WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition: Akela’s Pack. Book 4 Balto’s Challenge Part 2

The white yearling wolf, known as Balto, tromped confidently through the darkening forest. His snout was higher than it usually was, and his ears were alert and focused on every little sound they picked up on. Just up ahead, his brother Maverick, and nephews Cody, Jack and Bruno, were stalking a small elk herd.

Maverick charged out of the forest and into the clearing, heading for the unsuspecting herd, followed by his three sons. Balto didn’t hesitate to follow the sound of their footsteps across the field and back into the forest. He sprinted as fast as he could to catch up, carefully maneuvering around trees and stumps that blocked his path.

He soon picked up on the scent of blood ahead, and could hear the crashing through underbrush stop suddenly. Balto slowed his pace, but continued toward the desperate calls of the elk. “Balto?!” Maverick yipped in surprise at the sight of the white yearling dart past him and latch his jaw onto the cow elk’s flank. Balto then froze in place, as if surprising himself at what he had just done.

The elk, seeing an exit past the startled wolves, galloped away, knocking Balto to the ground. He shook off his thick dusty pelt before racing after the sound and bloody smell of the elk. After bumping into countless trees, the yearling was finally able to lock his jaw over the elk’s hind leg. He heard footsteps behind him, and half expected Maverick to start yelling at him to come back, but he didn’t. Instead his nostrils filled with Bruno’s scent as the large pup latched onto the opposite hind leg beside him.

Then, he could hear and smell Jack run up beside the frantic elk and grab her side. Together they pulled her to a stop, and none of them let go. Balto felt the muscles of the elk tighten just before she reared up onto her hind legs and spun around. Jack stumbled to the ground, landing on his side as Balto and Bruno were yanked off by the sudden, unexpected motion. Bruno saw what was coming, and managed to scramble out of the way, but Balto was left staring up at the elk in a confidant silver-eyed glare.

The elk smashed her front hooves onto the yearling’s head, just above his right eye. He let out an ear-piercing yelp as he stumbled to the ground in shock, not knowing what had happened. Numbness invaded his whole body, until there was nothing left to feel.

The small white wolf lifted his head out of the deep snow with a gasp. He gazes around him in a slight panic, even though he can’t see a thing. Sniffing the air and smelling only the pine trees and the threat of another snowfall, he lets out a sigh. “It was just a dream.” He told himself before standing up and shaking the snow off of his winter coat. His thick fur blocked the bitterness of the sub-zero air from reaching his skin. Winter was nowhere near ending it’s wrath on the world. But that was for some strange reason, was a good thing for not only the Burnt Creek Pack, but every forest dwelling creature.

Balto sat back down into the deep snow with another sigh as he thought back to his first hunt over two years ago. It had happened just as he remembered in the dream. That nightmare of pain left him with a scare above his right eye, and the experience had changed his life forever. He never let that kick in the head stop him from trying to hunt again, and even though he can’t see his prey, he still manages to hunt on his own.

Suddenly, Balto’s ears flattened and his head lowered as he remembered what had happened in the years afterward. He lifted his snout to the lightly lit sky above, and let out a long, sorrowful howl escape his throat.

Star, his mother, had passed late in the winter after his first hunt. It was a difficult time for the whole pack then and afterwards. Misty and Maverick’s next two litters didn’t survive their first year of life. Starvation became the biggest issue. Something was beginning to change. The sky became louder with the large metal birds. The scent of the neighbouring packs to the North and West were diminishing, along with several other species, including elk and deer.

But the most disturbing thing began a few short months ago…

It was the beginning of autumn, the now brown leaves were beginning to fall from the trees. The heat of summer had been replaced with the chilliness of fall in less than a day and the North-Western breeze brought a different smell to Balto’s nose. He lifted his snout to the air, forgetting completely about the angry squirrel that had been screaming at him for the past 20 minutes.

This scent was new, different and somehow the wolf knew, almost as an instinct that it was dangerous. “Do you smell that?” Balto asked as he continued to intensely sniff the air, his body stiff and his ears alert. Willow and Tucker were nearby and sensed his uneasiness. They both studied the air with their noses for a moment.

“What is that?” Tucker asked in bewilderment.
“I don’t know, but we’d better report this to Maverick.” Willow barked as her hackles raised slightly. The two of them turned to go, and after one last long sniff Balto followed, keeping his ears alert and his nose sharp.

They trotted quickly through the woods until finding most of the rest of the pack play fighting and roughhousing in a clearing by a creek. “Maverick!” Willow called to her brother as the three trotted up to him.

“Willow? Whats the matter?” Maverick asks as he and Misty turn to face the three.
“We found a new scent on the wind and thought we should tell you.” Balto tells him in a bark.
“A new scent?” He asks in curiosity.
“Yes, it’s like nothing I’ve ever smelled before. It almost seemed like it wasn’t…wild” Willow informs him. Maverick tilts his head slightly for a moment. Before anyone has a chance to say anything else, Mia and Sword quickly bounded out of the forest. Balto could smell the concern in their heavy panting as they galloped toward them.

“Maverick…we over heard, the ravens speaking..” Sword panted between breaths as they stopped in front of Maverick and the others.
“There’s a strange creature coming this way!” Mia quickly finished for her brother. Maverick sprang to his paws with a firm look on his furry face.
“Which direction? And how far?” He asked.
“To the North-West, just outside the territory!” Sword answered after catching his breath.
“Balto, since you’ve got the best nose in the pack, do you think you could lead us to this new creature?” Maverick asked. Balto sniffed the air, catching a glimpse of the new scent on the chilly breeze.

“Of course Maverick, I’ve already got the scent!” Balto barked confidently.
“Good, Bruno why don’t you come along, it’s about time I took you on a scout mission.” Maverick turned to his brown coated son, who wagged his tail in agreement with his head held high and confidant.