Lagoon

Lagoon was dreaming, she knew that. She didn’t know how, or why. She looked around.

Her surroundings were a forest clearing. The forest itself was just birches and oaks, but they were all dead, with gray mist forming at their bases. The grass was a dark tan, crunchy beneath her paws.

A presence lingered in the air, not alive, yet not dead. It lingered like a thorn in a wolf’s pelt. Lagoon was rather unsettled with it.

All of a sudden, jumbled whispers started speaking what sounded like a secret code. The air seemed to stop, and then Lagoon couldn’t breathe. She tried to run, but black vines started to crawl up her paws, to her legs, spreading like weeds in the spring.

She gasped as the vines spread to her neck, choking her tightly. They spread to her ears, her head. She cried out, but was cut off as the vines finally shut her mouth violently. She tried to move, but the vines gripped her like claws.

And finally, as her brain lost its oxygen, her eyes shut.

…

Lagoon snapped her head up, to hear a voice laugh warmly behind her. She sighed. Of course Black Boot was laughing!

“Oh, you've had a bad dream, haven't you? I can relate. Seriously, you were tossing against the wall of your hollow, even kept Metallic up all night!”

Lagoon was in the pack den, her ‘small’ hollow seemed so big. Sometimes she wondered if her pack spoiled her because of her clubbed foot. She sighed.

“Oh, please, Black Boot, how could you? You were raised by Ginger. You know how she is, ‘“ Think positive, it’s the only thing that helps you in life!”’ She’s crazy, I tell you! Crazy!” She said, mocking the wolf.

Black Boot giggled, Her beautiful ginger pelt sparkling in the sunlight. It had black paws with dark ginger and black splotches. Her eyes were a dark blue.

Suddenly, Lagoon started feeling a small amount of pulsing through her bad foot. She winced as it quickly went from a small spider bite amount of pain to a bear clawing her eyes out pain. She started to gasp, breathless. “Metallic,” She said. “Fetch him, my foot…”

Black Boot ran for Metallic, the pack healer's den. She hissed in pain. Her eyes were tearing up, the pain was as bad as it was in her dream! She stayed where she was, laying on the floor and digging her claws into the ground.

Metallic burst into the hollow, a large fern leaf in hand. “Black Boot, help her get to the stream. I’ll guide her as well.” He bent down, and nosed Lagoon up. She tried to get up on wobbly legs, but she fell down. She tried again, and immediately collapsed onto Metallic’s shoulder. His eyes were wide in panic, and Black Boot trailed behind them as they clambered out of the hollow.

They walked along the sand path, leading to the bank of the stream. She hissed at the pain as more spasms violently shook her leg. Metallic quickened his pace, but slowed down as Lagoon started to struggle to keep up, her shoulder slipping from his.

When they were beside the stream, Metallic gently beckoned for her to put her bad leg in it. She obeyed, wincing as the cold quickly hit it like an elk’s antlers. She sighed as the pain started to become blocked by the cold.

“Thank you,” Said Lagoon. “You’re a great healer.” She looked around, her mind finally calming. How late was it? She realized that none of her packmates were around camp.

“Where are the others?” She asked, sniffing the air.

Black Boot looked at her. “Well, I sent Splotch, Ginger, Kion, Fiery, and Heron to go reclaim the chunk of territory the Night Cast pack stole from us in the Jared Mountain. They’re probably fighting right now. Then, I sent Icegaze, Heights, and Mountain to go for an elk hunt in the Crystal Meadows.” Lagoon winced when she said her mate’s name, Splotch, was fighting in enemy territory.

Metallic lifted her leg out of the water gently in his jaws. “Does this hurt?” He asked, prodding it with a paw. Lagoon shook her head. “Good.” He murmured. “I’ll get back to my den. You can join the fighting patrol. I doubt they’ll be able to lay a paw on you.” He winked at her.

Lagoon took off, without waiting to ask permission from Black Boot. Her legs seemed to propel herself forward mindlessly. The wind forced back her fur as the moss became grass, and the stream turned to river. The river soon veered right, towards the Gorge. She shivered as she tried not to think of falling in there.

Soon, she came to the mountain base. She heard horrible snarls and cries of pain. She pounded up the slope, her mind flashing. Was Splotch dead? Were all of them ok? She continued up, until…

She saw flashing pelts, snarling and growling started to ring out in the peaks. She dashed forward to where two wolves were holding Splotch down. Anger flared through her as one wolf mocked him.

“You’ll never take the peaks, never!” The wolf laughed. “I’ll bite your nose off befor-” He was cut off as Lagoon pounced on his back, biting his ear. She tore it, spitting the skin out on the ground. The wolf shrieked, and took off, shaking Lagoon away. He ran back to his side of the peaks, howling. His wolves all followed him, but then…