A Lone Howl

Part one: Howl in the Night

Chapter two

JOURNEY FOLLOWED HER Alpha as he leapt, digging his teeth into the elk’s throat. She slammed her weight into the elk’s shoulder, driving him to the ground, before seizing him by the back of the neck. With a last clench of his teeth, Alpha ended the elk’s struggling, taking its last essence of life.

First Journey and then Alpha backed up, Alpha inclining his head and lifting his tail. He turned his head proudly as the rest of the pack fell in around the elk, with Omega standing behind him, tail lowered, head bowed respectfully.

They stood in silence for a long moment around their prey, thanking the Hunters of The Stars for the life that had been given so that theirs could remain. After a moment of respect, Alpha stepped back, beckoning Omega forward with a flick of his elegant tail. Omega slunk forward, keeping his head down, and tore into their prey’s hide, leaving the best parts for the others. Journey heard Ash muttering something to Crevice. “Why does Omega always get to eat first?” she snorted. “He barely helped with the hunt.”

Journey turned towards Ash, lips curling up to show her fangs. “The Wolves of The Stars said it to be so,” she growled, advancing on the younger wolf. “Are you arguing with the choices of your Alpha, and every alpha before him?”

Ash lifted her nose arrogantly. “No, I’m not arguing with them,” she said. “And you shouldn’t get so hostile, Journey. You’re only two ranks above me. I don’t-” her sentence was cut short as Journey batted her down to the ground, pinning her by the shoulder. “Silence,” she snarled, lips curling upward further. “You’re only slightly higher then Omega himself, you arrogant Halfgrown. This is the way it’s meant to be, so I suggest you stop being skeptical.”

Ash flattened her ears and whined, tilting her head back to show Journey her throat in submission. With a last growl, she stepped back, letting the younger wolf scramble to her feet.

As Journey turned around, she saw Alpha looking at her, a glow in his eyes. He gave her a nod, then nodded Pebble and Quickfish forward to eat. He then gestured for Journey to stand by his side.

“Well done, defending our ancestors,” he said approvingly. “I suppose I can’t expect anything less of Ash and Crevice; they’re only half-borns.”

That was true; the two, along with Poplar, had been brought to the pack when they were young, given to them by a beautiful glossy brown-and-white sheepdog named Sally. She had explained that the pups’ father was a wolf, and that Sally couldn’t take care of herself, much less three puppies. So Alpha had been merciful enough to take the puppies and raise them as part of the pack.

“I suppose,” Journey said, sitting down and watching as her pack members ate their fill. “But you’d think that they’ve been in the pack long enough to know our traditions.”

“Some never learn.” As the rest of the wolves stepped back from the elk, finished with their meal, Alpha flicked his tail, gesturing Journey forward. “Eat with me.”

Journey looked at him in surprise for a moment, before stepping forward beside him, crouching and tearing into their prey’s flesh, swallowing mouthfuls of glorious warm meat.

Once they all finished, each of them tore off a chunk of flesh, taking another large mouthful, carrying it back to camp for the others, who were waiting for the hunters to return. They left the rest of the carcass for the ravens and coyotes who scavenged in the night. Journey bounded ahead of the others, following the familiar track back to their camp. She loved the feeling of the wind as it hissed through her fur, folding her ears down. She was the fastest wolf in the pack; Alpha had told her personally.

Journey bounded into the clearing surrounded by protective oak trees. She stopped as she stepped out of the trees, lying her strip of flesh on the cool grass in front of her.

The sun was beginning to sink behind the trees, casting warm shafts of golden light and illuminating the clearing in gentle light. It set Journey’s white pelt ablaze, and she felt rather awkward as the rest of her pack arrived in the clearing, their darker fur only being dappled by the light.

All of the other wolves were gone; it made Journey worried at first, until Daybreak, one of her closest friends, poked her dark brown head out of the den hidden underneath the flat boulders in the center of the clearing, opening hidden by the shadows of the rocks.

“Good, you’re back,” she said, relief washing through her warm amber eyes. “Beta’s having her pups!”