Wolves in Mossflower

   A group of wolves have been seen wandering about River Moss. Next to nobeast could take on so much as one wolf alone, no matter how well armed - find out whether or not they're a threat and try to figure out what to do with them.

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        "Hm, wolves," Riala Goldentail muttered, thinking about her assignment. "Now there's some territorial creatures.  Wonder what they're doing here?"  She moved through the trees, looking for any signs of the wolf pack. "Still, it's strange.  Mossflower woods has mostly small animals, and wolves like larger prey better, as it'll sustain the whole pack. There's not enough deer for the wolves to live comfortably around here for long."  The golden-tailed squirrel stopped short at the sight of a
lean gray shadow.  It was a wolf.
        Riala couldn't help but examine the creature for a while.  There were plenty of wolves in the north, where she was from, but they were all thin and mangy looking.  The gray wolf of the southern area was different. This was, Riala guessed, a gray wolf.  It had thick brown, white, and gray fur, with hints of red and some black mixed in.  The wolf was tall and muscular, with a majestic head and eiree golden eyes that seemed to pierce the shadows with their intense gaze.  Riala decided to follow the creature.  Maybe there were more wolves, and if there were, maybe she could figure out why they were in Mossflower.
        The female wolf kept going at a trot, her nose in the air, sniffing and smelling for signs of danger.  Riala stayed a good distance behind the wolf, but close enough not to lose sight of it in the dark shadows.
        Finally the wolf stopped and gave a short bark.  Twelve wolves, all strong, tall, muscular, and majestic, appeared from the ground where they'd been lying still and well camoflaged.  One, larger and stronger-looking than the rest, moved out of the pack and went up to the female Riala had been following.  He carried himself with the same royal, majestic air that the female did, a quality that set them apart from the other, more submissive wolves.  This wolf was slightly different than the female, however.  He was jet black, with a strikingly white chest that contrasted with his dark coat.
        "What did you find, Silvermyst?" the male asked.  Silvermyst shook her head wearily.
        "No suitable food at all.  I know you wished to leave the small creatures alone, but they may be our only source of food if we stay much longer, Nytestreak," she answered.
        In the trees above, Riala listened carefully.  The wolves didn't seem to want to do the woodlanders harm, she thought, judging from what Silvermyst said about leaving "the small creatures alone".  But why are they in Mossflower in the first place?  The squirrel got her answer when
a young albino wolf, perhaps a yearling, strutted up brashly.
        "I think you should have fought harder for our land, Alpha Nytestreak!" He put scornful emphasis on the "Alpha Nytestreak". "I would have won if it were me!"
        Now Riala knew why the wolves were in Mossflower.  They had been driven from their territory by another pack.
        "Silence, Snostorm!" Nytestreak growled. "You may be the Beta, but that's no excuse for saying that!"  Nytestreak paused, watching the insolent Snostorm, but the white wolf kept his nose high in disdain.  The alpha male bared his fangs, and when he continued, his voice was dangerously low.  "If you could have fought, and won, against Sherak, but he defeated me, then why aren't you alpha?"
        Nytestreak saw the first flicker of uncertainty in Snostorm's pale eyes, and he continued.
        "Snostorm, if you wish to become Alpha, then you can challenge me!" the alpha male said.  Fear showed in Snowstorm's face as he looked at the older, more experienced male, but he shrugged it off and laughed.
        "Why would I fight you, Alpha?  Only strong wolves who are worthy opponents should be fought!" the albino said contemptiously.  Aplha Nytestreak growled, and anger flashed in his golden eyes.  The hackles rose on his back, and he walked stiff- legged around the beta male. Suddenly he lunged, and Snostorm dropped to the ground before Nytestreak could touch him, ears back, tail tucked, eyes pleading.  He rolled on his stomach, the sign of submission in wolves.  Nytestreak stopped and calmed a bit.
        "Very well, Snostorm, I will not harm you," the Alpha said regally, with some disdain for this proud youngster.  Riala looked on with interest the whole time.  She was intrigued by the laws of the pack, quite different from woodlander rules.
        Suddenly a young reddish female wolf burst in.
        "Alpha Silvermyst!" she called.  Riala was confused.  Two alphas?  Then something clicked in her mind.  Two alphas, like king and queen.
        "What is it, Beta Rosefyr?" Silvermyst asked in her quiet voice.  Rosefyr paused to catch her wind.
        "Wytenose caught a mouse, against your orders!" the beta female exclaimed.
        "Wytenose!" Nytestreak growled. "The omega wolf?"  Rosefyr nodded.  Nytestreak bared his fangs angrily. "Lead me to him!"  In the treetops, Riala followed.
        They found a small, scruffy wolf with dirty brown fur and a white muzzle tormenting a mouse.  Riala looked closer, and her blood boiled when she saw it was no more than a Dibbun.  A Redwaller too, judging by the habit. The mousebabe was squeaking in pain and terror as the wolf pawed, bit,
and clawed it.
        The wolf didn't see Nytestreak, who bowled the brown wolf over with a cuff of his paw.  The scruffy wolf went into the submissive position and whimpered, trying to make excuses.
        "I… I was just playing with it, really, sir I wasn't breaking any rules. I didn't hurt it, really. I was just playin' around Alpha sir…"
        "Silence, Wytenose!" Nytestreak roared, interrupting the omega's babbling. "We have nothing against the woodlanders!  We eat large prey, which we may have to move elsewhere to get!  I don't believe in unneccessary killing!"  Wytenose cowered from the alpha male, who turned to the mousebabe and inspected it.
        "Wytenose, I want you to go to that Abbey down the road and tell them there's a wounded mouse by the big three-topped oak," Nytestreak commanded. "Apologize for hurting it."
        "But… but they might shoot stones an' arrers at me!" Wytenose moaned.  Nytestreak silenced the omega with a sharp glance.
        Riala decided she could trust Nytestreak.  She wasn't sure about the others, but the alpha male seemed fair enough.  The squirrel climbed onto a low branch and cleared her throat nervously.
        "Er, Nytestreak?" she said.  The black wolf looked up.  His eyes showed mild surprise at the sight of the golden tailed squirrel.
        "How much did you hear, squirrel?" he asked.  Riala shrugged, more confident now.
        "Enough to know you meant the woodlanders no harm," she answered. "Oh, by the way, I'm Riala.  I don't think the Redwallers would trust a wolf they don't know, however."  She paused. "Could I take a look at the mousebabe?"  Nytestreak smiled and backed away from the Dibbun, motioning for Wytenose and Rosefyr to do the same.  Riala cautiously moved to the mouse and looked her over.
        The mousebabe was in bad shape.  She was bruised, with long claw marks down her back, and Riala didn't know about broken bones or sprains.  The squirrel looked up at Nytestreak.
        "I'm going to get help.  Please stay here, but away from the mouse," she requested. "The Wanderers and Redwallers… I mean, the woodlanders, should I say, might be a little nervous around wolves."  The alpha male nodded and laid down.  Riala took off through the trees.
        She returned with Sister Breya, an Infirmary nurse, and Tamlin.  Sister Breya ignored the wolves and went straight to the mousebabe, and began her work.
        Meanwhile Riala introduced Tamlin to Nytstreak and Rosefyr.  With some coaxing- or rather threatening- from Nytestreak, Wytenose apologized to Tamlin for his actions.  Then he fled back to the pack, and Silvermyst soon turned up.  Nytestreak explained why his pack was in Mossflower.
        "I was challenged for my territory by a brown wolf named Sherak," Nytestreak began. "We fought and he won, so my pack and I were forced to leave.  We came here, to Mossflower, as it was unclaimed by any wolves.  Unfortuantly there is no large game here, so we will have to move on. Maybe that is for the best.  I am having a hard time keeping some of my pack members from attacking woodlanders."  Nytstreak glanced meaningfully at Wytenose.  Tamlin nodded in agreement.
        "I think you're right, Nytestreak," he said. "I'm afraid I cannot think of any place you could live at the moment, but I hope you find something."
        "Thank you.  I think we should leave now, though," Nytestreak said. "Let me call my pack."  Nytestreak lifted his nose and howled.  The mournful yet beautiful cry sent chills down Riala's spine.  Soon, though, the alpha male stopped, and the notes died away.  A distant howl answered, and Nytestreak nodded.
        "That's Graypaw.  The pack should be here soon," he explained.  Sure enough, the eleven wolves loped in just minutes later.
        "We're leaving Mossflower," the alpha told them. "Let's go."  They trotted off at a swift, ground-eating pace until they disappeared into the shadows, out of sight.