A gust blew through a dense clump of ferns in a woodland. Long, thin tree trunks stood high like silent knights. Through bushes of brambles and wildflowers, a single canine stood, not moving a muscle. A smaller wolf stood below him.
"Please, sir, just take me into your pack…" She sobbed. The large dog flexed his long, shimmering black claws, digging them into the deep earth below.
"No. Leave, now. You had your chance when I left the Still Water pack," He took a threatening step forward, his pale yellow teeth bared in a snarl. She shakily backed away.
"But I'll die…" She whimpered. Pity flashed in his eyes for a moment, before the fury returned to his gaze.
"If you survived in that cruel pack for the whole winter, you can live as a loner. Leave. I will not repeat myself," He growled, menacingly calm as he raised a paw with hooked claws off of the ground. Suddenly the sadness, hunger, and desperation in her pitiful, puplike gaze transformed into undisguised hatred.
"We will meet again. You'll regret this. When you're pinned under me, begging for mercy, I'll remind you of this moment. Then I'll shred your throat," She snarled. The muscular canine's eyes widened, taken aback as the small, young wolf dashed away. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He had killed innocent loners, he almost fatally injured a wolf who was barely a pup, and worst of all, he abandoned a starving ex-friend in her time of need. He was cruel. He had become what he had loathed the most. A killer.