Sprouted

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"You haven't talked to me in a while. Wolf got your tongue?"



art by 💚Predy1🤍 #11351
you can also draw art of him for fun :D would love to see the end result!

Kardama's young pack, a group of three wolves still caring for the pups Kardama and his five siblings were, was brutally attacked by another pack with fifteen members. The alpha male of the current time tried to save his small pack by leading the strangers away, but it ultimately failed when only five wolves ran after him. The other two wolves were slaughtered, as were many other of the pups, though Kardama managed to escape the bunch. However the attackers had injured him, to the point where blood dripped into his eyes and his sight was blurred. As a pup, he was doomed, so he carried on wandering around. Occasionally he crashed into a tree, since his vision was scrambled, and sometimes he pretty much tripped over a predator, though he managed to dodge it, but he grew weary as he wandered further north. As he wandered unsuspectingly into a cave, he could hear the distant commands of wolves before he was nearly stepped on by one. He let out a loud cry and the wolf gazed down. A huge, scrappy, scarred, white male wolf. He reached down and grabbed the pup by the scruff, before he tossed the pup into a small bush underneath a hole in the roof that served as a skylight. By now, dozens of wolves were in sight, all covered in scars or fresh-made wounds. A couple actually fought, but there was no leader to break it up, or maybe the leader just didn't care. There were two wolves standing right outside the bush he'd been thrown into, and many other pups sat there. They were covered in as many wounds as Kardama was.. he gulped as one of the guards of the den shoved her nose directly into Sprouted's throat, baring her teeth so in one snap she could kill him. (^*- ` Hah, look, a new one, Koi, ` -*^) she snarled. The other guard whipped around and let out a loud, cold, demonic laugh. :.,` Good for us, `,.: he said with a low growl. Kardama trembled as the female removed her teeth from his neck and turned around to stand beside Koi again. Kardama crouched low to the ground, suddenly feeling the pain of his wounds, and felt a couple pups cuddle up next to him. Uncomfortable, hungry, cold, pained, but safe for now, Kardama fell asleep nestled between the two pups.

... - - - - ...

A year had passed. Kardama was officially a member of this awful society. He was coated in a layer of scars, fur scrappy and scraggly. Koi and Salmon, the guards from his pup hood, had eventually surrendered to him, since, being raised in the harsh conditions they provided, he was quite good at slinking around and attacking those alone. He bore an aggressive posture with a rude, sarcastic, easily offended demeanor. Despite there being officially an alpha pair, specifically and unsurprisingly his pup hood guards Koi and Salmon, Karrdama was still feared among the large pack for his intelligence and swift, deft nature of quickly pinning a wolf to the ground. At the time he was still known as Kardama, or "shadow", because of his tendency to never leave the dark spots. However, as Kardama set out to join a hunting party, his tail whipped back and forth. What if there was something greater beyond the terrorizing pack? Something more friendly, perhaps bearing a mate or.. whatever thought Kardama had bore was smacked away as he crashed nose-first into a wall. A lot of the pack in the stony area had the audacity to laugh their heads off at him, but Kardama snarled, showing his sharp teeth as his fur bristled. That shut the wolves up. He turned back and trotted over to his hunting party. Salmon, part of the party, was still loudly snorting and giggling. (^*- ` The heck you doin', Kardama? ` -*^) she wheezed, but she was cut off as Kardama bit her sharply in the shoulder. She shot him a glare that would've killed if a look could, but she carried on with leading the hunting party. (^*- ` Alright, now come on, you useless packmembers. ` -*^) Almost all eight other wolves in the party let out loud snarls but were quickly silenced as Salmon bit the closest one in the neck. Kardama watched the figure of the wolf crumple to the ground and cease to move. Salmon released her grip and shot a look at the others that made them get going. The nine wolves traveled for about eight hours before they came to the spot of hunting, which was sixteen miles northeast of the den. Salmon flicked her tail. (^*- ` Go on, Sprouted. You're the stalker here. ` -*^) Sprouted huffed but swiftly disappeared into the woodlands. He made no noise, and he heard his packmates' pawsteps loud and clear. Sprouted suddenly paused as he watched his packmates skitter to a halt. He could just leave... never returning. A loud growl snapped him back into reality. Salmon shoved him onwards, so he carried on, moving as if he was a shadow himself. Suddenly a scraping claw sound above him caught his attention; he looked up, but saw nothing in the seemingly endless six-month winter and night of the north. Clearly his comrades had heard it too; everyone's bright eyes had fixated on above. Suddenly two eyes blinked open, then two more, and four more sets of eyes. Only six wolves, by the looks. But how did they get in the trees? Karmada was clearly the only one troubled by this fact. Scaling trees this tall was impossible, and cougars nor bears lived in such big groups. Feral cats weren't that giant, and birds didn't have such shining glares. Salmon suddenly spoke up in the loud intimidating voice she possessed. (^* - ` You! Intruders! Get down here and fight us! ` - *^) Suddenly Karmada took a big whiff. Different wolves had marked the area. Not their pack. He shuddered, but Salmon repeated her challenge, and a single wolf leapt down. Actually, not a wolf. A weird cougar thing, with a tail longer than three of him nose-to-nose, sharp, long, curled, retractable claws that dug into the snow, and slightly curled ears. Suddenly beads strung on the cougar thing's back hissed to life, along with a few feathers that spontaneously all caught on neon blue fire. The thing's breath, paws, eyes, and tail-tip were also aflame. Salmon seemed unfazed and just glared. (^* - ` Who dares intrude on my pack's territory? ` - *^) The wolfcat's neon eyes locked with Salmon's and it took a step forth, long tail whipping so fast through the air it could probably knock someone out. ` ` You mean mine? ` ` the creature spoke in a low, honey-like voice that dripped from its maws. ` ` You are not fit to challenge one of Cougarclaw's Spirits. Now leave. ` ` (^* - ` No! ` - *^) Salmon shrieked. The wolfcat thingy released a soft shink sound as claws curled into the snow, and suddenly the wolfcat raised its huge paw and took a swipe, so close to Kardama's he heard the wind whizz by his face, and straight at Salmon's shocked expression of a face. A soft tear sound pierced the anticipating silence and four deep cuts were visible on Salmon's face, along with both eyes squeezed shut. She'd probably been blinded; Kardama shuddered as Salmon began to tremble. Meanwhile, while the wolfcat suddenly lunged forward and skillfully crushed Salmon's windpipe, the others had surrounded it and were prepared to attack, and they did. A lot of good blows were blocked by the wolfcat's incredibly thick fur, but it had had enough and, scarier than its claws, flaming beads adorning its fur, or the way it could easily crush a wolf's bones, it leapt vertically ten feet into the air and landed on a branch before quickly disappearing into the shadows. All the hunters glanced down at the dead leader of the party. A wolfcat thingy had waltzed into "their" territory, killed one of their alphas, and disappeared into the trees like nothing happened. A couple wolves still seemed to be in shock. Kardama sighed. :"| Come on, let's get moving before it comes back. |": He grabbed his pup hood guard that had seemed indestructible and unmovable before by the scruff and dragged her the sixteen miles back, with his small party following.
...
:.,` WHAT HAPPENED? `,.: Koi suddenly shrieked as soon as Kardama tossed the cold, stiff body of his guard into the middle of the den. :"| A wolfcat. Everyone here saw it. You can go see for yourself in the forest sixteen miles northeast. |": :.,` A wolfcat? What kind of lies are those, Kardama? Are you trying to get exiled? `,.: Suddenly Kardama felt himself turn desperate. This was his only place to go, if he was exiled, then how would he manage to survive alone? |": You can ask all the wolves with me! They saw it! :"| Koi looked over at Martian, a much smaller chaser that was incredibly swift and made you dizzy to even watch him when he ran. :.,` Did you? `,.: Martian glanced nervously at Pond, who leaned forth and whispered something in his ear that a couple other wolves nodded at. {|+ Yes, we did, but we think Kardama and you should go take a look, +|} Martian announced timidly. Kardama breathed a thin sigh of relief before he turned anxiously to Koi. Koi growled, but did not object. :.,` Very well, Kardama. Take me to this.. forest. `,.: Kardama swiftly stood and bolted out of the den, Koi following in his wake. The two ran swiftly, paws gliding on the snowy grass, until they reached the forest. By now, snow built up so heavily you could feel its weight on your back, and Kardama was struggling as he bounded through the three-foot-tall piles of snow. |": Just a bit farther and.. here we are! :"| Koi glanced around, unimpressed. He turned back to Kardama with a growl. :.,` Gonna kill me now? Do it, `,.: Koi hissed. Kardama blinked in confusion. |": Wha- :"| Kardama was interrupted by the shuffle of snow; Koi was making his way to him, and a couple feet away he disappeared beneath the snow. Kardama shuddered and took three steps back, at which Koi pounced; he soared through the air and Kardama was rooted to the ground where he stood, realizing his demise was right in front of him.. There was a loud hiss and a yelp of surprise, quickly followed by a loud gurgle as the wolfcat, again the wolfcat, slayed the other alpha in front of Kardama. However now the wolfcat was accompanied by three others, who all had fixated on Kardama and were beginning to rush at the yearling. He let out a futile snarl followed by a yip of terror as the wolfcats crashed into him, yet the only bite he actually felt in his panic was a good blow to the side of his head. Somehow, Kardama sent all four limbs flying and then quickly flipped onto his paws as he felt the weight be taken off him, and he ran so fast into the forest that his paws were an undistinguishable blur and the trees but a couple brown smears in the edges of his vision; he made it about a mile before he felt his wounds set in. He grew dizzy, unable to keep running in a straight line though he continued to dart at the same speed. Kardama whipped his head back to check if those wolfcats were following him. Sure enough, way behind him raced two small neary miniscule-looking wolfcats. Suddenly Kardama slammed into a tree, and a nasty crack rang through the air as he crumpled on the spot.
...
Kardama blearily blinked awake and coughed, glancing around. Three days had passed, he'd smacked into the tree so hard. During which they'd entered winter; it was now so dark he could hardly see his own paws in front of his face. The fact his wounds had become infected and fogged his vision didn't help at all; it was dark, blurry, and in the middle of a forest; even the softest crash into a tree would knock him back out and he was already dehydrated, and his legs shook so much that he was unsure he'd be able to even walk. His ears rang with a high-pitched unidentifiable sound as he stood. Kardama released a low sigh as he glanced around and slowly began on his journey, occasionally tripping over his paws and nearly falling over. Soon his paws kicked up quite a lot of water; a puddle made by the snow that had thawed temporarily. He bent down and quickly lapped it up until he could take no more, at which point he stopped to look around. Dark trees, shadows, a bit of snow, and a few other puddles was all to be seen. Kardama dragged himself to the side of a tree and slumped down, unable to keep himself awake anymore.
...
Another day. Time to get a move on. Kardama glanced up, met with not a sun nor a moon, just the occasional star. He sighed before he pulled his paws beneath him and pushed himself up, stumbling through the forest blankly as he stared around again. So dark. Kardama shot another nervous glance around before he began to walk away from the location, towards where his pack was. At least, where he thought they were. He tripped over something and gazed down warily; a couple bones, sitting next the rotting carcass of Koi. Kardama shuddered before he quickly turned away, carrying on swiftly with his tail between his legs as he walked. He was hungry; he probably should look for.. some other carcass. As he walked, he noticed the sky lightened to a still very dark gray. Perhaps it was morning? He carried on unsuspectingly, though he did notice a couple flashes of black from the corner of his vision. Maybe he was hallucinating? After all, he did slam into that tree super hard.. though, as he carried on, and he looked up for perhaps a star to guide him or the moon, or even the faint shine of a sun, he was only met by three pairs of bright glowing lights. The pinpoints of white seemed to be attached to a small grouping of three black cloud-looking shapes, though they each bore a long flicking tail. A wolfcat..? A wolfcat pack? Kardama didn't know, and he didn't want to know. He glanced back down wearily. He was getting tired; perhaps he should curl up under a tree while he still had the chance.. No, not with those eyes peering down at him. Kardama staggered away, struggling as he tripped through the bushes and a few inches of snow. Suddenly he tripped over a small pebble and face-planted. Kardama struggled back up to his paws, only to fall over again, once more unable to keep himself up.
...
The third day. Kardama sighed as he blinked awake, still dizzy and winded from the first. He glanced around anxiously before he slowly struggled up for the third time. It was bad news to see the glowing eyes were back, and that now he was starting to see less clearly than even the first day. His wounds must be getting worse.. Kardama didn't take a gander at his injuries; he was unwilling to see what they'd developed into. Instead, he looked away and began to stagger off, leaving a small trail of blood behind. A couple hours of walking passed, the longest he'd stayed awake for, as he blankly stumbled through the forest. The three pairs of eyes followed him the entire time, and when he paused to take a drink from another small pool of melted snow, before Kardama looked up. The black things were even more unidentifiable now, simply a blur disrupting the gray sky. His ears swiveled to the side as he gazed up into the canopy. His tail flicked as the black cloudy things seemed to stare at him intensely. Kardama shuddered, eyes locking with one of the pairs of eyes, before he forced his gaze away and back at the ground as he carried on. His paws were dragged over the landscape as he walked, whether he was just unable or unwilling to walk properly unclear. Kardama halted in front of a tree, and he thought about going to sleep under it. But he'd only come a little farther than yesterday, and at this rate he'd never get away from those white eyes if he didn't continue.. clearly his legs thought differently, since they gave way under him. However, Kardama hardly noticed; one of the bright pairs of eyes had leapt down and the cloud had become clearer, resembling a wolfcat. Kardama was too tired to protest as it bent down, grabbed him by the scruff, and began to walk off. He instead fell limp in the wolfcat's jaws and it dragged him off a cliff, directly onto a ledge.. Kardama finally fell victim to his sleepiness and blacked out as the wolfcat lay him down in front of a normal-looking black wolf with gold eyes.

Cougarclaw's Spirits [NBW]