by K. T. Tomb
“You’re different from us, you know,” Blue said. “Why is that, I wonder?”
“Am I?” Shadow said, looking down at his black curly fur. “How so?”
“You are smaller,” Blue continued. His tone was not accusing, merely curious. “And your fur is different.”
Shadow thought about this for a moment. “Yes, but Chase has different markings, and Snow’s fur is also different. Yours is gray. Hers is white. Mine is just black. See? Not that different after all.”
Blue considered. “Maybe, but you’re shaped differently from us.”
“Do you think so?” Shadow said, crouching down onto his paws. “But my teeth are the same as yours!”
He pounced onto his brother and the two rolled into a play fight as Shadow clamped down on Blue’s scruff. They never bit hard enough to really hurt each other, and they both growled and laughed as they tumbled across the glen.
From nowhere, Snow plowed into the two of them, sending them into another frenzied roll. They didn’t realize it, but the momentum sent them across the flowers and beyond the tree line. A sharp growl from Alpha alerted them, along with the mental jolt of the mind link.
“Until you’re ready,” Alpha scolded as they all slunk back into the grove, heads lowered and tails between their legs, “you must not leave this area. The branches overhead protect you from eagles, hawks and owls.” Alpha’s eyes burned into them, taking a moment longer when his gaze landed on Shadow. The memory had nearly faded, but Shadow felt that the connection had some kind of meaning to him, more than to the others. He didn’t quite know why. Alpha continued, “The hunters never venture this far. As long as you stay in the grove, you will remain safe. Do you understand?”
They each nodded and waited for Alpha to dismiss them to play again. When he did so, Shadow felt the release of his mind from the fervent attention that he was forced to participate in when the Alpha demanded it. He connected with his littermates the most, but he was beginning to feel a slight connection with the other members of the pack. He already knew Thunder and Storm, two of the adult wolves that often hunted together. They sometimes watched over the cubs if Alpha and Mother had gone hunting. Cass, of course, and Elsa, the sister of Cass, also watched them. Shadow was only just beginning to feel the effects of being part of a pack.
“I wonder why we can’t go past the edge of the grove,” Chase said with a grumble after Alpha had sent them on their way. “What’s so different about the forest?”
“We’ll see when we are older,” Snow said. “Storm says we will learn how to hunt and stuff.”
“Like what stuff?” Shadow asked, bouncing ahead a few steps and then back again.
“You know,” Blue said. “Wolf stuff.”
“Like howling,” Snow added, casting a sidelong glance at Shadow. “Do you think you would know how to howl?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Shadow said, drawing himself up to full height. “I could howl just like any other member of the pack.”
Chase grinned. “Let’s hear it, then.”
Shadow thought about what to do next. He realized he did look different from the others. Their fur had a sleek finish and most of the pack had the markings of black, white or gray. His own fur had curls in it and was a deep shade of black. He wondered if the differences extended beyond that. What if he couldn’t howl? he wondered. He had heard the others begin to practice lately, but he had been too afraid to try himself.
“You first, Chase,” he said.
“Why should I go first? You’ve heard me howl.”
Shadow changed his tactic. “But you are so good at it. I need you to show me how, just once. Come on Chase, please?”
“Okay, fine.” Chase stepped forward into the middle of the group. Blue, Snow and Shadow looked on. Chase tossed his head in a manner of clearing his throat. Then, he pulled his head back and let out a small squeak.
The others let out titters of laughter.
“I was just warming up!” Chase exclaimed with some embarrassment. He tried again, and this time, his voice came to him a bit stronger. His small, high-pitched howl rang across the glen, echoing off the trees on the other side.
Shadow watched in fascination. He would find a way to howl like that, he thought to himself. He would prove to them that he could be just as much of a wolf as any of them. The sound of the small howl seemed to inspire the others in much the same way as it had Shadow.
Snow stepped forward next to her brother and threw her head back. She emitted a low squeak and then another clearer cry, which harmonized with Chase’s sound. Before another minute passed, Blue joined in. So far, he was the best of them all. Shadow finally succumbed and joined in. His own voice rang in a higher pitch than the others, punctuating the song with shorter utterances. He kept on, trying to mimic the haunting sound of his siblings. The sound of the four rang out across the glen.
They didn’t know, but Mother had returned and had been watching them silently from the edge of the forest. A few moments later, she stepped forward next to Alpha. They both watched from the other side, beaming with pride as their little wolves practiced for the first time the sacred art: the howl.
Chapter Three
“Look alive, cubs!” Storm yelled as he ran with the litter through the forest.
The cubs had grown larger and were now allowed to run with the others. Each time they left the glen, they were assigned to one of the older members of the pack. Today, they ran with Storm, who goaded them into a fever pitch.
Shadow pulled hard to run as fast as the others. His siblings’ legs had grown longer than his, but he discovered that he could still keep up and hold his own when they ran together. The other members of the pack tracked a small deer that had become separated from the others. If they succeeded in taking down the deer, this would be the littermates’ first successful kill.
Shadow felt a surge of energy as he felt the adrenaline of the pack through the mind link, prompting his legs to run faster. Snow had dropped behind him and he felt her keeping pace at his heels. Blue and Chase paced alongside Storm.
Shadow caught the scent of the panicked prey as it stumbled through the forest. Its leg had caught on an exposed tree root and it fell. The pack members closest to her took the opportunity. Cass had the final kill this time, but the others circled in quickly. They waited first for the Alpha and Mother Wolf to have their portions. When finally given leave to do so, the rest of the pack finished the remaining meat. Shadow enjoyed the meal of fresh meat and the silent camaraderie of his pack mates around him.
After they had eaten, Mother quietly called the litter to her with a quick tug at their mental connection. Shadow and the others circled around her. The pack mates had begun to wander off, some taking the time to run alone. Others rested in patches of sun peeking through the branches.
“You may go on your own,” she told them, “but you must return to the glen before the sun dips below the treetops. Don’t go near the hard road, and stay away from the open spaces. If you see a human, return immediately to the grove. I will know and I will meet you there. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mother,” they said in chorus. Each of their tails wagged with anticipation of the new freedom that their mother was granting them. Shadow realized they had never run alone before, but he also knew she was testing them. If they didn’t heed her warning, they wouldn’t soon be granted such a privilege for a long while. Also, he had not been away from his siblings for any time that he could remember. With full stomachs and alert minds, they all scattered into the forest after Mother Wolf gave the final nod to dismiss them.
For a short while, Shadow walked along with Snow at his side. They walked in silence, sometimes exchanging a small thought with the other.
“Do you know where you will go?” Snow asked.
“No,” Shadow said. “I guess I’ll just see where the path takes me.”
“I’m not going very far at all,” Snow said. “Just because we can doesn’t necessarily mean that we should.�
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Shadow wanted her to go on her own way. The need to explore on his own had pricked at his mind and when Mother Wolf had given them this permission, he wanted nothing more than the embrace of solitude.
“I’m going to see what I can find. See you later, Snow.” Shadow could tell that they were farther from the den than they ever had been before. He knew that Snow wouldn’t go much further. The little dog broke into a run, leaving his sister behind.
“Shadow!” she called out after him as he bounded over the tangled roots. “Shadow, wait! Don’t go that way!”
Her voice quickly faded into the distance behind him as he gained speed. He didn’t want to run as fast as he had during the hunt, but he kept a good pace. The trees jutted into the sky, making a canopy overhead.
The sunlight that did reach down to Shadow created patches of bright green, reflecting the light in ornate patterns on the forest floor. Shadow slowed to a walk to take in the view of the forest. A butterfly flitted by, which he followed, playfully bouncing toward it when it would alight on a leaf of underbrush. It amused Shadow to no end to watch the little insect fly away. He continued on, following a path that the forest dwellers had woven between the saplings. A human eye wouldn’t have seen anything more than the brambles and roots of the forest floor, but Shadow stepped deftly along, following instinct and adventure.
After a while, he came upon something strange in the depths of the forest. An outcropping of rock jutted from the edge of an overgrowth of shrubbery. The scent surrounding the area was muted somewhat by the nearby stream, which added a musical melody to the sun-dappled forest. He looked over the rocks thoroughly, sniffing and peering at the strange arrangement.
Underneath the floral bright scent of the plant life and the fluid scent of the creek, another undercurrent met his senses, causing a feeling of confusion. The scent seemed very old, almost faded into nothingness, but Shadow recognized it as that of a human. Shadow could tell it had been a long while since any human had been there. The pile of rocks had such an intentional look about the formation that Shadow was not surprised to find this scent present. He felt alert already at being out for the first time on his own, but the reminder that humans had once been here heightened his senses even further.
Shadow circled around, finding that the area around the rocky outcropping consisted of smaller trees and heavy undergrowth. Tangled vines and brambles pulled at his fur as he carefully stepped through the small vale. He didn’t know what he was searching out, and wondered if he should return to the den to tell Mother about his discovery.
No one thought that the humans would come this far into the forest, but it was clear, due to the degree of the scent level, that it would have been a very long time since a human had been there, perhaps even years.
He glanced at the sky. The sun still hovered well over the tree line. As such, Shadow decided that he would stay and explore a little while longer.
***
In another part of the world, one in which Shadow had existed at a time outside his memory, some people looked over a scrap of paper that represented the very patch of forest where he walked, discussing what was to happen with that belt of land.
“Right there,” a man said, with a finger pointed to the very parcel on which Shadow explored. The old McDougall Farm, they called it, had just expired its historical protection. The land was now available for commercial property development. They could buy the land. The forest didn’t exist under any park service. Just that little strip of it, between the overpass and the valley highway. The state would be expanding the road, bringing traffic through the area in the coming years. That land would be ideal for a commercial venture.
Of course, Shadow knew nothing of their plan. Nor did he know that the fate of his wolf family now hung in the balance.
***
Mother Wolf paced the grove, fretting and whining.
Alpha looked on with a small grin. “It is this way every season,” he said. “You always worry, and they always return unharmed.”
“Yes,” Mother replied. “But that is not any guarantee that they will return this time.” She glanced at the sky. “The sun is almost to the trees and they haven’t yet returned.”
“Almost to the trees,” Alpha pointed out. “That is to say, not yet to the trees. They still have time.” He walked over and nuzzled her shoulder, interrupting her nervous pacing. “Sit and rest,” he said. “We have some time yet before they return. Let’s enjoy the quiet while we can.”
Mother stopped and turned her attention to her mate. “Perhaps you are right,” she said. “The pack members have them well watched.”
“Yes,” Alpha replied. He turned and lay down in front of the den. With one last glance to the edge of the forest, she turned and joined him. Within moments, a little white patch of fur could be seen tumbling through the underbrush. Alpha smiled at Mother Wolf as, one by one, the pups returned to the glen. All except one.
“Where is Shadow?” Mother asked when Chase came back into the grove, still shaking off the drops of water from his apparent romp through the creek.
“I haven’t seen him,” Chase said. “I went on my own way.”
“I saw him,” Snow said. “Only for a little while, we walked together. He went that way.” Snow nudged the air with her nose, indicating the direction.
None of the pups noticed, but Mother and Alpha gave each other a silent glance, exchanging a quick thought. It was put aside for a moment, however, because at that very moment, Shadow came through the thicket. He tumbled into the grove and shook off the leaves that had clung to his fur.
“There is the little adventurer,” Alpha said as the last of the litter climbed into the den for the night’s sleep. “Shadow, did you see anything on your explorations?”
“No, Father,” he said innocently. “I just saw regular forest stuff.”
“Very well,” Mother said, nudging him with her nose. “Sleep well, little cubs.”
After the sun had sunk well below the trees and the sliver of a moon bobbed on the darkened treetops, and they were certain the pups were asleep, the Mother turned to Alpha. “We should tell them,” she said.
“There is no need,” the Alpha said with gentle sternness.
“It simply seems that we could avoid any chance of harm if we did,” Mother insisted.
“It has been generations since any human has been in that part of the forest,” Alpha continued. “The pups need not know of the past danger. It has passed. The family of humans has abandoned the farm long ago. I have checked carefully. There are no humans and no forgotten traps.”
Mother set her chin on her paws. “Again, perhaps you are right. I worry about Shadow, though. The others can see that he is different from them. They notice his fur and his shape. He will not grow as big as the others. Not ever.”
“That may be,” Alpha said. “But don’t worry. Shadow is just as much of a wolf as the rest of them. Or he will be.”
“How do you know?” Mother asked.
Alpha laughed, low in his throat. “It was you, was it not, who found him in the forest? Didn’t you say that pup had faced off against an eagle nearly three times his own size? If he had that survival instinct as a young pup, then he is just as much wolf as any of us.”
Mother leaned into him as they both began to drift off to sleep. “That is what worries me the most,” she said. “That is exactly what worries me.”
The two faded then toward sleep, keeping an ever-watchful sense on the safety of the pack, just under the surface of their restful state. As soon as Mother Wolf slept, the Alpha opened his eyes and turned his nose into the wind. The crescent moon shone down, a silver sliver in the indigo night sky.
Chapter Four
Months passed.
The wolves had grown, taking on the lanky shape of adolescence. Shadow had grown, too, though he still looked small next to the others, with his short legs and stubby nose. He had returned several times to the little area he had come to think of as h
is secret place. On various visits, he had found other things not native to the forest—a large wooden wheel nearly buried in the underbrush, several rusted metal tools, one that he had to be careful of as it jutted out of the ground at a dangerous angle.
Going there gave Shadow comfort in such a way that he couldn’t quite explain, even if he had tried. The old and faded scent of the humans, only detectable with small concentration, tugged on his mind like finding an old forgotten plaything. He had not told any of his brothers or sister about the place, as he wanted to keep it to himself. He didn’t know that on this day, he had been followed by one of his own pack. He trusted them all, even if he had known, but today, he would find that not all who seemed to be were his true friends.
Cass followed silently behind Shadow, keeping enough distance between them as to remain hidden and unheard. She suspected that Shadow’s senses were not as sharp as her own since he was, in fact, not a wolf. Long ago, she had accepted the idea that Alpha had not chosen her as his mate. The Mother Wolf could have that duty, but Cass also knew that she could still be the mate of the pack leader if another wolf took on the role.
Alpha had been leader for a long time and she was not the only one who had begun to notice the white fur appearing at his muzzle. He had been a good leader and had protected them well, but every season must come and go. Cass knew it was time for youth to have its turn. Cass had taken to running with Storm during the hunt, and he had seemed receptive to her presence. They had formed the beginning of a friendship, though she could still sense his loyalty to the Alpha. If she could merely plant the seed of the idea, perhaps Storm would be convinced to, one day, challenge the Alpha. If he did so and won, then Alpha would have to submit to the new Alpha. And if that happened, he would return to being called by his previous name. Cass didn’t know if anyone within the pack—except perhaps Mother herself—remembered the Alpha’s prior name. No matter. He knew it. And one day soon, he would most certainly return to it.