Chapter 2: The Alone She-Wolf

Salem

Crying too much had consequences because my tears were linked to the rain. It could cause a flood and a lot more damage. I had to close my eyes to stop myself from crying, and soon the heavy rain showering outside settled down.

The next day, I decided to leave the tree. I was starving after missing out on meals for a week.

The ground was so mellowed by the rain that my paws sank into it with each step I took. And raindrops fell from the leaves of the trees above me, diving into my back. My fur was soon wet.

I shook my fur dry, and both of my ears perked up, listening for any small prey roaming by. My nose also sniffed for their scent. I was soon disappointed to find none. There was a time when I could spot a meal immediately, but now it was taking much longer than I thought. I sauntered along the depths of the forest, trying to find anything to put a stop to my hunger. I found nothing. Not even a rabbit, mice, birds, snakes, or any other small creature. I was not fond of fish, and neither was my grandmother. Occasionally, we would consume them for nutritional reasons by biting off their heads. Their heads were good for imposing lower risks of injury when hunting large mammals.

I was surprised when I went to the river that there weren’t any fish.

For hours I have been hunting for food, and still I am unlucky to find any. I drank some water and returned to the tree, hoping the next day would be better.

The next morning, I was out, starting my next hunt. Again, I was disappointed; the day was no better than the day before. I found no food. It seemed as if all the animals had traveled from where I was to another location. Dust came, and I returned home more hungry than ever. I throw myself down onto my belly, feeling weak. I needed something to eat badly, or surely I'll die of starvation.

The next day, I felt hopeless attempting to hunt within the same area, for it felt like I was now the only creature within the depths of the forest. My stomach had had enough of being filled with water to ease the hunger. I needed meat. A big, juicy bone with thick flesh to satisfy my hunger. If I don't eat something fast, I will surely become weaker and unable to do any more hunting. I could die in my tree.

I looked straight ahead of me, knowing the only way I would survive now was to leave the depths of the forest. But it was not safe to do so. The night The Grey Pack secretly attacked my pack, my grandmother told me, the alpha saw her. She had to hide our scent before fleeing from him. So, the alpha knew I was still alive, and his pack could still be searching for me out there.

A painful thought came to me, troubled that my grandmother's wish for me before she died may never come true. I may never get to be as old as her if I don’t get something to eat quickly.

I whimper at the thought of sleeping tonight again out of hunger. I was unable to bear it any longer.

I felt my body move, and I stopped myself before I left my safe place, recollecting the promise I had made. I turned to look at the tree my grandmother and I once shared as our home and back to the path that led me from the forest.

I sprinted from my home. I was not going to allow myself to die of hunger, even if it meant breaking my grandmother's promise.