A Lone Howl

Part one: Howl in the Night

Chapter three

IMMEDIATELY ALPHA dropped his chunk of elk and hurried to the den, ducking past Daybreak and disappearing into the shadows of the den. Journey grabbed Alpha’s piece of food and carried it over to where she had dropped hers. She set it on top, creating a small pile. The rest of the pack copied her, until there was a decent lump of food for the others resting near the rocks.

“It’s probably cramped in there,” Journey said to Daybreak. “You should get the others and come out. Beta will need room.” Daybreak nodded and ducked back inside, emerging a moment later with Barley, a gray-and-white male, Marigold, a dusky red and gold female whose stomach was round with the promise of pups, Barn Owl, a tan-and-

black male freckled with brown, Aspen, a gray-blue female, and finally Driftwood, Journey’s mother, the only other purely white wolf in the pack. She was limping, as always, but her usual happiness shone in her eyes as she walked over to her one and only pup, licking her over the ears.

“How was the hunt?” she asked softly, sitting down to reduce the struggle of lifting her leg half off of the ground.

“Yeah,” Daybreak said, padding over and sitting on Journey’s other side. “You got to go hunting! I had to stay here with all the boring wolves.”

“Ay’! Are you calling me boring?” Barley padded over, a fake insulted expression on his face.

“Oh, certainly not,” Daybreak said, grinning. “I could never be bored of you, Barley.” Before the handsome young wolf could reply, a yelp came from the den, and Alpha’s fearful voice called out. “Driftwood! Aspen! Journey! Someone! Something is wrong!”