𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙻𝙳 𝚂𝙾 𝙲𝙾𝙻𝙳

A Lieutenant's Insight

Victor stared out to the pitch black mountains that rose above the horizon of the lake. By now, the ship had dimmed its lights as it sailed through the massive lake. He leaned on the wall of the promenade deck of the ship, his arms crossed over the railing. He sighed out softly, the white vapor of his breath blowing downwind. He then gazed up at the sky above, noticing the sky filled with stars, devoid of any cloud covering. He searched the sky, looking for any constellation he could find. He smiled to himself as he star gazed, watching as some stars twinkled and observed their various colors and sizes.

"You are still up, huh?" A voice suddenly chimes in.

Victor quickly adverted his gaze to the voice, seeing the gray furred wolf standing about twenty feet or so away from him. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets as his fur fluttered in the wind.

"Ah, yes, sir. I know I'm supposed to be in my bunk." Victor says, straightening his posture.

The wolf holds his hand up in front of him. "No need to explain yourself. I am a night owl as well." The wolf says before approaching Victor and leaning up against the railing beside him.

Victor smiles to himself before returning to the railing, gazing back up at the stars. The two gaze up at the night sky for a moment before the wolf breaks the silence.

"Beautiful, is it not?" The wolf then asks.

"Yes, sir." Victor replies.

"Each light a different time, a different system with different worlds. It really makes you think about it all." The wolf then says, keeping his gaze up to the sky.

"Couldn't have put it better myself, sir." Victor replies, looking over to the wolf.

The wolf sighs out softly and brings his gaze back down. "Do you know which star our kind came from?" The wolf then asks, looking over to Victor.

"No, sir..." Victor answers, looking back up to the sky.

The wolf then chuckles. "It is not any of these if that is what you are thinking."

"I just don't know very many constellations." Victor chuckles to himself as he continued to gaze up at the sky.

"Neither do I. But I still love to observe them all." The wolf says, looking back up.

"I agree, sir." Victor replies, looking over to the wolf, seeing him lost in the sight. He adverts his gaze back up as silence falls between them again. After a minute or two, the wolf looks over to Victor. "Your story from earlier." He says, breaking the silence.

Victor turns his gaze to the wolf. "Sir?"

"It reminded me of someone I know. Someone I have not seen since all of this started." The wolf says before looking down to the cold dark waters below.

Victor kept his gaze on the wolf. "How so? If you don't mind me asking, sir."

The wolf sighed out through his nostrils softly. "A dear friend who I have known since I was young. No matter what, he stood by my side. He stood up for me many times. And even as the world around us got darker and more difficult, he valued our bond through thick and thin. And we never lost sight of what was important to us." The wolf answered as he gazed back up to the stars above, smiling to himself.

Victor took in the words of the wolf. He thought to himself for a moment. "That's how I feel about my family. When I think about the things those monsters are doing, I imagine how it would be if my own were caught in the middle of it all. I couldn't just stand by and not do anything." Victor says, sighing out again.

The wolf looks over to Victor. He smiles warmly to him and places his hand on his shoulder. "You are wise and tough for an old man." The wolf says with a chuckle.