My original story and everything related to it.
When wolf-pup siblings Thunder and Lily return home to find their pack slaughtered, they're forced to tread through unknown territories on their quest for survival, where they meet new allies...and enemies.
The Crimson River *Chapter 23, Part 4* by MelodicDragon, literature
Literature
The Crimson River *Chapter 23, Part 4*
Thunder limped out of the den to try to talk to Magnolia, but the she-pup was actively avoiding him, and with his sprained paw he couldn't catch up to her. "Just let her go," Lily told her brother as she padded to his side. The brown pup shook his head. "If she would just talk with me, maybe things could go back to normal between us." "You're only hurting yourself more by chasing her. She obviously doesn't want to talk to you." "Or maybe you threatened her into staying away." "What? I would never–" "I know you, Lily. Tell the truth." "Okay, fine: I said I would kill her if she went near you again." "Lily…" he groaned. "That's not your call to make. Go tell her everything's alright between us." "Between you, maybe, but after this I'm not speaking to her again." The black she-pup crossed the lowlands to the caretakers' den wherein Magnolia had taken to hiding. The latter's violet eyes widened upon seeing her. "Lily… I
The Crimson River *Chapter 23, Part 3* by MelodicDragon, literature
Literature
The Crimson River *Chapter 23, Part 3*
Lily pressed her nose comfortingly into her brother's fur. "Let's just take things one day at a time." Thunder gave a halfhearted nod, then looked back out of the den as Victor and Wick left to give them space. Dahlia moved outside by the entrance so she could keep an eye on everyone in- and outside. His turquoise eyes met Magnolia's; her ears flattened and tail tucked between her legs before she slinked out of sight. Lily followed his gaze. "You understand now, don't you? Why we shouldn't be around her anymore?" "...I already figured that she was a runaway," he said quietly. "That's not what the problem is…" "I know. The problem is she didn't let us know about Maple. But… I understand why." "Who cares why? She lied to us, Thunder. And she's the type who will keep lying until the truth brings everyone down with her. Maple was just the last straw, because that's the reason you're hurt." "You never liked her from the start, Lily… I
The Crimson River *Chapter 23, Part 2* by MelodicDragon, literature
Literature
The Crimson River *Chapter 23, Part 2*
Thunder remained awake while resting, looking out of the pups' den and observing the different wolves of the pack. His eyes kept traveling back to Magnolia: she was with a pink she-wolf who had a pale yellow underbelly. Pansy kept her scared gaze on Thunder as she slinked past him to join them. Lily watched her go. "We haven't met that one, have we, Victor?" "Right. I showed you every den except for the caretakers', since we'd meet them all eventually," the wolf-dog replied. "We may not stay here for long," Thunder spoke up. Victor winced and opened his mouth as if to argue, but Lily interrupted. "We'll stay at least until your leg is healed. Stonechat said it might take up to twelve weeks," she pointed out. Her brother's eyes narrowed spitefully at his sprained paw. "The pink-and-yellow she-wolf there is Zinnia–Pansy's mom. Every couple of days the caretakers change shifts; after her is Slush, then Flair–Wick's mom–and Coal, Pansy's
The Crimson River *Chapter 23, Part 1* by MelodicDragon, literature
Literature
The Crimson River *Chapter 23, Part 1*
Lily turned her back on Magnolia and went into the pups' den. "Are you okay? We heard yelling," Pansy said. "I'm fine," the black she-pup muttered. "You do not sound fine," Wick pointed out. Lily stopped to glare at him with her icy blue eyes. He backed off, intimidated. "Lily?" sounded Victor's voice from the back where she had first met him. "Hey," she greeted him halfheartedly. "What happened out there with your friend?" "Magnolia is not my friend," she corrected him sternly. "O-oh…" "Let's just…get some sleep," Lily sighed, lying down near him and shutting her eyes. "Lily," Stonechat called. She rolled over. "Huh…?" "Come–quickly." Lily got up to find that it was barely the crack of dawn. Her eyes narrowed scornfully at Magnolia who was sleeping on the opposite side of the den from her, but then she relaxed some to see Victor curled up a foot away. She smiled with amusement as his paws
The Crimson River *Chapter 22, Part 5* by MelodicDragon, literature
Literature
The Crimson River *Chapter 22, Part 5*
Lily slinked into Stonechat's den, cautiously making her way to Thunder, who remained lying still aside from the ever-so-slight undulation of his sides as he breathed. The she-pup and the healer exchanged a glance; Stonechat subtly shook his head. Lily released a nasal sigh and lied down beside her brother. "Thunder… Please, wake up soon," she begged, hoping he could somehow hear her. "Please…" Stonechat allowed her to stay with him until that evening, even though it did nothing to improve her mental state. The only thing that would cheer her up would be for Thunder to regain consciousness…or so she thought; outside, she saw a gray-and-white she-pup gnawing absently on a deer's limb they had reserved for her. "Magnolia!" Lily cried, racing to her friend. To her confusion, the violet-eyed pup looked away from her. "Magnolia?" "Hi, Lily," she said almost inaudibly, though still refusing eye contact. "Are you alright? You had us all worried!"
The Crimson River *Chapter 22, Part 4* by MelodicDragon, literature
Literature
The Crimson River *Chapter 22, Part 4*
They finished eating and Victor beckoned Lily with his somewhat-curled tail to follow him. The black-and-white she-pup obliged, the two heading toward the northern part of the lowlands. "This is the Alpha's den. Sleet and Powder are usually inside. Sometimes you'll find Romu there, too," he explained. "Who's Romu?" she asked. "Sleet's confidant. He's like…a reinforcer of the rules, especially if someone disobeys Sleet or Powder. It's best to stay on his good side." "Oof. As if Sleet wasn't scary enough…" "You'd be surprised how many others think they can get away with breaking the rules Sleet has for the pack," he said softly. "I was lucky." "Lucky?" Victor shook his head. "It's a long story," he somewhat joked. "Come on, I'll show you the Hunter's den. It's the next one over." "The Hunters have their own den?" Lily said, surprised. "In my old pack, all of the adults shared a den besides the Alphas and the new mothers."
The Crimson River *Chapter 22, Part 3* by MelodicDragon, literature
Literature
The Crimson River *Chapter 22, Part 3*
Lily reawoke late afternoon. Magnolia was still beside her, but the rest of the pups were gone. Dahlia was watching over them. "Did you have a nice nap?" the older wolf asked. She nodded, even though it hadn't improved her mood much. "Where is everyone?" "It is lunchtime. We thought you must need to catch up on your sleep so we let you rest. We are saving a portion for you, though." Lily prodded Magnolia, getting worried. The gray she-pup opened her violet eyes for a moment before closing them again and curling up more tightly. Lily sighed. At least she's able to wake up… She shook the image of her comatose brother out of her head and followed Dahlia outside to where the pack was gathered to eat. Victor spotted her first, and his tail wagged. "Over here!" She went to his side. Wick and Pansy were playing tug-o-war with the limb of a deer and Dahlia immediately chastised them for toying with their food. In the light, Lily could
The Crimson River *Chapter 22, Part 2* by MelodicDragon, literature
Literature
The Crimson River *Chapter 22, Part 2*
"Excuse me," sounded a vaguely familiar voice. Lily turned over with her paw covering her ear, trying to ignore it. "Lily, was it? I am afraid I must ask you to move to the pups' den." The black-and-white she-pup opened her light blue eyes to find the voice belonged to Stonechat. It took her a minute to remember the events that lead to her being in this strange pack, and the memories hit like a brick. Eclipse… She shook her head. "Thunder!" Her brother hadn't moved at all. Addressing the healer, she demanded, "Why isn't he awake?" "It looks like he suffered a blow to the head during the rock slide. It is nothing serious but he still needs time to recover," he answered. "How long…?" "I cannot say. It may be hours, it may be days. There is a chance that he may never wake up at all." Lily shook her head. "No…!" She rounded on her brother, giving him a rough shake. "Wake up! Thunder!" "That will not help," Stonechat
The Crimson River *Chapter 22, Part 1* by MelodicDragon, literature
Literature
The Crimson River *Chapter 22, Part 1*
"Thunder!" Lily cried, pawing at the rubble that blocked the entrance to the collapsed tunnel. There was no response. "Magnolia, help me dig him out!" The gray she-pup had retreated to her mind. Eclipse is dead… Maple found us… Thunder is crushed… "Magnolia!" Lily barked. "I can't do this by myself! I'm not strong enough…!" I know who killed Eclipse… And Maple was telling the truth. Thunder is hurt…because of me… "I can't–I can't–" Lily repeated, weakly scrabbling at the stone. She turned to her companion, realizing she was still in shock. The black she-pup shook her head, then yelled, "Help! Somebody…! My brother needs help!" She waited a second for anyone to miraculously hear her, then went back to digging fruitlessly into the fallen rocks. Lily continued for another few minutes before falling down on her scraped up paws and weeping. That's when she saw a group of three unfamiliar wolves coming from the southeastern