One day, I woke up. But it was too late . . . I had already fallen. Floating down a raging river was easy. But staying alive was the hard part. I couldn't scream, I couldn't swim to safety. I was trapped in a raging hell of water. How I was still able to keep my head above water was beyond me. I had no energy left. The outcast shinobi's would soon be after me again. I needed to find safety, before it was too late. I figured that I had to find the slightest bit of energy to clumsily swim to shore. Another obstacle, finding energy, I had no more chakra in my body, so I couldn't hardly even lift a finger. Slowly though, with my aching muscles, I rolled over onto my stomach and limply doggy paddled myself to the dark, wet, sand on the bank. I rolled onto my back, feet still in the river and stared up at the night sky. It was a very cold winter night.
I soon felt the river again pulling at my legs and hated the feeling of being dragged back down into river and twitched my legs onto the bank. I had to get up; I had to walk to get warm. Struggling to my feet I was surprised that I could even support my weight. Though when I took one-fourth of a step, I tumbled back to the ground. I cursed under my breath and watched it float up in a warm cloud. That made me remember if I still wanted to survive I had to take off my clothes. It seemed strange, pulling off my clothes in the middle of openness. I braced myself once more and stood up. I took a step, still standing, barely, then another and another. I was sure that I had to find the forest that was at least two miles away. Could I really carry this soaked body all the way to the forest, through the snow and the ice? I wasn't sure, but I couldn't give up this far in the game. I trudged at least one and a half miles within an hour; though I had lost a lot of energy I still pushed myself into a jog or a run. Mouth dry, muscles at the point of exploding, I collapsed ten feet away from the forest. I couldn't give up after I was so close to a standing chance.
I thought about the irony, if I were to die right at the point of my destination. It was a sad, lonely thought but it put a slight weary smile to my face. I heard something howl in the distance, a wolf. Oh great, I'll be eaten to death. I thought. I still had my humor I gave a brief smile. The wolf, no older than a young cub ran to assist me. I felt a warm wet nose on my ribs. The wolf's tongue licked up and down my body, trying to get some warmth into me I could tell. The wolf cub stopped and stared at my hopeless body, it howled again and again. There was a faint reply and a black wolf came out of the forest. The alpha, I could tell, had come to help the younger wolf out. The two wolves nuzzled me and cuddled up to me. Their fur was rough, but warm.
They wrapped themselves around my near-hypothermic body and laid with me, I could feel the heat from their body enter mine. It was a nice feeling, this feeling of life. Sometimes the wolves would shift to keep themselves warm. I soon had the feeling back into my fingers. Once I was warm enough, the two wolves got off of me and nudged me up onto my feet. My tattered body, with burn marks, cuts, and bruises, staggered forward. When I'd give up and stop in my tracks the alpha wolf would push at my behind until I started moving again. I hadn't eaten in two days. My stomach growled at me as we neared a shallow cave. There were many other wolves; they all looked up when we entered. The alpha wolf, which I had named Isuka, padded over to a she-wolf and waited for me to come over. She had been suckling a few pups; I knew what he wanted me to do.
"Oh no, I couldn't, really," I pleaded. Isuka barked at me, demanding me to suckle from this she-wolf. Isuka's gaze hadn't changed so I gave in and lowered to my knees. Nearing the content she-wolf I found a nipple within the fur and drank. It wasn't my ideal meal, but it had done me good. Nasha, the she-wolf, was a little fearful of me at first, but as the days passed I became one of her pups. I still hadn't bothered with clothes; I was fine just walking naked with the wolves. The days with the wolves were quiet, while others strong enough went hunting with Isuka and I stayed behind to watch the pups with Nasha. Days soon turned into months and months into years, by now I could hunt with the others and it was near spring. No sign of the shinobi that had once stalked me, waiting to kill me. Gradually I lost my English and gained my wolf talk. I still knew English, but it was more common for me to speak with the wolves.
I hadn't thought about going to civilization. I was content with the wolves, they were my new family. We hadn't moved around much, for the sake of me and my little pup companions. I had named all of my family, for they had no name for each other. The cubs were Rascal, Tanya, Cara, Abby, Zingy, and the littlest one Ruton. They had all grown into fine adults. When it was Isuka's time to choose a new alpha because his time was up he had chosen Scar. Scar was one of the middle aged wolves that helped around with everyone. He got the name scar by battling a bear. He had won, except for a huge scar down his face. As I had named the pack, the pack had named me. I didn't mind. They called me Little Moon Star. They told me that it meant that I'd be lucky in life and death.
"Little Moon, I would like to speak with you," Isuka whined. I followed him into the den that I had made for him months ago, "You have become the most beautiful girl in the pack. But it is time that you left to join your own kind."
I was puzzled, "But I belong with you Isuka. I am not like the others; I have shown myself worthy of a wolf."
"You must go, Scar likes you and understands you the way I do, he wishes you a home with others like you," He murmured in his old age. "You must understand the pack will be moving soon once I pass into the Great Forest, and I am afraid that you may not be able to keep up."
"But Father, I wish to stay here, I can keep up with the others. I have won against all of the pack," I barked.
"One day there will be time where you need to mate, as all of us do. You will find no suitable male here Little Moon, as much as I hate to say it, you must leave this pack and start your own." Isuka spoke wisely and I knew it. I stared down at my hands not knowing what else to say.
"Where can I find the two-legs?" I asked hoping that he would not know.
"Four have been passing this place several times, they watch us and one with grey hair tells them to be like us. You, however, are never around when they come, Little Moon Star, you must find some deer and skin it. They wear not fur on there backs and would find it strange if you walked up to them as naked as a wolf," He answered plainly. I nodded solemnly and feared for the worst. That night, when the great moon rouse above the pack did I leave. I said farewell to my family and had one last meal with them. They were all heartbroken to see me leave; even the lone white wolf was long-faced as I left their lives for ever.
It had not taken long before I was regretful, a half mile away from the pack; I was on the pack borderlines. Deer was easy to find, the knife I made out of stone did well to scrape off the skin. I washed off the blood and tied it around me, my shawl was complete. Bare skin still showed, my legs, arms, neck still could be seen. I spent the night in a hole under a tree, the night was warm and the ground was moist. Leaves stuck to each other and when someone stepped on them they wouldn't crunch under their feet. But I still heard whoever was there, it wasn't an animal, it may have been a human.