A Drizzle of Home

11 | A Drizzle of Respect

She drew farther and farther away until finally, Cloud realized how far I tailed behind, and her paws slowed so that I could stay within her sight. I hadn't tried to speak since our departure from the creek, unsure what had triggered her strange reaction, nor did I want to repeat it.

We soon made it back to the sloping hillside, and as we reached the peak of our ascent, I could smell the fresh scent of food waiting for us. Mist and the pups sat around the prey in the center, and the male turned at the sound of our footfalls. Spruce held his tongue until we grew closer, then audibly groaned. His eyes rolled backward in his head before focusing on us. "Finally, you two are back. I'm starving––" A narrowed gaze scanned our frames. "Why are you wet?"

"We were on patrol," Cloud snapped back, a growl in her throat. "Like we were supposed to be."

Spruce shifted back on his haunches. His brows furrowed in defense. "Calm down, Cloud. It was just a question."

Her eyes flitted downward and she muttered an apology. "Sorry. He fell in the creek, and I had to help him." She dipped her nose toward me. The words lacked the same irritated tone, faint and sheepish more than anything.

My ears swiveled. Maybe it was true, but that wasn't all there was to it. It certainly didn't paint me in the best light either. Why bend the truth for something so minute? Was I really that embarrassing?

Spruce scrunched his nose and let the tip of his tongue stick out from his muzzle. Cloud ignored him as she split from my side, taking the seat beside him while I settled next to Pine. The meal proceeded the same as the night before, with a similar portion of woodland prey offered to each wolf.

When the alpha dismissed us, I watched the pups trot off toward the cave, determined to do the same. I was exhausted from the morning, no matter how short and effortless it seemed for the rest of them. The food had helped, appeasing the growling beast inside for a little while longer, but still my body gave a dull ache with each step.

Cloud joined my side, but as the two of us departed, a swift bark bounded through the air.

"Cloud?" Mist called. The pale wolf turned on her paw pads to face her, the alpha lounging on her rock.

She walked over to the base of the stone, and I took a couple, dragging steps of my own toward the cave. I wasn't sure what they were discussing, besides the sinking feeling it involved me. Mist was probably getting onto her for letting me be such a hindrance to her patrol. Or maybe they were discussing how many days I had left leeching before they kicked me out.

It was best not to dwell on it. Letting my worries whirl into a storm would do me no favors. Instead, I turned my muzzle to the sun. Sol. I wondered if the wolves from my dreams could be looking up at it too. If they remembered that story. If any of them were still out there.

There was still the first dream I'd woken up to. I knew my youngest sibling––Wade––was gone. His scream still scrambled desperately in the back of my brain, darkness shrouding his tiny form as glowing claws emerged from the shadows and dragged him into their depths. My older sister was probably dead too, after facing the feline monster, but I wasn't sure what had happened to Ripple... or my mother. She was nowhere to be found while the cat rampaged through our den.

But if they were all gone, how did I ever have a chance to make it into adulthood? It was all so murky and unclear, as much as my future after I left this pack behind me. I wasn't sure what I would do or where I would go. I didn't know if I'd have much longer to think about it. I urged the stars to give me a few more days here to regain my strength, so that I might be able to survive on my own. Or travel far enough to find just another glimmer of my past.