• Prologue


    The night was cold. Bright stars shone in the black sky, the full moon illuminating the tall pines. A dark figure moved through the shadows. The wolf loped along silently, steam escaping his nose. The lone wolf took a breath, breathing in the fresh mountain air, pausing in a clearing, white light shining down on the wolf’s dark fur. He studied the darkness surrounding him, his intense blue eyes scanning the shadows of the trees. He took in another breath, letting it out. The wolf lifted his head to the night sky. The full moon, millions of stars in the sky. He stood there for a few moments, then headed back into the shadows, his tail swishing lightly over the white powder.
    The wolf bent his head down, opening his mouth, engulfing a mouthful of cool snow. He lifted his head back, letting the snow condense inside his mouth before swallowing. His eyes continued to roam, always vigilant. He jumped a log laying on the ground, pushing off with his muscular back legs. As he came down, his front paws slipped, starting to slide down a steep incline. He stayed down, twisting onto his back as he flew down the slop, snow spraying out behind him. After a few moments, he came to a sudden stop, plowing into an embankment of snow. He laid there on his back for a minute, staring up at the night sky, legs in the air A smile grew slightly on his muzzle. Fun. Hadn’t had a whole lot of it.
    The wolf turned onto his other side and stood up, shaking the snow off himself. He took in his surroundings, then continued trotting through the darkness. The smile left his face. His ear flicked at the loud snap that broke the silence. It was so cold that the bark was snapping off the trees. Steam escaped his mouth as he panted, his tongue lolling out. The wolf’s head swiveled as his eyes scanned the shadows. The wolf let out a sigh. He shook his head, clearing his mind.
    The wolf came to a stream. He paused, and lapped at the water. Cold, clear mountain water. He paused, and looked at the reflection staring back at him, moon light faintly shining through the trees. Intense blue eyes, dark brown, black, and off-white fur. Large ears, a nick on the right one near the top. A scar ran down the right side of his face, over the eye. The pain he had endured. The guilt of what he had caused, what he had done. He deserved it, as did those wolves. The wolf closed his eyes, and sighed again. He stepped in the stream as he continued, ripples forming on the still surface. The wolf’s eyes roamed the darkness once again.
    The wolf loped silently through the night, his large paws barely crunching as he pounded them into the snow. He jumped another stream. Crossed a log overhanging another creek, his claws digging into the bark underneath the layer of white powder. He moved through the shadows with an athletic grace, seeming avoiding the light that shined down from the moon. Progressively, he had been making his way up a mountain. As he climbed higher, the trees became sparse. The jumped from one rock to another, slipping a bit as he landed. Digging his back claws in, he jumped off.
    Coming to a ridge, he sat down at the edge. He gazed down at the vast valley. The waterfall at the far end. The river running down the middle. Endless tall, dark pine trees. The dark mountains in the background. The wolf gazed up at the stars. Millions of small balls of light. He looked to the moon, full and bright. He sat there for a few moments, taking in the spectacle. He sighed again, contentedly. For what seemed like hours, the lone wolf sat on the ridge, surveying the valley. He breathed in the high mountain air, crisp and fresh. Finally, he stood up, stretched, then headed back down the mountain.
    A snap ran out, breaking the silence. Not the snap of bark. The wolf scanned the shadows with his blue eyes. Something moved in the darkness. He paused, his head whipping to were he though he saw the movement. He stayed there for a few moments, trying to spot anything else. He sniffed the air.
    Wolf.
    The wolf stayed in the shadows, but silently, slowly approached the tree where he saw the dark form disappear behind. He sniffed the air again. That was definitely wolf. And, there was the border. To what? The wolf took in another breath. Must be the border to the wolf’s territory.
    The wolf stayed close to the stream bank, trying not to encroach onto the other wolf’s territory. Being a loner, he has had to avoid all packs. Nobody liked outsiders. Some minutes went be, and the wolf had a feeling that he was being followed. He looked behind himself, scanning the shadows with his blue eyes. There was movement again, a shadow likely diving for cover. He paused a second, then continued padding upstream.
    The female wolf crouched in the shadows. She eyed the loner, sniffing the air. She silently followed the wolf, wondering what he was up to. She quickly darted back behind a tree as the loner turned his head. After a few moments, she saw the loner move off upstream. She quickly padded through the shadows, staying hidden from the loner, not wanting to attract attention to herself.
    The loner paused for a moment, then whipped around, scanning the shadows. Yes, a wolf was out there. Following him. Wondering was he was up to, probably. He took in a long breath again. A female. The wolf sniffed the air again.
    The female stayed completely still, crouched in the shadow of a tree to the right of the loner. She saw him sniffing the air, no doubt catching her scent, since the faint breeze was blowing downwind to him.