Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 She awoke to a sharp pain on her tail. “Sorry.” A kind, soothing voice said.  It had a calming effect on Whiteclaw, and she forgot about the other night’s worrying events.

A soft, moist herb was being rubbed on her back, and the pain eased. “Your wounds are healing quickly.” The voice said.

 “Thank-you for helping me.” Whiteclaw licked her snowy white fur, pulling out dirty tufts.

“Want a tour?” The voice asked, coming from a mango-furred wolf sitting on the stone. “And you may call me Mangopelt.”

“Ok.” Snowclaw nodded.

“Follow me.” Mangopelt, led Whiteclaw out of the cave, into the sunny forest. Light shone through the leaves, turning them emerald and gold. The sky was a deep dark blue, and finally, Snowpaw felt at home.  

When they were cubs, Whiteclaw and Silverkit were abandoned and forced to stay in hiding. They were constantly on the move, since they were on human territory. Kids played in nearby branches, and that forest had stretched out for miles and miles, and as a cub Snowpaw had long dreamed about leaving that musty wood, and exploring the world beyond. But to get out of that wood, Snowpaw and her sister would’ve had to go through a human settlement. . It was too dangerous.  

Yet they had been chasing squirrels one day, and accidently went into the terrible place the humans lived in.

Humans found them, and threw pointy weapons at their fur. A large dog, a golden retriever, had guarded them and hid them in the basement.  

They owed him many thank-you’s for that brave feat, and they became friends, though they  

were very unalike. The dog had offered Whiteclaw dirty brown things called kibbles, in a plastic bowl. The dog chased squirrels for fun, while Whiteclaw and Silverkit hunted squirrels to survive.  She was filled with jealousy over how those humans treated the dog, petting him and loving him and feeding him treats.  But Snowpaw knew she could never live that easy life. Not after the humans chased her. She was forced to stay in the forest, hardly managing to find scraps. But now, though she had been here only two days, felt like this would be her home.  

                  Mangopelt trotted ahead, and Snowclaw struggled to keep up. Mangopelt finally stopped at a fallen oak, plastered with spider webs and moss. “This is The Tree of Dreams.” She said. “Ask it any question, and if your question isn’t greedy or un-grantable, the tree will tell you the answer in a dream.”

Snowclaw stood, staring at the tree in awe. A tree that could ask questions? That sounded to good to be true. A thousand questions ran through her mind, yet she stopped at one. She was about to whisper her wish, when she noticed Mangopelt’s expression. She looked at the tree with hate, not awe and happiness. She heard a quiet mutter, at the edge of her mind.  “At least, it answers your questions with lies.”

Snowclaw quickly decided to continue on with the tour, but was turned to Mangopelt’s angry gaze. Finally she spoke. “Can you continue the tour?” She asked.

                  Snowclaw waited a few seconds, yet heard no answer. Mangopelt was whispering things to the tree, in an icy voice much different from the warm, soothing voice Snowclaw had heard before.,

                  Mangopelt started whispering a bit louder, reciting spell words. Somehow the words didn’t sound mortal, and they sent a strange sensation shooting down from her ears to her paws. Strange mist swirled around the air, and somehow Snowclaw knew she should stop it.  The tree branches shook, and rain poured down, swirling into a twisting tornado of light. Snowclaw raced to hold onto something, but it was too late.

Right before the darkness came, Snowclaw had one last thought. Who is Mangopelt really? She heard a loud roar of wind, and the stars came.