor. We were silent, you'd never know we were there, the prey wouldn't even see us coming.

Suddenly Dylas switched into his wolf form and slowed to a stop. He looked up at me expectantly with his brown eyes. I nodded in understanding and closed my eyes. I pictured my white fur, my pointed snout, my black nose, and the long sharp claws at the end of my paws. When I opened my eyes again I was a polar bear. Even though Dylas was very large for a wolf I was bigger. He looked up and me and tilted his head, examining me. When he was finished he flicked his blue striped tail and began to creep forward. I followed but slower, polar bears are the most graceful of animals.

Suddenly the forest opened up and and revealed a large field. The grass was short and springy and I could see small holes dotting the ground. It must be a rabbit warren. Dylas motioned with his head to the warren, clearly saying that this was where we were supposed to get our food. Dylas ran quietly over the a hole and flicked his tail for me to position myself in front of the hole. I crept over and positioned myself in front of the hole. Dylas began to scratch at the roof the the borrow, digging down into the top. I could hear scrabbling and then a small brown shape leapt from the hole. It headed straight at me, I raised my paw and swatted it, killing it instantly.

"Great job" Dylas said shifting back for a moment. "I wanted to at least catch one as a team but it will be faster if we do this separately. I will go that way" he said pointing to the far side of the field. "And you stay around here." With that, he stood and ran away to the far side of the field. I quickly scraped dirt over the meal, usually I'd use snow to keep it cold and hide the scent but I guess dirt works okay.

I walked around the field, sniffing for the next active borrow. Dylas had given me an idea with his scratching. Once I found an active borrow I positioned myself over it. I stood up on my hind legs, and brought down on the borrow as hard as I could. I did it again and again as fast and hard as I could before i broke through the roof and crashed headfirst into the borrow. I felt my nose brush fur and I quickly bit down hard. I felt the crack on the bones and backed up pulling a rabbit with me.

When I emerged from the hole I could see Dylas watching me. He had a rabbit in his mouth too. I dropped the rabbit and buried it. Dylas done the same and then nodded to me, I nodded back and we went back to hunting.

After another half hour we had each caught three more rabbits making for nine in total. We piled them up and shifted back for a minute.

"What was that hunting technique ? I've never seen anything like it." Dylas asked looking at me in admiration.

"It's how polar bears catch baby seals out on the ice. We sniff them out below the ice and the smash down on the roof of their den until it breaks. I wasn't sure if it would here on land but I had to give it a try."

"Well it was awesome." Dylas smiled, highfiving me.

A loud howl sounded through the forest. Alpha. I guess that means the challenge is over. I grabbed five rabbits and Dylas grabbed four, we shifted and ran back to the house.

We git back and lid collapsed on the grass, the alpha would come around and see how everyone did. I hoped we won, we worked hard enough. I watched as the alpha came and checked over all the teams. When he came to ours he looked down and marked out progress down on a sheet. He didn't say anything and left. I hope that's not a bad thing.

"Alright everyone!" Doug called standing on his rock. "It's time to announce the winners of this contest. In third place we have Dylas and Iris, catching nine rabbits. In second place we have Leo and Jack, catching six rabbits and four ducks, and coming in first place, to no ones surprise, is Amber and Cameron or Camber, by catching so much they couldn't carry it all back with them and had to make three trips." I guess they really are the ultimate hunting team i thought to myself. "Alright now I'm going to give everyone a break while me and some guards clean up the prey and bring it to the freezer room, the next competition will be fishing and I will howl when it begins."  Yes, I was good at fishing.

"Good game guys!" I looked up to see Amber, Cameron, Sasha, and Nate coming across the grass toward us. Dylas quickly shifted back but I stayed in my form for a while. I wasn't quite ready to switch back yet, I haven't been in my bear form for quite a while and I'm used to being in it for days on end. Everyone sat on the ground around me and Dylas and started talking about there hunting. I closed my eyes and rested my head on my paws, listening happily to the sound of my new friends voices.

About an hour later the fishing tournament was over and me and Dylas had won first place. Cameron and Amber had come in second, they were pretty pissed over that and another pair of people I didn't know came in tie for third with Sasha and Nate. I could tell that those two weren't taking it all that serious and were mostly in it for the fun unlike "Camber" who were in it to win. Next up was the swimming race. Everyone was lined up along the edge of the lake. The goal was to swim across the lake, tag your partner, and then they'd howl or make some sort of noise and you'd swim back across and meet them, whoever did it then fastest won. But of course it also meant someone had to swim twice. Which of course was me.

A howl ripped through the air. Thats the signal. I lunged forward and splashed into the water. I felt it close over my head and I struck out with my paws swimming strongly through the water. I stroked upwards and my head broke the surface. I noticed I was ahead of most people but level with others. I kicked out harder with my back legs and glided easily through the water. Diving under again I opened my eyes and looked around in the lake. It didn't feel the same as the ocean, it wasn't just that it was fresh water but that it was also that it didn't feel as safe. I understand that it's a weird thing to say and all but I just felt more at home in the salt water.

I broke the surface again. I was a way ahead of everyone now, and I was almost every to the end of the lake. I could see Dylas waiting for me at the edge of the beach. My feet brushed pebbles and I dug in my claws to get a better grip on the wet rocks. Bounding into shore I tagged Dylas and whipped around just in time to see his head disappear underwater. He re surfaced again a few minutes later and continued to paddle forward as fast as he could go. Next to arrive was a white tiger. She tagged another tiger only this one was orange. The orange tiger bounded into the water and the wire one sat down. I watched Dylas, keeping my eyes on him because of the navy blue streak.

About ten minutes later, most of the others had switch out and everyone was swimming back across the lake except for a few stragglers. I was starting to get impatient now. Although no one had given the signal for their team member to go back across the lake I'm sure someone would any minute now.

A loud roar sounded from across the lake and the tiger next to me got up and leapt into the water. She only got two strokes in before I loud long howl carried across the lake. That was Dylas, I'd know him anywhere. I bolted down the beach and into the water, paddling strongly to catch up to the tiger who had left before me. I managed to catch up and pass her easily but she was quite a good swimmer and stayed a good distance behind me. She wouldn't beat me though, I'd never lose a swimming race, she'd just have to settle for second.

Various other howls, yips, and roars sounded on my way over but no one was going to catch me now. I could see the the shore from here.

Suddenly the image of an orca flashed in my head and I faltered for a second. The tiger got closer. No, I couldn't tink about my parents right now, I had to win this, for Dylas. I closed my eyes and paddled harder. I stroked my legs until they hit rocks and I began to run. The memories were all flooding back now. I felt the last of the water leave my paws and I galloped onto the beach and collapsed.

"We won!" I heard Dylas cheer his foot steps running up to me. I kept my eyes closed, trying to block out the memories of my parents death, it hurt so badly. "Iris?" Dylas asked worriedly. "Are you okay?" I swallowed hard and stood up, I nodded pushing the memories of the orca into the back of my head. I shook out my fur and shifted back.

"We won" I smiled at him and hugged him. By then the memories were buried deep in the back of my mind.