When I awaken, I yawn before I notice Nightblood is nowhere in sight. I get a bit anxious, still fearful from the hunter incident the day before and I begin to assume that he was caught and killed before he appears from the brush with a branch of berries.

“Breakfast.” He says as he tosses it in front of me. “Also, good morning.” He says with a smile before scratching behind his ears.

“Good morning.” I say before sighing. “I don’t eat berries.” I say to him before pushing the branch aside. He heads back into the brush before he pulls out a limb from a deer. He tosses to me and smiles. “When did you kill a deer?”

“I didn’t. I found that while looking for berries. Might have been left by another wolf…maybe a coyote or a fox? Anyway, I’ll eat my fill on berries and you take the deer leg.”

“You can’t survive on berries. Besides, they’ll make you sick if you eat too many.” I tell him as I inspect the leg. “You can eat half of the leg with me.”

“The prince is sharing with a commoner like me?” He says dramatically. “How noble. Thank you, Sire, but I don’t like meat.”

“Why are you so strange?” I ask with an annoyed expression.

“I have my reasons.” He says simply before he eats the berries. “If you find fruit or fish, maybe even grubs, I’ll eat those.”

“That’s disgusting.” I say with a grimace. “Are you insane?”

“Nope, just weird.” He says with a smirk. “Once you’re done, we’re off.” I tear off the flesh from the bone and eat a bit ravenously. I hadn’t eaten yesterday, so I’m hungry. Nightblood eats his berries slowly before he lies down after finishing. He rubs his back on the grass, collecting the dew on his fur from the morning fog and closes his eyes. “The rain is coming tomorrow, so we might have to make the trip to the cave by tonight. We’re going to have to quicken our pace.”

“A little rain never killed anyone.” I say simply.

“I wouldn’t want Prince Snowheart to get a cold.” He teases.

“I am not a prince.” I repeat myself.

“You sure act like one.” He says with a snicker. He begins heading towards the base of the mountain, so I take the bone of the deer leg with me as a treat and follow behind him.

We quicken our pace towards the mountain base as the clouds begin rolling in. Dark clouds loom over the mountains and I fear that perhaps it will not be just rain, but a storm. We race to the base of the mountain once it is within our reach and Nightblood takes it as an opportunity to play a bit as he tackles and nips at my ear and cheek. I shake him off and I jump on his back and toss him to the ground as we play fight. He gets up and races ahead as I follow him happily. I’ve never been one to play much, but Nightblood seems to bring out my playful nature that I had long since abandoned. We sit in the grass, bellies and paws up, and sigh as we watch the clouds move overhead.

A crow sits in a tree and caws at us. It is alone, but still quite annoying.

“Greetings, young one!” He caws.

“Ah, Ash.” Nightblood says happily. “We were worried you were one of the flock of crows we were attacked by yesterday.” Nightblood gets up and shakes his body to rid himself of the dirt.

“I am offended. I am not an irritating ball of feathers.” Ash says before he swoops down at our feet before he ruffles his feathers a bit in annoyance.

“Ah, you’re only slightly irritating at times.” Nightblood teases with a laugh.

“Poppycock.” Ash mutters. “Listen, I am here to deliver a message.”

“Ah, good, good. Go ahead, old chap.” Nightblood says, feigning proper speech.

“The Greystorm clan is moving west. I regret to inform you that Shadowstorm will not be meeting you in your usual rendezvous.” Nightblood looks very disappointed by the news before he sighs and fakes a smile.

“Well, tell him I’d be great to see him when his pack moves up more north.” Nightblood says before he begins walking towards the base of the mountain again.

“Wait, he also sends you this.” Ash tosses a shell in front of Nightblood. “I suppose you know the meaning of it, because I certainly don’t.” Nightblood smiles faintly and nods. “Thanks, Ash.”

“It is my pleasure.” Ash says before bowing and then heading up towards the sky.

“The Greystorm clan is our rival.” I say abruptly. “Your friends with the alpha?”

“Of course, though, my thoughts on our relationship is more complicated than that…”

“Is he the one you were putting on that lavender for?”

“Well, that doesn’t matter much now.” Nightblood sighs. “Shadowstorm is a more powerful and capable wolf than either of us combined. I don’t know why your clan wouldn’t seek them as allies rather than rivals.”

“They stole a lot of our females one summer.”

“Shadowstorm is also a very capable lover.” Nightblood laughs. “He secured a beautiful and capable female from your pack, I’d presume.”

“She was my sister.”

“Ah…” Nightblood says awkwardly. “Then you and Shadowstorm are…”

“No, I would never think of that brute as part of our family. My sister is deranged and apparently so are you.”

“I am not.” Nightblood argues angrily. “You don’t know Shadowstorm like I do. He’s capable, strong, brave…”

“And a monster. He almost killed most of our packs’ males just to steal away the females.” I counter with a glare. “He is most certainly an aggressive beast with no sense of decency or compassion. And if he shows you any other side, then he is keeping you shrouded by a smoke of lies.” Nightblood’s ears lie flat on his head before he turns his head away.

“He’s…” Nightblood says softly. “Tempered, this is true.” I begin heading towards the base of the mountain and notice the slight drizzle that is beginning. I trot a bit faster and notice Nightblood trailing behind me at a must slower pace. I head to his side and nudge his face to awaken him. He turns his head and sighs. “Perhaps, you’re right…”

“There’s no time for this. We need to find a temporary shelter. Follow me.” I say as I push him. He is hesitant at first before he begins to run with me. The drizzling begins to become heavier as it transforms into a shower. We make it to the base of the mountain, in the shelter of its forest canopy where light hardly makes it to the ground. We are safer in the forest of the mountains than the open fields and are sheltered from the rain. However, we are still quite a bit away from the shelter of the cave of Nightblood’s friends, at least that’s what he informs me.

“I’m sorry about your pack, Snowheart.” Nightblood suddenly says softly. “I knew about a raid that took place, but I didn’t know the details. Shadowstorm and I are friends, but he tends to keep many secrets from me and hardly includes me in the details of his pack’s plans. I’m not a member of their pack, so…”

“Then why are you friends with him?” I ask as I shake my body to rid it of water.

“He is the son of my father’s friend. He and I were playmates, but he has always been a bit…aggressive when it came to our games. I thought I was just imagining things, but if the raid happened as you say, then my eyes weren’t deceiving me.”

“And you have feelings for him?” I ask incredulously.

“What? No. His brother is the reason why I rubbed myself with lavender.”

“His brother?”

“He’s much more kind and dashing. He’s very gentle and warm and sweet.” Nightblood says dreamily. “I only get to see him when I meet Shadowstorm. His name is Howlingwind. He and I are much better friends and he doesn’t agree with a lot of the shit his brother does, like me.”

“Well, this brother seems more reasonable.” I say before I pause. “You really fancy him, huh?”

“Definitely, but he’s normal. He likes a female wolf in his pack named Flowerbell. I have no chance at all.”

“And still you put on scents to impress him?”

“Can’t blame a lonely guy for trying.” Nightblood says as he sighs. “If you meet him, you’d know why I do what I do. I mean, he’s beautiful with a coat of blacks, browns, and whites, a fluffy, warm tail, and striking green eyes.”

“Sounds dapper.” I say simply. “But perhaps you should seek the attention of a wolf who can actually return your affections.”

“Can’t find any…even if there are, they won’t admit it, especially not to a stranger.” Nightblood says sadly. “Anyway, the cave is still a long way away. You want to rest somewhere?”

“Let’s just continue on, we’ll be soaked otherwise.” I say as I lead on. Nightblood stays by my side. I begin to wonder if such a pointless lifestyle Nightblood leads is worth it. Fawning over a wolf who’ll never love him back, trying to impress him regardless of the glaring truth of it all, searching for a mate as a male looking for a male who is also flawed when there are very few, hiding your flawed being because of the repercussions and lying to everyone—including yourself because it’s simply easier than revealing the truth…

As I assess all the factors Nightblood is up against, I find myself feeling a bit sad for him. What a life to lead, I think to myself.

The mountains are a bit treacherous, despite the cover it provides. I am cautious of the dangers we might face, which includes bears. My pack has faced a bear or two before, but we never took one down. Bears are tough animals, fierce and strong. I’ve never encountered one myself. They’re known as the Beastly Clawed Clan, for obvious reasons.

As we climb the mighty mountain through the thick brush of the forest, I feel inclined to stay close to Nightblood for fear of getting separated. These territories are unknown to me and I fear getting lost, even more so than I already am. Nightblood is the only guide I have, although he is intolerable at times, he is a comforting being amongst all these strange creatures and places I am unfamiliar with. He has become familiar to me.

“Almost there.” Nightblood says as he scales a very inclined slope. I struggle to find my grip on the slope, so Nightblood grabs me by the skin of my neck and lifts me up. I look out towards the fields below and notice how high we have travelled. It’s a beautiful scenery, especially in the rain. “When we arrive, I’ll catch some mice for you.”

“I don’t need—”

“Let me spoil you a bit. I don’t know when we’ll part. I kind of want to enjoy this time together.”

“You hardly know me. Why are you so fond of me?”

“You’re not really anything like Howlingwind, which I kind of like. It’s a nice change.”

“All your efforts are fruitless, with Howlingwind and me, why are you still so confident?”

“There’s no reason for me to be depressed about the fruitlessness of my efforts. I enjoy every good memory even if it doesn’t lead to me finding a mate. Enjoy life a bit. Do you know how to do that?” Nightblood asks with a laugh before trotting towards a large cave and smiling contently. “And, here we are, Prince Snowheart. Wait here.” He says before he heads inside. I sit outside and wait for him to return. The air is chilly and the soil is soaked and cold. I begin to shiver before I sneeze.

As I look out towards the lands below, I suddenly realize a large shadow looming over me. I freeze in my spot and look up to find a very large and very menacing bear standing on its hind legs. It’s a frightening and aggressive position a bear takes when it’s going to attack. I back away quickly and whimper. The bear yawns and puts its front claws on the ground before smiling at me.

“Well, aren’t you a sweetie.” Her voice catches me off guard. I tilt my head to the side and wonder what is going on. “You must be Snowheart.” I am left a bit dumbfounded before Nightblood returns and explains that this is his friend. A bear. A female bear. I do not notice any cubs, which is usually a sign of concern. Mother bears are often very frightening, though a male bear is also quite fearsome. “You didn’t mention that he was so adorable, Honey.” She says to Nightblood.

“Isn’t he, though?” He says with a smirk as he looks at me. “This is Berry.”

“Charmed, Honey.” She says with a toothy grin. She sniffs me a bit and pulls me into a sort of embrace. “Nightblood never brings fellas he’s interested in. I’ve always wanted to meet one.”

“I’m not his mate.” I say abruptly.

“Oh, I never said that.” Berry says with a knowing smile.

“Right, well…just making sure you knew.” I say awkwardly.

Suddenly a little ball of fur lands on Berry’s back and I am left to wonder what it is.

“Oh, and this is Chippy.” A red squirrel chewing on an acorn appears from Berry’s back and sits on her head.

“Nice to meet you, Snowheart.” He says as he finishes his acorn and cleans his face with his paws.

“So, these are your friends.” I whisper to Nightblood.

“They’re soulmates.” Nightblood explains with a cheeky grin.

“They are not.” I say incredulously. “Stop trying to make me believe in your nonsense.”

“It’s true.” Berry says with a smile. “Chippy and I are soulmates.” I look at the two with such a baffled expression. The two are completely different creatures. Moreover, one is a ferociously large predator and the other a very small prey. I’m sure they are making a mockery of me, but the two seem to be close. Chippy grooms Berry and nips at her ears to show his affection. Berry seems very happy by the actions and smiles before she asks Nightblood and I to accompany them inside.

“You’re still wandering around, I see.” Berry says to Nightblood.

“He’ll only rest when he’s dead.” Chippy adds.

“You know me so well.” Nightblood says before rolling his eyes. “You know I won’t stop. I’ll keep wandering around until…” He pauses and looks to me for a moment before whispering to his friends. I turn away and feel a bit awkward about not being included in the conversation.

“Are you two hungry? I caught some salmon at the river.”

“No thank you.” I say politely.

“I’ll eat some.” Nightblood says happily.

“You always have an appetite.” Berry says with a laugh as she heads deeper into the cave and carries a large salmon in her mouth before throwing it to the ground in front of Nightblood. “So, where are you off to after the rains stop?”

“I’m taking Snowheart back to his pack. He got separated from them during the fire in the Winter Forest.” Nightblood explains. “I’m sure we’ll find them soon. They couldn’t have gone far.”

“You know, if you encounter some of my kind, they can tell you where they went. Squirrels love good ole gossip.” Chippy says with a laugh.

“Good idea, if we find a curly tail, we’ll be sure to stop them for a little gossip. That is, if they don’t run and hide before we have a chance to talk to them.” Nightblood says before rolling his eyes.

“Hey, it’s worth a shot. Not all of them are a bunch of skittish yellow bellies.” Chippy says as he cleans himself and hops onto Berry’s back. “Oh, and I’d be polite around the young male. You’re in no position to be a brat to one, that’s for sure.” I cock my head to the side and wonder what Chippy is referring to. Nightblood clicks his tongue and looks at me with a bit of a pained expression before finishing his fish. His past is of no concern to me, but I often wonder who exactly this wolf is. Nightblood most certainly isn’t his true name. It was obvious in the way he had introduced himself that he probably had many aliases. Who is this wolf?