I stare into the mirror, taking a deep breath. My mother's words echo in my mind:
You will be fifteen years old soon, and then you must take your own journey, away from the Village of the Wolves. I know you're afraid, but I have faith in you. You will make it, Echo, I know you will.
The last time I'd been hailed by my nickname, Echo...
And today is the day I depart. It's so hard to believe just how quickly time has passed...
I close my eyes, playing with the beautiful necklace my mother gave me to remind me of her, a delicate silver chain with a beautiful blue teardrop-shaped diamond hanging off. A simple thing, sure, but the most valuable thing I own...And I treasure it, dearly.
I finish packing, and, hoping to avoid having to say my tearful goodbyes to my fellow wolf-folk, I leave briskly, setting off early, excitement making the blood roar in my silver wolf ears. The pale dawn light is just beginning to shine over the horizon and paints the snowy forest with a stunning golden light. I can't help but wonder what it's like out there, how far the world stretches...Excitement courses through my veins as I long to find out. Going into my wolf form, I break into a run, energy overflowing.
By the time mid-morning approaches, I have no idea how far I've come. I feel so ready to take on the world.
The forest looks beautiful in the sunshine, with the snow painted gold and the leaves of the trees dappled with sunlight..
Seeing it, I stop and enjoy the sun warming my silver and white fur; I close my eyes and feel a rush of peace. I feel like I can keep going forever.
It feels incredible, like I can do anything.
The sound of voices alerts me, and my eyes open quickly. They're not familiar, not by any means, and neither one sounds much older than I am. But they do sound close...
I bark softly, my tail giving a half-wag.
Mistake! I realize too late, as the two humans have walked within my line of sight and my quiet yip has alerted them of me.
My ears flatten as both boys look at me.
My instincts are yelling at me to run but my mind is saying to hold my ground, to investigate my situation.
Being young, I know I still have a lot to learn, something which means I'll have to get into a dangerous situation some time around. So, going against all my instincts, I take a cautious step forward, then another.
I see one boy, the shorter of the two, take a step back, while the other stiffens and a very large key, the size of a sword, at least, appears in his hand.
Realizing he can easily bash my skull in with it, I let out a soft whine, taking a step back, head lowered towards the ground.
He lowers the key but still stares at me warily.
Should I run?
...No. I have to know...
Who are they?
"Riku, I don't think she's gonna hurt us." The shorter boy speaks and I stand up straight, staring at him, tail giving another partial wag.
The silver-haired boy, whose name I now know to be Riku, reluctantly allows the keylike object to vanish from his hand.
The other boy, whose spiky hair seems outright impossible to me, takes a step towards me and my tail gives a nervous wag.
"Hey there," He says calmly and places a hand on my muzzle.
Not knowing what he's about to do, I leap back sharply, ears standing up straight. The snow around me kicks up as I land and sticks in my fur.
"Careful, Sora." Riku says, casting a wary glance at me. I bristle for a moment.
The spiky haired boy-Sora-still has his hand outstretched. Cautiously, I stretch my neck towards his hand and sniff it.
After a brief moment I stop and step closer, but when he attempts to pet me I run a small circle around him, causing him to jump a bit. I let out a yip of amusement, licking his hand before repeating my action but also running a half-circle around Riku.
By now both boys are staring at me, confusion clear in both their gazes.
I stop and glance back in the direction I'd been heading.
They came from that way...
Am I about to find more people like me?
But wait, these two don't have the ears or tails...
So...Where exactly am I going?
"We should be heading back, Sora," Riku says after a long silence.
"Alright," Sora replies, standing straight again and casting me a glance before heading off with his friend.
Who are they?
And more importantly, what were they doing out here?