*~The Sapphire Pack: Beginnings~*
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Koda's entire body was tensed and ready for the attack on the caribou that he had picked out for himself. The moment was nearly right and the rest of his pack was spread out, prepared to take down their own intended quarry. The wind was starting to pick up and they would have to make their move soon, before their prey spooked. Just as he was about to give the signal to attack a loud crack of thunder broke the silence followed quickly by two more.
The wind howled and threw leaves and small limbs about, causing the herd to grow unruly. Another boom of thunder instantly followed an enormous bolt of lightning that struck nearly in the center of the sea of caribou. The herd split in two and stampeded in opposite directions. Koda jumped with the nearness of the strike and his skin crawled while his creamy fur stood on end. In the next instant he was running for his life, before a wave of thundering hooves.
His heart pounded and his feet flew. If he was caught, he'd be trampled into the ground in an instant. He dodged a few lone trees, gaining some ground, but he knew he wouldn't be able to keep up this pace much longer. He saw a huge tree that had fallen on it's side and headed for it as if his life depended on it, which it did. When he reached it he leaped to the other side then tucked his large body as close to it and the ground as he could, his breath coming in short pants. Hundreds of pounding legs split around the log, many of them jumping it, causing his soft fur to move with the breeze that they created. They made their own kind of thunder as some hooves landed mere inches from his lupine body. A few of those that jumped hit the log and moved the great tree, but it held and kept him safe.
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After what seemed like hours, Koda stood on shaky paws to observe the decimated land that had been destroyed by the fleeing herd. What caused his heart to stop in his chest was the sight of orange flames licking across the plains, faster with every bit of dried grass and underbrush that it fed on. Instinctive terror filled him and he quickly looked for his pack, but there were no wolves to be seen. He'd have to worry about them later. With one last terrified look at the ravenous flames he turned from them and was running for his life, once again.
Koda ran for miles, with the fire consuming the land he'd just crossed over, before the rains came and brought the wild fire to an angry, hissing end. He collapsed on the ground, panting wildly with his heart still pounding in panic. As his s of the blaze. With that, his head rested on the untouched ground that he lay on and exhaustion claimed him, despite the terror filled golden eyes saw the clouds of smoke and steam rising to the sky, he breathed a sigh of relief. His nose burned with the acrid scent of the beast though, even in it's death. He lifted his lips and growled weakly at the remnantrain that was now saturating his soft fur.
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He lay there for a long time, until his body recovered somewhat and the driving need to find his family drove him on. Sadness filled his heart at the sight of their beautiful territory, torn to bits and burned to ashes. The rain had not come nearly soon enough. His pads grew tender as he traveled over the still hot terrain, but he traveled on. Koda saw the corpses of many animals that had not been fast enough to escape the blaze. He came upon his first wolf, then several more. He couldn't recognize who they were and he could not tell whether the fire or the stampeding herd had ended their lives. Regardless, his golden eyes welled up with emotion for his lost family. Had they all been lost? With a heavy heart he continued on towards the dens. Surely, that's what any survivors would do as well.
Koda finally made it to the dens and saw nothing. Nothing and no one other than destruction. The last of his hopes were quickly vanishing. He wouldn't give up though. Maybe the others just hadn't made it back yet. He lay down in the now cool ashes atop one of the dens and scanned the surrounding terrain for survivors. His golden gaze became dull when they found nothing. Three days he waited, with no food or water to sustain him. He finally allowed himself the realization that no one was coming back. All of his loved ones were gone. His heart clenched at that thought. With a heavy heart he rose weakly to his feet and gave the land of his birth one last longing look. He needed to move on. To start again...maybe even form a new pack someday.
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The pale silver and cream wolf traveled through many terrains and territories in his search for a new home. He never met a pack that made him want to stay and the lands never called to him. Days turned into weeks and then months. He wondered if he'd ever find a place to call home. Something did click in his mind along the way. He was sure that he wanted to start a new pack, rather than join one. He would take in wolves like himself that had suffered tragedy and they would make a new family.
Koda's muscles had grown hard from his travels and his endurance nearly inexhaustible. He could see a mountain range ahead of him and he determined to go into them rather than skirt around them. As he neared the imposing terrain a strange mist seemed to blanket the land, giving it a cool refreshing feel at the same time as it hindered the sight. Undeterred, he moved on, relying on his keen hearing and sense of smell more. After a good ways the heavy mist seemed to lighten and begin to lift. When it was light enough for his eyes to be of use again, he stopped abruptly his eyes wide with wonder.
As he had traveled spring had come to the land and the world that he saw before him was awe-inspiring indeed. Imposing trees dotted the meadows and fragrant flowers litters the forest floor. Everything was new and fresh and finally the land was calling to him. He was home.
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Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:07 pm