Ash: The Wolves of the World's End

Chapter 1

Panic. Ash's whole body flowed with it. It rushed through him like blood, pushing his tired muscles to keep him running. He could smell it all around him; his own aura of desperation to escape with his life. All he heard was the sound of his paws on the ground as the forest of pine trees rushed by.

     Selena, the white wolf beside him, kept up with him surprisingly well, but Ash smelled her fear as well, he saw it in her deep yellow eyes; she was just as tired as he was.

     A discordant chorus of howling echoed behind them. Ash wondered whether the pack was rallying back together, or if they were taking a rest. Either way, his paws ached, his legs ached, and his whole body ached. He and Selena slowed to a halt.

     "They've been chasing us for four days," Selena panted as she struggled to catch her breath. "From what I could pick off from their scent, there's probably around five of the pack's strongest females chasing us."

     Ash grimaced. Most of the females from the pack were at least as fast as both him and Selena. If he hadn't been as small, they might have been able to hold them off for a while and fight their way out. "Could you tell who they sent?" he asked.

     "No, but Luna definitely wouldn't be there. With mating season so close-" Her voice was cut off by a crack of thunder reverberating through the sky. Ash looked up.

     The sky still shone with sunlight, but thunderheads were building up a while off north. The temperature was dropping fast, making Ash shiver, even with his full brownish-grey coat of fur. Ash considered the scene. "If we head towards those storm clouds, the rain might throw them off our trail."

     Selena stared at him as if he was mad. "Are you crazy? It would probably snow, or sleet. That would only slow us down."

     "It would slow them down as well." He sniffed the air. "The pack is getting closer; any minute they might find us. You can stay and get killed, or you can come with me."

     The howling started again; this time closer. "Fine," she replied, "but when we freeze to death, it's your fault."

     Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

     The once tranquil clouds now broke upon the rugged terrain in a giant frenzy of wind and lightning. The smell of approaching rain mixed with the metallic scent of ozone from the lightning. But as Ash took the scene in, his tail perked at an unsuspected smell.

     The smell of saltwater.

     The barking and howling of the other wolves was loud enough now that Ash turned to see how much distance they had.

     Six wolves stood at the last hill before the coastal plains began. Their leader was an auburn female with darker fur around her back. From their distance, Ash could tell it was Pandora, the pack’s second in command.

     "Hurry up!" Selena stood impatiently ahead of him. He struggled to catch up.

     "They're right at our tails-" CRACK!  A huge lightning bolt hit the ground behind them, nearly deafening Ash. His ears rang with reverberation, like the echo of a howl in the crisp mountain air.

     He regained his focus, pushing his legs to their fastest. They stung back at him in reply, complaining about his neglect. The rain started all at once, and for a moment he saw Selena cringe with him before a wall of water enveloped them both. He vigorously shook his fur, but the more he tried to stay dry, the more rain sunk into his skin.

     Neither of them had noticed the sky darken so much, but when he realized it, he could barely see the outline of his own paws. And even if the rain helped them escape being scented...