We left nothing, but our paw prints in the snow

Prologue and Chapter 1

Prologue:

I blended into my background. Dark let me borrow her cape of invisibility. I could feel all my muscles, and I could feel the bodies of the rest of us as if they were my own. I was home. I was with the pack, on the hunt, in the forest, at night time. I was home.

Chapter 1:

Father was another word for alpha. So, he was the alpha male, meaning he was the father of all the wolves in the pack except the alpha female, who was the mother.

Now, I don't really get lost. In fact, I hardly ever got lost, even us a cub. I never really got lost, at least, not properly. I got lost in the sense that I got separated from my pack, but not in the sense that I went wondering off and couldn't find my way back again.

You see, humans came for us. Probably because we had taken one of their sheep. But hey, it was an old, sick sheep that would have died soon anyway. And one must understand, we know the humans don't like us taking their sheep, and we can understand that, but we were hungry and it's been a tough winter. Hardly any food around, so one can't blame us for taking one of their silly sheep that was going to die soon anyway.

Whatever the reason, the humans came for us with sticks that made a loud sound similar to a bang, and sometimes a wolf, or another animal would fall, sometimes not. I didn't quite understand what the sticks were, but they were known as death sticks to the wolves. Every animal with some sense left knew to fear the death sticks. Even humans were afraid if they weren't the one's holding the sticks. Funny, isn't it?

So, to the point. I was there, with my pack, and we hear the humans. Now, there's nothing special about hearing the humans. They are loud. The only thing was, they didn't usually enter that part of the forest. It was our territory. We made it out with the humans a really long time ago. Anyway. Long story short. They invaded our territory, and goodness knows what else. I don't really know what happened because I got separated pretty early on. I ran out of our woods and into another wolves territory. I know that that's strictly forbidden, but what else was I meant to do?

Now, after days of looking for the actual pack, I found them, and I wanted to introduce myself because that was only polite way of doing things, and if I was amazingly lucky, they might just let me stay with them.

I observed the pack for a while, trying to make out who the alpha male was. I figured it out pretty quick. He was a beautifully strong wolf. I could see his muscles clearly through his brown-grey fur and wouldn't want to pick a fight with him. He was lying a bit off, away from the rest of the pack, and was watching them, the way an alpha male should do. I looked a bit more closely and sniffed the air. All I smelt was a bunch of strange wolves. Everything smellt wrong. I pushed past that and smelt more. I sniffed out the younger females. They were always the likeliest to let a wolf join. Now all I had to do was wait for one of them the leave the rest of the pack.

I waited.

And waited.

Why were they taking so long. Surely they do some stuff alone. I always did.

I watched and waited. Eventually the alpha male got up and beckoned one of the other female wolves to follow him. I think she was the alpha female.

My belly was cold from lying in the snow, so I got up. The movement caught the alpha male's attention and he stared at me. I was convinced that he couldn't see me, but I coludn't help averting my gaze. It was rude to look some one in the eye, and I didn't want to start off by being rude.

He kept staring at me and soon the other wolves started to notice.

I made a decision that was probably suicidal, but I pulled it through anyway.

I stepped out of the bush and into the open. I let them see me properly.

I kept my gaze directed at the snow, not at any of the other wolves, but that didn't stop my nose form working overtime. I smelt out the females, the males. I knew who was going to leave the pack this coming spring. A fair few of the wolves were older than me, a fair few younger, and a bunch were about my age. Of course this pack would have slightly different birth-cycles, but judging by the wolves, it wasn't all that different.

My nose caught a scent that it thought highly interesting. The smell sent a load of butterflies off in my belly, at least, that's what it felt like.

I sensed the alpha male come towards me, and I dared look up, slightly. I was, however, very careful not to look the alpha, or any other wolf, in the eye. The alpha male was right in front of me now. He lowered his nose to my forehead. A gesture suggesting that I should look up. I did, and I met his gaze. I told him in my gaze that I was ready to submit at any time. He told me that he was the dominant wolf. Like I hadn't guessed that already. I told him I knew and that I respected that. He told me to look away again, just to prove to me that he was the stronger wolf. The alpha male. The father. The wisest. The oldest. I looked away, just to prove that I was ready to submit without complaint at any time and wouldn't challenge him in any way.

He raised his head higher, telling me to expose myself.

I felt uncomfortable doing so, but I did. I turned onto my back, showing him my belly. Now, if he wanted to, he could have killed me quick. This is where the rest of the wolves get to make a decision.

I looked around. All it took was one wolf to accept me, and my chances were high. The alpha male had stepped back. The alpha female was right behind him. The alpha male growled, but didn't threaten. Just growled to see what I would do.

I decided to be honest from the start, so I growled back.

He growled louder, telling me he understood what my growl meant, and that he didn't take it as an insult.

I let my growl turn into a whimper.

I set one of the young males off. He was older than me, by about a litter. His dark fur made a marking around his eyes, which were a strong shade of amber. The lighter brown at his shoulders where I could have easily traced his muscles, and the grey fur covering his belly. He opened his mouth ever so slightly, so I could barely see it. Out of his barely opened mouth came the lowest of whimpers. Then he turned his muzzle up to the crescent shaped moon, and let out a long wavering howl. The others followed. I had been accepted, and they were letting every one know, so that if any pack was missing a wolf, they knew where I was and what pack I had joined.

I heard my cue. They had sung their song, and now I was meant to sing mine. Sing my life to the woods, so every one would know it was me, and that it was true.

I sung. My howl sounded sadder than usual, but it felt appropriate. I sung to the world about my pain for leaving my old pack. I sang to the world my anger, that the humans had taken away everything I cared about. Then I sang my joy, that I had a family again.

When I had finished my story, I waited. This is when my old pack sing back, to say they heard.

I waited.

I seemed to wait often these days. But a hunter can wait. That's why we are called hunters.

I heard their voices on the winds. The alpha male alone sung now. Sung to the forest about me. My father sang back, sad he had lost me, but happy that I was alive and had a family to care for me, and he asked my new alpha male, to look after me well. Now the alpha female sang a few notes, and my mother sang a few, almost identical notes. And that was it.

We broke into a wild game of tag.