Memories She'd Rather Forget
"Can we rest now, please?" asked a small wolf, barely old enough to be away from its mother. It was beige with a white chest, underbelly, and paws. The black wolf in front of it didn't reply, but it slowed its trot to a walk. The pup blinked, its green eyes momentarily covered by its eyelids. The small wolf was hoping that they would actually stop to rest, but didn't complain. It knew that the jet-black wolf in front of it was a very powerful and dangerous wolf.
"We're being followed," the black wolf stated casually after a short time of walking. Its voice was barely a whisper. The small, beige wolf's eyes widened. It hadn't even caught the faintest whiff of anything besides the trees and the black wolf's scent. Normally, it would've started running, or stopped and waited for orders, but this time it kept walking, slightly quickening its pace. The black wolf did the same. It knew that the forest's edge was near. Soon, it the wolves would be home, romping in the snow-covered fields, with others of their kind all around them. The pup tried to stay calm as it finally got a good sniff of their followers. The scent was close, way too close for comfort.
Suddenly, the black wolf broke into a run. For once, the beige pup didn't hesitate to follow, even though it was tired and hungry. The sound of human's footsteps behind it supplied it with fear, and fear made its paws swift. It wanted to be home more than anything. Despite its size, it was determined not to let humans capture or kill them now, when they were so close to feeling the comfort of home. Gunshots were heard behind them, and silver bullets hit the ground around them, but neither wolf looked back or slowed their pace. If they could just go another mile or so, they would be out of the woods and back home.
They were almost there, so close that both wolves could smell the scents of the others, when the black wolf let out a cry and fell to the ground. The beige wolf skidded to a stop, looking down at its companion. The awful stench of blood wafted up into the pup's delicate nose. It let out a gasp and nudged the black wolf. Blood was pooling out of a wound on its neck. It looked down and saw the sticky, thick, red liquid flowing around its paws. The beige pup whined and frantically tried to get the black wolf on its paws. It ignored the bullets flying around it, even though it knew that a still target was easier to hit.
We've come this far, sister! Don't die on me now! The beige wolf pricked its ears and sniffed the air. They were surrounded. A bullet hit the ground beside the beige wolf, causing dirt to fly up around them. A little bit of dirt landed on the black wolf, a little hit the beige wolf, and the rest went flying either in between the two or in another direction. The black wolf lifted her head, but it fell back on the ground with a closed her golden eyes and took her last labored breath. The beige wolf stared, horrified, at its sister's body. A horrid scent that the beige wolf had never smelled before overwhelmed the pup's nose. It took a few steps back, still not believing that its sister could fall just like that when she had survived many tough trials.
The stench was the scent of death. Bullets were now being fired as if they were pouring rain. With a final mournful glance at the fallen wolf's face, the beige and white wolf leaped over its sister's body and ran on to go home.
With a jolt, I sat upright. I was panting harshly; sweat trickling down my pale face. I looked up at the full moon, glowing beautifully above me. I had fallen asleep basking in the moonlight. It was a dream. I took a deep breath to calm myself. The illusion that made me appear as a human faded away, revealing my true form. I looked down at my white paws. The memory I had dreamed of was still fresh in my mind. Why had I dreamt of my past, when I so badly wanted to forget about it? Was I never going to forget the day my sister died, the night I was orphaned?
I didn't think I was going to forget it, ever. The feeling of the terror that struck my body would never escape my mind, nor would the scent of blood and death. Oh, how I desperately wanted to forget my past! I just wanted to fall into a peaceful slumber that I would never wake up from, or have all those terrible memories slip away, and leave me as if they were never there. That night, I really thought that I would never be happy unless I forgot everything.
