Stone looked in horror as he saw his best friend leave.
"Oh, great!" he exclaimed.
The three humans looked down at him.
"I think this wolf's an Alpha too," said one of them. "They tend to be more aggressive." The humans then turned their attention to the two other cages. Stone sighed and leaned against the cage door. Miraculously, the cage door popped open.
"Whoa! Uhh?" Stone was unsure if it was a ruse, but he took his chances. The humans looked back and saw what happened before turning to each other in frustration.
"I told you guys that cage was faulty!" the leader among them yelled. Stone was already out of sight.
Meanwhile. . .
Stormfast was shivering and panting in the water. He gave up trying to fight the current. He looked up at the almost full moon that hung above Moonlight Howl Rock in the distance. He could still hear Garth's terrible howl. Stormfast couldn't believe Kate would stay a full minute with him.
Suddenly, the river took him around a corner, and the trees blocked his view of the sky. The banks of the river were really steep. He couldn't escape. The river was taking him southward, and he was destined to head for the lands beyond the Eastern and Western Packs.
Later, elsewhere. . .
Stone was still running, but he was also crying. The thought of Storm leaving him like that was hurtful. It reminded him of his parents. Stone couldn't remember his origins, but he figured he was dropped off at Stormfast's family because his original family didn't want him. And now his new brother didn't want him. It was so hurtful that he tried to forget about it. He didn't want to go back to the Eastern Pack, not with Stormfast there.
Just as he turned around to check if anyone was following him, he tripped on a large rock and tumbled down a steep hill. When his body came to a stop, he winced at every bump and bruise he received from rolling over debris. He tried to stand back up, but as soon as he placed his right front paw down, he felt a horrific pain.
"Owwww!" he yipped. "Must be broken." He looked around the area he was in. He wasn't in Eastern territory anymore. He did not recognize the land. He looked at a nearby tree and saw a huge claw mark on it. Then he realized every tree to the southeast was claw-marked. He also noticed a trail of prints heading southeast. He decided to follow them. The paws that made the prints were surely a lot bigger than Stone's. He could tell by examining them. "The biggest full-grown male must travel through here a lot." Most of the prints were not fresh. Some looked like they were at least five years old.
Stone spent hours following the prints. He went through uncharted terrain. He even crossed a stone bridge that went over a small creek.
He would often whine when his injured paw throbbed or when his other paw ached from walking while carrying the weight from the injured paw. He decided to take a little break in a cave he soon found. He lay on his back and placed his broken paw on a raised area of the floor, keeping his paw elevated.