In the back of a stone den a black pup quivered as he dreamed.

Death. Death to you, and all your kin. I will follow you! No escape! You can never escape.
The shadows poured out of the walls, giant red eyes glaring at his prone form, maniacal laughter floating about and drifting away. They moved to touch the pup's body, anticipation and hate and hunger their bodily figures, and as their darkness met with his they grew larger and stronger. The melded together into one creature, eyes peering from all over at the young, sleeping wolf, danger dripping from its expressions. It slid through the den, ignoring the pup's siblings and parents, its eyes only for the dark one. It reached forward to swallow him up, blood dripping from its long white teeth.
"No!" The pup jerked from his sleep and wildly searched for the monster that he knew was watching him. Whimpers shook his small body, tears welled in his eyes as fear rendered him immobile. "M-mom, it's in here...MOM help it's coming after me!" The black pup shrieked and scrambled towards his tawny mother, searching for comfort at her belly. Her damp nose bumped against his flank and her tongue began to run along his fur, wordlessly bringing safety as he drank her milk. Slowly his eyes began to droop once more and his head sank to the floor of the den, and he slept without interruption.

"MOM run!" Sharp hooves pounded the dirt in the shallow gorge where the pack had been hunting, the dozens of deer not caring where their fear brought them; all they wanted was to escape from the dark pelted wolf who had snapped at their heels. Many wolves fled from the stampede in terror, leaving behind those who were crushed beneath the flood of beasts. Ethel, their tawny leader who carried pups in her belly, couldn't run. She heard the voice of her son calling out to her, but the thorny branches would not let her go. Hooves thudded against her body as deer rushed by. Death whispered soothingly, life hissed angrily. Just as she gave up her struggle against the barren, hateful branches a body was flung across her, shielding her own from the relentless blows.
Hati coughed the dust that had risen during the stampede he had caused, protecting his mother from the frantic beasts and letting their feet stamp against his flanks rather than hers. He opened one eye, peeking to see if it was nearly over, and in slow motion a deadly hoof slammed against his face. Pain shot through his body as he flipped across the dirt. He tried to rise, but was again flung to the ground as another hoof stamped into his throat. Blood poured from the wound and from his mouth, and Hati tried to call for help he knew wouldn't come, but only a gurgling cough came out. Blackness came, and he took it gratefully.

No. Please. Don't do this. Hati stood surrounded, facing his mother as she stared through him, having just stated his exile. Fear and pain shook his body as he pleaded with her silently; since the stampede yesterday his voice had not returned, and nor had his left eye. Life as a loner would only end in death, she had to know this and understand she couldn't simply toss him out. But Ethel turned away with a blank face and her pack followed, leaving Hati to stand alone. Homeless, friendless, destined to die as a mere yearling. A single tear slid down his face before he also turned his back, disowning his family who had already done the same, and trotted away to meet fate.

Hati jerked from his sleep, the pain and regret of his dreams not bothering to go away. He yawned and stretched on the snowy rock he rested upon, looking over his surroundings. The sun was no longer bright but hidden by clouds, and a chill had entered the river wolf's blood. Hunger, as always, gnawed at his stomach.

Suddenly he stopped all movement, his golden eye fixed on a dark form that moved slowly over the snow. It was a wolf, a female, and she seemed hesitant to be here. A frown curved Hati's lips and he carefully sniffed the breeze, finding her scent to be mixed with his leader's as well as other wolves he knew as friends and family. The black male jumped from the boulder he had slept upon and trotted to meet his new pack-mate, for it would be rude not to. His steps through the powdery snow were uncannily quiet so he snorted airily to announce his presence behind the strange female, his eye still carrying the emotion of his memories.

Hati took on a proud stance as the black female whipped around to face him. He read her expression carefully as surprise lit up her features, likely because of his own face which was slowly becoming more and more stable now that his dreams had been left behind. The stranger held his gaze for several seconds as if studying it, which the stoic river wolf found rather amusing. But once she had thoroughly looked him over her body seemed to slump into submission, fear, regret.

A frown that Hati knew the girl could not see curved his lips at her new actions. For the most part it was pure vulnerability, but he could feel bitterness as well. Had they met before, making her do these strange things? The black male racked his memory for a while as he watched her but found no recognition, not even a slight possibility. The scent she carried did not bring anything to mind whatsoever.

Finally, doubting that the dark female would be comfortable under his gaze for so long, Hati bounded through the snow the last few yards and rubbed against her, letting their scents mingle. They were both wolves of Cut Rock River, and now it could not be mistaken that they shared a home. He pulled away from her smaller frame and gave her a toothy smile, hoping that would be enough to make the girl lighten up. It's not like he was hungry enough to eat one of his own kind, after all. His grin widened at the thought before he bounded away, inviting his pack-mate to join him with a sweep of his tail.

It was strange acting this way; most of his life had been spent fighting with others for food and dominance and now he found himself caring little about asserting himself. As a yearling playing with such a wimp as this he would have found below him, but now he simply wanted to make her feel at home.

She didn't move. She seemed to struggle to keep upright though as she watched him dance through the snow. Hati stopped and eyed her inquisitively, one ear flicking strangely. His head turned to the side as if waiting for a response that didn't come. A pout settled in the black male's eye; did she not want to play? He could understand that in someone, but the cluelessness of her expression made him think otherwise. Did she not know how to? His thoughts drifted towards Silver, remembering their first meeting. She had not understood the concept either, though she had made an attempt. This quiet girl just stood in surprise.

Um...okay then.

Hati frowned and slowly retraced his steps back to where she stood. Oh, voice, I need you now. The dreams he had had just moments ago resurfaced in his heart and expression, remembering the day he had lost just that. But it only passed through his eye for a moment before vanishing again. He did not want the quivering girl to think that his sorrow was caused by her. She seemed unable to stand up for herself in the least and would likely succumb to such foolish ideas.

So then, were they just supposed to part here? Hati didn't like just disappearing on these terms. And without the ability to pursue answers to satisfy his curiosity, all he could do was hope that she would offer them up. So he hunkered down in a comfortable sitting position about three yards away, guessing that the distance would be enough to put her at ease. Then he looked at her, his face portraying peace. If she didn't understand that he wasn't out to get her now, then this was all hopeless, and he wouldn't hesitate to drop the whole thing and meander away, unable to voice his thoughts. Such was Hati's fate.

At first she just stared back at him, confusion and worry plain as day on her expression. Though her body had stopped shaking and she didn't appear as fearful of what might happen, she still looked clueless. Hati had no idea what to think of this girl who didn't speak nor play, but he hid the annoyance that had dimmed his spirits and waited for her to make a move. Was she unable to speak? The thought almost made the male river wolf giddy, but he immediately put the feelings away. He wouldn't wish his problems on anybody, least of all this pretty girl who didn't look able to hold her own in any imperfect situation.

Eventually the other wolf seemed to come to a realization, though of what Hati did not know. He kept still, not wanting to scare her off before he could learn anything about her. Curiosity about her ability to simply talk was dominating his thoughts. Finally she moved, leaning down onto her elbows in a hesitant play bow. It brought the grin back to Hati's face and his own tail began to wag, his pleasure with Lalani's actions obvious. For a moment he was the one not entirely sure how to respond, not wanting to make their meeting even more awkward than it already was, but after a few seconds he mimicked her posture. A split second later he zipped away, inviting her to chase him. If she didn't...well, he wouldn't bother coming back if she wished to be alone.