As the cold winter had passed, the chilly spring came by and before the summer had arrived, all the snow had melted and the thick taiga had inhaled with the wildlife and the colorful environment. For Alaska, even the summers were not warm enough unlike other places in the world.
Still, the wildlife had plenty of animals to show. The groundhog was seen searching for the food in the forest, just near the river. It hoped that finding some meal for the oncoming cold winter would help a lot and that it'd avoid the famine in months to come.
Although, as the groundhog was in search for food, it was unaware of the predator sneaking soundlessly behind. The black wolf with green eyes, now being in pre-teenage days… it was Hunter. Now he was not that overly playful little puppy, but he was almost one year old! He was very close to his prey.
He was sneaking very carefully to that groundhog, hoping it was not going to notice him and as his prey was digging around the trees, it was too busy to notice the predator behind. Then, Hunter leaped and let out the wolf growl and just then did the groundhog notice it was being hunted… but it was too late for the groundhog.
To make sure his prey gave no more life signs, Hunter kept it in his mouth and as it was clear that the groundhog wasn't responding anymore, Hunter placed his prey by his paws and then he triumphantly yelled: "I did it! I've caught my prey for the first time on my own! I did it, Tala! Come and see!"
Tala, who was by this time one year old and had physically grown bigger, came from the trees. Her fur was still white, soft and smooth and even her eyes kept that evergreen liveliness. She headed to her little brother and nuzzled him, saying: "Well done, little brother! It looks like we've taught you well!"
"But you've done most of it, don't forget that!" Hunter winked to his sister, even if she were saying: "Awwww, I was being encouraging. Mama and papa did a lot too!" Still, even if that were true, Hunter knew that his big sister deserved lots of credit. Their parents were going to love these news.
"Say, how about we share this groundhog… by racing to our cave!" Hunter started slowly, paused for a few seconds to let Tala think about it so he could grab the prey and make a run for it! Tala cheerfully yelled: "Hey! Come back, you naughty little Hunter!"
"Little, am I?!" Hunter laughed as he was being followed by Tala, both running quite fast. Even if it was summer, the air was humid and the winds were indicating another early winter. That didn't bother them too much as they managed to make it all the way to their den, with Hunter being first one.
"Nice job, you're better in running than I am." Tala congratulated to her brother on this victory. While they shared laughs, Tala could notice one of her older packmates behind Hunter mischievously whispering to another one. Hunter heard the whispers, but not what they were saying, so he asked: "Do you have any idea what are they talking about?"
Tala rolled with her green eyes, as if she knew exactly what these two were talking, but decided not to respond on those by saying: "Probably making jokes on us for being close siblings. One day they'll think we're mates!" Hunter thought about it and let her know: "Uhhhhh, no! Why would they think that way for us?!"
"Beats me." Tala shrugged, deciding not to think about it as she and her family had dinner with the groundhog Hunter caught. As the two were entering, Tala assured him: "I'll let mama and papa know who caught this groundhog, alright?" Hunter nodded, being proud to become the star of the family for this one day.
As the night was falling, the skies were getting cloudier and with the wind blowing, it was indicating that there was going to rain tonight. For the pack, that was a bit more than a half dozen where Tala and Hunter were, they were going to spend their night in their parents' cave for sure.
Since the night had fallen few hours ago and only thing that was breaking through the thick clouds was the moon, it was a certain relief before the summer rain would pour. The wolves were asleep, all but one. That could not remain unnoticed anytime soon.
Hunter was awake, feeling like he had heard something outside. Making sure his parents and other packmates were asleep and safe, Hunter was about to go back to sleep when he noticed that Tala wasn't around. "Tala? Tala, where are you?" He asked, wondering where she could have been right now. The answer came quick as flash.
Glancing at the entrance of the cave, he noticed his big sister sitting at the entrance. She was gazing at the moon that was going to be covered soon by the rainy clouds. The breeze was stirring her white fur. Though, Hunter could notice Tala's ears were lowered. Something was not right.
"Tala? Psssst, Tala!" Hunter got on all of his fours and walked up to the entrance, next to his sister. She looked at him with a melancholic look and said: "Hunter, hi." Even if he were four months younger than her, he was physically growing up faster that he was almost equally tall as her.
"Is something wrong? Did you have a bad dream?" He asked her, wondering why she was sitting here. Tala looked at him and let him know: "Hunter… it's not that I had a bad dream. It's just that I realized that I'm now one year old… alright, few weeks more or less."
"Alright, but why does that bother you?" He asked her again, to which she replied: "Hunter, when a wolf reaches the age of one, then that is the time the wolf leaves the pack he or she was born in and makes his own life path. It is known as the Call of Nature."
Memorizing this right now, he still had to ask her: "Wait… does that mean that…?" Before he could continue, Tala spoke: "Hunter, it's not because mama and papa said it, but it's because the wolves become independent after the age of one. By now I should have had left this pack and go with my path. Every wolf has to answer it."
"Yet you didn't. Why?" He didn't realize it at first when he asked her. Thus Tala revealed: "It's because of you, Hunter. I just couldn't go out by myself and start life anew, without realizing that it could or could not be the last chance of seeing you again. I decided to stay few months longer until you are independent on your own!"
Now that he understood why, he was touched by his sister's words. If she wanted to stay until Hunter decided to go, then let their parting of paths be as sentimental as it could be. He leaned on her shoulder to nuzzle her, whispering: "Tala, thank you for those words. I don't know what to say, honestly!"
Tala looked at her little brother and smiled at last, whispering: "You don't have to say anything. You can be thankful that we'll get to spend some time together after we leave mama and papa before our paths fork." He added: "And if spirits allow, we reunite again at some point in the future."
"Absolutely." Tala agreed, leaning her head on his and they remained in here for a few minutes before the wind blew stronger and neither the moon nor the moonlight was visible behind those rainy clouds. She whispered to him: "Come on, let's go back to sleep. We cannot get ourselves soaked wet!"
He nodded and followed her inside as the thunders were heard in the distance. As long as they were on safety in that cave and had each other for the time they had, they had nothing to worry about. Not even a rainy summer night could dampen their spirits.
The summer came to the end and was replaced with the fall. The rains and winds intensified, but with the winter anticyclone flow coming, the rains were already in October replaced with the first snow. By the time the early winter was coming, the wildlands of Alaska were already covered in thick layers of snow.
Still, with the early winter coming, there were some news for Tala and Hunter. Mostly it was Hunter, as he was now one year old and that meant one thing - he was ready to move on and start life anew all by himself. In other words, he was about to answer his Call of Nature. Even Tala was ready at this point.
"Tala, Hunter, come. Your mother and I have something to tell before you… go." Tala and Hunter's father invited his pups for a talk. Long had he and his mate waited for this time to come. It was not going to be easy to let their pups go, but that was the nature of wolves.
Tala's mother sat beside her mate and as Hunter and Tala sat down opposite of them, the farewell was coming. Tala's father spoke: "Tala, Hunter… now you've grown up. Both of you are old enough to start taking care of yourselves. This may be hard for me and your mother to let you go, but that's who we are as wolves!"
Hunter and Tala looked at their parents and seeing what kind of grief and melancholy was present in their eyes, Tala spoke: "Mama, papa… it's not easy for us too, but Hunter and I will make sure to make you proud when we start all over!"
"And even if my path and Tala's path might be different, we will never forget what you've taught us as we were growing up!" Hunter commented, indicating that he was going to treasure everything he'd learned from his parents while growing up. Tala looked at her brother, smiled, and told him: "Good choice of words."
Tala's mother told them: "But remember, even if your paths may lead you each elsewhere, know one thing - goodbyes are not forever! For one day, all of us may meet again, whether that could be very soon or many years later!" Hearing their mother saying about "goodbyes", they knew that was true.
Their father let them know: "Now, you two are ready to go. May you both remain safe wherever your paths take you! Never forget what we've taught you, pups!" With that being said, Tala and Hunter shared one last nuzzle with their mother and father.
"Mama, papa… goodbye." Tala said it first, following with Hunter: "Goodbye, mom, dad." Just before the two were ready to leave the pack once and for all and for good, their parents simultaneously spoke: "Goodbye, Tala, Hunter. May the spirits guide you into the lands unknown!"
That being said, Tala and Hunter looked at their parents one last time and the pack they were raised in before turning around and following the path that led deep into the wilderness. Still, Tala and Hunter were going to remain together for some little time they had left until they were going to come across the paths that forked in two.
Tala and Hunter were spending the last of their time together until their next meeting. In order to part ways, as something to remember by, they had spent time talking about some of their memories, whether they were pretty or not. Most of them were, just so the two could part in a good way.
"I still won't forget how you were trying to hunt that rabbit, even if you were just two months old!" Tala joked on that memory, being amused and delighted at the same time for what he was trying to do back then. Hunter rolled his eyes, without taking that seriously.
"But what about that very first time you went hunting by yourself and you brought that rabbit to me, mom and dad?" Hunter recalled that day when Tala was around nine months old, when she had returned from her first independent hunting, ending in a success.
"Oh, that was something I was pretty much proud of! I mean, being by myself for the first time and having supplied our whole family with a dinner all by myself! But don't forget that time when you caught that groundhog!" Tala remembered both events vividly, but decided not to take the credit for all.
As their talk carried on, they walked up to the old spruce tree. While it was just there, it just happened that it was the point where two paths forked. One that led to the north and the one that led to the west. As if that spruce, where the paths forked… meant that each of them had to follow their destiny now.
"Hunter… is it me or I feel like this is the place where we part?" Tala asked him, looking at the spruce as if it was emitting the eerie and mystical aura around itself. Hunter looked at the same tree and commented: "That tree… it feels like something tells me that this is it."
One of them was destined to carry on with the life path towards north whereas the other one had to choose west. Tala and Hunter looked at each other and Tala spoke first: "Well, Hunter… it looks like that this is it. This is where we part… for now."
As much as neither of them wanted to part from other one, they did know that it was for their best. Hunter looked in Tala's eyes, trying to hold his emotions back, saying: "It is. I've never thought that we'd grow up together, but continue on our own individually!" Even Tala was trying to hold her emotions back.
With Tala leaning on Hunter's chest, as she was now shorter than her brother despite being older, she whispered: "Hunter, wherever your path takes you, I do hope that one day we'll meet again and share our time together like we used to." Hunter rubbed his head against Tala's, wanting to share one last moment with her.
"I know, Tala. I hope for that day too. Remember what mom said before we left - goodbyes are not forever." He was right and no matter how long they were going to be apart now, it was not the last time they were going to see each other. Tala moved her head from Hunter's chest and looked him in the eyes.
"Goodbye, brother. May the spirits guide you to the north." She bid him farewell first and then Hunter spoke: "Goodbye to you too, Tala. I hope the spirits will keep you safe on your journey to the west." They shared one last look, full of emotions and hope, with each other and smiled.
Then Hunter turned towards the north and followed that path. Tala watched him leave and of course, she noticed how he turned around and glanced at her one last time before he started to fade in the distance and blend into the woods.
As he was leaving, Tala turned around and started heading to the west, noticing how the sun was still above, even if it was going to set soon. She followed the path and for her it was going to take a while until she was going to find a new place to live…
However, she was not the only one who was taking this same path.