The beginning of Winter
The light lit up the forest below it like it was gilded with silver. The trees, their branches thick with leaves that were turning bronze and the colour of burnished copper. Autumn had arrived, and the thickening clouds carried with them a chilly wind and the threat of snow. The grass below the trees was still green, mostly untouched by any grazing hoofed animals. Every few feet large standing stones could be seen, protruding from the earth. Surrounding these peculiarities were small clearings, as though trees were afraid to root themselves there.
The trees were large, and obviously ancient. The bark was rough, and ideal for creatures to use as a scratching post through the forest. It was only by the streams and pools of water that smaller, younger trees grew. The streams themselves were deep, but narrow, their very depth revealing how long they had been there, and how seldom they had altered their course more than a few inches. The bottom of the streams were silt and rounded pebbles, pebbles which had an iridescent sheen to them, a product from the mountain water which cascaded through some of the darkest caverns in the region.
The night sky was clear, apart from a few heavily laden clouds, and the scattering of stars, making up the many known constellations. The sky was a deep purple, the colour it goes just before darkness completely falls, where the darkness creeps up gradually and the stars appear to be more vivid, almost accessible. The moon hung low, seeming to slip down, to sink towards the horizon, as though escaping the harsh winter coming.
An eerie and lonely howl rose from the darkness, the sound almost ritualistic. Silence once again reigned over the forest, silence apart from the wind rustling the dying leaves, still attached to the branches of the large trees, though one or two slowly fluttered down, swirling with the wind under them, before landing lightly on the grassy ground. As the wind continued to grow in strength and ferocity, more leaves began to fall and the air began to feel bitterly cold. The leaves upon the ground began to crunch, as something approached, something, which paused after every noisy sound.
From the darkness in between the large trees, and the spread roots, a pair of golden eyes were lit up by the moon, and as a step brought the owner further into the small clearing around the smallest group of rocks, more details were picked out. A long muzzle, with a keen nose that scented the air with delicacy and wariness, Eyes which picked up on the slightest movement, turning the muzzle towards, alert for danger.
Long ears were pricked up, twisting to catch every small noise, and a pelt as dark as the darkest shadows. As another smooth, gliding step brought the creature into even more visibility, long well muscled forelegs were brought into view, along with large paws, which adjusted to the difference in surface material, and tried to compensate for that by lowering slowly onto the leaves, to minimise the crunching, and the possibility of alerting another to its presence. Along with the forelegs came thickly muscled shoulders, and a thickened neck, all covered in ebony dark thick fur.
Finally reassured, the creature moved fully into the moonlight, revealing itself to be a very large specimen of a wolf. The moon picked up the few silver hairs around its muzzle, just marks from aging. The rest of the wolfs body was just as well muscled as his front, his hind legs were more muscled, designed for leaping and pulling prey down, his tail was thick, and fully furred, perfect for warming him on a cold night. The wolf that followed him, made it obvious that the was indeed male, as the wolf was a lot smaller, but obviously mature.
This wolf was small, and aged, the movements were hesitant, even pained, as though the wind was cutting into its very being. The pelt was silver, and eyes were a faded yellow, covered over with an opaque white film. The male was leading this elder wolf, letting it lean against him as it traversed the length of the clearing, unafraid at its age. The large male gave obvious loyalty to this wolf, his eyes saw to it's every need. The pair of them lay in front of the stones, just breathing evenly, calming themselves down after the long tiring trek.
The male, now relaxed sat up, and threw back his head, and then opening his muzzle, he howled, his song calling for other travellers to make their way to the rocks nearest them, so that all may be connected in a way they hadn't for a long time. His ears flickered back, as the wolf beside him uttered her own howl, which was at once thin and reedy, as well as compelling and invigorating.
The fear deteriorated, leaving the male feeling more confident. One by one, other howls joined theirs, until the air almost rang with the sound, all different pitches and timbres all interconnecting and seeming to join together into one howl, which penetrated the heavens themselves. One by one, the howls dropped off, until the only one left howling was the elder wolf, whose voice seemed as strong as the binds of nature itself. When her howl gradually died, a reverent silence fell over the forest, as all the wolves in front of the many small clearings began to settle.
They knew what they were doing, as each had with them a wolf at least four seasons older, who was showing them the way to call in the winter, to call in the snow so that the years pups could play, and so that hunting became something special, something more like a ritual. No more would packs be divided, and be forced to hunt rabbits just to feed themselves, now they could hunt together as one, each knowing their place, and their part in the proceedings.
Slowly, almost reluctantly, a snowflake drifted out of the sky, and melted against the stone in front of the pair, causing the black male to look up as the clouds almost seemed to burst, and snow began to fall, at first slowly, and then gradually falling heavier and heavier. Soon the ground turned from green spotted with burnished brown leaves, to a thick covering of white. Swishing his long tail, the male wolf turned to the silver beside him, and nudged her gently, trying to get her under cover so that they could start to return to the pack, and home.
Snow fell from her head, revealing her slightly opened eyes, no longer in pain, now at peace. Her body was beginning to stiffen, as the male wolf threw back his head and let out a howl of grief, a howl that was echoed hollowly back at him. He knew how she had died, the scarce prey, and miles long journey had exhausted her beyond survival. Moving her gently, he tried to nudge her body underneath a bush, so that her body could return to nature as it was meant to.
It was with a lowered head and a drooping tail that the male picked his way through the fresh snow, his large paw prints showing how he meandered around, as though lost, before beginning to lope, heading straight forwards, towards home. His strides became wider, and paw marks further apart as he sped up, now able to move at the speed he had been denied when travelling towards the forest. Stopping on a snow covered hill, his silhouette lost against the night sky, he looked back at the forest, which was just barely visible at this distance, and howled once more, this time a howl of farewell, and a promise to the others, all heading on their way home, to return again, next year, to once again howl down the winter.
He turned his noble head forward, and his keen eyes were resigned to the knowledge that for a few nights he would be alone, and probably hungry for another few days beyond that. He shuffled his paws once or twice, trying to warm them a little, before he stretched, sliding his forelegs forwards, and pressing his chest to the ground, and then standing, before walking forward and dragging his hind legs behind him. Raising up to his full height, he shook himself clear of the snow, before leaping forward, and bounding through the snow, the moon lighting up the snow, and his strong body, doing what it was designed for, and conquering the wilderness whilst still remaining wild and free. His heart was almost singing with the joy of being so utterly free, even being alone wasn't bothering him for once in his still young life. A flock of geese flew over the moon, and saw the wolf, in his prime, his stamina seemingly endless as he leapt through thick snow and then loped over the thinner snow. After he had put miles between him and the forest, his energy began to wane, and he began to tire out, his tongue hanging as his sharp white teeth gleamed cruelly.
He began to circle, trying to find somewhere to rest. He finally found a large tree, rooted deep into the earth, and that was where he curled up, his forelegs drew into his sides, his head curled resting on his large paws. His tail curved around, covering both his hind paws and his nose, and it was there he rested, stress and exhaustion beginning to fade before he even slept.
When the black male woke, he was coated in a light crust of ice and snow, which easily broke a he rose up, blinking a little. The sun was still a few hours away from rising, but he felt rested enough to carry on. He had only two urgent needs, one to urinate, which he did against the tree he had slept sheltered in, and the need to quench his thirst, which he did by eating a few muzzlefulls of snow. He stretched one again, this time dragging his hind legs, and then backing up so he could stretch his forelegs out. Having a final shake, he began to first walk, then trot and eventually run, his whole body seeming to ripple, every muscle knowing its rightful action.
It was approaching his third night from leaving the forest that he scented a familiar scent, that of his father. Standing on the outskirts of the territory, he cautiously began his own unique howl, one that told of who he was. He didn't wait long before he heard the excited barking and semi howls of his birth pack, his family. He plunged towards them, his tail wagging furiously, his own barks meeting those of his littermates, the newest litter not yet conceived. He greeted his parents, the Alphas with all the respect that they deserved, and then howled out the song of grieving, which all the pack joined in with.
His news now delivered, he whined, and scratched at the ground, before sniffing the air, and begin to weave his way through the trees, attempting to find a late denning rabbit, so he could finally feed for the first time since he and the elder had left. His father, so alike to his son, but in fact smaller, and now greying heavily around his muzzle, led the pack to the kill from the day before. All the rest sat back as the black male fed voraciously, grunting and ripping the meat clean of the carcass.
Finally gorged, his stomach protruding a little, he sat and carefully licked the blood from around his muzzle, and on his paws off. It was now that he stretched out, before going to joyfully greet his brother and sisters properly. He pinned his brother and growled softly, putting him back in his place, because his brother had greeted him with a growl, and a nip. Now properly chastised, the smaller brother whimpered, and rubbed his head against his more dominant, bigger brother. This wolf was more ordinary looking, as he was a typical grey wolf, with a deep brown/black streak along his muzzle and over his back. His eyes were more green than golden, and one of his legs was slightly twisted, a disability from his first winter hunt, where a deer had trampled over him. The pack were more lenient towards him, especially in the cold as they knew he was slower, and less sure of himself near large prey.
After his brother stood meekly, he greeted the four sisters with excitement, bounding in amongst them happily, and nipping them playfully, all of them chasing each other around. Then, their playfulness ended as he greeted each female in turn. First he went to the smallest female, the one that was his special sister, who cuddled with him at night. She looked the most like their mother as she was a chocolate brown, speckled through with grey and white. Her eyes were the brightest gold, and she was rather thin pelted. The black male licked her nose, and then rubbed his muzzle against hers, and then she did the same back. He moved on, every sister standing around him in a loose circle.
He then moved to the most dominant female, the odd looking one who fought for the right to be top of the litter. She was a dusky red and white, her belly and legs being speckled with the white, and the rest of her body was the red of the leaves in the autumn. She too had golden green eyes, but hers were slightly cooler, more remote than the others. They greeted each other with a gently nuzzle to the throat. The third sister was the kindest out of the litter. She was black too, but she had a silver/white splash that pooled underneath her eyes and onto her throat. She had green eyes, which were almost maternal in the manner as she greeted her brother by resting her head on his back for a second, while he nuzzled at her ears and licked one.
The final sister was the one he was least pleased to see, as he nuzzled her just the once. She fawned over him, licking and nibbling his fur while he stood there, a growl reverberating through his chest. She was the oddest one of the family, being a creamy white, and having odd eyes. One was green and the other was blue. All the elders had suspected her parentage, as a white husky from Mans village had been hanging around last winter, but nothing had been done about her.
Now the pups had been greeted more leisurely, he went to see his mother and father, who were cuddling together. His father, so alike him, watched him carefully, a slight growl beginning deep in his chest, which stopped as his larger son nibbled his chin gently, trying to entice him into a chase. When that failed to work, the younger wolf, barked a challenge at his father, and under note of playfulness clearly heard. The pair met in a clash of chests, growls and snapping teeth, first one and then the other got the upper paw in the fight, until the older, with some difficulty, managed to pin his writhing son to the ground. When he let go both stood panting heavily, chests heaving as they tried to inhale enough air to breath naturally.
It was now his mother got up. She was a more delicate wolf, being very fine boned, and a lot smaller than his father, or littermates. She was a brown female, with smooth furred forelegs which were shorter, and smaller pawed than that of the males. Her whole body seemed to be skinny, as though she never had had a full meal. Her eyes were also green, and they glittered as she rubbed herself along the chests of the two males, greeting them both as equals. The elder nibbled on her ears, and growled softly, the sound happy. The youngsters reaction was different to how he had greeted any in the pack, as he rolled onto his back, and pawed up at his mother, more like a season old pup than one fully grown.
The whole pack was now almost assembled, and the alpha male led them in a howl, calling for the final three wolves, all unrelated to the family pack. Their howls were answered with silence, which caused worry among the alpha pair. They paced, whimpering and uncertain, before a skinny grey wolf came running, cringing close to the ground as the other two snarled above it. This was the omega, the lowest in the pack rankings. He bore wounds, half healed and fresh, still bleeding. The two missing wolves had attacked him, because he had attempted to feed out of turn.
The two largest wolves in the pack, one male one female, trotted in after him. They had flushed him out, and forced him to run in front of them, but their tails wagged from their half lifted positions as they saw the black male standing and watching them, his own, higher lifted tail swishing just barely. He was clearly a calm and confident animal, though sadness was still a shadow lurking in his eyes. The pack all together now, everything settled down a little more, though tempers seemed to by fraying a lot more than before he had left.
Now the pack settled down to sleep, everyone tired out from the exciting day. The alpha pair lay together, whilst the male omega lay timidly with the black and silver sister of the black male. The beta female lay with the weakest male from the litter, whilst the beta male, the strongest male and the other pups all lay in a bundle, warming one another, and relaxing. Silence soon reigned over the pack, broken only by the small whines and growls of dreaming wolves, which was always accompanied by twitching paws and legs, and rapid blinking. All around them, snow continued to fall and settle upon the ground.
The first wolf to awaken was the beta female, a very proud looking she-wolf, with grey and salmon red fur, all mingled along her spine. Her tail curled up, and her ears were perked. Her eyes were golden, and sparkling with cheerfulness. She untangled herself from the weak male, who had woke her with his growling and twitching, and walked away a little. She yawned, a flash of pink gums and sharp teeth, before scenting the ground, and then walking towards the small stream, near where the pack slept.
Her paws settling upon the earth without thought, the she-wolf walked the long way, her tail swishing with every step she took. She yawned again, and then snapped her jaws shut, beginning to play in the snow. She ran around in circles, her nose buried in the snow, before she flicked it up and snapped at the falling snow balls. She began to lightly yip, and then chase her tail, before resuming her walk to the stream. She lowered her head down, and used her tongue to curl water into her muzzle, swallowing thirstily. It was only when a branch cracked behind her that her head shot up, and a warning growl erupted from her muzzle.
The growl died as the alpha male trotted towards her, his tail and head held high as his golden eyes assessed her, not coldly, but critically. He then brushed past her, before lowering his own head to drink, his hackles slightly raised along his spine. He was, for his age, a powerful wolf still, deep in the chest and broad of the shoulders. Up close, the beta female could see the silver grey fur of age beginning to fleck his once fully black coat. She swished her tail lowly as he stood fully upright, water dripping from the sides of his muzzle.
He used his tongue to clear the water off, murring softly, a sound unheard by many, a sound like a canine purr of satisfaction. Finally he stretched and shook, all whilst the female beta watched him, her tail still wagging. He watched her carefully, before showing a little rare affection, and nuzzling her ears gently.
His mood changed abruptly, and he nipped her ear, and growled, before uttering a woof, and play bowing and wagging his long tail behind him. The female stared at him, confusion and playfulness at war, her head tilting as she puzzled about what to do. The alpha, growing bored, darted forward and nipped her tail, before returning to his previous position. The pair begin to bound in circles around each other, nipping and leaping, just playing, carefree and wild in the snow, their yaps and growls filling the air.
The noise woke up the young male, and he disentangled himself from the others, padding heavily towards the sound. He stood, watching the pair chase each other around endlessly, his head tilted, and forehead furrowed with bemusement. It was rare that his father ever played with the pack anymore, normally he just lay and watched the pups, or younger wolves indulgently. The younger male stood in the shadows, the wind ruffling his thick pelt, blowing his scent back the way he had came.
The pair stopped and stood panting, white steam exhaling from their nostrils and muzzles. Their golden gazes were locked, as their tails wagged. The beta female trembled with exhaustion, the black older male looked as strong and as calm as a wolf which knows its place.
Now the younger male stepped forward, his golden eyes locked on his father, a growl reverberating through his chest. This was a challenge and a foregone conclusion. Mating season was on the way, and it was the time for the more dominant pups to move on, to found their own packs. Father and son glared at each other, the former now realising the inherent strength of the former, and the size difference. The beta female whimpered uncertainly, before the younger male snarled at her, and lifted his tail into dominant position. She ran, and the movement distracted older male, the younger rushed him, forcing him into a pure instinctive reaction. Winter had truly come this year.