GHOST

What does one do when they have the rest of their day free of all chores and tasks? That's what the young she-wolf asked herself whilst she stepped out of the leader's den. It was quite warm for a late Summar day, however she couldn't really go anywhere since she was supposed to be grounded. Maybe helping Silver wasn't such a bad idea afterall- at least she wouldn't spend the remainder of the day bored to death.

And when boredom comes around, bad ideas are very quick to follow.

That wolf from earlier, although she had seen it before, Lunis had never seen it from this close before. Usually, it would hide somewhere behind a tree or a boulder, peering slightly from the side as if spying her every move. And yet today, it had shown up in plain sight as if mocking her, teasing her to come look for it. What made today different? Why did it suddenly decide to show itself in broad daylight?

A shiver nipped at her paws, fueled by her curiosity. She had to know.

Now all she had to do was sneak away, which luckily, was one of her specialties; as a pup, Lunis had a nack for slipping away whenever she desired too. Probpem is, she wasn't very good at sneaking back in without getting caught.

With a smirk lifting her lips, Lunis trotted over to the far right of the den, at the spot where the brambles of the camp's walls connected with the leaders den. She knew of a small opening beneath the bramble which she could fit through, one she had hidden with a few spare branches a while back. Careful to not attract any attention, Lunis tossed aside the branches then squeezed herself down the opening, digging the bottom of the tunnel to allow herself through- it felt a little tighter than she remembered. The thorns clung and ripped at her fur, but she ignored the unpleasant feeling and crawled ahead. Her pristine white head popped through the mouth of the opening on the other side and she swept her gaze across the forest clearing. With the coast clear, she wiggled her shoulders and legs, then popped her rear out before covering up the small entrance from view.

Now freed from the grasp of the tunnel, Lunis took a grand detour towards the plains, making sure she'd avoid the territories' patrols whilst she headed for the meadows. Although she could be certain no one would cross by her scent trail, she made sure to leave as little tracks as possible, just in case today would be the day Falla* played tricks on her.

Cautiously, the female made her way through the dense forest of the north, relishing the sensation of soft leaves and prickly pine needles beneath her paws. Every sound from her surroundings, accompanied by the plethora of smells enveloping the atmosphere made her fall into a state of peace as all her worries were erased with the wind. She shook her pelt hastily and groaned; this wasn't a time for day dreaming, she had to reach the meadows and head back before anyone notices she's missing- if they hadn't already.

The sun had lowered midway behind the treeline by the time she reached the plains, the darkness of nightfall steadily taking over; she had more than enough time to head back. Once she broke into the field, she bee lined towards the remains of the carcass, chasing away a few coyotes in the process. Seeing her size, the coyotes knew better than to challenge the Huntress, deciding instead to leave their meal behind. The smell of blood and meat watered the young she-wolf's mouth when she approached the carcass, walking amongst a few crows who had decided to join the feast. She didn't bother chasing them away, too focused onto retracing her steps to notice their squabbling. It was pretty simple considering the blood trail she left behind was still quite visible to ghe naked eye. Nose stuck to the ground, she traced her way back to the very spot she laid down, the same place she'd seen it. A strange chill crept down her spine while she recalled her vision, paws suddenly rooted to the ground when she gazed up towards the location she last saw it.

There it was.

Standing amidst the waves of gold was the form of a silver and white wolf, it's eyes void of all emotion or color. Lunis' gaze locked with the entity, a sense of fear dread crawling through her veins. Whisper invaded her mind, slowly taking over her own thoughts whilst her muscles froze in place.

The sudden caw of a crow pulled the female's focus towards the sky, shocked to notice a murder of jet black birds were circling above her, as if mistaking her for prey. She stepped back, spooked by the ssigh. What's with this sudden dread she's feeling? Why does her body feel so... heavy? When her gaze lowered, the female almost jumped out of her skin; blood and chunks of fur lithered the ground, reflecting an equally crimson sky amongst a sea of bodies. She stepped back, terrified by the scene when her movement was suddenly halted by the scream of another crow swooping above her. She spun around, teeth barred into a snarl when Lunis found herself face to face with the ghost, muzzles so close she could feel it's icy breathe blow into the fur of her neck. Unable to move, the Huntress was left to stare into the blank eyes of the being before her, their piercing white glow striking fear into her soul.

She snarled, refusing to let it know she was afraid but the creature didn't back off. Neither did she. Pressure began to build in her temples as if the entity tried to force her to look away, but the she-wolf refused to give in and held her ground. Lunis snarled between her clenched maw then lunged at the entity, paws scoring into a mass of fur and flesh. The two ended up caught in a few rolls, Lunis holding her opponent tightly in her grasp. At last, the rivals halted in their tumble when Lunis pinned her target into the ground, shoving her muzzle into it's face.

"AAAH! PLEASE DON'T EAT ME, I DON'T TASTE GOOD!!!"

She halted, starring into the silver wolf's white eyes... That voice... She blinked as the wolf's pelt went from silver, to a light brown pattern.

" BLAZE!?" Dumbfounded, the Huntress stared down at her companion whilst he trembled in fear, covering his face with his paws. "What are you-!? Did you follow me!?"

Realizing who's presence he was in, the youngster peaked through a shaky paw, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Loony?"

Her ears pinned onto her skull, frustration lacing her words as realization sunk in. "What are you doing here, Blaze?"

His eyes grew into wide golden pools, fear striken by the tone of her growl. "I noticed you weren't around- I-I was just making sure you were okay-" he whimpered in response, tail tucked between his legs.

The female scoffed, stepping back with a crossed look on her face. Why must he always cling to her like some shadow- "I don't need you to check on me, I'm not a pup and I certainly don't need your help!"

Blaze gazed at her from his spot before he stood up and ruffled his fur, freeing it from all debris clinging at his pelt. He tilted his head, frowning. "I know that Loo-" a glare sent his way made him correct his mistake: "Lunis. However, you seemed really... odd earlier. I was making sure you were oka-

- I'm fine." She growled, shaking her head. "Just needed a little fresh air."

The female sat down and turned to her back to her companion. Blaze however, once again refused to give up. Tilting his head further, he scooted and craned his neck into her view, smiling with hope. She arched a brow as he laid down on his back, poking her shoulder with a gentle nudge of his paw.

"What are you doing?" Groaned the female, confused by his behavior.

"Being cute.

- That's not cute, if anything you're being really weird and annoying.

- Come on Lunis, I'm just trying to help-" He straightened up, eyeing her with worry. "What's the point of being friends if you won't even talk to me? You know I'm always around if you need a shoulder to lean on."

The Huntress gazed down, unable to bring herself to speak. Blaze however, didn't need any words to understand her; "Oh... This is about your visions, isn't it?

- Yeah." Lunis' shoulders hunched at her words as if she had just shared her darkest secret. "It's been much more... frequent and I don't know what to do about it. It won't leave me alone...

- Did you tell Navira?

- Of course not! You know how she gets whenever I talk to her about these- Besides, everyone already thinks I'm crazy.

- I don't." Lunis smiled at his reply while he pawed his face gently to straighten his muzzle's messy fur.

The female cackled, rolling her eyes with an unimpressed look and a teasing tone to her voice. "That's only because you're already crazy.

- Hey, I'm not that bad." The youngster gave out a petty pout, teasing his friend as the two broke into a laugh.

With her anxiety dissipated, Lunis felt as if she was finally able to breathe and gave out a long sigh of relief. She nudged his shoulder. "Thanks bud.

- Anytime, Loony-!

- BLAZE!

- Sorry!" Squeaked the young male as he flinched to the ground. Despite her spike of anger, Lunis rolled her eyes and brushed it off; they should start to head home or else she'd risk getting into more trouble than she already is.

Letting out another sigh, the female nudged her companion into the right direction: "Come on, fuzz brain, I have to get home before someone notices I'm gone.

- Don't you mean someoneel-" She scowled at his words, giving him a glare that spoke a thousand words. "Yeaaah, never mind. Heading home now!"

A nervous whimper escaped the youngsters throat, and he pelted away before Lunis could scold him further. Despite the lingering gloom of her doubts, Lunis couldn't help but crack a wolfy smile at her friend's goofiness. If there was one thing she'd always known Blaze to be, he would always be the sweetest fuzz brain of the north lands to her. She broke into a small canter, tracing back her friend's steps as they headed back to camp, pelts warmed by Summar's warm summer light.