The Song of the Wild

Chapter One

      Sully scampered around the sunlit clearing, relishing the feel of warm sunlight on his fur. The brook running through the clearing gurgled soothingly, and tiny green frogs frolicked at its edges. Grasshoppers jumped in and out of the soft green grass, chirping loudly. A few butterflies fluttered at the edges of the oak trees, and he took a great pleasure in chasing them. Once he caught the wing of a small white butterfly, he brought it down, and chewed on its head, then the abdomen, and then its wings. The abdomen always tasted the best. It had a nice, bittersweet taste.

      A delicate red pup with yellow eyes, named Caila, jumped on him, squeaking happily. Sully knocked her off and barrelled into her. She fell to the ground, yipping joyfully. Sully huffed in annoyance, and trotted away, going closer to the brook. The water was clear and vivid; he never thought that something unalive could look... so alive. He was about to stoop down and take a drink when he heard his mother's warning bark.

      Turning 'round, he saw his two littermates running towards her. Wondering what was wrong, he followed them. His mother's lustrous gray coat was spiked up. Her almond-shaped eyes were cold and fearful, sending shivers up and down his spine; he had never seen his mother scared. He whimpered fearfully and nuzzled her leg. Caila and Storm huddled together, whining. Mother-wolf ignored them, and started growling, first silently, but then loudly. Sully was certain that the whole forest could hear her.

      He heard a rustling in the bushes. It stopped, then started back up again. Sully didn't know what it was. It had a strange scent. It smelled like food, skin, and sweat. Suddenly, three two-legged creatures burst out of the bushes. They were pale, hairless, and only had a tuft of fur on their heads. They wore strangely colored pelts, probably to stay warm. Mother-wolf snarled. Her snarl was so terrible that it made the pup almost afraid of her himself. Her snarl created creases and lines on her face. Her lips were peeled back as much as she could force them back, and her white fangs glinted in the sunlight. Her blue eyes were wild with terror. The pup had never seen her in this state.

      The two-legged creatures made strange, squeaky sounds. It sounded like they were being strangled. One of them stepped forward. It had pale skin, and a tuft of long, red fur on its head. It held something in its paws. It seemed like a long white stick, except it smelled of something bitter. At the end of it, there was a loop and attached to it, a network of string. At the sight of it, Mother-wolf made a sound that seemed like a half snarl, half whine. Sully growled. If mother-wolf didn't like it, he didn't like it. He could sense the negative energy flowing about in the object's lifeless strings.

      The creature advanced slowly, making soft cooing sounds. Sully growled louder. The creature came closer. His two siblings started yipping in distress. The creature came even closer. Mother-wolf cowered, tail between her legs, baring her teeth. All of a sudden, the creature lunged forward and swiped the object towards him. The strings caught in his paws, and he tumbled over onto his back. Then, the strings lifted him up and off of the ground. He yapped in fear. What were they doing? He struggled about, but the strings had large gaps, and his paws kept slipping between them. Mother-wolf took a step forward. She eyed her pup desperately. The creatures made another one of their squeaky sounds. Sully snarled yet again.

      Another one of them stepped forward, this time holding a large silver object. Mother-wolf tensed, and she wiggled her hindquarters. The pup yipped gleefully. She was going to attack! She was going to save him! Mother-wolf lunged. Her mouth was open, revealing the sharpest fangs the pup had ever seen. The creature screeched in fear. Mother-wolf landed on it heavily, and started ripping at its paws. The other creatures screamed. The third grabbed the silver object that had fallen, held it in its hands, and the silver thing made a huge "POP". Something red flew out of it and landed on Mother-wolf's flank. She leapt back. The creature that she had attacked moaned. Mother-wolf's legs quivered, and she collapsed onto the ground. The pup thought she was dead. Her eyes were closed, and she was still, so still. But there was no blood. The pup's siblings whimpered at the sight of this strange death. The silver object made the popping sound two more times, on the pup's two siblings. They collapsed, like Mother-wolf. The silver object turned to the silver pup. He whined. He did not want to die. The silver object made a popping sound, and he felt something prick into him, painfully. But slowly, the world around him became fuzzier. His thoughts became muddled. He felt the irresistible urge to sleep. So he did.