The Unseen
Shy Wolf
It was a winter night, cold, dark and snowy. Three figures padded through the snow, two dark dots, and the other almost invisible. They were in a hurry, straining to get away from something. A bird flew overhead, almost like a guardian, helping the figures along, looking for food, shelter, anything that was in the forest that might help. The wolves were cold, frigid, fighting to keep alive. The youngest one, Larka, wasn't fairing well. The larger wolves, the Alphas, were trying to share what warmth they had with their daughter.
Suddenly, the eagle cried out, and swooped down to them. "It looks as if there is a cave nearby, maybe half a mile." said Bran, who was also chilled from being in the air for so long. "Thank you, Bran," said Huttser, the alpha male, looking down at his daughter, "We will spend the night there."
When they reached the cave, it looked as if it was carved, cleaned out. The wolves were wary, but they needed a place to rest, so they just kept their senses up.
The wolf who was most wary was Kai, the alpha female. Since she is a mother, she trusted her instincts than most wolves do. Her instincts told her someone, or something, was watching them, has been watching them, for she had felt this for most of their journey. But since this was the nearest place, and it seemed safe for the moment, she decided to keep her guard up.
"Father," Larka whimpered, "I'm cold."
"I know, Larka. Soon you will be warm. We've stopped moving for a while, and we're safe." Huttser growled encouragingly, not knowing his mate's feelings.
…………………..
Later that night, Huttser thought of their pack, destroyed, one by one, until there was only the little family left. There were once eight members, happily living in a land about 150 miles from where they were now. His pack included a Sikla, the weakest member of the pack. It was his brother, Khaz, and it hurt Huttser to think of how he had died.
The beta wolves, the second highest rank in the pack, were his sister, Kipcha, and Kar, who had seen many lands in his lifetime. They were about to have cubs when they died, fighting side by side.
Then there was the nurse, the wolf that looked after the cubs while the mother wanted to hunt. She had died of old age, before the attack.
And the thought that made him ache most was his other cub, Larka's brother Skop. He had been taken away in the midst of the frenzy, and they hadn't heard of what happened since.
While he was lost in thought, Kai sprang up, snarling, her body tense to spring. She sensed danger, and although it was unseen, and she didn't know what or who it was, she knew it was dangerous. But, almost as suddenly as she felt it, it was gone.