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Our Journey For Freedom

Humans are such careless, evil creatures…and yet they have oft referred to us as ‘monsters’ in their histories and stories.  But what they lack to tell you is the horrors that they will put others through…and their horrendous actions are not limited to only their own kind.  When we kill, it is only through necessity, such as food or survival…our paws are not clean of blood in any way but they are not as wet as the hands of Humans.  When the only place that I ever knew as a safe haven for my kind came under threat by Humans…we were victimized.  This is my story about mine and my packs survival when we were treated as nothing more than the monsters they oft portray us as.  When we had our chance for escape…we took it and it fell to me to lead my pack on Our Journey For Freedom.

How to pronounce the names of the Wolves and Foxes (and their relations to each other) –

Nateera – Na-Tee-Ra (main character and youngest pup)

Searra – See-Ar-Ra (Nateera’s sister)

Mariky – Ma-Ri-Kai (Nateera’s brother)

Arakesha – A-Ra-Kesh-A (Nateera’s friend)

Turyla – Tu-Ry-La (Nateera’s friend)

Arja – Ar-Ya (Nateera, Searra and Mariky’s mother)

Yarko – Yar-Ko (Nateera, Searra and Mariky’s father)

Lykayja – Lie-Kay-Ya (Nateera and Lone’s daughter)

Neekeenya – Knee-Keen-Ya (Searra and Turyla’sson)

Lyrinna – Lie-Ree-Na (Searra and Turyla’s daughter)

Aintainya – Ain-Tain-Ya (Mariky and Arakesha’s twin daughter)

Tayinkay – Tay-Yin-Kay (Mariky and Arakesha’s twin daughter)

Leera – Lee-Ra (Runner and Vixen’s twin daughter)

Réene – Reen (Runner and Vixen’s twin daughter)

Carja – Car-Ya (Runner and Vixen’s daughter)

Warri – Wa-Ree (Runner and Vixen’s son)

INTRODUCTION

I guess I should start with saying who I am.  My name is Nateera and I am the youngest of three to my mother, Arja, and my father, Yarko.  My older sister is Searra and is one year older than I, and her twin brother is Mariky.  They both share identical fur colour, being a dark brown with stripes of lighter fur running along their backs and they both share the same light green eyes.  My mother always said that they looked much more similar to my father than I did…what with my white and black fur and dark blue eyes, which I get from my mother.  Two other members of my pack are Turyla, who is two years older than I with red fur and light brown eyes, and Arakesha, who is also two years older than I with grey fur covering her almost completely, save for some black patches on her underbelly and she has very dark, almost jet-black, eyes.  We were content with our lives amongst Humans, in our ‘shelter’, where we thought we were safe from everything, and we were…until that day.

PROLOGUE

“Mother?” my daughter, Lykayja, asked from her perch above me, her white and pink nose jutting out from the rocks in the warm, mid-morning sun, the small, red cloth wrapped around her neck poking out slightly.

“Yes, my daughter?” I responded, slowly rising from where I was laying in the shade, my body resonating with uncomfortable warmth.

“Can you tell me the story again?” she asked “About when you escaped from…that place”

I could feel her shudder even from where she was sitting on her haunches, the fear radiating from her in her nervous voice and slight pause before she said ‘that place’.  I felt my own throat constrict and go dry at the mention, but the story of when my pack and I escaped had become something of a legend amongst us.  A legend that will not be spoken about in great songs but will be remembered by us and spoken about within the minds of our families’ pups and their own pups and beyond…long after we are gone.  I swallowed against the lump in my throat and licked my lips to wet them a little, but I could still feel my heart thrumming within my body at speaking of this story again.

“How about I tell you all?” I suggested “Aintainya and Tayinkay especially love hearing about it.  Why not gather everyone near the light stream and I will tell you”

Lykayja practically sprang from her perch and landed with a soft thud on the soft ground below, her fur only slightly ruffled from the impact.  She looked up at me with the mirror of her father’s eyes and headed off to fetch her cousins.  I licked the fur on my left side to slow my racing heart a little and jumped from my perch to the rock just beneath me, to the one at its side which was dangerously angled, and down to the ground.  My hind legs buckled at the sharp impact, and because of the old wound on my left hind leg, and I would have fallen to the floor, had my Mate, Lone, not been resting right next to the rocks.

“Careful, Nateera” he scolded softly, pushing me steady “You’re not as young as you once were”

“Nor are you, Lone” I retorted quickly, earning me a chuckle from him.

“Storytime again?” he asked gently.

“Upon Lykayja’s request” I sighed quietly.

He was quiet for a moment, his short, night black fur bristling in a sudden chill wind.

“Do not stay up too long, my Light.  Winter is fast approaching and I don’t want to risk anyone’s health”

“I will not be long, my Heart”

I pressed my left side against him and he sank gratefully into my warmth, a soft, gentle, glad growl reverberating from within him.  I slowly walked away, still not used to these hot days despite living here for a few years now, and I paused at the light stream, carefully dipping my haunches into the cold water to relax.  It was only a few minutes later when I heard Lykayja return, with Aintainya, Tayinkay, Neekeenya and Lyrinna in tow.  They all sat around me in a semi-circle and lowered their heads, their noses almost touching the soft ground, in respect to me as their Alpha, in spite of my asking them not to.  I huffed silently in my throat in slight annoyance but would not let them see how much it bothered me…I was their Alpha and they respected that.  I breathed in and out a few times and licked my lips before I spoke, throat slightly dry and heart still thrumming in trepidation of recounting my story.

“Lykayja, Tayinkay, Neekeenya, Lyrinna, Aintainya” I said gently, naming my daughter, one nephew and three nieces.

They all rose their heads, met my eyes with theirs and nodded.  I turned and lapped up a little water from the stream before facing the pups once more.  My heart slowed a little and I told my ‘legendary’ story once more.

CHAPTER 1 (LIFE IN PRISON)

“Daughter, are you awake?” I heard my mother ask from outside of our Human-made den.

I could not supress a yawn as I lay over and faced my mother, her black and white fur always making me smile in my own way.  I was oft told that I was like the mirror of my mother, whilst my sister, Searra, and brother, Mariky, were almost mirror images of our father.  I felt my heart falter for a moment, as it always did whenever I thought of my father.  Being born ‘blind and deaf’ as my mother told me, though I did not understand what that meant when I was younger, I was unable to even lay eyes upon my father, nor hear his gentle words.  I was told that he died almost immediately after I was born, from some kind of ‘complication’.  I always thought that it was unfair…my father saw and heard me, even as I whimpered and whined after being born, but I could not see nor hear him.  I could not see his majestic, long brown fur or hear his soft, caring voice.  I was told that Mariky’s voice is very similar to that of my father, but I could never get over the frustration that I felt at not hearing it myself.  Many nights I had spent crying and whimpering, howling and whining in anguish at never seeing nor hearing my father.  My heart felt heavy in my chest and when I spoke, it was in a near-death whisper.

“I am awake, mother” I said softly, sniffling slightly despite myself.

Her expression softened at hearing the misery in my voice and she shimmied her way into my little crevice of the den, a small part that was just big enough for me to move about comfortably but too small for my brother, sister or mother to squeeze into without forcing themselves in.  Sometimes it made me smile to see them shimmy into my ‘room’, but sometimes it bought me only sadness that I felt so…apart, even though it was my choice to spend much of my time in my own little place.  Rare was it when I would even howl with my family, oft choosing to howl alone.  I swallowed down my sadness as my mother squeezed in that little bit more but she sighed and looked at me, her dark blue eyes meeting mine.

“Can you come out of there for a while, my daughter?  You know that I do not like it when you isolate yourself so.  I heard from Arakesha that that Human woman will be visiting soon”

I felt my heart jump in excitement at the mention of the ‘Human woman’.  Only one Human had been close to us, as close as a Human could be, and we all loved her.  I was told that she spent the longest time trying to save my father from his fate, even when the other Humans said that it was useless.  She oft spoke to us as she fed us, watered us, bathed us or tended to our bodies such as cleaning our fur or trimming our claws.  I had very little understanding of how Humans acted amongst each other but she was so much gentler to us than any other Human was.

“Millie is coming?” I asked, hope drowning out my earlier sorrow.

My mother smiled as she nodded once.

“She is coming to tend to your coat, Arakesha believes”, she said as she eyed my dusty fur, her smile spreading that little bit further.

Millie was so kind and gentle whenever she was with us, she even used to play with Searra and Mariky when they were pups.  For some reason, Millie took to me that little more, spending as much time with me as she could, always softly stroking my long fur and kissing my nose, making me itch and lick her in response.  From what my mother told me, Millie had been working at this ‘Wolf Sanctuary’ for over ten years and was the one who named my mother and father when they were born.  Mariky and Arakesha playfully dubbed her our ‘Human-Wolf’ once but the term really caught on and we all referred to her as that most of the time.  I slowly stood from my prone position, almost catching my head on the low top of the den, and crawled out with ease from my ‘room’.  My mother sighed gently at my ‘escape’ from my little corner and eyed me lovingly.

“There we go” she said softly “You are so much more beautiful when you are not bathed wholly in shadow, daughter”

I shook myself free of dirt that had caught in the fur on my back and licked at my slightly sore front paws.  As much as I kept myself in my little area, it oft took its toll on my paws, making them feel a little raw and sore most of the time, but licking them helped.  My mother eyed my licking and laughed gently in her throat.

“You would rather suffer sore paws than sleep with us?” she asked, not sharply but her words did have a bit of bite to them.

“I do not know why I do, mother” I answered honestly “I just feel more comfortable sleeping alone”

“We shall talk more about this later, daughter.  I wish that you would let us be the balm to your pain, my Heart”

I leaned close to my mother, feeling her heart beat through her body and let my own match the rhythm of hers.  Soon enough, I felt better than I had only moments ago.  Side by side, we walked from the safety of our den, into the strong cage that kept us safe…or kept the Humans safe from us, whichever way round it truly was was never clear.  The sunlight was blinding after spending so much time in the comfortable darkness of our den but it was a welcome pain to my eyes, as I adjusted quick enough and looked around at the spacious prison…the only home I had known.

The sun was high and it was perhaps late-morn, the outside of our large cage swarming with chattering, looking Humans…how I managed to sleep with their talking and shouting was unknown to me, they were so loud that my ears already ached from the cacophony.  There were some old Humans, some that had visited us for many years…years before I was born, years before even my mother.  There were some younger Humans…‘children’, my mother said they were called, and they were the ones that were oft most fascinated by seeing us.  There were another thirty Wolves in this ‘Sanctuary’ but we were not permitted to interact with them, save on infrequent occasions, by the Humans who owned this place.  I knew several names of the other Wolves.  There were the sisters Elika and Parine, both of whom weretwin Alphas to a pack of two others, Carllit, Harrow, the Alpha Garth, Arin, twin brothers Kora and Barki, both of whom were Omega’s to a larger pack, Valline, the Alpha Brash, Tarou, who was an Alpha of another small pack, and Tarou’s young son Two-Tone but I knew that there were many others whose names I had either not yet learned or I had forgotten.  I knew why the Humans came to this place, to see Wolves in habitats similar to their own in the ‘wild’, but this was nothing like what our Home truly could be.  Not from tales that my mother spoke of when I was younger, tales told to her by her own mother, Akyra.  The stories were told of expansive fields of green, rivers that promised a great reprieve for many Wolves from thirst, food aplenty from deer and other small animals that ran free for miles and miles, tall, strong trees that promised shelter and shade from a merciless Summer sun and deep, cool dens that protected from the harshness of Winter or Autumn rain.  I felt my fur warm in the high sun and could practically feel my heart thrum within my chest at both the physical warmth and what I created within my mind from my imaginings.  I could not help but take a deep breath, feeling my chest expand comfortably, and I silently exhaled.  No sooner had I let out my breath that a familiar sight bounded towards me…my sister, Searra.  She practically flew through the air, even twirling mid-air when she leapt over the small river that divided our enclosure in two, not evenly but even enough.  There were some cheers and whistles from the Human crowd but Searra ignored them as she always did, her eyes focused on myself and our mother.  My sister bowed her head before our mother, who bowed her own head in gentle response, and met my eyes.

“I never thought you would wake up, sister” she chided softly “I was waiting for you”

“Why?”

No sooner had the word escaped my mouth that Searra pulled her lips over her teeth, a growl leaking from within her throat and out into the open air and she jumped, her paws and body aimed right at my head.  As aggressive as my sister loved to be when we played, she was never quick enough.  As agile as she was this time, I slipped out of the way of her lunge and faced her, a growl growing from inside of me, as I pulled my lips back, teeth bared.  There were some shocked gasps and worried murmurs from our ‘audience’ as my sister shook herself clean of her miss but I heard a familiar female voice split the silence.

“Don’t be alarmed, they’re only playing” the voice said gently “This is how Wolves play, especially sisters like those.  Look closely and watch how Nateera expertly defends herself from Searra’s intended attack.  You will notice that neither will turn their backs on the other, nor will they freely expose their bellies.  Just watch”

I met my sister’s eyes and hers rolled in annoyance, she preferred playing whilst we were not watched by hundreds of eyes, so most of our playing was during the late evenings or night.  I had become something of a story amongst the Humans that visited, that I was ‘the only black and white Wolf born in captivity’, whatever that meant, even though my mother was born here, and was easy-to-see black and white, too.  I never understood Humans and their allure with things like that but it made me like some kind of sight to behold.  Instead of indulging the Humans’ fascination, I simply walked away from Searra, turning my back on her, but not before passing her a quick, caring glance.

“Later, sister” I said gently.

Searra nodded and loped away to the other side of the cage, soon finding a nice clearing to bathe in.  There were several groans from the Humans but I did not care…too many times had they come to see us, only to care about seeing spectacles and for us to dance for them at their whims.  My stomach rolled in anger but I swallowed it down, my anger was pointless.  A few minutes later, after a majority of the Humans moved along, to gaze at other Wolves to hope for something more remarkable, I heard the jangle of keys and the sounds of a lock being turned, and soon after, the squeaks of a gate being opened and closed.  My mother nodded and walked off to lay beneath the large tree that provided adequate shelter from the overbearing sun.  I heard the footsteps and turned, a playful growl escaping my throat as Millie came forward, her face open and friendly.  I ran towards her as she removed her gloves and licked her lowered hands, as I sat on my haunches and she rubbed her soft hands over my face.  She was dressed in a light blue top and trousers that looked like they had seen better days, and her blonde hair was tied haphazardly behind her back.  She slidher gloves into a pocket at her waist and bent down to be eye level with me, her light brown meeting my sapphire blue.

“That wasn’t nice of you to bow out like that, Nateera” she scolded “You know that people like it when you and Searra play like that” I huffed and she laughed “I know, I know.  Not nice with an audience” she looked at my fur and tutted “Just look at you, girl, covered in dirt and dust.  You’re like a mummy Wolf or somethin’” she laughed and I could not help but press my nose against her open hand “Okay, time for a clean. You first then I’ll clean Arakesha…I’ll bet she’s filthy from tip to tail”

Millie kept a hand careful just over my nose, with the other hovering just over her waist, as she led me behind my family’s den, where her ‘cleaning equipment’ was kept in its own small enclosure.

It was several minutes of claw clipping, bathing and grooming before Millie patted my head caringly, my fur as clean as it could possibly be.  She kissed my nose affectionately and ruffled the fur on my head before tipping the remaining water into a small hole in the ground, which she did after every individual bathing of us.  I licked her damp hands and walked off, around the den, to find Turyla, as I heard Millie call for Arakesha.  Turyla was easy enough to find, what with his bright red fur in an enclosure of green, blue and grey.  As though I could predict exactly where he would be, he was laying on his belly in front of the dividing river, the tip of his paws dancing upon the surface of the blue water, his eyes closed in relaxation.  I quietly padded towards him, even as the sun bore down uncomfortably on my newly cleaned fur, but I did not wish to move too loudly, though I was soon to disturb him.  He must have heard me coming, though, as he opened his eyes and looked at me with his usual affection and care.

“Nateera” he greeted me softly, lowering his head slightly “I wondered whether you would wake up or not” he laughed gently.

I walked closer to him and lowered myself into an easy crouch, dipping my front paws below the surface of the cool water.  I hummed in my throat and Turyla gently bumped his shoulder against me.

“How can you lose yourself so quickly, I often wonder” he said “Just simply touching water and you are not of our world, but of the Peace-Brought”

“Call it a ‘gift’.  That is what I do” I answered with a gentle smile “I wished to speak with you this day”

He turned his head towards me, his light brown eyes like sacred, undisturbed ground in the Spring, a gentle sparkle within.

“And you wished to speak of?”

I breathed quietly, unsure as how to word what I wished to say.  I was afraid to even speak of this to my mother, to my brother and sister, but I felt oddly safer speaking to Turyla of such a thing as this.  I licked my lips and dipped my paws in the water a little more, almost drowning them.

“Have you ever thought about a life outside of this?” I asked after a pause, my heart quickening inside my ribs.

His breathing hitched slightly at my question but the quick, distant gleam in his eyes and the swift tightening of his shoulders could not deny the desire of what I spoke of…I could read him too well for him to hide his tells.

“I…I cannot deny that I have often wondered myself, Nateera” he admitted “Though how we would survive outside, I do not know, nor can I imagine.  Have you spoken to Arja about this?” he asked doubtfully, knowing full-well that I was too terrified to do so “I guess you have not” he said after a moment’s pause.

“I cannot, Turyla.  You know how she gets when I think such.  I know that she loves me, loves us all with her whole heart equally, but she gets so sad when I mention my wishes of a life outside of this…outside of this…” words failed me for a few moments, pushed away in anger of our inescapable enclosure “outside of this prison.  Our kind has lived for many years without Humans, so why are we punished to be at their wills?” I cried.

Turyla pushed himself against my side tenderly and I slid my head into the soft, warm fur of his neck.  He hummed gently, a low tremble building within him and I felt a hummed tremble of my own match his.  We sat there together, only the two of us with the mercilessly beating down sun from on high as the only witness to what we had spoken about…and she was remaining thankfully silent of our exchange.

It was only minutes later, though it felt like a peaceful eternity, when I heard the footsteps of Millie, as she retreated towards the gate that sealed us in this horrid cage of metal.  I gently pushed away from Turyla and he smiled at me as he inclined his head, his eyes slowly closing in peace, our earlier conversation either forgotten or hidden within the confines of his mind, to be spoken only to me if I wished it.  I sprinted for Millie as she reached in her clothing for the keys and she turned, her face at first nervous but it quickly calmed when she saw me.

“Oh, how could I forget you, Nateera” she said fondly.

She ruffled the fur on my head and kissed my nose, but her smile was fragile, breakable if it was pressured.  I could sense that her mood had suddenly shifted into something painful for her to bear and so I gently nudged her hand with my nose, making her smile seem that bit stronger…but there was still a delicacy to it.

“I’m so sorry, Nateera, but I have to speak to the boss again.  Something’s wrong and he wants to speak to me specifically…never good” she sighed sadly.

I knew faintly of who ‘the boss’ was, by hearing whispers from the other Wolves trapped within this Sanctuary.  I had only seen him a few times, since he never cared for the Wolves that were within the confines of this place, but those times had been enough.  I knew him only from when I was a pup, his tall, foreboding body, his penetrating, terrifying eyes, his spindly arms and legs and his deep, authoritative, bellowing voice that sounded more like numerous cracks of unyielding thunder than a string of words.  From what I heard Two-Tone once mention during one of our permitted interactions, ‘the boss’ was always moping and talking about ‘cost saving’, whatever that meant, and was very demanding about the Humans that worked with him.  It was widely known to all of the Wolves here that ‘the boss’ did not care much for us and expected only that we live to bring him Humans to admire us.  Two-Tone also mentioned in the same evening that whilst he was being attended to by his Human carer, Jackie, a few days earlier he noticed that his Human was tense and he did not seem as focused and playful as he usually did.  The next day, Jackie was nowhere to be seen and Two-Tone and his family were being attended to by a different Human…a younger woman named Michelle.  Two-Tone mentioned that ‘the boss’ had been in a foul mood with Jackie on his last day and there was a lot of shouting from where ‘the boss’ seemed to reside, on the other side of the Sanctuary.  With this in my mind, I could not help but feel scared that Millie was next to unexpectedly leave, even as she patted my head reassuringly and quickly kissed my nose once more before opening the gate and closing and locking it behind her.  I sat on my haunches and simply watched as Millie walked around the other cages, her hand softly brushing against the metal of each enclosure tenderly, as though it was the last time that she would ever touch them.  My heart plummeted and I could not help but whine as I thought about Millie leaving and not returning soon.  Even as the sun went to sleep and the moon rose in her sister’s place, my whining and crying did not stop until I could sit no longer and sleep overtook me.

CHAPTER 2 (A SPOKEN HEART AND A TERRIFYING DAY)

It was only moments later that I awoke, to the soft sound of my mother, her voice as gentle as I always knew it to be.

“Daughter?  Daughter, please wake” she said softly, her voice a warm lure for me to take “There are some Humans coming.  I think they are taking us for another interaction with the other packs”

I took the bait of my mother’s lure and let it pull me gently out of my sleep.  I gazed at the sky and saw that there was a blanket of pure, pitch black thrown over the sky, with the occasional hand-throw of diamond stars puncturing the dark sky and a near-full moon beaming down gloriously.  I yawned loudly and shook myself off as I stood, hearing and feeling my limbs crack as I rose to my full height.  Before I could answer my mother, I heard the undeniable sound of several footfalls, heavy and intrusive…but this invasion was one that had happened on several occasions during my life.  When I saw some of the Humans wielding straps of tough leather, I knew that it was time for us to be moved for the night to the central prison, one large enough to hold all of us without fear of aggressiveness, for the cage was very large and promised space aplenty…though I hated moving from one cage to another.  Mother quickly barked out to awaken my sister, brother and friends and we all gathered in a small semi-circle and lowered our heads for the Humans to wrap the irritable and restrictive binds of foul-smelling leather around our necks.  My mother was always the first to be ‘collared’, followed by Arakesha, Turlya, Searra, Mariky and me…for some reason, I was always ‘collared’ last, and I often got the leather that was the most horrid smelling that took almost an hour of bathing to rid myself of the stench.

“C’mon” the large man who had the leather around my neck urged harshly “Time to make Jason some more pretty pups” he laughed deep and a growl resonated from within me as my tail swished wildly from side to side in anger at his disgusting voice.  He noticed my increased temperament “Oi, don’t go actin’ like that now” he snarled, as he pulled the leather tightly, almost cutting off my air with his brutal action “Be a good girl and just lay down”

The Human who had my sister made a hard noise in his throat “Stop treating her like that, Michael, you foul gobbed pissant.  You’re supposed to treat them with some measure of respect”

“Piss off, Jacob” the Human who had me said aggressively “It’s much of a wonder why Jason keeps you on the line when you go all nicey-nicey to these mutts.  All’s we keep ‘em for is to breed ‘em for the payin’ customers…all women are good for an’ these dogs ain’t much different”

Faster than I could blink, the Human who had my sister swapped her leather to his other hand and his other hand shoved my Human hard on his shoulder, sending him almost flying to the ground.  Before I could get dragged down with him, the other Human quickly reached for my leather and gently wrapped it around his free hand, pulling me to his side carefully.

“Take the night off, Michael, I’ll take these two to where they go.  Sleep off your stupid, dangerous attitude before I clock you into next year”

The foul Human regained his footing and had one hand on his shoulder, his squinted eyes staring hard at the Human holding me now.

“One damn day, Callows…one damn day” he threatened.

Jacob simply smiled innocently as he said “I look forward to it, Boorin”

As soon as the foul Human, Michael, walked off into the encompassing blackness, my sister came to my side and brushed her side against me tenderly.

“Are you okay, sister?  That Human was so horrible”

I coughed against the strain on my neck, my throat tight.

“I am…okay, sister” I coughed.

Her light green eyes suddenly went to my neck, her eyes hardening in her head.

“Sister!  Your neck!”

I brushed my front paw against my neck and the fur came away red with blood and only now could I feel the light trickle of the sickly-smelling liquid dribble down the sides of my neck.  My sister yipped urgently to get the Humans attention.

“What is it, girl?” his eyes soon followed my sister’s concerned eyes to me and his own eyes went wide in shock “Jesus Christ!  Fu…hang on”

The Human, Jacob, knelt down to be beside me and loosened the strap of leather from my neck as he gently prodded the wound.  I yelped slightly when his fingers touched a very raw, sensitive part and he pulled his hand away immediately.

“Goddamn that Michael” he hissed “I have something, one sec” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, red cloth “Here” he said gently “Not as good as a bandage but it will at least stop the bleeding ‘til we can get you seen to by Viktor or Rebecca in the morning”

He gently, and carefully, wrapped the cloth around my neck and flattened the tip of it against my chest.  He hummed in his throat and smiled at me as he stood.

“Ya know what…it suits you more than me” he laughed.

He gently tied the leather around my neck, being very careful to avoid aggravating my wound, and he followed his companions who had simply stood by as he shoved the other Human.  It was only a minute or so later when we were standing before the ‘great cage’ as I called it and the Humans slowly pushed us through the gate one at a time until it came to my turn.

“Go on, girl” he ushered softly “And screw what Michael said.  Your Mate should be your own choosing and only when you’re ready, ya hear” he winked as he softly pushed me through the gate.

It was only minutes later when the rest of the Wolves were ushered through the gate and all thirty-six of us were in the cage together.  The moon hung high and proud in all of her glory, illuminating much of the grassland that made up most of this prison, with the small lake in the centre, equally dividing the land, but everything outside of here was swallowed in pitch blackness.  Even after my eyes adjusted to the star-streaked night, I could see only the confines of this cage and little more of the outside.  My mother came to my side as soon as the Humans left, concern in her eyes.

“Daughter, what happened?” she asked “What did that monster do to you?”

“I am okay, mother, really.  The Human who was holding Searra taught him a lesson.  I do not think even ‘the boss’ will approve of his action” I laughed to myself.

My mother pushed herself into my neck tenderly and licked my wound softly, her tongue slightly irritating the tender skin but it was a pain I was willing to take for my mother.  She lingered by my side for only a moment more before she walked off to speak with the sisters Elika and Parine, my brother and Arakesha following suit shortly after and interacting with other Wolves themselves.  Turyla and Searra lingered for only a moment longer, their eyes on me, before they walked away, as my sister kept throwing concerned glances my way from over her shoulder as she climbed some rocks and began talking to a Wolf whose name I was not yet familiar with.  I scanned the darkness for only a few seconds before I found who I was looking for…quite easy to spot with his red and white fur, Two-Tone, sitting by the lake.

“Nateera” he said mildly, inclining his head to me as I sat by his right side.

“Two-Tone” I answered back, inclining my head, as he was the only son to Tarou and his eventual Alpha “How is your father faring from his cold?”

“Oh, he is doing fine, thank you.  He took a nasty turn last month with an infection but the Human carers helped him, especially that woman, Millie, and that man, Viktor”

I smiled to myself at hearing that Millie and Viktor helped Tarou, but my heart very quickly sank at fearing about Millie’s future here.  The look on her face when she mentioned ‘the boss’ wanting to speak to her specifically broke me and I could not help but fear that it was a situation that was similar to what happened to Two-Tone’s Human, Jackie.

“Your mind is distant, Nateera” Two-Tone said carefully.

“It is nothing, Two-Tone, just…concerned”

“Please, speak of your troubles.  Long has it been since last we were able to meet.  You have grown into a splendid beauty in the few months since our last meeting”

I felt blood rush to my cheeks and could not slow the speeding of my heart…it beat so loud and fast that I would not be surprised if Two-Tone heard it himself.  However, if he heard my racing heart, he made no comment or acknowledgment of his hearing, he simply smiled and inclined his head towards the water.  I accepted his invitation and slid the tips of my paws into the clear surface of the cool water, extending my claws to pierce the depths and was rewarded with a pleasing, cooling feeling.  I cleared my throat quietly in the near-silent night air and spoke to Two-Tone, his body strong and lean as he stretched in the moonlight, his ears turned to me as I spoke.

“I fear that Millie will leave soon” I admitted, my voice sorrowful, a small whine escaping my lips.

“What makes you think such, Nateera?” he asked after a moment’s thought, his face turning towards me.

“She spoke of ‘the boss’ wanting to speak to her specifically and that something was wrong.  It reminded me of what happened to your Human, Jackie”

Two-Tone’s fur bristled in memory of his Human leaving and I heard a soft, gentle whine escape his lips but he quickly swallowed it down…but he could do nothing about the few tears that leaked from his eyes and impacted the soft grass when he looked at me again.

“I would not fear, Nateera” he began, his tone forcibly cheerful“Millie has worked here for longer than ‘the boss’ has.  I think her position is safe”

“What makes you think so, Two-Tone?”

He smiled as he said “Because she has cared for us for many years, even when my father was a pup and before that.  She worked here when my grandmother, Fara, and grandfather, Gorth, were pups and that was quite a time ago”

“You truly think Millie will stay?” I asked, my voice hopeful.

He nodded, brushing his white fur against my black “I do”

I leaned into his body, his fur warm and comforting, and soon lay my head on his paws, as I felt the gentle pressure of his head atop mine as I sank into a comfortable sleep.

I do not know how long passed whilst I was asleep, but when I next opened my eyes, the sun was just creeping from the East, eager to reclaim the sky for her own, her sister waning in the West.  Two-Tone’s body was warm against mine, his paws just touching the soft flesh of my belly, his tail swishing from side to side in his dreams, his mouth slightly agape, tongue hanging out in an adorable way.  I laughed quietly to myself at his peace but my humour was short-lived…as I heard the sounds all at once.  So loud were the noises that I thought thunder had crashed in the skies, threatening to tear the world apart with its fury, but this sound was not thunder, though it was terrifyingly akin to it in its intensity.  Over a dozen pounding feet reverberated through the ground, sending my body almost crashing to the floor as I tried to shake away the remnants of grogginess and sleep.  Every Wolf in the cage was immediately alert and looking around for the source of the horrible sound but it took barely a few seconds for every head to turn to the direction of the rising sun, where the sound was the loudest.  Almost twenty Humans wearing peculiar clothing and holding strange items in their tight hands were entering through the main gates to this ‘Sanctuary’, and I could see over a dozen more waiting with machines that burned yellow and black in the peeking sunlight.

“I have to find my mother” I said to Two-Tone, slowly pushing myself upright.

“As I need to find my father” Two-Tone said quickly “Be safe, Nateera” he added gently, as he brushed me affectionately against my left side, his red fur softly touching my white.

“Be safe, Two-Tone” I answered, as we dashed off in different directions, each seeking our parent.

I jumped over the lake in one graceful movement, though I was not intending for any measure of grace, and found my mother, with Arakesha, Turyla, Mariky and Searra at her sides, each cowering into my mother, as she stood strong and fast, brave and proud, an unmovable force in the crashing waves and powerful tides of uncertainty…a talent that I prayed I would inherit from her.  I rushed to her side and pushed myself into her warmth, the tip of my nose touching the base of her neck.  Searra pushed herself against me a little, as Mariky did the same from my other side, Arakesha and Turyla soon following suite so that we were all touching my mother and each other, embraced by her powerful, Alpha glow.

“Do not fear, my Hearts” she cooed gently “They are not here to harm us”

“How do you know, Arja?” Turyla asked from my right side, his voice uncertain and shaking.

My mother smiled down at him, her teeth slightly bared in her nervousness, the only sign of her nerves.

“If they were here to bring us harm, they would wield weapons, but they have none” she said softly, her voice strong.

“That we can see, mother” Mariky exclaimed, his voice afraid “Those machines look threatening enough”

A shudder ran through us all, even my mother when she set eyes upon those yellow and black machines where some Humans waited, their eyes gleaming in the creeping sun.  The way that the sun was rising so slow, it was as though she was afraid herself and was hesitant to take the sky for her own, with her sister now resting in her bed.

“Why does the moon not soothe her sister?” I asked, my heart going out to the apprehension of the sun.

My mother looked down at me “She cannot rise until nightfall, daughter.  That is the deal struck between the sisters at the Birth of All. The Sun, as first born, would claim the sky during the day, where the Moon, as shortly thereafter second born, would claim the sky during the night.  Neither can fill the sky, nor interject, before their time, lest a War brew within their Hearts at a broken deal.  The sun is strong, she will endure whatever is happening here, fearful as she may be…she will rise”

As the Humans filed between the cages that filled this ‘Sanctuary’, the sun indeed rose into the sky, taking her throne from her sister, as the deal promised.  Still, though, she seemed so hesitant to claim her seat above the scene transpiring before her without her sister to comfort her, though she claimed it as proud as she could with all of her trepidations and apprehensions.

Within moments, a voice rang out from behind us, a voice that I had only heard on a few occasions but I knew who it belonged to…‘the boss’, and he sounded angrier than a hive of agitated wasps.

“What is this about!” he screamed “It was supposed to be next week, not this damn week, you stupid, mindless peons” he added in a surprisingly strong roar.

It always amazed me how a man so now-small could scream so loud.  Even mother, if she stood on her hind legs, was taller than this horrible Human man.

“You were taking too long to decide, Mr. Nenanna” a tall Human male began “The board convened last night and decided to move the schedule along, with or without your permission” he added, distaste and revulsion in his voice “Either do your job now and move them or you can stand by while we wreck this place down to the ground, Wolves be damned”

“What am I supposed to do with them all, Barry?” ‘the boss’ screamed “There are over thirty Wolves here, some protected because of some stupid supporters.  I can’t kill them outright, that would cause a bigger mess than you’re throwing me in.  That young pup, Nattie or whatever, she’s been personally protected by that nuisance Markus Quail.  Quite a lot of people signed his damn petition shortly after she was born, calling her a ‘rarity’ and a ‘beautiful creature demanding protection’.  Caused me a lot of arse-ache, that guy did”

“Quit stalling, Jason.  I’ve tried playing nice but the board is at the end of their tether.  I don’t care what happens to these bloody Wolves…you have one hour to shift them, or we’ll just cave this place in, on their heads if need be.  We have more right to be here then you do”

‘The boss’ just huffed in response and stalked away, muttering a string of words that I could not understand as he went.  Mother wrapped her tail around us all, her whole-body quivering…the first time I had ever seen her show any true measure of fear.

“We will be okay, my pups” she said softly, though her voice quavered just a little, uncertainty creeping “We will be…okay”

Had my mother not paused in her slight doubt, I would have believed her…but I could not help but feel apprehensive at believing her words, as anxiety wrapped its cold hand around my heart, constricting it, draining it of all hope and certainty.  So tight was my heart that I could barely breathe, my throat dry, my tongue feeling like the leather we were ‘collared’ in just this past night.  I thought I felt a sharp, quick pain at my rear but so lost was I in my unbreathable state, that I did not really register it.  My eyes began to fail me, as my sight became studded with black dots and my head felt as light as a blade of grass.  My nose fell from my mother’s neck and I was lost in a pit of overwhelming darkness and inescapable pitch black, my muted whimpering and whining doing nothing to shatter this nightmare.

CHAPTER 3 (THE NEXT ALPHA)

I was lying on a field of soft, green grass, the water in the distance evermore blue and crystal clear than I had ever even imagined it as it almost winked in the rising sun.  I could practically feel its alluring call within my bones, muscles, skin and fur as my heart thrummed in my chest.  I rose my head and looked around, taking in the absolute beauty that surrounded me on all sides.  Searra and Mariky were off in the distance, my sister teasing my brother with her brown tail, swishing it to and fro between his outstretched jaws, as Millie watched with both fascination and humour, her laughter a gentle caress in the air.  It was only a matter of time before Mariky’s teeth would catch Searra’s tail and a small scuffle would ensue…with my sister reigning the victor as usual.  Mariky was strong of body but Searra was always fleeter of foot and quicker to evade his rather predictable snaps and shoves.  I laughed to myself and looked around a little more, taking in as much of this phenomenal scenery as my eyes would allow.  Turyla was lying at the waters edge, his claws gently extended from his paws, piercing the otherwise still cover of the clear, blue water peacefully, his eyes almost completely closed in his relaxation.  Arakesha was just off to his left, jumping from between a dozen or so trees athletically, showing off to my brother, who was, unfortunately, focused on trying his best to catch our sister’s tail without hurting her.  It was barely seconds later when I heard a voice that was forever familiar to me.

“Daughter” my mother called gently, as she walked over to me.

“Mother” I almost shouted back in joy.

I found my feet quicker than I could think and almost tumbled over in my haste to reach my mother in the barely two dozen feet that separated us.  My mother laughed in her throat at my hurried, and rather foolish, display and shook her head lightly.

“I will reach you when I am there, my Heart” she said softly “No need to hurry what will undoubtedly arrive”

She was in front of me within seconds and I immediately nuzzled close to her soft, warm neck, feeling the blood rush through her veins, almost feeling her heart beat.  She hummed in her throat affectionately, as I felt her head turn from left to right, admiring the beautiful scene before us.

“This is our promised land, daughter.  From when our ancestors held it from Human hands and defended it with many of their lives.  This is worth all of their sacrifices and it should be appreciated for what it is” she inhaled deeply and I did the same, the air smelling delectable “It comes to us to live our lives to the fullest so that their lives were not given in vain, my Heart, their blood runs through our veins and we stand proud to share what they wished for us.  Always remember that, daughter…and remember one thing more”

“What must I remember, mother, outside of appreciating what our ancestors promised us?”

My mother took a slightly trembling breath but when she looked down at me, still nuzzled at the soft spot in her neck, her smile was gentle and loving, sad and afraid at the same time.  She inhaled a little sharply and my heart hammered in my chest, fear growing within me and biting my insides like a disturbed hill of ants.

“Always remember, daughter, that even when I am gone…I will be with you still”

My breath trembled like my mothers and I had to swallow quite strongly before I could shift the lump in my throat.  When I spoke, my words were like a secret whisper.

“What do you mean when you are ‘gone’?”

“Everything comes to an end, my dear daughter, nothing can outlast the Calling and when She Calls…we follow Her scent to the Lands of our Ancestors.  There, will I be waiting for you from afar, my eyes upon you, my heart beating with yours”

“Mother?” I cried softly, tears stinging my eyes.

She smiled as she said “Do not fear, daughter.  I feel that She’ara will not Call for me for many moons yet.  I plan on seeing you grow into the beautiful, dazzling Wolf that I know that you will become.  I expect to see you outshine my embers and become the most beautiful spirit flame that has existed, my Heart”

Before I could reply to my mother’s words, she turned on her heels and the scene before my eyes began to twist and turn, distort and break until it became swallowed by darkness, leaving me alone in pitch black once more.  I could think of nothing else to do…so I cried out for someone, anyone, to see me in this encompassing dark.

The first thing I felt, when the darkness ceased it swallowing of my senses and everything came back to me in one fell swoop, was a cold, hard, uncomfortable surface that was beneath my paws and belly.  I opened my eyes and took in the faces of my mother, sister, brother, Turyla and Arakesha, all wearing the same expressions of concern.  As I stood, my head swam in murky waters and I collapsed to the hard surface again.  Before I could even begin to understand where we were, the surface lurched and undulated at irregular intervals, as though we were on rough, uneven terrain.

“Nateera” I heard Arakesha say softly “Are you okay?”

“Mmph” I answered, my tongue heavy in my mouth and a vile sickness rising within me.

I could not hold back the bile rising in my throat and I began to heave.  Quicker than I could heave even three times, I felt my mother push her weight into my side so that I was wedged in a small corner of this unfamiliar place.  I heaved and heaved, the sick feeling in my stomach like I had swallowed that horrid food the Humans at the ‘Sanctuary’ sometimes feed us when we were ill.

“Let it out, daughter” my mother cooed softly from my side “We all went through the feeling when we awoke”

I heaved only a few more times before a small stream of sick came from my mouth and splattered onto the cold, hard surface.  My nose wrinkled at the smell so I quickly turned from it and walked, unsteadily, to re-join my siblings and friends, with my mother at my left side, supporting my weight with ease.

“What…happened?  Where…where are we?” I managed to ask roughly, my tongue feeling like stone “I do not remember…”

My mind was like fog, unclear and hard to decipher and make sense of anything.  My mother was the one to answer my questions.

“Shortly after ‘the boss’ left, one of those Humans lifted something in his hands and aimed it at you.  There was a quiet noise but something came out of what he held and hit you on your rear, you went limp and fell asleep.  Several other Humans raised their arms and aimed at each of us, something coming out of each thing they held and hitting us all in turn.  It all happened so fast that we could barely react before we all succumbed to a suffocating darkness.  When we awoke, we were all in this new prison”

“But why would we be harmed, mother?” I asked “I thought we were protected”

My mother’s eyes were calm but unsure, as she paused for what to say.  She inhaled and exhaled almost silently.

“I thought so too, my daughter” she answered sadly.

Minutes passed without much being said.  Arakesha and Mariky were constantly walking around our new prison, occasionally scratching at the strange surface, as it continued rising and falling irregularly.  Turyla sat on his haunches, his eyes almost unreadable, but low whines were escaping his lips as he eyed the only thing about this prison that was different from the metal…a single small opening high above us, the moon hanging ever-high overhead, beaming down proudly.  But even with her proud shining, there were clouds veiling her, as though she was afraid for us.  As I sat in silence, with only the soft cries of Turyla and the light scuffle of paws as my mother moved around in worried circles, I could not help but feel that we were being Called.  Maybe this was how it felt to be Called…locked in some strange prison, feeling everything at once, facing the inevitable.  If this was how my life would end, with my mother, brother, sister and friends by my side…I would face it standing tall, proud and unafraid.  Slowly, I rose from my prone position and looked up at the moon feeling for her as she felt for us.  My mother soon stood by my side and brushed her warm fur against my right side and it was only moments later that Searra, Mariky, Turyla and Arakesha joined me, all of us standing side by side, ready to accept She’ara’s Calling.  I was the first to howl at the moon, with my mother following suit, followed by Arakesha, Turyla, Mariky and Searra…all of us howling at the moon as one.  Suddenly, a pounding noise came from the most distant side of our metal prison.

“Oi, stop with that racket!” a Human male shouted, as he pounded against our cage angrily “I ain’t gettin’ paid to listen to you go on with your Goddamn howling!”

It was only seconds later when a new sound took over, a screeching followed almost immediately by a sound like an explosion of thunder.

“JESUS CHRIST!” the Human shouted.

We were suddenly spinning as though the Earth herself was tilting on her heels in a dazing dance and there was crashing and shouting from outside of our prison as we were carelessly tossed from side to side, up and down, many of us colliding with one another painfully.  I landed hard on the top of the cage, or at least I think it was the top but who could say with the way that we were being thrown about, and my head crashed hard into the metal as I heard the deafening crunch at the impact.  I howled and cried in agony but did not get much further than that before I was thrown around again, soon colliding with Searra before I was thrown into Arakesha before I was thrown to one of the four sides of the prison once more.  It felt like an eternity of colliding, crashing and pained howling before everything stopped as suddenly as it had happened.  The window that was once above us was now on the left side and was smashed open, all glass gone with only the night air outside enticing us.  As we all tried to gather our bearings, Turyla recovered first and gingerly headed for the broken window, being careful to not catch himself on any leftover glass.  He passed his nose through the shattered remains and sniffed the air cautiously before he slowly, gently pushed himself through the gap until only his red tail remained.

“It is safe” he said, as he pulled his tail from the window “Come on, we should all leave”

Arakesha was the next one to leave, her grey fur showing patches of blood over her back.  She limped to the window and carefully pushed herself out, whimpering a little with her injured leg.  Searra and Mariky were next to leave, their dark brown fur matted with patches of blood but they seemed otherwise uninjured.  Mariky left first, and as Searra followed him, he gently grabbed her neck with his teeth to help pull her out.  As soon as they were out, I looked for my mother…surely, she would not have left without us, and I was right.  Though how I so desperately wished that I was wrong.  I would have taken her leaving me for dead over what I saw.  It would haunt my sleepless dreams and waking nightmares for many years to come.  Not only the sight, but the sounds.

When my eyes beheld my mother, she was lying face up, her dark blue eyes unfocused, blood covering her body with a horrible, deep wound in her stomach and several smaller but violent cuts covering her legs, face, sides and back.  There was a piece of metal embedded deeply into her left side, pinning her to the prison and whispered whimpers and ghostly groans were escaping her cut, bleeding lips.  I froze for barely a second before I rushed to my mother’s side as soon as my muscles could move, and I slammed myself against the hard floor to be at her right flank.  Tears fell from my eyes and landed on her soft fur but I could feel that her fur was not as warm as it usually was…it was turning terrifyingly cold as she gasped against the wounds over her body.  Her eyes searched wildly as she felt me at her side and I nuzzled carefully against her side as her face turned towards me.

“Na…Nateera?” she gasped “Is that…is that you, m-my H…Heart?” she groaned.

“It is me, mother” I whined against her side, tears sliding from my muzzle and onto her bloody body “It is me”

“I…I cannot see you, daughter, but I can…hear you.  W…Where are you, daughter?”

I nuzzled a little closer into my mother’s side, touching her fearfully cold belly with my cold nose.  She shuffled a little but sighed happily.

“Ah, there you…are, my Heart” she said slowly “I fear…that I am being C-Called, I can hear Her…voice”

“No, mother!” I cried, whining helplessly “You cannot go with Her.  Please, mother, please do not leave me.  I cannot go on without you, I do not know how to carry on without you at my side, mother.  Please!” I begged “Please, do not go”

“My time has come…daughter, my dear, dear Heart.  It has come…much earlier than I would have liked…but it has come, I fear.  I wanted, so much, to see you grow, daughter.  To see you find your…Mate.  To meet your pups.  To see your…brother and sister find their Mates.  To see their pups.  To be…a Twice Mother, my dream since…you were all born”

“M…Mother…please” I begged “Please, do not go where I cannot follow”

My mother gently pressed her nose against me, commanding my attention.

“I will only be where you will follow when it is…when it is your time.  When She’ara Calls for you, I will be there, my daughter.  I will be…waiting for you, as will your father.  We will both be there…waiting for you so”

“B-but you are our Alpha.  You have to lead us.  We cannot go on without you, mother.  That was our Ancestors Law and you cannot break it” I tried to say sternly but it came out as a broken, useless, whimpering sob.

My mother met my eyes, our dark blue mirroring each other.  Me, nuzzling into my mother’s heaving, shuddering, cold-growing chest.  My mother, lying broken and bloodied on the hard, cold, metal floor with her wounds like unwanted, shining stars in the black of night.  She took a trembling breath and spoke softly.

“You are my Next, daughter” she said matter-of-factly “You are”

“But I cannot be, mother.  I am your youngest.  It should go to Mariky or Searra, not me”

“Yes…it should but it is not going to them.  You, Nateera, my Heart, you are my Next”

“But why me?”

My mother took another quivering breath before she spoke, her voice like a ghostly whisper.

“Mariky is…strong of body but perhaps not of mind.  He can be too reliant on his…physical power and not of what benefits his…mind could grant him.  Searra is fleet of foot and strong of mind but perhaps not quite…of heart.  She can be rash and be too much…of a pup at times.  But you, my dear, darling Nateera…you are perfect.  Your heart is stronger than theirs.  Your mind is…sharp and your body is strong.  You, precious Nateera, are my Next.  No, much, much more than that, you are my…my daughter”

“M…mother, please…no, do not go” I begged again “I…I need you”

My mother gasped painfully as she nuzzled her head against mine, rubbing her rough, dry nose against my tear-streaked face.

“Farewell, my beautiful daughter.  I have been Called and I follow Her, I follow She’ara…to the Lands of our Ancestors.  Please…tell Searra, Mariky, Turyla and Arakesha that I love them all, as much as I love you”

“Mother?  No…please” I cried again “I cannot go on without you”

My mother managed a smile “But you must.  I am Called.  Please…remember me”

“I…I…”

But it was too late…my mother’s head went limp and her heart stopped beating, her blood soaking and surrounding me the only comfort.  I pressed my nose against her several times, willing her to get up…but she would not, could not.

“MOTHER!” I howled in anguish to the moon hanging high in the sky, overwatching all that had transpired, the sparkling stars like her own scattered tears.

When I next opened my eyes, I was outside of the steel cage that had previously been our prison with several cuts covering my body, though none of them too deep nor painful.  I saw Turyla and Arakesha scuffling in the dirt twenty foot from where I was lying, their faces sad and distant.  I saw Mariky just off to my right, his gaze distant, tears streaming down his face as he made quiet, whispered whimpers.  But it was when I saw Searra that my heart sank to its lowest…she was lying at the side of our mother, nuzzling her, willing her to wake up, but our mother would not awaken.  Slowly, I rose from my prone position and walked over to be by the side of my sister, who immediately turned at my approach, her green eyes like sad, twinkling jewels in the night sky.

“S-Sister” she whimpered “M-Mother will not g-get up”

“No, she will not, sister” I managed to say, my throat tighter than a choking collar “She has been…Called” I said after a pause.

“She made you her Next, didn’t she?”

I nodded my head, barely able to even confirm what my mother did as her final act before she heeded She’ara’s Call.  My eyes were wet with tears as I looked at my mother’s body, blood matting her black and white fur, her wounds as clear as the sun in the height of her reign in the sky.  I inhaled shakily and leaned into my sister, her body warm and calming, as she leaned into me, soft whimpers escaping her lips.  Only just us two, we wept for our mother, wept as the sun drifted towards her Western horizon, soon to be asleep whilst her sister reigned for the night.

“Nateera.  Searra” I heard Mariky call gently, as he walked from where he once was.

“Brother” I said softly, as he reached us, his nose wet with warm moisture.

He brushed against Searra and I in turn affectionately, his nose nuzzling us both as he whined softly in his throat.

“I cannot believe that mother is…is…” he cried gently “I just cannot believe it”

“Nor can I” I admitted “How did I get out of there?”

Mariky took a steadying breath before he spoke.

“Searra and Arakesha pulled you out as Turyla and I pulled out mother.  When we heard your howl of anguish, we just…acted on instinct.  Arakesha got a nasty cut on her back when she tried to pull you through that window but she is feeling okay.  The Human is dead, too, when the prison crashed”

It brough me no measure of comfort to hear that the Human was dead…my heart was still in deep mourning for the loss of my mother.  Never again would I hear her voice, never again would I feel her soft, warm fur brush against mine, never again would I hear her motherly chiding words when I slept away from the others or refused to eat or drink because I did not want to.  She had gone to the Lands of our Ancestors and left me as the Alpha.  I was now responsible for the lives of my brother, my sister and my two friends…everything was now up to me.

“I…I am the Alpha” I said with absolutely no confidence in what I now was “Mother wanted me to be the Alpha before she was Called”

There was silence as Arakesha and Turyla slowly made their way to where Searra, Mariky and I were sitting, their faces wearing the same expression of shock.  Even the slowly setting sun herself seemed to hold her breath at what I said, as though she was waiting to see the outcome before she made to sleep.

“Our Alpha” they howled in unison, though even that did little to ease my heavy heart.

CHAPTER 4 (KINN’YA! – COME FORTH!)

We all went to sleep shortly after that, after Searra, Mariky and I managed to bury our mother in the small hole that Turyla and Arakesha had dug for her.  The sun took to her bed and the moon lit our surrounding in a muted light, as though she were crying for us behind her thin veil of clouds.  Searra and Mariky slept at my left with Turyla and Arakesha sleeping at my right, all of our bodies or tails touching each-others in some way.  It was still night when I awoke, my dreams plagued with horrific reminders of what had transpired over the past few hours.  Images of the ‘Sanctuary’ in flames with every Wolf trapped within howling in pain and anguish as they were consumed by the relentless fire, images of my mother dying at my feet, images of what the future may bring as I looked upon the dead bodies of my sister, brother and friends who had died because of my own mistakes.  It was a wonder that I managed to get any sleep at all, as I slowly, carefully pulled myself to my feet.  The moon was high but there was still a light veiling of clouds attempting to hide her from sight but she was piercing through them with her beams, bathing the ground in silver luminance.  I gently, deftly, walked away from where my siblings and friends still lay asleep and headed off to the West, where the encompassing trees grew slightly thicker than the other sides of our green enclosure.  Memories haunted my waking eyes as I walked and I angrily blinked back savage, burning tears until I reached a small clearing in the trees.  The grass here was fresh and warm, despite the chill in the air which I suddenly was all too aware of now that I was not surrounded by the warmth of my friends.  With the almost-full moon bearing down all of her beauty, I could not help but be captured by her luminous grace and elegance…and I howled to her.  I howled the one song that every Wolf knew, in every tone that we could sing to her in, the song that we were taught from a young age to know and to sing to her when she was full and close to fullness.  It was a song that I now regretted rarely singing with my mother when she was with me and my heart sank lower as I sang on.  My song was now filled with grief and heartache as I prayed for my mother to be welcomed into the Lands of our Ancestors, despite her making me, her youngest pup, her Next, her Alpha.  I pleaded that our Ancestors welcomed my mother regardless of her breaking of our Law.  My pleas were earnest and honest and I hoped beyond all hope that my mother was now with my father.  Arja was now with Yarko and all of our Ancestors who had come before them.  The Peace-Brought was their home now and they were together…where I would see them when it was my time to be Called, but that day was not now.  With one final glance at the moon, high in the sky as she gazed down at me, unblinking from behind her shroud of clouds and stars, I swore that I would find all of us, Searra, Mariky, Arakesha and Turyla, all of us a safe home to live in.  One that was far away from the eyes and minds of Humans, one where we could live in peace until we were all Called, I swore this with my last glance at the moon, where doubtlessly, my mother watched with my father at her side.

“I will make you proud, mother.  I will be the best Alpha I can possibly be” I promised, my heart lifting a little in my chest, even as tears escaped my eyes “I will not fail you, mother.  You made me your Next, to lead in your stead, and I will look after Searra, Mariky, Turyla and Arakesha.  We will live for you, mother.  We will live for you, father.  We will live for all of our Ancestors” I gave my word to the countless unblinking eyes of the night.

“I do not doubt that, daughter”

I froze as I swore that I heard my mother’s voice call out from the darkness as the wind slightly picked up and wrapped around me like the soft tail of my mother when I was young and scared.  The air caressed my fur, kissing softly at my skin and I could almost feel the gentle tip of my mother’s nose against me with the tender nuzzle of the wind.

“You will make me proud, daughter” I heard a voice add, one that was unknown to me, save for what my mother told me.

“Father?” I called out to the open air after a brief pause, but there was no response.

I lifted my nose and inhaled deeply and could almost smell two new scents upon the air.  One that I knew belonged to my mother and the other slightly distant but one that I knew from as soon as I was born.  This one a little stronger than my mother’s but it was undeniable…the soft scent of my father.  My heart skipped and jumped at the smell in the air and my breath came out in an almost strangled gasp as the wind surrounded me, like the soft, warm tail of my mother.  I sniffed back the tears and leaned into the scents, both intimately familiar and distantly remembered.

“Mother.  Father” I whispered gently into the comforting air.

“We both are proud of you, daughter.  Make us prouder still” their voices said in unison.

“I will” I promised, as I reluctantly walked back to the East, where I was to take the first step in my position as the Alpha.

When I was back under the cover of the trees, my sister was just rising from her sleep, with Turyla following suite almost immediately.  By the time I reached them, Mariky and Arakesha were both awake and shaking themselves free from the specks of dirt that clung to their fur.  Searra walked to be at my side and leaned herself into me, her fur warm and welcome, as she whined low in her throat at the horror that had transpired the day before.  I leaned into her, pressing my nose into the hollow of her throat, for she still had a full head of height on me.

“What do we do, sister?” she asked “As our new Alpha, we need you”

“As your new Alpha, as I need all of you” I replied gently, nudging her softly under her muzzle.

She hummed in her throat and slowly leaned away from me, her green eyes gaining once more their spark.

“Where even are we?” Arakesha asked from behind me “We have lived our whole lives in that prison but here we now are, lost and unknown to our surroundings”

Remembering what my mother told me when I was younger, I raised my nose to the chill, morning air and inhaled deeply several times.  It took only moments for the smell to hit me…a clean, fresh brook.

“Follow me” I said softly to them.

I was surprised when they all immediately fell into step behind me, with my sister and brother standing at my left and right flanks for protection.  I smiled, perhaps for the first time in forever, as we headed to the North-West, where the smell registered strongest.

It was only a few minutes later when we emerged into a small clearing, not unlike the one where I howled at the moon this past night.  Yet this one was not as empty as that had been, there was a collection of large rocks in the Northern tip with a river gliding down, splashing into a large pool at the bottom, only for the small brook to lead out of this clearing to the West and there were also more trees that could used as helpful cover…but there was something else in this clearing.  There was a figure hunched over the pool, its back to us, long, black fur covering a strong, tall body with thick, muscular legs.  When the figure turned its head to face us at our break through the tree branches, we were met with almost blood red eyes behind a long, thick, scarred muzzle and two ears…one of which was bitten down close to the strong head.  The Wolf faced us without fear, even as it gauged our numbers, knowing it was severely outnumbered, and a savage growl tore its way free from the mouth as its lips drew up and bore a set of razor-sharp teeth.  Mariky immediately stood in front of me as Turyla stood at his side, both growling fiercely at the Wolf, as Arakesha and Searra stood at my flanks, both of them growling though not as wildly as my brother and friend.  The Wolf who was simply once enjoying a nice, cooling drink regarded us fearlessly but his teeth remained exposed, his eyes keen.  I could not saw how long passed at our confrontation, but the sun rose in her fullest, casting her golden brilliance down into the field, scaring away the shadows of the night now past into the surrounding trees.  The air turned eerily chillier at the staring between my sister, brother and friends and this other Wolf and I could barely keep my heart in my chest as a myriad of situations crossed my mind, each one in turn more gruesome than the one before it.  I shook my head in agitation of my mental wanderings and the Wolf noticed my sharp movement, his head snapping to me, fixing me with his hard, cold, red-eyed stare.

“You the Alpha?” he asked.  When I did not respond, fear almost constricting my heart and throat, he spoke again, his voice like burning venom “Nah, too young” he laughed to himself but remained otherwise alert for any movement from any of my protectors “Now then, let’s see”

He looked at each of us in turn, his eyes hovering over Arakesha for a little longer and his ears pricked up as he met her with a level gaze.

“You, grey female…Alpha?” when she shook her head, the Wolf growled in annoyance “Well, there is one way to find out which of you is the Alpha here”

I knew from what my mother told me that Wolves from rival packs that sought to enter into another pack would sometimes kill the Alpha and take control…perhaps the closest thing that Wolves had in common with Humans.

“Kinn’ya!” the Wolf shouted at us.

Some instinct that I did not know I possessed took over and I walked forward, almost as though I was pulled forward outside of my own control.  My sister looked at me through fearful, pleading eyes but at the word the Wolf shouted I felt powerless to resist whatever it meant.  As though Mariky and Turyla were under some kind of spell that I had fallen sway to, they moved aside with almost glazed eyes as I heard the imploring howls of my sister and Arakesha to stop…but I could not.  I took several steps forward and faced the night-black Wolf with a trembling body as he stood over me, his teeth still bared.

“Nateera!  Run!” I heard my sister cry but I could barely muster the strength to look into the eyes of the Wolf standing before me without feeling paralyzed.

“Alpha?” the Wolf asked slowly, his eyes like moons of blood in his pitch-black fur.  I nodded with an anxious shudder outside of my control and the Wolf leaned back and laughed “Perfect” he growled.

And before I could even register what scenario was going to transpire…he jumped back and lunged forward with intensity and speed that rivalled even my graceful, yet lethal, sister.

I just managed to close my eyes, waiting for the killing blow to land and I would see the Lands of my Ancestors spread out before me, the faces of my mother and father welcoming and open as I would leap across any expanse to reach them and nuzzle them until She’ara separated us Herself…but that did not happen.  I waited for the feel of blood to trickle down my neck, to feel every gasp that I mustered strangle against a tear in my neck, to open my eyes and see this Wolf’s muzzle wet with my blood…but that did not happen, either.  When I opened my eyes, I saw the Wolf was barely an inch from my neck, his teeth poised and ready for the lethal blow but it did not land.  Instead, the Wolf met my eyes and lowered his head in submission, a gentle, soft whine escaping his lips.

“I wish to join your pack” he said softly “For a long time have I wandered, looking for a pack to join since I was attacked and banished from my own by the Alpha”

My words caught in my throat in shock at, not only somehow avoiding my own sure death, but at the words of this Wolf…he had been attacked and banished from his own pack!  That sounded so horrible.  I tried again for words and managed a few, though they came out more as gasps than words.

“What is your name?” I managed.

The Wolf laughed in his throat as he backed off a few feet, as Searra immediately came to my side, her eyes hard upon the Wolf backing away.  Mariky was at my side almost straight after my sister, followed swiftly by Turyla and Arakesha as they all flanked me, still protecting me even as the Wolf backed up, his strange power broken, his red eyes gentle.

“I have no name, for even that was taken from me” he whispered gently “I am simply alone”

My mind clicked as his words resonated in my head…and suddenly it came to me.

“If you want a name, you can be Lone”

He looked at me, his eyes surprised but there was no hostility in them.  He spoke the name a few times to himself, familiarizing himself with it before he looked to me.

“I am Lone” he said confidently.

I nodded and turned on my heel to go back into the woods before I heard Lone call my name.

“Wait, Alpha” he called “You can all stay here if you wish.  It is much safer than sleeping in the woods, they are dangerous during nightfall”

I turned back to him sharply, making him shirk back a little, even with the distance separating us.

“And what do you want for in recompense?” I asked tightly, my suspicion aroused.

He chuckled to himself as he said “Truly…all I request is one thing”

“Which is?”

“Permit me to join your pack, Alpha.  That is all I wish for”

I looked to my left at Searra and her eyes told me that she trusted me no matter my decision.  I faced my brother and his eyes told me the same, as too did the eyes of Turyla and Arakesha when I met their eyes.  This was solely my decision, and perhaps my first truly important one to the lives of my pack…for I was the Alpha and I had to consider the safety of not only myself but my pack.  I mulled it over in my mind, playing over each and every scenario in a matter of moments before I met Lone’s red eyes.  I nodded to him with a soft, tender smile.

“You may become a member of our pack, Lone, so long as you swear to not harm any of us”

“I swear it upon my newly given name and upon my own life…and even more than that, I swear it upon the names of our Ancestors in Her company in their Lands beyond our eyes”

The sun was slowly waning into her bed to the East and I could already spy the moon rising from her sleep to claim the sky.  I turned to face my sister, brother and friends and raised my head.

“We stay upon Lone’s swearing” I gently ordered.

Within moments, Arakesha and Mariky loped over to the bubbling lake in the Northern corner of the clearing, with Turyla trotting over to a slight cover of trees to our right, his eyes upon me.  Searra lingered at my side and I was extremely grateful for her company.

The three of us remained standing for a few moments before Lone motioned with his head for Searra and I to follow him.  He led us to a small enclosure in some trees, still within easy sight of my friends should anything transpire, but away from the already chill air.  He lay down upon the soft ground and shifted a few times before settling, his eyes focused upon me.

“Can I ask for everyone’s names?” he asked gently “I can’t really go around calling you brown female, brown male, grey female, red male and Alpha, can I?” he chuckled.

I cleared my throat as I lay at his side, but Searra lay at my other side with unbelievable speed, her eyes hard upon Lone with distrust.  I wanted to tell her to calm down but I could understand her hesitation to trust him, she knew nothing about him outside of what he told us…and to be told the truth, I did not fully trust him either, though he did swear to not harm us.

“My name is Nateera, and this is my sister, Searra and the brown male is my brother, Mariky.  The grey Wolf is my friend Arakesha and the red one is my other friend, Turyla”

He said their names to himself a few times until he nodded to me.

“Why are you all here?  I’ve never seen any of you here before, nor have I smelled any other Wolves outside of Ferloin and his pack…I do not trust them”

“Why not?” my sister asked before I could.

Lone indicated his scarred muzzle with his right paw.

“They left me a parting gift last time we met but not before I ended the life of Ferloin’s son, Rakker, when he was forcing himself on a female…not just any female but the female I loved.  That is why we are not on good terms, Ferloin blames me, ignoring any sense or reason”

“Are we safe here?” I asked, suddenly afraid of this named, but otherwise unknown, threat.

“Relax, Nateera, we are safe here.  Ferloin may be after me but he is not foolish enough, nor brave enough, to send any of his Wolves outside of their grounds.  I know where their grounds are and simply avoid them.  We are safe, their territory is far to the West, half a days run”

My body relaxed a little but there was still an irritating tension in the back of my mind, the voice inside my mind saying that we ‘were not safe’, but I ignored the voice.

“If you say that we are safe, Lone, I trust you”

He nodded.

“You know, I was only staying here for a short time more before I moved on.  I am heading elsewhere, somewhere far away from Humans and blood-thirsty rival Wolf packs…somewhere better, safe”

“Where is that?” I could not help but ask, hope burning in my voice, tears starting to form.

When Lone spoke, his voice was distant, faraway, but close at the same time, like his mind was in a dream but he was laying right where he was.

“North.  Far, far North”

It was shortly after our talk that everyone bed down for the night, the air had turned bitterly cold after only a few moments and the wind had picked up terribly, bringing with it even more freezing cold air that blew around this clearing like the breath of an enemy.  Turyla and Arakesha lay just South of where I chose to rest, near a small outcrop of some piled rocks, whilst Mariky remained North of me, his paws just slightly touching the soft fur of my head.  Searra was the last to rest with me, her eyes hard and untrusting upon Lone as he bed down a few paces away, near the pool, his eyes closing and his breathing soon going steady in his sleep, yet Searra did not take her eyes off him for even a second.  After a few minutes of watching him, she eventually lay down at my left side, covering me with her long, dark brown tail and settled down for sleep.  I had become the Alpha and was safe with my pack, but at the terrible cost of my mother’s life…something that not even becoming the Alpha could equal the value of to me.  I would give my own life to bring back my mother, but that was not mine to freely give…it was Hers, our True Ancestor who watched over us from the Lands of our Ancestors, for when She’ara Called us at our own time.  I sighed under my breath and slowly allowed myself the comfort of sleep, though I feared that my mind would wander into unpleasant wanderings upon my closing eyes.

CHAPTER 5 (A MOURNFUL HOWLING)

“Nateera?” I heard a voice call softly “Nateera, wake up”

Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw the ruby-red eyes of Lone, his black fur ruffled from tossing and turning, as he looked down at me amongst my pack.

“Lone?  What is it?” I asked sleepily, yawning.

He smiled as he said “Look up”

I did as he said and saw the moon hanging high in the sky, now fully whole, with only the thinnest of a cloud veil covering her beauty.  I looked back at Lone and met his eyes.

“You woke me up to howl together?” I asked a little sharply.

Lone flinched back at my harsh tone a little, his head hanging a little low in shame.

“I just thought that you would like to howl together, to celebrate today”

I sighed under my breath and carefully pulled myself from where my sister, brother and friends had me covered.  It was quite tricky pulling myself from where Searra’s tail and Mariky’s paws touched me but I managed it without waking them.  I gently pulled Searra’s tail down from my chest with the softest of tugs with my teeth and slowly, unsteadily stood and padded away from them, following Lone as he led the way from the clearing.  I kept myself ready for an attack from him, even though he had sworn not to harm me, I was not willing to take that risk.  I trotted after him slowly, keeping myself ready for him to turn on me with his scarred muzzle and razor-sharp teeth, but he did not so much as make a move against me.  He led the way for a few moments before we emerged in another clearing, this one only half the size of the other, but there were only a few trees scattered about and several small piles of rocks precariously stacked, as though by accident and not by intention.

“This way, Nateera” Lone said gently.

I followed him for a minute more before he jumped up to a small gathering of rocks, these looking sturdier and more climbable.  I readied myself and leapt, with ease, to the top of the pile and landed without a sound.  Lone whistled under his breath at my display and chuckled to himself as he looked high up.  I looked up too and saw the moon in all of her luminant glory, beaming down upon the ground in silver rays, lighting up the world with her brilliance.  Lone sat down on his haunches and kept his head high, I soon mimicked his action, sitting down on my own haunches, though the rocks were not that comfortable to my tender paws, jabbing into the padding with slight pain.  I shuffled a little to get comfier, earning me a slight chuckle from Lone, which I returned with a light growl, before we were sitting side by side, gazing up into the night sky, with only the moon, her thin veil of clouds and a slight sprinkling of stars as our company.

I breathed deep, just as my mother had taught me when I was younger, feeling my lungs expand with the intake of air, and let out a mournful howl, but one that screamed strength.  I was lost without my mother but I knew that I had to carry on without her at my side, I was lost without her scent to guide me but I would now have to follow my heart to lead me.  I needed to be strong without her, to be strong enough to hold the fates of Searra, of Mariky, of Arakesha, of Turyla, of myself and now of Lone, in my paws.  Our lives rested with me…and me alone.  I sang to the moon with all of my heart, every ounce of my being pouring out in a single song that only we, Wolves, could understand.  It was only seconds later when Lone joined my song, his tone deep and strong, as he sang of the life that was lost to him, of his father and brothers attacking him, of his new pack where he felt safe only to be attacked again by a vengeful, aggressive Alpha, of the female he loved and lost to Ferloin’s horrible son in another pack but he would not sing her name.  His song was as mournful as mine but he had lost so much more.  We howled and sang together, the moon watching down upon us, as the chill air turned almost warm around us.  So lost were we in our sorrowful song, that neither of us noticed the noise from behind us until a desperate, scared voice cut the air.

“Nateera!” my sister cried, as she bolted from the trees to where Lone and I stood on our rock pile quicker than I could even follow her agile movements “I woke at the sound of the howling and was terrified when you were not there.  You truly frightened me!  And when I saw that he was not there either” she turned her light green eyes upon Lone, not finishing her sentence.

“It was my request to her” Lone said quickly “I woke Nateera and asked her to follow me”

“And you just did it?” my sister asked me, incredulously “He could have killed you, sister!” she added, her eyes almost blazing

Suddenly, Mariky came charging through the trees and bushes, his fur sticking up on his back.

“Nateera!” he shouted urgently, his eyes wild and searching.

When he saw Searra looking up at me, his fur rested but his eyes remained hard and almost wild.  He rushed to stand before me, his breath coming out in short, sharp gasps.

“You scared me, sister!” he scolded, his eyes slowly calming “When Searra woke me, saying that you and…him…were not with us, I told her to follow your scent and run ahead, knowing that she is quicker than I.  If you were hurt, sister” his voice dropped lethally, as he eyed Lone distrustfully.

Arakesha and Turyla came charging through the tress within moments, both pairs of their eyes concerned and searching until they rested upon me.  They came to stand before the rock pile that Lone and I were sitting on and waited expectantly for me to answer for myself.

“Nateera did nothing wrong” Lone explained “It was my own decision to awaken her so we could howl together…it was my decision, not hers”

As much as I appreciated Lone coming to my defence, this was a matter for me to settle, not him.  I stood in front of him and the glaring, suspicious, sharp eyes of my pack and cleared my throat quietly.

“I am sorry, truly to you all” I said softly “I should not have left as I did…but I did and that is now past.  We must look only ahead until we are truly safe”

“But how can we even be safe?” Arakesha asked.

Lone came to my side, his fur brushing gently against mine and chuckled deep in his throat.

“One of the things that I was going to tell you all this day, upon the sun’s rising” he paused and looked up to the sky, where the moon was beginning to wane to her sleep.

It would be only an hour more perhaps before the sun would claim her throne and lay her sister to sleep.  I jumped down from the rock, my legs almost buckling at the sharp, painful impact, but I stood erect under my own power, wordlessly speaking that I rise on my own…without aid.  Rarely was it when my mother would request aid and I swore to her, to my father, to all of my Ancestors, to be the best Alpha possible and I did not plan on going back on my sworn words.  Lone jumped down to my side and we walked to where we once were, before I was awakened by Lone and his desire to howl together, where the small brook was still slowly streaming down the rocks into the pool below.  We all rested by the pool and Lone spoke, his voice almost distant but sure.

“I told Nateera and Searra that I had not planned on remaining here for long…only whilst I was resting from running from Ferloin’s pack.  I was greatly exhausted from almost two days of constant running and evading with little to no breathing time before I happened upon this place, where I thought I could take rest until I felt revitalized.  Yet, before I could move on…I encountered the five of you”

“Where were you planning of moving on to?” Turyla asked, his tone curious and doubtful “Where can we exist without being hunted and locked in prisons, suffering at Human hands?” he added sharply.

Lone eyed Turyla, his red eyes staring down my friend.

“Believe me, Turyla, I have seen much more than you can imagine from your comfortably prisoned life.  I saw my sister, Karia, barely two years old, get attacked by a Human after I returned to her from hunting for food.  Her body was torn apart by some weapon the Human wielded whilst I was powerless to help her because of my leg being caught in some kind of metal trap and when the Human was finished tearing her body apart with his strange metal arm, he sliced her up with a long knife!  I have suffered, pup, so keep your tone when you speak to me of being hunted and suffering” he hissed, the skin of his lips lifting, exposing his sharp teeth.

The wind itself seemed apprehensive to dare to even whisper through the trees surrounding us at Lone’s words, even the bubbling brook quieted itself as though it, too, were anxious.  Searra slowly came to stand at Turyla’s side, her green eyes staring hard at Lone, despite her fear.

“Do not speak to us like that, Lone” she said defiantly “I am…not afraid of you”

I would have believed her, had her words not shook slightly.  Even so, I knew what my sister was capable of and knew that she would do anything to protect any of us, fear cast aside.

“Peace” I said, my voice ringing with Alpha authority “We must work together”

Searra looked at me and nodded her head, as she moved to stand at my left side, Mariky at my right.  Turyla met my eyes, his brown eyes softening as he looked at me, but he lowered his head in apology.

“I apologize, Lone”

“As do I, Turyla” Lone responded “Forgive me, my words can be harsh.  That is all I learnt when I was a pup, to speak hard.  I have to learn to forget what I know and start anew, with the guidance of you five as my new teachers”

“We will teach you, Lone” I said calmly “For as long as you show us where to go to be safe”

He met my eyes and smiled as he said “To be safe, we head North”

And nothing more was said.  We each took large mouthfuls of the fresh, clean water of the pool and, with Lone taking the lead, headed North…to safety, I prayed to She’ara.

CHAPTER 6 (INDEPENDENCE OF THE ALPHA BE DAMNED)

With the sun rising high in the sky, we had much light to guide our way, even as the light filtered through the trees so high above our heads.  My mind was racing, some thoughts unpleasant as I thought about losing my mother, but some thoughts were lighter to my mind, when I was thinking of how proud she and my father would be of me.  Thinking of the pride that they would show to me, my speed increased and I pushed ahead of Arakesha.  She looked at me and smiled as I raced forward and she even whistled under her breath in appreciation at my sure, strong speed.  I smiled back at her admiration and was soon at the side of Lone and my sister, who were running side by side.  I found it slightly humorous how my sister still did not Lone, despite his sure-footed guidance, but I guessed that last night had worried her so.  I was soon at the side of Searra and she smiled widely at my approach.

“Took your time, sister” she chided playfully “I worried that we would not see your fur until we arrived in…where was it, Lone?”

He turned to face my sister and I, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

“When we reach Canada in another few hours, we head North for half a day.  Rest at the mountain break then go West until we reach a farm.  From there, we head North-West until we find it…Red Rock.  My sister told me that it is a place so far from humans that we will be safe” his eyes turned momentarily distant and sad “If only she was here with us to see it for herself” he whimpered.

I met Searra’s eyes and we both nodded at each other.  I pressed a little closer to Lone as Searra slowed her pace a little, to be at the side of Mariky, Arakesha and Turyla.

“Only a few days ago, I lost my mother” I said solemnly “That is how I became the Alpha, with the death of my mother”

“And the cycle must continue” Lone whispered “In one’s place, must another take the roll” he glanced at me “We have both lost greatly and yet, here we are.  My sister, your mother.  Both are with Her, in the Lands of our Ancestors, where they wait for our time to be Called.  Don’t fear, Nateera, we will see them again”

“We will, Lone” I agreed quietly.

There was a peaceful silence around us for a few moments, the only sounds our soft breathing, the rapid crunches of our foot-falls and the sounds of nature everywhere around us.

“We will live for them, Nateera”

“We will” I agreed once more.

Lone kept us under the cover of trees at all times, saying a few times that we were approaching roads and small camps of Humans but he kept us far from them.  I could smell the smoke of fires but could not pinpoint their locations, so I simply trusted Lone’s words of where we went.  Multiple times, I heard horrible roaring and screeching that sent my fur bristling in fear but Lone calmed my nerves and said that they were things called cars and that they could not harm us.  Even though, I could not slow my racing heart every time one of these ‘cars’ screamed past at an unknown distance, their sounds so threatening…and I was not the only one shaken by the sounds.  As we travelled on, and the sounds intensified, Arakesha, Turyla, Seaara and Mariky all closed in on Lone and I a little more, their eyes darting around at every roar or scream or screech of the unseen threats.  The sun began to wane with the passing of hours as we travelled and I could feel my legs beginning to fail me, as my heart thrummed in my chest and my mouth went drier and drier with exertion and exhaustion.

“Is there…somewhere…we can rest, Lone?” I panted “I cannot…keep going like this”

“Just a bit further, Nateera” he replied evenly “There will be a meadow ahead, near a broken stream.  We can rest there until tomorrow”

I conveyed the message to my pack, who each nodded in appreciation…it seemed that I was not the only one that this journey was taking a heavy toll on.  We kept running for a few more minutes before Lone looked at me, his eyes certain.

“This way” he urged “Just through this group of trees and then we can rest for a while”

With renewed energy, I sprinted ahead of Lone and made for the trees that he indicated with his nose at full speed.  So lost was I in my desperation to rest, that I did not take heed of Lone’s panicked shouts from behind me, nor the desperate cries of my sister when she realized that I had run off from the group.  Everything happened all at once when I rushed through the green trees and into what awaited beyond them.  I did not see anything threatening until it was too late and my legs found nothing but air when I broke through the protection of trees.  I howled desperately in fear at the drop as I plummeted down like a stone and soon silence became my only sound when I impacted the hard ground below.

When next I awoke, it was to the concerned face of Searra, her green eyes and dark brown fur wet with tracks of both old and new tears.

“Oh, sister!” my sister cried when she saw my eyes open “I was so terrified when I heard your frantic howl and then…nothing more.  You have not moved for a few hours, I…I was so scared, sister”

Weakly, I raised my head but lowered it slightly when a burning pain shot through my body like a bolt of lightning through the sky.  I growled in pain and winced as I turned towards my sister.

“You, afraid, Searra?  Never did I think those words would pass your lips”

I just about managed a smile and a quick chuckle before agonizing pain resonated through my body again as I tried to move my legs.  I cried quietly at the sharp pain and my sister lowered her head to be level with me.

“You have injured your legs very badly, sister.  Try not to move too much”

“Noted” I answered dryly, wincing at the burning sensation “What happened to me?”

My sister’s eyes turned sorrowful and distant as she looked deep into my eyes, her gaze soft and gentle.

“When you foolishly broke through those trees up there” she craned her neck up and I slowly followed her nose…it was truly a long fall and I wondered how I even survived such a drop “you ran straight through them and just…fell” she whimpered and held back tears as she sniffed “Truly, sister, I was so frightened that you were…”

“That I had been Called?” I managed to say through tight lips.

She nodded solemnly, refusing to even utter a terrible reply.

“How long have I been unconscious?”

Searra sniffed as she answered.

“About three hours, but those hours were so terrifying for us all to bear.  Lone hurriedly guided us down a safe route, even though I was ready to jump off the ledge to get to you as quick as possible.  I probably would have followed you had Lone not blocked me, earning him a few angry words from Mariky when we were down here”

“Where is everyone now?  Everyone else is okay, are they?”

Searra laughed under her breath, though it came out like a rush.

“Everyone else is completely fine, Nateera.  Only you were foolish enough to rush ahead.  As I said, we took a different path, just before the treeline.  Arakesha and Turyla are scouting ahead to the West, Mariky is asleep just ahead of us” she indicated him with her head but I could not move much without pain rendering me almost blind with agony “and Lone has just left to try to figure out where we are to go next.  Even he was concerned when you fell, sister” she winked, though her eyes remained focused upon me.

I swallowed, my throat feeling rough and scratchy, and I looked into my sister’s eyes.

“How badly am I hurt?”

“Oh, you’re so badly injured” I heard Lone’s voice cut in, as I saw him break through some nearby trees “We might even have to tear two of your legs off with our teeth and remove all of the stones from your body with our claws.  You might not even survive what we have to do”

I saw Searra stare almost red at Lone with fury, her glare sharp enough to physically harm him were such a thing possible.  Lone’s words were enough to even wake Mariky, as he quickly ran to my side, teeth ferally bared, sharp claws extending from his paws, a slow, threatening growl escaping his mouth.  Searra mirrored her brother as she almost immediately stood from her prone position by my head, growls escaping her taut lips.  Lone remained standing as casually as he was, the black fur of his head and his deep-set crimson eyes the only things that I could see between my sister’s forelegs as she and my brother stood to my defence.  Before any fighting could ensue, I moved my legs in an effort to face everyone but the movement caused me to whimper in pain.  Immediately, hostility ceased and all eyes were upon me.

“Please, no fighting” I said, trying to ring my voice with Alpha authority, though that attempt fell flat in my injured state, but still…everyone listened “I wished to simply know how injured I am and how soon we can set out again.  We need to head North, to this Red Rock that Lone spoke of”

“We are not far off now” Lone answered “Just past this mountain region and we will arrive”

“How can you be so sure of this?” Arakesha asked, her voice slightly cutting.

Lone turned on my friend, his glare cold but his words were surprisingly soft, distant.

“Karia would not have lied to me, not in her last words” he answered, his voice deepening with grief “I follow her guidance, even from where she rests with our Ancestors with She’ara.  She guides me in her Calling, guiding my heart and my feet with her sure knowledge.  I know where we go” he said strongly.

“As our mother guides our hearts” I said gently.

“As she does” Lone answered quietly.

I was advised to remain as motionless as possible, as Searra, Lone and Mariky took turns bringing me small bits of scavenged food that Turyla and Arakesha managed to get from nearby.  Soon enough, though, my throat grew painfully dry and I needed to have some water.  I raised my head when Searra brough me some scraps of food and I met her light green eyes.

“Is there…any water nearby?” I coughed “My throat is…hurting with dryness”

Before I could blink, my sister rushed to my side and carefully pushed her paws underneath my belly.  With infinite tenderness, she eased me up and slid her body underneath me, carrying my on her back like I was barely a pup to a mother.

“Hang on, sister.  The river is only a small distance away”

I carefully wrapped my front paws around her strong body, leaving my sore hind legs dangling behind her.  As Searra carried me to the small river, she spoke, her voice sad.

“Lone says that your left hind leg is badly damaged, but somehow not broken, same with your right leg, though that one is not as injured as your left.  He managed to put some sand and mouthfuls of water on both, which slowed the bleeding, but you are not to put pressure on them for a day or so.  When we travel, we will all take it in turns to carry you”

“But-” I made to say.

“Whether you like it or not, sister.  Independence of the Alpha be damned, we will carry you”

I huffed in response, earning me a light chuckle from Searra, as she carried me the short distance to where there was a small river that broke off into several directions, no smaller brook the same as any other as they murmured off in different paths, none quite touching.  When we approached, my sister slowly lowered me by backing out from under me, gently putting me right next to the edge of the river, the tip of my muzzle just touching the cool, cold water.  I turned my head to press the tip of my nose into the refreshing water and slowly lapped up several mouthfuls, gratefully letting the water slide down my throat as I slowly swallowed, the dryness in my throat now a faraway memory.  When I had my fill of the water, Searra made to take me back to the soft grass where we were, but I wished to remain by the water, feeling the chill breeze upon my short fur and soft flesh.  With Searra as my guard, we remained at the waters edge for a few minutes before Lone came through the trees, his fur drenched in sweat, his body and legs almost trembling in great distress.

Panting heavily, he said “We have to…to go.  Right now!”

“Why?” Searra asked, her voice concerned, as she looked at me “Nateera cannot walk”

“Carry her” Lone insisted “We have to go…now!”

Before anything more could be said, Arakesha and Turyla broke through the trees after Lone, their faces as desperate as Lone sounded, their breaths coming out heavy and rushed.

“Arakesha?  Turyla?” my sister asked “What’s going on?”

Turyla’s brown eyes were almost glazed as he rushed to mine and Searra’s side.

“Rival pack of Wolves.  That Ferloin has followed Lone’s scent and they are nearly here.  We need to go”

Before I could even consider standing on my own four feet, Turyla and Searra quickly, but carefully, pushed me to my feet and Turyla slid himself underneath me, his back strong and firm.  Mariky reached us, his face anxious of what was happening, but he immediately took the left side of Turyla as Searra took his right, protecting me.  Lone took the head of the group as Arakesha took up our rear.

“We move” Lone said “Everyone stay in form, do not break it”

Everyone nodded at the same time and we moved through the thick trees, with Turyla carrying me as though I were a new-born pup, my front legs wrapped around his thick, muscular body, and we headed West.

CHAPTER 7 (OLD ENEMIES, NEW FRIENDS)

Lone kept tight to our head as he tore through trees and thick brush that surrounded us, making a tight, but easy, path for the rest of us.  His pants were heavy but controlled as he rushed ahead, with Turyla and I keeping level pace, Searra and Mariky matching at our sides and Arakesha maintaining a strong pace behind us, her breaths coming out a little quicker than the rest of us.  I was about to ask Lone if we were safe to stop before a voice cut off my unasked question, silencing me before I could even speak.

“Where are you, Chid?” an unfamiliar voice called, dripping anger and hatred “We know you’re here, somewhere!  Come out and face your punishment!” the voice roared, louder even than those ‘cars’ that thundered past us, so close and threatening, hours ago.

“‘Chid’?” I managed to ask quietly, afraid to alert our pursuers to where we were.

Lone met my eyes, his own showing panic and fear that I had not yet seen.

“My name” he simply answered emotionlessly.  He paused, his eyes darting around “There, in that bush”

Lone led the way into a small covering of branches and we all followed him immediately, the soft crunching and cracking of leaves and twigs underfoot sounded terrifyingly loud in the outer silence.  Our breaths were hurried and our hearts were racing faster than we ran before the voice cut the forest like a hunter’s knife.

“Chid!  Come out and face me!” the voice shouted “I’m wearing thin on my tolerance for you!  Come out before my patience is exhausted and I tear everything apart, including your two new males and three new females, I swear upon She’ara’s name!  However, Xyrac is feeling…generous this time.  He may yet let the males live and take the females for his own if you surrender now” the voice turned icy and laughed venomously.

The cold laugh was followed by a set of other horrible, depraved laughs that melded into one another…it was impossible to tell how many Wolves there were.  There was a beat of silence before the first voice cut the air again, sending shivers down my spine.

“I am reaching my limit, Chid!  Come out from whatever hovel you are cowering in and face me before I truly lose my temper!”

“What shall we do, Lone?” Searra asked from my side, her voice fearful, her eyes wide as she looked at me.

I could tell that her fearful tone and wide eyes were not so much for herself but almost wholly for me…and I hated that feeling of her only being concerned for me when I was impossibly and entirely concerned for all of them.  I had known Searra and Mariky my whole life, since I could open my eyes to this world and hear their sweet voices.  I had known Arakesha and Turyla for almost as long, since their fathers and mothers had died, and my mother took them in as her own, raising them as lovingly as she raised Searra, Mariky and I.  My heart raced within my chest as my breaths came out ragged and raw through my throat.  Lone took a deep breath and made to exit the brush covering us, his eyes seeing what I was blind to.  I fidgeted at my place on the soft floor and shuffled, painfully, to be closer to him before he left.

“Do not go, Lone” I pleaded “Do not leave us”

“I must go, Nateera” he answered simply, his eyes faraway “You will all be safe that way.  When Ferloin kills me, he’ll abandon all of you…I know him too well.  Xyrac may be lustful but he will not disobey his Alpha, he is far too cowardly for that” he laughed without humour and slowly pushed his nose through the green brush.

I acted on instinct as I pushed myself closer to him, wincing slightly when the movement made my hind legs sting, and I sank my teeth around his right hind leg, just above his knee.  Lone howled briefly in pain before he silenced himself…but the quick howl was enough.

“THERE!” Ferloin yelled “IN THAT BRUSH!”

Within seconds, there was the intense pounding of multiple impacts outside of our safe cover, which soon stopped just inches from where Lone stood with me still locked on his leg.  I slowly released my death grip on Lone and he looked down at me, shock and anger mixed in his red eyes.  Before any accusations could be thrown, a hard, heavy voice cut from outside.

“Come out, Chid!  Don’t make me send Xyrac in there…he hasn’t taken a Mate for awhile now and is getting” he laughed under his breath, the sound revolting “desperate”

My stomach rolled in disgust and I felt Searra tense in anger at my side as furious growls ripped their way free of her throat and her fur bristled against me.

“Swear to me that you will not hurt my pack and I’ll come out, Ferloin” Lone challenged.

There was a cold chuckle from outside the brush and I saw the silhouette of a large figure loom barely an inch from where Lone stood.

“None will be harmed, besides you” he growled “Now come out!” he ordered sharply.

“I am sorry, Nateera, but I must” Lone said sadly.

Before Lone could break through the brush that separated us from the threatening pack, there was a sudden frantic cry from one of the Wolves.  Pained howls and deep growls ensued as Lone backed up, gently nudging me more into cover as we waited.

After a few moments of silence, an unfamiliar, soft voice sounded from just outside our cover of brush.

“Hello?  They’re gone” the voice said gently “You’re safe, whoever you are.  Come out and let us meet”

“Yes, please, let us meet each other.  We mean no harm to you” a second voice added softly, a kind plea in the voice.

Lone looked unsure of what to do so I decided to speak.

“Swear that you will not harm us and we will come out in peace” I said, using a tinge of my Alpha authority.

There was a brief discussion that I could not clearly hear before the first voice spoke again.

“We don’t swear by your She’ara, but we swear by our Prowling Spirit to not bring any harm to any of you”

‘Prowling Spirit’?  I was unsure what that meant.  But clearly by not swearing by Her, they were not Wolves.  I turned it over in my mind for only a few moments before I made my decision.  I looked to Searra and lowered my voice.

“Help me?” I asked.

She immediately helped me up and let me lean against her strong body as we walked, carefully, out from our safe cover into whatever unknown awaited us.  Lone stood to my left as Mariky, Arakesha and Turyla headed up our backs.  Seconds later, we were outside our brush and facing two creatures that I had never seen before.  Bright orange fur covered almost their whole bodies with patches of darker fur, almost black, dotted around, two pointed ears adorned their kind-looking faces, two pairs of light, but hard, eyes looked upon us and they were both over my height, almost head high to Lone, the tallest of us all.  As I carefully looked around the scene before me, there were three dead Wolves scattered about, their necks spilling crimson rivers from deep gashes, and both of these new unknown creatures bore several scratches and cuts of their own, blood gently escaping the new wounds and dripping freshly from their sharp teeth, but their eyes were focused upon the six of us, assessing.  Lone looked around at the dead Wolves, his eyes darting from the two unknowns to the dead Wolves and back again several times.

“Why help us?” he asked “Not that we don’t appreciate the aid of Foxes, but why?”

‘Foxes’?  I turned the word over in my mind but I could not place any familiarity with the term.  One of the Foxes smiled at Lone’s question and spoke, the voice careful.

“We have followed Ferloin for many days and nights” the Fox said, his voice deep but soft “Ever since his…pack of myrazu” he spat the word “killed our cubs, Bright Star and Lunafall, four weeks past”

The Fox at his side shuddered and leaned into the male sadly, tears falling as she looked at us.

“We never even held any anger towards Ferloin, until that day, we stayed away from him but

our cubs crossed into their territory without us one day and they…they” her voice trailed off as she sniffed back angry, savage tears.

Her words tore at my heart at losing their young, as I had lost my mother and tears escaped my eyes.

“I know your pain” I whimpered.

Both of the Foxes turned to face me, their darkened eyes sad as they looked upon me.  The female noticed my injured hind legs and her gaze hardened a little.

“Did they do that to you, young one?” she asked, inclining her head towards the dead Wolves.

“No, this was my own foolishness and desperation”

“Where are you heading?” the male asked, his eyes on me “Or, at least, where were you heading before you had to take cover from them?”

“North” Lone answered “To Red Rock”

The eyes of the female lightened a little at the mention of the place and she inclined her head behind her.

“You are still quite a ways off, I am afraid” she said solemnly “But maybe…” she trailed off.

“Maybe?” Mariky insisted.

The female looked into the eyes of the male and they talked in almost inaudible mumblings before the male nodded his head, a slight smile tugging at his lips.  The female met my eyes and spoke, her voice tender and gentle.

“We know the way, my mother is from there.  We were just heading that way before Runner scented Ferloin again and we followed him instead.  When we heard him threatening you, I just…I could not bare the thought of him harming anyone else”

“Is Ferloin dead?” I asked, looking at the three dead Wolves, unsure if any of the bodies was his.

“No” Runner said, his voice hard “The nuryt coward escaped when we appeared, he fled with that savage, kyraz’ca Xyrac and five others.  We will find him again, I swear to our Prowling Spirit to make him pay for his myrazu pack killing Bright Star and Lunafall those weeks ago”

It was not long after we were all introduced that Runner and his Mate, Vixen, wished for some rest, for their pursuit of Ferloin had been merciless and restless.  I agreed that rest would suit us all, for I could still feel my heart racing from the encounter with Ferloin and his pack, and his horrible words still flailed about in my mind agitatedly.  Mariky and Arakesha took some rest just at the Southern edge of our spot, their ears alert for any sound that was not from any of us.  Turyla gently dropped me near a small river, one that was barely even a brook compared to any others I had yet seen, but the cool, crystal-clear water was a welcome feeling and a balm to my rushing heartbeat and ruffled senses.  Lone took up position at the Northern edge of where we rested, saying that he would stand guard whilst we recuperated.  Searra kept tight to my side, her dark brown fur a comfortable warmth to my body as she lay beside me, her green eyes alert for a time until sleep overtook her and she fell under its call to my left.  Runner and Vixen were resting at the Western edge, their bodies tight together, their noses touching.  Very little had been said after our introductions, save for those few words of desiring rest.  Curiosity stole away my chances of sleep so I carefully padded over to them, their heads raising at my approach but not a single amount of hostility rose from them.  Vixen smiled sadly at me, her eyes wet with fresh tears, as Runner looked at me with an unreadable expression.  As I walked closer, I noticed several deep wounds across their backs and legs, old injuries from what they looked like, and I noticed that their eyes were almost mirrors of each other…both a piercing yellow.  I eased myself next to them and Vixen was the first to speak, her voice soft and almost motherly.

“Why did Ferloin attack you?” she asked gently.

I inclined my head towards Lone, still standing alert watch for any sight, smell or sound of intruders.  My legs and neck burned with the movement, as careful as I was, and I looked after Lone with caring, ignoring the sharp pains.

“They were following his scent and they wanted revenge against him.  He killed Ferloin’s son, Rakker, some time ago when he was forcing himself on a female that Lone loved”

The two Foxes locked eyes with each other, their gaze intense, before they looked at me.

“Rakker is dead?” Runner asked, his voice heavy and shocked “Truly?”

I nodded but inclined my head once more to Lone.

“Lone says that he killed Rakker and I believe his words”

“If he has truly killed Rakker, I owe him a great debt” Runner said, gazing at Lone “I wish though that it was I who ended Rakker, not another”

Before I could ask why, Vixen spoke, her eyes distant.

“Rakker is the one who killed Lunafell.  Bright Star was killed by one of the Wolves we killed whilst you were taking cover from their threats.  Runner was busy fending off and fighting the other two but I wished to kill Parta myself” her voice turned cold and angry “If only Rakker were still alive…I would have…I would have…” her voice trailed off as she looked to the graying sky “We need to seek cover.  I fear that a severe storm is on its way”

At that moment, as though he were called, Lone walked towards the three of us, a slight smile tugging at his lips, before he stopped a few feet from me.

“I think I know where we can rest for the brewing storm.  There is a small enclosure, perhaps not too comfortable but sufficient for some rest whilst the rain sweeps through”

I slowly began to rise but my legs buckled beneath me and I fell to the floor, dirt mixing with my black and white fur.  I whimpered at the sharp impact which woke my sister immediately.  She rushed over to me, concern in her eyes.

“Sister, are you okay?”

“I am okay, Searra.  I just tried to stand and forgot about my injuries”

My sister tutted in her throat and looked down at me.

“What did I tell you before we left Lone’s clearing, sister?” before I could answer, she spoke quickly “‘Independence of the Alpha be damned, we will carry you’, Nateera.  We will do everything that we can to protect you not only because you are our Alpha, but because we all love you”

“As I love you all”

My sister smiled slightly.

“Well, you can prove it by letting us help you” she scolded gently.

CHAPTER 8 (SHELTER FROM THE STORM)

With my pride red raw from my sisters playful scolding, she slid under my body and slowly eased me onto her back as we all stood and followed Lone to this enclosure that he spoke of.  It was only a few moments later when we were standing outside of a gathering of branches that looked almost like it was intentionally fashioned by careful, caring hands to protect whatever dwelled within.  I sniffed the air and could detect no hint of other animals, save the scent of hordes of mice skittering about on the floor and flocks of birds high above, each animal taking refuge in their burrows and nests for shelter from the oncoming storm.  Thunder rolled menacingly in the sky and flashes of lighting illuminated the forest in blazes of white and silver as we all bolted into the small shelter.  It was more than big enough for all of us to fit in without discomfort and even stretched out behind us, far out of sight.  Runner and Vixen were the last to enter the shelter and already their fur was soaked through with rain.  They looked at us all dry and Runner huffed in mild annoyance as Vixen licked her Mate playfully and affectionately across his damp cheek.

“That came down much faster than I thought” Runner said humourlessly “I thought we would make it before getting soaked to our bones”

Vixen looked up to her Mate’s eyes, hers glistening in the dark and smiled.

“What is life without a little rain, ka tsu’tay” she said affectionately “We must adapt to whatever we see and encounter, as we always have”

Runner smiled as he met the eyes of Vixen.

“You speak the truth, lukuptaa”

I looked over to Lone and whispered “What do those terms mean?”

He met my eyes and answered.

“They are terms of endearment within their language.  Just like the Prowling Spirit is their Caller, as She’ara is ours.  I don’t understand much of their language but I know a little, thanks to Karia.  She could speak with several other animals and taught me what she knew before she…” his words trailed off as his eyes turned sadly distant.

Just as I was about to try and comfort him with gentle words, Arakesha came back to us, her grey fur filthy with dust and dirt.  Her paws skidded on the loose dirt and she almost collided with Mariky.  She stood upright before me and panted a few times before she caught her breath.

“There is an unusual sound further in” she panted “Something that sounds…unnatural and wrong”

“The owner of this den?” I asked, my tone worried “Have we wandered into someone else’s dwelling?”

“I think not of an owner just something…else.  Please, come, Alpha”

My teeth grounded in frustration at the mention of my new title and my fur bristled in anger but I quickly calmed my temper, not letting it flare unnecessarily.  I slowly began to stand under my own power, only for Searra to glare at me in my struggling attempt.

“You cannot carry me through here, sister, the top is too close” I said, meeting her eyes defensively.

“Perhaps not, but I can stand at your side, which I will do”

Before I could say anything more, Searra slid herself to my left side and let me ease my weight into her.  She did not sway in the slightest and held strong as we slowly followed Arakesha.

“Vixen and I will stand guard here” Runner said “Just to remain alert for any intruders.  Please stay cautious, luharyyt”

“Be careful, ka haryyt” Vixen added, as she looked at us with tender eyes.

My heart lurched in my chest at Vixen’s eyes.  Though they were so different in colour, the tenderness and caring within them reminded me so much of my mother.  I held back threatening tears, nodded to them both and walked down into our sheltered den with Arakesha and Turyla leading the way, Mariky at my right and Lone holding up the rear.

The deeper parts of the dwelling twisted and turned and I feared that we were soon to be lost underground like sun-blinded moles until we reached a deep, sudden drop barely ten steps away.  The bottom of the hole was blanketed in darkness and there was a very faint hissing sound coming from every direction, though it sounded most focused just over the edge.

“Hear that?” Arakesha asked quietly.

I listened intently and the hissing sounded almost like words.

“Ska-ska-ska, rttr-rttr-rttr, cru-cru-cru, twll-twll-twll” and the sounds repeated over and over again with regularity, becoming eerily closer with each repeating rhythm, like a haunting song.

“What IS that?” I asked of no-one as I leaned a little closer to the precarious edge.

“NATEERA!  STOP!” Lone’s voice suddenly cut “It’s a trick.  Stay where you are!”

Immediately, I stopped and pulled myself back a tender step from the drop, my nerves shot and raw with trepidation.  I heard the fast approach of Runner and Vixen upon hearing Lone’s shouts and they looked at me frozen at the edge of the drop.  Vixen kept her eyes on me as Runner turned his head to face the way they came, his ears high and alert.  Slowly, Lone passed between Arakesha and Turyla and walked between Searra and Turyla before he stood at my side, his fur bristled and raised in some emotion that I could not place.  He pulled his lips back and bared his razor-sharp teeth at the unseen threat and growls emanated from deep within, the growls like the rolling of the thunder outside.  Suddenly, the strange repeating sounds were replaced by an unusual hissing that sounded more like a startled animal, if an animal existed that could make such a chilling sound.  Before I could react, a small but long shadow sprang from the darkness that enveloped everything ahead of us and attempted to dart between Lone’s legs…but Lone was too fast and he slammed his front paw down near the front of the shadow, pinning it against the hard ground.  A sharp, furious hissing sound came from the restrained shadow, two white, long, sharp fangs glinting in the dark.

“Releassse me” the shadow hissed angrily “Before I lossse my temper”

Lone looked down at the creature with disgust and pushed his paw down harder.  The thing hissed and gasped in pain and locked two large, slitted, dark blue eyes right at Lone.

“What are you doing here, snake?” Lone growled.

The Snake laughed in a cold hiss but glared at Lone’s paw still crushing it to the floor.

“Let me go and I will…ssspeak, you insssolent Wolf.  I will sssay nothing under your paw”

Lone snapped his teeth at the Snake threateningly, his red eyes intent on the pinioned animal under his strong, right front paw.

“Swear that you will not harm us and I will release you”

The Snake gulped and spoke, her words slightly choked.

“I ssswear upon…the name of my Reptile Mother and Father…to not harm any of you” she said reluctantly, her eyes hard upon Lone.

Slowly, and carefully, he raised his paw and brought it back down beside his other, but his eyes remained cautious of the Snake.  She moved her long body and wiped her tail over her throat, blood beading slightly from her flesh.  When she saw the blood on her tail, her eyes slitted into two almost wholly dark blue orbs.

“You bled me, Wolf” she hissed angrily “And yet I did nothing but lull you”

“Why did you do that?  Why did you lull us?” Lone demanded sharply.

The Snake hissed a laugh, the sound making my fur fall flat against my body in unease.

“A Sssnake mussst eat, musssn’t one?  How wasss I to know that you were Wolvesss?  Far too big to eat, anyway.  Very hard to digessst” she laughed coldly.

Vixen slowly approached Lone, I and the Snake, her yellow eyes bright in the dark.  When she looked upon the Snake, her eyes slit in anger.

“Sartha!  What are you doing here?” she said angrily.

“Ah…Vixssen” the Snake replied evenly “What bringsss you here?  And isss that…Runner at your back?  Ssstill ssseeking revenge for your lossst cubsss?  What were their namesss again…Bright Ssstar and Lunafell?” her voice turned cold, mocking and dark.

Runner darted from where he once was and he sprang over my two friends, jumped over Searra and my brother and slid between Vixen, Lone and I before he stood above the Snake.  His lips pulled back and a savage growl tore its way free from his lips, his eyes slitting in rage.  The Snake, Sartha, had the sense to at least look afraid, but I was unsure whether she truly was or if she was just baiting Runner.  Even Lone stepped back a few footfalls at Runner’s rage, gently pulling me along with him by grabbing my tail gently between his teeth and tugging desperately but carefully.

“SPEAK AGAIN LIKE THAT!” he shouted, his voice a deathly challenge “I DARE YOU, SERPENT!”

I saw the scaly skin of Sartha bristle at the term of ‘serpent’ and a hiss escaped her mouth.

“I ssspeak asss I pleassse, Fox” she answered coldly “Asss I alwaysss have and alwaysss will”

Faster than my eyes could follow, Runner shoved Sartha against the ground, his paws crushing her down hard, his lips trembling, his teeth bared and aimed right at the body of the Snake as feral growls brewed deep within him.

“I WILL TEAR YOU APART, SNAKE!”

Before Runner could follow through with his threat, Vixen gently brushed against him, nuzzling his side with her muzzle.

“Please, Runner, do not harm her.  She did not know what she was saying.  You know how she is, ka tsu’tay”

Deliberately, Runner raised his paws from the body of Sartha though his yellow eyes remained hard and angry as he reluctantly backed up from the prone Snake.  When Runner brushed past me, he leaned a little closer, his nose almost touching mine.

“I apologize for my words, Nateera”

I nodded at him and he nodded back in kind before he left and almost soundlessly made his way back to the entrance of this cave, to stand guard once more.  Once his footfalls were silent, Sartha snickered coldly, her whole body vibrating with the action.

“Sssuch a temperamental fool you have chosssen, Vixssen, as your Mate.  I will proudly ssstay asss I am…Unbound”

Vixen’s fur bristled and her lips drew back over her teeth a little in anger but her words were smooth and calm when she spoke.

“I would watch my words, were I you, Sartha” Vixen threatened calmly “I may not be as quick to anger as Runner but I will not hesitate from harming you, as much as I wish against it”

Sartha met Vixen’s eyes, a daring challenge in the Snake’s.

“Your lossst cubsss can attessst to your inaction, Vixss-” but her words were suddenly cut off as Vixen slammed her front paws right on Sartha’s throat, her claws slowly escaping their sheaths.

“Test me not, Sartha!” Vixen hissed “Mention my cubs once more and I will tear you apart!”

Her threat hung in the air and it almost became a living breathing…thing in the churning air that we breathed, a creature all its own.  Sartha gulped painfully against Vixen’s paws and hissed in both agony and frustration as she nodded her head.  Vixen slowly, threateningly, raised her paws and laid them down in front of her, her eyes cut to slits, as Sartha gasped out and rubbed her throat with her scaly tail.

“I will ssspeak no more on any matter.  Go away, all of you, and leave me to my own company.  It isss far more comfortable than ssspeaking with Wolvesss and Foxssesss”

Sartha turned away from us and slunk back into the shadows from where she came without a sound, her scaly, black body becoming one with the darkness within seconds.  There were a few gentle hisses, perhaps as she tried to get back into a comfortable position, before she fell silent.  As we all turned to leave, the strange sounds began again.

“Ska-ska-ska, rttr-rttr-rttr, cru-cru-cru, twll-twll-twll” they repeated, over and over again, like a broken song “Ska-ska-ska, rttr-rttr-rttr, cru-cru-cru, twll-twll-twll”

When we arrived at where Runner waited, with myself and Vixen at the head of the group, Lone at my side, supporting my unsteady feet, Searra right behind us and Mariky, Turyla and Arakesha bringing up our rear, I saw that it was still raining, though not quite as heavily.  Just as I was going to suggest that we leave now, thunder rolled intimidatingly for a few seconds before there was a terrifyingly deafening roar of thunder outside and a bolt of lightning struck the ground barely twenty feet from our shelter.  Flames erupted at the spot where the lightning impacted, before being extinguished by the pouring rain, and the air was filled with the terrified squeaks and squeals of mice, as they darted out from their threatened burrows and ran around searching for tolerable new dwellings to wait out the storm.  Several mice skittered between our legs and bolted for the safety of the darkness, right into the encompassing darkness where Sartha’s hunger waited patiently.  The strange sounds that she made intensified for a few moments, followed by the distant, confused and inquiring noises of the ignorant, curious mice.  My fears were proven true when I first heard several frightful, desperate squeaks shortly followed by…nothing more.  My body shivered, and not from the sudden cold, and I looked out to the torrential rain.  Only once before had I seen such horrendous, intense weather, not long after I was born, and I remember being so petrified because of the loud crashes of thunder and blinding flashes of lightning.  I remembered hiding fearfully underneath my mother’s warm, protective fur for many hours, my body trembling from absolute dread and terror at what I did not understand.  Searra was at my side, gently licking me to reassure me, with Mariky on my other side, gently humming in his chest to still my racing heart.  Arakesha and Turyla were out in the rain, not the slightest bit ruffled at the situation that struck me with fear.  I even remembered seeing Arakesha racing through large puddles and playfully splashing water at Turyla.  Hearing their laughter was when I slowly crept away from the safety and protection of my mother and, with my heart still beating furiously against my ribs, I carefully ventured out into the unknown.  Rain beat down mercilessly, drowning out all of my fears and doubts within seconds, as I began to chase Turyla around the cage, both of us howling and yipping in joy.  When we both finished chasing each other, we returned to the den, drenched with water from nose to tail but the smile on my mother’s face was one of such pride that my heart skipped at seeing her expression.  She praised me greatly for facing my fear of the unknown and it was from that time that I enjoyed the rain…but I was not willing to go outside in this intense downpour.  Even the trees that encompassed us looked ready to collapse with the weight of the rain that fell upon them and the wind that threatened to tear them from their very roots.  The wind tore into the den and whipped around us all, knocking all of us to the floor at the same moment.

“It will not last much longer” Arakesha said gently, as she stood, uneasily, and faced the weather “It will pass before long”

“How can you say for sure, Arakesha?” Runner asked, turning to face her “It looks like it will not abate for many more hours”

“I just know.  Give it two, maybe three hours and it’ll be dry enough to continue on”

Arakesha yawned, padded away from the brisk wind and wrapped her tail around herself as she sank into sleep.  Mariky lay next to her, as Turyla followed suit, laying down just behind them.  Their quiet snores filled the air, as thunder continued to rumble distantly outside.

“Come on, sister.  We may as well get some sleep, too” Searra encouraged.

I could not help but agree and so we padded off to be beside our brother and friends.  Lone remained at the mouth of the cave, standing guard with Runner and Vixen.  I felt terrible about the three of them staying near the entrance, facing the freezing cold air and terrible rain but before guilt could hold any sway over me, sleep sent a lure for me and I could not resist it.  My eyes felt heavy and my mind grew distant as I slipped into a comfortable unconsciousness.

CHAPTER 9 (TELLS)

I was back at the ‘Sanctuary’, and I was not alone there.  I was standing just outside of the den the Humans made for us, the sun was high in the sky but there was an uneasy chill in the air, like the air before a terrible storm.  I could smell many unusual scents in the air but there was something above all of those unfamiliar scents…something awful.  I stood on the tips of my feet and looked above the rises of the small grassy hills and saw them, seated near the gates.  Over a dozen of those strange yellow and black machines, each one making a horrible, rolling sound like the rumbling of thunder in the sky, and there was over three dozen Humans wearing strange, yellow clothing, each holding an unknown…thing in their arms.  As if they were driven by some primal force, the machines drove through the gates, tearing them down like frail branches of a young tree and tore straight through the Humans that stood in their way, like trampling weeds beneath a heavy foot.  Screams filled the air from the falling Humans and terrified howls resonated from each and every cage that surrounded me.  Howls of agony, howls of mourning, howls of desperation, howls of confusion, howls of anger…every emotion was run through by the Wolves that were locked tight in their prisons.  It was seconds later when one of the machines tore through one of the cages, one that I knew where Two-Tone and his ill father lived, and there was an almighty crashing and screeching as the machine moved ceaselessly through the cage, mercilessly ripping apart anything that stood in its path.  Soon after, four of these terrible machines waited outside the cage that imprisoned me.  I looked around fearfully for my pack and saw them on the other side of the lake that split the dwelling, its waters raging as though the river itself was alive and breathing, fearing for its existence, as the normally calm water lashed against itself restlessly.

“Nateera!  Help us!” I heard my sister cry, her voice terrified, her eyes wide in fear.

I ran to the water but something seemed to hold me back from jumping over it.  As I looked down, I saw that there was a horrible, cracked, stinking leather collar wrapped tightly around my neck, holding me in place.

“Nateera!” my sister screamed “Please” she whimpered.

I pulled against the tight leather and felt it give way slightly, but the machines waiting outside seemed to realize that very same thing.  Suddenly, they made a terrifying rumbling like thunder and began to move forward, lurching towards the cage wall, their metal bodies threatening in the swaying sun.  Desperation and strong desire to protect my pack pulsed through me and the leather snapped as I pulled with all of my might against it.  I fell forward but did not let my movements slow.  I charged towards the lake and cleared it with ease, my belly feeling some of the chill water as it crashed against itself ceaselessly, and I landed on the other side with a thump.  I immediately ran to my sister’s side and faced the threat of the machines, growls tearing their way from my throat, as I lifted my lips and bared my teeth against the threat.  As the machines slowly advanced, I saw the bodies of both Humans and Wolves scattered about the ground like uprooted flowers and my anger intensified.  My legs locked in place and my fur bristled and rose in fury at the lives lost because of these…things.  I felt another presence at my side, one that was both familiar and distant.

“Daughter” my mother’s voice sounded gently “You are doing me so proud.  Stand against them.  Never forget that you are my daughter, my Alpha, my Heart”

“As you are my daughter” another voice added gently from my other side “Do us so proud, daughter” my father said.

Tears burned my eyes and I shook my head quickly to clear my sight of the machines steadily moving forward.

“I will do you both proud.  Mother.  Father.  I am your daughter and I will not allow myself to be defeated.  I will face anything to protect my sister, my brother, my friends…my pack”

“You are our Alpha” my mother said softly.

“Show us why” my father said.

I swallowed my rising fear at facing the strange machines and allowed myself the pleasure of letting a growl rumble in my stomach before I released it threateningly at the approaching machines.  My sister stood from her prone position and matched my ferocity, as too did my brother, and soon after Arakesha and Turyla mirrored my action until we were all growling fearlessly at the encroaching threats.  Suddenly, Lone appeared at my side, fearsome growls escaping his lips and even Runner and Vixen appeared out of thin air to deny the machines their forward march.  We all growled and howled at the threats, even as they tore through the stone and steel cage, showering us with lethal falling rocks and metal.

“GO!” I shouted at the machines and suddenly, everything was swallowed up in darkness.

When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in the ‘Sanctuary’, nor was I under threat from yellow and black machines.  I was safe, amongst my siblings and friends, and as I looked around myself, I saw Lone, Runner and Vixen still standing guard at the entrance to the den.  I stood and shook myself off before I slowly approached them, my legs still hurting from my injuries, but I did not wish to disturb my sister, still sleeping soundly.  Lone heard my approach first and his head turned to watch me, soon followed by Runner and Vixen.

“The weather has cleared, as Arakesha said” Runner said softly.

“A few more minutes of rest before we go” Vixen said, brushing herself gently against her Mate.

I swallowed a lump in my throat and spoke, my voice slightly raspy from lingering sleep.

“Will you…” I coughed and cleared my throat “Will you remain with us?” I asked, inclining my head towards Runner and Vixen.

Their eyes met and Vixen smiled as she turned to face me.

“For as long as we are welcome”

“You are always welcome amongst us, Vixen and Runner.  You saved us from Ferloin, for which I thank you greatly, and are our friends.  You are forever welcome with us”

Runner smiled, though his eyes were slightly distant.

“No need to thank us for dealing with Ferloin this past day.  That was a debt that never was intended to involve anyone else.  Although he escaped and still lives, I can rest my anger to protect all of you.  Bright Star and Lunafell would be happy with our Prowling Spirit that we have avenged at least Lunafell in our action”

Vixen affectionately rubbed her body against Runner and they both hummed deep in their chests.  Lone inclined his head towards where my pack was slowly rising from sleep, silently suggesting that we give Runner and Vixen privacy.  I wordlessly agreed and we padded over to the group.  Searra rose first and looked at me lovingly, her green eyes luminant in the morning sun that streamed in brightly.

“Alpha” she teased gently and she laughed when I ducked my head in annoyance “You know that that title will stick” she said lightly.

“Yes, tell your pups that, too” I shot back, earning me a shocked gasp from my sister.  Her eyes grew wide in surprise and I inclined my head towards Turyla “Yes, I know where your heart wanders, sister, and with whom it rests”

“He has said something?” she hissed quietly “When did he say anything?”her eyes darting to him accusatorily.

I met her eyes and whined softly, feigning innocence.

“I can see how things go between you” I smiled darkly “You cannot hide your hearts wanting”

My sister went silent as she stared into my eyes and I could almost feel her heart racing in her chest.  She flicked her tail irritably and stalked to the entrance, muttering denials as she went.  I smiled to myself and walked with Lone to the rest of my pack.  Mariky stood and brushed against me affectionately, licking my muzzle with his rough tongue.  I groaned at his affection and he chuckled as he walked to join Searra, Runner and Vixen at the mouth to the den.  Arakesha and Turyla soon rose and walked to meet us, all of their fur ruffled from sleep.  Turyla yawned and looked at me, his light brown eyes searching.

“Nateera” he greeted gently, as he licked his dry lips.

“We are going to be heading out shortly” I answered without the question being raised “Perhaps another few minutes”

Turyla and Arakesha nodded in unison and trotted past Lone and I, both bowing their heads slightly as they passed me.  I felt my fur bristle in slight annoyance at the respect that I was receiving from everyone but Lone soothed my frustration with gentle words.

“I may not understand about being an Alpha, nor fully of your loss, Nateera, but you might as well accept that you are the new Alpha and will have to deal with all of the due respect.  It is our Ancient Way, after all”

I felt my annoyances drain away and leaned softly into Lone, his black fur warm against me.  He hummed deep in his chest and whispered conspiratorially.

“How do you know of your sister’s affections for Turyla?”

I smiled as I said “Turyla has obvious tells of his emotions, and I have learned to read them.  Searra is the same, though she hides hers better.  I have just learned to read their tells and see the truth that lies beneath their words and actions”

Lone was silent for a moment.

“Do I have any ‘tells’?” he asked nervously.

I turned to head back to the entrance of our den and laughed as he carefully walked beside me.

“Oh, you have tells alright, Lone.  More than I care to speak of” I said with a smile.

Lone’s eyes grew distant and his gaze turned inward as we walked, slowly, to where our friends waited.

When we all left the dreariness and overwhelming darkness of the cave, as welcome as it was to protect us from the heavy storm, it was bright and open outside, the sun streaming in through the canopy of trees high above.  I took this opportunity to stretch out and I felt my legs crack but it brought me no more pain than the sting that it sometimes resulted in when I was younger.  I took in a deep breath and exhaled through my nose, enjoying the feeling as the air filled me up and expelled in the same breath.  Searra stood at my side, her body resonating with happiness at being outside of the den…she always valued openness and bright light more than anything with a measure of darkness.  I remembered the times that she would even sleep outside of our den, back at the ‘Sanctuary’, to enjoy the outside rather than to sleep in a cramped, though still spacious, Human-made den.  Runner and Vixen both ruffled their fur, the light, gentle sound pleasant in the open world, and I did the same, shaking my body vigorously to free it of any clinging dirt and to just enjoy the feeling of shaking my fur freely.  I inhaled and exhaled several more times as everyone basked in the sunlight.  I felt the damp ground catch in my paws and I extended my claws just to claw the ground and enjoy the damp, moist feeling.  I smiled though my mind soon refocused.

“Where do we go, Lone?” I asked, turning to face him.

He faced me, his red eyes practically glowing in the sunlight.

“We go West from here, until we reach the…McNorris farm”

“How far?”

Lone sniffed the air deeply, his nose raised high, as he sniffed several times.  He turned to face the West and sniffed deeply twice before he lowered his head and met my eyes.

“I can smell it on the Easternly breeze.  Karia was born near here and I was born the following year, but nowhere around here.  She used to tell me of this place and very little has, thankfully, changed.  The trees are still the same, the ground is still the same, only the company is different.  If I close my eyes” he did so, his ears flattening slightly against his head “I can see her” he sighed contently “She is smiling”

I could see that Mariky was about to say something, and something that I feared would break Lone’s mood, so I met his eyes and shook my head, silencing him without words.  He nodded and lowered his head in apology.  Runner looked at Lone with, what looked like, fascination, his eyes glassing slightly as he stared at the black Wolf.  Vixen looked to her Mate, to Lone and back a few times before her lips raised and she smiled beautifully.  Minutes passed as Lone remained almost transfixed in his mind but I was afraid to break him out of it.

“Let him enjoy his mind” I thought gently to myself, my own mind threatening to wander in the peace and serenity of our gathering.

It was as though the air had taken on a mysterious life all its own as I saw Searra’s eyes go distant, as soon did Turyla’s and Arakesha’s and Mariky’s.  My head felt suddenly heavy and I could barely see anything ahead of myself as my sight grew dim.  Lone turned and looked at me, his eyes desperate.

“Human trap” I heard him mumble but the world was stolen away from me and darkness overtook my body as I sank to the floor.

There were several thumps as my pack and friends fell to the floor in turn and the world was locked away from us all.

CHAPTER 10 (TRAPPED AND RELEASED)

My sleep was dreamless as I swam within my own mind, imaginings were barely even coming to clarity as everything was misty and distant.  At some point in my mental wanderings, I came to my senses and opened my eyes.  I saw that I was not in a place that I recognized, for I was trapped within a thick, wooden box with soft material underfoot and a strange covering at the front.  When I reached out with my nose to touch it, the material was cold and biting and I recoiled from the uncomfortable, unexpected sensation.  I slowly crawled, for there was not enough room for me to stand, until I was right next to the peculiar, metal covering.  When I looked hard, for the environment was almost as black as night, I could just make out my pack, each of them locked in a box like mine.  When my eyes adjusted to the darkness better, I saw that they were all breathing steadily but none of their eyes were open.  My heart thundered in worry but I calmed it by slowly breathing, terrified as I was, forcing my body to obey my own will and not be a slave to itself.  When my breathing was calm, I called out to them.

“Searra!  Mariky!  Arakesha!  Turyla!  Can any of you hear me?  Lone?  Runner?  Vixen?”

I noticed that I could not see Runner or Vixen in any of the cages, nor any sight of their bright orange fur nor their bright yellow eyes in the dark.  Suddenly, the darkness was abolished and light streamed in through small cracks around the enclosure as I heard a few clicks and a door was thrown open, the light almost blinding me with its intensity, by the nearest box, which held Searra.  I saw a tall figure walk in, followed quickly by another two, neither as tall as the first, and I watched as they looked at each of the boxes containing my family and friends.  I growled under my breath as one of the figures crouched down next to my unconscious sister.

“A right pretty one, we’ve got here” a female voice said “She’ll fetch a good price, I think”

“Yeah, but what about that black ‘n’ white beauty” a male voice said “She’s the one that’ll fetch us the big bucks”

“Are neither of you concerned about the two Foxes that escaped?” a younger female voice said “They might be tracking these that we caught.  Let’s just get them on the truck and go before we get our throats torn out by feral, rabid Foxes, can we please?”

The tall, muscular frame of the man turned towards the young woman and towered over her, her frame shaking slightly.

“Lighten the Hell up, Alison” he said coldly “They’re only bloody Foxes, not ninja’s, ya know”

“Even so…can we please just take these Wolves to the hut before anything goes wrong?”

Before anything else could be said, there was a sudden, intense barking.  I could not see where the sound came from but it sounded close.  I heard another two sets of barking following the first one, these ones slightly higher in pitch than the first, and there were a few explosions of loud noises, followed by a more intense barking.  The three Humans turned to face the open doorway and the first woman spoke, her voice cold and angry.

“God damn it!  Violet must have found that stupid farmer and told him where we were.  Your precious girlfriend screwed us over, James…again, just like how she messed with our snares.  We would’ve caught these blasted things ages ago without her senseless meddling but she’s gone too far this time.  Let’s just leave these damn Wolves for now, we can get them again next year…without your ball-ache of a girlfriend.  I never trusted that backstabbing bit-”

“Shut up, Sarah!” the man shouted “Violet is MY girlfriend and I’ll deal with her meself.  Let’s just go”

Whoever this ‘Violet’ was, I was very grateful to her.  The Humans quickly packed up a few things from inside the dark prison that held my pack and I and they were out of the door, which slammed shut but opened a crack in their haste to leave, just as the barking intensified.

“OI!  GIT AWAY FROM ‘ERE!” I heard a voice shout “IF’N I CATCH YOU’N ‘ERE AGIN, I’LL SHOOT YA AWRIGHT DARHN!  GIT AWAY!”

There were several more explosions of noise before there was a panicked shouting followed by an uneasy, sudden silence…which terrified me all the more.  After I took in several startled breaths, I saw a figure come near the light, but it did not enter the dwelling that we were held in.

“G’in search, lad” a male voice said gently “Mebbe you’n two should go in wiv ‘im…keep ‘im safe, y’ear”

There was a quiet panting from outside and my fur bristled in fear of what was going to come through the door.  I could do nothing to protect myself, nor my family and friends, but my eyes remained locked on the slightly open door for whatever came in.  I softly began to growl deep in my throat in anticipation.  As afraid as I was, I was hesitant to show it outside of my being and if I was to be scared, I would not let it be shown to whatever came in to harm me or my pack.

There was no sound for a few seconds before the door crept slightly open and beams of light streamed in, illuminating the room in which I was kept.  There were several large tables, over two dozen more of these cages and three chairs tucked under each table.  There were strange tools scattered about the room, each looking as deadly as the last and I felt my heart constrict in fear of what our fate was to be.  There was a quiet panting as the door cracked open a little more and three figures walked in, the first just over half the size of the tall, male Human and the other two a slight bit smaller than the first.  The first figure looked up and sniffed the air before it came before my cage.  I was confused at what it was that was resting on its haunches in front of me.  Light brown fur covered most of its body, save for a large black patch on its back and several smaller patches of dark brown fur along its rear end and long tail, strong blue eyes dominated its face and its four legs were powerful and capable of running for long periods of time.  It cocked its head in confusion at me and a voice came from its thick lipped mouth, exposing sharp teeth and a long tongue that whipped slightly in its mouth.

“What are you?” he asked, his voice heavy with age.

“I was about to ask you the same question” I replied evenly “I do not know where I am”

The animal before me turned to face the other two, both almost mirror images of the older one before he faced me again.

“My name is Digger and I am a German Shepard.  This is my son, Furball” he inclined the youngest of the other two before he inclined the other “And this is my daughter, Honey.  They are my pups, their mother passed last year in the frost” his tone turned mournful and distant.

“I lost my own mother just a few days ago” I said sadly “My name is Nateera and I am a Wolf.  All of the ones in those cages are my pack”

Digger’s blue eyes scanned the area and he saw the other cages imprisoning my family.  His lips curled up and a low growl escaped his mouth.

“Those Humans that caught you were planning on selling you.  They’ve been a thorn in my master’s side for many months, but finally we managed to get them before they could do any damage.  Consider yourselves lucky that one of them informed my master almost an hour ago and we headed out to follow the woman here”

“They were planning on selling us?  Why?”

Digger chuckled in his throat but his tone was angry.

“I know little of the ways of Humans, outside of my master and his family, but you would be a prize in these parts.  Wolves are very rare, hence why I was unfamiliar with what you were until you told me.  They would probably sell you for breeding or to perform under their whims”

My fur bristled in anger and a low growl escaped my own mouth.

“I would never!” I hissed furiously.

“She has spirit, father” the young male said enthusiastically, he was practically jumping up and down on the spot in his excitement.

The female looked at me with sharp, green eyes but said nothing.  She did not seem hostile, just simply unsure of what to say…so she refused to speak any words.  Silently, she left the room and went outside.  Digger looked after her with sadness in his eyes and he turned back to me.

“Word of her mother hurts her more than Furball and I”

Before anything else could be said, the voice that ordered away those Humans sounded outside.

“Let’s see wha’ we’ve got, eh, Honey?” he said and the silhouette of a Human appeared in the light.

I growled on instinct and Digger shot me a warning glance, which I ignored.  The Human paused at the doorway, his body cast in shadow, one foot in the room, the other lingering outside.  I could just make out, slung over his right shoulder, something that I recognized from my last day at the ‘Sanctuary’ those days ago.  I did not know exactly what the thing was called but I knew that it meant harm.  My growling increased and I exposed my teeth threateningly, ignoring the pleading looks from Digger and Furball.

“‘s it safe, Digger?” the Human asked.

Digger looked away from me and barked twice.  Furball barked twice after, as if to ascertain the barks of his father and the Human walked in.  His face was aged and he was wearing very strange clothes that covered him from his neck down, with heavy looking boots covering his feet.  He had short, greying hair and, when he walked a little closer to me, much closer than I was comfortable with in my trapped situation, his eyes were hazel.  A gentle smile pulled at his lips but his eyes remained alert.

“So, wha’ ‘ave we got ‘ere, then?”

He fingered the bottom of his weapon and a growl resonated from within me, earning me a sharp exhale from the man.  Digger brushed against the man’s leg, as Furball did the same to his other leg.  Honey stalked in after the Human, her bright eyes alert as she scanned the room countless times, her tail swishing from side to side nervously.  The man brushed his fingers over the front of the cage, making it rattle, and he muttered under his breath angrily.

“Savage ‘ow they do this…‘specially ta such a beaut” he bent down to be face to face with me, his eyes bright “Din ya worry, girl, we’ll ‘ave ya outta this”

I stopped growling and met the Humans eyes.  I felt strangely reassured by his gentle words and whined at him.  His mouth turned down at the corners in a frown and he stood.

“Jus’ gotta break the lock with sumthin’.  But wha’?”

After a few seconds, Honey yipped to get the man’s attention and she pointed her nose towards a tool that was hidden from my sight.  The Human walked towards it and lowered his hand to Honey.

“Tha’s a good girl” he said appraisingly, as he gently patted her on the head.

She leaned into his touch, earning her a small chuckle from him.  He picked up the unknown tool and walked back to my cage but his hands were covered in shadow.  He pressed the thing firmly above me, out of my sight, and strained.  Just as he pushed down with force on the tool, and a slight cracking sounded above me, there was a ferocious growling from behind him…a very familiar growling.

“Sister, are you unharmed?” my sister growled, her tone gentle despite her enraged growls at the man in front of me, obscuring her view “If you have been harmed…” her words trailed off threateningly.

Digger faced my sister and barked angrily at her but my sister’s growls were not the only ones.  Within seconds, my brother began growling in synch, as too did Turyla and Arakesha.  An intense growling pierced the room, resounding throughout like a chorus that we knew too well…before a deeper, vicious growling cut the air, coming from Lone, his black fur bristled, his lips pulled back savagely over his razor-sharp teeth, his claws extending from his paws and scraping his wooden prison.  My eyes drew back to my sister and she stared right at the Human, her eyes almost bleeding with her intense glare at him, her own lips drawing back over her teeth.  She growled furiously and even began to gnaw on the steel cage, her lips and muzzle tearing and bleeding in desperation to protect me, the noise almost sickeningly deafening.

“Please, sister” I began softly, trying to soothe her rage “I am unharmed.  This Human means us no ill intent, the ones who caged us left a few moments ago”

“You are speaking the truth, sister?” she asked, her tone unsure, as her growling slowed and quieted, only a little.

“I am speaking nothing but the truth, Searra.  I give you my word, which-”

“Which I know you never break” she added, cutting me off with a slightly dark chuckle.

Soon enough, the growling of my pack quietened and there was only the rapid breathing of the Human standing before me, his hand idly stroking the thing slung over his shoulder.  Digger looked up at me, his blue eyes grateful.

“Thank you for calming them” he said gently “My master was becoming afraid and when he is fearful, he can act rashly.  I began to fear that he was going to shoot you had your family not calmed themselves”

Furball looked up at me, standing next to his father, his blue eyes gleaming in the limited light.  He seemed to have lost some of his earlier enthusiasm, his legs strong and still.

“You’re not going to harm us if our master frees you, are you?” he asked timidly.

“I swear by She’ara to bring no harm to any of you” I rose my voice slightly, aiming it at my untrusting pack “and that extends to us all” I said with a tinge of Alpha authority.

I saw them all bow their heads in understanding and reluctant agreement and met Digger’s eyes.

“No-one will bring you any harm.  Please, just free us”

Digger looked at me for a moment, his eyes assessing the value of my words, before he looked to the Human.  He whined and inclined his head towards the cage, his eyes pleading with his master to free me.

“A’right, boy, I’ll git ‘em out.  Jus’ gotta put m’re muscle inta it”

The Human rose his hands above my cage and he looked into the cage to me.

“Jus’ stay still, girl, an’ you’ll be fine” he smiled.

I whimpered and yipped at him and he smiled a little more.  He groaned under some effort and there was more creaking and cracking from above me.  I whimpered sharply in surprise and tucked my head under my tail, hunching my shoulders and using my tail as protection from the breaking wood.  The man grunted and lifted up the thing that was slung carefully over his shoulder.

“One m’re, girl” he strained, as he lifted the thing high.

Suddenly, he smashed the thing he held down and there was a deafening crack and shower of splintered wood before the cage holding me was no more.  All that was left was a few lingering pieces of crumpled metal and fragmented wood.  The Human looked down at me with careful eyes and I shook myself free of the remains of my prison before I met the man’s eyes.  I yipped in joy at him but did not jump up to lick him…I was unsure as to how Humans would react.  Millie was different, for she has been with us since our births, but this Human had only been here for a matter of minutes.

“Tha’s a girl” he said gently “Now, let’s ‘ave a look at freein’ the rest of you’n”

Methodically, he went up to each cage and slammed something into the top of each before he slammed his hands down hard onto its sharp-looking, silver edge, tearing open the top of each prison, freeing my family.  My sister was first and she raced to be at my side, as she pressed her fur into my side, her feel an extremely welcome comfort.  I licked her wounds softly and she whimpered gently as my rough tongue brushed some of them painfully.

“I am sorry, sister” I said gently as I licked her a little more carefully, the bleeding soon stopping.

Next was Mariky, who joined Searra and I, with Turyla and Arakesha following shortly after.  The Human paused at Lone’s cage, the tool hanging from his hands, trepidation emanating from him.  He peered into the cage to look at Lone but shrugged his shoulders.

“You’n look a bit famil’ar, you’n do” the man grunted “Black fur, red eyes, big ‘nough to be’un adult now, I reck’n” he muttered.

He shouldered the thing over his other shoulder and shoved the tool into the top of Lone’s prison before he slammed his hands onto it and wrenched it down.  Lone was free and jumped clearly over the man’s head before he landed softly on the floor, his eyes distrusting despite the Human freeing him.  Digger carefully walked up to us as the man leaned against the side of the dwelling, his breathing hard, sweat covering his clothes, as he reached into a pocket and started wiping his face with a small cloth.

“Are you all okay?” he asked, Furball and Honey flanking him on either side.

“We are unharmed” I answered.

“Good.  Now, where are you all headed?  I can assume that wherever it is, isn’t here”

“We were heading North…to Red Rock, but had to take shelter from the storm.  When we left, we fell prey to a Human trap, something in the air sank us to unconsciousness”

Digger looked at Furball, who shook his head, before Honey spoke, her voice soft but sharp.

“Sounds like what master sometimes uses for when Willow comes into season” she said smoothly, her voice almost cold but had a measure of warmth to it, as though she was unaccustomed to speaking more than single words “Remember her last season, father, when she was horribly irritable?  She even clawed at your legs when you passed her to reach your food and she almost caught Furball in his eyes when he passed her minutes later.  That was when master had to shut us in the shed for a few hours.  He mentioned ‘spraying the air’ to calm her and it worked.  When master let us into the house later that evening, she was as docile as the adorable kitten she once was…instead of the cantankerous cat she became every season before that”

“That strong-smelling liquid?” Furball asked, turning to face his sister.

“The same.  I heard master mentioning it when he was on his handheld listener-and-talker a few moons past, said that Humans were buying the stuff illegally and using it in hunting” her hard green eyes met mine for a moment before she looked away “It works wonders in even small doses, it would seem” she said indifferently, sniffing the air “and the stink lingers on, it would also seem”

Without another word, Honey stalked out of the building and waited just outside, only her swishing tail evidencing that she was even there.  Digger sighed in his throat as Furball looked after his sister with an irritable glance.

“She means nothing by it” Digger assured us “She simply speaks her mind”

“Annoyingly so” Furball added.

Digger grunted in his throat in affirmation but his eyes soon met mine.

“If Red Rock is where you are headed, you are nearly there.  Perhaps another two days of travel straight North-West and you’ll find it, comfortably hidden from Human sight between a mountain range to the North and East, an expanse of thick forest to the West and a large river to its South.  An ideal place to be protected from Humans but easy to hunt in and to sustain all of you, I would assume”

“Thank you for your kindness, Digger and to you, too, Furball.  As much as I may not appreciate Honey’s words, I thank her, too”

“I will give her your thanks, Nateera, though I doubt she will be as glad of your words in any measure to as much as you appreciate our help”

I nodded in response and looked to my pack.

“We leave” I said simply.

They all bowed their heads and bolted out of the door, only Searra lingering before I nodded my head to her.  With a concerned glance, she nodded reluctantly back and loped off after the rest of our family.  Before I left, I walked up to the man, still dabbing away at his sweaty face.  I sat on my haunches in front of him and yipped softly to get his attention.  He looked at me and smiled a little, before he pocketed the cloth again, his hazel eyes slightly glazed through his exhaustion but clear enough to see me.

“Didna think you’d leave wivout sayin’ g’bye, eh?” he said gently, as he reached unsteadily for my head.

He patted me softly and I licked his rough, wrinkled skin a few times before I yipped sadly at him.

“Nah, nev’r be mindin’ ‘bout me, girl.  I got me boys an’ girl ta help me back ‘ome.  Jus’ get outta ‘ere an’ be m’re mindful a’traps, eh?” he chuckled.

He stood, using the thing over his shoulder for support before he walked out with Digger and Furball at his sides.  Honey eyed me with a slight scowl and turned away dismissively with a soft scoff.  I did not let her easy dismissal of me bother me so I simply bowed my head to her in unappreciated thanks and began to follow the scent of my pack easily enough.  When I reached the trees and saw my pack waiting in the distance, I yipped at them and ran towards them all…just before there was a familiar, loud explosion of sound from the Human.

“GO ON!  GIT OUTTA HERE!  AN’ STAY SAFE Y’EAR!” he shouted amidst some barking from Digger, Furball and Honey.

CHAPTER 11 (LONE’S PAST)

Soon enough, I reached my pack within the safety of the trees and they all looked at me with joy in their eyes.

“I was so scared when we all awoke in those strange confines” Turyla admitted, his body shaking a little…Turyla had always possessed a fear of confined spaces, hence why he always slept near the mouth of our den back at the ‘Sanctuary’ “I could barely breathe when I awoke at hearing Searra growling so fiercely”

I turned to face him, his red fur and light brown eyes reflecting the midday sun.

“Yet you still tried to protect me, even through your fear, Turyla” I said gently, walking towards him and nudging him softly on his shoulder “And for that, I am thankful” I stepped back to face them all “As thankful as I am to you all for protecting me”

I turned to face Lone, his red eyes facing the way we came, burning the trees apart with his intense eyes.

“Why did you look with such distrust when he helped us from the cages, Lone?” I asked quietly, almost whispering my question.

He slowly turned to face me, his eyes almost ablaze with intensity, though they softened when he looked at me.

“I know him, all too well” he growled “He is the reason my sister is with She’ara and all of our Ancestors”

“Will you…share this reason with us or do you wish to remain silent?  I will not press you if you do not wish to speak of it, Lone”

He sighed deep in his throat, the sound clearly uncomfortable but he hummed slightly, as though in contentment.

“I will speak as we head North-West, I don’t wish to spend anymore time wasted without movement.  Nateera, though you are fully capable of running, your injury healed, I would prefer it if you travelled atop someone’s back…to save time”

I looked around my pack and swallowed my pride at Lone’s suggestion.  Though my leg felt much better and I could easily run now without pain, I could feel a slight tingle resonating down my left side.  It was not painful but it would be irritating to deal with.

“Who gets saddled with the burden this time?” I asked dryly.

Mariky walked towards me and lowered his body for me to clamber onto.  I slowly slid my paws around his strong, muscled back and he rose from his prone position, taking my weight as though I weighed no more than a leaf.  He shook himself a little and braced his solid legs with me atop him.  I felt truly ridiculous riding atop a member of my pack but it could not be helped, what with my injury tingling as it did.  Searra moved to stand beside Mariky and I, as Lone took up the head of the group, with Arakesha moving to our right and Turyla bringing up the rear.  Lone glanced back at us and nodded his head in approval.

“We go” he softly ordered and off we went, heading North-West.

It was a few minutes later when the silence that enveloped us was broken by Lone’s heavy voice.

“It was shortly after I was born into this world that it was torn apart” he began solemnly, his voice a mixture of distant and sad “Karia and I travelled away from our home many miles away to see Red Rock, where she promised that we would all travel at a time when our mother was able to travel again, for she was pregnant with our soon-to-be sister, but they were both Called later that year during the cold months.  To cut what I will not speak of, Karia and I were heading back home but we had to take rest from two days of restless travel from Red Rock, and we took shelter in a covering of trees and brush near McNorris’ farm.  We rested fully and made to travel on at first light but my sister never saw that first light…and I am still waiting for it to pass me by so that I can look upon a new day.  I awoke early and went to hunt for some food before we travelled, for we could not very well cover distance on empty, growling stomachs, and so I saw fit to find us something to satiate our hunger.  I found some rabbits hanging dead in a snare nearby, probably strangled to death trying to escape, but they were fresh enough to eat.  I severed the ropes holding them and carried them by their ears in my mouth to where my sister slept still.  I began to nibble off the fur, for my sister was picky over the stuff” he laughed longingly and resumed “and when the rabbits were clean of their bothersome fur, I heard a distant noise.  Fool that I was, and still am it would seem, I followed the strange sound to its source…and saw that Human farmer wielding that peculiar thing over his arms with a long knife at his waist.  He was inspecting the snare that I broke and his eyes soon met mine, an angry expression twisting his face.  He shouted out at me, his words furious and unintelligible, and I fled from him, intending on awakening my sister for us to leave, but before I got there…my leg got stuck in some savage trap that he must have laid out.  The Human was quick on his feet and when he saw me trapped and bleeding, he unslung the thing from his shoulder and pointed it at me, intent on ending me.  But before he could use it, my sister awoke at my pained whimpering and saw the man desiring to kill me.  The sun crept slowly into the air, promising normally the first light within barely minutes but that morning was promised only in blood.  Karia pounced at the Human and he aimed his weapon, instead, at her.  It exploded into noise and my sister fell, limp to the ground, blood pouring from her body and mouth as she fought against dying breaths to stay alive.  The man walked over to her and removed his knife as he began to cut her body, cutting away her black fur and flesh to use for his own.  With his focus solely upon my sister, I managed to slowly pull my leg from the trap that held it between its steel teeth and I managed to bolt before the Human even acknowledged my escape.  My leg was bleeding profusely and the pain was indescribable but anger and sorrow kept me moving, through the burning pain and through every strangled breath that escaped my lips as I pushed relentlessly on forward.  Days passed and my anger abetted, though it did not leave me completely, and soon I was back home.  My mother was distraught at losing Karia but she was glad that I was home, safe.  Five weeks passed, spent mostly of my leg healing on its own, and my mother gave birth to a female pup, whom we decided to name Karia…but it was three months later when the cold months came and She’ara Called them into the Lands of our Ancestors days later.  Wrought with grief and sadness, I began to wander, my mind almost blank of Red Rock, and I became a lone Wolf, never settling.  I joined three packs in my time alone, one being my own father’s but he would not accept me into it without me claiming me place…to kill him.  I refused and was savaged for my refusal and I wandered on until I found another pack, one which truly accepted me, or so I thought, that being the pack of Ferloin”

He paused to take an unsteady breath, the very air around us seeming transfixed into silence at Lone’s mournful story.  I shifted my weight and position on Mariky’s back and reached a paw out to gently press my pad against his trembling side.  I felt his racing heart slow into a more regular rhythm and he nodded in appreciation at my soft, reassuring touch.  He took a quick breath and his eyes were fixed in front of him as he resumed, the trees becoming further between and the ground turning crunchy with loose stones.  We slightly slowed our pace to be more careful and Lone carried on with his story.

“I will not speak much of my time with Ferloin and his vicious pack, for most of it is filled with needless bloodshed, of which I was sometimes the instrument of.  After a few days with those mongrels, I fell in love with a female, Ya’keele, but I did not know that Rakker had his cruel eyes on her, too.  Suffice to say, Rakker and I did not see eye to eye on most things and a few weeks later, when he found out about our closeness, he had some of his closest to ambush me in the den, right in front of Ya’keele, as he forced himself upon her, taking her for his own.  I had been helpless to protect my sister from that farmer whilst he cut her up and I had been powerless to help my mother and fresh-born sister from their Calling from the cold and now, I was incapable of protecting a female that I loved with my heart and…and it all became too much.  I saw nothing but blood as I slashed at the Wolf pinning me down and sank my sharp teeth into his neck, shook his body a few times and flung his lifeless carcass into a nearby wall.  I turned on the other Wolf that was trying to restrain me and raked my claws across his shocked face, tearing his eyes and muzzle apart with my sharp, extended claws.  He howled in agony and fled, leaving me with Rakker and Ya’keele, her body covered in light claw marks from Rakker’s forced Mating, her breathing shallow, and I lunged straight for his foolishly exposed throat.  My teeth found their mark and I tore and tore, with claw and tooth, ripping him apart until his body stilled its flailing.  I walked to Ya’keele, my fur soaked with fresh blood, and I watched powerlessly as her body soon stilled from exhaustion, her eyes going blank as she was Called.  I swore to the spirits of my sister, mother and of my first love that I would travel to Red Rock and live a life that my mother, Karia, and perhaps Ya’keele, could all be proud of.  I wandered alone for barely a few days before you met me at that clearing…and the rest is known to you all”

“The rest is indeed known to us” I said softly “I am so deeply sorry for the pain that you have endured, Lone”

He did not answer with words.  Instead, he turned to face me, his red eyes wet with tears, and nodded as a soft, sad whine escaped his lips.  His eyes turned back to the rough terrain and he made a noise in his throat.

“Mariky, you can lower Nateera to the ground now.  The floor here is unlevel but stable, it will be better for you to not have her weight on your back whilst we traverse this terrain.  We will all be careful from here on” his eyes turned to me “and no running off ahead this time” his eyes were sharp as they bore into me with his command.

I nodded, glancing quickly at my healed injury, and slipped off my brother’s back.  Searra stood at my side to keep me steady as we walked across the crunchy ground.  The sun began to wane and sink to the West, slowly surrendering to her sister to claim the sky for her own time.  It was only minutes later when there was a loud rumbling and crashing and some screams and shouts sounded close to the North-West of us.  Lone immediately sank low to the ground, the loose stones catching in his night-black fur, and we all did the same.  I eased myself to be closer to Lone’s side and nudged him softly.

“What do you think that was?” I asked.

He sniffed the air and said “Trouble”

We all crawled through some brush that surrounded us to the North-West and saw a terrible sight before us.

CHAPTER 12 (LED BY MY HEART)

There were four Humans that I could see but two of them were lying face down in the dirt, stones and small rocks covering their almost motionless bodies…one woman and one man, whilst another woman and man were trying desperately to move some of the heavy rocks from their friends.  A shocked gasp escaped my lips and I poked my head out a little further, risking exposure, but we were far and high enough away from the frantic Humans that I doubt we would be spotted in the waning light.

“Walter?  Walter?  Come on, breath dammit!” the man shouted as he pushed against a rather heavy rock that was almost crushing the Human beneath it, the only thing stopping it being several small, precarious piles of almost invisible stones “Heather, give me a hand” he cried frantically.

The woman rushed to the side of the man and pushed with all of her might against the stone…but it would not give.  With every passing second, and every urgent push of flesh against stone, the rock looked ever so much more likely to fall and crush the human laying unconscious beneath it.  The other woman was lying underneath some small stones but there was blood running from a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around her back, the crimson river gently trickling down her waist and pooling beneath her steadily.

“We have to do something” I said quickly “They are in trouble and we need to help them”

Lone looked at me, his eyes serious.

“To what end, Nateera?” he asked harshly “Humans are one thing that we cannot trust above most everything else”

“Even with that inherent distrust towards Humans, I will not let these ones suffer so.  I have trusted very few Humans, perhaps the only one being Millie, but these Humans deserve something”

Without waiting for his words, I darted through the brush, my injury twinging a little in pain, but I ignored it as I advanced towards the Humans, sliding down the unsteady stones and loose dirt.  They froze in fear at my approach, their eyes locked on me in terror, as I slowed my pace and trotted up carefully.  I saw that they did not appear to have any weapons on them, but I was not going to be foolish enough to show any weakness.  I lowered my body near to the ground and crawled a few paces towards them, showing that I meant them no harm, but I kept my eyes on their hands, ensuring that they reached for no hidden blades or those strange things that the farmer held over his shoulder.  The woman stood in fear at me, but the man lowered his own body a little, extending his hand slowly.

“Antonio, what are you doing?  Are you crazy?” the woman shouted, as she reached a shaking hand for the man…but he gently shrugged her off.

“Heather, my mom raised Berry and me around Wolves.  This one means us no harm” he bent down and extended his hand once more, his fingers almost touching my muzzle.

Before he could actually touch my nose, a feral growl ripped from behind me, followed almost immediately by four other growls, each familiar to me.  The man slowly backed up, keeping his eyes focused behind me until he stood at the side of the woman.

“Erm, those ones m-m-might mean us harm” he stuttered, his eyes frantic with worry.

I turned to face my furious sister and pack, each one growling viciously at the two Humans, and I spoke to them.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“What are we doing?” my sister hissed angrily “What in the name of She’ara are you doing, sister?  You are a reckless Alpha, led by your heart” she said acidly.

I bristled at her harsh tone and angry words.  Never before had my sister even considered speaking like that to me.  I swallowed down the pain that her words brought me and spoke gently, trying to soothe her anger.

“Reckless I may be, and I may be led by my heart…but one of us must be”

Even though my words were gentle, my sister backstepped as though I lunged for her with extended claws and bared teeth.  I wished to take back my words but they were already spoken, never to be taken back.  I was surprised when Mariky was the next to speak, his words soft.

“Mother was right to choose you as our Alpha”he said affectionately “As unhappy as I first was to hear that she had made you her Next, sister, as I am the eldest of us, you have proven yourself to me, not that you needed to prove anything at any pace”

“I follow Mariky’s words” Turyla said, coming to stand between the shocked Searra and our brother “You have spoken to me about your heart’s fears often, Nateera, but you have shown so little fear since you became our Alpha that I can’t help but agree that you are our true Alpha since Arja was Called”

“I follow their words, Nateera” Arakesha said, standing beside Turyla “We have played together often and you have sometimes spoken to me of your fears, of your worries, but I cannot deny that you have led us admirably.  Arja and Yarko would both be proud of you”

I looked at my sister, her eyes wide with shock, but her lips twitched at the corners, as though she was pleased at what had been said.  She met my eyes and lowered her head, a soft whine escaping her throat.

“I apologize, sister.  My words were unkind and should not have been spoken as such.  I will not take back calling you reckless, however” she smiled sharply.

“Nor would I expect you too, sister” I said gently.

I turned and faced the two terrified Humans and lowered myself into another crouch, a soft whimpering coming from within me.

“I think we’re okay now, Heather” the man said “Just approach them slowly.  Lower yourself to their level”

The man lowered himself first and motioned for the woman to do the same.  He slowly extended a hand towards me, which resulted in my sister growling low in her throat, making the man hesitate slightly but he eased his hand forward.  My eyes still searched for a knife to be shown but nothing glinted in the waning light but stone and rock.  Whilst the Humans were distracted by me, Lone and Mariky ghosted away and went behind them, as they gently but fervently pressed against the rock hovering over the unconscious man.  When the rock raised a little off its precarious piles of stones, due to Lone’s immense strength, Mariky crawled quickly but carefully into the gap and pulled the Human out, his teeth buried in the clothing of the man.  When he was completely out of harms way, Lone threw himself suddenly from the heavy rock, which crashed to the ground like thunder, and the man groaned.  At the sounds, the Humans looked away from me and faced their fallen friend, both of them scurrying to be beside him.  The woman lingered at his side for longer, as the other man went to the side of the unconscious woman, tending to her wounds expertly.  The once-trapped man groaned a few times in pain and I saw his eyelids flutter under thick brows.

“Hea-Heather?  What…happened?  Oh, my head” the man rubbed at his temple before his eyes seemed to focus “I just remember the wall caving in around us, the rocks falling…”

“Oh, Walter!  You’re okay!” the woman cried as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, making the man wince.

“‘Okay’ might be an overstatement…but I’m whole.  Where are Amanda and Antonio?  Are they…oh, okay?”

“Antonio’s fine” the woman said sniffling, wiping her face on her sleeve, fresh tears escaping when she looked at the man again “I don’t know about Amanda, though.  She lost so much blood when the rocks came down, and so many hit her” she paused for breath “One cracked her on the head and she just…collapsed”

“Help me up, Heather” the man said gently.

As the woman, Heather, made to help the man up, he almost fell to the floor.  I shot forward and pressed myself to his legs, steadying him.  He reached an unsure hand towards me and patted me on the head.

“Good dog” he said softly, almost whispering the words.

I huffed in my throat at his words but could not help but smile.  Heather led the man, Walter, to the other man and the unconscious woman.  Walter bent down to check the woman and tears fell from his eyes.

“She’s not dead but her breathing is so shallow.  She needs immediate help”

Understanding the man’s words, I rushed to stand by them and yipped.  I knew that Humans could not understand our words, but I tried to get my meaning across to them desperately.  Antonio crouched to be eye level with me and listened as I yipped at him…‘telling’ him of McNorris’ farm to the South-East.

“Antonio?” the woman, Heather, asked.

He listened to my yips and nodded his head, as if he could truly understand me.

“I think that there’s somewhere nearby that we can find help”

He looked deep into my eyes, my dark blue eyes staring hard at his light blue as I ‘spoke’ to him, trying to get my words across.  He nodded once more in apparent understanding and turned to face the two Humans, the third still fearfully motionless.

“Heather, you help Walter and keep him steady.  I’ll pick Amanda up and lead the way, I’ve got the torch” he turned to face me “Thanks, girl” he patted me softly on the head before he rushed and gently picked the woman up, carrying her over his strong chest “South-East?” he asked when he reached me.  I lowered my head in a nod and he smiled “Great.  Thanks again, girl”

And with that, they quickly walked past the rest of my pack and disappeared into the growing shadows, a single beam of light guiding their way.  I smiled in joy at helping them and faced Lone, his face surprised but something like pride beneath the shock.

“Perhaps I must take back my earlier words, Nateera” he began, his words gentle “‘To what end’, I asked you and your actions proved to me the end.  I am untrusting of many, Humans even more so since the loss of my family, but there may be some that are worth living on.  I apologize for what I said at that time”

“Your apology is unnecessary, Lone” I answered softly.

I brushed against him, feeling the warmth of his strong body cool my own and my breathing slowed comfortably.  Searra cleared her throat in amusement and I pushed myself from Lone, a smile tugging at everyone’s lips.

“North-West, Lone?” I asked.

He met my eyes and said “North-West”

Searra was the next to speak, her voice exhausted.

“How much longer before we reach Red Rock?”

Lone turned to face my sister, a gentle expression on his face.

“We should be there by the morning after next, maybe earlier if no other obstacles are put in our path.  I pray to She’ara that we will have a smooth journey from here to there”

“I pray that, too” I answered in a whisper.

CHAPTER 13 (A NEW DAWN)

Much to my happiness, Lone said that I could travel without riding atop any of my pack, though he requested that I always have someone run alongside me.  I agreed and Arakesha was only too happy to be the one to suggest that she run alongside me as we travelled to the North-West.  Nothing hindered our travels through the night and the following day but it was the next night when something stood in our way…but it was a joyous obstacle to stand between us and reaching Red Rock.  When we took a quick rest in a small clearing, with only the sounds of the black night to disturb us, another noise sounded to our South, a rustling and rapid padding in the moist dirt.  Lone went on guard, his fur raised and teeth bared at whomever was approaching us, as my sister faced the invaders at his left side, with Mariky and Turyla standing at their right.  Arakesha remained with me, her grey fur like a protective shield, her strong legs like metal as she stood straight, growls building within her.  It was only a few seconds later when two silhouettes broke through the trees and stopped at the aggressive welcoming they faced.  I was the first to recognize who it was that entered our clearing…Runner and Vixen.  I pushed past Arakesha and ran straight for the Foxes, my injury twinging in pain but I ignored it.

“RUNNER!  VIXEN!” I shouted as I raced up to them “I was so worried about you.  Are you both okay?”

When I reached them, Vixen smiled and Runner pushed himself against me affectionately, his orange fur soft to the touch.  Lone and my pack calmed themselves as they approached us.

“We are okay, Nateera” Runner said deeply “I apologize for abandoning you when those Hunters arrived.  Vixen was in a very bad state from inhaling the spray and I worried too much for her health” he said sorrowfully, his eyes sad and apologetic.

“I hold no ill thoughts about you, either of you” I said gently “If anything, I am happier that you left us to look after Vixen.  We were regardless saved by a Human, one who Lone is…familiar with”

Both Runner and Vixen’s eyes went quizzical for a few moments before understanding dawned upon them.

“Henry McNorris?” Vixen asked.  When I nodded, she added with a fierce tone “We know him!”

“He is why we ended up running near Ferloin’s territory and our pups were killed by that savage kyraz’ca as a result!” Runner said, his voice cold and angry.  His eyes slowly turned to me and the coldness within them cooled “I apologize for my words, Nateera.  I am so glad that you are all unharmed.  We were both fearing the worst and have lost much sleep over it.  As soon as Vixen was able to run under her own power, we followed your scents from where we separated, to the McNorris farm where we did not wish to linger, and into this clearing.  Vixen’s sense of smell is remarkable, even amongst our own kind” he said with an air of pride.

Vixen stood a little higher in humorous pride but she soon fell to the floor in exhaustion, her breathing steady, her eyes drooping closed.  My immediate shock was eased when Runner said that she was merely exhausted beyond her limits.

“We will rest for a few hours and be back on our way” Lone said.

“Together” I added, my eyes meeting Runner’s.

Mariky and Arakesha trotted off to stand guard at where Runner and Vixen broke through the trees to meet us as my sister and Turyla lowered themselves into a comfortable position.  Searra wrapped her tail around them two as Turyla hummed in his throat, lowering his head atop her back and they were soon asleep.  Runner lowered himself to lay next to his Mate and his eyes slowly closed as he fell into a relaxed sleep.  Only Lone and I remained to fall under the lure of sleep and I was the first to fall under its call.  I yawned and lowered myself down to the soft patch of grass and felt Lone lower himself right next to me, his body a warm welcoming to the outer cold and bitter chill.

It was only a few hours later when I awoke and saw the first rays of dawn lightening the horizon, between the distant trees and tall mountains that otherwise surrounded us.  I slowly stood and stretched, feeling the gentle pop of my bones and the slight pull of my flexing muscles and I smiled at myself at the feeling.  I slowly walked off from Lone, his body slowly rising and falling with his calm breaths in his sleep, and I jumped a few times, testing the strength of my legs.  My left hind leg still felt a little sensitive but it was strong, if only slightly fragile.  I paced around the clearing thrice before everyone else awoke from their sleep, Searra being the last to awaken, her fur rustled and disturbed.  She shook herself and bounded towards me, her eyes bright and happy.

“Sister” she greeted me “Did you sleep well?”

“As well as I could” I answered “And your own sleep?”

Her face lowered and soft whimpering escaped her lips.

“I…I dreamt mostly of mother” she said sadly, her light green eyes downcast “I dreamt of her voice, speaking to me from the Lands of our Ancestors”

I pressed myself closer to my sister, our bodies close enough to feel each-others heartbeats, and she wept against my neck.

“What did mother say?” I asked gently.

Searra met my eyes, moist as her own were, and sniffed against the falling tears.

“Many things passed between us.  I spoke to her of what had happened since you had become our new Alpha, of your recklessness, of your heart, of your…everything.  And do you know what she told me, sister?” I shook my head and my sister continued, her voice like a whisper “She said that she was proud of you” she smiled “Not only of what you had done but of everything that we have been through together.  Mother told me that she could not be prouder of us and that she waits with She’ara for us in the Peace-Brought.  She said that she and father will be the first ones to welcome us, even before She’ara can greet us Herself” she smiled mischievously.

“Why does that not surprise me, sister”

We laughed softly together for a few moments before Mariky, Arakesha and Turyla gathered near Lone and we joined them walking together.  Runner and Vixen seemed apart from the rest of us, their eyes unsure, so I walked slowly towards them.

“Are you both well?” I asked, concerned.

They looked at each-other, silently communicating within their own minds for a few seconds before they looked at me.

“We were just wondering, Nateera, if we would still be welcome amongst you” Vixen asked.

“What?  What do you mean?” I asked, perplexed.

“Foxes are old enemies of Wolves” Runner said, his voice deep “Perhaps we are the oldest of rivals outside of Humans.  As such, it would go against everything in our pasts to ally together for an extended time”

“But you are our friends.  We are all friends, are we not?  You, Vixen, Arakesha, Searra, Turyla, Mariky, Lone and I…we are all friends.  We are…haryyt” I said, using their term for ‘friends’ “and we are yeltu” I added, using our own term for ‘friend’.

“But our Elder past…” Runner began.

“Our Elder past be forgotten!” I said harshly, not to him but to what he was saying “Let the past remain as only that…the past.  We can create a new today and future with our friendship, from this day on, together”

Vixen met Runner’s eyes and they had a brief silent discussion, their faces expressionless as they conversed.  Runner nodded his head and faced me, at the same time that Vixen did so.

“Let the Elder past be forgotten!” Runner said.

“And let us forge a new dawn for our kind together.  Foxes and Wolves, together as haryyt, together as yeltu, together as friends” Vixen added happily.

With our words settled, we walked towards my pack, their friends, and Lone looked on in gratification at me, a smile spread upon his lips.

Without a word, he led us to the North-West and we ran as one, all of us together.  No longer would I ride atop one of my pack, for my leg was better and I could keep up the pace with my friends with ease.  So much so that I ran alongside Lone for a few minutes and felt that I could easily outrun him if the desire took me, though I quickly reined it in.  I had been foolhardy once before…and suffered for it with my injury.  A few hours of silent travelling later, Lone slowed his pace a little and turned his head to face us.

“We are nearly there, Red Rock is barely another hour out” he looked to the sky “Perhaps before midday shall we arrive” he said, his voice joyous but there was a tinge of sadness to it.

I guessed that the hint of sadness was that he was not here with his sister, Karia, whom had promised to be here with him.  I could barely even imagine how he felt, laying eyes upon a place where he and his sister would have lived in peace with their mother and fresh-born sister, away from Humans, away from everything that would seek to harm them.  I swallowed back a cry of my own at losing my mother, of never being able to live here with her, in equal peace.  However strong I held back the cry, I could not hold back the tears that fell from my eyes, slid down my muzzle and landed upon the warm ground.  I glanced back at my sister and brother, glad that I was with at least some of my own blood, and looked at Arakesha and Turlya, both of whom I had spent many a day playing with and many a night talking to about my heart’s woes, and soon looked at Runner and Vixen.  Though we were old enemies, by our Elder past, I had thrown away the bindings of our past and embraced a new future.  Our Elder past that spoke of us being enemies was silent to me now.  I had silenced what had stood for many generations in an instant of my heart ruling my mind, a rule that I was glad of and grateful for.  I soon locked my eyes ahead of me once more and saw a break through the trees in the distant morning light, one that beckoned me closer with every panting step that we took.  And soon enough, we broke through the trees and were welcomed by a massive, open, expansive plain of green grass with small rises scattered around randomly, an enormous river cut through the far Southern edge of the clearing, its waters steadily streaming away in whatever direction it wished.  At our back stood the massive forest that would protect us from any intruders, or so I prayed to She’ara, and there was food aplenty, as I spied three large groupings of Elk in the distance, their eyes glowing with fear at their new arrivals.  Hunger gnawed at my stomach but I made it a point to speak to the Elders of the Elks, to arrange a deal of sorts to satiate our hunger but not endanger their lives needlessly.

“Perhaps we could hunt their weak or elders, ones that wish for death to soothe them.  We will not take their lives without due cause, I swear it upon my name of Nateera and upon the names of our Ancestors in Her company in their Lands beyond our eyes to not kill outside of what deal we arrange.  We will speak in peace and shed no blood”

As the Elk fled into the Northern and Eastern distances, into the mountainous regions beyond my sight, I spied several piles of rocks dotted around, perhaps what could be used as cover from storms and heavy rain and could even be used as cover from any intruders that could wander in unwelcome.  Lone soon was at my side, as too were Searra and the rest of my pack, before Runner and Vixen stood beside us all.  Our mouths were all agape at the wonderous splendour before us and the sun winked from behind distant clouds, as though she were greeting us welcomingly into this haven.  Lone inhaled deeply and let it our in a soft exhale.

“Red Rock” he simply said.

I took a few steps forward and faced my friends and family, meeting their eyes with my own.

“Our home”

EPILOGUE

“And that, my children, is my story” I said, my mouth dry and raw from speaking of my story “That is how we all went from a ‘Wolf Sanctuary’ to this beautiful, safe haven that you see before you.  Where we all are safe beyond measure”

Neekeenya and Lyrinna nodded their heads in thanks and lopped off to reunite with Searra and Turyla, both bathed in warm sunlight, seated on a small pile of overlapping rocks.  Aintainya and Tayinkay lingered for another few seconds before hunger took hold and they both nodded to me and bounded towards Mariky and Arakesha sheltered under a small tree.  Aintainya nuzzled between her mother and father as Tayinkay pestered them for a scrap of meat, which they soon surrendered to placate his hunger.  Only Lykayja remained, the wind blowing a rather fierce chill through Red Rock.  I saw Runner and Vixen nestled beneath a large tree, their four cubs, whose names were Leera, Carja, Réene and Warri, playing happily with their mother and father, yipping and growling all the way.

“What happened after that, mother?” my daughter insisted keenly “What happened between you and father to fall in such love to have a pup?  How did Searra and Turyla become Bound, same with Mariky and Arakesha?  There are so many more questions that I want to ask you, mother”

I smiled at my lovely daughter, her black and white fur bristled in the cold air enveloping us.  I nudged the small cloth wrapped around her neck back into place and smoothed it down with my muzzle, making Lykayja shiver involuntarily at my gentle touch.  I walked a few steps away and looked back at her, into the beautiful mirror of her father’s eyes.

“That is a story for another time, Lykayja.  We have years to answer all of your questions.  I am not going to be Called any day soon…I will remain to see you grow into the beauty that I know you will become.  We have long to speak more and answer” I said gently.

She walked to be at my side and nuzzled my side as we walked together towards Lone, his face brimming with joy at seeing me and our resplendent daughter.  As I made to lay down, I thought peacefully to myself.

‘We have all earned this…this safety, this security, this life”

But it did not last as long as I prayed it to.  Just as the sun dipped beyond her Western seat and surrendered to her moon sister for the night…there was a rancid smell from the West and a sudden noise from the trees and brush and several silhouettes stalked through the green almost silently.  As I stared in horror at the intruders, I saw two things…one, they were all Humans and two, they were all holding the same terrible thing that the farmer held.  I knew enough that these Humans were here to hurt us…or worse.  But I would not let anything happen to my family nor friends.  Not to my daughter, my nephew, my nieces, my sister, my brother, Turyla, Arakesha, nor my Mate, nor Runner or Vixen nor their cubs.  With a growl tearing its way free from my throat, I faced the threat with fearlessness, my heart thrumming in my chest, my legs strong, my mind set.  Nothing would harm us…I swore it!