Kundak

Choices

I stare at the leader, momentarily admiring his strength and determination, but then I remember where I am. I close my mouth after noticing it was gaping open after the shock. The burly leader I later learn is called Zextos, pads away. The other few wolves trailing after him, dragging Azaela's limp body across the cold dirt. I'm just standing there, watching ten take her away, and my sister, she sits several paw steps away from me. Her short bronze tail wrapping delicately around her legs. She glances over at me, and I'm desperately searching for any sign of sympathy in her eyes. I see some pain, but it's meagre. My vision is blurred and hazy from the tears forming in my tired eyes. Then it hits me, it hits me in rage and fear, and right there, I break down. Digging my claws deep into the once rich soil, raggedly breathing, my howls come out as screams. My agonizing tone echoing for miles.
Kala eyes me, stands up and pads over. I have nothing to say to her, nothing what so ever. And thank lupus she doesn't try and talk to me. She sighs and trots away as if nothing happened and I'm just making a big deal out of it.
She is making her way over to the large tree, laying beneath it and analyzing the land. This is when I decide to retreat to my cave again.
• • •
At this time is it dark out, only one star has made an appearance in the ginormous sky engulfing it.
At is highest point, the star shines directly above our den, I am convinced it is Azaela watching over the land.
Now that she's gone, I'll need to find a new purpose. I have a feeling Kala and I will never be as close as we were.
I leap to the top of the cliffs and walk along the edge for a while. They seem like they could go on forever, lining the valley. There is one part, however, that gets narrow. It comes closer to the other side of the cliffs, kind of making a gateway into the valley. I was told once it was a bridge, but the bridge had collapsed on a female arctic wolf traveling beneath it. Now I simply know this as the gateway to the heavens. Azaela told me if you jump high and far enough to cross the gap, you'll be able to touch the heavens.
I miss her stories already.
I've always been too scared to try and leap over it. I can jump far higher than most wolves because I'm used to running along side Azaela, feeling her powerful wing beats lifting my paws off the ground and generating enough adrenaline to practically fly for a few moments. Captured in those moments I can feel the wind in my fur and the freedom within my soul.
Will I ever be able to have those moments again? Or just similar? Maybe not at all..
I continue to travel, but this time I start to head back to the den. In hopes of what? A small part of me doesn't know she's gone, a small part of me thinks "Maybe she's still there, flexing her wings, or humming. If I can believe it... maybe it's true" but no, that's nonsense. She's gone, I saw it with my own eyes.
  When I return to the den Kala is there. Her bronze fur illuminated in the moonlight.
"Kundak I need to talk with you." Her voice is raw, she's serious, I can tell. I frown. She always has something to say, and lately, it hasn't been very good.
I sit down and look her in the eyes. She's a beautiful wolf, truly. But I've lost my respect for her.
"Dear brother, the wolves have accepted me into their life style. I'm aloud to join their pack as an omega and work my way up the ranks. There's food, water and other wolves to talk to as well. We wouldn't be alone out here in this wasteland."
She somehow manages to surprise me once again with this news.
"This waste land, Kala. THIS WASTELAND IS OUR HOME. Shame on your for being a trai-" I croak before she cuts me off.
"They have accepted you as well"
I'm taken aback by this.
"You may join us or you can stay here on the cliffs. But this if your only opportunity. You'll have to think it over Kundak. Sometimes it's hard and you might want to stay here out of stubbornness, but you need to think over your choices."