Wolf's Rain

Neon awoke to the sound of howling. She grumbled, "Why do they have to do that?" Every night the wolves would gather in BloodPack and howl at the moon, unless it was a New Moon. At Full Moons, they'd howl the loudest, like tonight. Neon layed her head back down on the soft moss of the Pups' Den.

Serpentine padded into the warm Den. She softly whispered "Good night..." to her two pups, Neon and Feather. "Sweet dreams." She gave them each a lick between the ears, and then left for the Alphas' Den.

Neon opened her crusty eyes sleepily. She wiped them clean with a swipe of her paw. Neon stood to find herself almost stepping on her sister, Feather. She shook herself until she was fully awake. Feather yawned and copied her sister. "Let's go hunt for the pack before the others wake up!" She said playfully. "Come on!" Feather raced out of the den and into the clearing. Neon stumbled out and joined her sister. They padded to the entrance and left the camp. "What are we looking for?" Neon asked. "Any kind of prey." Feather replied. Almost immediately Neon noticed a hare scuffling among some plants at the base of a tall pine. Inexperienced, Neon clumsily pounced. The hare slowly hopped away. "You should have left it alone. It was pregnant, see?" Feather scolded her younger sister. Neon growled, frustrated, and went off in the other direction. "I bet I could get more prey than you." She huffed. Neon soon came across another hare. She froze, lowered herself to the ground, hoping the grass could make her not so obvious. She stalked until she was close enough to pounce. Neon quickly leaped onto the brown hare. With two swift bites, it went limp. Neon howled triumphantly, "My first kill!" She dragged the heavy body back to camp. "Beat that Feather." she mumbled around the prey in her mouth.

Neon dragged the limp hare into the clearing and dropped it in the fresh-kill pile. She ran into the Alpha's den and froze at the entrance. Neon saw her mother Serpentine at her feet. She was covered in scratches oozing blood. Neon's paws got soaked in the dark red liquid and she had some dripping from her half-opened muzzle. Neon gasped as her mothers head rose and her dead eyes fixed on her's. "The traitor will frame the one with a power unknown to others. The Special One will pass the Power down in generations. Beware." Neon blinked and it was gone. Her mother was safe and sound lying next to her father. "What just happened?" She gasped. Neon bolted to the Pup's Den out of fear. She cowered in her bedding, her whole body shaking. Feather stepped into the den. She padded over to her younger sister in worry. "What happened Neon?" She whispered, her earlier nastiness gone. "I-I... I saw mother..." Neon stumbled over the words, "She was lying at the entrance of the Alpha's Den and she was hurt and-"
"Woah, slow down, Neon." Feather interrupted. Neon sighed and calmed down. "I saw mother at the entrance of the Alpha's Den. She was covered in blood at my feet and... She said something like, 'The traitor will frame the one with an unknown power. The wolf that was framed will pass down the power in generations.'" Neon recalled.
"What does it mean?" Neon looked up at her bigger sister, her dark green eyes clouded with sadness.

"Fang, Feather, Hazel, and Neon. You four go hunt in the east side of the territory." Blood ordered. Neon nodded respectfully to her father. She padded over to her sister and together they joined Fang and Hazel. They trekked out of the eastern entrance and into the forest. There were tall pines covered in moss and leaves. Feather pounced on a scattering mouse. She killed it in a quick bite on the back of it's neck. She dug a hole and placed it in there. As Feather covered the hole in dirt, Neon ran ahead of the group. She froze as she caught sight of a shrew. She stalked slowly until she was close enough to catch it. Neon jumped and did the same as Feather. When the hunting patrol got to the edge of the territory, they had caught 2 hares, 3 mice, and 2 shrews. Life was plentiful in the forest, especially in the summer. The group circled back to the Pack's camp. Neon travels over to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed the shrew she caught for herself. After gulping it down in mouthfuls, she headed over to her parent's den to share her hunting groups' news. Neon barked for permission to enter. "Come in." Blood replied. Neon entered slowly. It was suspiciously quiet in the den. A whoosh behind her told her that Blood had blocked the entrance with his body. Neon turned to face his silhouette. "Your mother wants to speak to you." he growled.

"What did you do to her?" she whispered, tears in her eyes. Neon rested her muzzle on her mother's dead body. It was cold, she had no pulse. Neon's snout was soon covered in blood. "What did you do to her?!" she roared. Neon attacked her father. She bit down on his hind leg until it oozed blood. She winced when she took a hard blow to her shoulder. Blood clawed himself on his chest. "What?" Neon gasped hard when she tried to stand. Blood glanced back at Neon with evil eyes. He limped into the clearing and collapsed just outside the den, where every wolf could see. He's framing me. He's making everyone in the pack believe I killed her and then tried to kill him. Neon stood and examined her shoulder. The opened wound poured out blood. She winced as she limped out of the Alpha's Den's back exit. Neon's pelt was sliced by the thorns and brambles. She limped over to the back of the Warrior's Den. "Feather." Neon whimpered. "Feather come here." She waited for Feather to pad over to her. Feather peered through the bramble wall and gasped. "Neon what happened?!"
"It's Blood. He killed mother and framed me. I have to go. Goodbye, Feather." She shoved her head through the bramble wall and touched her nose with Feather's. "Bye..." Feather whispered. Neon limped away when she heard a howl from the clearing.