The Pack of Athena

Prologue

I remember the day clearly, almost like if it was yesterday. The rain was pouring down, and thunder could be heard from far away. Every now and then the sky would lit up by the lightning. And there I was, sitting by the edge of the forest. I blinked repeatedly, trying to keep the raindrops away from my eyes. It was almost midnight, and the cold wind made my soaked clothes even colder. Shivers went through my whole body. Why, in the name of the gods, was I sitting here, you may ask yourself. It was freezing cold and I would most probably get sick. Why wouldn't I just leave?

Believe me, the thought had passed through my brain more than a few times, but in the end I knew that it would be worth it. And now after, I was more than happy that I waited, because what now was to be happening was most definitely the most amazing thing that I ever experienced.

It started with the wolf howls. They pierced through the night, making me sit straight and feeling the excitement that was starting to grow. First there was one, then two, and then there was more than I could count. From I could here there were both males and females, young and old, strong and weak. For just a second I closed my eyes, and when I opened them all of the wolves where standing in front of me in a long line. All of them were silent, staring at me with big eyes.

I did as I had been told, and sat on my knees, bowing down with my head to the ground. In this way, I was showing my respect, something that my mother told me was very important. If you wouldn't show your respect, they would all leave and you would be half for the rest of your life. As I thought back to what else my mother had told me, I followed her instructions.

''When you have bowed down, you sit there, perfectly still, until one of the wolf howls. Then you can sit straight again, and breath out. The howl is a sign that your respect has been seen and accepted. It's also now that your wolf is going to come to you, bowing her head down, showing respect to you. If you touch her, you will be able to feel her emotions and talk to her through your mind. You both will be able to talk, and then you just have to accept each other.''

And again, I did what I was told. I bowed down, waited for the howl and can honestly say that I never been happier than when I heard it. As I straightened my posture and looked up, I saw the most beautiful wolf I ever seen stand there in front of me. It had chestnut-colored fur and the most mesmerizing green eyes, which looked exactly like mine. In fact, the whole wolf did remind me of myself. My hair was just the same color as its fur, and I could just feel how we belonged together. Slowly I raised my hand, and put it right behind her left ear. My fingers ran through her smooth fur, feeling the warmth underneath.

''Hello.'' I spoke out loud. To be honest I didn't expect an answer, so at first when I got one I was pretty surprised.

''Hi.'' My wolf answered through our mind link. ''I'm glad to finally meet you.''

''You too.'' I said smiling. ''My name is Alyona by the way.''

''And I'm Reba.''

We just sat there talking for hours, my hand on her neck and her warmth spreading to my body that way. I was aware that the other wolves stood exactly where they stood when they came, that their eyes still looked at us, but the thing was that it didn't matter anymore. I wasn't nervous and Reba was close to me. The wolves just kind of... Melted into the background. Until they got restless that was. They started to howl, over and over again, signaling that it was time for them to leave, that we had to hurry up. So I did what I knew I had to do. I let her become a part of me.

~~~

So, this is my new (and first) story!

I'm one of those writes who always write two chapters and then give up, but I really want to try and actually give it a shot. That's why I published it here to see if anyone is interested in reading a story like this.

And if I actually am lucky enough to get readers, here's some thing that may be important for you to know:

- English isn't my native language, and I will make both grammar and spelling mistakes. But just comment and I will try to fix it as soon as I can!

- The "Authors Note" will most probably always be at the end, and if you see three of ''~'' in a row, that will be where the chapter's ending. A simple ''-''' will just mean that there will be a small (or big) time or place jump.

Well, that's all for me.

- Sara ☼