Russ's Path

Russ's Path is the first book in the Animal Chronicles series.

Blurb
Russ has a perfect life in the Wolf Pack. He has lots of friends and wants to be the best hunter and fighter in the pack! But one day, his life is turned upside down when his mother is exiled for committing a mysterious crime. And when his father is killed by a cruel fox, Russ had no choice but to find her.

However, Russ's life is once again shattered when his mother is captured by foxes and Russ gets adopted by a family of leopards. How can he find his mother? And what does the fox want? Join Russ on a thrilling adventure as he struggles to find his place in the world and discovers that species doesn't matter when it comes to love.

Plot
In the prologue, Mist meets Cluny on the edge of the Shadow Forest at night. There, she tells Cluny that she is already mates with another wolf, Rock. Cluny becomes enraged and challenges Mist to a fight, telling her that she was a traitor. Mist denies this, so Cluny attacks her, wounding the wolf. He then orders three foxes from the Fox Tribe to kill her. Mist, being stronger, manages to defeat all three of them despite her injuries. Cluny tries to slink away through the bushes, but Mist stops him, furious and betrayed. Cluny warns her that she was nothing to him, and that she was as good as dead. The two former friends then part ways, scarring Mist forever.

In the first chapter, Russ dreams about being suffocated by burning oil. When he is awakened by his best friend Silver, he finds his parents and impresses them by catching a leaf in midair. His archenemy, Fenris, enters the den, claiming that he is the best hunter and fighter in the entire pack. Russ doesn't believe a word, and offers instead to go hunting, His father, Rock agrees, so he takes Russ, Silver, and Fenris on a hunting trip.

During the trip, Russ admits that he hates the dark forest where the Wolf Pack lived, but Silver thinks that thinking that way was wrong. Later, the four wolves arrive in a clearing, where Rock told the pups they'd be hunting squirrels. Russ immediately starts stalking a squirrel, but is unsuccessful. The two other pups also try. Silver is the only one who catches anything. Russ becomes somewhat jealous.

The hunting trip is interrupted by a terrified howl. Russ recognizes it immediately as that of his mother, Mist. He and the others race back to camp, where they find Mist cornered. The other wolves plan to exile her because of her crimes, breaking Russ's heart. He pleads that they let her go, and the wolves finally agree on a vote. However, more wolves vote for Mist's exile, devastating Russ. He is then suddenly tossed onto the Meeting Rock by the female Alpha, Akira. When he manages to stand up, he clings to Mist's leg, refusing to let her go before blacking out.

Russ wakes up in his den, feeling hollow. Fenris tries to bring him some prey, but Russ lashes out at him, scaring the pup away. After eating the rabbit, Russ decides to sneak out of camp for a walk in the woods to calm down. He is successful in sneaking past the guards, and once he arrives in the forest, he begins to stalk a thrush just as it flies away, Russ sinks his claws into its wing, bringing it down. As he gloats over his kill, he is spotted by Akira, who steps out of her hiding place to confront him.