Howl
Perching on a ledge outside his den, Kouga looked out over the illuminated valley below. The full moon flooded the night; the world glowed blue and white, silent and full of life.
Life.
A breeze floated along the rock wall, following the river. To anyone else, it would have been cool and relaxing, a soundless lullaby. To Kouga, it was a knife that ripped through every vein, carrying with it the screams of his comrades as they died without honor, without fanfare, without purpose... killed by a sophomoric trap, and then used to ensnare him as well.
The wolf leader balled up his fists as the wind picked up. His tribe... his pack... his family... gone. So many of them, stripped of their dignity even in death. No wolf should go like that, so quickly, uselessly, without any chance to fight back...
Or say goodbye.
He turned his face to the moon. They'll never see it again...we've had our last howl together, and we didn't even know it. The thought surprised him. The myriad possibilities and experiences in life that his fallen comrades would never explore, and he was mourning the loss of such a simple thing. Gritting his teeth, he turned his back to the wind, putting the moon behind him. She's mocking me... that witch... somewhere, she's laughing at me... that absolute coward! He slammed his fist into the rock next to him. The pain distracted him from the stinging in his eyes... he took several deep gasping breaths, forcing the sorrow back down. He was the leader of the wolf demon tribe. He would not cry. Not even for the fallen.
But he would mourn... and pay respect... and say goodbye. The best way he knew. The only way. He turned back into the wind -- to the moon. Straightening to his full height, he threw his head back, and let the call echo through the valley, on to the world beyond.
The End