From the Ashes

Chapter 1: Ashia

A pure black female wolf stalked through the undergrowth, waiting for the perfect chance to strike the unsuspecting rabbit. Slowly, she moved closer towards the rabbit, waiting and listening.

The sun was beginning to set and she was in desperate need of food. The wolf's amber eyes gleamed with the fading light.

In a swift movement, the wolf leaped for the rabbit. Catching it by surprise, the rabbit squeaked and tried to escape.

Running for her prey, the wolf ran around a large oak but stopped as a red-tailed hawk flew past her, caught the rabbit, and killed it. The hawk turned around and dropped the prey.

"Really? Really Kai? You just had to steal my dinner!" the wolf barked.

Fine, take it. Kai seemed to say.

The black wolf smiled and flicked her ear.

"Thank you Kai. I'll be sure to catch you something tomorrow."

Kai glanced at the wolf with interest and flew off toward the horizon. The female wolf shook herself and collected the rabbit.

"Time to return home before the pack wolves find me," the wolf murmured past the rabbit.

She trotted ahead and made her way back to her grove.

* * * * *

The black wolf set the prey in front of her nest and began eating. As she ate, the wolf glanced around the grove.

To her left, was a small pond and to her right, was a small clearing with no stones of any kind. She trained herself some battle moves her parents used to teach her.

The wolf smiled and layed her head between her paws, finished with the rabbit.

After a few hours of rest, a loud crack sounded from behind the wolf. The wolf's head snapped up when the noise reached her.

Staying still, the wolf waited for whatever made the noise to appear. She growled and stood up when the scent of a puma reached her nose. The she-wolf snarled, her teeth bared and muscles tense.

The puma erupted from behind a fallen tree and went straight for the rogue wolf. She cried in fear and bolted from the grove.

The wolf ran as fast as she could for the pack's border. A thick branch from a tree whipped her face as she ran through the scent markers.

The puma yowled in frustration and began gaining on the wolf. It unsheathed it's claws and leaped ahead of the wolf and onto the side of a steep slope. It roared in fury and swiped at the wolf, slicing easily through part of her ear.

The black wolf snarled and snapped at the puma's paw, biting it. The puma screeched in anger and swiped again, this time hitting her muzzle.

The wolf whimpered and backed down to the slope's floor. The puma hissed and launched itself at the wolf. The wolf barked in surprise as she was slammed against the stone floor of the slope.

Her vision went fuzzy, causing her to become disoriented. The wolf gave one last cry of pain before the weight of the puma was lifted.

She slitted her eyes open and saw a blue-grey female and a black and white male pair attacking the puma furiously. The male wolf barked madly at the puma and began chasing it as it ran up the slope.

The female turned around, a look of concern written across her face. Her yellow eyes glowed as she nosed the black wolf.

"What's your name?" she asked.

The black wolf looked up at the wolf and whimpered.

"Ashia," she whispered as the world around her faded into nothing.