A/n: consider they're equal to 13yo kids now

----------------------------

Howling Thunder 5: Dreams and Trees

----------------------------------------

I’m falling, plummeting from a cold night sky. The stars light up the endless snowy mountain tops below. The white capped trees below look like spikes waiting to embrace me. The icy wind chills my every bone.

Just as I see the outline of something large flying off a cliff below me into the trees a voice echoes in my mind, sweet and alluring.

“Wake up my toy, we’ve so fun much ahead.”

Fun?

A giggle, the snow surrounds me and all fades to black.

My eyes snap open, above me is the canvas I stretched over the two large tree roots we’re sleeping between. The dim light of the all but burnt out fire lets me watch the smoke crawl along the cloth until exiting out the gap in the back at the base of the great black pine tree.

At the crackle of the embers I look around, Jackal boy is nestled opposite the fire, Red is snuggled with my tail behind me. I slowly wave my hand through the small wafts of black clouds emanating from my frizzy tail fur. Small sparks tickle the back of my hand, a humid warmth, she’s always liked it.

Feeling the chill of the night I put another chunk of wood on the fire with some sticks. I’m not sure I want Copper to see my sister like this.

I look out the open front of our shelter, the tree we choose is growing at the edge of a small rock outcropping on a hill side. I can see by the light of the stars, distant pines, normal ones. As a few snowflakes drift past the entry I can’t help but shudder

The dim light of the sun begins to creep into the sky off in the far distance.

With a flick to Red’s ear, “Wake up sister, let's get this done and go back to our cave….I don't like it here.”

She instead gives a very uncharming grunt and rolls over, my tail still in her arms, I get dragged on top of her.

Red opens her eyes and gives a small yip at me being on top of her.

Copper wakes up, “What’s all the fuss….I’m sorry, I’ll wait outside while you two finish.”

“Ah! No...Red stop turning all red!”

Her embarrassed face is not helping here!

I hop up, head hitting the canvas, “Don’t be saying stuff like that Copper! She’s my sister and furthermore I have no interest in a girl without any brea.. OOMpf!”

Red kicked my legs out from under me….something smells like burning, “MY TAIL!!!”

I had landed in the smoldering fire, once more I jump up.

Red hands me a biscuit, “Stop fussing brother, your tail is so frizzy from your own sparks that you can't even tell where it was burnt.”

Clutching it in my arms I stare her down, “Suppose I’ll just send a few of those at your tail then we can match.”

I point at her silky red tail with it’s slightly blackened tip.

The sharpness of her gaze cuts me to the core, “Do and I’ll rip yours off your ass, you should be happy brother, I won't need to sneak into your bed anymore.”

Copper is now sitting on the large root behind her, unsure what to say, only to stutter, “Y-You can use my t-tail if you want Red.”

She doesn’t even look at him as she punches the root with enough force to make a dent and shake him off of it.

He stumbles to land proper but instead falls on his face.

A small, icy gust blows through our site and I look back out at the ravine. The sun has begun to peek over the horizon from under the grey clouds. The light reflects from the snow covered trees below.

“Seriously, I don’t like it here let's get hunting already. We’re at the edge of The Black Wood like Ptah instructed, this should be the primary territory of the dominant animals.”

Red gets a glimmer in her eyes, “We’re looking for something big right?! Like a dire bear or a lion!”

Copper, “Of course! We’ll bring back something so that Uncle will declare us the best hunters in the den!”

Sister raises an eyebrow at him, he corrects himself, “That you’re the best hunter Red.”

Wimp, I laugh, “You won’t be taking my credit dear sister, but Copper if that is your stance I don’t mind letting you carry our packs for us.”

While Red pounds her fist into her palm thinking it’s a great idea, Copper raises his arms to decline the offer...only to have sister’s pack placed in them. Too late fella, you asked for it, once she sees you as an underling you’re stuck with it.

We head along the ridge line, the edge of the gigapines. Anything large enough to be an alpha beast would hunt in the normal forest but still make it’s home in the large pines.

It’s odd that the great black pines don't bother me like the normal ones down the hill. I suppose its because all I can really see of them is their trunks. The branches and needles are far above us, blocking out the sky.

Hopefully if we keep along here we find something good before too long. Ptah sent out this far, it would suck to head back empty handed just because we ran out of time.

Crack.

A snap of a twig from behind me.

Copper is holding bits of wood in his hands….

Whispering in anger, “This isn’t play time, we won't get anything if you're banging sticks around!”

That's really not as satisfying as just yelling, maybe I should copy sister and just hit him next time. He puts his hands together and bows his head silently to apologize. Red shrugs so I let it be.

Turning back around I take one step.

Crack! Far louder than before.

Rehearsing to the ground in front of me, “Alright, I’m sorry Ptah, Copper tripped and fell, he landed really awkward. A broken arm will mend in no time.”

Turning around reveals a surprise. Copper is looking rather confused at the twigs in his hands. Behind him is a black creature similar to a deer, looking equally confused. It’s large, easily bigger than any ox or horse from the den, and it seems out of breath.

Red yells, “It’s an Alce!”

As Copper turns around in shock I yell, “Who cares, Kill It!”

The Alce no longer standing still in shocked fear, turns to run.

Copper barely manages to leap after it, the tip of his spear barely making a small cut on the rear of the large beast. It reacts by kicking out with its hind legs to hit Copper square in the chest.

He flies back against a nearby root clutching his chest and slumping over onto the ground.

Red single mindedly jumps after the Alce but I call her back.

“Stop!”

She looks back at me angrily and then sees the injured jackal boy.

With a sigh she says, “I want to hunt something more impressive anyway.”

Helping Copper to sit up, I can feel that he surely has at least a couple broken ribs.

The ground begins to shake, like the rumble of distant thunder we can hear something coming towards us from the direction the Alce ran.

---------------------------------------------------

A/n, Even tho I don't normally do this I’ll say that Alce is the original name of a European Moose