• i lay on the hard earthy floor of the den, staring at the walls. blood from my forehead starts to run into my eyes as i attempt to sit up, but i just collapse onto the ground again as i feel my limbs give out. how did this happen, i wonder? the last thing i remember was seeing my father, a burly brown wolf with a torn ear, standing in the den opening with a hint of something i didn't recognize burning in his eyes. next thing i know, i'm on the floor of the den, with large claw scratchs on my forehead that felt pretty recent since it was still bleeding heavily. i know i'v lost a lot of blood, i can guess by how sick i feel and the amount there is on the floor, but strangely enough, i don't feel worried. who could have attacked me, surely not my father, i wonder as i make another attempt to sit. this time I was succesful.
    i walk towards the entrence and hope my pack is at least close by, but as i enter the blinding sun light, there is no sign of a single creature, other than a dead robin to signify our food pile. there havn't been any wolves here for at least a day. i know this because the scents left behind were stale.

    "mother, father? where are you?" i manage to whisper in a hoarse voice.

    i walk over to the robin and eat every bit of meat on it, i feel my strength coming back at every bite. i shakily stand up and walk over to a puddle of water and see my reflection. a yellowish wolf with a blue ring around the muzzle and with a blue and orange chest and ears stares back. then, i rest my gaze on the scratches on my forehead. four, straight, bloody scratches lay just above my eye. any closer and i'd be blind on one side. i set my face in the water to clean the scratches so they at least don't get infected.
    my mother, a silver wolf with a bluish tail, was the pack healer. a pack healer was allowed one pup, and one pup only. if only she were here to help me.