Chapter 3 Rushing back ---------------------------------------------------------------- Dagger walked home slowly, glancing back at every small sound, hoping it was Vaelith every time. He had never talked to any other wolf, besides mother, and even though Vaelith wasn’t a real wolf, or seemed they were even friends, Dagger missed her already. She was so interesting, mysterious, and beautiful. She didn’t seem like a traditional immortal wolf. At least, from the stories he had heard, she didn’t showcase her power to impress others, or demand respect from him. Still….there was something he couldn’t trust. He would visit her again, he had to. A pit of loneliness swelled in his heart, and he blinked, stopping. Dagger looked up at the sky, watching the blue hues slowly turn to scarlet. He jumped backward in shock. The sun was setting! He broke into a sprint, desperate to reach the den before mother woke up. Racing over a fallen tree branch, he sidestepped, trying to keep his balance. His paws crunched the leaves that littered the ground as he fell into a fern bush Scrabbling back onto his paws, he threw his head into the air, taking in a deep breath. Home was to his right, past the giant rotting log he had leaped over. Whipping to the right path, he headed toward the sound of beetles crawling over decaying bark. Tree trunks blurred as he ran, leaves churning in the air with every pawstep. When he halted in front of the log, he saw something he hadn’t seen before. A hole, big enough for him to fit into. It lay under the log, freshly dug. Sniffing at it, he ducked down. It had an odd scent, like the canine scent of a wolf, but more feeble, sharp, and sly. Shoving himself into the opening, Dagger struggled to push himself out to the other side. Panic swept through him once more as he realised that he was stuck. The bark from the log was scraping his skin as he strained to pull himself loose. The strange canine-scent burned his eyes as he planted his paws deeper into the earth, sending dirt showering as he broke free, stumbling headfirst and tripping over a gnarled tree root. Shaking his ears, he stood up, glancing at the sinking sun once more. The forest was darkening, sending shadows over the woods. Squinting, Dagger could see the den from where he stood. Taking off again, he made sure to keep his eyes on the den so he wouldn’t lose it in the coming darkness. Several bounds later, Dagger landed in front of the den. He waited, panting, straining to hear if his mother was awake. Brushing through the vines that draped over the opening, he froze, panic rushing through him. His mother laid, her back facing him. For a moment Dagger thought she was awake, before realising her long, slow breaths signaled she was asleep. Padding forward nimbly, he circled the floor of the den and laid down, eyeing his mother carefully. When many moments passed, he could feel himself drifting asleep; the days’ adventure had worn him out. As the last rays of sunlight faded away, he settled into an unforgiving dream.
Shorter chapter...The next one will be longer! I promise! Check the studio for more :) I love fanart by the way! Feel free to make some! (if you'd like)
