Another day and another disappointment. I had unwittingly watched the downfall of what greatness my mother had once stood herself upon and it was gut-wrenching. I didn’t understand it, how someone like herself who has proven to be capable of overtaking a pack, could not do so once again. Her determination was something to admire and yet it did little to help her achieve her goal. With a regrettable sigh I had left the scene of her defeat in silence, as always.

The cannibal family of eight was disbanded; our home among the fields now scattering us far and wide though I cannot confirm that the youngest of us are not closer to the parents. I remain ever loyal to my Widow, always aware of where it is that she is, has been, or is going to be. If not then I will tear through all of Moladion to hunt her down. She is my twin, my littermate, and we have always been there for one another. The ruins of a once great empire will not destroy our bond.

This day I am given to lurk through the wilderness in solitude and only when the cry of another rings through the still, spring air do I stop within the shade. My ears do not hear the call and yet there is a shift in the wind that brings a foreign scent with it, along with the steadily growing odor of more who gather around the original wolf. Deadened ears perk forward despite their uselessness and in a moment I am shifting into an easily jogging motion toward the cloud of aromas.

Black and teal eyes befall the entirety of the group as I slow to a stop along the shoreline of the lake. Many of them gather upon the small mound of earth that settles within the midst of the water and, while I am never a social individual, I slink into the shallows to swim toward them all. Something strange draws me in – a strong desire to draw blood yet it is not the normal pull that drives me to hunt. It eats away at my brain and it is all I can do to paddle faster toward the island.

With red, black, and white fur soaked from the swim and two-toned eyes greedily searching the crowd for a straggler that may not be missed, I stalk through the sparse trees.