Black Magic by Nicole Austen

Author:Nicole Austen [Austen, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: animals, wolves, children’s, fantasy, adventure, action, nature, family, survival
ISBN: 9781951710705
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC
Published: 2022-08-30T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Ice Eyes dragged her paws as she walked at the back of her pack, muscles aching. Her paws were so sore that the grass beneath them seemed as sharp as thorns, and the sun was as hot as she had ever felt it. The long journey to the summer home was taking a toll. She had to move her legs three times as fast as the adults to keep up, and the arduous climb up the boulder had left her tiny body exhausted before they had even started.

Greatpaw seemed to be having a much easier time. He was larger and stronger. He had the favor of the ancestors now, the blessing she had earned but never received. They would give him the strength to continue.

The pack was walking through an open field bordered by conifer trees. The soft wind picked up, ruffling Ice Eyes’s fur. She twitched an ear and bristled slightly. It was unfair. So unfair that it made her stomach ache and her head hurt.

If she wanted Alric to acknowledge her, she’d have to show him, over and over again, how strong she really was.

That was when her paws collapsed under her.

She flopped to the ground with a distressed whine. Lora sprang immediately to her daughter’s side, nosing her in concern. The pack gathered around Ice Eyes, flattening their ears nervously.

Alric tilted his head. The tiny female’s weakness reaffirmed his confidence that Ice Eyes could never win in a fight, or lead a hunt, or make a good leader. The pack would have to wait for Ice Eyes to recover before they could continue the journey. Alric yipped loudly, commanding the other wolves to give her time.

Hawk and Wyanet sat towards the edge of the field, twitching their ears and flicking their tails with impatience. They didn’t want to wait, but they would follow Alric’s orders. Despite Wyanet’s ambition and Hawk’s thirst for revenge, both were pleased with how Alric had handled the earlier ceremony.

Lora and Rynna, however, were appalled at the alpha’s actions towards his daughters. But support from her mother and sister didn’t make Ice Eyes feel any better. They weren’t brave enough to challenge Alric’s decisions. They couldn’t help her. When they approached her to see if she was well, she growled at them. They backed away, exchanging confused glances.

Alric watched this from a small rise at one end of the clearing, his eyes narrowed. An alpha knew trouble when he saw it. The pack’s loyalties were splitting.

The pups were too confused to take a side, and it wouldn’t have mattered if they had. Mala and Star sat together near their exhausted sister, grim-faced. Greatpaw hung his head guiltily, knowing that much of Ice Eyes’s anguish was because of him.

Star sighed and got to his feet. He wanted to distract his siblings. Wagging his tail, he invited them to play.

Greatpaw accepted his invitation immediately, knowing he would win this play-fight as he had all the others. Star had never been a sore loser, and the competitions were always fun for both of them.

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