Ash: The Wolves of the World's End

Chapter 4

How could he have been so stupid?

     The wolf with light brown fur had taken him completely by surprise, knocking the wind out of his lungs before he could make any sound. Ash watched as he forced both him and Selena out into the open, snapping at them when they let their tails get too high.

     The other wolves had stopped play-fighting as he marched them through the basin, past the partially devoured moose. Its smell taunted Ash's nose; he was so close, but he was powerless.

     They stopped near the resting wolves. "Wyrden, we've just caught ourselves some foragers, lurking outside the basin."

     A wolf with dark brown fur stretched and stood up. Ash recognized the strong smell as well as the darker colored fur running down his back; this was the alpha wolf.

     "Thank you Samson, I'll deal with them myself." The light brown wolf Ash assumed was Samson backed off.

     "Well, well, well, " he continued, shifting his gaze from Selena to Ash. Ash met the wolf's gaze, but made sure to keep his muzzle pointed to the side, out of respect. He could only hope Selena was doing the same.

     "You know, one of you actually smells familiar." He paused to think. "Where did you come from?"

     "There was an island to the south of here, " Selena blurted out. Ash swung his head towards her in shock. Wasn't she the one who complained about him being too hasty? "We were being chased."

     "Hmm, Broken Fang Island is what we call it. Are Luna and Shadow still alphas?"

     "Shadow's dead." Ash didn't care about being blunt. "There were hunters-"

     "Yes, I know about the hunters, " Wyrden growled unexpectedly. "If it wasn't for them, my mate would still be alive."

     Selena smelled shocked for a moment. "I'm sorry."

     The wolf paused, caught up in emotion. Finally he answered. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about. No one can change the situation now; the only thing we can do is move on. This is a dangerous coast to live on, and two wolves alone won't last long. You are free to stay with us if you like." He turned to Selena. "Was that your enrollment howl we heard a while ago?"

     Selena responded yes, not meeting Wyrden's stare.

     "Don't worry, it was the right thing to do." Ash knew that the wolf meant them no harm, but he started to feel threatened by him. "What are your names?" he continued, although Ash felt the question directed more for Selena.

     "I'm Selena, and this is Ash, " she replied.

     "Selena. What a beautiful name." Ash felt his blood rising to his head, thumping loud enough for him to hear. He resisted the urge to challenge Wyrden, who had turned his full attention to Selena. "Go on and enjoy some of the meat; you look famished. You too Ash." He stepped away, and called Samson over. "Let the pack know we have some new members."

     The delicious taste of moose was almost enough to make Ash forget about Selena and Wyrden. Even though most of the good meat had been picked through, he still found enough red meat to stuff himself.

     "You seem like you're enjoying that." Ash spun around at the new voice, expecting to have to fight over his share. It was one of the younger wolves he had seen earlier. He had fur so white that Ash might have mistaken him for a pile of snow.

     "Sorry about that. I'm Remus. You're Ash, right?"

     "Sure. Wait, how did you know my name?"

     Remus shrugged. "Everyone knows now. I just overheard someone else talking about you and some other wolf-"

     "Selena," Ash cut in. "Have you seen her anywhere?"

     "No." Remus suddenly got quiet. "But I wouldn't talk about her too much when Wyrden is around. You see, after his mate was killed..."

     Ash was shocked. "No! She would never do that!"

     Remus shook his head. "Still, better to be safe than sorry. But enjoy the rest of your meal."

     "Thanks. I guess." Ash stood up with a full stomach. "I'm not that hungry now."