A Lone Howl

Part one: Howl in the Night

Chapter five

Without stalling any longer, Alpha threw back his head and let out a long, echoing howl around their mountainous home. He sang out two long, beautiful words: Venture on.

The rest of the pack sang out, voices rising and mixing. Some sang of sorrows and of lost loves ones; others sang of triumph over battles and new life; and many echoed Alpha’s words.

Venture on. Venture on. Spirits guide us. Dewdrop. Plentiful seasons. Future of the pack. Venture on. Ripple. Wander.

The last name sung into the sky caught Journey off guard. Wander? Her father? No one had said his name ever since he had died, only mere weeks after she had been born. The pack had been starving, unable to find food for days. Journey and her mother had been on the brink of death. Wander had gone to find a carcass in the night, but had been found stealing coyote food by a pack. He had been found dead in the forest the next morning by a patrol; but the most shocking part of the tale was that they had found that he had his mouth and throat full of food that he had managed to take.

The Howl finally came to a close, with a last, low Venture on from Omega. The pack stood in silence for a long moment, heads bowed in respect for all of the lost names that had been called out. Then Alpha leapt down and padded to the edge of the clearing, settling for sleep. The others did the same, except for Crevice, who had been tasked with guarding.

Journey returned to the oak tree, spinning two circles before settling down in the lush grass. She felt Daybreak lay down on her left, soft breath stirring the fur between her ears. A faint scent of pine sap filled her nostrils, and then Journey felt the warm body of Barley press against her right. She let out a soft sigh of contentment, closing her eyes and sliding into a peaceful, blissful sleep, with dreams of running through the trees, howling, and living out her life protecting her pack.