The History of England From the Accession of James II; Volume 1

Niassa howled, struggling to keep her head above the surging black sea. She thrashed her paws, churning the water beneath her. Suddenly, a dark wave washed over, sending her to the bottomless depths. Trying to find the surface, she howled again, only to find water filling her mouth and nose. |Let me join the stars quickly,| she willed. Something sharp prodded her im the side, and she lost conscious--- She opened her eyes to a blinding light. Something prodded her again, harder this time, sendimg her bolting upright. Blinking rapidly, she tried to clear her bleary eyes. She could make out a moving shape; it was her brother, Rico. "Finally, you're awake!" He growled, or tried to growl; it came out a squeaky bark. "You were thrashing like a cornered rabbit!" Niassa looked around; her cozy bed of grass and ferns was scattered all around them. "But the dream seemed so real..." she murmured, not loud enough for Rico to hear, but it caused him to tilt his head, face filled with confusion. "Nothing," she muttered. Rico shrugged and tossed something at her. "The hunters just brought back a deer." Looking down, she saw it was an antler from a buck; she could tell it was fairly new, for it was velvety and only had one little bump of an offshoot. Other than that, it was all round and smooth. Niassa picked it up, careful not to splinter it with her small but sharp teeth. Swinging back her head, she tossed the antler towards Rico. It landed with a /thud/ beside him. He huffed, "Nice throw," and picked the antler up to toss it back. Readier this time, Niassa leaped up and plucked it out of the air before it could sail over her head. When she landed, she scrabbled up and raced out of the den with the antler firmly loked in her jaws. Rico let out a startled yelp and charged after her. Tinyia leaped back in surpriae as the pups burst out of the tall grass and bracken that hid the den from sight. Niassa thundered across the clearing, skidded, and tried to get a clawhold on the grassless ground. She turned so sharply, Rico went rushin by, tumbling head-over-paw until he bumped tje hunters' den. Sitting down, Niassa dropped the antler and planted a triumphant paw firmly on it. Her long tongue lolled out as she panted for breath, surveying the clearing. Most of the wolves were in their dens resting before hunting again. Every so often, a wolf would head out for reasons unknown. Suddenly, the antler left her forepaws, and she fell face first into the dirt. A little ways off, Rico barked with laughter; Niassa scrambled upright and grabbed the antler from his startled grasp and ran to where their mother was sunning herself, settling down to chew her prize.