I padded up the mountain. There was a reason that I was climbing, a reason that I wanted to keep to myself for the moment. I should be at home in my den, but it didn’t seem so warm anymore. I jumped from one rock to another, the wind and snow hit my nose and eyes, stinging them.
I left my den three suns ago; soon it would to be used by some other animal. I knew that I would never go back to that den. This saddened my thoughts but I kept pushing on, I had to. I slid down the rock and padded though the snow. My paw prints weren’t behind me for very long; they were blown away by the swoosh of the wind as if they weren’t ever there.
I never stopped, there would be no rest for me, and something drove me on. I had to finish this, and then my life could go on. My paws slipped from under me and I fell to the ground. My side and legs cried out in pain as I lifted myself back up. I looked up the mountain, the sun highlighted its point, which pierced the middle of the sun… scarring it for life…for all eternity.
My legs begged me to stop and give them a break, yet I knew that I had to get to the top by the night’s end. I put what ever energy I could in to my legs and pressed on. My tail dragged the ground, it was no longer tall and proud. I was once the leader, the dominate, yet now…I stopped myself from thinking about it. I must prevail, and then I can go home and lie beside my brothers and sisters and be in peace. Until then I must finish the task put before me.
The mountain peak wasn’t getting any bigger yet my muscles grew weaker with every step. Soon my head started to dip for I had no more energy to support it. Yet the task must be done. I thought of my mate and her babies dead, the rest of my pack dead at the feet of those horrid monsters. That seemed to give me the energy to go further.
Her beautiful muzzle lying on its side, the muzzle that had at one time nuzzled me to sleep. The tail that had once wagged for me, now weak and limp. The eyes, oh those gorgeous and stunning golden eyes that had once looked at me with love and compassion now gone from the world forever. Her silver hair was as striking as the moon itself rising and falling with the rhythm of life, was now still. Seeing those beasts hold her up by her hind legs and jeer and shout with the conquest of killing the beauty, made me go on when I thought I couldn’t. Yearning for the love that had once warmed me inside. She was gone and with her, the babies.
The cubs that had played with joy in the den. They only saw the world outside their den them for a minute before they fell. They were healthy and they would have lived to see their first winter. Yet it never happened. My brothers and sisters tried to save them, so the next generation might live to see a new day, yet it never happened. Even my mother died that day, I could still hear her howl in my head.
My family was gathered up and the men went behind them and one of them took out a box that made a flash and then they walked away. They left my whole pack behind, lying side by side. I was the only one to survive. I was hit in the leg and I collapsed and I woke up to see the rest of the happenings.
Afterwards, I when up to each of my fallen comrades and mourned for them. That night was when the first of the snows arrived, and the pup’s fur had its first snow on it. I brought the pack inside their den. I had laid next to my mate for the last time that night as I watched it snow outside. I hoped that she would awake and lick my ears lovingly as she once did and rest her head on my back. I waited all night for that to happen. In the morning I left the den for the last time. The leader of a pack that was no longer in existence.
I carried on up the mountain, but fell again because of the crushing memories of despair that had made their way to my heart. I couldn’t move and I didn’t want too. All I wanted was to slip under a sheet of snow and pass on to another world. To find her again and live with her again. Somewhere where she would never leave me, and so I could be at peace. I could almost see her ahead of me, on the top of the mountain, waiting. Yet she wasn’t there, it must have been the snow. Then again there she was waiting for me, her silky fur blowing in the wind. She looked at me and the howled at the sky. The sound was mournful and beautiful while painful and invigorating.
I hauled myself up even though I could barely stand and I could see her more clearly. Yet her image flickered out of my sight. I took a step and it hurt but I needed her more than the world. The wind seemed to cry out in pain with me as I started to walk my last. I lifted my head and tail and stumbled forward. The snow lashed at me and stung my nose, I didn’t feel it. I just looked at the spot where the silver haired wolf had been.
It no longer mattered what happened to me because as long as I was with her I would be alright. Yet there she was again! Waiting for me at the top of the mountain I now knew why I had come. I whimpered at her as I limped forward. She disappeared as I took another step. She had to be there, she had to be! Ache throbbed in my mind as I climbed the last rock and there she was. Her eyes glinted at me with that special glow, her tail wagged happily and her fur shown red in the sunset. The pain seemed to melt in my mind as I saw her. She was there. I ran up to her, no longer in pain or tired. I had found my peace at last.
I nuzzled her side as she licked my ear lovingly; I took in her wonderful scent, no longer tinged with blood or death, wonderful again. We stood for the longest time just knowing that we were together again. I saw love in those golden eyes and I knew that I would never leave her side again. I closed my eyes just taking in her scent which seemed as sweet as the sweetest flower. When I opened my eyes I saw that I was no longer on a mountain but in the forest that I grew up in, the golden eyed wolf ran into the forest and I followed her into our new life together. I was home.
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Still today on the top of that mountain you can see a rock, the closer you looked you see two wolfs standing side by side looking into the sunrise. They seem at peace to just to stand there for eternity…which they did and still do.
R&R&E! Brightfrost
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What do you think? Sorry it's so long....but I seem to like long things. (A.K.A. 1,345 words)
Here is the picture I was talking about:
