A high=pitched laughter began again, and I let out an involuntary whimper, burying my muzzle in the dark earth.

Stop it!

Then the laughter froze, and the vixen in front of me turned around slowly. 'Another one for the pack? Dear, this seems to be my lucky day, little ones.' Her yellow-toothed grin sent shivers up my spine as I began to back away.

'No, no,' she crooned, stepping towards my retreating form, her lean red form filling my vision. 'Don't be afeared. The others are being ripped apart as we speak.' I could testify this, for the yelps of my brother and sister were growing by the moment. 'It will all be over soon. Accept this as your fate.'

'No,' I snarled, baring my fangs, which had begun to grow in. 'I won't. I never accept things unless they are on my own terms.' I could feel my ears flatten and hackles raise, my snarling getting louder.

'Ooohhh....such a brave little thing. Well....my little ones have eaten, and gorged their fill. I shall let you go. Remember, never let others choose for you. Make your own path, like the fox does.'

I blinked in surprise, for this was not the behaviour of a fox. And was she giving me advice? But I took heed and scrambled out of the clump of gra.ss.

Only one question lay unanswered. What had happened to my mother and father, and my eldest brother?

((aslright.))

I heard a high-pitched wail and I turned my head. Mty eyes brightened, in hope that it might be a sibling. Sure, I had watched them die, but what if I had been halucinating. I started to run towards the noise and with a rush of color and sound, I slammed into another wolf, but it wasn't a sibling. I doubled back, just as a fox dissapeared into the forest. Maybe this wolf wouldn't hurt me. I dipped my head in respect to the other wolf. "Hello." I said in a quiet voice...

He couldn't believe it!

They had left him! Left him alone, on his first hunt, defenseless as a featherless chick in the middle of the clearing. He bristled at the dead brambles blocking his path, and as if to prove to himself that he was still something to be feared, he began to gnaw on them.

it had been a good year for hunting, and all of Caszul's many brothers and sisters had grown fat and strong on the good meat their mother brought them. Of course, when you had more littermates than teeth, it was always hard to get a good mouthful, especially when your parents seemed keen on ignoring you. 

The dry leaves on the ground rustled, and Caszul looked up reflexively. Nothing was there... but he was starting to miss his parents now, that there wasn't anyone to protect him-

No! He didn't need anyone's protection anymore! Caszul abruptly left off on his gnawing and and lifted his tail high in the air. If his parents wanted to abandon him, then fine! He's show them! In fact, he'd go, and he'd make his first real kill... by himself! Yes, that would show them all that he wasn't weak!

The little gray pup lifted his head defiantly and trotted off in search of something to chase. He didn't exactly know how to hunt yet- but he'd work it out. After all, it couldn't be that hard...

I turned around and snarled at the other female who now blocked my path. 'Get out of here,' I growled roughly, padding forwards, the fur on my back bristling. 'I don't want you here. Get away. Now.'

My green eyes narrowed at her, and I bared my teeth. I knew they weren't much, having just grown out of pup-hood, and they were still small. But they had sharp tips, and for me that was enough. 

Obviously this female was just some overhelpfull wolf who seemed to forget that most wolves tend to be solitary until they are old enough to start a pack. How did she survive, always approaching strangers like this? Many wolves I had seen from a distance looked like they would simply shred her. 

   As I ran into the forest I could hear strange and even scary sounds to me. My litter and I had lived just outside the forest and I had always thought it would be fun to go exploring there, but now it seemed dangerous and deadly. I couldn't hear the big, pink, ugly bear looking thing that my parents said was a hunter, but I still didn't feel safe. I closed my eyes, trying to force myself to go faster and then regretted it at once when I found myself running head first into one of the large tree. I stopped and shook my head swaying a little as I felt something trickle down my nose. I sat there looking around at the forest trying to see if there was anywhere I could stay that was safe from others.

   I got up as I spotted an hollowed out log on the ground that looked like I might be just small enough to squeeze in to. I walked towards it and stuck my head inside first and then I started to crawl into it inch by inch and then I found myself stuck in that log with my end sticking out for the hunter to come and shoot off and my head in the log, blind as a badger and not being able to squeeze my way out or try to move farther in. I growled trying to move but it was no use and I started to feel like the log was getting smaller.

Everything he knew about hunting seemed to be the bare minimum that his instincts provided for him. However, a promising log stood ahead of him, and he'd heard tasty things lived in logs.

What did live in logs? Caszul stopped to ponder the question. Rabbits, sometimes, and squirrels, and especially mice (his mouth watered at the thought), but also sometimes foxes. Not even really the foxes themselves but their kits, which would be much easier to kill. For some reason, he felt a bit guilty about the though. Killing a fox kit... it would be a bit like killing one of his siblings, wouldn't it? After all, foxes were a bit like small red wolves, except they didn't live in packs.

But, he thought, his mind racing to justify his hunger, his brothers and sisters never really cared about what happened to him. So, in that way, it was okay to eat a young fox.

Confident in his decision, he stood up and trotted over to the log. There were growling sounds coming from the other end, so perhaps it would be better not to stick his head in, incase something bit him.

Caszul carefully crouched down and peered with one eye through log, and was surprised to see a wolf cub on the other end. With a startled yelp, he snapped his head back and, overbalancing, fell over onto his back. 

That hadn't been the answer I was expecting, and I blinked in confusion. I mean, who says hello, then mutters that "I'm not him."? First of all, it's quite obvious I am a female wolf. And I am to small to be anything else really.

'What was that about?' I asked, the snarl dying in my throat.I could feel the fur along my spine sink down as I forced myself to calm. I doubted that she was any threat, even to one such as I.

Tilting my head to one side I hoped I didn't seem threatening, giving her a quizzical look. But just then I heard the scrunching of leaves and twigs being crushed. Food?

Bounding forwards I slipped past the other she-wolf and hid behind a tree, peering out to the oddest sight I'd ever witnessed.

There was a wolf's behind stuck in a log, and another wolf simply lying on the ground looking stunned. I couldn't help myself, I let out a bark of laughter.

Caszul's confusion turned to hurt at the sound of laughter.

"There's no reason to be laughing," he began in irritation, before he realized he was lying on his back with his paws in the air, and that didn't seem very imposing.

The gray cub rolled onto his paws and looked around expectantly for the source of the sound. He desperately wished that his nose was the tinniest bit keener; all he could smell was rotten wood and leaves.

He bared his teeth anyway, and bristled in the direction of a suspicious-looking boulder. 

"If you find this amusing, I hope you don't mind telling me so where I can see you!"

With an embarra.ssingly squeaky bark, he darted behind the rock and was met with the disappointing sight of absolutely no one. 

Caszul peered over the edge of the rock and looked distrustfully at the log.

"Hello?" he called hesitantly, and slowly emerged from behind the stone.

He trotted over to the opposite end, from where the body of what appeared to be another pup emerged, and, having nothing really worthwhile to say, he paused to the side of her and asked;

"Are... are you stuck in there?" 

I snorted in a very non-wolf-like way. Strange pup. Padding out from behind the tree I prodded his behind, giving a short and loud bark in accompaniment. 'Hello?' I said loudly, prodding him again. Was this pup blind or something? It wasn't like I was trying to conceal myself too hard.

Death of my family forgotten, I peered at him with curiosity. He was a small gray wolf-pup, the typical color of my species. I shifted on my paws, embaras.sed at my flaming red pelt. How many normal wolves had this color? It was useless for winter hunting. 

'So...are you blind?' At least I was making an effort to be friendly. He seemed the same age as me but had the most ridiculous sounding bark I'd ever heard. 

 No, I just LOVE having my butt hanging out a log. I thought almost annoyed. I wasn't really in the mood for stupid questions seeing as I was having a bad day, but I tried to be as nice as possible. "Yes, I am..." I said in a semi-nice voice. I tried to move again as the black spider came back and stared once again at me with its big red eyes. I looked at it hungrily, I was pretty hungry and the spider looked pretty tasty right now. 

[Happy, were you a wolf in a past life? Please don't lie about this to join.]