There was nothing in sight as he looked across the cold, snowy horizon. His pack had been killed by hunters. Now he was going to start one of his own. He had seen she-wolves before, and one caught is eye. She looked back at him a few months ago, smiling. She was such beauty and he had wanted her to be his mate. Suddenly, he heard another wolf howl. "Could it be her?" he wondered aloud.
That howl was distinctly familiar. Gathering up his thoughts, he ran towards where it came from.
Now, it was night and getting even colder. He could see his breath and the she-wolf's also. He had finally come upon her and stared at her once again. Light grey fur and bright blue eyes. She walked up to him, remembering him finally. "Hey, your that wolf who I saw a few months ago. Split from your pack, huh?"
"Yes, I'm Aang," he told her, blushing slyly.
"I'm Katara. I'm so sorry about that. Did they get killed?" she asked, but came to nuzzle him when he hesitated, a tear running down his cheek.
She saw him nod slightly and nuzzled him more. "I'm still with my pack, but they're probably going to have me start a new family soon. Do you want to come and see them?"
"I don't know if that would be the greatest idea. So, are you just taking a walk?" he asked, narrowing his eyes to look beyond Katara.
"Yea, something like that. I have to get back soon though."
"One more question," he said smirking. "Why were you howling?"
"Oh, just incase I need to find a mate soon. I'll be looking around for you when I come back," she said and took off toward her pack's den.
He just stared for a second and then walked around, desperately wishing that Katara would be his mate.
As the night grew deeper, Aang heard another howl and remembered it as Katara's. "Katara?" he said.
She had to be close. She had never heard his howl, so howling was tentative. "Aang!" she called his name and ran over to him. "Aang, I'm old enough to start my own pack!" she exclaimed, nuzzling him.
"Katara, do you want to be my mate?"
"We just met, so let's take some time together to know more about each other," she said smiling. "Then I'll decide if I'll be yours."
Aang knew that with all that he'd done, he probably wouldn't get to be with her. "So, do you want to come to a lake with me? It's hidden in a forest and I usually don't find anyone there," she asked looking toward the forest.
"Sure," he said and looked up to the sky. He'd heard a faint humming sound, most likely hunters in the air vehicles. "C'mon! we have to get out of here! There are hunters coming!"
They ran into the forest, trying their best to stay hidden in the darkest parts of the forest. Aang ran a little more, Katara just behind him when he got to the lake she was talking about. He was awestruck as he wandered towards the water. "This is amazing!" he told her, letting the gentle waves caress his feet.
"Told you you'd like it," she said, smirking.
"Do you want to stay here tonight? We could talk for a while," he asked her, taking a quick drink.
"I-I don't know. My pack..." she trailed off.
"You're old enough to start your own, let's stay," Aang pleaded with her. Katara just nodded and stared out across the lake.
He awoke to the smell of smoke. Scanning the area, he saw a trail of smoke in the sky, coming from not too far from the lake. Katara stirred, but remained asleep. The last thing he would want for her was to worry, so he let her sleep. Suddenly, he heard leaves rustle. Acting fast, he glared into the trees, trying to make out what was there. "BAM!" a gunshot was heard and he fell, whimpering.
This awoke Katara. "Aang!" she gasped as she saw him.
Growling, she advanced on the hunters, not afraid of their guns. Terrified, the hunters took off, but not without Katara biting one of them. Blood dripped from her mouth. She washed her muzzle clean with water before looking at Aang. "Can you hear me, Aang?" she asked, her voice cracking a bit, blinking back tears.
"Katara?" he muttered, his voice barley above a whisper. Another whimper was heard as she dragged his body to the river, trying to clean his wound. The bullet wasn't very far into him, and she managed to get it out quickly. "I'm sorry, Aang."
"It's ok, not your fault." The day grew warmer as the hours went by. Aang, resting by their makeshift den, called her name. "Yea, Aang?" she asked, looking up at him from eating.
"Will you be my mate?" She heard him ask.
Thinking about their long talk together last night, she nodded. "I'd love to," she whispered, licking his muzzle.
He licked back and new that his life was about to change for the better.
