Heaven Help Me

It was still something somewhat shocking to me, the huge population of wolves that lived in these parts. No matter how many different scents I picked up on, there was always a new one to stumble across. For much of the autumn I had spent my time exploring the valley, watching the interactions of other wolves from afar. That first afternoon I’d met an absolute gentleman of a young man, Amoxtli he’d called himself. My aching paws had demanded that I rest, and so I had. He’d even showed me to a patch of poppies growing up on the hill, but nearly all the seeds were already gone! Surely that didn’t mean that wolves that lived here were always in pain, or so I hoped. Amoxtli had informed me of course that there were wolves that lived in his home - Taviora - that were healers, and some in the other packs as well. They collected the seeds to store them for if someone ever needed them...then they wouldn’t have to trek out to the valley to collect them. It was quite smart of them.

Despite getting a decent grip on the lay of the valley, I was a bit befuddled when I decided to explore beyond it. Winter was beginning to wane, each day warmer than the last, and the change in the air galvanized me into wanting to explore this land further. But I doubted the expanse of water that Amoxtli had told me about in the south would be warm enough to swim in until summertime. So instead I thought I might check out that forest pack of his he seemed so proud of. Naturally I was a bit confused when I reached the first clustering of forest beyond the valley’s edge and found no scent markers along it borders. My head tilted slightly, thinking maybe packs here functioned differently to those back where I came from. Maybe everyone just knew this was Taviora, and excrement wasn’t needed to distinguish this area as a pack land.

For a long moment my nose twitched, unsure what the customs here would then dictate for a newcomer. Finally I decided to cross into the forest and do my best to find Amoxtli. Maybe he could explain this to me. So I jogged into the woodland, paws healed one hundred percent from the aches I’d experienced after my long trek south. The remaining snow was cold and refreshing between my toes as I made my way through the overhanging limbs of the trees. From time to time I cast my eyes upwards, enjoying the way the midmorning sun glittered through the criss crossing of the cypress branches. But my nose was always working, trying to discern a familiar scent from the plethora of trails that made their way throughout the area.

The strange thing was that none of them stood out as frequent, and there were just so many. How big of a pack lived here? I lost count of how many different scents I picked up, only registering that I had not yet smelled Amoxtli or anyone that smelled like him. But I just kept keeping on, making my way ever westward as the cypress trees gave way to more familiar pines and spruces. Glancing around, I sighed heavily, feeling like I had gotten real twisted and turned around, and wasn’t real sure how to get back to the valley at this point if I couldn’t find my friend.

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