The Moon Wolf

Chapter 4 (1st Draft)

It took 10 long days for Penn to push the pups through the long, arduous pass. As they stood on the Orthos side, the children let out happy squeals and jumped about with great excitement. Penn growled and silenced the children right away. This prompted Cassidy to give her a disappointed look and Jackson to give her a frown.  But Penn ignored the two as her eyes scanned the exposed mountainside for danger.

Coming out the other side of Mourning Cross was no small feat for such a tiny, untested crew of pups. It was worth celebrating. But not now. Not when they were still a long way from Orthos territory and standing out in the open like this far above the safety of the treeline, which was hundreds of feet below them.

Part of the trouble was, Penn wasn't the least bit familiar with this side of the mountain range, and was not sure what dangers were present in the neutral territory around the Orthos pack. They could be facing rogue wolves, brown or grizzly bears, treacherous terrain, or all of the above. So, she couldn't let them stop and kick up their heals here. It simply wasn't safe. They needed to reach the cover of the treeline before they could even think about celebrating getting through the pass in one piece.

"Nothings changed," she yelled over the howling wind, "the rules are all the same on this side of the pass. You follow me, you do as I say, you keep your travel buddies close, and no one rests until we find cover down in those trees."

The poor pups were cold, hungry and exhausted beyond measure. They cried and whimpered at the news that they could not rest. It was enough to tug at Penn's heart strings, but she would not bend. She couldn't afford to if she wanted to keep them safe.

Cassidy and Jackson approached Penn with downcast and anxious faces. "Can we not rest here a little while? The pups are so tired," Cassidy implored Penn.

Penn shook her head no.

Jackson eagerly offered, "Cassidy and I will take up watch positions while the little ones rest."

Penn almost smiled at him. He and his sister really cared a great deal for the pups. Lara had raised two outstanding children. But, it was still too dangerous.

"No," Penn said with a sharp voice filled with finality.

She watched the two oldest waiting to see if they would protest and challenge her. They had been so obedient all this time that she was sure one of these days they would rebel against her. She wouldn't be surprised if it happened now when they were all so exhausted and on the verge of collapsing.

Though she didn't usually explain herself, she felt compelled to remind them of the danger they were still in. "None of us are safe here," she told the two of them in a slightly softened voice. "We are exposed and to who or what we don't know. So, we can't rest here. We'll rest when we get someplace safe down in those trees."

Penn watched the two sigh in defeat before saying in unison, "Understood."

And that was it. The crying and the whining, even from the littlest ones, all ceased as everyone concentrated on their next task - making it down the steep rocky slope without breaking their necks.