Playing Games

The winter had taken it's toll on the dogs of Shadow Valley, the slush only just sinking back into the soil from the harsh winter. Spring was here, a time for new life. Inside the shielded walls of the Alpha's den, a large brown germen shepherd lays, his right foreleg stretched out with his left paw on top. Next to his tail, his mate, a gray, black and white border collie slept peacefully, her flanks rising and falling with ease.

A black-and-brown pup popped from behind the germen shepherd, her brown eyes wide. Her whole body on top of him, she smiled, licking her father's ear. "Dad!" she yipped, sliding off of him and onto the stone floor of the den.

The germen shepherd opened his brown eye a little, looking at his daughter with annoyance. "Leaf? Go back to bed....sunrise has only just come," he growled, nuzzling his head further into his soft leg fur.

The border collie/germen shepherd mix let out an annoyed huff before bouncing up to her father's muzzle, placing her paws on his. "But dad! You and mom said that I can't leave the den until you guys make me a trainee! Today's the day!" she barked, bouncing up and down while wagging her fluffy tail.

The germen shepherd let out a huge yawn, his glimmering huge white teeth glowing in the faint light of the alpha's den. He turned his neck around, craning to get a view of his alpha female. Twisting his body around, he placed a hefty paw on her side, before shaking the border collie up.

She opened her blue eyes, yawning before looking fully at her mate and pup. "Sharp? Leaf? Time for the ceremony now?" she asked, rubbing her eye with a paw.

Sharp nodded, flicking his tail for them to follow. "Come on, Brook. We also have to make the scrawny rouge a trainee as well," Sharp said, a hint of annoyance in his voice when he brought up the rouge. Leaf bounced in the air with excitement, before running ahead of her parents and out into the Shadow Valley Pack camp.

Sharp narrowed his eyes as the first rays of sunlight hit his eyes, before leaping onto a pile of logs. "Dog of Shadow Valley Pack! Gather beneath the Branchpile!" Sharp barked, his voice ringing about the camp. Brook took her place beside Sharp, nodding to the dogs sitting below. His beta, Thorn, bounded up to the Branchpile, sitting on his other side.

"Today is good for us! We are making two dogs trainees! My daughter, Leaf, will now be a trainee, with her mentor being Blitz!" Sharp called. All eyes turned to Sharp's brother, Blitz. The darker germen shepherd looked around before dipping his head.

"Next we make a.....rouge a trainee. This young dog's name is Speed, and we....welcome him into the pack. Ebony will be your mentor." Sharp almost growled, saying a few words rather harshly to the young dog. Speed padded up to the beagle, almost as tall as the older dog, before licking her ear, as it was accustomed for trainees to do once they've received their trainee call.

"This meeting is dismissed!" Sharp barked, leaping from the Branchpile and allowing the branches to move a little from his paws crashing into them. Sharp padded to his daughter, who was hounding Blitz for answers. "You go easy on him," Sharp teased, nuzzling Leaf's face.

Leaf smiled before returning to hound Blitz on. Sharp looked towards his pack before padding into the elders den, ready to talk to his father, the only elder, Alue.

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Switchblade let out a growl as Oscar whined in pain. "Ow! That hurts, Switchblade!" Oscar yipped, turning to lick his hind leg.

Switchblade narrowed his silvery-gray-blue sightless eyes before baring his fangs. "Well? Who's fault is it that they fell into a thorn bracket? Certainly not mine, that's for sure." Switchblade growled, his short tail lashing. Switchblade sensed Oscar's own anger, until another dog entered the den.

"Switchblade? Sharp and Alue need to see you," the familiar voice of Rose pipped up, the white akbash pushing her way through the brambles of the healers den.

Switchblade dropped a pile of herbs at Oscar's paws, before turning to Rose's position. "Thank you, Rose. Do you mind wrapping those around Oscar's wound?" he asked, flicking a shaggy white ear.

Rose nodded, brushing past Switchblade. "Of course," she said, her pawsteps fading behind the blind healer. Switchblade dipped his head before padding off, his paws light on the well-treaded grass. Waving his way beside Ivory and Thorn, he padded into the elders den, his paws churning the moss and leaves.

"Switchblade..." Switchblade fought the wanting to bare his fangs as he heard Alue speak, his creepy, echoy voice bothering Switchblade's ears.

"What do you two want? I was with a patient," Switchblade growled, his paw tapping the floor. He thought Sharp would speak next, but it did kind of shock him that Alue spoke next.

"We wanted to know....have you received any signs from our ancestors lately?" he asked.

Switchblade narrowed his eyes. "No. Now, if you excuse me." Switchblade snarled, turning around to pad off. As he did, he had to shake off that creepy feeling. The feeling everyone got when the spoke to Alue.

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"Ivory, move your tail!" Thorn snarled as Ivory flopped down, her fluffy tail smacking against the beta male's face. Ivory quickly moved her tail, looking back at the black germen shepherd.

"So sorry, Thorn!" she yipped, snuggling into her nest.

A sneeze came from beside Ivory. "Oh great, now your fur is making me sneeze," Damos growled from beside her, placing a paw on his nose.

"Sorry again!" she yipped once again. Ivory bounded out of the lesser dogs den, her fluffy tail whisking in the wind. The samoyed sat down in the clearing, looking back at the lesser dogs den. Well, I'm sorry I'm fluffy! She growled in her thoughts, kneading the ground in annoyance.

Ivory pricked her ears as she saw Shade angrily barking at Ebony, the black germen shepherd's expression serious. "Well, so sorry I was sleeping in your nest!" Shade snarled to the smaller dog.

Ebony stood on her toes to reach Shade's muzzle, the beagle's gray-blue eyes looking even madder than Shade's. "I go out one night to hunt alone," Ebony begun, her tone unusually calm. "and then you believe you can waltz in and steal my nest!" Ebony bared her fangs at Shade.

Shade let out a huff when she saw Ivory watching, before giving Ebony one last angry glare. Shade stalked off, going back to the lesser dog's den.

Ebony let out a wide grin of satisfaction before turning around, coming face-to-face with Ivory. Ebony let out a disgusted snort. "What are you watching, furball?" she growled, rolling her eyes, then finally padding back to the lesser dogs den.

Ivory let out a short snarl, before two shapes caught her eye. Alue, the only elder, and Sharp, the alpha, huddled together in a dark corner of camp, talking quickly and quietly while shooting glances at Switchblade. The blind mongrel shook his shaggy fur, before padding into his den. They always talk so quietly about dogs.....and Alue, well, scares me. As Ivory looked on, the two germen shepherds must have noticed her gaze, for they shuffled to the safety of Sharp's den.

What do they talk about? And....what does it have to do with Switchblade?