Fallen Wolves #2: Everlasting Shadows by Katie Radgowski (top 10 novels of all time .txt) 📕

 "It can't happens in the river, mudbrains!" Muddy retorted. "We woulds all be swepts away by the currents!" 

"Frostpaw's right." Fang suddenly brought up, his ears pricked. "We could fight on the shoreline, or in the shallows and even on the stepping stones and boulders." 

 Frostpaw shot Muddy a proudful glance. Muddy bit back a sharp snarl. 

"But hows?" Muddy asked, determined to prove Frostpaw wrong. "I means, we would all drowns or be dragged unders before we could bites each others." 

 "We have claws. We can hold on. Besides, shadows don't like water. We would have an advantage." Fang replied evenly. 

 Muddy snorted. 

 Fang turned, flicking his tail as he called. "I'm going to tell Moon Leader. She'll probably consider it!" 

 Fang started to pad up the ivy covered boulder to Moon Leader's den. He saw Muddy and Frostpaw scuffling, battering each other. He sighed in amusement. 

Fang padded inside the cave of Moon Leader's den. It was dark and quiet inside. The circular hole in the wall that let in sunlight was patched up by a sheet of lichen. Fang saw old bones and scraps of fur from eaten prey in a pile next to the wall. A sadness hung in the cave's air. 

 Fang shook his pelt. The wind that brushed on the top of the den made in eerie, ghostly noise. Fang felt uncomfortable as the air in the den was moist and a bit tight. 

Fang saw the outline of an humped creature in the back of the den. Fang paused before he softly barked. "Hello?" 

The creature stirred and Fang reconized Moon Leader. She was in a small mossy nest in the corner, on a short pile of sand. 

"What it is?" She asked. Fang saw that she looked...horrible. Her fur was dirty and prickled out, as her eyes were larger then usual. Bones shown through her fur and she had a nasty looking scratch on her shoulder. Her voice was quiet and raspy. 

Fang's neck fur rose as he asked. "What happened to you, Moon Leader?" 

 "Nothing. I'm fine." She replied as she rose to her paws. 

"No, no your not. Something's wrong." Fang argued. 

"Nothing's wrong, ok?" Moon Leader growled suddenly. "Stop asking me that! I'm fine, I'm ok, I'm great, happy?" 

 Fang flattened his ears. Moon Leader's yellow teeth were bared. Fang never saw her look so furious. Fang sighed. 

"Moon Leader, why are you always so sad? I've never seen you joyful since I was even born!" 

 Moon Leader looked away. Fang heard rumors that before he was born, Moon Leader had a crush on the past Healer, Edge of Cliff. The Seniors said she was always happy. But until Edge was killed by a grizzly bear, she turned slowly sorrowful and quiet. Fang was tired that she never came out of her den only to go hunt small meals or do any ceramonies. Fang knew that she was upset and loved the past Healer very much. 

"You have to let him go." Fang murmured softly as his tail tip gently rested on her shoulder. "He's gone. You have other duties now. You have to help your Pack get ready and fight to the last breath. Edge would want you too." 

 Moon Leader drew in a sharp breath as she turned around to face Fang. "It's not that! I know Edge would want me too. I've gotten over his death." 

"Then why are you always do sad?" Fang questioned. 

"I'm not sad." Moon Leader shot back. "I'm troubled. Have you ever noticed? I don't whine every day or whimper. I'm thinking." 

Fang cocked his head. Thinking? For so long? 

"Why?" 

"Sky Lupus sended me a omen." Moon Leader explained as she sat down, eyes troubled. "About one wolf to can save us all with his special power. That wolf's in my Pack. And there is... a Second One. To help that wolf. Fang... I think the first wolf is you. You have that special power, strength, speed and ability to.. well... you know." 

 Fang nodded. "I think your right. I mean, I'm faster then most wolves, stronger and I seem to know more things than other wolves do. But... but who's the Second One?" 

"I don't know. I'm studying each wolf closely. It's all confusing." Moon Leader confessed. 

Fang flexed his claws. Sky Lupus destined the Second One to help him with his power and his own omens. But how could that wolf help him when he didn't know who it was? 

"Look out for the Second One." Moon Leader told him as she got up and walked toward's the entrance. "It's in our Pack... right under our noses. But we can't see it." 

Fang watched as the Trainees bowled into each other, pawing each other roughly. The Hunter Trainees were practicing battle moves. It was wierd but they needed to know some battle moves to fight in the battle. Every wolf would help in the war. 

Fang saw Star's littermate, Boulder, crash into Star, biting her nose playfully. Star rolled over, battering his belly with her hindpaws. Their excited squealing shook the air as they crashed into each other. 

"Would you be squealing in joy if one enemy slashed through your flesh with it's claws?" Thunder of Day, one old Defender, snapped as he prowled forward. 

The Trainees stopped tussling. Silver padded forward, pelt pricked out from the fight. "No, sir." 

 "Exactly." Thunder huffed. "You would be angry and in pain. You would want vengenace. So, you would fight back." 

The Trainees nodded. Fang bunched his muscles as he called out. "You would start a surprise attack move like... this!" 

Fang launched himself at Thunder, sending the black wolf off his paws. Dust rose into the air like a cloud, as Fang held Thunder down, nipping at his throat.

"Since this is a battle between life and death, you would bite your opponent's throat and hold it, like you would attack fresh-kill. Then, their dead." Fang explained. 

Fang let Thunder back to his paws, who muttered in anger from the sudden move. Fang flashed Thunder a glance. Of course, Thunder knew more about battle then Fang. But Fang wasn't trying to show off, but was trying to teach the younger wolves.

"I hope I can kill Dark Shadows." Robin, one Trainee, barked excitedly. "He'll be crying in horror and whimpering to his mummy!" 

"No, I'll kill him!" Boulder shot back, his voice loud. "I'll make his grandwolf cry in pain!" 

Fang felt his fur bristle. Of course, they were young and didn't know how much trouble Dark Shadows was. They would all be killed. Fang could only defeat him. 

"Hey, Romeo, done dreaming?" Thunder muttered to him. "Let's teach these Pups." 

Fang nodded. 

Thunder raised his voice to the arguing Trainees. "Okay, rooks, get on your paws and do belly roll moves with a partner! Show us what you know." 

The Trainees raced around, picking out partners. Soon, they were all in a line, one partner of the other side and the partner of the side. After some moments, they leashed out, the first partner attacking and pinning the other.

The second partner lashed out his or her hindpaws, battering the first partner's belly until the partner jumped off. They all did it twice before going in a straight line, still as stone. 

Thunder winked to the puzzled Fang before he howled. "Do the practice killing bite! No real teeth biting or your out!" 

The Trainees suddenly zoomed again, going into the same line. After a few heartbeats, the first partner jumped to the other. They nipped and pawed each other, like a real fight, before the first partner flung out, wrapping his jaws around the second partner's neck. 

Fang bit back a frightened yelp before he realized that the Trainees weren't biting, just holding their necks. The second partner hung limply, ears pricked for more instructions. 

"Aw, good. You'll all do just fine." Fang sighed. "You could learn these moves for you hunting patrols. It'll come in handy." 

The Trainees nodded. Soon, Fang dismissed them. They all tumbled over one another, racing to the Infirmary and to their Carers paws. 

"Trainees," Thunder sighed, "gotta learn to love them." 

"Yep. I think their ready for the fight." Fang admitted. "I mean, their battle moves were good. Better then usual, actually." 

"Yep. Dark Shadows better run before he has no tail!" Thunder replied. 

Fang licked his paws as he drove them over his neck fur. He was giving himself a nice, smooth bath. The battle training got him dirty, with flecks of dirt, dust and grass longed into his pelt. Misty offered to help but Fang said he could do it on his own. He wasn't a Pup and didn't need another wolf's tongue driving down his fur. 

 Fang saw Storm looking at him from across the clearing, his eyes sorrowful. Fang didn't meet his eyes. 

Storm told Fang when he was just a true Hunter that his mother was another wolf from another rival Pack. Storm said that he took Fang in, because his mother gave him up from some other reason. Fang was furious, angry at Storm for raising him in a lie. Now, Fang ignored Storm and mostly went on any patrols without Storm's shadows. 

Fang saw a Prey Patrol come in. Some wolves crowded around, looking hungry for some meat. Fang felt his belly rumble, but he would eat later. 

"An omen, you say? It does look like it." Acorn's voice rumbled from the group. 

 Fang rose to his paws, curious as he padded over. The wolves were surronding two dead squirrels. One had black fur and another had brown. The squirrel with black fur had blood around it's muzzle while the brown squirrel had a bad bite on the back of it's neck. 

"An omen?" Fang asked, pushing his way to the front. "Of what?" 

"We found the squirrels attacking each other." Fawn of Valley, one Hunter, explained as