In a world of deciet and treachery above all lies the pack law those who break it are shown no mercy... Ever since I was a young pup, before I even left the musty darkness of the den, when I cuddled up to my mother and littermates, I was told of pack law...and the punishments dealt to those who broke it. It was the frame of our society, the rules of our life. And they were very important, we were told, never to be broken by any wolf. And...if they were, discipline would undoubtedly follow. In many ways, pack law told us a lot to help us in our life as wolves; rules that were expected to be followed by all of our kind. Not to hunt or intrude on another pack's territory, not to ever to steal another wolf's kill unless you had been formally invited to share, and, most important, the one law that we were reminded of more than any others, the one that was above all of the others...never to find love outside of the pack. If a packmember dared defy this rule, punishment was dealt with swiftly and accordingly; without any mercy. I was constantly hearing the laws recited, and I was always reminded of them until I knew them by heart. And...I never expected that someday, far from when I was I was just a pup, I would break one of them...no, the law, the most important of all that had ever been told to me. Nor did I predict the countless events that would follow. The rumble of pawsteps thudded the ground, along with the rythmic, melodious sound of thundering hooves. The swift, lithe buck leapt the fallen tree, speckled with moss and fungi with ease, his head tossed backwards to keep him balanced as he landed, his eyes flashing in the dim light. With a swing of his velvety horns, he dodged around a large oak, and took off once more, his hooves thrumming the ground as he kicked up frayed leaves and twigs. A flash of silvery and white fur bounded through the trees, her azure eyes glinting in the moonlight like pools of sapphire. With great grace, she raced through the forest, dodging around trees, hot on the deer's trail. Without pausing, the magnificent wolf leapt over the fallen log without hesitation, landing on the other side without stumbling on the leaf-littered ground. Several more dark sillouhetes followed her, though they didn't increase their pace; knowing all too well that they were no match for her speed. It was well-known that Ara was the fastest, most agile wolf in the pack, and one of the most cunning, as well. It was this quick-thinking and skill that kept every wolf in the pack fed, and had earned her the honored rank of lead hunter. ~~~~~ No wolf saw the dark, ominous shadow that darted in front of them, racing through the dimly-lit forest, though for a single moment the shimmer of a sleek pelt glinted between the trees; though he did not go completely unnoticed. Beneath the twinkling ebony sky, a gentle wind rustled the treetops, bringing a gentle, soothing sound throughout the forest, melodic and calming. Though...that was not all. Pausing in his tracks, a lithe, muscular wolf narrowed his striking golden eyes, stiffening. Cautiously, he peered around and inhaled, an odd, foreign scent wafting towards him. Teeth bared in a silent snarl, hackles raised, he slowly began to pad forward, head low and threatening. "What's wrong, Long Fang?" a harsh, deep voice called, addressing the crouching figure. Starting, Long Fang perked his ears, pausing before he answered, intent on the rustling of the forest, the strange, unfamiliar scent clear in his mind. "Well?" the voice prompted, and an older, sleek ebony and silver wolf emerged from the shadows, halting behind the younger wolf. "I...I thought I smelled a rogue," Long Fang answered, though his voice was somewhat of a murmur, through gritted teeth. Flashing a glance around, he scented the air, though any trace of the scent had vanished, the possible threat seeming to have passed. Shaking himself, he forced himself to flatten his fur, though his scruff still prickled slightly as he scanned the clearing. "Nevermind," he spoke, after a moment, chasing the odor from his thoughts, "I must have been imagining things." With a shake of his head, ears twitching, Long Fang turned to join the others, forcing the thought out of his mind. ~~~~~ Focused on the feeling of the wind whipping at her silvery fur, and the extraordinary sense that she was flying above the ground, Ara savored the moment, feeling thrill and excitement flood her from ears to tailtip. She loved running, it was the one thing that she enjoyed above all; she always felt a rush of excitement whenever she was on a hunt and raced ahead to pursue the pack's target. Though the buck wasn't aware of it, he was heading for a dead-end; and, though he would surely try to fight...he wouldn't win. The wolves were strength in numbers, and with their cunning they would surely outwit the deer. The pack would feast that night; Ara knew that with all of her heart. With rejoicing howls, they would sing of triumph and thankfulness for the buck that would nourish the entire pack, from the alphas to the newborn pups. Suddenly, jerking her from her thoughts, an ebony shadow descended in front of her, keeping pace beside her, eyes glinting. His rogue wolfscent was strong, heavy in the air, but she was determined not to be distracted; she must keep her mind on the hunt. Instead of challenging him, she simply growled, "Who are you?", though she didn't lose concentration of her task. Soon they were getting close to where a high, jagged cliff blocked any escape, and soon the deer would realize its mistake, and would turn, horns lowered in a challenge, prepared to fight. Ara knew that, not far behind, the other packmembers were gradually catching up; she could hear the pounding of paws on dirt and the rustling of leaves as they pushed through the scraggly bushes and dodged through trees. "I am Solitude," she heard the foreign wolf say, his voice sounding deep yet...oddly comforting. Taken aback, Ara glanced over at him, disregarding the hunt for a moment to take him in. He was completely, from eartip to the end of his tail, a deep shade of ebony, as if he was a shadow of the night sky that stretched above them. Even his eyes seemed to be black, and she felt as she could get lost in their irises friendly, calm depths. She could also tell he had a true passionate for hunting, his paws thundering the ground, his velvety black tail sweeping out behind him, his pitch black fur shining in the milky moonlight. Glancing away from the new wolf...Solitude, for a moment, Ara felt her heart thunder in her chest, pounding with a feeling she hadn't felt much before, though she wasn't quite sure...or she just didn't want to admit what it was. Glancing back up at him for a second,her azure eyes meeting his deep, almost ebony, she felt her silvery fur grow hot, and she forced herself to look away, a thought, repeated since she was a pup ringing in her ears, though secretly she knew that she didn't want to listen. 'Just...just stop it, Ara...he's not a part of the pack. And you know what that means...and you know it...there can be no feelings for him. No matter what....' I had no way of knowing but at that point I had begun my fall....one that would lead me to my destiney.
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