Chapter 3: Rise of the Crimson Pack

Runt and Kate descended into the valley and found Stinky. The rest of the group had just left and Stinky was beginning to head back to his গর্ত when Runt stopped him.

“Hey, Stinky,” he called out. Stinky stopped and turned to face his brother.

“What is it, Runt?” he asked.

“Mom and I think we know how to stop these attacks,” Runt explained. “Call everyone together.”

Stinky called for an emergency pack meeting. Everyone gathered in the valley, where the meetings were now held ever since Adam’s pack joined the Western Pack.

“Everybody,” Stinky announced to the large crowd of নেকড়ে before him. “I’ve called this emergency pack meeting because of the constant attacks that have been plaguing us for over twelve years. We now believe we have a way to stop them, once and for all.”

Stinky stepped to the side as Runt took his place in front of the crowd.

“We’ve recently discovered a strange pack living in the woods nearby, all with the exact same scar on their faces,” he said. “We’ve noticed some of these নেকড়ে during the আরো সাম্প্রতিক attacks and have good reason to believe they may be the main force behind them. I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumors of a নেকড়ে hunter lurking in Jasper and we suspect that this pack of নেকড়ে is using the fear of him to drive other packs to attack us. They see us as a threat for no reason other than fear and we need to soothe that fear in order to get these attacks to stop.”

“So what are we going to do about it?” one of the নেকড়ে asked. “We’ve tried fighting and that hasn’t worked very well.”

“Which is why we’re going to take the fight to them,” Stinky replied. He then turned to Runt. “Do we know exactly where their pack is located?”

“No, unfortunately,” Runt said. “They like to সরানো around and never stay in one place for very long. Which is why we’re going to need আপনি for this. Your sense of smell is the only thing that can help us find them.”

“Alright,” Stinky said. “What’s your plan?”

“I say we take a small team into the forest and find out who these নেকড়ে are,” Runt answered. “You lead us with your nose to help track them down. Hopefully, we can find them and catch them off guard.”

“Okay,” Claudette said. “So who’s coming with?”

“The three of us,” Runt replied. “Plus Kenya, Adam, and Steven.”

“I’m coming too,” Lisa said.

“Alright,” Steven said. “When do we leave?”

“First light tomorrow,” Runt replied.

Morning came and the group set out into the forest, heading in the general direction that Kate last saw the strange pack. They had been slowly moving along for a couple of hours with Stinky leading the way when they stopped.

“Runt,” he said. “I think I found something. Somewhere up ahead.”

“Well, let’s go,” Steven said.

“Wait,” Lisa told him. “We should get a better look first.”

“I’m on it,” Runt replied, rushing toward a tree.

He quickly climbed it and stopped not far from the top. Despite having grown up since he was a pup, Runt was still quite small for an adult and the বৃক্ষ had no problem supporting his weight. He looked around until eventually, some movement in the forest below caught his eye.

“I found something,” he called down.

“What is it?” Stinky asked.

“About a mile west,” he said. “Down in that clearing, below the-“

“Blah, blah, blah! What did আপনি find?!” Steven interrupted.

“A নেকড়ে pack,” Runt replied.

“Yeah, and?” Steven said.

“You wanna do this, Steven?” Runt called down.

“Pft, I would,” Steven replied. “It’s just…you know, I don’t feel like it.”

“These guys are different,” Runt said.

“Different how?” Lisa asked.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Runt answered. “Something just feels off about them.”

“Can আপনি see their faces?” Stinky asked.

“I can climb a tree,” Runt said. “I don’t have super vision.”

“Okay,” Stinky said. “Let’s সরানো in, slowly. Stay hidden. This is just recon for now. Just to make sure these are the নেকড়ে we’re looking for.”

Runt slid down from the বৃক্ষ as the group began to slowly head toward the pack. Upon reaching the outskirts of where Runt had seen the wolves, the group stopped and crouched in the bushes. They could see that these were the নেকড়ে they had been searching for. All of them had the exact same V-shaped scar on the left side of their faces.

“This is definitely the place,” Adam said.

“Okay then,” Claudette said, addressing the group. “Now what?”

“We need to find out আরো about these wolves,” Stinky replied.

“So let me guess,” Steven said. “We’re splitting up and putting each group in equal, yet perilous danger.”

His remark was met with silence from the rest of the group.

“What?” he said. “Isn’t that what we always do? The প্রশ্ন is, who draws the short straw?”

Stinky turned to Adam.

“You have the most experience with this kind of thing,” he told him. “What do আপনি think?”

“Okay,” Adam ব্যক্ত quietly. “Only a small group should go in. We’d attract less attention that way. So, Stinky, Claudette, and Runt, আপনি guys head back a little and act as backup in case anything goes wrong. Lisa and Kenya will stay around this area and watch our backs but stay hidden.”

He then turned to Steven.

“As for you,” he said. “You and I-“

“Get ice cream?” Steven said.

“If দ্বারা “ice cream” আপনি mean “take a closer look”, then yes,” Adam replied.

“Damn it, short straw.”

“Hey,” Runt ব্যক্ত to Lisa. “You guys be careful.”

“We will,” Lisa replied as the two quickly nuzzled before moving into position.

Adam and Steven slowly left the bushes and entered the pack with Kenya and Lisa following them for a bit. Stinky, Claudette, and Runt moved back into the forest and waited. Adam and Steven didn’t see many নেকড়ে when they first entered. The pack was quiet, and it was easy going until they reached a steep hill.

They crouched down on their stomachs and looked down into the small clearing below. There was a large gathering of these নেকড়ে in the clearing and in the middle of the group, they saw something that was completely unexpected.

In the middle of the group of নেকড়ে was a red wolf. Unlike the other wolves, this red one didn’t have the same scar the others did. He was clearly a prisoner of the pack and it seemed like he had just been brought in.

“Is that-“ Steven said.

“It is. It’s a red wolf,” Adam finished. “They’re supposed to be extinct.”

“We have to do something,” Steven said.

“This was supposed to be a recon mission,” Adam replied. “But I agree. They’re probably going to kill him.”

“Hey!”

The two turned around to see one of the নেকড়ে standing behind them.

“What are আপনি two doing here? Who are you?” the নেকড়ে asked.

“Oh, we’re just wandering,” Steven replied.

“Well আপনি can’t be here,” the নেকড়ে said. “So get out.”

Steven and Adam looked at each other before Adam leapt on the wolf. আরো নেকড়ে soon emerged and Stinky, Claudette, and Runt along with Lisa and Kenya moved in to help. Steven rushed back over to the hill. Adam began to object, knowing what Steven was thinking, but it was too late, and Steven began rushing down it.

“Wait, you’re not thinking of-yep he’s doing it.,” Adam said.

Steven reached the bottom of the পাহাড় and was soon joined দ্বারা Adam who slid down after him. The two were almost immediately surrounded দ্বারা the wolves.

“I had everything under control,” Steven said.

“I like how আপনি actually believe that,” Adam replied.

“Get out of here, Adam. I got this,” Steven argued.

“No, আপনি definitely do not got this,” Adam said, motioning toward the নেকড়ে that were coming down the hill.

“Okay that’s it!” Steven shouted. “I am so sick of these freaking নেকড়ে and this freaking pack!”

The নেকড়ে surrounded the two and tried to dogpile on them, but Steven miraculously fought them off and returned with Adam and the red নেকড়ে to the শীর্ষ of the পাহাড় as Kenya and Lisa watched, their mouths open in shock.

“What just happened?” Kenya asked.

“The impossible,” Lisa replied.

“You guys are lucky I’m on your side,” Steven said, smiling.

“You are?” Kenya replied. “Honestly, sometimes it’s hard to tell.”

“Who’s that?” Runt asked, looking at the red wolf.

“I’m Oscar,” the নেকড়ে said.

“He was a prisoner of the pack,” Adam replied.

“They call themselves the Crimson Pack,” Oscar said.

“We can trade war stories later,” Adam replied. “Right now, we need to get আপনি out of here.”

“Agreed,” Stinky said. “Come on.”

The group began to run back toward the Western Pack when suddenly, one of the নেকড়ে leapt on Oscar and grabbed him around the neck with his jaws.

“Go!” Oscar shouted.

“No, we won’t leave you,” Claudette said.

“We have no choice,” Stinky told her. He then looked back at Oscar. “We’ll come back for you.”

The group turned and retreated into the forest as the নেকড়ে dragged Oscar back to the pack. Little did they know that the sudden rise of the Crimson Pack would turn into one of the bloodiest wars in the history of not just the Western Pack, but all of Jasper Park.