Ash: The Wolves of the World's End

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 (Selena)

     Selena sat above as they arrived.

     The ledge's stone floor felt hard and abusing on her paws, but she had wanted to see Ash arrive.

     She sighed to herself. She had watched him and the others talking, and she ran with Wyrden. She didn't know why the others had lagged behind, or how they had gotten ahead, but they had been alone for about an hour.

     She stood up and explored while they climbed. Most of the mountain had snow, but there were caves as well that ran deep. A clear mountain stream ran down towards the base, and she stooped to have a drink. The freezing water almost numbed her tongue as she lapped from it, but she was thirsty, and it was some of the best water she had tasted in a while. Sated, she examined her light red fur for any dirt in her reflection. It bounced and bubbled, distorting the view.

     She paced downwards, following the water as it rushed around a bend near a tree, thinking back to Wyrden's offer. "We have an opening for you. Its called alpha." At first, she had laughed; how could she ever lead a pack. But you wouldn't be without help, she thought.

     What? Her tail had brushed against the stone wall, but it had found a hole. She turned around to find a small opening in the wall barely big enough for her to fit in. Stooping her head, she smelled inside. The scent was powerful, and it smelled of wolf, but it had been empty for a while. But still! Her curiosity getting the best of her, she crawled in.

     The tunnel was earthy, and Selena could barely see a thing in the darkness. Her breathing echoed through towards the end, downhill. What is this place? She wondered, even though she had a very good idea by the time she had inched her way a couple of feet to the chamber entrance.

     She was in a musky room that smelled both of life and death. The room was big enough for her to lay in spread out, but not much more. There was light from the opening up higher, with enough light for her to make out the brown, earthen walls. So this is what a den feels like, she thought to herself as she ran her nose cautiously over the earthen walls. She circled around, finishing her examination, and laid down on the dry grass piled in the center. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply. Is this where I belong? As an alpha? Part of her was perfectly at ease here, as if it was meant to be, just her and the scents.

     One particular smell caught her all at once, and all of a sudden, thousands of memories she never remembered having rushed over her like a roaring waterfall. She felt heavier than she had a moment before, and all of a sudden, a ripping burst of pain shot through her underside. Yelping in pain, she collapsed. "What's going on?" Her voice was different too, and her scent was not her's. More smells poured in, she felt something in her stomach kick, and she was wailing and groaning in pain. Who am I? Suddenly, she couldn't remember her name, or what color her fur was, or what season they were in.

     She roared, stretched in the den as another bout of pain shook her.

     Celeste. She remembered now. A white wolf with fur as sleek as moonlight, and brilliant blue eyes that were so rare among her kind. She remembered another scent. Wyrden, her mate. His tall, strong frame and tawny brown fur caressed her mind, and his scent filled her nostrils as she thought of his body against her's. It was spring; it had to be spring. She pulled her frail body towards the light, trying to escape the pain, the smells, the sounds.

     And suddenly, the pain stopped, and another waterfall of memories fell on her.

     "Celeste!" Wyrden's strong call echoed through her mind, as she stood near the chamber's entry. He was there; he had food, he had comfort. But her instinct prevailed as she snapped him away from her den. She ate the meat he had brought her; it was rich and juicy, and she was famished. Licking the blood off her lips, she felt a prick at her chest, and another, as if a bug had bitten her. She winced instinctively as it clamped on her, sucking at her skin, and slowly she relaxed as the pressure loosened. She gazed down at the two pups, and smiled affectionately, grabbing them gently by the neck and setting them down near the back of the cave as they squirmed. Both of them barely had any fur at all; and their small blue eyes weren't yet opened. She curled around the tiny bodies, lending them her heat, and fell asleep to the noise of pattering rain outside the den.

     If it had been a dream, it was over, and the she-wolf with white fur shook awake.

     "Selena!"

     Odd. That voice sounded familiar, and so did the name. Was it her name? And where had she heard the voice?

     "Selena!" It was a male's voice, followed by a long howl. She looked down at her fur. White, with tinges of red. Circling up, she searched for the pups, but they was nowhere to be found.

     "A-Ash?" Selena ran for the tunnel as if she was running from an enraged mother bear, knocking red dirt over her fur as she banged her head against the ceiling. "I'm over here!" she called, scrambling out of the hole, back into the snow. She shivered at the sudden temperature change, almost even longing for the warmth of the den. But she caught herself. The smells were too much to think about.

     She spotted him. "Ash! What's been going on? Where's Wyrden?"

     "What's been going on?" He snorted. "We've been trying to smell you out for an hour! Wyrden nearly had my throat slit when you hadn't showed up for so long. We have to tell him." Ash's howl carried through the rest of the mountain, carrying the news with it. "Where have you been? Wait-" He sniffed her fur more carefully. "You smell like a completely different wolf."

     She felt blood rush to her face. "I might have been a completely different wolf for a while. But-"

     Wyrden's reply echoed back, and Wyrden came running with the rest of the pack at his heels. "You can finish later," Ash muttered, backing up with his eyes towards the ground. "Celeste?" Wyrden stopped dead in his tracks, staring at her. "You- you were dead. I saw it myself."

     "Who did you call her?" Ash stared at Wyrden, then back at Selena, studying her with his golden brown eyes. She growled softly. "No, it’s me, Selena."

     Wyrden bounded up "I'm just so glad we found you. There's hunters in the area, and I didn't want to think they had found you." His voice was full of caring, and she could even smell it on him.

     She tucked her tail. "No, you were right to be worried. It won't happen again. I'm sorry."

     He smiled. "You'll make a fine alpha, don't worry about that." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ash staring. She glanced away.

     "Friends," Wyrden turned to announce. "Our pack is complete again. We have a new alpha." Selena saw the other wolves lower their tails and bow; except Ash, whose face looked betrayed and his tail hung low in dejection.

     I'm so sorry Ash, she thought. I have to do this. She stood tall, and howled a low note. It was lower than she had gone before, but it rang with power and authority from her new role. Wyrden's voice joined with her's next, and the other's joined in higher, their sounds blending together, rising higher than clouds, louder than thunder, older than the mountains, supporting her as a new leader. Small white flakes of snow began to descend, and still she held them a little while longer. Power ran through her blood like rapids. It feels good to be in charge, she decided.

     Although she felt guilty as Ash stalked away.