Bark of the Trees

Cougarclaw's Spirits [NBW]


Up in the distant heights of the mountains, a small pack named Those Who Run Wild is currently guided by a she-wolf named Wild Runs, accompanied by 3 Adult males - Charred, Ashes, and Coal - and 3 adolescents - Bark of the Trees, Aspen, and Ginger. Charred was heavily scarred with a deep gray coat that often took the lead in the training sessions with Bark and her siblings, Aspen and Ginger. Ashes was a lighter gray with flecks of white and black across his coat and was the main hunter of their pack, occasionally assisting Charred in his lessons when called upon. Coal was a pitch-black wolf that managed the herb storages and often went foraging to keep them stocked, though he previously doubled as a caretaker for the three siblings when they were younger. Charred taught the trio valuable lessons, leading them through the seasons until they aged into adventurous young adolescents.

As Bark of the trees and her two sisters aged, they began accompanying Charred and Ashes during their hunts, watching the two experts strategically chase down small prey animals for their pack, something Bark had begun to grow exasperated at as more time passed, and their food stocks continued to dwindle. She was frustrated by how the two males refused to hunt anything larger than a badger, her irritation was only further fueled when they would immediately shut down any attempts or plans to involve her and her siblings in hunts. They claimed she was too weak, not old enough, but hadn't she been trained for this sole role all of her pup hood? If she was weak, or simply not good enough, then who else was there to blame but them and their teachings? Her points never mattered, Charred would go snapping at her tail the second she'd attempt to begin speaking, dismissing her for the rest of the day whenever she dared to contest him. This often-left Bark of the Trees alone with Coal the herbalist, a soothing soul who always had a paw to lend to his packmates, which often left him listening to the adolescent venting about her frustrations, constructing and trashing new tactics with the intent to prove herself to Charred. Coal could only feel for the young she-wolf, whose desire for change had stemmed from the poor state of her pack and he hoped she could make a true change, Hare was becoming a rather boring dinner for all of them after all these years.

It had been weeks since Bark's first outburst with Charred, yet she had never truly stopped trying to change how they lived. May it be something as small as a few murmurs to her sisters or Ashen - who surprisingly supported her behind the scarred male's back, or something as brash as outright defying the dark gray male himself in front of their hunting party, which always 'rewarded' her with a hefty punishment. As time continued to move, Weeks had flown into months, and months changed into seasons until their small pack eventually was met with the chilling bite of Winter. Their food supply had never stopped dwindling over the months, something Bark loved to point out, and this Winter was proving to be unnervingly harsh with how swiftly the snow had settled on the mountaintops. Their hunting party was being overexerted in a desperate attempt to keep them fed, but they could rarely return with anything nutritious, which fueled Bark's flames and reignited her arguments with Charred, caring little for his status over her this time around, and going straight to Wild Runs in an attempt to save her packmates, her family. Wild Runs, thankfully, had put some consideration into the adolescent's words, a short period passed before their leader announced she planned to move them into new lands where they could flourish. This decision delivered a heavy blow to Charred's confidence, but he was not one to fight against their leader.

It took the pack a few days to get everything together and have Wild Runs plan their destination and the safest way to get there, but they had done it. Bark was overflowing with excitement along with her siblings, as this was the first time they would leave their rocky home. As they had set out, the snow had begun to fall softly from the skies, adding to the already snow-littered ground beneath the group's paws. They all had thought nothing of it, as it wasn't uncommon for snow to fall casually in the winter, and simply continued. It wasn't until later when they had made it further down the mountain that they realized this was a full-on snowstorm, with snow slowly building up around them as ice pellets began to fly around them, occasionally hitting someone in the face, but they continued onwards. How could they return with these conditions? They would just have to make do and continue pushing onward.

The group continued onwards, leaving large pawprints in their wake, oblivious to the fact that they were being stalked. It wasn't apparent at first, none of them could hear much over the crunching of snow beneath them and the wind blowing against them but nothing could truly block out a cougar's cry. The pack was quick to turn around, slightly hindered by the inches of snow building around them, but the image of a blurry figure sprinting toward them was frighteningly clear. Ashen - surprisingly - was the first one to jump into action, moving into a more defensive position as Charred took a more offensive one with Wild Runs quickly following after. Coal took a position similar to Ashen next to Aspen and Ginger, unknowingly leaving Bark of the Trees vulnerable. The cougar had found its target with the adolescent, bounding past the adults and towards Bark, only to be intercepted a few feet away from the she-wolf by Coal, who had latched onto the large body in an attempt to tackle it. This provided Charred, Wild Runs, and Ashen a chance to collapse onto the big cat, who had an undeniable fury in its form. The adults took turns trading blows with the feline, with Bark and her siblings watching on in horror before Coal's voice broke through the echoes of battle, crying out for them to run - that they'd group back up at their destination.

And they did run, the three siblings quickly taking off as their pack held back the cougar. Bark of the Trees wasn't sure when it had happened, but she and her siblings had somehow split up during their escape. With the storm getting progressively worse, she couldn't afford to stay put or retrace the probably already snow-covered paw prints, so she continued onwards. She didn't know how much time had passed, but the snow eventually stopped falling. The ground beneath her was now cold dirt, the snow becoming more and more scattered as she continued walking, occasionally stopping to get some rest or hunt for food and water.

One day, while Bark was trailing after a fairly fresh scent trail in the hopes to fill her stomach, she had met two wolves after approaching the end of the scent, just to find them hunched over the already dead hare. The two looked up in surprise as Bark's paw, unfortunately, stepped on and cracked a small twig, the strangers quick to look up with their eyes barely searching before landing on the adolescent, who was quick to enter a submissive stance. They stared at each other in surprise, the adults eventually breaking contact with her to reconnect their eyes with each other, silently discussing something with one of them occasionally breaking the silence to make a short sound.

There was a long period of the two communicating before they eventually turned to the now tense adolescent, with the smaller of the two gently pushing what was left of the hare toward her. Bark of the Trees quickly moved forward and began eating, only raising her head once she finished off the carcass, licking her maw clean with slight embarrassment. The two adults chuckled softly before introducing themselves as Olive and Opossum, a duo that had been traveling with each other for some time. In response, Bark introduced herself before providing a small yet grateful 'Thank you'. Olive and Opossum nodded in acknowledgment, sharing a short glance with each other before offering a place with them for Bark, who was quick to accept the offer.

The newly formed trio stayed in the area for a few more days, with Opossum calling for their leave as their struggles to find prey worsened. They were quick to pack up and continue moving north, though Bark carried reluctance in her heart. She had begun missing her packmates and siblings more and more once her mind no longer had to worry about how she'd keep herself going each day every second and had begun to confide about her emotions and thoughts with Olive, who had comforted the adolescent in turn, assuring her that her packmates were probably healthy alongside her siblings and worrying about her just as much as she was worrying about them. This left Bark of the Trees feeling more confident in herself and the future as they continued to travel, eventually reaching the chilly realm of the Glacier, and Bark had to wonder how they were going to have any chance of feeding themselves here but didn't want to challenge Opossum on their decision. This was different from her arguments with Charred, she knew nothing of this land, what was she to say? Bark communicated little of her thoughts on it openly, only sharing small bits with Olive, who once again assured her that they would be fine, Opossum knew what they were doing and that Olive herself wouldn't trust them so blindly if they didn't, which was good enough to settle Bark for the time being.

As they continued to travel and time passed, the trio eventually stumbled across a pack thriving in the tundra. They called themselves Cougarclaw's Spirits, and Bark of the Trees was surprised when she realized most of them had either shared her appearance or at least had a very similar one to hers, and she was quick to settle in alongside Olive and Opossum with the approval of their leader, Breeze.
written by Macaria #85792