I woke from my dream with a start. I sat up and sniffed and crinkled my nose, all I could smell was humans everywhere. The smell was on the ground, in the air and, god forbid, on my fur! I had to find water and fast to get their stink off me. I roamed far and wide and yet I found nothing and no one. I had no idea what to do next. I howled, hoping my pack mates were close, but nothing answered my call but the wind.

As I was helplessly wandering around, I picked up the faint scent of another female. I decided to follow it and thought what could be the harm in doing so. I was soon to find out that that choice would almost be my last.

I kept walking and kept my nose to the ground so I wouldn't lose the female until I walked into something. I looked up and there she was. I backed away slightly as she growled at me. I didn't smell others on her so I knew she was on her own just like I had been. I pricked up my ears and wagged my tail in friendly greeting but she wanted no part of it and stood in attack mode. She rushed me and nipped my neck. I whimpered and backed down as low as I could, and then there was this terrible thunder and she dropped to the ground.

I stood up and walked over to her and looked down. She was bleeding and not moving. As I watched her, she shuddered and was gone. There was a hole in her chest and although she was dead, blood kept flowing from the hole. I didn't understand how thunder would do this to her. I howled once for the sudden loss of her life.

Then another crack of thunder sounded, and something hit the ground not two feet away from me. I knew I should have taken off but I wanted to know what had hit the ground. I walked over to where it had landed and looked at it confused. It was small and silver and as I sniffed at it, it hurt my nose... it was hot? Now that was strange. I growled at it and dared it to move again but it just laid there, still and silent. Then another thunder came and this time I wasted no time getting far away from there. I felt bad for just leaving her there but there was nothing I could do so I run and kept going until my legs could no further.

I had wandered into some grass and could smell the distinct scent of death as it was like no other scent. Although I was sore and tired from running I knew I just had to know where the smell was coming from. I followed my nose and it led me to a decaying wild pig. It was gross, but I was so hungry.... But as I moved forward I smelt something else—cheetah!

I took a few steps back and looked around, my ears up and on my highest alert. Something wasn't right. A cat wouldn't leave its meal unless it was forced away. Risking being attacked, I put my nose to the ground and started tracking the feline. But I found I wasn't in danger of being attacked as I found the big cat and two young ones, and they were all dead and had been for a while from the smell. Then I smelt something I had smelt before...it reminded me of the small silent silver thing that I had found next to the dead wolf. My nose twitched at the memory of the sore on the end.

I could also smell something else as well, humans and a lot of them. But they hadn't been here in a long time. I still didn't like it here and knew I should just leave while I had the chance but I was so hungry and without my pack for protection I knew I had to be careful. I went back and ate my fill, the whole time trying not to smell what I had ingested.

I was just about to head out when I picked up the scent of another wolf. No, not just another wolf but many, four at least and they didn't bother trying to hide their scent. I started to leave the way I came in but two big scraggy brown wolves blocked my way. They both growled and I had to back up. I knew I could take them one on one but a pair was not an option.

As I backed away from the feral pair I heard more growling from behind me. I dared to look behind me and found another two wolves behind me. The two in front and the two behind all started to move and boxed me in. There was no escape. These four brown wolves were scraggy and smelt bad but something went off in my head: where was their alpha? And then he made his presence known with a louder growl than the others and they all slowly bowed their head but still didn't give me an escape route. I had never been in this situation before and I had no idea what I was supposed to do and so I held my ground.

I flipped my ears back raised my tail and bore my teeth as the alpha came towards me. He stopped short of me and cocked his head sideways as if confused by sudden aggression towards him. He shook his head and took a step forward, pushing his nose towards mine. I growled louder. The alpha backed away slightly and yapped at his pack. The two on either side of me stepped forward and were neck and neck with me but holding me in between their bodies. I would have tried to back up but the one behind me had now moved and stood right behind me sideways, giving me no room to move. The fourth male circled around watching everything.

The alpha tried to rub noses with me again, this time I didn't bother growling at him and bit his nose, leaving a large bite where blood was slowly leaking from. The alpha was shocked but didn't move, instead he licked his wound and growled, which startled the three around me enough for me to fake a lunge at one. When he moved I made a run for it but didn't get far as the alpha was big but also fast. He caught me in no time. I wondered how he caught up with me so fast but I guess it didn't really matter, now all I had to do was somehow get away from him, alive.

We ran around in circles growling and nipping at each other. This wasn't play nor was it a full on battle...yet. He was sizing me up and seeing what I could do. He caught me on my damaged leg that had yet to finish healing and I yelped loudly. It hadn't hurt that much but I figured I’d try to play him and see if he was smart as well as large. I started to run with a bad limp, this was also part of my play. He fell for it.

He circled me again and lunged at me and as he did, so did I, which is not what he was expecting. He tried to stop mid-lunge but he couldn't and he hit the ground hard. Before he could regain his footing I was on him with my teeth around his neck. He growled between my teeth and I bit down harder, I was sure I was drawing more blood but he was an alpha and wouldn't go down that easy. He tried to buck me off which made me clench my teeth and that’s when he whined.

I watched out of the corner of my eye as the other four circled but once they heard their alpha whine, they stopped and dropped to the ground and didn't look my way. I growled and the alpha whimpered. I removed my teeth from the alpha's neck and brought my face close to his, growling and baring all my teeth as well as standing over him. He slowly lowered his face to the ground and just waited. I should have just left it at that but I also wanted to show his pack he was a weak leader, so as quick as lighting I bit down on his ear and tore it off.

The alpha yelped and whined but didn't move from under me but shook in fear instead. I spat out the ear I had torn off and left him on the ground, walking away with my tail and nose in the air. As I did so I heard fighting. I should have guessed that would happen. I had made the alpha look weak and now they were all fighting to see who would be the next alpha, but seriously I didn't care.

I had my own pack to find and once I did, I would never let them out of my sight ever again. Maybe I would also find out where the other three kept going when they would disappear and more importantly why.

After I knew I was safe from being followed by any of the wolves I had just escaped from, I ran for my life. I ran and howled and still got no answer from my pack. I was starting to get worried. I still had no idea where they were or where I was for that matter.

I slowed to a walk and hung my head and tail once more but didn't stop. I had to find them or die trying. My healing leg started to hurt again so I knew I would have to stop before I got into any more trouble. I found a patch of grass that was surrounded by thick bushes and snuggled down for the rest of the day. Before I knew it the sky opened and water fell from the sky. The weather seemed to match my mood, dark and cold and wet. Before long I was soaked but I didn't care, all I knew was I was lost, hurt, wet and very alone. Which normally I didn't mind but now, sigh, I did miss my pack.

Throwing my head skyward, I howled my pain as the sky flashed and rumbled. I howled and howled until I could howl no more, and still I heard nothing but the pounding of the water as it hit everything around me. I finally laid down my head and slowly I fell into a restless sleep. I kept having dreams about humans and silent silver things on the ground and other wolves trying to hurt me or make me join their pack. I woke with a start but instead of moving on, I stayed where I was and just laid there and waited.