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Description
Part 1: White HOWL

Our story begins on a winter morning in the woods near a small town. A midnight storm had graced the woods and town with its presence the night before and a thick blanket of snow covered the ground as far as the eye could see.

Kevin awoke from his equally thick slumber when a robin landed on a tree branch above him, misbalancing it, and dumping a small avalanche of snow on the ebony wolf.

He growled menacingly at the robin and it took off immediately. The day was still young, hardly noon, and Kevin's charge wasn't due until later. He shook off the cold flakes and repositioned himself in the sun, settling to sleep.

Out of the corner of his eye, however, he noticed the smallest movement of white in the forest ahead of him. The creature's coat matched the snow's shade so perfectly, that Kevin, half-asleep, would have believed the snow itself had become animated. He had been turned into a wolf, after all: anything went these days.

But Kevin, drowsy and full, called the magic snow a rabbit and drifted asleep. He wanted to be rested for Gwen's arrival.

So he didn't notice that his 'rabbit' was watching him, with eyes too intelligent for any forest animal.

~~

When the earth had rotated a little bit more and the sun was directly overhead, Kevin began making his usual trip to the forest path to wait for Gwen to pass by.

The snow had begun to melt but enough remained to hide the usual crackling underbrush where Kevin’s paws tread. He smiled to himself a wolfish grin as he decided to make the most of his new stealth and surprise Gwen as she passed.

It was difficult to conceal himself in the pristine snow when he was black as coal and shadows were few but he found a large bush around his size and sat in waiting for her.

Her scent reached him not long after and he was excited at first to surprise her, imagining the look on her face when he leapt out.

His imaginings were interrupted, though, when a new breeze brought with it new scents along with hers: the breads and sweets in her basket, a faint honeysuckle smell mixed with sweat and, sharpest of all, blood.

Kevin’s hairs bristled at the startling smell and then he reacted instinctively, leaping out of his hiding place immaturely and running as fast as he could down the path towards the scents.

Gwen? Gwen! he barked as he ran, his bounds carrying him nearly ten feet at a time. The terror permeated through to his joints and muscles. It elongated his already powerful strides.

He pushed himself harder when she came into his sights. She was wearing her usual outfit for travel: a silky smooth blue hooded robe with thick pants and heavy boots to ward against the cold. Kevin could see her coming up the road slowly, limping heavily, but she looked up at his streaking figure and panicked barks.

“Wolfy! Thank goodness, you came!” she exclaimed in relief as she stopped her forward advance.

Kevin skidded to a stop in surprise a few feet in front of her.

As it turned out, Gwen was not alone in her journey that day and was dragging an adolescent female wolf along with difficulty. This companion of Gwen’s, bleeding and nearly limp, was the same shade of pristine white as the snow, so much so that even Kevin with vision thrice as good as a human hadn’t noticed her until he’d gotten this close.

The she-wolf’s eyes focused briefly on Kevin when Gwen spoke to him before hanging her head and whimpering pitifully. Kevin tensed.

Her eyes were a lighter shade of black than the average wolf, though that was not particularly upsetting. What was, however, was the fact that Kevin had never seen any eyes, human or wolf, with the tiny tint of violent that this wolf had in hers.

Kevin snarled and bared his dagger sharp teeth. Put it back where you found it.

“I know it’s terrible,” Gwen said sympathetically, stroking the injured wolf’s head tenderly as she took another heavy step, “but we have to get her to Grandma’s to see if she can fix her”

The hell I’m carrying, he replied with more emphasis. To make sure Gwen got the message this time, he took a step back from her latest charge and snarled again viciously. His obsidian eyes bore into the she-wolf though she didn’t notice.

There was something wrong with those eyes, Kevin thought to himself, and there was something wrong in the way Gwen was holding her. He’d been a wolf long enough to know that a female wolf of such build would not be so heavy.

“C’mon, Wolfy, I’m serious!” Gwen berated as she gave Kevin a hard look. “What if I had left you when you were injured?”

The look she sent him with the words made him almost feel guilty and he cut off his snarling. He almost failed to keep his ears from flattening in shame.

He kept his eyes hard but they carried some resignation now.

She had a point. He didn’t like it, sure, but it was still a valid point.

He grumbled something that had no particular equivalent in human speech, something he’d picked up from the other forest wolves, and moved to position himself so that Gwen could drape the injured female across his back. Kevin shivered at the feeling of her warm blood against his back, though it did not stand out as much against his fur as it did against her pristine coat.

The she-wolf made another heart wrenching whimper when Gwen set her on Kevin back.

“It’s alright, baby,” Gwen crooned tenderly as she bent down and stroked the wolf’s head, “my grandma’s going to fix you up good as new”

She whimpered again, though the sound now sounded almost appreciative.

Kevin locked his teeth together, setting himself against the impulse to end her misery himself, and the three started down the road to Verdona’s house.

END PART 1

Description
Part 1: White HOWL

Our story begins on a winter morning in the woods near a small town. A midnight storm had graced the woods and town with its presence the night before and a thick blanket of snow covered the ground as far as the eye could see.

Kevin awoke from his equally thick slumber when a robin landed on a tree branch above him, misbalancing it, and dumping a small avalanche of snow on the ebony wolf.

He growled menacingly at the robin and it took off immediately. The day was still young, hardly noon, and Kevin's charge wasn't due until later. He shook off the cold flakes and repositioned himself in the sun, settling to sleep.

Out of the corner of his eye, however, he noticed the smallest movement of white in the forest ahead of him. The creature's coat matched the snow's shade so perfectly, that Kevin, half-asleep, would have believed the snow itself had become animated. He had been turned into a wolf, after all: anything went these days.

But Kevin, drowsy and full, called the magic snow a rabbit and drifted asleep. He wanted to be rested for Gwen's arrival.

So he didn't notice that his 'rabbit' was watching him, with eyes too intelligent for any forest animal.

~~

When the earth had rotated a little bit more and the sun was directly overhead, Kevin began making his usual trip to the forest path to wait for Gwen to pass by.

The snow had begun to melt but enough remained to hide the usual crackling underbrush where Kevin’s paws tread. He smiled to himself a wolfish grin as he decided to make the most of his new stealth and surprise Gwen as she passed.

It was difficult to conceal himself in the pristine snow when he was black as coal and shadows were few but he found a large bush around his size and sat in waiting for her.

Her scent reached him not long after and he was excited at first to surprise her, imagining the look on her face when he leapt out.

His imaginings were interrupted, though, when a new breeze brought with it new scents along with hers: the breads and sweets in her basket, a faint honeysuckle smell mixed with sweat and, sharpest of all, blood.

Kevin’s hairs bristled at the startling smell and then he reacted instinctively, leaping out of his hiding place immaturely and running as fast as he could down the path towards the scents.

Gwen? Gwen! he barked as he ran, his bounds carrying him nearly ten feet at a time. The terror permeated through to his joints and muscles. It elongated his already powerful strides.

He pushed himself harder when she came into his sights. She was wearing her usual outfit for travel: a silky smooth blue hooded robe with thick pants and heavy boots to ward against the cold. Kevin could see her coming up the road slowly, limping heavily, but she looked up at his streaking figure and panicked barks.

“Wolfy! Thank goodness, you came!” she exclaimed in relief as she stopped her forward advance.

Kevin skidded to a stop in surprise a few feet in front of her.

As it turned out, Gwen was not alone in her journey that day and was dragging an adolescent female wolf along with difficulty. This companion of Gwen’s, bleeding and nearly limp, was the same shade of pristine white as the snow, so much so that even Kevin with vision thrice as good as a human hadn’t noticed her until he’d gotten this close.

The she-wolf’s eyes focused briefly on Kevin when Gwen spoke to him before hanging her head and whimpering pitifully. Kevin tensed.

Her eyes were a lighter shade of black than the average wolf, though that was not particularly upsetting. What was, however, was the fact that Kevin had never seen any eyes, human or wolf, with the tiny tint of violent that this wolf had in hers.

Kevin snarled and bared his dagger sharp teeth. Put it back where you found it.

“I know it’s terrible,” Gwen said sympathetically, stroking the injured wolf’s head tenderly as she took another heavy step, “but we have to get her to Grandma’s to see if she can fix her”

The hell I’m carrying, he replied with more emphasis. To make sure Gwen got the message this time, he took a step back from her latest charge and snarled again viciously. His obsidian eyes bore into the she-wolf though she didn’t notice.

There was something wrong with those eyes, Kevin thought to himself, and there was something wrong in the way Gwen was holding her. He’d been a wolf long enough to know that a female wolf of such build would not be so heavy.

“C’mon, Wolfy, I’m serious!” Gwen berated as she gave Kevin a hard look. “What if I had left you when you were injured?”

The look she sent him with the words made him almost feel guilty and he cut off his snarling. He almost failed to keep his ears from flattening in shame.

He kept his eyes hard but they carried some resignation now.

She had a point. He didn’t like it, sure, but it was still a valid point.

He grumbled something that had no particular equivalent in human speech, something he’d picked up from the other forest wolves, and moved to position himself so that Gwen could drape the injured female across his back. Kevin shivered at the feeling of her warm blood against his back, though it did not stand out as much against his fur as it did against her pristine coat.

The she-wolf made another heart wrenching whimper when Gwen set her on Kevin back.

“It’s alright, baby,” Gwen crooned tenderly as she bent down and stroked the wolf’s head, “my grandma’s going to fix you up good as new”

She whimpered again, though the sound now sounded almost appreciative.

Kevin locked his teeth together, setting himself against the impulse to end her misery himself, and the three started down the road to Verdona’s house.

END PART 1