When he felt the spike of red-hot agony race along his right side he made no move to stop his fall. Bryce laid still for several moments on the forest floor, hind leg throbbing painfully with each beat of his heart. His grandfather had managed to cure him of his wolfsbane poisoning after a month of continuous treatment, his hind leg refused all attempts to heal it. The hooting of an owl drew his attention towards the western direction of the forest, his ears catching the sound of several pairs of hurried hooves trampling across the leaf-covered ground. Gritting his teeth against the spike of pain his leg gave as he rose, Bryce took off in the direction the sound came from.
He came face to face with a horde of deer. Calling forth a barrier of ice Bryce watched as the first several deer veered away from it on instinct, his golden eyes catching flashes of different colored coats amongst the trees. Ducking around a large oak tree the young prince moved quietly closer to where he'd spotted the last of the small pack of wolf siblings, tail swishing slowly when he spotted a brown coated wolf beside a fallen log. Sitting himself down on his haunches he waits for a moment before barking sharply, the fourth-month-old pup before him stiffens and flicks his ears. Bryce sometimes wonders how he'd become the guardian of four pups, the brown-coated wolf sighs and slowly rises to his paws. Bryce lifts his head and releases a short howl into the air that carries easily with a slightly chilly breeze, his ears twitch when he hears three sets of silent paws heading straight towards them. He doesn't move but does brace himself for the impending tackle he gets from the other three, he only has a chance to sigh before he's on his side once more.
His leg is throbbing something fierce again as several cool noses nudge alone his sides and face. The brown-coated wolf barks twice and the other three slowly move back a few steps, Bryce remains still for a few moments and when he feels the pain ease slightly he opens his eyes. Four different colored pups sit before him with ears perked and tails tucked around their paws. He wonders if Zane will join them or if the wolf is off somewhere again, he himself has been awake since dawn and is slowly beginning to regret it. Slowly sitting up Bryce exhales through his nose, an ear flicking as he waits to see what either pup has to say.
The eldest is a sleek black wolf with grey eyes that Bryce calls Orion, the second eldest is a white wolf with brown eyes named Frost. The last two are twins in color and golden eyes though Bryce can easily tell them apart, the one he had found was lighter in color then his brother and so Bryce called him Zen, the darker brown-coated wolf was named Naz and was the most adventurous of all four. It's Zen who moves forward and gestures to the herd that has long since vanished, Bryce blinks and watches as Zen raises a paw and rubs it against his muzzle.
They were hunting to see if they could catch their own food. Bryce flicked his tail and stood while Zen flopped onto his side, the prince pausing to nip at the tender underbelly the younger was showing him. He began the slow trek to where his grandfather's cabin was, his young pack-members easily joining him and creating a small circuit. He has to stop several feet later to lean against a tree trunk, his vision whitening around the edges. A cool nose nudges his leg and he blinks to find Frost standing in front of him, he sometimes forgets how they're all still growing in size. He shakes his head and pushes himself upright, his charges are still young and depend on him and his grandfather for food. Reaching the cabin after a few breaks along the way, Bryce slips inside and moves to settle amongst a pile of old blankets his grandfather has set for them, his small charges yipping and nipping at each other in a bid for a good spot. Bryce growls at them in slight irritation and relaxes when all four settle around or atop of him, a fire is blazing strongly in the fireplace in the center of the large room. He must doze off because when he wakes he can smell fresh meat and the scent of fresh flowers that indicate his grandfather had returned.
"Hungry as ever I see, how you can put up with them Bryce I'll never know." His grandfather Wesley replies gruffly despite the soft pets he's giving each pup, Bryce snorts softly and shifts until he's on his other side. He wasn't the one that had found the then two-month-old pups trying desperately to get milk from their deceased mother, a bond had been formed and he'd been damned if he'd let them wither away. Heavy footsteps paused where he lay and Bryce doesn't move even as a plate is set before him, a large warm hand settling stop his head a moment later. "Don't think I haven't noticed you're refusal to get up, eat up and I'll bandage your leg for the night." His grandfather states after a few moments of silence, Bryce grumbles though he lifts his head toward the plate. Dinner passes easily despite a fight between Zen and Naz fighting over their shares, Bryce having to step in with a sharp bark and burst of magic that settles them after a few moments. His leg is bandaged after a bath he doesn't put up a fight for, each pup letting him bathe them with minimal grumbling.
Everyone sleeps deeply that night.
~~~~
Five silent figures move silently amongst the bare trees, the full moon bathing the snow-covered ground in blue light. The pack of five pause at the edge of a clearing that holds their prey, two large herds of deer and moose mixing together in a search for grass. Bryce moves forward only a step before a burst of frigid air lurches forward and begins to form a blizzard around the herds, his four pack-members slipping away from his side and heading straight for the confused herd.
Zen and Naz make the first move, darting forward on either side of the twisting mass of snow. Bellows fill the air as Frost and Orion leap forward and dart easily into the center of the herd, Bryce lunging forward after allowing time for the brothers to confuse the herd further with their quick movements. The blizzard fades and Bryce lurches himself at the largest stag, several bellows following as the other deer take off. His jaws clamp easily against the frantic pulse-point, warmth filling his mouth even as his claws dig into fur-covered sides as he twists them both to the ground. He moves away from the kill and toward where a fallen tree has landed between two others, his glowing eyes scanning the silent forest for threats. A sharp bark draws his attention to their successful hunt, all four waiting for him to make the first move. He moves forward with only a slight limp in his step, pausing before the moose the twins must have brought down. He digs in and listens as the others follow, their last kill will be for later, grandfather Wesley loves to save any meat he can for food or to sell in the town to the east.
Returning home Bryce nudges each of them with his muzzle before taking off once more, paws silent as he heads for his usual post near the northernmost part of Vriln Forest. He settles down atop a tree stump and focuses on the sky, blinking several times when he finds thick clouds obscuring the morning sky. He slowly rises to his paws and winces when a jolt runs along his hind leg, Bryce tries to get off the stump only for another jolt to race along his side. His vision whites out along the edges and he only has a moment to feel panic before darkness takes him.
His last thought is that he hopes no one is near enough for him to harm.
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