Nights in the Shadows

Chapter 1

Luna bit down on the squealing rabbit before carrying it back to the pack home. This should be enough for now, she thought to herself as she walked through the peaceful forest. "Look what I caught!" Luna looked over at the silver she-wolf rushing over to her, dragging a small deer along with her. "How did you manage to hunt that down, Silvermoon?" Luna laughed as they walked together. When they approached the entrance to the pack home, they set down their prey in a pile and made their way over to a tall black wolf that stood at the opening of a cave. "We've returned, Crow," Luna said as they both bowed their heads. "Hunting went well, and we haven't seen anyone near the territory lines." Luna smiled proudly at her father, who looked past her as though he wasn't listening. " Father?" Luna tilted her head. As though deep in thought, Crow jolted before looking at Luna irritably. "Oh, ok," he said. Luna shifted her paws before she spoke again. "Has anyone informed you about-" Crows growled and cut her off. "No. Luna, we've been over this. Daisy is dead." Luna's tail drooped. "But how can we know for sure her body hasn't been found?" Crow's amber eyes drilled into Luna's heart: "Daisy is dead. Get over it." Luna felt her heart shatter. "I refuse to believe that my sister is dead!" she said in her voice, which was instantly interrupted by a crow's snarl. "Daisy wouldn't just disappear, Luna!" He looked at the distant forest as his eyes clouded with pain. "She's Dead." His eyes drifted back to Luna with a mix of sadness and anger like a storm in his amber eyes. He shook his head as if he had reset himself before he decided to speak again. "I want you to take your hunting group and go do another hunt." Crow paused and gazed over them before looking back at the forest and saying, "Head north and hunt some elk." He took a deep breath. "I want you and your hunters to be able to get three of them." Luna's eyes widened. "Three!? That's impossible! With all due respect, Father, but you know how elk get this time of year. Crow's glare cut through Luna's words: "Are you dismissing my orders again, Luna?" He growled. Luna bowed her head and said, No, Father." Crow nodded and turned away from them, signaling that the conversation was over. Luna and Silvermoon headed back over to the entrance, where a group of wolves sat patiently waiting. "So? What's the order?" One of the Wolves asked Luna, who shook her fur and gazed through the group of "three elks in the northern territory." The group gasped in shock. "Three!" they all said at once. "That's Impossible!" Enough! screamed a she-wolf as all their voices merged." Luna growled but was drowned by the hunters, shouting, "I said ENOUGH!" Luna snarled, which made everyone so silent that a mouse could be heard scattering around. "It was an order, so we have no choice but to do it. Stop whining like little pups, and let's get this over with." Luna then took the lead and walked out of the entrance, with Silvermoon walking close behind as the rest of the hunting group followed. Soon they all reached a stream where a whole herd of elk rested and munched on grass peacefully. "You guys know the plan, right?" Luna whispered to everyone who nodded. Without saying another word, she crept forward, signaling everyone with her tail to move towards the stream. As they got what they thought was close enough, a male Elk stopped eating and lifted its head. At that moment, the wind changed direction, and the elk screeched.

The sky appeared as the colors of a flame as Luna and her hunting group returned to the pack home. Crow, who sat nearby the entrance, was the first to greet them. "Well?" he said as he gazed around the pack, trying to see the elk they carried. "We only managed to get two from the herd, Father." Luna bowed her head as two members of the hunting group sat the prey down in the pile. "How disappointing." The crow growled as he turned to walk into his cave. Luna turned to her hunting group and asked, "Why don't you guys go to the medicine cave and get those wounds taken care of?" They nodded and walked as steadily as they could to the medicine cave. Luna sat down and sighed. "Hey, it's ok, Luna." Silvermoon sat beside her, saying, "We managed to get plenty for the pack. Don't let Crow's stubbornness bother you." She nudged Luna with her nose before heading over to the cave. "That's easy for you; he's not your father." Luna huffed at Silvermoon. She gave her fur a quick shake before heading over to the prey pile to grab a squirrel. With her meal, she sits down near the cave, where everyone is snoring soundly. "I'll never make him proud." Luna sighed and took a bite of the squirrel. Luna let her mind wander, thinking about what she could do better, but every thought ended up like a dead end, and at this point, she was chewing the bone in frustration. An amber she-wolf walked up to her and asked, "Luna, are you ok?" She sat beside Luna, her eyes growing with concern. "I noticed you have been chewing on the bone for a good amount of time." Her gaze drifted to the bone, which snapped in Luna's mouth: "I'm fine. Sorry, Autumn.." Luna dropped the bones and quickly sat upright. Autumn rose to her paws, looking at Luna with doubt, and slowly walked away to the medicine cave without saying a word. Once Autumn walked away, Luna looked up at the sky as the stars began to glow. "Things will get better, and Daisy will return home." She whispered to herself before walking into the cave to rest.