Ice Cold

2

My wolf moans in sadness; it longs to be with its pack. It longs to see familiar faces, to feel warmth.

My heart shatters. Every night, my dreams are filled with vivid scenes from the battle. My ears rings with the screams of my wolves, my body heavy laden with grief. I wake every morning, feeling tired and cold. Sleep deprived and mentally shocked is all I am. A case of what I once was. My wolf appears uneasy, it moans louder, echoing my heart ache.

Calm down. It's going to be ok.

The moaning stopped. My feet continues its trek, walking over snow and pebbles, over large fields and through thickets.

It's been two months now. Two months without seeing a face, two months since the battle. My mind drifts to the pack. Abdicating the title to Kane was the right choice; for me and for them. They need a fighter, a strong male.

We are strong. We just need time to heal.

My wolf's presence is felt. Night begins to fall, the crickets beginning their choir, the soft buzzing of insects alive all around. My eyes scan the terrain for a place to rest, going over bushes and trees. To the distance, a cave is seen. I jog to my room for the night, my eyes never leaving the area around me. I slow down to a walk, my senses on alert.

There seems to be no danger.

I gather up some logs before retreating into the cave. It was warm, somewhat, providing us with shelter from the dark world outside. I begin to make a fire, slowly rubbing the dried sticks together. Flames soon licked the length of the wood, dancing in the eerie glow of twilight.

Rue shift. It's too cold for your human form to lie in.

I hear tenderness in my wolf. I undress, shivering in the cold. After folding my clothes, I neatly tuck them into a crevice and allow the transition to overcome me.

Elbows click into place, fur sprouting out of my human body; my face lengthens. My wolf yips in glee at being released after being confined for two days.

Look after us.

She walks around the fire, soaking up the much needed warmth before settling down close to it. She perks her ears  for any sound, sniffs the air for any scent before relaxing into the heat.

Sleep dear wolf, sleep.
*
A rustle outside awakens us. My wolf slowly raises its head, and sniffs the air.

An animal ? I can't get a scent.

The wind blew away from the cave, making it near impossible to catch a whiff of anything. She slowly rises and prowls close to the mouth of the cave.

Be prepared to fight.

Her eyes are alert and wide; looking over the thicket below us. She stands in the shadows, her dark sleek fur perfectly blends in with the eerie night.

A snap of a twig. Heavy boots seem to crush it from the sound.

Hunter?

My wolf shook it's head. Not a hunter. Another twig snaps to our right. A boulder blocked the view. The moon, a crescent, failed to provide sufficient light for us to make out anything.

Rely on your senses.

We slither out of the cave; making no noise at all. Another twig snaps. Whoever this person is, is either really daft or trying to draw attention. Whichever it is, it isn't good news for us.

Our breathing became slower, more silent.

"Rue." We still. They know who we are. My wolf retreats into the darkness, taking backward steps, her eyes however, never leaving the boulder.