Forest's Journey
Prologue

Omega closed her eyes exhaustingly after giving birth to seven pups. She sunk into a deep sleep, until she opened her eyes and found herself in a brightly lit forest, the moon shining unusually bright above. She gasped. She was in The Pack of the Moon’s hunting grounds! The Pack of the Moon was all the she-wolves’ ancestors, and only the high ranking wolves’ dreams were visited by them to either tell them a prophecy or give some vital advice. She was lowly-ranked in the pack, a young and inexperienced Omega. Why would they appear to her? Suddenly, she saw the figure of a wolf running towards her. Her heart leapt with joy as she saw who it was.

“Hi, mum! I missed you so much! I wish you were here to see my pups be born. I’m so worried about them. How will the pack treat them as the Omegas’ pups?” she greeted.

“Hello, my precious daughter. I can see your pups’ from The Pack of the Moon as clearly as I could see on Earth. Don’t worry about your pups, The Pack of the Sun received a prophecy through one of its wolves and the prophecy has predicted a wonderful destiny in front of them, and as your mother it’s my job to deliver the message to you so you are prepared to tell your pups. Now listen. There are many lands beyond your own that have lone wolves who want to create a pack, but have failed since they don’t have a suitable leader. As the ancestors of the packs, we have heard the cries of these wolves, and want to see more packs in this world. Your pups are destined to become the Alpha of those wolves. Each of your sons will go to a different type of habitat to create packs. On the way to their habitats, they need to make four good friends to be the Alpha of four other packs when they reach their destination.

Your oldest son would be named Forest, and would travel to live in the forest. Your second oldest son would be named Ocean, and would travel to live near the ocean. Your third oldest son would be named River, and would travel to live in a crossing of rivers. Your fourth oldest son would be named Mountain, and would travel to live on mountains. Your third youngest son would be named Desert, and would travel to live in a desert. Your second youngest son would be named Tree, and would travel to live in the woodlands. Your youngest son would be named Rock, and would travel to live in the outback. Remember, just before they become an adult member of the pack, you need to tell them their destiny and send them on their journey. Tell them to replace a safe place to sleep after they’re not on the pack’s territory anymore so The Pack Of The Sun can share dreams with them ” informed Omega’s mother Fern.

Omega suddenly felt that the ground below her paws had vanished and that she had fallen into a swirl of deep, dark water.

“Why were my pups chosen?” she croaked

“We don’t know, since the way that the prophecies work are mysterious, even to us. Perhaps it was because your pups will grow up in a humble environment, so they won’t be as prideful when they become an Alpha, and they can create packs that are more friendly to lower-ranked wolves. You pups will also get to experience the benefits of close companionship with many other wolves, since they have many littermates.” Fern explained.

She had to give up the new pups she loved and admired so that the wolves’ ancestors could have more packs? Was her pups even going to survive through their journeys? She felt rage swell in her heart until she reminded herself that it wasn’t her place to question her ancestors’ decisions. Plus, she knew how badly the pack was going to treat her pups if they stayed, and her pups would need to prove themselves a lot to gain a better place. She decided that she had to- and she will- agree to the demand.

“Sure, mum, I’ll do that. I’m just not sure how I can remember so much for almost one year. I’ll miss them a lot too. Are they even going to survive?” questioned Omega.

“The Pack of the Moon will help you remember the things you need to tell your pups. Your ancestors can’t do everything, but we can predict that they will survive to create the packs, and have a fulfilling life as an Alpha in their new pack. Soon after you send off these pups, you will have new pups. However, these pups will have to gain their packmate’s respect for themselves with your and their ancestors’ help.” assured Fern

The hunting ground became a black swirl, and before she knew it she was back at her Omega den.

“Hi Mint, are you alright, you looked really tired.” murmured Omega’s mate, Bracken.

Normally the pack required them to be called Omega male and Omega female, but privately they called each other’s real names, Mint and Bracken.

“I’m fine, thanks. I dreamed of something really amazing. The Pack of the Moon appeared to me last night, and told me that our ancestors had a great destiny for all our pups, ” whispering, she told Bracken about the dream she had from The Pack of the Moon.

“Wow, that’s great! It’s a shame we can’t tell the rest of the pack, then they won’t dare be disrespectful to our pups.” Bracken whispered back.

“Omega male and Omega female, are you ready to present your newly born pups to us?” yelled Alpha male from outside the Pup Den.

“Yes Alpha, we’re ready. We had seven pups and we’ve decided to name all of them now.” Bracken replied, dipping his head low as he exited the Pups Den.

Mint followed right after him, dragging and pushing her seven pups out to the clearing to present to the pack.

“So, Omegas, what are your pups’ names?” asked Alpha male.

“They are Forest, Ocean, River, Mountain, Desert, Tree and Rock.” announced Mint as she pointed to each of her pups.

The pack surged forward to welcome the newly born pups.

It had been almost 12 moons after her pups first official pack presentation. The pack just did prey sharing, and she knew it was time to send her pups out to their journeys. She gathered them outside the camp, and told them the same things The Pack of The Moon told her 12 moons ago.

“Do any of you have any questions or comments before we go?” she asked after she told them all the information needed.

All her sons shook their heads, but their eyes were filled with uncertainty, fear at the coming journey, and grief over the separation. She silently escorted them out of the pack’s territory, not even taking a final chance to talk to each other because they knew it would make them cry and prohibit them from leaving. Once they arrived on the border, she muzzled them all one last time, then nodded for them to leave. Once they were all gone, she allowed her salty tears to drip where her pups’ scents still lingered.

“Omega female, where are your pups? They are to be presented to the pack soon.” inquired Alpha male.

“MY PUPS ARE MISSING! I SEARCHED ALL OVER OUR TERRITORY BUT I COULDN’T FIND THEM!” she screamed.

She searched her mate’s eyes for comfort, and she saw shock and confusion there until it slowly changed to understanding, grief and hope.