Eternity

Chapter 8

Erlendur's head was humbly bowed before his Alpha. He then felt the gentle weight of the wreath of branches being placed upon his head.

"Erlendur of the North Winds pack, son of Erwin Rabbitrunner and Jurigg Stormhowler, I present to you your name, to carry and uphold your family's honor."

He paused, all the wolves held their breath. "Erlendur Windchaser!" He announced. This was it, he had a name! Yet for some reason, he found it hard to motivate himself to be joyful about it.

He raised his head and begun the howl, just as his brother had. Yet despite it, he found it difficult to have any feeling at all. It had been all of two weeks since the East Winds Pack's territory had burned, and he was credited with this as a success. He had earned his name because of the dishonorable crime he had committed, and he felt awful.

As soon as the ceremony had departed, he sat alone at the edge of camp. Suddenly, a howl rang out, terrifying a loud, but not of a threat. Before he knew it, the camp was flooded with East Winds wolves; and it wasn't just a patrol of them - it was the whole pack. Including Aulay. The wreath upon his head felt like a dead weight that he suddenly wished to cast into fire.

He tried to make eye contact with the she-wolf, but she looked away every time, with anger written all over her face. She had not yet forgiven him, and he feared that she never would.

He turned his gaze back to the Alphas. Intrigued, Erlendur sat up and observed. Olfric Boarslayer, Alpha of the East Winds pack, stepped forward and addressed their Alpha.

"Asmundure Elkhunter, Alpha of the North Winds Pack. We bring solemn news," He said in his great booming voice.

"Present your news, Olfric Boarslayer." Asmundure commanded, assuming dominance in his territory by not using the other Alpha's full title, but the full name enough to respect him.

"Our pack has made a major decision in response to the loss of our territory." He began. Erlendur tensed and his heart froze. Was this a sudden ambush in acknowledgement of the fact that he had burned their land? Had he too doomed his own pack as well as the East Winds?

"We have decided to move further east into the unclaimed land that resides there. That is where the prey that survived the fire now run, and it is now where we must run. We will not return until the earth heals." The Alpha stated.

He froze, and ice shot up his spine. The East Winds Pack was leaving? It could take years if not generations for the burned land to heal and become reborn.

He looked to Aulay, who, this time, met his eyes. Her own were full of sorrow, and while perhaps not fully forgiving, it comforted him to know that at least they weren't to be parted as eternal enemies.

The two great Alphas conversed just a little longer, before they finally departed. Neither Aulay nor Erlendur dared approach each other to say goodbye.

~~~

The moon was low in the sky, and Erlendur was a tangle of emotions that nearly drove him mad. He laid in his den a crazed mass of silver fur. He felt as if he had lost himself, lost to the winds that blew east over the moor. He couldn't sleep- for every time he closed his eyes he saw those summer green eyes, he smelled the grass-and-wildflowers. He saw the stars dance in her eyes when they would meet at night to exchange prey... And he would see the fire rage in them as she turned on him.

Then suddenly, as the dawn broke out from over the windswept hills, all those flummoxed emotions dissipated with the dawn, replaced by only that of determination. He didn't care if what he was about to do killed him, or got him banished or whatever else might happen, for he knew that if he didn't, he would never be able to live with himself.

He slowly rose, and padded out of camp with heart in each step. As soon as he was out of the camp, he bolted, the wind with him, and he felt lighter and stronger than ever. The sun was beginning to rise, casting long shadows over the moor.

Finally, his quarry was in view. The East winds pack, defeated and mournful, slowly trotted over the desolate terrain towards their new home. Treading farthest behind was none other than Aulay.

He planted his paws firm on the ground and let out a howl, brave and strong, but mixed with the quiver that his voice always carried when nervous, yet a glimpse of hope also gleamed through.

Aulay paused, then reared on her hind legs to turn and see him there, standing against the wind, half silhouetted by the rising sun.

Slowly, with their heads down, they approached each other, in complete ignorance of the pack that had stopped to see who this follower was. The pack watched in silence, too exhausted to bother.

Finally, the silver wolf and the brown wolf raised their heads and looked each other in the eye. Their eyes alone spoke so many words, of forgiveness and hope and wonder. Their noses were within inches of each other.

"Have you a name, Aulay?" He then said softly, breaking the solemn silence.

She seemed to grin, as if in remembrance of a sweet, old memory. "Aulay Firecatcher, of the East Winds." she finally said.

He bowed. "I am Erlendur Windchaser," He began. He then rose from his bow, locking eyes with her once more. "And I choose to chase whichever winds I please, just as the fire is blown by them," He inched just a bit closer to her, "And you, Firecatcher, have caught this fire, and so now I will blow with these winds,"

Her eyes widened; she already knew what he was to say, and excitement began to pulse through her veins.

"The winds you follow, Aulay Firecatcher, for Eternity."