Forest's Journey
Chapter 28

When Forest fell asleep that night, he was visited in his dreams by the Pack of the Sun and Moon. Immediately, he saw his six brothers and his parents there, and they all seemed to be visitors, just like him. Forest breathed a sigh of relief. They were ok.

“I have brought you here all today so you can all know how you’re doing. You deserve to know, after all your incredible hard work.” announced Beech.

The wolves came together for a group hug, and after they pulled away, Mint asked:

“How are you all doing? Are you sleeping enough, eating enough and happy?”

“Yes, mum, I’m fine. I have established five packs in the forest and I’m now living quite happily as the Alpha of a pack. I’ve even found myself a mate.” replied Forest.

All of his brothers have created five packs in their respective territories too, and they were all living happy lives,

“That’s excellent! Mum and I are so glad that you’re living happy, fulfilling lives. This is the best destiny we could’ve ever asked for you.” exclaimed Bracken.

“How are you, mum and dad?” Ocean asked.

“We’re doing pretty well. The pack’s treating us, well…as poorly as usual, but dad and I are fine. I gave birth to a litter of four pups a moon ago.” answered Mint.

“How’s the pack treating them?” asked Mountain.

“Not that great. They’re the Omega’s pups, after all.” replied Bracken.

“The fact we left before we could be made Lambdas doesn’t help either.” added River.

“We tried telling the pack where you really went, but they wouldn’t believe us.” Mint said sadly.

“Tell them we love them, will you?” asked Desert.

“Yes of course, son.” responded Bracken.

“I created my pack in a way that treats everyone fairly. We still have roles and ranking orders, but I’ve taught everyone to treat each other equally.” reported Forest.

Forest learnt that his brothers had all done the same thing.

“You’re all so lucky to be able to create a brand new pack environment that is fair and friendly.” Mint commented wistfully.

“You come to live in our packs and take our siblings with you at any time.” offered Rock.

“We would love to, but we can’t be known in the pack as deserters. How would they treat your aunts, uncles and cousins then?” Bracken replied regretfully.

Forest sighed. This world was just so unfair sometimes. Why should his siblings stay in a pack that seemed to be pitched against them? Why should anyone suffer verbal abuse due to circumstances they had no control of? For the rest of the time there the family caught up on things they were not able to talk about in the past five moons. Finally, though, it was morning, and everyone was about to wake up. They said their goodbyes, though Beech promised them they would get to talk again in the future.

Mint and Bracken woke up to the cries of their pups. The parents looked down at their pups affectionately as they suckled on milk.

“We have to name them today.” reminded Bracken.

“I was thinking of Eagle for the oldest he-wolf.”

“And Cypress for the oldest she-wolf.”

“And Acorn for the youngest he-wolf.”

“And Lark for the youngest she-wolf.”

“Omega male and Omega female, are you ready to present your newly named pups to us?” the Alpha female asked from outside the den.

“Yes Alpha.” Bracken replied as he left the den.

Mint followed right after him, dragging and pushing her four pups out to the clearing to present to the pack. She was reminded of the first time she did this 17 moons ago.

Ocean woke up to a beautiful view from the high cliff that they lived on. The waves rippled gently on the horizon, and the wind brought a faint, pleasant smell of salt. The vast ocean was reflected in his stormy, blue eyes, and his pelt was ruffled lightly by the ocean breeze.

River woke up to the sound of the low-hanging branches of a willow tree brushing gently against rock, and as he padded towards the rivers for a morning walk, he could hear the calming sound of water gurgling as it gushed past.

Mountain woke up to a pleasant view of the mountain ranges. From his vantage point at the top of the mountain, he could see everything; every dew-laden tree, every bold, shiny rock, every animal running around on some errand, and every human rushing down the mountain at an unnatural speed.

Desert woke up to his pelt itching due to the heat, and he scuttled to the shade of the rock he lived next to. The sun shone down, making the yellow sand appear gold. The water in the oasis sparkled in the distance, and the sand gently covered over his paws with every step he took.

Tree woke up in a moderate and comfortable temperature. The sunlight glinted off the luscious green plants, making them appear shiny. The sunlight that shone through the leaves turned a jade colour, making the woods appear even more green.

Rock woke up to a reddish-brown landscape with rocks littered everywhere for as far as he could see. The atmosphere was hot and dry, and there wasn’t any reprieve save for the large lake they lived near and the rocks that provided them shade.

Forest woke up to a calm, peaceful scene in his camp. The soft, golden sunlight shone down on the hollow, and the newly-made Gammas were chatting merrily with Kestrel and the Omegas. Pod’s body had been removed from camp, and the only signs of the fight with foxes were the smudges of blood on the floor of the camp that would eventually be worn away. Forest glanced around the pack, proud of what he and his packmates had created. The pack was orderly and structured, and it was a friendly place for all. Every wolf felt safe, relaxed, valued and welcomed and there was almost none of the discrimination towards lower-ranked wolves that ran rampant in other packs. It was an honourable pack, and every important decision was made with righteousness and compassion. This was exactly what he had hoped for when he set out for his journey, and now, finally, he has made it a reality.