A Wild Love

Changing Seasons

The older Lucy got, the easier it was for Marie to keep them hidden. Her becoming aware of the world around her took a large load off of Marie's shoulders. It was hard to keep track of time, living in the wild like they did. Marie had no way to track Lucy's age and was using her milestones as a makeshift time keeper. With the more Lucy could understand, the more Marie taught her.

It all started with her first rule, stay as quiet as possible. Lucy was quite young learning this rule, and it was probably Marie's most useful tool. Rule two came about when Lucy was around the age of eight, clumsy thing she was. Trying to avoid a small group of rogues, Lucy got herself stuck in a catch and release trap. Rule two: Be aware of your surroundings. Marie taught Lucy to scent for other wolves, which came the third rule, evade other wolves, especially rogues. Rogues were untrustworthy, and more often than not dangerous. And with learning to scent the fourth rule came about, avoid pack territories at all costs. Only two things would come from accidentally running into a pack territory, either being killed upon sight or being discovered. Rule five was created after Lucy gained enough courage to try to fight a bear. Around the age of 13, Lucy and Marie had encountered a smaller bear, one who didn't take too kindly to them being close to her den. Lucy had finally learned to control her shifting a few months earlier and took it upon herself to take charge of the situation. The result ended in Lucy with a nasty gash in her side, Marie coming to her rescue, and rule five: run before fighting. If you could escape them, there was no need for bloodshed, especially when you could end up injured. The sixth and final rule was to keep moving. It was harder to be found if they didn't stay too long in one place. Who they were running from, Lucy never knew, all her mother would tell her was that people were after them, people who committed the worst of sins.

Along with rules, Marie taught Lucy of the basics of wolves, about rogues, the basic societal structures of pack life, and when she became old enough, mates. Mates were Lucy's favorite topic, she could listen for hours of stories of mates. Her mother warned her about rejection, telling her she wasn't like other wolves. Marie knew that her daughter was wilder than what most wolves were used to, and on top of that a rogue. She knew there was a high probability that Lucy would be rejected. She warned Lucy about this extensively, not wanting her daughter to get her hopes up to high, but Lucy never listened. Always telling Marie that Selene wouldn't be so cruel to fate her to a rejection.

Time wasn't kind to Marie, she found herself becoming weaker with time. One could only imagine due to an underlying illness, one she had no cure for. Marie's final year she tried desperately to keep Lucy from knowing about her state. She didn't want to frighten her and Marie also had in some way convinced herself that by not talking about it, it might go away. That of course was not the case and with the changing of the seasons Marie's condition took a turn for the worse. In the fall Marie finally broke down and warned Lucy of what might be to come. She prepared her as much as she could, Lucy needed to learn to survive on her own. She preached her rules to Lucy, until she could speak no more. With the changing of the leaves and the first signs of winter Marie's body had started to shut down on her. She knew she wouldn't have much longer and there was no way she could survive the harsh winter ahead. Her best bet was preparing Lucy for the worst to come, making sure she had enough supplies to last her. By the first snowfall Marie was no longer able to walk, meaning they could no longer keep moving. Marie begged Lucy to leave her, but Lucy wouldn't have it. She would not abandon her mother, she would care and provide for her until the end came for Marie. And the end did come, half way through one of the harshest winters they had experienced. Marie passed during the night of one particularly bad storm. One they had to seek shelter from in a small cave.

Lucy suspected Marie knew it was the end, telling her the night before, "Lucy I need you to know how imperative it is your stick to your rules. Now more than ever. I won't be here to help you much longer. You will face your most difficult obstacles soon, but you will survive. You will adapt. I love you Lucy."

With morning, Lucy awoke to a cold and lonely cave. It seemed colder now than it was when the winds were blowing. Upon discovering her mother, Lucy was heartbroken. She was all alone now, knowing she would face great adversity, and scared out of her mind. Lucy knew she had to keep going, she wouldn't let her mother's sacrifices be in vain. She would continue on, no matter the sorrow and forlornness that festered in her heart.

With the change of the seasons and the passing of the years, her walls were built. Her emotions started to die off, not needing them to survive. Lucy needed her rules, that was all. The memory of her mother helped keep what little humanity she had left. She acted almost entirely on animal instinct, keeping mostly in her beastly form. Lucy wasn't naive, she knew going too long without shifting would result in being stuck in one form and losing the ability to shift. She was careful not to go too long between shifting forms, but it was safer to stay a wolf. The shifts became harder and harder the longer she was alone. Not finding a reason to anymore. Her days became almost monotonous routines of following rules. Rules she couldn't remember reasons for, and with forgetting came mistakes. With mistakes came consequences.