Chapter 4 Joining Forces With Blood Moon Pack

It was a long night of troubles for the Burning Mountain pack. The rogues who seemed to have retreated had returned with full force and even though Audrey had done her best at the battlefield, they had ended up losing about three of their soldiers. They were all sad. In the end, they had sent the rogues away but they knew it was only temporary. The rogues will go back, equip themselves and strike again and as much as she wished she could do something to stop them, she had the settling knowledge that she could not help it on her own.

Three of their very good men had been killed and it was a miracle that she was alive after coming in close contact severally with arrows that almost ended her. She had escaped one way or the other and once, she had felt the cold blade of an enemy's sword rest behind her neck. She had thought she was going to die then in the hands of her enemies but one of her men had struck the enemy from behind and she had been free. When they had finally sent the rogues away and had carted the wounded one among them back, the Alpha and his Luna had been too stunned to see her. She was one of the soldiers that had not been hurt or killed. When had she joined the fight? They Wondered. She had little scratches on her face and there was a bloodied line behind her neck where the enemy had placed the sword. Her mother rushed down to where she was crouched, watching a soldier who had a gash on his arm and embraced her with tears in her eyes. She was afraid and relieved at the same time that she was alive. "I had thought you were in your room all the while! I never knew you had gone out there to fight the enemies, child. Your patriotism knows no bounds, Audrey", She said as she patted Audrey's cheeks. She forced a smile and pretended to have been paying attention to the praises. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell her mother that they all owed the pack patriotism as members but she decided against it. Her brother was standing behind the Alpha and she could see the way he looked at her with pride. She was not that proud of herself. She wished she had been able to keep the three dead men alive. She wished she had been able to defend them even though she knew they were better soldiers than she was yet to be. She was there for a little longer than she had meant to when the Alpha began to speak. His voice roused her from her revelry and she stood up on her feet like the other soldiers but she was not really listening to her father, the Alpha. It was already morning and the very early morning sun had begun to crack up the grey early morning skies and she wished for nothing more than for the moon goddess to help her pack fight the evil intruders. That was her prayer as she looked up into the sky. The stars where beginning to disappear as the morning sun rose and she hoped that her prayer had been answered. She stood there until the Alpha finished speaking and the men began to disperse. A hand held her and led her into the pack house. It was her mother. She was going to go soak In a bath, to maybe wash away the gore from the war. She was relieved when she climbed into the tub. Tired and eager to have a bed beneath her. She was exhausted and she showed visible signs of exhaustion. She did not hear her mother berating her and she did not hear the harsh words that came with her scolds. She thought she heard something new in her mother's tone. Admiration. Pride. She was proud of her for being brave and resilient.. As Audrey stumbled into bed that morning to make up for the sleep she lost during the night, she felt better than she had been earlier when she had learnt of the death of the three soldiers. **** The Beta, Kade was with the Alpha all day as they deliberated on issues over issues. The Alpha, Austin had always been a fighter. A warrior who had not lost his appetite for war and was still as good as he had been when he was younger than he was. He was forty two and heavily built to give the intimidating aura but he had refrained from war in the past two years because the Beta had often told him, "Alphas do not go out to war so they do not get hurt. If you lost your life in a battle, the enemies will overcome us and we do not want that", And the Alpha had thought there was a wealth of Wisdom in the words. Maybe indeed, if he lost his life in the battlefield, it will make his people disoriented and then the enemies will be able to penetrate them in their grief. He decided to listen and do just as his Beta had told him. When the rogues had first attacked, they had been fewer and that had made it easy for his soldiers to send them away. When they had returned some time later, they had been even more and had come with more sophisticated weapons, their aim to gain access into the Burning Mountain pack and loot the diamond which was the only precious stone and asset they possessed in plethora. It had been like that for sometime and the Alpha had contemplated leading the battle himself and seeing that the Rogues where totally eradicated but for the words of his Beta who happened to also be his adviser and giver of wise counsels. The rogues joined forces everytime to make sure they came back stronger but not once had they been able to penetrate or loot the gems that motivated them to come always to the Burning Mountain pack. "You should not lead the army, my lord. The leader of the army is competent enough. The thing is, as the day goes by, the Rogues join forces with others and come back even fiercer but we will overcome them. Do not worry so much, my lord", Kade said.. he was right. As the days went by, the rogues increased in their number and their weapons Became even more sophisticated but the burning Mountain pack had not increased In number, neither had they joined forces with another pack to rid the rogues. The Alpha exhaled and sat for a while, thoughtful. "We should join forces with another pack and fight the rogues. All these times, we have only fought them with the same number of soldiers even though they are constantly growing in number. It is for this reason that they are slowly beginning to bring down some of our men. Do you not think so? " He asked his Beta, Kade who was smiling broadly, an indication that he welcomed the idea. " That is what I have ached to hear you say all this while, my lord. We shall join forces with another pack and get rid of the rogues once and for all! " He said, elated. The Alpha nodded. The idea appealed to him too. " We shall join Forces with the Blood Moon pack and fight them. We have an affiliation with the pack and they have a strong military and with them, we would never have any problems in the future. We have favoured them to in different ways and they will not deny us, Kade. They will not deny us this one time that we shall ask of them a favour", The Alpha said. True, they had been affiliates with the Blood Moon pack in times past, they also once joined Forces with the pack to fight their enemies but that had been a long time ago.. when Audrey was yet to be born and Alpha Austin was only a lad who was very Interested in fighting and training out in the sun all day. He was not surprised that Audrey acted more like he did when he was young. She had taken after him. He had been strong-willed and always unyielding as a young man and he saw all of those characteristics in her. She was more interested and concerned about being a tough and reputable woman who would lead a pack bravely than to be any woman who would make embroideries all day and then make pastries. She was more accustomed to the wild than she was to what was regarded as Feminine duties and it did not bother the Alpha. He could only advice her and help her stay on the right track, away from those that can hurt her if they get the opportunity. He saw a reflection of himself in her.