• Chapter One: The Wolf Unknown

    It was freezing the night that Nobou was born. In fact, it was the middle of winter in the month of December. The stars were twinkling high in the sky. A full moon shown down on the den of a wolf pack that had lived there for five months. Inside, the mother of the small black wolf, Aniu, rested herself against the wall of the cave, pain crossing her face from child labor. The alpha male, a lanky brown wolf, looked down at her with his golden eyes. Small flakes of snow stuck to his fur, giving him white spots. Aniu groaned with pain, her eyes closing as she moaned. Her chest heaved as her bright blue eyes looked down at the newborn pup. He was nursing, which was good.

    “Aniu, are you alright?” the alpha male whispered, licking her face tenderly. “It must have been tough to go through the birth process.” Aniu nodded weakly, her eyes slowly closing.

    “Take…care of him, Ookami…” she murmured, her head falling to the ground, her body becoming limp. Ookami looked down at her, shaking his head. The pup nuzzled his mother’s dead body, whimpering for more of her milk.

    “Poor child. He shall never know of his mother when he gets older…” The alpha male picked the newborn up with his mouth, which began whimpering louder. The body of Aniu still lay near the wall, her white fur ruffling in the cold winter winds. Ookami carried the whimpering pup to another female of the pack towards the end of the cave. The alpha male set the newborn down by the female, who stared down at it.

    “Aniu didn’t survive?” she inquired. She felt the cub nuzzle up beside her, beginning to nurse. Besides him, two other cubs, one brown and the other grey, were nursing as well.

    “No, she did not, Kea,” he replied, his eyes closing. “I’m afraid that this pup shall never know anything about his mother…”

    “It’s such a shame,” Kea muttered, looking down at the orphaned pup that nursed in front of her. “That was her only cub, too… Now that she’s gone, he’ll think that I am his mother... Say, Ookami, what should we name him?” The alpha male sat, tilting his head for a minute. A thought came to his mind as he turned back towards Kea.

    “He shall be forever known as…Nobou.” Kea nodded, laying her head down onto her front paws.

    “Such a good name for a strong pup,” she whispered before falling asleep. Outside, the wind picked up, tossing snowflakes all around the forest, sticking to trees and glistening on the frozen river nearby.

    Now, a few miles from this forest was a small village where humans dwelled. They knew about the wolf pack that lay in the surrounding woods, but they hadn’t experienced any attacks as of late. All the humans had been doing during this harsh winter was try to survive. Along with the humans, a statue carved out of stone stood in the village square. The statue was in the form of a mighty warrior, his sword raised high over his head. Even though the statue had no color, legends throughout the village tell of this hero donning a beautiful suit of armor, made out of many different metals and fabrics. The sword he carried was made of pure silver, while the hilt was woven out of silk with a piece of that very silk hanging off the hilt, in case the hero ever had his sword hand injured. The statue’s face was stern, watching over the village with all gazing eyes. In the statue’s other hand was a round shield bearing a crest. This crest contained four symbols: the Sun, the Moon in its full form, a star, and the head of a lion, which was roaring fiercely at whatever opponent came near. Atop the statue’s carved head was a helmet, feathers dropping down towards the hero’s back. On his shoulders, a cloak was clasped around his neck. If a wind had been blowing, and the hero was real, the cloak and feathers would be flying backward, signifying his important status. The people of the village believed that this hero would come and protect them if any opposing force ever came their way. For now, the village was enjoying a time of peace, despite the harsh winter that surrounded them.

    Soon after Nobou’s birth, the winter had faded into spring. Flowers blossomed along the bank of the river. The trees began to receive their new leaves that had fallen back in the last autumn. Sometime during the winter, the wolf pack buried Aniu in a makeshift grave that they had dug themselves. Nobou’s foster mother took care of him through the winter, allowing him to nurse with his foster brother and sister. However, now that he was a month old, he wondered why he seemed different. His wondering soon formed into a question with his foster mother one cool spring morning.

    “You wanted to ask me something, Nobou?” Kea asked the young cub. Nobou’s eyes looked down at the ground, his ears drooping back. “It’s alright. No matter the question, I will answer it. Go on. Tell me.” The young pup slowly brought his head up from the ground, gazing into his foster mother’s almond colored eyes. From his standpoint, her eyes looked like two moons surrounded by a black sky, only with fur.

    “Well…” he slowly began, his voice trembling. “I’ve just been feeling…” His voice trailed away from the sentence, his eyes shifting, wondering what to say to the older wolf. Taking a small gulp, he let out a sigh. “I feel like I don’t belong here…” Kea looked down at the cub, her eyes filled with a gaze that seemed kind, yet somewhat confused. She nodded her head, cleaning her son’s muzzle with her tongue.

    “I’m sure that whatever it is you’re thinking,” she told him, “it will pass. Now, go and play with your brother and sister. The others will be back soon from the hunt.”

    “Okay…” Nobou answered sadly, moving away from Kea in a slow trot. Though she couldn’t see it, tears filled his eyes as he came closer to his siblings. His sister, Mitsukai, glanced over at him, letting the wind toss her chocolate colored coat. The other male, on the other hand, simply looked away from Nobou, letting out a small grunt.

    “Oh, come on, Haiiro,” Mitsukai laughed, nudging him with her paw. “You can at least say hello.” Nobou bowed his head in shame, ears drooping.

    “It’s okay, Mitsukai,” he muttered under his breath. “He doesn’t have to say anything if he doesn’t want to.”

    “But Nobou-,” she began, but Nobou had already raced back to their mother. She sighed, glancing over at Haiiro, his grey colored coat blowing in the wind like smoke from a forest fire. He stared at his sister, his golden portals narrowing.

    “You can’t protect him forever, you know,” he scoffed, brushing past her as the rest of the pack returned from hunting. “Sooner or later, he’ll find out the truth.” Mitsukai shook her head, following behind her brother, who was joining the rest of the pack. During the hunt, the pack was able to bring down and kill a large bison that was separated from its herd. Nobou, however, wasn’t feeling hungry. The feelings that rested within his mind seemed to expand throughout his entire body. While the others ate, he simply watched them, his head turned away. Why do I feel like this, he thought, a lonely tear flowing down his cheek. He closed his eyes, laying his head on his front paws. As his mind wandered, the pack had finished devouring their meal, storing the bones away for scavengers to feast on. They headed back to the cave, Mitsukai and Haiiro racing side by side. Kea simply watched the two of them with proud eyes. Nobou still lay in the field, not budging. Giving a small sigh, Kea picked up the young pup in her mouth, carrying him back to the den.

    Night fell a few hours later, the entire pack sleeping peacefully. Nobou, however, couldn’t sleep. His mind kept turning the events of the day over and over in his skull. Why did Haiiro hate him so much? Why did he feel like he didn’t belong? As he looked out through the opening of the den, he saw something bright shining in the distance. He stood up, being careful not to wake the others. As he moved out towards the opening, the bright thing moved further away from the den. What is this thing, he thought, his golden eyes adjusting to the darkness around him. He didn’t know where he was going, but wherever it was, it was away from the pack. As he drew closer to the bright thing, he could hear a river beside him. In front of him, the thing turned out to be a white sphere floating in front of him. Nobou looked down at the river’s reflection and gasped. The sphere turned out to be a white wolf, floating beside him. The young pup backed away in fear, his paws trembling.

    “Why do you tremble with fear, young one?” the spirit inquired. “I know I am no longer of this world, but there is something you must know.” Nobou shook his head, tears beginning to flow down his face.

    “Please don’t tell my mother about this…” he whispered, hearing a soft laugh come from the spirit.

    “My dear child, you never realized it? The wolf who is raising you…isn’t your mother. I am, or shall I say, was…” Nobou couldn’t believe it. His eyes were wide, his entire body trembling with sorrow. The spirit could hear him sobbing quietly, her bright blue eyes looking down at her son. “You have really grown, you know.” She was hoping to lighten the mood, but it didn’t help. Nobou looked up at her in anger before turning back towards the den. As he ran, his tears blinded his vision, but he didn’t need it. He knew where he was going. All he could think of was the information the spirit told him. He was angry, scared, and of course, upset at the news. As he neared the den, he stopped. Nobou didn’t want to let the pack see him like this. Knowing the terrain well, he climbed up onto a rock that jutted out from the side of the cliff near the den. Opening his eyes, his blurry vision caught sight of the full moon hanging up in the sky, stars dotting the way alongside it. His body shaking with sorrow, he closed his eyes and let a long, mournful howl escape from his throat. As he howled, he could feel the presence of his deceased mother watching over him. The spirit sat beside him on the rock and howled along, her howl a bit lower than the young pup’s. Nobou continued to howl, tears streaming down his black face, reflected by the light of the moon.

    The next morning, the pack awoke to the sounds of birds chirping high in the trees. Outside the den, Nobou lay on the rock he sat upon the night before, his eyes red from crying. Behind him, Kea moved towards him, her eyes looking down at him in worry.

    “Nobou?” she asked him, which made him look up at her. His eyes flashed in anger, a low growl forming in his throat.

    “Why did you hide it from me?!” he shouted, the growl becoming louder. “Why did you hide that you weren’t my mother?!” Kea was shocked, her eyes wide with surprise.

    “I…was going to wait until you were older-,” she began, but Nobou snapped at her paw, drawing blood.

    “Shut up!” he cried out, his eyes wild with rage. “My real mother’s dead… And no one told me anything. I knew that I didn’t belong!” Kea remained silent as she watched her foster son run off towards the woods. However, he didn’t get too far when Ookami stopped him.

    “No matter what anyone says to you, Nobou,” he calmly told the young pup. “You belong to this pack. You may miss your mother, but she will always be watching you. Now, go apologize to Kea for your behavior.”