• A.K.A Wolf Act II-Reunion.



    When I looked back at Hotaka, he looked at me like I was a kid who got exactly what she wanted for Christmas. He blinked back into a human form. His look confused me and when he chuckled it only confused me more. Hotaka put both of his hands behind his head, “I’m starving.”

    “You got two legs and a heartbeat, what’s stopping you?” I heard Zero say behind me. But he didn’t “say” it, he barked it. When I turned around he had transformed into this glorious wolf and his cloud white fur was like a star in contrast to the dark green forest background. I was mesmerized. Hotaka and Zero bickering broke my daze.

    “Well, you got four legs!” Hotaka returned.

    “C’mon Hotaka! It’s your turn to hunt,” Zero whined.

    “I set up camp. You go hunt!”

    “Make me!”

    I was growing annoyed by their obnoxiousness. “Shut up!” I barked harshly. Zero and Hotaka froze and looked at me.

    “I’ll go hunt! Then will you ladies be quiet?” I asked walking away. It wasn’t long until my nose picked up a familiar scent, elk. I followed that mouthwatering scent until I found a herd of about fifteen, tasty elk. I crouched down and crept towards a female. My ebony fur wasn’t that well camouflaged against the green grass but elk have poor eyesight, which was to my advantage. But, their hearing and smell was almost better than mine. When the time was just right, I pounced at my target. Of course, she swerved and zigzagged for her life, but her energy soon ran on empty. I lunged at her neck and clamped my hungry fangs into her flesh just under her jawbone. After a short struggle, I constricted her windpipe and suffocated her to death. I howled to tell Hotaka and Zero that dinner was served.

    Hotaka was the first to come; he grabbed one of the elk’s back legs to help me drag it back to the campsite. A while later, Zero finally came to “help.” But all he did was yell at us to move faster. Hotaka was right; Zero is just one huge jerk! When we got back to our little settlement, we were faced with a dilemma, who was going to eat first? Like all wolf packs, there had to be social ranks. And, how do you establish the highest position? Getting rid of your competition.

    Before any of us could eat, I had to face off with Hotaka. The thing about making a hierarchy, Is that you have to conquer you opponent but you cannot kill them. That’s where it gets hard. Hotaka (now a wolf) tried to hit me broadside and set me up for an easy pin down, but I jumped out of the way and flipped him over onto his side. I had him pinned, but not defeated. He kicked me off and for a while it was just Hotaka and I taking turns standing over one another. I clamped down on the scruff of his neck and flew him onto the ground. Hotaka was too tired to kick me off again. I had won. Now it was Zero’s turn to fight me, I didn’t think it seemed fair though. I mean, I was really tired from Hotaka and Zero was all pumped up. We brawled for a bit but of course, Zero pinned me down, and I was a little confused because his fighting style seemed vaguely familiar. So, our new pack ranks were; Zero (the alpha), me (second in command), and Hotaka (lowest).

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    We ate in that order until all of us were full. “Not, bad if I do say so myself,” I bragged as I cleaned my blood coated muzzle.

    “Not bad at all Miss…uh,” Hotaka tried to compliment.

    “Yukiru…my name’s Yukiru,” I finished, perking my ears up happily. Zero ran over to me, still human, and he had a certain panicked look on his face.

    “Do you have a little brother?” He asked urgently. I was beginning to get slightly panicked.

    “Yes,” I replied quickly.

    “Was his name Ichio?” Zero pressed

    I stood up, “Yes!” Zero blinked into a wolf and pounced on me playfully.

    “Don’t you recognize me, Yukiru?!” Zero barked wagging his tail as he stood over me.

    “Uh…no?” I returned confused. Zero backed off of me and ruffled the fur on his head so that some of it was in his face. Then it clicked. ZERO?!” I barked overjoyed. I tackled Zero and rubbed my head on his neck and forehead; the classic wolf greeting. And as I glanced up at Hotaka, his confused expression was almost funny.

    “Our packs used to be close allies, Zero and I were best friends! But, his pack migrated far away from mine around two years ago! I thought I’d never see him again!” I explained as my tail swayed from side to side rapidly. Then it hit me, if Zero was in the same situation as me, then all of my friends from Zero’s clan had been slaughtered as well. I sat down on my rump and bowed my head with my ears down. Zero understood my sudden depression and placed his head over mine. “Do you know where he is? Where’s Ichio?” I whimpered.

    “Surt-Lim has him most likely,” Zero retuned.

    “Where can we find him?” I asked sadly.

    “Hell if I know. But, I do know where we need to go; the Red Lilies.”

    “Red Lilies? But that flower isn’t even in this region. And why that flower?”

    Hotaka intruded with, “Zero and I both got the instinct to follow that particular scent. My best guess is that, that’s where Ichio and Surt-Lim are.” “Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” I barked. Zero bit my ear, “You gotta sleep first, stupid!” I didn’t realize how tired how I was until Zero said something. I yawned and almost fell asleep right there, but I figured that by the fire would be warmer. I dizzily walked over to the fire, walked around in a circle, and rolled myself into a comfortable ball and drifted to sleep. You could say it had been a hard day.

    End of Act II