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Chapter Two Millie awoke from an uneasy sleep at dawn. Izick Is probably gone by now she thought. A brief sweep of the valley confirmed it. Izick is gone, I wonder if I’ll ever see him again. A wave of sorrow flooded her mind and heart and she fought back tears. Sitting up she curled her tail around herself and grappled with her emotions. The first rays of sun hit her back lending her their warmth as if to comfort her. If Izick lives he will find us again. The thought cheered her although the thought of him dying hovered at the back of her mind. Feeling better after her silent moment of reflection she scanned the area the rest of the pack was asleep, all but one. Millie’s father, the swiftor, was sitting a distance away on the outskirts of the pack surveying the land over which the wolves would soon travel. Millie picked her way carefully towards him through the warm mass of sleeping bodies. She came up from behind him and settled down beside him folding her paws up daintily. “Good morning Millie” he said without looking at her. There was warmth in his words as if he understood something and were about to explain it to her. “Good morning father, how have you been feeling?” she asked trying not to give anything away “I’m feeling fine, but you seem troubled” he said turning towards her, his fur was becoming thinner and patches of it were falling out. he had lost a lot of weight very quickly causing the skin on his belly to sag, he was not as well as he claimed and yet his eyes sparkled with the wisdom he had acquired in his many years of life. “No nothings troubling me” Millie lied. Her guise would have duped almost any other wolf, but despite his fragile, worn-out appearance her father was surprisingly sharp. He fixed her with a knowing stare. “I…tried to-“ “Millie I know, I saw him sneak away last night” he interrupted her before she could brake her promise. “You did?” she said in shock “and you didn’t stop him?” “No, of course not, he is grown now he may do what he feels is right” Millie stood up, astounded that her father would let Izick go and leave the rest of the pack practically defenseless. “What did he say” she asked “when you saw him?” “I told him to travel safely and he said goodbye” Millie was dumbstruck. The swiftor could tell by the look on her face she was utterly bewildered. “Izick can take care of himself Millie” He reminded her gently. “What are you going to tell mother and the rest of the pack?” “I shall say that Izick will find us if he wishes to stay with us” He said more assertively “now I will ready the pack for today’s travels.” He nodded slightly to excuse himself, then walked down towards the throng of sleeping wolves and began to rouse them.
The pack had been awoken and was now gathered in front of the swiftor who had promised to tell them something important once the pack was awake and listening “We are all awake now,” said a she-wolf apprehensively “tell us your news.” The swiftor looked around with a silencing stare. It took longer than usual for a hush to fall over the pack. Since the swiftor had grown weak his pack had lost its reverence for him and often questioned or sometimes refused to carry out his commands. “As I have told many among you this morning, I have some bad news” The swiftor had their attention now. “Few of you have noticed his absence” the swiftor paused to see the reaction of the pack as they looked around, trying to see which wolf among them was missing, some of them clued in and Izick’s name could be heard among the various murmurs of the pack “but it seems Izick is no longer with us” gasps of astonishment erupted from the wolves who had not perceived this earlier. “What will become of our pack?” shouted one wolf, his shoulders tense with worry “Who will lead us when you leave us for the spirit world?” cried another frantically. “Why did you let him leave? We needed him!” “I did not have to let him. whether I had interfered or not he would have left, Izick was strong of mind and body-“ “strong of mind and body! That’s what we need to lead this pack; you are no longer as fit as you once were, Izick could have turned this pack around, now we are weak, sickness and hunger are picking us off one by one, we will all die!” growled a loud-mouthed wolf. The swiftor ignored his taunt although some wolves had joined in to support him they soon fell silent. “Izick was strong of mind and body” the swiftor persisted “and he felt he had a calling, if Izick wishes to find us once his task is complete then he will find us” “What is this calling of Izick’s you speak of?” demanded the loud-mouthed wolf. “I do not know,” lied the swiftor brilliantly “, but if Izick left us for it, it is important.” The swiftor ignored the rush of questions aimed at him “We are continuing with our journey now. I feel that we are close to our new abode. ” The swiftor did not realize that the next place they stopped would be their eternal resting place.
nuavakoa · Wed Aug 02, 2006 @ 04:38pm · 0 Comments |
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