Sarah had been doing poorly for the past few days. Her thirst was insatiable, she was hungry, but could not keep the food in. Wave after wave of nausea left her weak and dizzy. Area of, where her kidneys were located, hurt and made it difficult for her to move. Ulcers appeared on her gums and tongue, making it unbearably painful to eat anything at all. Drool mixed with blood, collected at the corners of her lips. She looked more miserable as the days went by and yet every morning she got up dutifully and limped far behind the small group that was heading to Kaistleoki.
The promissed land. Their new home. Where everything would be better and fine again. For her, who had never believed miracles in life, this was the only thing that drove her forward. Her life had been bearable at it's best during the past 12 months and she was going downhill so quickly now, yet Sarah so desperately wanted to live. This could not be the end, this could not be it. One way or another Sarah lost her group. She had sat down to rest a little only to awake several hours later with no one around. Too weak to call the she-wolf raised to her feet and walked forward with no clear aim in sight.
It was dark and absolutely quiet, large snowflakes fell from the sky and there was not a living thing in the vicinity. Sarah felt the solitude keenly and for a wolf, who had always feared of dying alone, it was no comfort in this knowledge. Wind picked up and with it came the faint scent of saltwater - the she-wolf stopped, lifted her muzzle and sniffed the air curiously. It had been a while now, since she had seen the ocean last, but she remembered the memories of early childhood. She had been born to the gentle sound of the waves on the coasts and the song of the wind, playing in the crowns of sequoias that stood tall and proud, guarding her first home.
Home. Sarah had been searching for it for almost two years now and had never found it again. Her home had burned down together with Osprey and Dante. She had never left that fire-ravaged forest, not in spirit. She had died with them and the shell had walked empty ever since. But hearing the ocean in the distance filled her heart with a warm sense of familiarity. She found a little hillock to settle down and there she keenly watched the dark horizon, where she imagined the vast field of water to be. There she lied motionless, listening keenly and smiling to herself. The song of waves had greeted her every morning in the Sentinels and the same melody had lulled her to sleep.
It did so now, she rested her head between her outstretched paws and drifted away. Now would be a good time to see one's life before her eyes, but all Sarah thought about in her last moments was a little girl, whose best friend had been a bone. There she was now, having put her toy on the ground to look down curiously at the still form of a diseased wolf lying peacefully in the snow. She observed the other quietly, until a deep sigh escaped it's lips and tension caused by immense and chronic pain let go of the sickly body. Seemingly bored by the spectacle, the girl shook her coat, jumped to her feet, grabbed her bone and disappeared in the snowflakes.
In the morning the sun shone brightly and by mid-day the snow began to melt. The soul had gone with the winter, the spring had begun.
The promissed land. Their new home. Where everything would be better and fine again. For her, who had never believed miracles in life, this was the only thing that drove her forward. Her life had been bearable at it's best during the past 12 months and she was going downhill so quickly now, yet Sarah so desperately wanted to live. This could not be the end, this could not be it. One way or another Sarah lost her group. She had sat down to rest a little only to awake several hours later with no one around. Too weak to call the she-wolf raised to her feet and walked forward with no clear aim in sight.
It was dark and absolutely quiet, large snowflakes fell from the sky and there was not a living thing in the vicinity. Sarah felt the solitude keenly and for a wolf, who had always feared of dying alone, it was no comfort in this knowledge. Wind picked up and with it came the faint scent of saltwater - the she-wolf stopped, lifted her muzzle and sniffed the air curiously. It had been a while now, since she had seen the ocean last, but she remembered the memories of early childhood. She had been born to the gentle sound of the waves on the coasts and the song of the wind, playing in the crowns of sequoias that stood tall and proud, guarding her first home.
Home. Sarah had been searching for it for almost two years now and had never found it again. Her home had burned down together with Osprey and Dante. She had never left that fire-ravaged forest, not in spirit. She had died with them and the shell had walked empty ever since. But hearing the ocean in the distance filled her heart with a warm sense of familiarity. She found a little hillock to settle down and there she keenly watched the dark horizon, where she imagined the vast field of water to be. There she lied motionless, listening keenly and smiling to herself. The song of waves had greeted her every morning in the Sentinels and the same melody had lulled her to sleep.
It did so now, she rested her head between her outstretched paws and drifted away. Now would be a good time to see one's life before her eyes, but all Sarah thought about in her last moments was a little girl, whose best friend had been a bone. There she was now, having put her toy on the ground to look down curiously at the still form of a diseased wolf lying peacefully in the snow. She observed the other quietly, until a deep sigh escaped it's lips and tension caused by immense and chronic pain let go of the sickly body. Seemingly bored by the spectacle, the girl shook her coat, jumped to her feet, grabbed her bone and disappeared in the snowflakes.
In the morning the sun shone brightly and by mid-day the snow began to melt. The soul had gone with the winter, the spring had begun.
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