Wapun Meadow wolf mother

@Echelon

Tired.

Her muscles ached as they had not since war. But it had not been the enemy she had taken down. It had been her brother, sister. Only a few. Two. Tonravik moved with her face set in a deep frown. The small number had been enough to change her outlook on anything. Even the foundations of family could be shaken. It was a painful reminder. Tonravik knew it had not been their fault, but the fault of a bite, a parasitical thing. She paused in her stride, inhaling a deep drought of air. Her mothers cold reminder rang through her head. Only the strong survive.

Tonravik knew her mother would not feel. Briefly she might mourn, but she would not have held onto the pain.

And so when she broke through the threshold of the Valley, Tonravik released it from her. The weight on her shoulders was all but lifted in its entirety from her shoulders. Life was short for some.

The woman paused, a large black dot in an open land of white. Her eyes surveyed her surroundings and when nothing could be found... She lifted her head and howled.