WILD
WOLF
Cheyenne
Benson
Dedicated to my cat, Spirit, and my own inner wolf, longing to be set free in a story.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: page 4
Chapter 2: page 7
Chapter 3: page 10
Chapter 4: page 12
Chapter 5: page 14
Chapter 6: page 18
Chapter 1: Heritage
Nelly sniffed the air, nervously trying to find out if any cagekeepers were nearby. Satisfied,
she then lifted a snowy paw and opened the latch holding the door to her cage closed. The
door opened with a squeak. She jumped backwards, frantically looking around to see if
anybody had heard. But no cagekeepers came running at her, and no sound of a wolf
aroused by the sound. She then slipped out of the cage, her breath forming a small white
cloud.
Harsh orange lights blotted out the stars, but at least the light helped her navigate through
the maze of cages. The sound of cars rumbled in the distance. Nelly winced as she thought
of the powerful beasts, roaring down the road. They could crush a wolf without even
noticing.
Nelly stopped. Her sensitive ears picked up a whimpering. The whimpering of a wolf cub.
She dashed towards the sound, all senses alert for any more signs of the pup. Then she
stopped, skidding in the snow.
Before her was a tiny gray wolf cub, sitting on the snow covering a pathway, wailing pitifully.
It‟s little pink tongue swiped around its lips and it howled again. I have to get it out of here
before it attracts attention! She thought.
Already footfalls could be heard, crunching over to them through the snow. Quickly, she
grabbed the cub by the scruff and pelted towards her cage. The footfalls became louder
and faster. She skidded around a turn in the path and dashed for the cage. She slid through
the open door as silently as possible and raced to her lair, a hollowed-out log.
She then set the wolf down and flopped down, panting. Nelly examined the pup more
closely. Contrary to her creamy-brown fur and ice blue eyes, he had eyes like yellow flint,
and his fur was smoky gray. She admired how the moonlight struck his fur to silver.
He stumbled blindly over to her belly and began to suckle. Nelly sighed. How was she
going to explain this?
Usually, when a wolf gave birth, the cagekeepers swarmed around the pup-bearer and
helped her through the process. She couldn‟t tell them the truth that she had been
sneaking around the zoo.
She turned to him, and pressed her nose deep into his fur.
He smelled of the city, of the cars and cagekeepers. She dug deeper… and there, swamped
by the other scents, but still there, was the unmistakable smell of the wilderness.
Nelly recoiled as if stung. A wild wolf! She was going to raise a wild wolf! The wild wolves…
vicious, bloodthirsty… she recalled some of her mother‟s stories, how her mother‟s mother
met one, and how…. She shuddered…. Uncivilized they were. And now, she was going to
be a foster mother to one.
“Nelly.” Nelly whirled around, dislodging the pup from her belly. He squeaked angrily.
“Why‟d you do it, Nelly?” A brown wolf with white paws walked up to her in the lair. Nelly
recognized her sister, Martha.
“Do what?” she asked, stalling. Her heart raced wildly. Had her sister found out about her
midnight escapades? Martha looked down at the pup, then back at her sister. Her eyes
were filled with grief. “Why did you sneak out of the cage? Why did you bring a-a- wild
wolf pup home?”
“Because I had to.” Nelly raised her chin defiantly. Her sister just lay down beside her.
“What are you going to tell the others? What about Zach? He‟s your mate! Are you going
to lie to him?”‟ Nelly hung her head. Her sister was right. Could she lie to her own mate?
“I will tell him that I was… going for a quick walk to stretch my legs, and all of the sudden, I
gave birth to him.”
Martha just snorted. “Right, like anybody is going to believe that. There would be an
imprint of you in the snow. And blood. And the smell of birth.”
Nelly sat up. “Well then, I can manage that.” And she walked out of the den, to a clear
spot in the snow.
“What do you mean?” asked Martha, bounding after her.
“This is what I mean,” said Nelly, and rolled around in the snow. “And this,” she added.
Showing only the slightest bit of hesitation, she bit her paw and scattered drops of scarlet
blood around the area. Martha gasped.
“Nelly!” The creamy wolf just licked her paw clean and headed to a bush, were a warren
of rabbits lived under. There had been a birth recently, and she dug down into the hole,
ignoring the freezing mud that numbed her paws. Finally, she reached the chamber were
the rabbits were born. She wallowed in the smell, making sure she was covered in it.
Then she padded away calmly, heading for her lair. Martha just watched her go, amazed,
then headed for her own sleeping area, a crack in a boulder. As she fell asleep, one
question lingered in her mind. What would it be like, she thought sluggishly, to lie to
everyone you love all for the sake of a bloodthirsty monster? And then she fell asleep,
black waves of tiredness crashing over her.
Chapter 2: The Zoo
Sam awoke with a start. A paw was shaking his shoulder urgently. “Wake up, Sam, wake
up!” “Okay, Okay,” groaned the silver wolf. “It‟s not like cars are flying.” He yawned and
stretched luxuriously in the warm, summer sun.
He then padded over to his best friend, Tommy. Tommy was a black wolf with dark
brown eyes. His friend flicked his black, bushy tail to a group of wolves assembling in front
of the leader, Zach. The two wolves padded over to join the pack.
“We‟re going for a hunt!” yowled Zach. The wolves howled in excitement. Every year, the
cagekeepers scattered their food in certain places in the cage. The cage was big, and it had
many hiding places so the wolves had to „hunt‟ for their food.
“Ryan, Jody, Rico, Maya! Search the northern areas!” Ryan barked. His yellow eyes
skimmed over the pack.
“Lori, Max, Kathy, Hugo!” Four wolves stepped forward. “You go to the east!”
“Tommy, Lily, Slider, Sam! You are assigned to the south.” Tommy bounced up and
down like a rabbit.
“We‟re in the same team!”
“I know.” said Sam.
“And Lily…” coaxed Tommy.
Sam‟s tail twitched in excitement. Lily was a pretty dove-grey wolf with soft blue eyes.
“All right, all right,” he admitted. “I‟m excited.”
“You‟re not alone,” observed Tommy. “Some of the young pups are going crazy.” He
pointed with his muzzle to a group of cubs getting in everywolf‟s way.
“I am not a young pup!” growled Sam. Tommy‟s eyes twinkled with mischief.
“Prove it!” he teased. Sam was just about to catapult himself onto Tommy when Zach gave
the signal. The signal took the form of a howl. Then the groups of wolves pelted towards
their assigned directions, and Sam soon took the lead in his group.
Slider just nodded to him as he passed, and Lily paid no notice. Tommy, however, stepped
up the pace until he had started to pull ahead of Sam. Sam made his legs drum against the
earth faster and faster.
He was streaking across the earth, his belly flat against the ground. He was dimly aware of
the group lagging behind, but he was too caught up in exhilaration to slow down. His legs
were burning and his breathing was ragged and hoarse, but he kept going until he reached
the Southern area of the cage.
He stopped, panting. Sam looked around. The group was far behind him, but steadily
catching up. Tommy looked miffed, Lily looked admiring and Slider had a look of
thoughtfulness on his face, but they were all shocked by his speed, he could see that.
“Wait up, dude!” panted Tommy.
“Sorry,” muttered Sam. Tommy just shrugged, and shrank away as Lily came up to Sam,
her eyes sparkling with admiration.
“How‟d you do that?” she asked, amazed.
“I just…” Sam struggled for the right word to describe the race, “well, ran.” He finished
lamely. Lily just gave him a long, measured look, and then padded away to whisper
something in Slider‟s ear.
“Well, are we going to hunt or not!?” yowled Tommy. At this signal, the wolves split apart,
sniffing for the hidden treats. Tommy padded over to Sam.
“Why did you have to do that?” he muttered.
“Do what?” asked Sam.
“Show off for a she-wolf!” he growled. “Only the idiotic bully wolves do that!” Sam bristled.
“I did not show off!!” he whispered fiercely, then whipped around and plunged into the
undergrowth, leaving Tommy to glare angrily at him before he, too, disappeared. A red
haze clouded Sam‟s senses as he sniffed out a piece of juicy meat.
I did not show off! I ran, that‟s all. I ran like a… like a wild wolf! His breath caught in his
throat. A wild wolf! How could he even think he was related to those evil monsters?!
He found another tempting morsel and gathered the scraps of meat in his mouth, were he
deposited them at the roots of an oak tree. I‟ll put all the meat I find there, he decided.
After sniffing out three more pieces, one cleverly hidden in a rabbit hole, he deposited
them at the oak tree and left to find Tommy. He found his friend angrily scraping at dirt
with his claws. It seemed like he had not even tried to „hunt.‟
“What are you doing?” he snarled as Sam padded up to him. “Showoff!”
Sam bristled. “I did not show off!”
“Really?” Tommy‟s voice was dripping with sarcasm.
“If you don‟t believe me, fine! That just goes to prove you were never my friend!”
Tommy‟s eyes stretched wide with horror.
“I didn‟t mean that! It‟s just, anywolf could have thought you were showing off!”
“Well, you‟re not anywolf! You‟re supposed to be my friend!”
Tommy growled and lashed his tail. Sam saw anger smoldering in his dark brown eyes.
Without warning, he sprang.
Quickly Sam realized that his friend was not play fighting, he was really fighting. Even as
Tommy raked his claws across his flanks, Sam did not turn and fight. How could he raise a
claw against his own friend?
Tommy leaped at him, teeth bared. Sam simply dodged and ran into the forest, leaving
Tommy to hurl insults at him. His mind was numb with shock. How could his friend do
this? In his mind, he saw the short fight replayed, Tommy striking him; clawing at him…
quickly he cleaned his wounds, licking the blood off his pelt.
Padding over to his meat reserve, he found that Lily was already there, waiting for him to
come and pick up his prey. Her warm scent reached out to his nostrils, drawing him closer
to her like tendrils. Her blue eyes searched his face, looking for some emotion. “Lily…?”
asked Sam. She shook herself briskly.
“Sorry. I just followed your scent here, trying to find you.” Sam was slightly curious, but he
did not press her for answers. She was staring off into space again, her beautiful eyes
clouded. Sam crammed his meat into his mouth and asked,
“Coming, Lily?” Lily started.
“Uh, yeah,” she huffed, embarrassed. The two wolves padded away to join the others in the
clearing. During the walk, Lily suddenly looked at him, desperate. The emotion in her eyes
nearly carried Sam off his paws, yet kept him anchored to her at the same time. “Sam,”
she blurted, “I never knew you were so strong. When you ran…” her voice trailed off. She
seemed to draw strength from his gaze, and went on. „I know it must sound pretty funny,
you ran this and you ran that, but Slider was really… well… so impressed, and so was I!”
Sam was startled by this outburst of emotion, and all he could do was lick her ear
comfortingly.
“I think,” he said hesitantly, “that you shouldn‟t worry yourself.” Lily nodded awkwardly
and resumed walking. They had reached the clearing, and all the wolves were there,
including a furious Tommy.
He growled softly when Sam walked toward him, but didn‟t move away. His heart lifting,
Sam watched as Zach stepped up to address the wolves.
“As custom,” he announced, “the Pup-bearers eat first.” Female wolves with swollen bellies
walked up to the tower of meat.
“Now the young ones,” said Zach, and a swarm of pups quickly tucked in. Zach looked at
Sam‟s group, and said,
“Now the hunters.” Sam and Tommy ran at the pile of meat, and soon their muzzles were
red. Sam dug in deeper, and found a tender piece of meat.
“Give me that!” growled Tommy. For a moment Sam was hurt, then he noticed the playful
twinkle in Tommy‟s eyes. With as short bark of laughter, he bowled over his friend, and
together they tussled playfully on the ground. When Sam reclaimed his piece of tender
meat, they broke apart, panting.
“Friends?” asked Tommy.
“Friends.” Agreed Sam. The sun was high in the sky, and the wolves became drowsy. Sam
disappeared into bush, his den, and Tommy went to curl up in his, a cave. As he curled up
for his midday nap, Sam thought about how he had run. Like a wild wolf. Ugh. Savages.
But his mother was anything but athletic, and Zach wasn‟t either. In fact, now that he
thought about it, all the other wolves were born with a… plump shape. But he was lean and
strong. Was it possible? Sam shook his head angrily. All this mystery was going to his head.
Him! A wild wolf! Unthinkable. There was a rustling in the bush, and Sam looked up.
Nelly was standing there. “‟Lo, mom,” Sam mumbled. Nelly said nothing, but curled up
beside him, her warm breath tickling his ear. Content, Sam closed his yellow eyes. What
was he thinking? He was a zoo wolf, born and bred.
Chapter 3: Rage
Sam woke up to the sound of harsh clanging and cage-keepers shouting. He opened his
eyes and looked around. Nelly was still asleep, and he crawled out of his bush carefully as
not to wake her. He blinked against the evening sunlight then his vision cleared, and he saw
a furious wolf in a cage. The cage-keepers were holding the cage, and jumping out of the
way every time the wolf snapped at them. They sat the cage down and opened the door.
The wolf jumped out, slashing at the cage-keepers with furious growls. The cage-keepers
scattered and fled out of the cage. By now a small crowd of wolves had begun to gather
around the sight. Zach stepped up from the crowd and stretched out a paw in greeting. “I
am Zach,” he said. He gestured to the wolves behind him and said, “This is my pack.
What is your name?” The wolf growled and looked down. “My name is Snowfire,” he said
at last. Zach looked at him quizzically. “Snowfire,” he said. “I welcome you to the pack.”
Snowfire had blazing amber eyes and a white pelt with flecks of brown. The wolves in the
pack had never seen this kind of coat before. They crowded around him, asking him
questions, telling him their names. Snowfire seemed to relax but simply stated that he
wanted to be alone. The wolves withdrew, disappointed. Sam walked up to the wolf. He
approached warily, not knowing what this newcomer would do. The wolf simply looked
up, and then hunched his back and turned away. “Are you a wild wolf?” asked Sam.
Snowfire looked up, surprised. “Yes,” he said at last. Suddenly a fear took over Sam.
Would the new wolf tear his throat out, like the bloodthirsty stories suggested? He stepped
backward. “I‟m Sam,” he began. “Sam?” snorted Snowfire. “What kind of a name is that?”
Sam bristled. “It‟s my name!” Snowfire chuckled, and then he seemed to look at Sam
more closely. “You look a lot like a pup I once knew,” he said, “His name was Smoke.”
Sam tipped his head to one side. “Smoke? Now who has the weird names?” Snowfire
ignored him. “He was taken away by a lone wolf. She stole him and we never saw him
again. We followed her trail into the fire forest but… but the smoke-boxes stopped us.”
Sam looked at Snowfire, surprised. “Fire forest? Smoke-boxes? What are those?” “The
fire forest,” Snowfire began, “is a place with tall towers of stone. There are fires in balls,
and sometimes ice squares in the tall towers of stone, they glow like fire too. And smoke-
boxes are boxes of metal that produce so many fumes that the air is gray.” “Why, you‟re
talking about the city!” exclaimed Sam. “And cars!” Snowfire started. “City? Cars? So that
is what those things are called?” “Yes!” said Sam. “The ice squares are windows. And the
path that the cars ride on, those are called streets.” Snowfire narrowed his eyes. “You know
much about the land of the trappers.” “Trappers?” asked Sam. “You mean cage-keepers?
The ones that stand on two legs and have pink pelts?” Snowfire nodded. “Smoke was taken
into this… city… and never seen again. He was my sister‟s pup. I think the Trappers took
him. He looked just like you, except he didn‟t have that scar on his cheek.” Sam shuffled
his paws, embarrassed. “I got that scar fighting Tommy. He‟s my friend, but he thought I
was being a showoff.” Snowfire bristled. “Your pack fights each other when angry!?” “No!”
said Sam quickly. “He just got… carried away.” Thinking it was time to leave, Sam nodded
respectfully at the wild wolf and backed away, heading for the pack gathered around Zach.
Sam could tell that none of them had scented the wild on Snowfire; they had dull and
insensitive noses. But they knew he had a strange name, not like theirs at all. Sam actually
kind of liked the name Snowfire. It sounded brave and cunning. Sam was… bland. The
wolves were pressing Zach for answers. “Will he stay?” “Where is he from?” “What about
his name?” Zach pushed the pestering wolves aside. “We will welcome him into the pack
as we would any new wolf,” he announced. This caused a stir among the wolves, but a
pleased stir. There was a new wolf in the pack. Something suddenly dawned on Sam.
Snowfire was a wild wolf, yet he seemed shocked when Sam explained how he got the scar.
Maybe wild wolves weren‟t the monsters they were made out to be. Zach departed from
the group and walked up to Sam, his thin black fur and white flecks gleaming in the
evening sun. “Are you all right?” he murmured. Sam nodded. „I‟m fine… I‟m just
wondering.”
“Wondering?”
“Oh, nothing… His name sounds strange.”
Zach murmured agreement and twitched his tail, uncomfortable.
“He‟s different. He doesn‟t like the cage, he keeps rattling the bars, and he seems a little…
distant. And the Cage-keepers seemed so jumpy around him… He attacked them.” Zach
looked puzzled.
“What wolf would attack the good Cage-keepers, who give us food and water and shelter?”
Sam shrugged. Inside, his emotions were tumbling around in a chaotic swirl. Smoke…
could that be him? Why didn‟t Snowfire terrify him? There was something oddly
reassuring in his presence, a strong confidence… not a bloodthirsty nature.
“Oh, and one more thing,” said Zach. „Tomorrow night, can you… watch Snowfire a bit for
me? To make sure he settles in?”
“Sure,” said Sam.
„Thank you,” sighed his father. This was strange. Zach wanted him to spy on Snowfire?
Sam was starting to doubt everything he had taken for granted, he had begun to question
that which he always assumed was the truth.
Sighing, he left his father and walked up onto a tumble of boulders that the wolves
frequently sunned themselves on. The brightest stars were beginning to glow, the rest
swamped by the glow of the street lamps. He shifted his weight, settled down, and set his
head down on his paws. He lay there until dawn, questioning his life.
When the sun rose, he shook his fur of the damp mist and yawned.
After stretching each leg and giving himself a thorough wash, he walked away to the
clearing, where his mother was pacing anxiously.
“There you are!” she exclaimed when she saw him. “Where were you?”
“I… slept in” he said, knowing the other wolves would consider him crazy if he said he had
spent the night outside.
“But I checked your den!” Nelly exclaimed.
“I was… uh… deep in the branches,” he said.
Nelly looked at him for a long time, then shrugged and walked away. The rest of the day
passed without further event, though Sam noticed Snowfire experimenting with the latch…
Chapter 4: Escape
That night, Snowfire crept out of his bush, slinking through the undergrowth under the
indigo sky. Snowfire had made his den under a tree, among the roots and soft moss. But
his bed lay empty. Casting his eyes over the cage, Sam spotted him at the gate. He was
tugging at the latch with his teeth, when suddenly it gave way! With a soft squeal, the gate
opened. Snowfire smirked, and eagerly walked through the opening. Forgetting to be
stealthy, Sam ran after him, paws pounding on the soft earth. Hearing him, Snowfire
whirled around. His eyes widened when he saw Sam. “Sam!‟ he exclaimed.
“What are you doing?!” demanded Sam.
“Escaping, Sam.” Snowfire‟s voice was level and even.
“Why!?” asked Sam.
Snowfire sighed. “Because I have a family. I have a life. I have a pack. I‟m their leader, for
the Spirit pack‟s sake.”
This so stunned Sam he didn‟t talk. Snowfire was a leader? Spirit pack? Weren‟t wild
wolves creatures with no family, friends or honor?
Suddenly, Snowfire simply trotted off. “Wait!” said Sam. Snowfire stopped.
“I‟m coming with you.” His heart wrenched at the thought of leaving all his friends, his
parents, everything he knew behind, but the wild hung like a tempting morsel of meat
before him.
Snowfire froze. “You have to hunt for your food. You have to fight for your life. You have
to leave everything behind. Will you still come?”
“Yes.”
“Not without us!” Tommy and Lily suddenly appeared from the shadows.
“Tommy! Lily!‟ exclaimed Sam. The two wolves nodded.
“We‟re coming. Don‟t bother persuading us.” Sam‟s friends stood firm. Snowfire growled
impatiently. “You three can come, but only if you keep up!” and with that, he shot off into
the city. Sam pounded after him. He ran through streets and alleyways. Everywhere he
went, stone grazed his pads until it left bloody smears behind him. The glow from the
lamps illuminated the path. Sam ran until his breath was ragged and his muscles burned.
He put every ounce of strength and willpower into running, fast and silent. Eventually, they
reached the city limits. The roar of the cars faded, replaced by steady cricket-song. They
entered a dark pine forest. Shadows laced the ground. A soft cushion of pine needles
muffled their footsteps, and dark, tall trees surrounded them.
“It is near,” said Snowfire. “What can you hear?” Sam flicked his ears back and forth,
searching for noise. He thought he heard the muffled snores of other wolves.
“Sleeping wolves,” he said at last. Snowfire nodded and padded through a gap in a bush.
His red-flecked-tail disappeared. Hesitantly, Tommy crept after him. Lily looked at him for
a long time then padded after him. Sam was left alone. Can I do this? He thought. He
thought of Nelly, Zach, the life he was about to leave behind. But he thought of the
excitement, the freedom, all the things he was about to experience. He took a big breath
and bounded into the bush.
Sam stood stock-still. In front of him was a whole clearing, filled with snoring wolves.
Mothers with their pups, large males, and old wolves were all separated into groups- the
…nursery… was nestled at he very back, against a wall of solid thorns. The elder wolves
were sleeping under the stars in a cluster with the oldest in the middle and the youngest on
the outside. The male wolves were sprawled out under a low-hanging branch from a pine
tree. The females who had no pups slept inside a small circle of bushes. And a huge,
scarred black wolf with humps and lumps of muscle was sprawled out inside a cave going
underground, snoring loudly with a pile of bones at his paws. Sam shuddered.
Obviously Snowfire was not intimidated, as he stalked up to wolf bristling and snarled. The
black monster raised his head sleepily and looked up at Snowfire. His eyes looked
unfocused, but when he saw Snowfire he leapt up with a short, sharp YIP!
“S-Snowfire!” he stammered. “I-I thought somewolf needed to… keep the den in shape! I
took up the job, but…” he pressed himself into the ground in front of Snowfire, who stood
over him looking murderous.
“GO!” he roared. “You, Thundercloud, do NOT belong in the leader‟s den!”
Thundercloud ran away into the forest, panting.
Several wolves were roused by the confrontation and stumbled out from their groups,
blinking. A young female wolf with red-brown fur and white flecks burst from the bush-
circle, her eyes wide. When she saw Snowfire, her eyes blazed with joy. “You‟re back!” she
cried gleefully. “Father!” All the wolves were awake now, circling Snowfire and howling
happily. His daughter brought an older, copper-colored she-wolf to Snowfire from the
bush-circle. She blinked. “Snowfire?”
“Blazeleg?” The two wolves, obviously mates, danced around each other happily. They
were so absorbed in having their leader back that they hardly noticed Sam, Tommy and
Lily until a hostile dark-brown wolf howled “ INTRUDERS!!” at them. A crowd
of wolves turned to them, growling.
“STOP!” cried Snowfire. He stood up tall, proud and commanding. “These wolves were
imprisoned with me in the zoo! I have welcomed them into my pack, and any who say
otherwise should speak up now!” The brown wolf glared at him, then snarled, “If they can
survive here1 Look at them! They‟ve obviously been imprisoned far too long! They know
nothing of how to survive here. Let them prove their worth in a kamash! A fight until one is
defeated!” „ “You shall not do that!” howled Snowfire.
“No!” said Sam suddenly. He could hardly believe he‟d spoken. But all the wolves were
watching him, waiting for his next move. He summoned up his courage. “If I have to prove
my worth to be in this pack, so be it!”
Absolute silence.
Then the brown wolf laughed. “So be it!” he echoed. Two tan wolves sprang up beside
him, snarling, growling and raring to fight. Then Lily and Tommy ran up to his side1
Together, they faced the offenders with their heads held high.
***********************************************************
Time slowed down. The brown wolf was coming at him in slow motion, glinting teeth,
razor-sharp claws in position. Sam leaped at him and aimed for the ears. His claws ripped
through the flesh. Blood danced in the air before falling to the ground. He turned his head.
Amber eyes glowed with hatred. And then Sam was down, down on the ground, with the
enemy preparing to bite him. Sam struggled, and the teeth missed his throat. They ripped a
long, red gash in his shoulder instead. Hot pain, burning, flowing through his veins like
liquid fire. He howled in sheer agony as claws slashed at his eye. Half blind, he suddenly
thrust himself up and lunged for the wolf‟s paw, close to his cheek. The salty tang of blood
filled his mouth, inviting him to tear the whole paw off. But instead he flung the wolf by his
paw to the left, and he flew straight into the body of the wolf fighting Tommy. Both had
broken bones. Sam struggled up and faced the tan wolf attacking Lily. He had clawed her
sides badly, and she was fighting with her last drop of strength. Sam hurled himself at the
enemy, dragging him off lily. Then the vicious claws turned on him, and Sam almost
wished he hadn‟t.
Bam!
Chapter 5: Initiation
He opened his eyes. A fuzzy outline of Tommy appeared. “Sam?” he asked, worried.
Sam groaned. His mouth felt dry and he was experiencing massive amounts of pain.
“Ow,” he moaned before drifting off again.
Sam scrambled to his paws. All his scars screamed with the movement, but he ignored it.
He had to find Lily and Tommy, make sure they were okay. He had risen from a bed of
soft pine needles under the low, over-hanging pine tree branch. He darted outside.
“AAAH!” he fell. His paws would not support him. He lay there, panting. Slowly, he got
up, limping and whining in pain. Slowly, step-by-step, he hobbled away and gasped. The
sun was high in the sky! How long was he out? How had he gotten where he was,
anyway? But he didn’t think he was getting an answer anytime soon. All the wolves were
curled up for their midday nap.
“Perfect.” he muttered. “Time to explore.” He was anxious to see what lay in the woods.
Ignoring the pain, he limped out of the entrance in the bush and squeezed out into the
forest. He looked up. Wow. Large, wild trees grew in a huge clump spanning for miles. It
was a … forest, yes, a forest. The very thing every zoo wolf despised. I’m no zoo wolf
anymore, he thought. He limped trough the forest, stopping to admire every flower, to
soak in hungrily the beauty of this magical place, not at all like the hellish city with stone
towers that spewed smoke. Birds chirped happily everywhere, filling the forest with their
magical song. It swirled around him sweetly, lifting him into the air, and their song, so
beautiful, so pure, made him drowsy. The warm sunlight caressed him and, under a pine,
an inviting bed of spongy needles invited him to lie down. He stumbled over to it and
took a short rest. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, until he was half-asleep. But then,
his eyelids seemed to lift again, and he padded from the bed. He chided himself for
napping. He had wanted to explore, hadn’t he? Sam padded through the forest, so bright
and happy and different from the shadowy place full of cold mud and looming,
unfriendly trees.
“Starting to feel comfortable?”
Sam jumped around, and he winced from the movement. Snowfire’s daughter stood
behind him. The sunlight turned her red-brown fur into a coppery waterfall, shedding a
glimmer around her. He blinked against the dazzling light. Her eyes were a brilliant
flaming green, and were full of amusement.
“Uh….” Sam said unintelligently.
She flicked her tail, gesturing to all around her.
“This is neutral ground,” she said. “All wolves with a troubled spirit are drawn here, good
or evil.”
Sam blinked. “Neutral ground? You mean… there are other packs?”
“Yes. Shadow Packs, Sun Packs, and Bands live in this forest. And some occasional
Rouge Wolves. We share this place, where no blood can be spilled, or the entire balance
will be upset, and the Spirit Pack will be angered.”
She shimmered, and the plants around her seemed to brighten and dance.
“The daughter of Gaia so decrees.” And with that she padded away, her brilliant sparkle
fading in the distance. Confused, he wandered further into the forest. He hardly noticed
when the air suddenly seemed to grow colder and thick branches suddenly blocked the
sun, he was so lost in thought. The warm ground became more and more muddy
underpaw, until he was sinking into the muck. With a start, he looked around. He was in
a large bog. Frogs croaked and groaned, and there were little splashes as they jumped
everywhere. Dark bushes seemed to encircle him menacingly, and he could swear the
groaning branches were saying Run! Run! Slowly, he backed away, then turned and
pelted for the happy glade with all the sunshine and warmth.
“Sam!” he could swear he heard a wolf call him. “Sam! Sam!” Sam woke up.
Lilly was shaking his shoulder. Her paw rubbed against a gash, and he yelped. She
jumped back. “Oh, Sam, I’m sorry! But Snowfire has called a meeting-thing.” Sam
groaned and hauled himself to his paws. The dream had been so real! And strange. He
followed Lily back to the bush and squeezed through, gasping in pain. She turned to him,
worried, and he saw she had been injured to. There was a scratch just above one of her
eyes, and she limped as she walked. There was also a long, red weal showing along one
flank. She noticed his inspection, and she licked his ear affectionately.
“I’m fine,” she breathed, her warm breath tickling his ear fur.
“How’s Tommy?”
“Not bad. You were beat up the most. He just has a lot of scratches.”
Sam nodded, then looked around the clearing.
“Has it been decided who won?”
“Since Tommy and I were the last ones standing, we did.”
Sam felt satisfaction welling up inside of him. He and his friends had earned their place!
They walked through the throngs of wolves gathered by a tumble of boulders at the edge
of the clearing. Some stared, but most whispered among themselves, sometimes stealing
admiring or curious glances at them. They wound through the group until they found
Tommy. He was licking some minor scratches. He would have looked okay if it weren’t
for him being covered in them.
“You’re alive!’ He exclaimed happily when he saw Sam.
Sam smiled. “Not bad, huh? Still being alive?”
Tommy and Lily erupted into muffled laughs. Sam smiled. Then, all of the sudden, there
was a collective hush as Snowfire leapt onto the pile of boulders with a single bound, his
huge muscles bulging and flexing.
“Wolves!” he howled. Instantly all eyes were trained on him. “You know about the fight
last night, where the new wolves proved their skill, courage and friendship.” Sam, Lily,
and Tommy ducked their heads, embarrassed. “Falcon, Razor and Claw are in the healing
den, sleeping. They have mildly fractured bones. No wolf I have ever seen before has had
the strength to do this. Do you, wolves, agree that these newcomers have earned a right in
our pack?” Sam held his breath. The wolves muttered among themselves, then one
howled, “The pack is agreed!” Lily, Sam and Tommy looked at each other in excitement.
“Lily, come forth.” Cautiously she stepped through the crowd. A she-wolf leaned in to
whisper something encouragingly in her ear. Lily smiled at her warmly. She already has
some friends in the pack! Thought Sam. Snowfire motioned her up next to him on the
boulders, and she scrambled up.
“Lily, in your strength, coordination, cleverness and prowess in battle, you are like a
tiger. Do you accept the name Tigerlily?” Her eyes flashed, full of pride and spirit.
“This is a great honor. I accept!” The pack cheered. Tigerlily’s friend leaped into the air
jubilantly.
“Tommy!” Tommy swallowed nervously, and wound through the throng. All the wolves
eyed him curiously. He leapt on top of the boulders next to Snowfire and Tigerlily.
“Your courage, loyalty, and friendship are like a blazing fire, but lay dormant when not
needed, a spark ready to be brought to life. Do you accept the name Ember?” Tommy
held his head high, and pride lit up his brown eyes. “I accept!” Tigerlily howled her
jubilation, and the pack followed her example.
“SAM!” All the wolves fell quiet as he padded through the mass. All eyes were trained
on him. He reached the pile of boulders and leapt up, ignoring the pain. It had taken a
backseat to the recent happenings. He stood in between Ember and Tigerlily.
“When I was brought to the cages,” Snowfire started, “I expected to find soft, pampered
wolves with no sense of friendship, dignity, honor, culture or freedom. But then I found
Sam, the only one bold enough to question his pack’s ways and to interact with me even
when he knew I was wild. His friends were the same. And when he chose to fight for his
honor, I doubted he was born a zoo wolf. There was a pride in his veins that only one of
us could have. I believe I found Smoke.” The wolves stirred in amazement, and they
started to mutter among themselves, but stopped when Snowfire went on.
“You all know the story. A rouge she-wolf—I give no names—stole him and ran for the
city to try and evade us. Apparently she abandoned him in the zoo. Or she still resides
there. In any case, does this wolf not have the same build and pelt as Smoke did? Does he
not show the same promise?” The wolves started to see where he was going, as they
muttered something about birthmarks, but Sam didn’t. Finally, a wolf spoke up.
“Does he have the Mark?” Sam had no idea what he was talking about. Snowfire
muttered, “Show them your left front paw.” And so Sam raised it, and the assembled
wolves gasped. Sam didn’t see what was so special. As far as he knew, it was an ordinary
paw. Then Snowfire spoke. “As you see, Sam and Smoke both have the same Mark—one
of fate.” And Snowfire pointed a claw at a cluster of hairs on Sam’s paw. They were red.
Red like blood.
“He has the mark that only becomes visible after great changes. Just like our long-lost
pup. Smoke, welcome home.”
Chapter 6: New Life
Smoke stared at Snowfire.
“But… but… but…” But there was nothing to argue that point with. Snowfire raised his
head and addressed the pack.
“However, the name Smoke no longer stands for what this wolf is. His sharp claw, his
bravery to question what is taken for granted and to stand up for what is right is
something special. And so he is deserving of a special name. His qualities are the very
essence of a wolf, what we should be. His sharp eye spots the truth, and he is swift and
silent. He stalked me without my hearing it. Do you accept the name Eagle?”
Sam looked out at the forest, and felt a thrill in his veins. Eagle.
And slowly, rolling the words around his mouth like a new taste, he said proudly,
“I accept!” The pack went crazy. They howled and jumped into the air and leaped and
twisted. Snowfire’s daughter was staring up at him, and with a shiver Eagle remembered
his dream, and then shook himself. No way could that be real. And above the clamor rose
a single terrified howl. All jubilant howling stopped at once as a small, dusky-brown wolf
ran into the clearing. Two black wolves ran at him, snapping at him with their teeth.
There were bloody slash marks on his hind half, and it was obvious he was being herded
here. After a stunned silence, the wolves scattered. Some dove into the forest. Others
tried to protect the nursery and elder wolves. Snowfire jumped down from the rock and
leapt at the black wolves. After a moment, Eagle decided he would be best helpful
defending the nursery and ran off there. Tigerlily darted off to protect the elderly, and
Ember joined the wolves in the trees. Eagle saw they were ready to leap out and encircle
the invaders. Another wolf was bristling beside him, his lips drawn out in a snarl. He had
silver-blue fur and piercing storm-blue eyes. His front paws were white, and there was a
slash of white hairs down his muzzle. Eagle turned his head back toward the fight.
Snowfire took on the invaders with small group of wolves behind him, while the ones in
the trees prepared their trap. Every time a enemy came near the protected dens, a
guardian would lean in and give the attacker a good slash. A black wolf’s tail flicked past
Eagle, and he leapt at it, digging his teeth into it, and holding the wolf still while a
unknown packmate slashed at it, until it gave a convulsive shudder and died. Red-black
blood spilled onto the bright grass, and it withered into yellow ash. The wolf Eagle had
noticed earlier was howling in pain as the other enemy lashed out for him, raking his
claws over the guardian’s eye. He withdrew into the back of the group, and the guardians
swallowed the empty space. Finally, Snowfire managed to get a good shot and leapt at
the other enemies’ throat. In that split instant, suddenly Eagle’s heart leapt into his throat.
And then claws rake over his cheek, and a binding pain numbed his senses. He backed
up, knowing he was in no fighting condition with a wound that deep. The claws had
scraped against bone. Behind the barrier, pregnant she wolves ran around trying to clean
the wounds and heal them, while mothers shielded their pups from the onslaught with life
and limb. But Eagle had happened to have backed up, half-blinded, into the bramble
barrier. There they ensnared him, and he growled with rage as he tried to drag them off.
Come on! I survive all this just to get defeated by some stupid BRAMBLES!? He twisted
and struggled, but he just got himself more hopelessly ensnared. Finally a passing she-
wolf noticed him and his cut cheek.
“Great Spirit Pack!” she yelped, and began gnawing at the tendrils. At last, with a mighty
heave, Eagle lunged out of the thicket, leaving what felt like half his pelt behind. Already
the pain in his cheek was subsiding, growing duller and duller. The she-wolf was dark
brown with bright, sharp yellow eyes, and her belly swollen with unborn pups.
“Get over here!” she exclaimed and dragged him to a patch of ground where she began
licking his cheek with vigor. Eagle noticed that, thankfully, there was hardly any other
wolf there. The wolf with the gray-and-white pelt widened his eyes when he saw the gash
on Eagle’s cheek.
“How’d you get that?” he grunted as the she-wolf scraped her tongue over Eagle’s wound
painfully.
Eagle shook his head in confusion, and the she-wolf growled and planted her paw on his
cheek, keeping it still while she cleaned it.
“I don’t know. One moment Snowfire was lunging for the wolf, then the next I knew I
was backing up with this cut.”
The other wolf grunted again.
“That’s no cut. It’s deep.”
“Stay right here,” ordered the she-wolf , then bounded off to the back of the sleep-place.
The gray wolf watched her go with worried eyes.
“What’s your name?” asked Eagle. Moving his jaw set the cut on fire, but he was curious.
“Lakshamin. The one treating you, that’s my mate, Bird.”
“Lakshamin. What does that mean?”
“It means ice-feather in the old wolven cant. In the days when Ouranous and Gaia walked
the earth.” His eyes took on a dreamy look. “In the days of magic.”
Eagle was thoroughly puzzled by now, so asked something different.
“Who are those black wolves?”
Lakshamin’s eyes darkened.
“They are prisoners of the spell and once our allies.”