Late Night Dreams

[reffy]

CADEN

Whispers. The delicate sound in the night can only be that of whispers. The whispers of the wind. They roam soothingly through the large trees. As they near one of the mountains, they aren't the only sound. There is a soft breathing, many quiet breaths. They are in harmony with one another, except one. This breathing is off; it's coming fast and hard. Noises come with the certain breathing. The claws scraping against the floor helplessly, the whimpers and whines coming from the maw, the trashing as the bodice tosses and turns. Yes. That is the sound of a sleeping wolf. One with a nightmare. This wolf is large, dark brown, with a lighter tan around his face. His fur seems almost russet when exposed in sunlight, but in the night, it seems dark gray. The body only dimly outlined against the black night. His closed eyelids are hiding an amazing forest green soul. Soul meaning his clear eyes. This is Caden.

Running. I'm running for my life. I'm running as a distraction so my pack can live. My pack, my sister, my friends, my family. All of them. These demons only want me. Want me to die for their own pride. I will not die. I swore this to myself and to my friends. I promised, and I never back down on a promise. This thought makes my paws pound into the earth, my claws digging in so they can make me whoosh through the trees. I don't know how fast I'm going. I only know that they're close. I can hear the many paws behind me. My breathing is controlled, although it's quicker than usual. I am a fairly strong wolf, or that's what I've been told, I geuss. I'm not slow though; I know how to run.

I focus my thoughts on were I'm going. I need to think of how to trick them and run away. I see the trees being left behind in a green blur. I dare not look back to were they disappeared, for I would meet the eyes of my attackers. Of the Moons. I know it's them. Their reek is thick in the air. It makes me angry, although I keep myself calm. I know how to control my emotions unlike them. Especially their leader; Duke. The image of him pops into my head and I grind my together as I run. I swerve to a different path and I hear them shout something to eachother. I chuckle under my quick breaths. It's fun to make them angry, but I don't know how strong they are when their anger helps them.

Suddenly, I realize where I am. I'm running cliffside. I try to think of which way I'm heading when suddenly, I hear the roar of a waterfall not far away. I gasp and start to skid to a halt. I was going too fast. I stop right on the egde and swivel around quickly. I see my attackers' confused faces and suddenly, most of them stop. Even their Alpha. I meet his gaze bravely and he narrows his eyes and raised his black lips to reveal his fangs. I see two of his wolves have not stopped and he watches them run with a stern look. The others, I notice, are yelling for them to stop. They're running toward me. To kill me. Their eyes look devilish and insane, their maws slightly drooling. Their fangs are bared and their maws opened. One of them snarls at me and I try to stand my ground. I can't run now. This has all happened within seconds, but feels like minutes.

Slam! They run right into me and we fall over the egde, us three. They're trying to bite and snap at me in the air. I easily get one of their necks into my maw and bite down with my large fangs. I feel the blood rush into my maw and let go, gagging on his blood. The other bites my flank. I feel the air rushing through my fur, chilling my skin below, and I see the waterfall we're falling with. I can feel the spray of air. Suddenly, the bites and snaps and claws don't matter. I need to think of swimming. The water below feels like it came too fast. We fall in the water with so much speed, I feel the shock in my body. I can't move at first and I feel myself leaning towards unconsiousness. I can faintly feel the bite on my flank, the fangs still there, although I know the wolf is trying to swim upward. Why, though?

Images of my family flash through my head. Mom, Dad, my sisters, my brothers, my friends, my trusted pack mates, and my home land. Suddenly, I hear myself promising to them that I'll be back; alive. My forest green eyes pop open in the water and I'm starting to kick my legs through the water. I kick the wolf who is still biting me, and I see the air bubbles come up as the breath is knocked out of him. Suddenly, I feel pity for the wolf. I spin around in the water and swim down to him. I see the black fur moving along with the water and I open my maw to grab his scruff. I start swimming upward with his wolf. I see the surface and I feel myself getting tired. Then, we broke the surface. We're both coughing and I can't swim for a moment in the current. Suddenly, the wolf grabs m scruff and pulls me to shore. He knows I'm out of breath.

I can't beleive this enemy is rescuing me. When he throws me to the shore, he slumps down beside me; breathing heavily as I am. I hear him get up once he hears other wolves approaching. I'm so convinced it's my pack that when my neck is bitten into, I gasp painfully. I'm thrown farther onto land and a wolf puts his paw down on my neck. My green eyes fly open to meet Duke's face; his ugly face. My face is composed, or so I think. I'm sure it is, cause his eyes are narrowed at me with hatred. I catch sight of the wolf I save and his face sends his apologies towards me. If the wolf really cared though, he'd help. I felt betrayed for some reason unkown to me. I watch Duke raised his maw and howl in triumph. Then he flashes his head down quickly, fangs bared, as he lunges for my throat. It's all over...

Caden jumped awake. He was on his feet, breathing heavily and looking around wildly. He took in his surroundings quickly, finding himself in the den. He sighed. Just a dream. It was just a dream. He shook himself and took a deep breath. He'd been having that dream since he first saw Duke and his pack. Caden now realized his fur was bristling and he shook himself again. He started to walk away from the dens, not wanting to awake any of his friends or his sister. He stepped into the moonlight, his russet fur turning silver in the bright moonlight. He sighed softly. The night was so peaceful, it was hard to beleive that there was such a threat to the Stars.

He sat down, getting himself comfortable. He looking to the stars above him, and the moon. He studied it for a minute, furrowing his brows. No matter how many stars there were, they would never out-shine the Moon. This had him thinking. Thinking about the future of his pack. His face showed his concetration on his thoughts. Would they all die, because of this pack that has invaded their valley? Would they die because they beleive he wants the valley back? Caden didn't know. He had to think harder. This was the only time of day he could think about this stuff. He wouldn't show his worries in front of his pack. It would make them fearful, maybe anxious. He wouldn't be able to bare it if they shared the same emotions he did. They needed to know of the problem, yes, but they also needed to feel safe within their boundries, no matter what Caden's dreams said. The Alpha sighed while deep in thought. This was a perplexing problem.

[Paint]

Bandit watched the moonlight shimmering on Caden's coat, and she knew it was not having the same effect on hers as she sat in the shadows of the rock face a little way off. Truthfully, Bandit hardly ever slept- it never seemed to phase her because she was so used to her. Spending time in a fairly big pack was reminding herself of her impending insomnia, something she didn't like.

She knew nothing, really, of Caden. All she knew was that this wolf had somehow heard of the Dancing Stars pack being destroyed and had assumed the new position of Alpha. Bandit was nearly angry at the thought. Her father, beginning and then running the pack for so many years, Caerwyn taking over, surely another of Xaka's many children should've taken the reigns. She stared at Caden in the moonlight as he wandered out of the dens, and she stayed silent, watching his expression.

With a quiet sigh of defeat, Bandit escaped the shadows and moved her monotone form into sight.

"Troubles, Caden?" she asked, smiling slightly at the odd quirky humour she was sure he wouldn't understand. Nobody seemed to understand when she was joking. She tilted her head slightly as she came to stand beside him, watching him with her vibrant amber eyes.

[shadowspark]

Roth watched the two adult wolves talk from his place near the entrance of the big den. The silver fur on his coat was grey with the dust of summer, so it did not shine in the moonlight. He would not be seen if he kept to the shadows. The pup recognized that the two other wolves were the alpha - Caden - and one of the deltas - Bandit. Roth never felt quite right about talking to Caden, but he admired Bandit quite a bit. So, he sat and watched.

'Pssst! Roth! What are you doing?' Roth turned to see Sylvia pad up and crouch down next to him. 'It's late!' the young female hissed. 'We're supposed to be asleep.'

Roth's tail gave an irritated flick. 'Oh, and you're so great at following rules, are you Syl?' he whispered back. He knew the remark had struck when he saw Sylvia flinch. 'Fine!' Sylvia snapped back with a hiss. 'Get in trouble for all I care!' The slim pup turned and stalked back into the den.

Roth rolled his eyes, and turned his attention back to the two adult wolves. He really hoped that they hadn't noticed the two pups' argument.

[Fire]

Night time.
To many wolves, usually pups, night was when you slipped into peaceful dreams; glided over the highest mountain, or swam in the deepest lake. Banishing to inky black sky and shadows that passed over the lands.
It was not usually a time when five wolves were wide awake and, more specifically, all together.
Fortunatly, Eva was sat in the shadows by the den, her ebony pelt seemed to flow perfectly into the rocky pillars.

To be perfectly honest, Eva preferred the night. It was calmer, and much more relaxing to sit back and watch the stars in the sky, or listen to owls hooting in the distance.
Not tonight, though.
Nope, first Caden came out. She half expected that, she saw it in his eyes whenever she looked at him. To others it might not be that obvious, but she could tell he was anxious about many things.

She sighed quietly, near silently, and watched the scene unfold. Bandit ventured out next. Eva guessed that she might not be too keen on Caden, seeing him take over her fathers pack, but she didn't know for sure, Bandit was hard to figure out.
Or maybe she knew Caden too well.

Tilting her head, she noticed to two pups stumble out of the dens, and made a vein attempt to be quiet. With a smirk, she watched them quarrel, then one of them dissapeared back into the dens.
Eva paused, watching the pup then, deciding he wasn't going to cause any trouble, she turned her attention back to Caden and Bandit. She would of gone over to Caden, comforted him with a few words, supported him and try and find exactly the right words to cheer him up, but Bandit and the pup were here, so she decided she wasn't needed, and settled down to watch the conversation unwind.

[reffy]

Caden kept his large foresty eyes on the scenery around him. The night was so soothing, but his thoughts seemed to block that out. His dream had sent worries through him about a pack member being attacked at random by the river. It would be horrid if they were killed by a Moons wolf, and even worse if they were thrown into the river by one and drowned. He needed to avert his mind from death, before his foresty green eyes darkened till it seemed there was no sparkle within them. It wouldn't be fair to his comerades if he was acting like this, staring off with worry as a friend went off to hunt. He shook himself slightly as he sat down, trying to get the worry out of his fur. He returned his gaze to the forest after the hopeless attempt to be rid of the emotion.

Caden's ear twitched as he heard pawsteps coming his way. His nose picked up the scent of Bandit and he made himself get a more calm aura, although his worry was hard to hide. He didn't glance as she approached and spoke. The Alpha sighed. "There are always troubles, it seems," he spoke in his deeper tone than hers, shaking his head slightly. Caden glanced at her with his head slightly turned and his eyes turning towards the corner of his sight. "Why up so late?" he asked curiously, small wolf-ish grin on his face and his eyes lightened up because of it. It was nice to have company, even though he thought they should all be asleep now. It was their choice to sleep and he wouldn't change that for the world. He liked choices, and beleived that his packmates should be able to have them.

Caden's ear flicked backwards as he heard pup-ish voices argue and he sniffed the air. Roth and Sylvia. He smiled softly as he listened to their arguement, which seemed like it was supposed to be quiet. He could hear the little paws thud softly away on the cave floor, which must've been Sylvia, considering the arguement. Caden cleared his throat and smiled softly. "Evening, Roth," he said, loud enough for the pup to hear, but quiet enough so that more wolves wouldn't wake up. He turned his a few seconds after he spoke smiled warmly at the pup. "Can't sleep?" he asked, mildly curious. Weren't puppies supposed to like to sleep? Then he remembered that Roth and Sylvia weren't that young anymore. Oops.

[Paint]

Bandit listened to him. Part of her, rather a big part these days, really wanted to work him out. Half of her wanted him to prove himself to her, so she could stop doubting that he wasn't up to par. The other half was the icy cold one, telling her that he'd never be up to par. She remained completely calm on the surface, though, the conflict was all within her mind.

Before she answered, however, Roth and Sylvia came to her attention as they did to Caden's. She glanced backwards, wanting to calmly tell the pups to go to bed. Let the adults discuss things. But, she did not know where the pups parent's were, or if they were even alive, so she could not bring that up either. Caden did not seem bothered.

Her vibrant eyes sought out another figure in the dark. Eva. She sometimes got the feeling that Eva was wary of her, and if that was so, then Caden had a smart Beta on his hands. She almost smiled, welcoming the Beta towards them, before realising that wasn't her job either. Her blood pumped furiously through her veins, a constant reminder of her need to lead. She ignored it, again, turning back to Caden.

"I rarely sleep," she replied drily. "Some sort of insomnia has held me ever since I left Empyrean Valley when I was very young. What about you?"

She stared away, hard, at the trees. She didn't talk to any of the wolves here, hardly ever anyway, so no one could know she was Xaka's daughter. She wondered if he'd ask about her past life.

[shadowspark]

Roth jumped when Caden spoke to him. He flattened his ears nervously. He walked slowly forward, his head down, trying to make himself seem smaller. Oddly, he wasn't worried so much about what Caden thought of him, as he was of disappointing Bandit.

'No, Alpha,' he said respectively. 'I couldn't. I'm sorry for interrupting you.' He lay on the ground in a submissive position. He wondered what his punishment would be. He hoped it wouldn't be too harsh. But any punishment would be better that enduring Bandit's disapointment. He admired her, and didn't want her to be disapointed in him.

[webby]

ooc; mind if Sayuri comes along? It's fine if you've got enough people in the thread already x)

[reffy]

[ooc] Lol, the more the merrier xD I don't mind at all [/ooc]