It was like in the stories, the tales of the Tall Mountains that touched the sun. When one of the Mountains became angry, they would scream and cry, a noise that sounded like a thousand rocks crashing over each other, a rumbling so deep you heard it under your paws a thousand forests away. Then in their furious rage they would spit out their teeth, which were massive rocks the size of ten wolves. It is said that the teeth of the old mountains still litter the land today. The roaring and the spitting were so destructive they could kill wolf or lynx or hunter, anything that stood in the mountain's path.
But these were just stories.
So when Jal was playing in a mountain spring a fair few number of lopes away from the Uutar Den, and he noticed the ground trembling beneath his feet, he did not take heed. When a flock of birds that lived in one of the sparse spruces took to the sky, screaming and cawing, Jal did not take heed.
It was only when a lump of rock the size of his head landed at his paws with a splash did he look up to the Uutar Den, just in time to see it be obliterated by a cascade of boulders. An involuntary whimper escaped from his throat.
The rumbling intensified, and soon rocks the size of his paws were hitting his pelt, as he stood transfixed staring at his crushed home. When one bounced off the top of his head, he came to his senses and fled down the mountaintop.
As he stared from between the brambles, the cloud of dust seemed to be as tall as the tallest mountain.
As the dust cleared, and the shower of rocks had stopped, Jalil approached the wrecked den cautiously. Although the air was clouded and heavy with the smell of dust, he could just about scent his packmate, Kaaili, round the other side of the pile of rocks. The thin howl confirmed it. He quickly made his way round the pile of rocks, and seeing his elder, he lowered himself at her feet whimpering as a good youngling should do.
'What happened?' He enquired desperately. 'What happened to the pups? What happened to everyone?'
But these were just stories.
So when Jal was playing in a mountain spring a fair few number of lopes away from the Uutar Den, and he noticed the ground trembling beneath his feet, he did not take heed. When a flock of birds that lived in one of the sparse spruces took to the sky, screaming and cawing, Jal did not take heed.
It was only when a lump of rock the size of his head landed at his paws with a splash did he look up to the Uutar Den, just in time to see it be obliterated by a cascade of boulders. An involuntary whimper escaped from his throat.
The rumbling intensified, and soon rocks the size of his paws were hitting his pelt, as he stood transfixed staring at his crushed home. When one bounced off the top of his head, he came to his senses and fled down the mountaintop.
As he stared from between the brambles, the cloud of dust seemed to be as tall as the tallest mountain.
As the dust cleared, and the shower of rocks had stopped, Jalil approached the wrecked den cautiously. Although the air was clouded and heavy with the smell of dust, he could just about scent his packmate, Kaaili, round the other side of the pile of rocks. The thin howl confirmed it. He quickly made his way round the pile of rocks, and seeing his elder, he lowered himself at her feet whimpering as a good youngling should do.
'What happened?' He enquired desperately. 'What happened to the pups? What happened to everyone?'
