Alpha: Shadow in the Valley

Sorin, a young wolf pup plays in the valley when he is interrupted by a dark assailant.

Protect and lead; the job of the Alpha. They are the leaders of the hunts; the warriors for the pack. An alpha is a figure of strength and authority. Sorin, the youngest of the alpha family, padded through the valley, happily sniffing the various aromas that assailed his nose. Morning carried so many smells on the breeze, but nothing could beat the morning dew. He loved the clear scent and the cool temperature in his nostrils. It filled him with energy. Suddenly overcome with a rush of joy and excitement, Sorin bounded into a run. He weaved in and out of trees and leapt over rocks. His blood tingled with levity, even as his cumbersome paws tangled themselves and sent him rolling tail over ears. Undaunted, he laughed at himself, stood, and shook dirt out of his fur. Grinning, he sat and panted to slow his beating heart.

A scent wafted by the wind tickled his nose. It was a faint, musky smell that barely covered the rich o-zone produced by the night’s rain. Sorin’s ears flickered and his panting stopped. The game was on. He crouched deep and inhaled swiftly. The wind brought the scent along the ground in swirls, but the trail was clear wherever the animal brushed against the leaves. Sorin knew the smell. The valley was full of this dangerous prey. It was a feisty and lithe creature with sharp claws and needle-like teeth. Once, Sorin was attacked by the brown monster and had the scars on his muzzle to prove it. This time, though, he had the element of surprise. He followed the trail slowly and carefully, staying absolutely silent. His life was on the line. The scent grew stronger and only a moment passed before he caught sight of the beast. It was sitting near a fallen tree with its back to Sorin. He froze for a second, watching. He had to be cautious. He had to be stealthy. He took another step. The creature moved slightly and Sorin paused. It was only messing with something in its claws, back still turned. Sorin crouched low and pounced.

Something rammed into him midair, carrying him three feet to the side and knocking the wind out of him. He slammed into the ground and tumbled over and over. Dizzy and confused, Sorin shook his head and looked around. Two black paws pushed him to the ground and white teeth chomped an inch from his ear. With his heart pounding and the world still spinning, it was all Sorin could do to keep breathing. He wanted to cry out, to bark for help, but he could only wait for the attacker to finish his business. After a few moments, Sorin’s eyes stopped rolling and his thoughts came clearer. A shadow swam for a second then focused, no, not a shadow, a black wolf with gleaming red eyes. The second the wolf saw Sorin’s gaze center on its own, it placed a paw on Sorin’s snout. “Win,” it rumbled.

“Coal?” Sorin barked, “Jeez, kill a pup why don’t ya.”

The weight lifted and Sorin rolled to his feet. The wolf sat on his bushy tail and laughed heartily. He was solid black and twice Sorin’s size, not only in height, but girth. Coal was a year older than him and already training to be a full alpha, ready to lead hunts. His bushy tail and trim ears made all the females weak in the knees. It was unfair how perfect his form was. Sorin couldn’t wait to grow into his paws.

“Could you have any worse timing?” Sorin whined. “I was about to nail that monster.”

Coal tossed his head, scoffing. “You call that squirrel a monster? Don’t kid yourself. You should stop hanging out with the newborns. Besides, you wouldn’t have got him anyway. Your leap was too weak. You would have landed short.”

“No I wouldn’t have.” He knew it was a lie. He was clumsy and lopsided with paws too big for his body. He hated being young. “I tracked it for a mile, all by myself. I am going to be the best hunter the pack has ever seen!” He struck a pose.

“Uh huh, right. You see, in order to do that, you got to beat me and that is never going to happen. Sorry, Kiddo, you gotta wait in line.”

Sorin sat indignantly and stared at his brother. Those red eyes, so unique in the pack blinked back at him innocently, as if there had been no egotism in that statement. Coal even cocked his head so solidify the childish pose. Sorin could not stay annoyed. He knew it was an act, but it was so complete that he started laughing. Coal joined him.

“Dad is pretty angry with you, though,” Coal said when the moment passed. “Why did you go off alone? You know that is how pups get killed right? We are not the top of the food chain. Well, you’re not anyway.”

“I just wanted some time to play alone. After Gennar told the story of the great hunt, I got excited and wanted to go hunting too. I can’t wait til I get big enough.” He struck his pouncing pose again.

“You got a ways to go, kid. Squirrels and rabbits are one thing, but to hunt in a pack and take down a buck takes a lot of skill and teamwork.” He stood up and walked around Sorin, whipping him in the face with his tail. “Let’s get back, knucklehead, before Dad decides to throw us in the stream.”

Author's Note

Please comment and critique.
More to come and it will get better with your advice.
the more you say, the happier i am. I love to know what people think of my writing and it inspires me to write more.

Thanks all!
Heavran