Wolf

by Brianna Udovisi, Mount Stromlo High School

Wolf wanders through the broken forest, hiding from the No-furs that claim his land. He must move away from here. Somewhere safe. Somewhere where the land is untouched by the stench of the metal-movers and the destruction of the No-furs with the metal-sticks.

He hides in the bushes near the river beds. Moving only to hunt the rabbit that strays too close. Bones scattered around his red body, he licks his bloodstained muzzle, full for the first time in moons.

Food is scarce this winter. Wolf will eat whatever he can find, even crow food. The ice cold winds have refused to settle. Ice has covered the rivers. Snow has coated the earth, making it impossible for him to hunt.

The sky fades into darkness. Bright lights shine onto Wolf’s soft, red fur. His muscles ripple as he stands. He stares up at the glowing orb in the sky. It’s time, Wolf thinks, the No-furs and metal-movers have long gone, and their scent has faded from my forest.

He hurries through the forest, stopping only to drink from small ponds that have refused to freeze. He smells the scent-makers he left many moons ago as he nears the edge of his territory. New scents fill his nose. The smell of a pack. A pack he needs to survive this harsh time.

He moves downwind to stay hidden. He hides in the trees. His red coat is helping to hide him. His ear twitches at the sound of paw steps. No-furs. He flattens himself to the ground. From what he understands the No-furs have no sense of smell. They should walk right past him.

The paw steps stop metres away from him. Wolf whimpers as the stench of the metal-sticks fill his nose. He flinches as a boom fills the forest. A fox yelps before falling silent. The No-furs bark uselessly between themselves before they collect their prey. Finally, the stench fades. Wolf moves away from there, quickly, running through the forest at random until he can go no further.

He raises his nose to the sky. Meat. He slinks through the trees, his claws raking the soft earth of the forest. His heartbeat slows as he nears a deer, grazing peacefully. She wanders away from the safety of her herd to reach the grass that grows deep in the forest.

He watches her from a distance, waiting for the right moment to strike. He needs an offering. One that will allow him a place in the pack he scented.

The warm light of the orb engulfs the deer, blinding her for a near second. But that’s all he needed. He pushes down on his muscled legs and jumps. His claws rake the deer’s sides. The deer jumps in pain and calls out to her herd to flee. Wolf listens to the sound of hooves hitting the earth. No matter, Wolf thinks, I still have this one.

The deer tries to follow the fleeing herd, but the wounds slow her down. Wolf leaps onto the deer’s exposed legs, trampling her to the ground. Deer tries to flee, but Wolf’s weight is too great. She struggles but with each attempt she weakens. Wolf waits patiently. A clean kill is always better than a messy one.

The deer exposes her neck in a wild break for freedom. Wolf takes the opening. He finishes the deer with a sharp bite to the neck. Deer ploughs the dirt weakly before falling still in Wolf’s jaws.

Wolf places the lifeless deer gently on the ground, covering it in fresh snow. No point dragging it and ruining the kill needlessly. He wanders back to where he last scented the wolves. The smell has faded since his last visit. He follows the scent until it leaves the forest completely, hesitating at the last second.

The kill, Wolf thinks, I need it before I can go on.

Wolf races back to the place where he hid his kill. A foul stench fills his nose. Fox. Wolf bares his teeth and raises his hackles. He will fight for his kill. He stalks towards his rightful meal. He moves with the skill of a hunter. He moves downwind so Fox cannot smell him. His anger flares as he sees the scavenger sniffing his kill. He growls. Fox’s ears twitch at the sudden noise. He turns his head and sniffs the air, trying to pinpoint where Wolf is hidden.

The wind violently changes direction. It’s now or never. Wolf growls. Fox spins, teeth bared and ready for a fight. Wolf steps out of the forest. His eyes flare with the flame of a hundred suns. Fox whimpers but stands his ground. Brave, Wolf thinks, for such a small little thing.

Wolf bares his teeth and raises his hackles. Fox takes a step back but doesn’t run. Wolf leaps at Fox. Fox doesn’t react quickly enough. Wolf bites the red fur around the neck, drawing warm blood. Fox yelps and pulls away from Wolf. He bares his teeth one last time before running back into the safety of the forest.

Wolf rushes over to his kill. It stinks of Fox, but there’s nothing he can do. At least Fox didn’t get a chance to eat his kill. Wolf bites down gently onto the deer’s neck and drags her along after him as he makes his way through the forest.

The darkness has started to melt away by the time Wolf allows himself to rest. He places his kill down on a soft snow patch by a pond. He takes a few small licks from the icy pond. Wolf’s ear prickle at a sound in the distance. Wolf rushes over to the deer and picks her up. The smell of the kill makes his mouth water. He needs to eat. No, not now. This deer is an offering, a chance for a better life.

He jogs over to the edge of the forest, covering the deer in fresh snow. Wolf’s ears prickle. He hears panting and paws treading on snow. Wolf steps over his kill, hiding it from view.

A white wolf stalks towards him. He bows his head in a show of respect. The white wolf growls making Wolf flinch. A pack of wolves surround him. He automatically growls. The white wolf looks down at him. She bares her teeth. Leave. Wolf wants to, but if he does, he is as good as dead. A series of howls fill the air. Wolf flinches again. He is used to being the only one with that much strength. He tries to make himself look as weak as possible, but it’s impossible when your body ripples with every movement.

He slowly moves, tail low in submission, until the deer is uncovered. The wolf pack sniffs at the air, gingerly. Wolf nudges his kill towards the pack leader. She sniffs it before pulling it towards her. She takes a small bite out of it. She howls a command to her pack. Eat. The formation disperses as they feed on his kill. He takes a few steps back. He doesn’t want to risk the pack thinking he’s trying to steal their food.

A dark silver she-wolf comes up behind Wolf. Automatically Wolf growls. How dare she? The she-wolf narrows her eyes. He almost immediately regrets it. He gives the silver wolf an apologetic look. She flicks her ears in a show of amusement. Wolf flicks his tail towards the kill. Aren’t you going to eat? The she-wolf walks towards the kill, stopping only to give Wolf a gentle lick on the cheek and a flick of the tail as she passes.

Many Moons Later

Wolf stalks through the never-ending mountains. His coat shines softly against the soft earth. Over the last moons, his coat has dulled to hide him. His paw pads have hardened to match his rocky environment.

Wolf stalks over the ground almost as if he were a ghost. He comes up from behind his next meal, a large mountain goat. The goat flicks his tail nervously. He knows something’s wrong.

Wolf waits patiently for the signal. His tail flicks over the hard ground. A howl as loud as thunder cracks through the sky. Wolf doesn’t hesitate. He leaps onto the mountain goat and latches on with his claws and teeth. All around him, wolves burst from the cover of the trees, blocking all hope of escape from the goat. Goat kicks and bites everything in reach. Silver Wolf comes out of nowhere and delivers the killing bite. The goat falls still immediately.

His pack makes their way back to their caves where they sleep. Wolf pads over to his den and is immediately greeted by two pups, a light red one and a silver-red tinged one. They howl in happiness.

Silver Wolf wades in behind him and looks down upon her pups, pride shining in her eyes. This is the life Wolf always wanted. A life with a pack and a family that he can be proud of.