Rajor Enough, I Said. She S Already Submitted, You Ll Only Hurt Her

Luna

The Lone Wolf

By Forest Wells

Chapter 1

Not again.

I held close to the wall of the den hoping to avoid his fangs. Well, at our age they were barely even teeth, but that didn’t stop Rajor from digging whatever he had into our brothers and sisters. He didn’t let up either. It’s how he got his name so early. He fought us with what our parents thought was “controlled rage”. We pups knew better. It was all rage, and he was using it on one of our sisters while we were alone in the den.

She tried to submit. She rolled onto her back, paws in the air, whimpering submission. Rajor didn’t stop. He went for her neck to “ensure her place” in the pack. More like be mean from my point of view.

“Rajor enough,” I said. “She’s already submitted, you’ll only hurt her.”

Oops.

“And what will you do about it little no-name?”

Anger forced down my fear. Just because he’d earned his name so early meant nothing. We’d get ours in time. But no. He was the first to be named, which meant he was the better wolf. Yeah right. He was no better than any of us. Just more mean.

“Well?” He said, stepping over our sister toward me. His puppy fuzz, a darker brown than any of ours, made him more of a ghost in the darkness of the den. A stark contrast to my own which was the only one that had a trace of silver on my neck and hackles.

“What are you going to do?” he said. “You going to pin me?”

I allowed my ears to fall. I didn’t want this. I only wanted him to stop. “Just leave her alone. Leave all of us alone.”

“Not until you submit!”

Now he went for me. His pitiful growl ringing in my ears as he went for my neck. I returned the growl, and even managed to block his strike with my muzzle. He still kept trying. We ended up with our jaws open at each other. It didn’t matter that our teeth couldn’t do much. Instinct took over, and we were both intent on making the other back down.

He got past me at last. He got hold of my scruff. I rolled not to submit, but to get a better angle, or to get him off. My scruff slipped out of his mouth, and I got back onto my paws. He charged at me again.

A real, vibrating growl stopped him cold. We both turned to the den entrance to find a pelt of thick silver fur standing there. It was always so smooth looking, as if it were almost flat. It felt ten times softer, but she wasn’t being soft today. Her glare said quite the opposite.

“Hi mommy,” I said, cowering.

She cringed, as she always did when we called her that. I still don’t know why. She was our mother, what else would we call her?

She sighed, then softened her glare. “If you two would rather continue, I can take the others outside. I might come back for you later.”

Six sets of tiny ears perked all around the den. It couldn’t be. She couldn’t mean…

“We get to leave the den?!” I said.

Mother ruffed a quick chuckle. “Yes you do, briefly. You’re still growing, but it’s time we exposed you to the outside.”

“Awww mom,” Rajor said. “Can’t we just stay out there?”

She put her nose right in front of his, and not to be affectionate. “No.”

Rajor shrank to half his size. “Okay.”

I allowed one amused ruff, but hid the rest. I didn’t want him or mother to know I was laughing at him.

She turned and headed out. “Come on. Follow me.” She waited for us to gather around her hind legs, but didn’t move when she saw the sister Rajor had been attacking hadn’t moved. “Jinta? You all right?”

Our ears perked again. Jinta? Had we heard wrong? Even my sister was unsure, mostly because she was still cowering.

Our mother tapped her nose to hers, this time very much affectionate. “Come on Jinta. The outside would awaits. You up for it?”

Nope, we’d heard right. She’d just gained her name. My sis… Jinta’s ears perked further as she realized it too.

“Yes mother,” she said still softly. “I’m fine.”

She proved it by standing and shaking the dust from her fur. Even at her young age, her brown puppy fur seemed a touch brigher then even mine. She also had more black on her tail-tip than any of us.

Mother rubbed against her again before leading the way down the tunnel out of the den.

“I like the name,” I said. Other pups quickly agreed.

Except for Rajor, who huffed instead. “Just because she got her name doesn’t mean-“

Our mother snapped around and growled in his face. He again shrank in size, and I again swallowed a laugh.

She moved on, and we followed, pushing each other in an attempt to get out sooner. No one dared push past mother’s legs though.

All at once, the dirt walls opened up to a vast space. As we all scampered out, most lifted our noses to take in the amazing mix of smells. I’d caught some of them on the wind through the entrance, or on our mother’s fur. But this, there was so much I couldn’t tell one from another. I only knew a few scents. Those of wolves I’d seen.

My father was one of them. He stood nearby, keeping pups from wandering far from the den. Another female I’d never got a name for was also there. She’d brought food in for mother a number of times. I saw a lot more than them though. Several wolves, all adults, scattered around an area among the trees.

I tried to take it all in, but I didn’t know where to begin. Despite the blue light all around it was still rather dark, though my eyes were already adjusting to it. I saw trees and some small shrubs all around. Scents sweet, sour, musky, dirty, wet, muddy, scents I didn’t have names for. A soft breeze would ruffle my silver-grey fur every now and then, and I felt a coolness in the air like nothing I’d ever felt. The forest mom told us about was bigger than she made it sound. The trees went on further than I could see! The hillside our den was dug in was taller than the adults and then some. It was too steep to climb the center, but it tapered down the sides enough to be easily walked up there.

"Why is it still dark mommy?” Rajor asked. “I thought you said it would be brighter out here.”

Our mother again cringed. Our father stepped up to run his muzzle against hers. Unlike mother, his fur was largely a dark grey on his back and hackles that faded to a more medium shade on his head and around the edges of the darker grey. It gave way to a cream and white underside and legs, but it didn’t touch his face or muzzle at all. It just stopped at his eyebrows in favor of white.

“They’re still young Martol,” he said. “Be patient.”

“I know, I know,” our mother said. “But Toltan, you can’t say it doesn’t bother you.”

“Of course it does. Don’t worry my little wildflower. They’ll learn.”

“Mommy! Why is it still dark?”

Both parents glared at Rajor’s indignant tone. My father stood stone still, and glared death at him. Rajor shrank smaller than his tail at this very clear sign of anger.

“Don’t forget your place, Rajor,” father said.

Rajor couldn’t mange a reply. Only a whimper. I kept an ear turned that way hoping he’d still get an answer for us. I didn’t dare ask with father in that state.

Mother sighed again before tipping Rajor's muzzle up to look at her. “Remember I told you about a cycle of ‘days’? Well this is the second half of that cycle, called ‘night’. Night is dark Rajor. When the sun comes up, then it is day. You remember what your father said about looking at the sun, right?"

Rajor yipped excitement. His look said, “Of course I do.”

Mother ignored it. “The sky also changes during the day. Then it’s bright blue, but right now, you can see the stars. Look up and see them.”

He did, and so did many of my siblings, including myself. I saw a black field that was either as smooth as mother’s fur, or so far away I’d never be able to run there. Scattered among it were tiny dots of light no bigger than a claw tip. These must be the stars.

A much brighter glow drew my attention. I looked over and found a large round stone in the “sky”. It was glowing a soft blue, but so bright I wondered how much brighter “day” would be. The surface was pocketed, like wolves had dug many holes or dens there. Other parts appeared smooth, making me think of the lakes mother had described.

I sat there and stared at it. I’d never seen anything like it, nor heard mother talk about anything like it. Whatever it was, it was bright, yet oddly calming. I watched it like I had bugs in the den. Except this time I wasn’t intent on eating it. No, I just wanted to look at it. It calmed me. The soft glow, the textured surface, something more I couldn’t place. I was at ease. I could sleep under that glow and feel safe. Perhaps safer than near mother. For a moment I closed my eyes, ignoring more conversation I heard nearby. I didn’t care. I just wanted to enjoy the moment. It felt better than when my eyes first opened.

“Luna.”

At first I wasn’t sure I heard it. I was slowly slipping out of the calm moment back to where I was.

“Luna.”

My mind remembered old tales told to us. Of Wolfor, creator of all wolves. No one was sure what his pelt was like, but he was gentle, unless his children needed defending. He’d spent years giving birth to us, making us what we are. When he’d finished, he’d left to make his den somewhere in the sky. A den and a land we would follow him to eventually. The only land to bear a name. “Luna” was that name. The place we’d go to be with Wolfor after death.

I shook my head to settle my thoughts. I then turned around to find both parents standing there, as well as a third adult I’d never met before. He watched me with an odd reverence that made me uneasy. Somehow his fur added to it. It was mostly white below, but black covered his back, neck, shoulders and top of his head. The white of his face and throat drew my attention to his eyes. They stared at me, watching like… I don’t know what it was. His body was relaxed and still. Otherwise I’d worry he were thinking of eating me.

My parents however, held nothing but love in their posture. Perked ears, a soft drift in their tails, a brightness in their eyes. I had nothing to fear from them.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “I wasn’t listening. What about Luna?”

Mother flicked an amused ear. “That’s you. You are Luna. Your name is Luna, because it’s clear Wolfor’s dwelling on the moon calls to you. Looking at you now, I suspect your pelt will glow much the same when it fills in. A silver sheen to reflect the glow of Wolfor’s dwelling.”

My ears shifted back uneasy. I looked up at the, “moon” I think she called it, once more. It again held my interest. I didn’t fall into a trance again, but it certainly made me forget about everything else for a moment.

“So the little-no name has a name.”

Now if only I could do something about him. Rajor stood with the rest of my litter mates looking smug as ever. Jinta however, held more of a playful perk in her ears. I think she was returning the approval I’d shown her. I didn’t get time to think about it.

“So, Luna.” Rajor said mockingly, “Odd name for any wolf. Much less one like you.”

I tried to copy father’s glare earlier. “Shut up Rajor.”

“Make me.”

“Enough!”

Father’s bark sent ears down everywhere, even among the adults. He’d entered his death stance again too. I didn’t dare say anything lest the wrong words bring about my own death. Father just stood there, not looking at anyone.

“Lonate, would you help Martol get the pups back inside. I think they’ve seen enough for their first time.”

The other adult ticked his ears forward to signal a yes. “Of course alpha.”

Father’s death stance vanished in favor of an amused ruff. “Lonate. I told you after the mountain lion. My name is just fine.”

Lonate’s ears again ticked forward. He then started pushing us pups back toward the den. Any protests were met with a stern glare, and in Rajor’s case, a nip at his tail. We quickly surrendered to our sentence and followed mother inside the den.

She curled against the far wall and allowed us access to her nipples. We all chose our points to drink well of her warm milk. As usual there was some slight pushing and grumbling between pups, but nothing came of it.

That is until I pushed against Rajor.

He instantly went after me, growling the pitiful growl we pups give, biting at my shoulders. He pushed me off, and I bit back trying to get better position. We rolled into one of the other pups while he was drinking, at which point a real growl shook the den.

“You can sort your selves out later,” Mother said. “Right now I want you to drink up and sleep. I hear another growl from either of you, you’ll feel what real fangs are like.”

Rajor and I called a truce without a word between us. Much as we’d both like to settle the matter, neither of us wanted to face her fangs right now.

But it was different later when even Mother was asleep. My brothers and sisters were scattered inside the den, most curled against Mother’s fur. I took a place against the far wall hoping I could go the night in peace for a change.

I should have known better.

“This isn’t over,” Rajor whispered. “I don’t care what they think of you. I’ll prove I’m the better wolf. I’ll be alpha of this pack, and when I am, I’ll make sure mister ‘silver sheen’ is my omega.”

I don’t think I slept well again after that.