FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This was a story i wrote for a very good friend's birthday present. She enjoyed it, i enjoyed writing it, so now i hope you enjoy reading it.

The characters WaterSinger and Cobalt are the property of their human selves. Please ask THEM before using their fursonas. Failing that, ask me and i'll send on the message to them A.S.A.P.

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The howl of the wolf was as feared by any prey as it was by mankind. It would echo throughout the night sky, making creatures of all species scamper and scurry. Even the hardiest of men and animals alike, could feel their spines quiver and their blood run cold at the sound. A silence would befall the earth as if the whole world had stopped to listen, unable to ignore it. Yet, none except the wolves themselves could fathom any true meaning from the howl. It was a secret held dear to the species, a sworn oath between all wolves not to disclose their idiom. And in such a place as this, it was that much more special.

A thick blanket of purest white snow coated the earth for miles around, crafting a featureless and barren wasteland. A lone dense clump of alpine evergreens provided at least some cover from the snowfall. It was the last refuge of the few damned souls that had once thrived in the area. It was a place hostile to any creature daring enough to eke out a living there at this time, let alone pass through it. The greenery had long since died and food for prey animals was practically none-existent, therefore, there were few of them. It was as simple as trying to survive through the long winter months until the spring when life would return or chance travelling south, not knowing where the next shelter will be. Many that had stayed, had perished already. The newborn, the old, the sick, were the first to go. Then the strongest started to fall from starvation, fights over scraps and even cannibalism. It was truly, survival of the fittest.

A harsh blizzard that swept in a few nights ago had soured any thoughts of foraging for days. A non-stop sheet of freezing ice like snow was powering it's way across the entire area. Not even a bulky physique and woolly winter fur could protect travellers from the icy winds. The flakes of the flurry would settle and body heat would quickly turn them to water. A damp coat offered no protection from the cold.

Despite the odds highly stacked against travelling in the blizzard, fresh paw prints lay pressed in the snow, before being quickly consumed by more snowfall. Only just visible was a single row of tracks, but to a keen eye, it was possible to spot four separate and distinctly different prints. I was notable that the prints were of wolves, a pack of wolves no less. They were once a great force to be reckoned with, territory spanning for long stretches. Of the three main wolf packs that had previously existed, they were the only one that stayed to try and outlast the particularly ruthless winter, hoping to preserve their territory in the region.

At their former strength the pack was sixteen members strong. The alpha was named Caesar. He was a natural grey wolf and of course had grey coloured fur. He was an obstinate male who forced the pack to stay, much to the disagreement of the others. Caesar had seen many battles in his time and was a hardened veteran in a fight. He was built like a bear, which was, ironically, what got the best of him. It was a month ago that he died fighting a starved and desperate bear, saving the last remaining females. If it weren't for his lust for power and immovable pride, then the whole incident could have been avoided.

Now, there were only five females left, one of which was only a pup and a newcomer to the pack. The alpha female was old, but still on all four paws. Her name was Kerrigan and her three lingering subordinates were: Sera, Mozart and Nikita. All three were her daughters. Kerrigan was a white wolf and became practically invisible in the snow. Her fur was ruffled and aged however, a mere shadow of her former glorious coat. In the stormy winds she could barely stand as her legs buckled and shook. In her prime she would have been a match for even a male.

Sera was her eldest daughter and her fur was a fine mix of white and bluish grey. It was a dissimilar colour from most other wolves as she also had small patches of black. Those patches were of her grandfathers as he was a black wolf and so the genes skipped a generation and passed onto her. Mozart was white like her mother; she was, in fact, an almost smaller replica of her. Nikita took after her father and was a grey wolf. It was odd for the pack to be all different colours, but the genealogy of the family was a mix of different breeds, tainting the bloodline some would say.

It was nearly impossible to see past the end of your muzzle and even the most sensitive nose would find it difficult to sniff out scent markers. It was only by starvation that Kerrigan had decided to lead her clan on a hunt. It was unfortunate that she could not predict the forthcoming blizzard that they were now caught in it. The cold did not bother them as much as other animals as they were well protected with thick double layer coats. Snow didn't even melt on their fur. It was exhaustion and hunger that was harming them. Kerrigan had been wandering for days with her daughters in tow. Every once in a while, they would take the time to rest in abandoned caves that had once belonged to other wolf packs and animals. She would not admit that she was lost and was adamant she could find her way. But in reality, all traces and scent of home had long since dissipated; she had no idea where she was taking her pack.

Each step Kerrigan took was agony, her legs were seizing up at the joints and the frost had burrowed through her untidy fur, chilling her defenceless bony body. Her paws were numb from having spent hours buried in the snow and she could barely move them now. Her stomach cried out to be filled with sustenance, having gone without any nourishment for a full two weeks. Severely weakened muscles caused her legs to shake violently; no longer able to support the weight they were burdened with. Her whole being needed to give up and collapse, succumbing to merciful death. Yet, she would not let that happen, for her death would result in the death of another. In her teeth she gripped a young pup by the scruff.

The wind was coming from their rear, which was about the only thing keeping the pup alive. The body of the elderly alpha was doing a good job at shielding the little one from the blizzard. In spite of this, it was still pitilessly cold for the pup. The youngster barely had enough strength left to curl her tail up around her body. Eyes closed and ears flat, she did all she could to protect herself from the icy winds. The pup's name was WaterSinger and she was a mere two months old. She had a merger of black and white fur and a wonderfully thick pelt, even at such a young age. The white of her fur covered her cheeks, wrapped around underneath her chest and belly and enveloped her left hind leg and right foreleg. Her most distinguishing feature however where her eyes. One of them was purest blue and the other was a soft brown.

Kerrigan had rescued WaterSinger not a week ago, after the little ones family was killed. She belonged to one of the smaller rival packs in the area and was the last surviving member of it. It was a fact not understood by her daughters that their mother valued the life of this whelp. In times other than these, WaterSinger would have been accepted into the family, but in the middle of a harsh winter with practically no food to share already, WaterSinger should have been rejected. The alpha, Kerrigan, took pity on the pup when she discovered her, barely visible under a sheet of snow. She did not have much in the way of nourishment to offer her new charge, but at least she was giving her a fighting chance, for she would have surely perished if left alone.

Sera was directly behind her mother with her sisters close behind her. They had to stick close because it would have been easy to get lost. Sera looked back at her sisters and they looked at her. Mozart and Nikita both gave a slow nod. The eldest sister nodded her silent agreement. She turned back and looked at her alpha. With an infusion of courage and desperation that her cause was righteous, she quickened her pace and caught up with her mother.

"Mother, we have been wandering for days," She said calmly at first.

"I know where I am going," was all the reply she gave.

"We have gone astray, all scent of home has vanished... we need to find somewhere else to call home," she tried to keep her tone respectful, bearing in mind who she was speaking to.

"I said I know where I am going," the alpha replied meekly.

"You have got us lost, mother!" Sera snapped angrily, losing all patience and doing what she thought was right, for the good of her sisters.

"Be silent daughter of mine, I know where we are going and I am still alpha of this pack, we go where I say," she spoke, slightly mumbled from the ball of fluff in her teeth.

"This pack? What pack!? There isn't a pack left!" She retorted, snorting irately.

"Your father would have chewed your ears off if he ever heard you talk that way," Kerrigan growled lowly, sending a shiver through the small body in her mouth's grip.

"Father was a fool! He has made this pack extinct because of his ego! Your sons were either driven away or murdered by that old idiotic wolf for trying to stop him!" Sera yelled through chattering teeth.

She watched as Sera padded softly in front of her. It was only now that the white wolfess stopped in her tracks. She watched in quiet fear as her other two daughters approached from either side of her, turning to face inwards, Mozart on her left and Nikita on her right. Now, even her own daughters had turned against her. Kerrigan carefully placed little WaterSinger onto the surface of deep snow a few metres behind her. The pup sank a bit, but not very far. The alpha nuzzled the pup and sighed deeply into her fur. The youngster curled up into a tight ball feeling the cold wrap further around her scrawny frame.

"We're sorry mother, but you have left us no choice," Sera said strongly.

"I did what I thought was best for this pack... I took a chance to search for food those few days ago and you're now going to kill me because of the bad weather?" She simply asked turning back to face her eldest daughter.

She received no spoken answer as predicted, but she was not without a response. All three of her offspring lowered their heads and growled lowly. Kerrigan did likewise, although it was obvious from her shaking body that she was too weak to fight. Rows of white teeth were bared and claws were fully on show. Faced with the impossible task of fending off attacks from all sides from younger, fitter wolves, she took one last look at WaterSinger, who was now intently watching her foster parent.

"I'm so sorry..." she whispered.

A feral growl was sent her way as Sera charged and lunged forward. Kerrigan swiftly ducked underneath her attacker, flipped her head around and bit a sizable chunk out of Sera's right ear. The bluish grey wolfess was sent tumbling off of her mother's back, screeching in pain as her ear was torn. She rolled along in the snow a fair distance away. Before the alpha barely had enough time to recover, Nikita flung herself into the foray and quickly clamped down her jaws on the white wolf's shoulder. Kerrigan growled agonizingly, feeling her side being dragged to the ground. With all her might and leftover strength, she threw the grey wolf from her hold, but not without taking damage herself. A patch of her fur and some of her flesh had been torn from her shoulder. She lost balance and stumbled slightly from her injury.

There was no mercy as Mozart came in low from the left and sunk her teeth into her foreleg, not being able to go for the throat like most wolves do to their prey. Kerrigan howled out her distress as teeth severed their way through her fleshy tissue and muscle, all the way to her bone. Before she could even react and try to shake off her daughter, Mozart had recovered and came swooping in from her other side. This time she gripped her mouth onto the back of her mother's neck. Kerrigan was practically immobilised and she shook violently, just trying to stay on her paws. She bared her teeth not in anger, but in torturing pain. Her wounded shoulder and the added weight of Mozart caused her right leg to finally give in and she collapsed on that side. With her remaining strength she just managed to stay standing on her other three legs.

A deadlock of willpower was joined, as all three wolves would not relent. Nikita and Mozart clamped hard and tried their best to drag the older wolf to the ground, but she was just too determined. Even through the infuriated growling, Kerrigan could hear paw steps crunching in the snow. Not one part of her could move and she was forced to stare as Sera padded her way around to come muzzle to muzzle with her. The alpha glared furiously into the eyes of her eldest daughter and her stare was returned by one of malice.

"You forced us to do this, mother," Sera snarled. "And the little rat over there," she continued, looking briefly over at the terrified pup, "will no longer have to worry about trying to survive like us, you know as well as I do that father would have killed that whelp at first sight. I guess there is something he got right in the end then. I promise you, it will be slow and painful," she smirked cruelly. With that said, Sera bared her teeth and went to finally end this with one swift tear at the jugular.

Kerrigan did not know what it was inside her that fuelled her body, but something gave her a boost of energy. She howled long and loud, lifting her head up and shaking her whole body in a serpentine motion. The two wolves did not release their grip, however, they were still shaken from their mother. They tore off great tufts of fur and left gaping wounds where they had been biting. Kerrigan charged forward and knocked Sera to the ground, only she did not stop running and try to kill her. Instead, the alpha white wolf did a U-turn and headed over towards WaterSinger. The amount of adrenaline coursing through her veins at that very moment was staggering. Kerrigan grabbed the pup by the scruff and ran off into the blizzard, disappearing quickly from sight.

She had no idea where she was going; all she knew was that she needed to get away. It was cold hard fact to her that her life was rapidly coming to an end. If there was nothing else in this world that she could do, then she would at least be satisfied with making sure that the innocent did not suffer in the jaws of her daughters. The various gashes on her body spilled with blood and burned with pain as the freezing winds blew against them. A flowing trail of red drips was left behind her as she stumbled onwards. Scarlet coloured paw prints where also pressed into the snowy blanket because the blood from her left foreleg had trickled down and covered her paw entirely. Every muscle ached as her mind began to fog up with a greying haze of darkness.

Time melded together giving Kerrigan no indication of how long she had been walking for. She could barely even stumble forward now as each leg was becoming immensely difficult to even lift. Her grip on the pup between her teeth was loosening with every passing second. Her mind went into a daze of whirling lights, almost like she had just been spun around multiple times. She quickly lost her balance and her body gave up. Her knees gave in and her strength relented. With a soft thump and a crunch, she hit the ground, a plume of snow bursting from where she fell.

WaterSinger, no longer held in place, tumbled and rolled along in the snow. Her bones rattled like a shaken paint can as her body now had to endure the full brunt of Mother Nature's fury. She whined haplessly, curling up in a desperate attempt to conceal some sort of warmth. One eye opened ever so slightly, peering through the blankets of snow falling to the earth. The blurred image of a familiar white wolf lying on her side, lifeless in the snow, came into view. The scent was of her surrogate mother; even through a frozen nose she could still tell it was her. Kerrigan had looked after her for these past few weeks, sharing what little she had with the poor pup. She felt a certain attachment to this wolfess that she did not even feel for her own true mother. But there was another scent that caught her attention as it was blown furiously by the wind up her sensitive nostrils. The smell of blood was rich in the air. She knew this scent all to well. Her heart cried out in pain and her mind flooded with fear because she also knew what blood meant.

With a hefty whimper the very young wolfess clambered unsteadily to all fours, falling only once from fatigue. The thick layer of cold white stuff threatened to consume the poor pup as she sank into it. She yelped loudly and leapt forward, spreading her weight. Her chest heaved madly, her mismatched eyes alight with terror and her expression that of purest alarm. Her natural resolution and determination were the only two things keeping her on her feet. A gentle paw step boldly in front of her brought her no more than two inches closer to her target. Already it appeared that the stuff covering the ground wanted to devour her again as her paw slipped deep into it. Acting quickly she placed her other forepaw just in front of the previous one. It too began to sink like a doomed ship. If it weren't for the subzero temperatures, WaterSinger would have sped up. Alas, her joints had seized up almost completely and her starving belly growled for satisfaction. It had been too long since she had tasted milk, felt it warm her insides and provide her the nutrients she needed to live.

A mere metre seemed like a desert to cross for tiny paws and adolescent legs. Every step was a mile and every minute, a day. However, across deserts and tundra's WaterSinger would travel to reach the parent she loved and was loved by. When she reached Kerrigan, only a still body greeted her. The pup pressed her nose into the large wolfess's fur, nuzzling at her gently. It had taken but a few minutes for practically all warmth to leave the mothers body. WaterSinger whimpered shrilly, forcing more of herself upon her surrogate mother. She did not move, nor did she breath a whisper. That feeling of being loved faded quickly away as if it never had existed, disappearing entirely from her heart, tainting what little hope she had left that her mother was still alive.

The young pup sniffled back her tears, crawling and snuggling as close to her deceased parent as she could get. There was no heat at all now as the body had practically frozen over. It did not matter to WaterSinger because she felt safer lying next to Kerrigan. Even though she was producing no heat, Kerrigan still acted as a defensive shield against the blustering winds. It wouldn't be enough. This long winter would surely claim it's next victim soon if the pup did not find shelter, warmth and nourishment. Her tears turned instantly to icicles and her cries were muffled by the storm.

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The blizzard that had lasted for days was finally over. An eerie silence fell upon the land. Mist drifted low, hanging a metre above the ground, whiting out much of the visibility. Nevertheless, the sun was still shining a few beams of ambient light. All snow had settled creating a blank canvas awaiting any artist whom might have the vision to change the tranquil scenery. It was unnoticeable that only the previous day there had been an epic snowstorm that proved to kill off virtually all remaining animal life. The survivors could be considered the unlucky ones, as they would have to endure more days in snowy hell on earth.

A soft crunching disturbed the peace as light footsteps could easily be heard through the stillness of all else. The steps continued in a regular pattern like the rasping of sticks on a drum or the lashing of waves on a shoreline. Odd prints were left in the snow behind the traveller; they were of no four-legged animal. The impressions were large and long compared to any other creature. They also had ridges going horizontally across them giving off the sense that whatever made the prints was wearing something on their feet.

Suddenly, the repetitive noise came to a halt. The two-legged creature had stopped moving and was now standing perfectly still, looking down close to their feet. It bent down, the joints in its knees curving to allow them to hover close to the ground. This mortal being looked over the ice-covered remains of what appeared to be a wolf.

"Poor thing," it said solemnly. It was about to get up and walk away from the tragic sight, when, the tiniest of motions in the snow caught its eye. "Huh?" was the noise it produced as a sign of obvious bemusement. There was another small shift of snow by the belly of the fallen beast. Stretching out an arm and using one hand, the bipedal creature brushed away some of the snow surrounding that area. A gasp was let out at what it saw.

WaterSinger blinked as the smallest ray of sunlight shone into her eyes. She had heard something and against all the odds awoke from her slumber. She had been covered in an inch of snowfall and had long ago given up on life, succumbing to the wills of sleep and the freezing cold. She was surprised to find herself still living. Had her concept of an afterlife been more developed she may have thought she had fallen off this mortal coil from the engrossingly numb feeling all over her body. She was literally unable to move a single muscle and was now at the full mercy of whatever had discovered her. Her mind had been blank and without sensation for so long she was unsure of what she saw with her own two eyes. It did not help that all she could see was a hazy image. She wanted to growl, to snarl, to do anything to scare this thing away, but was completely powerless.

The wolf pup watched in quiet agony as two brown coloured something's came towards her. She felt herself being scooped up by rough feeling appendages, they were unlike anything she had felt before. She whimpered pitifully as this creature brought her close to something smooth and shiny. Looking around in panic she noticed she was being cradled by this creatures arm. She was almost completely covered up and surrounded by unusual feeling materials. Although she was terrified, she realised something else. The bitter cold once wrapped around her was no longer there. Instead, she was warm. The last time she felt warm like this was back in the den with her surrogate mother, snuggled up close to her thick fur. Even in this strange and possibly life threatening circumstance, she felt oddly safe. Then all rational thought left her as her mind involuntarily blanked and she passed out from pure exhaustion.

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In her dreams WaterSinger was playing with her brothers and sisters. Ever since the day when her real family was attacked and killed, she had dreamt about them. She had two older brothers and three younger sisters in her old pack. She always used to challenge her brothers to play fights, but being that they were older than she was and naturally stronger, they always won. It never stopped her though, she would always start it and even when she had been beaten, she never truly conceded defeat. Out of her sisters she was the strongest and could easily beat them all. Although it was in the spirit of fun: wrestling and biting with her siblings, they were of course in training for their more adult years. But her happy dream ended the same way as it did every time. She would be frolicking merrily when all of a sudden panic was wide spread. Things moved so quickly she was just so confused. Her parents and the elders of the pack grabbed the closest pup and fled. All except for one youngster whom was left hiding in a snow covered bush. Her ears lay sharply flat as loud cracking sounds reverberated throughout the forest. She watched in horror as half her family was killed by something that came from far away.

Her birth mother had told her of humans before. She used to hide under her mother's belly when she was told tales of this vicious and bloodthirsty species. 'They walk upright on their hind legs, taller than you could possibly imagine, wrapped in material made from the skin of our kind. They come with weapons that spout fire and drink the souls and the life out of all living creatures. Whenever man shows up, our kind ends up dead.' Those words were burned into her memory and she was a pious believer of them. Her mother always said that if she were ever to meet a human, she must run as fast as she can and never look back. And that's what she did, her only instinct was to run and keep running until she could run no more, falling exhausted in the snow.

And that's where her dream ended...

WaterSinger felt like she had been hit hard over the head as consciousness returned to her. She winced, her eyelids squeezing tightly over her eyes. Her stomach churned over and over, even though she had nothing to expel from her empty gut, she still felt as if she needed to throw up. Her whole body was immobilized; she barely had enough strength to open her eyes. Something she did notice however, was her much improved warmth situation. She felt cosy, bordering on too hot. She was surrounded by something that was soft, the kind of soft that she imagined clouds were like to sleep on. As her senses continued to renew, she noticed an odd menagerie of smells lingering in the air. The most potent she had smelt something like it before. It reminded her of something burning or smouldering. Past that there was much more that was new to her. She sniffed strongly at the air. The whole room stunk of unfamiliarity, which was unsettling to say the least.

She feared opening her eyes because she had no idea what she might discover. Although the smells were all different, nothing reminded her of danger, which was a good start. It was her natural curiosity and only her curiosity that forced her to open her eyes. At first her vision was blurred from tiredness and nausea, but shapes soon formed coherent images. Indeed, her nose had led her correctly; everything was unlike anything she had seen before. She was in a room that didn't look of natural origin. The walls were made of logs, piled up on top of each other and interlocking at corners. Inside the small and quite dark room were a few items that caught WaterSinger's interest. Almost everything appeared as if it was wooden and the smell of timber was definitely filling the room.

The cabin wasn't empty, but it was a little under furnished. When entering through the door the first sight one would have been greeted by was the fireplace with wood crackling and flames smouldering. The stone surrounding of the fireplace travelled upwards like a long brick shaft, carrying with it the plumes of blackened smoke. It disappeared into the triangular ceiling and ended up about one metre above the cabins exterior tin roof. The waved corrugations in the metal roof had two specific purposes. One was to stop rain, snow and all manner of weather from breaching the inside. The second was to carry such things as rain down its grooves to a makeshift gutter that stretched around the two sides of the cabin.

Back inside the tiny shack like abode there was little more to see. Not a few inches away from the right of the door was a hat rack. A thick synthetic coat was hung up on it, suspended like a ghostly figure without presence or life. Along the left wall there was a rustic looking table that seated only one, two at a squeeze. Placed against the same log wall was a chair that was no more modern looking than the table. On the right there was a single bed pushed up against the wall. Placed neatly away into the bottom right hand corner was a chest of drawers. Everything, including the cabin itself, looked handmade, although it was unfair to say it looked unfinished. Each item may have looked shabby, but everything was clearly built to last.

It was only then that the wolf pup took note of the comfy piece of furniture she was laying on. It was huge in comparison to her small frame. It looked as if it could fit her siblings alongside her and her parents as well if they lay crossways along the bottom. She was led on her side with a large blanket draped over her, reaching up to her neck. She didn't like it one bit. It smelt funny and was ominously big for her to sleep on, which made her think of how big the creature that did sleep here was. However, she was warm. She couldn't remember the last time she was this hot and snug. So much so that it rivalled even her families cosy bodies.

WaterSinger was startled and made a loud yip when a section of her log surroundings suddenly opened up. She had never seen a door before and to her it seemed like some kind of twisted portal, not an exit. The figure she had been carried off by appeared in the doorway. She buried under the covers, head first, hoping to hide. Only she forgot she had a tail, which was now sticking out the sheets comically. It didn't matter now that the bed she was in was alien to her because it was providing her with the hiding place she felt she needed. In the dark confined space underneath the quilt covers the only sounds she could hear was the thumbing of her heart, the creaking and closing of the portal and footsteps. She quivered in fear knowing full well that she was again at the mercy of whatever this beast was.

There was another noise, but this one was familiar. Chuckling? Similar to that of her species, yet different in it's own right. She cringed and shivered more violently as her fabric hiding spot caved in over her back. She felt the textile duvet slipping off her body, exposing her to the open air. She expected to be grabbed, beaten or just plain killed right then and there. She placed her paws over her eyes because she didn't want to see it coming and prayed this creature had enough of a soul to kill her quickly. But nothing she expected came to fruition. Instead, she felt something smooth on her back; gently stroking it in the direction her fur flowed. 'What kind of cruel thing would toy with me like this?' She whimpered in her mind, driving herself to the brink of insanity. The petting did not let up and it was soon accompanied by something scratching behind her ears. It felt good, much to her surprise.

However, the kindness of this creature only showed a sign of weakness. She simply could not believe that this thing would be nice to her. Balling up any energy she could muster, adrenaline coursing through her veins, she pounced forward and away from the stroking hand. She turned quickly and growled defensively, puffing out her fur to make herself look bigger, that and she couldn't help it anyway. She bared her teeth; ready to bite at anything that came her way.

It was only now that she got a clear picture of the being that had taken her in. It was indeed a human, a male to be more precise. The thing she feared the most in the whole world was perched not two feet away from her. Her eyes shone with flagrant terror, her posture becoming more submissive as she lowered herself a little. Her bottom lip trembled, her ears flattened against her head and her tail tucked firmly between her legs. Her muscles went slightly limp and her whole being seemed to slowly shrink away. Her heart pounded faster than it ever had done before. It was like looking upon the face of death incarnate in human form. She whimpered audibly, losing all control of herself and feeling as if she might pass out again.

One of its pink fleshy hands stretched out towards her. WaterSinger remained motionless, frozen in horror, unable to do anything to prevent her fate. The fingers of the human passed underneath her belly and cupped her around the other side. With no effort at all, she felt herself rising off the squishy bed. The arm retracted towards the main body of the comparatively large human. The pup's breathing came in short sharp whines as her lungs were finding it difficult to cope with the stress. Her whole body was suddenly inverted and she found herself lying on her back. Her little heart was about to give up, threatening to stop all together.

It was only now that she got a good look at her captor. She didn't exactly know the difference between a male and female human. However, the scent was of a male that much she did know. Strangely enough she found that it did have a sort of fur, but it was only on the top of its head. Thick and black like fur, although it evidentially was not like the coat of her species. The rest of the humans face was a tone off pink and a tone off a pale orangey colour. It seemed like a mix of pink with slight splashes of orange. Overall, the skin of this human was pale and quite boring when compared to what she was used to. She knew next to nothing about humans, though WaterSinger could swear that this human was looking upon her kindly. When she looked past the odd features: no muzzle, dopey shaped ears stuck to the side of its head and a peculiar shaped nose, well, she supposed that was a nose. The expression of this male human was so similar to that of her family: loving and caring. This was something she did not conceive as possible. The only imagine of this species she ever had was of cruelty and destruction.

Her muscles tensed, as it's upper body swivelled and reached for something with its free hand. The pup curled up a little more in the cradled arm of the thick haired male and winced as something was brought close to her muzzle. She squeaked in fear of this new and alien thing nudged closer. She tentatively lifted a small paw and placed it on the end of the closest part and pushed slightly. It felt rubbery against her paw pad; again, it was not something natural to this world. Looking up at the rest of the item, she saw that it was a long, smooth glass cylinder shape. It was filled with some kind of pure white liquid, but being encased in glass she could not smell what it was.

"Come on girl, you've got to drink something," came that same voice she had heard earlier. It was not harsh at all. Nor brash. Nor terrifying. It was calm and soothing. It instilled a profound sense of trust in the young pup, like a small defenceless pup would entrust its life to its mother. She had no reason not to trust this human as he had done no harm to her and she knew full well that he had saved her life. It was only her indoctrinated mind and real life experience holding her back.

The teat shaped rubbery bump pushed ever so gently onto the edge of her lips. WaterSinger squirmed away reluctantly, though in her weakened state she shuffled no more than an inch in her attempt to escape. Then it hit her tongue. A taste. A spot of warmth. A luscious flavour. A truly taste bud tantalising flavour that stimulated a need within her. Her belly grumbled loudly as the smallest of possible drips washed about her mouth. The pains in her stomach grew intolerably strong as that flavour stayed in her mouth. She had that need to feed. To satisfy a longstanding hunger she never thought she would get rid of. Whatever that stuff was that had accidentally dribbled past her lips and onto her tongue, she liked. The taste was reminiscent of her mother's milk. Only this stuff was better. It may have been because her mother hadn't been producing very much and her personal nutrients being nearly empty supplied no flavour, but this new milk was delicious.

All other concerns simply melted away as the overwhelming desire to fill her belly to bursting point took over her rational thoughts. With little to no hesitation, she parted her lips and suckled on the simulated teat. A fair amount of the scrumptious liquid came flooding out and she drank it down, feeling the fluid fill her empty stomach. It was as if this milk were like some kind of magic potion. It brought about a sense of new life and energy. Unconsciously her tail began to wag. Had her mind been more focused she would have stopped herself. A wagging tail was a general sign of weakness that she did not want to show to this human. A wagging tail meant she was happy and comfortable in her surroundings. It was not something she wanted to feel because she knew she ought to be afraid, want to growl, want to bite, want to scratch and do all she could to escape. Her natural instincts and teachings, this time it seemed, caved into more basic needs. Before she had been found she was cold, hungry and exhausted. Now she was warm, pleasing her hungry tummy and somewhat relaxed after her sleep.

Her little paws gripped onto the side of the cylinder object, hungrily drinking down enough milk to feed half a dozen pups. She felt herself becoming sleepy again. Maybe it was the warmth of the milk, the gentle rocking motion of the arm she resided in or simple tiredness. Whatever might have brought it on didn't really matter as her eyes were already beginning to close over.

"Good girl, not too much," the harmonic voice sung again.

Through the blurriness of a fatigued mind she could feel the fur behind her ears being scratched. At first she thought she was under attack, but that thought quickly faded as her senses opened up to embrace the scratching as pleasant. It was soothing, not ruthless and wrought with danger. She was slowly being lulled to sleep. Her hunger had all but disappeared, now replaced by a feeling of fullness that she hadn't experienced in quite some time. The slow movements of her resting place only proved to add incentive to the idea of slumber. And the thing that really topped it off was the tender rubbing of her fur. Horror had been replaced by harmony, at least for now anyway. Unable to keep her lids from closing completely, WaterSinger drifted off calmly into a deep sleep. What would greet her when she woke, she didn't care about right now.

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She woke with a start, eyes going wide instantly and heart skipping a few beats. Her blood ran cold, if only for a moment. She breathed heavily and panicked. What had happened? Where was she? Was she still alive? She could not remember a thing right at that moment. Mind blank with renewed fear. That same reoccurring dream, that same sense of realism, that same terror and that same ending. Always that ending: falling exhausted in the snow after watching a slaughter. A dream? That's all it was. A dream. She breathed a much-needed sigh of relief, feeling a sudden weight roll off her shoulders.

Familiarity with the place she resided in slowly flowed back and her fear evaporated. Though caution never left her. She still had to be weary. Not be too trusting. After all, she still considered herself a prisoner. The thought of escape had crossed her mind many times. A wavering thought that she would be better off staying was quickly shot down. The food, the warmth, the rescue, all of them must have been simple illusions of kindness that would easily fool a desperate pup willing to embrace anyone if it meant surviving. She was convinced there was still danger and that this human was merely wearing a mask of compassion to hide the true evil within. And it was an evil she did not want to meet anytime soon.

She raised herself to all fours, finding the ground beneath her to be especially unstable. Her limbs shook like the skin of a beaten drum. Her knees buckled and she collapsed, hitting the soft ground. She was still heavily fatigued and dizzy. After a minute or two, she tried again. Her balance had improved, yet her legs still wobbled. The queasiness didn't help matters much. Her stomach felt like a cement mixer, processing the large amount of wholesome milk she had ingested. It had felt good to feel so full, but that was before she had slept. Now she just felt sick. To top it all off, she was still tired. The temptation to lie back down and sleep was very real and very present in her mind. She was quite angry at the fact that her body was betraying her. She knew she had to escape this place. Unfortunately, her stressed out muscles were fighting her all the way.

Determination. Absolute firm belief that her course of action was the right course to follow. It was the only thing that allowed her to move. She made slow, careful steps, tentative and chosen wisely. She had taken note of the slumbering human sized lump in the sheets a few inches away from her. It was not her intention to wake the giant. However, her curiosity was rather staggering. Since it was sleeping, it meant that she could study it a little more. Besides, the beast was blocking her quickest escape route off of this soft mountain.

Continuing with measured steps, she closed the gap between her and the human. She took big whiffs of the air, testing for any sort of danger. A slight shuffle from the lump caused an immediate withdrawal action from the inquisitive pup. When she was sure it was safe she proceeded on. The monotonous coloured fabric sheeting did not cover the head of the human leaving it exposed and ready for investigation. There it was again, that odd black fur-like fibrous hair. She sniffed at it getting the scent of something clinical, but almost... fruity? She lightly shook her head. Her eyes flicked over to a slow moving part of the lump. It lifted up and down, up and down, in an almost hypnotic fashion. She noticed a placid breathing sound coming from the creature and realised exactly why the lump lifted and fell. It was actually not dissimilar from her own body.

Driven further by curiosity and the desire to learn more about this odd species, she timidly placed a paw on what she believed to be its back. It didn't move. Another paw followed the previous one, her head and shoulders following her up. She was just at the right height to see the face of the human again. Eyelids closed, his visage practically motionless. The features were still of a baffling nature to her. She knew that each feature: mouth, nose, ears, must all belong on the humans face, it was just a mystery as to why any creature would want it that way.

Huffing slightly, WaterSinger climbed down from the humans back, paying him no more mind. She padded down to the end of the bed a lot more swiftly as she had come to grips with the unearthly feel of it beneath her paw pads. She came to the very edge where the sheets slopped downwards as if slipping off the edge of a flat world. It was quite a height; she had no delusions about that. The pup gulped a grapefruit sized lump in her throat. It wasn't like she didn't have enough problems already. She didn't doubt that she could make the jump... it was just talking that first step over the edge that proved the most difficult part.

The wolf pup took a deep inwards breath, clenching her teeth and tightening the grip on the quilt. Almost dream like, so much so that she didn't realise she had even done it, she jumped forward, her forelegs stretching out and her hind legs following. The distance to the ground was a mere few feet, but when you're only just over half a foot tall the space to clear is somewhat multiplied. With a soft bump she achieved touchdown, her legs giving way from underneath her. She slid along the wooden floor, belly waxing the rough boards. She came to a complete stop. She lay still for a moment, partly due to shock. When she felt comfortable with her current situation she stood up. A quick check of each important bone and muscle - stretching being the process by which to check these - nothing seemed broken, sprained or even hurting.

Smiling, delighted with her performance, she padded her way to the portal she had seen the human enter through. She presumed that this could also be used as an exit now that she had time to think about it. She stepped up to the ominous looking section of log panels that she knew would open up into an exit of sorts. She got vertigo just looking up to the very top of the door. WaterSinger was proud she made it this far, but now what? She had no idea how to open a portal. Was there some kind of special incantation? Did she have to trick the door to let her pass? Maybe she had to offer it something? But then again, what do large chunks of dead wood want?

She collected the courage to touch it with one of her toes. It didn't move. Nor did it speak or try to eat her. A small success then. Feeling slightly more secure, she placed an entire paw on it. She sniffed at it. She ran her claws down its surface, making the faintest of scratching noises. Her claws were sharp, yet they were no match for the hard fibrous structure of the door. She didn't even make a visible mark. She huffed again and sat down in front of it. Being defeated by an inanimate object was not one of her better moments.

Her thoughts became so engrossed in trying to get past this lifeless guardian that she couldn't think of much else. Let alone what was happening behind her. It was only when she heard something creak that her ears swivelled immediately to her rear. The rest of her head soon followed the triangular furry radar dishes. She stared wide-eyed, revamped fear running rampant throughout her little body. The human had woken. It stood towering over her like a living tree casting an elongated shadow on the earth below. The faded blackness of the shadow flickered considerably and irregularly. It had only just come to her attention that the smoky burning smell she remembered smelling earlier was coming from a small-contained fire, which was now allowing such a shadow to be cast from the man.

She cowered, shrinking her form. What else could she do? Fighting wasn't going to help. She had to pray that there was some kind of real sympathy in this creature. The pup could do nothing, once again, but throw herself at the mercy of the human. She looked up at his face expecting to see anger, hate, loathing, anything except what she did see. He was wearing that same soft and caring smile. She was confused to say the least.

The human bent down and cupped his hand around WaterSinger's sides getting a yip of protest. He moved her off to the side and placed her back down safely, barely having lifted her off the floor. Then a remarkable thing happened. He stood back up and placed his furless paw like appendage on a small shining lever. He pulled it down and there was an audible clack. She watched the whole time, never letting her eyes fall off of his actions. The portal opened up as the arm receded. A burst of freezing cold air hit the pup in the face. She squinted hard, her ears going flat against her head. Unable to take the constant blowing of bitterness she moved herself further to the side. The cold remained, thought, thankfully, the wind died down considerably. It was dark outside, only the glow of the moonlight illuminated the ground below.

"I would never hold you against your will, little one, you are free to leave at anytime, I only wanted what was best for you," he said, a note of seriousness in his voice.

She may not have understood what he said, but actions spoke louder than words. He was letting her go? Could it be possible? She was granted her freedom. An open door to the outside. It was such a basic symbol of liberty. WaterSinger could not deny the importance of that open portal to the outside. Not only was she free to leave, but it also turned her whole view of the human species upside down. Brought up to believe they were monsters and having experienced firsthand the evil that men do she knew nothing else of them. Yet, standing before her was a testament that denied such a belief. She could see it in the eyes of the man as she looked upon him. There was nothing that spoke of tricky behind those dazzling blue hues. Nothing that made her feel as if she were being fooled or lured into a false sense of security. There was only compassion in those eyes, true and honest kindness.

The pup looked at the white snowy terrain on the outside and felt the bitter cold rush in once more. The dilemma was well and truly present. Did she face the frozen wasteland and surely perish or did she stay here with the human and take her chances? The logical answer was obvious, though there was something else that swayed her decision. It was his kindness, which was all she had received from him so far. She knew she was not being forced into this choice and that it was her choice to make.

After a second of hesitation, she turned her back on her exit and stepped away from it. The creaking of the rusted hinges came and then a click. Footsteps were soon to follow, echoing ever so slightly in the hollow of the room.

"Good girl," the man said. He stroked the pup's head, smoothing down her back. WaterSinger felt an electric shiver journey along her spine making her tail lift vertically. It was reminiscent of the scratching he gave her before she drifted off to sleep. She forgot herself for a brief moment and let out an almost inaudible purr. She quickly corrected herself and snapped out of it.

"Come on little one," he said, allowing a yawn to escape him. "You need your rest." With that said, he lifted the pup off the ground again. This time he stood up and carried her along with him. She wasn't too bothered by his picking her up this time now that she knew his intention was not to harm her. She just watched as she was placed gently on the squishy bed. The mattress dipped as he climbed under the sheets and pulled them up to his neck. He lay facing the pup and she lay facing him. They looked deeply into one another's eyes. He smiled. She smiled. The pup felt safe in his presence. It was an odd feeling indeed to place dependence on another species. She could have chosen not to trust him and simply stay to keep herself alive. However, she actually found herself wanting to stay with him.

Soon, all thought vanished from her mind as her eyes closed and she fell to sleep. Dreams quickly replaced reality. Only something was different. She was not dreaming her usual nightmare about the day her family was killed. No. She was freed from the grip of that nightmare. She was dreaming dreams of good times, happy times and all the wonderful things that a dream world can provide. She was content and most importantly, she was free.

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One Year Later...

The winter this year had not been nearly as harsh as the previous year. It was seemingly an anomaly weather patterns brought about by god only knows what. There were no deathly blizzards and no torrents of snow. It was a mostly calm winter. This meant that more creatures had stayed and less were dying. There was still plenty of snow covering the ground and the treetops, but it was nothing to the new generations of woodland animals. The winds were still quite strong and bitter. It took thick fur to fight against it. Fortunately, evolution and Mother Nature had provided the necessary defences.

A paw, a soft crunch in the snow. The hallowed whistling of silence blew threw the pine trees. The air was crisp and physically tense. The scenery was lowly lit by a rapidly setting sun cresting just over the horizon. Another soft crunching followed the careful placing of a paw. The wolf moved slowly and elegantly, making sure to be careful where each paw was placed. The hunter was on the kill prowling for her next victim. A wonderfully thick pelt highlighted the merger of black and white fur. The white of her fur covered her cheeks, wrapped around underneath her chest and belly and enveloped her left hind leg and right foreleg. Though the most distinctive feature of this wolf was her mismatched eyes. One of them was purest blue and the other was a soft brown. This graceful creature was the echo over the voice of her former self. WaterSinger, still considered more pup than adult had grown into a powerful and majestic wolfess. The previous year had been kind to her thanks to the human that had taken her in.

She stopped and crouched closer to the snowy ground. Her disguise would have been perfect if not for her black fur. Though it didn't matter right now. Her prey was in sight and it had not seen her. She did not make a single sound or movement and simply watched her quarry. Her breathing was steady and contained timed almost perfectly with the gusts of wind blowing towards her. Nothing stood in her way now. It had taken the wolf a while to pick her way through the scattered trees and get close enough to her target, but now she was within striking distance. She could already taste the satisfaction of catching her prey on the tip of her tongue. Yet she waited. Stayed still. Breathed only when necessary. Until she was absolutely sure she could catch her victim.

Suddenly the time seemed right and a surge of energy burst from her hind legs. It was a fair distance to cover but within a few long strides she had covered half the space between them. Each one of her powerful legs and gripping paws brought her ever closer. There was nothing else on her mind except what was straight before her eyes. With one last stride she pushed off of the surprisingly firm snow and leapt at her prey, which had only just become aware of its fate. She knocked it to the ground, a feral growl emanating from her throat. Her prey was stunned and pinned by the weight of her strong muscles. She grinned happily over her catch and lowered her muzzle towards its head. She opened her mouth and flicked out her tongue. The low growl disappeared and she licked over the face of her prey.

"Okay, okay, okay, girl, you got me," her prey said cheerfully, laughter in its voice. It did not stop her licking, nor did it stop her tail from wagging furiously behind her. A hand was finally raised to stop her tongue from coating the poor creature in saliva. There was more chuckling as the man sat up in the snow, encouraging WaterSinger to clamber off her master. She barked gleefully having finally bested him in a game of 'Hunt the prey'.

"Well done my girl," he said, pride resonating in his voice. He patted her head like any human would do to an ordinary household pet. The she wolf was not really any different and appreciated a much-welcomed petting. Not only did it feel nice, but it also was a sign of praise, which she also enjoyed form her master because it meant she had done him proud. She owed this man a lot, her life in fact and it was the least she could do to be obedient and loving. It wasn't even like she had to fake such things. She loved to hear him laugh and loved to make him proud of her.

"It's getting dark, we best make our way home," he announced. The man stood up and brushed off some of the snow that had stuck to him after his pouncing. "Come on girl," he said before he whistled to her. Human speech was still a mystery to WaterSinger, yet she knew some simple commands. One of which was the whistle. That meant, 'follow me.' Being a compliant 'pet,' she did as she was commanded. She eagerly bounced up to his side, tongue lolling out her mouth.

It was almost as if a spell had entranced the wolf as she abruptly stopped in her tracks. Her master continued on not noticing her predicament. The wolf's ears perked and twisted actively, listening out for something. Her expression was close to that of human intrigue. She tilted her head to one side. Her ears flickered once again when the sound rippled throughout the approaching night. Could it really be? After so much time was it possible? The noise was entrancing, like a sirens song. Except this was no song, but a howl. The call of the wolf. The secret language. All wolves knew what it meant to hear a howl. And to WaterSinger it meant that there were other wolves near. He own species. A longing to be with own kind boiled deep within her.

She looked over at her master for a few seconds. He still hadn't realised she had stopped. It was a snap decision, but WaterSinger just had to see the wolf that was making that howl. She had triangulated the animal's position to her right, so that is the way she went. She sped off as quickly as she could; yet she made no sound whatsoever. She was like a ghost that soared above the ground. An unstoppable passion to find this wolf was now etched into her heart.

She didn't have too far left to run as the howling became louder and louder. When she looked up she could see a full moon over her head. It was a huge white glowing sphere this night. There were no bites out of it at all. It was complete. Dipping her head back down she got a shock. Her paws gripped the snow and the skidded to a halt, kicking up clouds of snow. She stood and gazed, her mouth agape slightly. It was a magnificent sight that she had gone without for a full year now. She never knew if she would see another wolf again in her whole life. Yet she was looking at one now. Before her was a large flat boulder that looked almost as if it had fallen out of the sky and crash-landed like some king of meteorite or spacecraft. The peak was covered in snow and illuminated perfectly by the moon. On top the rock was the howling wolf. The rock jutted out a fair way over a vertical cliff that was at least fifty feet high. It looked precarious out on the end of the rock, but the wolf did not seem at all frightened of the distance between him and the ground.

WaterSinger stared at the magnificent creature. He was unlike any wolf she had seen before, although she had not seen that many. His fur was thick just like hers, though his was a different and quite outstanding colour. His fur was silver at first glance, but on closer inspection it was actually a perfect mixture of white and grey mottled together to give it the silver look. Both tail tip and ear tips were as white as WaterSinger's own coat. His tail was also fairly thick, although it did not look mismatched with the rest of his body. The end of his muzzle was black and faded back quickly into the silver colouring. As it was with WaterSinger, it was his eyes that were quite distinguishing. This particular wolf's eyes were a very deep cobalt blue and glinted in the moonlight.

She could only watch in awe as he titled his head directly up and let out a deafening howl. The communion of the wolf and the full moon was an age-old tale, passed on from century to century. This was the first time the wolfess had seen such a display. It made her want to climb up there with him and howl until she was hoarse. And she would have if not for another sound piercing the night. Her ears jolted back behind her as that familiar whistle hit her. The wolf on the rock must have heard it too as he looked over at the wolfess that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. They locked eyes and were equally held motionless. WaterSinger could feel her heart thundering in her chest as this male stared her down. She did not know what it was inside her that lit such a fire in her heart, she only knew the results of such a fire. She wanted to be with this wolf, no, she needed to be with this wolf.

Another whistle and her synapses clicked back into gear. She came out of a trance like state and shook her head, blinking rapidly. A dizzying flash of blurred light cleared her vision. She blinked again and looked behind her. The whistling came again and she took a step in the direction it was coming from. It was only like some kind of latent memory that made her turn her head to look at the top of the rock. The silver wolf had gone. Or maybe he wasn't even there in the first place. Had she created such a creature from her own imagination? To find such a perfect connection with this one wolf seemed too much like coincidence. He was simply a fabrication of her mind. Nothing more. She twisted completely around and ran off back the way she had come. She cleared the distance in no time and found her master waiting for her. He did not look overly pleased.

"You might have at least given me some warning before you go gallivanting off like that," he said.

By way of apology, WaterSinger whimpered and whined a little. She stared up at him and her eyes conveyed the same message of apology. He just smiled and smoothed her head, rubbing her right ear between a finger and a thumb for a brief moment.

"Come on then Miss Mischief, home," he said in a slightly sterner tone.

WaterSinger was heel-toe this time, making sure not to stray away again. She wasn't even sure what had come over her in the first place to go running off. She never usually would have done that just because she had heard a strange or interesting noise. She thought nothing more of it for now and focused on getting home into the warmth.

The cabin was not very far and within half an hour the creaking wooden door was opened. The wolfess immediately made a beeline over to the fireplace. A black pot about the size of a basketball was precariously suspended above the roaring fire. It bubbled away furiously as if it were angry about something making the lid jostle and clank. She suspected that was tonight's dinner. She sniffed the air when she got closer. A delicious waft of what was to come rushed up her sensitive nostrils. She lay down a safe distance from the warming glow of the flames, resting her head on her forelegs.

There was a rustling behind her but the wolf knew the usual routine for her master. Whenever they came back from their outings he would always removed his puffy hooded coat and place it on the hat rack. His boots were next and they always sat neatly tucked away under his coat. Her ears twitches as she heard him make a half surprised half irritated noise. She looked back over her shoulder to see him quickly coming towards her. Fortunately he was not glaring at her. It was in fact the overcooking pot that he disagreed with. WaterSinger smirked a little because it was not the first time he had done this. She watched in amusement as he collected a protective glove and lifted the metal lid off. Steam rushed out and flowed up the chimney. An even stronger smell of dinner drifted her way. She had worried for a moment that it had been ruined, but her nose never lies and it was telling her that food would soon be coming her way.

He placed the lid on the stone floor surrounding the fireplace. He dipped in a ladle and stirred for a few seconds before drawing fourth a scoop full from the pot. He lips formed an O shape and he blew cold air upon the broth. WaterSinger felt she had been observing too long and suddenly felt like helping, preferably aiding him in the form of 'Taste tester.' Her master chuckled when a sniffing nose came poking in between him and the ladle. He held the oversized spoon out for her. She happily lapped at the soup. It was a little hot but she didn't mind. She couldn't get enough of the scrumptious stuff and was soon licking the metal of the ladle.

"That good huh," he said, laughing quietly.

The ladle entered the pot with a plop when he put it back. Using both hands covered in heatproof gloves he lifted the vessel off the heat. He carefully walked it over to the small wooden table and placed it down in the middle. The wolfess followed closely by his side. She watched eagerly as her master spooned out a large serving of broth into two bowls. One he kept on the table and the other he put on the floor near his chair. He took a seat and collected himself a tablespoon.

WaterSinger dug straight in, lapping away at the oddly brown coloured, yet still appetizing soup. She was quite pleased to find whole chunks of meat and some vegetables in there as well. She munched them down quickly having built up quite the appetite over the course of the day. She only stopped eating when her master leant over and tickled behind her ears. She purred almost like a cat and flattened her ears back against her head.

It was not long before supper was well and truly eaten and the time for sleep had come. The wolf hopped up onto the springy bed and padded down to her usual spot at the foot of her masters bed. She circled herself a couple of times before plonking down and curling up. She rested her head on the end of her tail and watched as her master stoked the logs on the fire. A few embers spewed forth as the poker connected with the flaming timber. He hung the poker on a metal rack near to the side of the fireplace and took one last look at the licking flames before her turned to his bed.

WaterSinger's eyes were already beginning to close when he approached her. She lifted her head a little, but relaxed when he simply smoothed her fur. He smiled making the wolfess smile back up at him. It was never freezing cold in the cabin, though it was never exactly hot either. The bed was quite close to the fireplace so they were generally always warm. Nevertheless the man would always sleep with his clothes on to keep the warmth in. He climbed under the sheet and pulled them up to his neck, closing his eyes and quickly falling asleep.

WaterSinger look at the slumbering human for a while. It had often confused her as to why he did not have a mate. It was natural for all animals, including humans, to have one, wasn't it? She made the assumption that most females, be they wolf or human, were looking for the same general traits in a partner: strength, health, stamina, kindness, devotion, etc. She knew he had all of these qualities, yet he did not have a female. Then again he rarely left the cabin and that was only to get food, water from the stream and other supplies. She supposed if he lived around more humans and was not so isolated then he would easily get himself a mate. Whenever she reflected about this the same thought always cropped up: they were both alone. Neither of them had a mate. She sighed, feeling sorry for him, but she soon drifted off to sleep.

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There it was again. That noise. That beckoning sound that entranced the wolf. It had woken her from her slumber and she simply could not ignore it. Her ears were pointed in the direction of the echo and they stayed perfectly still. She had long since risen her head from its cradled position on her paws to get an elevated hearing of the sound. Every time she heard it a primordial instinct washed over her like a scorching wind. She listened to the familiar howling and knew she wanted to, needed to howl back. So full of sorrow was the howl that she felt useless just laying on her master comfy bed. Her caring heart could not let such a cry go unanswered. That silver wolf gleaming in the moonlight was too perfect for her. Dare she let the chance to meet slip her grasp?

A frenzy of excitement flared her mind and gave her spirit the encouragement she needed. With resolute mindset she sprung off of the bed, hardly shifting the mattress beneath. Her claws clicked clumsily along the wooden floor as nearly sprang to the door. She halted only an inch from it. It had been a long year since her last conflict with this door and only now were the memories of her ineptitude at opening it coming back to her. She shook her head defiantly, shaking away such thoughts. She was bigger and stronger now. No lump of wood was going to stop her from destiny. Though she wished she had paid more attention when her master was opening the door for her.

She lifted both forelegs off the ground and placed her paws on the solid object. Alternating between each paw she scratched at its surface. Tiny splinters of wood fluttered to the floor making a neat pile of sawdust below. It was not long before she realised, apart from destroying décor, nothing was happening. It was not opening or even budging for that matter. She sat back and huffed, having been defeated once again by the same inanimate lump of wood. It was both embarrassing and annoying.

She lay down, her head resting on the floorboards. She whined a little as she could still hear the howling and wanted nothing more than to be with that wolf. She flopped a paw over her eyes and the world went dark. Her ears lowered and her tail stopped its usual peaceful swaying. In those moments she felt as if she really were in a prison. Not being able to leave at her own freewill made it so, right? Trapped in a wooden cage and kept hidden from her own species.

A hefty clack brought her with a jolt from her thoughts. She quickly lifted her paw off her muzzle and looked skywards. She froze for a second unsure of what was happening. She felt a pat on her right flank, which she knew was the signal for 'move over.' Obeying like she always did, she lifted to her feet and shifted to her left, sitting on her haunches. She kept staring upwards at her master. He was smiling. He was always smiling. She could not remember a time when his lips did not form that smile she had been welcomed to that year ago.

She noticed that his hand was placed on a black protruding lever that he was pulling down. The door swung open as he pulled on it and she watched as it opened completely, tapping against the wall. She tilted her head to gaze outside. The air was still. No more snow was falling and there were no clouds up above. The moonlight illuminated the earth so well that even humans eyes could see in the darkness.

She looked back up at her master. He was the man who had taken her in as a pup and cared for her like a devoted father. She owed him her life. Her trust in him grew with each passing day and the bond between them grew stronger.

"I told you, I would never hold you against your will and this is what's best for you now," he said with heartfelt meaning and purpose.

They looked each other into the eyes. She could still see that same affection she had seen all that time ago. She felt a deep sense of remorse because she was the only thing he had in his life. He had no other company but her. He bent down and rested on one knee to come nearly eye level with her. WaterSinger placed a paw on his other knee and heaved to reach the man's face. She licked his cheek a few times, sadness in her expression. He chuckled warmly and patted her flank, trying to keep a brave face. He did not succeed for long and eventually ended up throwing his arms around the she-wolfs neck. She rested her head on his shoulder and nuzzled slightly into his neck. Almost as quick as the hug began it ended. The man stood upright in front of her. He swivelled his head and heard the song of the wolf on the night air.

"Go on girl, getting going," he turned back to her and said. He smiled that smile and motioned for her to leave.

WaterSinger was hesitant at first as she felt a certain duty to stay with him. Yet, his actions were clear enough to her. Without warning or pause the wolfess dashed through the door, heading for the tree line. Just before she was about to disappear out of sight she stopped and flipped her head back over her shoulder. The glow of the fire illuminated the shadowy figure in the doorway as he watched her leave him forever. The she vanished out of sight, slipping unnoticed into the trees of the great forest.

Like a leaf on the wind she soared through the snow. Her heart was her compass and the howling was her haven. She would stop for no reason to get to him. She needed to be clear in her mind that this silver wolf did exist. She was so sure he was, but the same pessimistic thought keep flowing through her mind. 'He was just a figment... nothing more.' Those words burned inside her head filling her mind with such doubt. It was only pure hope that held her steady on her course. Snow kicked up behind her as she ran. Her paws barely touched the ground before they lifted to stride again.

She was so caught up in her worries she was not aware she had arrived at her destination. She was only a few metres away from the large rock before she came to a juddering halt. And there he was again. That wolf whom she desired most. He was facing away from her and staring out into the luminous night. He was oddly not startled by her presence. He did not turn to her, show any signs of aggression, nothing at all.

WaterSinger drew in all her confidence to take the first few steps towards him. Her terrain changed suddenly when the pads of her paws touched upon the snow peaked boulder. She gripped its somewhat jagged surface and clawed her way up closer. The distance between them closed with every new step and his scent grew so much stronger. It had been too long she had smelt the scent of another wolf let alone a male. She looked down at the fifty-foot drop below her and felt a pang of fear. Her heart thumped inside her like it wanted to escape her body and flutter off all by itself. He was so ghost like she still could not believe her own mismatched eyes when she looked upon him.

She froze in an instant when the silver wolf turned to look at her. She was well within striking distance by now. She studied his features, but she saw no evidence of malice or anger. Just those cobalt blue eyes staring back at her. She didn't know what it was inside her head that allowed her to know his name, yet she knew it was Cobalt. And that was how they stayed for at least a minute, though it seemed longer, staring back at one another, until, finally, motion was made.

Cobalt shifted so his whole body was facing her and lifted himself out of his seating position. He padded down to greet this wolfess. His black nose came within an inch of hers, as their eyes remained locked together. He slid his muzzle down alongside hers and she grinned in bliss. She nuzzled her nose into his cheek and he did likewise. It was a communion neither of them would forget for a long time as they both realised the affection was mutual. She had loved him from the moment she heard his howling and knew then and there that she didn't want to be with any other wolf but him. Cobalt felt the same way about her. Now they were together they never wanted to leave the others side.

The silver wolf titled his head upwards and howled long and loud. WaterSinger joined in his howling, announcing their mateship to the rest of the world. They were musical songs of joy and passion that marked that night eternally. That was the night they had both found love and they had found it together.

A spine-chilling growl pierced through their happiness and a blur of fur tore towards them. Before either of them could react a wolf leapt and bit around Cobalt's neck and threw him across the snow quicker than ever thought possible. A small trench was left where his body skidded along. WaterSinger gasped and ran towards him. Before she could take more than two steps the wolf dashed in front of her and blocked her path. She took a step back in surprise as fear warped her mind. This wolf was female but she was obviously strong. This she-wolfs expression was fierce. She had her teeth bared and the blood of WaterSinger's new mate was visible on the tips. Her eyes were darkened.

WaterSinger stood motionless; she listened to the malevolent growling and her own heart beating in her ears. This wolfess was nearly twice her size. Her coat was a mixture of white and bluish grey. Black patches appeared randomly placed on her pelt. When WaterSinger looked at this wolf's right ear, she noticed that a chunk had been torn out of it. Realisation dawned upon her. The wolf's angered expression turned into a smirk. The younger wolfess looked into the eyes of her foster mothers killer and felt like weeping. It was Sera. She had somehow survived the long winter. But there was no sign of Mozart or Nikita. WaterSinger supposed they had perished in the winter last year or Sera my very well have killed them herself.

Without warning the murdering Sera rushed at the youngster with her jaw open and ready to rip out her throat. Instinct took over and WaterSinger dodged the attack, narrowly escaping a deadly assault. The elder wolf turned abruptly skidding a little in the snow. She growled in anger and frustration and charged again, bounding a great distance at a time. The black and white wolf ducked low and leapt forward at the last possible second. She took the much larger wolf by surprise and came up from underneath to bite at the side of her neck. Sera howled out in pain as fur and flesh were torn from her neck. The damage dealt was merely superficial and only seemed to further enrage her.

Both wolves stood still for a moment, glaring furiously at one another. Wisps of cloudy breath were expelled from their mouths as each wolf exhaled out. They began to circle one another. Ears were pointed straight back and hackles were raised. Neither one of them even glanced away from the other for a split second. Harsh growls played in melody to the sound of the wind whistling through the trees. Fiery adrenaline pulsed through the veins of the circling creatures as they each were consumed by bloodlust. It was only when WaterSinger made the mistake to give a fleeting look at her newfound love lying lifeless in the snow that the stalemate broke.

Sera seized her chance and cleared the distance between them only this time she did not charge. Instead she pushed her forepaws off of the ground and rose up like a rearing stallion. WaterSinger was shocked and had no time to react before the beast came back down upon her. The senior wolfess raked her claws across her smaller combatants shoulder blades and bit the top of her muzzle. WaterSinger cried out in agony as blood seeped from her wounds. A large clawed paw thwacked across the left side of her muzzle and she was sent rolling through the snow by the sheer force behind the blow. Blood spattered across the snow in elegant droplets and painted the black canvas a crimson red. She whimpered lowly in the heap she had ended up in, only a mere metre away from tumbling off the high cliff. She struggled desperately to get back onto all four paws, but collapsed from the ripping pain in her shoulders. The beaten wolf panted heavily as her tongue protruded her open mouth.

The experienced fighter stepped over to its defeated enemy. Sera towered over the youngster with her teeth and claws gleaming scarlet with blood. A somewhat satisfied smirk crawled across her lips. A toothy grin of malevolence and pitiless joy was all WaterSinger could see in the face of her assailant. Her small body quaked and burned with the sting of her wounds. Blood drained freely onto the snow out of her muzzle and shoulders. One eyelid was closed over where the pain was so intense. Through one eye she could see her foster mothers killer approach closer and closer until she could feel her breathing over her face.

"I have waited too long to seek vengeance upon you, whelp. Our mother died because of you. My sisters soon fell afterwards and if it were not for your intrusion, everything could have been avoided. I promised this would be slow and painful, and I'm not one to break my promises," Sera said in the most wickedly evil, but also sickeningly content voice she could muster.

The beating of WaterSinger's ailing heart slowed to an almost non-existent thump as time seemed to slow. All sounds were blocked from her mind as she watched Sera lift a bloodied claw to strike yet another agonising blow. If death was to come then she prayed it would come fast and not be drawn out any longer. She went inside her head and thought about the afterlife and what it could be like. It was beautiful she decided, green plains, great forest and more easy prey than ever imaginable. And there would of course be her foster mother; the only family member she ever loved. They would play together and be happy with one another for all eternity. She even saw her human watching from a distance with that smile on his face. Even though the majesty of this fantasy world was so appealing, she found herself not wanting to give up on life yet, though, such matters seemed to be out of her control right now.

The paw descended with its knife like instruments cutting through the now falling snow. Her whole body tensed up ready. But, the claw did not descend any further. The expression on Sera's face changed from fury to distress as a flash of silver knocked her sideways and sent her spinning along in the snow. A neat smear of blood trailed along behind the large wolfess to where she finally fell.

WaterSinger looked up in shock and dismay. Her silver shining saviour had rescued her from certain death. She looked at him and he looked back at her. His mouth hung open limply and his legs were quivering. Deep teeth marks oozed trickles of red around and down his neck. What was once magnificent fur had been matted and marred by his lifeblood. WaterSinger was in no better state either. With a wince of anguish she managed to clamber to all fours, though she was far from stable.

Another growl was released, only this one was even more malicious than any other. Sera had risen even after such a direct and bloodying blow the male silver wolf gave her. Cobalt had inflicted a massive wound upon the larger wolf's left side. Pelt, skin and flesh had all been torn away from the area he had bitten. Blood now painted the wolf's side in a thick scarlet colour and more than a few drips fells to the ground beneath her. To look into the eyes of the wolfess was like staring into a heart of pure rage. There was nothing else upon her mind except misguided revenge from events she blamed on the wrong wolf. She was too far-gone to even realise it now. She had poisoned her own mind to hide the guilt of murdering her mother.

One last wrath filled charge at her weakened foe was all she needed to fulfil her lust for retribution. The pair watched as the fierce creature set upon them again and leapt through the air at them. Even in such a weakened state their lighting fast reactions did not fail them and they flung their bodies out of the line of fire.

Sera had misjudged her jump and the physical state of her enemy. She landed with no grace and a thud as continued to skid along at speed. Maybe if she had not been so focused on the kill then she would have seen what lay ahead before she struck. Her eyes went wide as she saw where the ground ended abruptly and slipped off into a sheer drop. There was nothing she could do other than howl and grip desperately at what little land there was left. Both came to no avail and she fell off the face of the cliff, disappearing from the two other wolves' sight. The howl reverberated throughout the forest like the wailing of some foul beast, until, silence.

WaterSinger and Cobalt weakly limped over to one another. Their breaths were ragged shallow gasps. Their bodies shook in pain and exhaustion. But their eyes were unburdened. WaterSinger; with her beautiful mismatched hues of purest blue and soft brown and Cobalt; with his deep sapphire like eyes of blazing passion. The two wolves met again, coming nose to nose with one another. Slowly they curled their head around the necks of their mate, coming to rest upon one another.

It had certainly seemed like a long winter for WaterSinger, as her past did not give up trying to find her. Yet she need not worry any longer. The flames of her darkened past were fading fast and the light of a new day was dawning on the horizon. They would bear the scars of this battle for the rest of their lives, but they would also share the love they felt for one another for the rest of their lives too.