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“NEW DAY, NEW DAY, FIND some prey?”
That bird is lucky he’s too fast to eat.
I might not have minded being woken up like that if it didn’t come with another reminder of my new situation. I’d gotten lucky with a few mice the day after I was banished, but the spoils of previous hunts with Toltan had finally faded. I needed a real meal if I was going to survive.
I stretched, yawned, and ventured out to find a calm morning with more birds chirping in the trees. The same mockingbird sat where he’d been the last couple of days, atop the pile of rocks, twitching his tail at me.
“Good morning, good morning,” the bird sang, “a hunt will start this morning.”
Where are those two-leggeds when I need them? Though he was right about one thing: a hunt was about to start. My first as a lone wolf. Time to see what Toltan taught me, besides betrayal.
It appeared to be not much. My nose found sweet tree sap and, ew, skunk droppings. I chose another path, finding nothing again, and again, and again. My “hunt” had become more of a wander as I tried to find anything. Then when it did, it was a territory marker I didn’t dare violate. I turned away from that path and stumbled across a much better one. It was a fresh deer trail that was strangely familiar, though I couldn’t say how. Curiosity, and a lack of other options, had me following the trail over log and thistle. Despite the risk, I wanted to know why this deer was so vivid to my nose.
I panted a laugh when I found it. Not only was it a foal, it was the same one Toltan wouldn’t let my siblings and me hunt on our own. Amazing that it had survived this long alone. I laughed again when I realized I now had a chance to conduct the hunt I was denied. Well, most of it, since I’d be doing it without my siblings. At least there’s no Rajor.
I stalked forward, trying to get as close as I could before it saw me. It was searching for me, but it was young. It didn’t know what to look for. My paws flowed silently onto the ground with each step, my mouth drooling at the thought of such a meal. My hunt. My kill.
My legs filled with energy, and I used it. Once I got as close as I felt I could, my legs launched me into a sprint without a thought, as if they were separate from my body. The foal turned and ran, crying out for help I knew would never come. Just as I had no pack, so too was this foal without a herd.
I slowly closed the gap, my legs burning, but my stomach snarled for a meal, and I was determined to get it. The foal turned around a tree, pushing for all the speed it could find. I kept pace, too intent on eating to let him get away. After another turn, I pushed my legs to their limit, bringing me just close enough to snap at the foal’s legs. Two snaps missed, then the third got hold of a leg. The foal cried out as it tried to shake free, but to no avail. I planted my paws and pulled, bringing him to an abrupt halt. He tried to pull away, but my fangs were too deep into his outstretched leg. Eventually, the foal stumbled onto its side in a mess of tangled limbs.
I released my hold so I could rush forward for the kill. An adult deer might have done better, but this foal knew too little. Its hooves didn’t even slow me down. I found its neck with ease, and death came soon after.
I laid still, panting from the exertion before I asked my body to do anything more. What a rush. The chase had tested me even more than my fight with Calon, and I had a fresh kill to show for it. Too bad Rajor wasn’t around. Let’s see him find an insult to counter this one.
Once my insides had settled, I dug into my kill. As blood stained my muzzle, I went for the best meat. The lack of competition made the bits slide down with more joy than I’d ever felt. It was so warm, so fresh, so perfect. Who knew isolation would change so much? I didn’t have to worry about anything but my own needs for a change. I didn’t have to listen to anyone either. Best of all, no more Rajor to spoil a perfect day. It all felt so good at one point, I tried to swallow a hunk of meat as slowly as possible, as if I could meditate on it and all the feelings I had running through my blood right now. Why is this bad again?
Those feelings changed when I caught wind of other wolves. I heard them approach, then I saw them. My former pack, with Toltan at the lead as usual, walking straight toward me. Either they didn’t see me or didn’t care. I started growling before they ever got close. There hadn’t been any markers. This was free territory. That meant the foal was my kill. My growl grew the closer they got. My hackles rose at the same pace, with my ears straight and forward without a hint of fear. You won’t take this from me. Not after what you did.
Despite my age, my snarl echoed off the trees by the time they reached me. I noticed the younger litter behind Toltan, no doubt on their first hunt. For a moment, I couldn’t help remembering the thrill of my first time. Back then, I didn’t care as much about proving myself. Just being out on a hunt, with him, was enough. Getting the chance to go after a rabbit had only made it that much better.
The memory touched on Toltan’s voice at the time. I remembered him telling me to dig, and how it excited me. It would have been my first kill, if only had Rajor had made an effort to catch it.
All at once, I felt my insides burn as I remembered what he did to me. How he had betrayed that memory. It caused my snarl to grow when Toltan stepped forward to match my challenge. I barked and snapped at him, and Toltan returned the challenge with equal volume, though somehow, his hackles didn’t seem as straight.
I stood over the dead foal without the slightest hesitation. “This is my kill. You’ll not touch it. I’ll fight you with all I have should you try.”
Toltan stared me down, and I raised my tail. Deep down, I knew I couldn’t win a fight, but that thought was buried under the anger. Not to mention the sense that, in the end, I had nothing left to lose. At worst, Toltan would kill me, which losing the kill might bring about anyway. If I was going to die, might as well die fighting instead of starving to death.
Toltan kept his tail raised while the pack watched with nervous glances between us. Lonate, of course, stood with the pups as he always did. He does his job well that one.
Our stalemate echoed off the trees for what felt like days, neither one of us relenting. That is, until a yip from the pups drew Toltan’s ear. Lonate had stopped one from wandering off the way he sometimes had to: with his fangs. While he’d stopped the pup, he’d also brought an end to the battle.
Toltan’s snarl didn’t fade, but he did step back. “I’ll not risk my pups today. I’ve lost too many this year. Keep from our boundaries, Luna.”
“And you from mine,” I snarled.
While Toltan tried to enter his death stance, he never achieved the same rigidity he’d always held. Eventually, he led his pack away without a word.
I waited until they were out of sight to finish what I could of my kill. My stomach enjoyed every bite until it finally admitted it had no more room. The rest would be raven food by nightfall, but at least I’d gotten the best parts. Even so, there might be enough scraps later to keep me strong while I found other meals.
Now full, and far less terrified, I set about claiming my piece of the forest. I went right up to Toltan’s latest marker, and left a few of my own droppings on my side of the border. A step I repeated more than once in the hopes that I might keep more of what I suspected would be prime hunting grounds.
It was after lifting my leg at another tree that my nose found something else. A dirty, icky scent like charred wood, yet musty scents followed. The latter I recognized from that first day of my exile. The day I saw the power of the two-leggeds. A part of me wanted to run, return to the whelp I became that night. The stronger side wanted to find them. If nothing else, to determine what threat they posed.
I moved forward, ears and eyes searching for them. After watching what they could do to a mountain lion, I couldn’t afford to get careless. I moved in careful spurts, not advancing too far before I felt sure I had a clear path. My legs and paws were quick and careful, moving so smoothly I barely felt them. I wanted to find the two-leggeds, but I wanted to do so without being seen.
I found other wolves first. It appeared to be a small pack, no more than seven adult members. Probably split off, or the first litter of a mated pair, looking for a home of their own. They moved just as carefully, the wind blowing my scent away, keeping my presence hidden.
Not that they would have cared had they known. They, like me, had turned their ears toward a group of two-leggeds. My position allowed me to see them as well. They were moving through the foliage more carefully this time, though still not silent. The closer they got, more of the pack turned toward them, save for a single pup who cowered by the legs of his mother.
The two-leggeds settled by the trees while the wolves began to slink back toward the forest. The two-leggeds leveled their sticks, just like that first day. Oh no.
CRAACK-AK-AK CSHOO-SHOO shoo-shoo shoo
CRAACK CSH-CRAACK CSHOO shoo-shoo
Three wolves fell dead at once. Two more collapsed as well, whining agony for no apparent reason. Blood gushed from wounds born of nothing, as the two remaining wolves looked around confused. I stood frozen, horrified at the sight I couldn’t pry myself away from. The pup ran toward me, with one of the adults following, trying to keep him with the pack.
CRAACK-CRAACK CSHOOSHOO shooshoo-shoo
The remaining wolves fell. One dead, the other whining so much she probably wished she were. The survivors tried to crawl away, but their wounds were too great. The two-leggeds advanced, stepping right up to the injured wolves. When they leveled their sticks, my ears flattened to reduce the noise.
CRAACK-AK-AK CSHOOSHOO shooshoo shoo
The pack lay dead. Decimated by the magic these two-legged things carried in their paws. No wonder they had no claws. Smooth sticks of thunder were all they needed to kill. I kept to the shadows, praying I’d go unnoticed. Their noses were tiny, so with the wind holding its direction, I had a good chance of staying hidden.
The two-leggeds barked excitedly as they examined their kills. The barking often grew right after one examined a wound in one of the wolves. After some time of this, the two-leggeds hung their sticks on their backs, then dragged the dead pack away by their paws. I watched them go long after I could no longer see them, to be sure they were truly gone.
I yipped in surprise when a bundle of dark brown-gray-silver fur plunged into my legs. I tumbled onto it, drawing much of the same from my attacker. My yip turned to a growl until I saw the attacker was the pack’s pup.
He was even smaller up close. Either a runt or somehow younger than the second litter from my former pack. His fur was still one-half puppy-brown, the other half a coat of pure ash I felt certain would grow to dominate his pelt. The pup laid there, whimpering, shaking like a leaf in a windstorm. His ears were so flat, I could barely see them.
My insides sank when I remembered how I’d felt the first time I’d been around the two-leggeds’ thunder sticks. And I’d only been a witness. This poor pup had been among them, watching his entire pack get wiped out. I could only imagine what he felt.
I shook off the pain of our collision before slowly stepping up to him. The pup stared at me as if I might attack him next but remained still.
I rubbed my muzzle against the pup’s as softly as I could. “Hush. Hush. You’re safe now.”
His shaking faded until it stopped, though his ears never moved. “My... My... My moth... My... My mother...”
“Hush. I’m afraid they’re all dead.”
“C... Com... come back?... Those... things... they come...”
“No. No, they got what they wanted. They don’t seem to care about us. Come with me. I’ll keep you safe.”
It took some coaxing to get the pup moving. Even then, he jumped at every sound. He nearly vanished entirely when the mockingbird flew over his head.
“Pup and pup still facing stuff. Pup and pup shall—”
My jaws snapped at the bird before he could finish. “Shut it, you! He just lost his pack. Even you have to understand some part of that. So if I hear one word, one tweet more, it’ll be your last.”
The bird landed on a low branch and sat there, silent. He watched us walk without so much as a flick of his tail. Not sure which part worked, but I’m glad it did.
I led the pup to my den, and let him settle in beside me. Poor thing tried for hours to regain his breath, half of it from tears he couldn’t seem to shed. Time slowly peeled away his fear until all he had were the tears still building behind his eyes. I stayed with him, unable to provide anything besides a larger wolf to lay against.
At last, with wet eyes, the pup looked at me. “Are you sure? Are you sure they’re dead? All of them?”
My ears fell in pain. “Yes. The two-legged creatures killed them. You’re the last of your pack.”
Tears began to flow at last. “No. No, they can’t be. They... they...”
He sobbed into my flank, and all I could offer was a comforting rub on his head. My mind tried to wander, to consider what we now shared. It never got beyond the raw facts. We were alone, no pack, no one but ourselves now. The points came without emotion, not counting the sympathy I felt for the pup. It was as if some other voice were trying to tell me something, but it couldn’t figure out how, or even what exactly.
I let him cry for as long as he needed. While he did, I tried to find that voice in my head, only to have it go silent. There was still a sense that it had something to tell me, but with it gone, all I could do was let the pup tire himself out. When he finally stopped crying, the sunlight in the entrance had grown a lot dimmer.
Much like the pup’s eyes as they found me again. “Yours too?”
I tried very hard not to growl at him. It wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t know about the thorn his words were driving into my heart. Though it brought up an interesting question: which was worse? Losing them like he had, or being driven from them over a lie?
I kept my growl silent, but I could do nothing about the thorn.
“No,” I said. “Something very different.”
“Different how? What happened?”
“It’s too complicated. Just know that, like you, I’m alone.”
A tweet sounded at the entrance. “Lu-na.”
I thought I got rid of that bird. That said, the bird had yet to say a single word before, even if it was sung in two syllables. It still didn’t keep a soft growl from forming.
“Luna?” the pup asked.
I stopped growling for the sake of the pup. “My name. Luna is my name.”
“Folar is mine. Thank you, Luna, for... for being with me.”
Folar rubbed against me, and another thorn stabbed into my heart. The shadow of the mockingbird appeared at the entrance, and I knew I had to deal with him, again.
“Excuse me, Folar. I need to see what that bird wants. I won’t be far.”
I slid into the entrance, feeling the weight of Folar’s stare. I tried to ignore it as I went outside and stood over the bird. He didn’t leave, and for some reason I could never find, I had no urge to eat him.
That said, my hackles refused to stay flat. “Now what?”
The bird seemed to struggle to speak at first. In the end, it came out a song, but heavier than any song I had ever heard before. “Pup no stay, pup won’t live, a fighting chance, you cannot give. Must run and hunt and live with kind. Home and den and love, he not here find.”
I tilted my head at the bird, then glanced back inside the den at Folar. “Just what are you saying?”
“You know, you know, the pup must go.”
“Go? Go where? His pack is dead. The only established pack is... You can’t be serious.”
“Must run and hunt and live with kind. Home and den and love, he not here find.”
I had to swallow a dozen pinecones as I looked toward Toltan’s territory. “Do you have any idea what you’re asking?”
“I do, I do.”
A cold wind, and the bird fluttered away without a sound.
I watched him go with falling ears, and I felt another pinecone lodge in my throat. Even if I ignored the risk of going back to my former pack, I had an opportunity to change my fate. Folar was so young, he might not have heard the law. Even if he had, it may not matter. He was already drawn to me. He might choose to ignore my sentence and stay with me anyway. We could do it too. The two of us could form our own little pack. We could make a life for ourselves. Maybe with a little luck, we could do even more.
The pinecones pricked at my heart, forcing me to cringe. The mockingbird was right. For all my talk before, I was still a pup myself. Folar had yet to catch a mouse, much less help me with deer. I would have to support us both, which given my age, was almost certain to get us both killed. I couldn’t condemn Folar to such a death, no matter how much I wanted the company. So that’s why this is so bad.
“Folar,” I called into the den. “Folar, come with me.”
Folar came out cautious, but unafraid. “What is it, Luna?”
More pinecones. Tell me this gets easier. “Just, follow. Follow close, and no matter what, do as I say.”
Folar’s ears fell, but his eyes remained on me. “Okay.”
Folar pressed me for more details, but I never responded except to keep him moving. Each step grew harder because my mind couldn’t stop thinking about it. I don’t have to do this. I could feed us both until he grew enough. I don’t have to be alone. The words were hollow. It had to be done, if only for Folar’s sake. The best I could do was keep moving in the hopes of ending it quickly.
I timed a response so Folar missed Toltan’s marker as we passed it. My howls would be ignored, so if I wanted to get Folar to the pack, I would have to be more proactive. We walked on in silence, approaching the hillside above the dens. As we got closer, I told Folar to stay low. A stance I copied in the hope of appearing submissive. Folar had no trouble there, as his ears were as flat as they could be. Mine would have been as well, except they needed to search the area for any members of the pack. If the reunion went wrong, I’d be meeting Wolfor before nightfall.
Yet luck was on my side, or perhaps on some level I’d had a plan. In any case, as he’d been since the first day of thunder, Lonate was sitting atop the hillside, watching the forest for who-knows-what. It was a chance to lessen the risk. I knew Lonate wouldn’t kill me on sight. With more luck, I could leave Folar with him and be gone before anyone knew I was there.
I moved toward Lonate, smooth but cautious, ready to run in case I was wrong. Lonate sat alone like always, a stone sentry almost unmoving against the setting sun. That is, until his eyes and ears locked onto me and Folar. I froze with flat ears while Folar cowered under my legs. Lonate turned an ear back, turned back toward us, then he sprinted toward us without a sound.
“Folar,” I said, “get ready, but don’t run unless I say so.”
“What’s going on?” Folar said.
“Just sit tight and listen.”
Folar hugged the ground as if he might melt into it. If only we could. I’d felt Lonate’s fangs enough to know I’d never beat them. My best option was to flatten my ears, tuck my tail, and pray it was enough.
Despite Lonate’s sprint, fangs never came. Nor did a growl, or a bark, or any sign of intent. Just a rush forward that stopped cold right in front of me.
“Get out of here, Luna,” Lonate whispered. “Now! Go!”
I held my stance, trying to convince my body there was no pain. “Not until I’m finished.” I rubbed my muzzle against Folar’s, who was shaking as much as my body wanted to. “Come on. Out with you.”
Folar emerged, though slower than a snail. Lonate watched with perked ears as this tiny wolf stared at him. Lonate tilted his head at the pup, then at me.
“Finished?” Lonate said. “What are you talking about?”
My ears and tail started to relax. “I’m bringing him to you, so he may...”
Snarls sent me and Folar to the ground. Toltan had found us, and unlike Lonate, his fangs were fully exposed as he charged our way. My instincts warred with thought. Every strand of fur said run! but I couldn’t until I was sure Folar was safe.
Truth be told, I was too scared to move anyway. All I could think about was what it would feel like to be torn apart by my father. As for Folar, for all I could see, the young pup had turned to stone beside me.
Only Lonate moved, directly into Toltan’s path.
“Toltan, wait! Please!”
Toltan didn’t stop. Not until it became clear that Lonate wouldn’t step aside. Though his position said challenge, his flat ears and tucked tail said otherwise.
Toltan still shook everyone’s ribs when he spoke. “You know the law, Lonate. Any lone wolf that returns shall face the alpha’s fangs.”
“Even a lone wolf that’s trying to help?”
Confusion silenced Toltan’s snarl, though not his glare. “What do you mean, help?”
Lonate stared at me. I took it as my chance to explain.
“This pup is the last of his pack. They—”
Toltan snarled again. “What does that have to do with you?”
Ignoring me again, Father? I’ll show you how smart you’re not.
I stood tall, anger burying all fear beneath its burn. My ears came up, and my tail relaxed behind me. It was just shy of a direct challenge, though my glare came closer than anything.
“I am his escort. I am making sure he gets to you alive. Folar—that’s his name, if you care—has done no wrong, committed no crime. He deserves the chance to live with a strong pack. Yours is the only one I know will take him. You said it yourself: pups are a gift from Wolfor. Will you really kill me while I’m trying to deliver a gift from Wolfor?”
Toltan’s growl returned as the pack watched in the distance.
“Luna?” Folar said, silencing Toltan again. “Luna, what’s going on?”
My anger at Toltan caused me to be far less gentle this time. “You’re going to live and run with them. Don’t worry. They’re a good pack... mostly.”
“But what about you?”
“Me? I was banished. They don’t care about me anymore.”
“But I care! You can’t just leave me here. You can’t abandon me like this.”
A part of me tried to remind myself that he was too young to understand. The message was drowned out by pain mixed with anger, forcing a growl from me this time. I glared at Folar, desperate to put an end to the torture. When I did, Folar flattened like a leaf under a rock.
“Why not?” I said. “He did. All on a vow too easily taken as truth. Learn well, young one. Learn the pain so you can remind him of it the next time Rajor calls on Wolfor’s name.”
Folar stared at me in horror as tears filled his eyes yet again. I found another mouthful of pinecones that only made the rage burn hotter.
“You...” Folar stammered. “You don’t... you... you can’t...”
“I can, I will, and I have. This is your pack now, Folar. Go! Be with them, or be my next meal.”
As much to end the encounter as anything else, I snapped at him. Folar screamed like the jaws had landed. He dashed behind Toltan in search of cover, still shaking. Not the best choice, but it’ll do. With Toltan offering almost no reaction, I ruffed at them both before turning back toward my den.
I didn’t get far though.
“Fine then!” Folar said. “Live alone. Be a great big sulky in your little rock pile. I thought you were a hero, but you’re just what my mom warned me of. Stupid skunks pretending to be wolves. Too full of their own fangs to do the right thing.”
Pup’s got some fire. Shame he was too young to run with.
I trotted away before Toltan decided to run me off for kicks, or some other created reason. I stopped at my kill, surprised to find it untouched, and forced down what my stomach would allow. I then took what I could carry back to my den. Once the meat was stashed in the hollow of a nearby tree, I slipped inside my rock pile.
The place felt empty now. In the span of a few days, it had gone from refuge, to home, to comfort, and now it was pain. I could still smell Folar’s fur and tears. For a moment, I thought I could still feel Folar’s fur against mine too. It had been so short I’d barely noticed how nice it felt. A “stupid skunk,” he’d called me? Great big sulky? I wasn’t sure about the skunk part, but I had to admit I laid my head on my paws, more than willing to think about the wounds I couldn’t lick.
“Luna, Luna, back and fine. Ready, ready, hunt and thrive.”
Not again. Should have snapped that bird in two when I had the chance.
I went outside to find the bird, as usual, twitching on top of my den, out of reach. I could only growl as the bird continued to chirp at me.
“Will you leave me alone?” I said. “I’ve suffered enough today.”
“Suffered, yes, sad and true, but listen, wolf, and see. Look within, heart and soul, both are full indeed.”
I rolled my eyes at him. Darn bird had no idea what it was talking about. Not that it should have been a surprise. Mockingbirds weren’t known for intelligent conversation. They could certainly talk though, or at least sing.
“Just shut up,” I said. “I’m not full of anything. Rajor took everything I had.”
“Still have fang, still have claw, still have mind, so far I saw.”
“Got no pack, got no home, and you, my friend, need to roam—before I eat you.”
“Roam I have and roam I will; watch the humans sort their kills.”
I couldn’t help it. My head tilted at the bird, now curious. “What? Humans? Kills? What are you talking about?”
“Come, wolf, come. See, wolf, see. Learn what shares your territoryyyy.”
It fluttered into the woods as it sang, leaving me with a growing headache. I couldn’t tell what made it worse: talking to the bird at all, or even for a second thinking about following it. In the end, curiosity won, along with the dim hope of shutting him up.
I followed the bird’s path with ears perked and eyes high looking for him, or for any danger that may yet hunt either of us. The bird flew around the branches of a tree, still chirping at me, always out of reach.
“Come, wolf, come. See, wolf, see.”
Exiled, scared to death the first night, and now I’m following a bird. I’m going crazy already.
My pace slowed when I found familiar scents on the wind. The same weird, sweet and salty mix I’d found both times I’d been around the two-leggeds. I inhaled the forest through my nose to be sure I hadn’t walked into them.
“No fear, no fear,” the bird sang. “Humans not find wolf here.”
Despite its song, I held plenty of fear. Enough to keep my insides tight and my legs ready to sprint anywhere not here. My ears remained up, however, as they could hear something moving around ahead.
I hugged the ground when I saw the two-leggeds. They were still in their colorful skins, though not as thick right now. They seemed to be collecting piles of sticks and colorful square rocks that held sloshing sounds as if they carried water. Another such rock clinked from within among the sloshing, which made even less sense. More two-leggeds were breaking apart what seemed to be a large rock, yet it collapsed as if it were a skin without a body. They worked this skin, and smaller bones or twigs, into another skin, which they carried over to the strangest rocks yet.
They were huge, very smooth, one bright red while the other was black, and both so glossy I could see reflections on almost every side. More red and some yellow were at the corners of both rocks. On the sides sat round, black rocks, with circular, bright silver middles. The two-leggeds were placing many items in the back of these weird rocks as if stashing them. Some of it appeared to be hides of wolves, foxes, mountain lions, and other animals.
What are these things doing? Do they hibernate? Do they use skins as nest material? Must they carry water into their dens? Why... The questions were stopped by a stare of confusion when the two-leggeds moved part of the rock’s sides away, and then got inside. They moved the sides back with a thunk, sealing themselves inside. What in Wolfor’s tail...
Grrrrrrr-vree-kic-kic-kic-VAROOM!
I didn’t know if I should run, hide, or pray. Their rocks weren’t rocks. They were some kind of beast that had eaten them. Except the two-leggeds had gotten inside willingly, without fear. Stranger still, I could see them inside, still moving around through sides that were transparent. They didn’t seem to be in any distress that I could tell, nor were they crying out for help. After a pair of clunks I’d never heard before, the black rocks on the sides turned on their own, and the creatures left the forest with a great rumble. I watched them go, alarmed that the red corners of the rocks appeared to be glowing.
“Humans gone, humans gone, humans gone at last.”
I stared at the bird, still straight-eared and barely moving. “Humans? So the two-legged animals are called humans. Do you have a name for those big... things?”
“One built tough, one runs deep, both run quickly through the streets!”
I didn’t know a bird could go insane.
I walked away from my singer to investigate where the “humans” had been. Only charred wood and fine dust remained from the fire they had gathered around. Among the dust were parts of their prey, though being burnt as they were, I can see why they left them behind. Why they were so close to a well contained fire in the first place proved a mystery too deep to explore. I found strange seeds or fruits scattered around the area unlike any plant I’d ever seen. Some were hard, some soft and chewy, and a few looked like actual seeds, but were covered in something that seemed to melt in my mouth. The rest tasted some strange mixture of sweet, sour, or bitter whenever I risked eating one. With nothing but packed earth where their... dens?... had been, I ventured on to see what else I could find.
In a pile only just discovered by ravens were the skinless bodies of several animals. Every creature bigger than a rabbit was there. Moose, deer, fox, mountain lion, skunk, all were represented, but these few kills paled compared to the mass of wolf bodies that lay among them.
In some ways, the wolves were worse than the others. The deer, elk, moose, and other prey animals were at least missing a few heads and other body parts. I even found a dead rabbit with its paws missing, while some bodies were missing some of their meat, and many others also missing their skin.
The wolves however, were all without a shred of fur or a single tail. Only one was missing a head. The rest were just left there to rot for the scavengers. Those beasts didn’t have the decency to eat them. They just took their hides and left them there. For a moment, I considered running at Toltan in challenge. At least then I could be consumed by the wild with some measure of dignity.
What are these “humans”? With their power, they could have any prey they wanted, yet they let so much go to waste in the worst way. They only took great care with skins, which made less sense than letting such good prey rot.
“So you see, little wolf,” the bird sang. “See and learn and know. Humans, humans, may be your greatest foe.”
Can’t argue with him there. Then again, from what I had seen, they carried their power in their thunder sticks. Without them, I couldn’t see them being a threat. All the same, I was glad to see them gone. I had enough to deal with without dodging them too.
I found little else before a howl rang through the trees. It was yet another new voice to claim parts of the forest not held by Toltan. Amazing, considering the many bodies left to rot without their fur. Hope sprung within me when I considered that maybe, just maybe, I could use this. Maybe I could change my fate.
I sprinted toward the call, praying I could catch them before they found Toltan. Already my pack were raising their voices to mark their section of forest. If any of them actually met these new arrivals, I would never have a chance.
Much like Folar’s pack, they were a small group. An alpha pair, two more barely a year old, and four pups bounding behind them all. Perfect! I thought. They’ll need strength, even if it is young. This is my best chance to find a new pack. I made no effort to hide my approach, crashing through leaves and breaking twigs. A sudden introduction could end any chance before it started. All ears turned my way as I emerged from cover, my ears low and tail tucked. Now was not the time for pride, deserved or otherwise.
“I greet you, fair alpha,” I said.
The alpha male didn’t even blink. “Who are you?”
I prayed he’d believe the lie, even as I hated offering it. “The last survivor of a pack killed by strange creatures. Please. I am young, but I learn well. Let me run with you. Let me add to your strength.”
“A fine tale, pup, but it does not yet answer my question. Who are you? By what name were you born?”
“Luna. My name is—”
“Luna!” his mate echoed. “The pup that murdered his brother? You can't let him join us, Tona. He’ll kill our pups too.”
Tona’s ears turned forward, and my heart sank.
“Step aside, pup,” Tona said. “Word of your crime has spread far. You’ll find none that will take you. You will have to live alone for all your days.”
Pain gave way to a growl. He can’t do this. Rajor can’t deny me everything! “For a crime I didn’t commit? Based on words three times repeated? What a fine member of wolf-hood you are.”
Tona gave a snarl of his own, which his pack echoed. “Watch your tongue, pup.”
“Or what? If you’ll not have me, then you’ll not have these lands. This is my territory. Pups or not, I will defend it. The risk you take is your own.”
Tona’s snarl shook the air, but his ears were back at his younger pups. He watched them and me, then his snarl faded. I raised my tail as Tona retreated with his pack, never turning away until they were well outside sprinting distance.
So be it. If I was to live alone, I might as well build a reputation as being a wolf to be feared. I left a marker where I stood before turning toward my den.
Right into Martol.
“I knew you’d be strong,” she said.
I nearly jumped out of my fur when she spoke right into my nose. I looked around for a scent mark I might have missed, or for the pack coming to kill me.
“Relax, Luna,” she said. “This is not my territory. Nor has anyone else come with me.”
My insides weren’t convinced of that yet. My brain bounced around itself, unsure what to think or feel. Some part of me wondered if she had been the reason for Tona’s retreat, though my mind was too scattered to ponder that for long either. Once things slowed down internally, my ears kept searching while I addressed Martol. I’d had enough surprises for one day.
“Wh... what are you doing out here?”
“After I heard what you did for Folar,” she said, “I had to find you. I had to talk with you, to say things I didn’t get the chance to say.”
I ruffed at her near another growl. Now she wants to talk? Yeah, right. “Like what? Lone wolves can’t live anywhere near their original pack? No, I know. You’ve seen the light and are here to tell me all’s forgiven and I’m welcome to return. That it?”
Martol’s ears fell in pain I didn’t understand or care to learn. “Luna, I don’t deserve that.”
“Don’t you? You stood by and did nothing. You let Toltan take the word of a bully over mine. Don’t deserve it? My sweet, sweet mother. You deserve far more.”
Her ears fell further. Tears formed behind her closed eyes. “Do you think it was easy, for either of us? You didn’t say a word, Luna. We had Rajor alone to speak for you.”
“And you didn’t find error in that? I’d just watched my brother die trying to kill me. What could I possibly say? Then there’s Wolfor. We invoke his name, and suddenly we can speak no lie. Rajor knew what he had to do, and he did it. You had your chance to do the right thing. You didn’t. Then you all watched as Toltan drove me from my home. Now I don’t know how easy it was, but I have to say, it sure looked like you didn’t mind.”
The more I spoke, the more Martol’s eyes tightened, and the lower her ears went. She was almost whimpering as tears snuck out at last. I wanted to say more, to be sure I had made my point, but I stayed silent. I knew she’d come out of it soon, and I wanted to hear her response more than I wanted to yell.
Her eyes opened to show a void where a wolf should be. My ears perked, wondering just what she had to say for herself.
“Toltan was right. I lost two pups that day. Goodbye, Luna. May Wolfor care for you as I no longer can.”
She walked back to her home, still sobbing.
I stood on legs that felt like they’d turned to stone. I didn’t expect that. I’d expected a fight. I wanted a fight. In an odd way, I think I needed a fight. Instead, I’d gotten a thorn in my chest the size of Wolfor’s claw.
I stood staring after her, trying to understand what just happened. For a moment, I considered chasing after her despite the risk. She was only walking, so I had a good chance of catching her before she was back inside her territory. When wisdom, or more lies, silenced that plan, I forced my way back to my den.
It was an odd constant, my rock pile. It gave me strength to deal with what I’d faced so far. Though it couldn’t protect me from what hit as I lay alone that night, for that was the problem. My den held just one wolf and always would. My parents didn’t care, or didn’t try. Other packs would be “warned” of me. No female would want to risk mating with a “pup killer.” In simple terms, Rajor had succeeded in denying me anything but a life of isolation.
Worst of all, some of it was my fault. Despite what I told myself, I’d chased away my last connection. I’d shunned Martol like an enemy before she had a chance to say what she’d come to say. If I had it to do over again, I might have said something else, or maybe said nothing at all. Whatever the case, I now wanted that second chance. I’d give anything to get it, even as I knew I never would.
Tears of my own dampened my fur, and the walls of my den echoed with the first adult sounding howl I’d ever given. A howl so deep, so longing, one would think I was the last wolf on Earth.