Grey-Mark

This story contains mention of blood and mild violence. Read at your own discretion.

The woods in the Elm Forest were muggy and cold. The wind whistled through the spiny leaves of the pine trees, while the oaks rustled and shook seemingly within the Cod Grey sky. The air itself seemed smitten in the cold and the muddle and the slowness. The few birds in the trees kept to themselves, and the one or two rabbits sat in the tall grass, nibbling its tips before retreating to their burrows. From the foggy depths of the woods, four small, nimble paws trudged through the mud. The creature's tail hung as if it had been dragged through the floor of the river, and its jaws held the still wiggling prize of a salmon. As the few creatures out in the muddled cold looked on in still horror, one cardinal could have sworn it saw the beast smile through the blood.

>--------<

I lay in bed as the cool air from the recent rain fogged up my window. I had just woken up from a mid-morning nap, though I could not remember falling asleep. I contemplated getting up from my bed to cook a nice meal, start a bath to warm myself, or even stare out the window, but my body would not move. After a few minutes of struggling, I managed to turn my head to the right. A few more minutes of my silent struggling and I was able to fully turn my torso and lift myself out of my bed. That's when I heard the door to my cabin open. I smiled when my bedroom door followed suit.

"Why, hello there. You seem to have had a great and productive morning."

My greeting was answered by a light-hearted bark. The coal black wolf placed his prize on the floor, before hopping onto the bed, notably smudging the light golden sheets.

Grey is, what would you call it....unexpected family. You see, my father had rescued a wolf from drowning in the main river's rapids. As it turns out, she was actually a pregnant mother wolf about to give birth. Since then, she and her family have always welcomed us whenever we came hunting. It was during one of these trips that my father lost his life to a grizzly bear. He had tripped himself over a dead branch trying to get away from it, but the unknowing creature sat on him, crushing him to death. Since then, I've had the wolves as my only family. That is, until black wolf fur was named the most valuable resource in the country due to their rapidly declining numbers. It was about daybreak when I heard gunshots coming from the cave's direction. Apparently, the hunters had killed every wolf except the one they wanted. I was distraught, but the little pup must have howled for a straight three hours or so. I was so uncomfortable and shaken up from what happened that I could only watch. When he looked like he was starting to finish, I tried to turn and leave. The next second, I looked behind me to see him sitting right there, his eyes pleading for...something.

Since then, I've learned that wolves take family very, very seriously. They mourn their dead, always hunt in numbers, they play, hunt, do anything together. Oh, and did I mention they snuggle? Like, a lot. Wolves do everything together. It seems he wanted to do the same with me. We sort of became foster brothers, of sorts. Naturally, I had to hide his charcoal coat every time another hunter came, claiming they had missed a pup. I came up with a good story about a border collie I had adopted long ago that didn't like being around people. As a kid, I came up with the only name that would conceal the true color of his hide, Grey. I can't say this is probably the best situation for either of us, but, what's a creature like him gonna do alone?

>---------<

Grey loved walking through the Elm Woods. The infinite sights and smells kept him on his feet. He loved the danger of it. But, he loved his brother more. He could hardly wait to be home. Grey had really gotten the salmon for him, having eaten a small hare on his way into the thicket. He was tired now. He quickly hopped on the bed, up against his brother. He loved to snuggle. They both did.

"Why, hello there. You seem to have had a great and productive morning."

Grey barked in response, before tucking his legs and tail together and laying his head on his brother's chest. He thought he heard a small growl when the thunder sounded outside.

"Well, I guess I know what we're doing today, huh buddy?" His brother said, looking toward the now bloody sheets.

Grey understood. He immediately tucked in closer.

>---------<

I don't know what I'd do without him, honestly. So, in the afternoon, I got ready to go to market. I finally gave myself that warm bath that I needed to freshen up, though how I got myself to do so, I'll never know. I ran a comb through my hair, and brushed my teeth. I didn't bother with the dark circles forming under my eyes. I think they gave off an intimidating look, or at least, that's what everyone who runs away from my house thinks. Finally, I got to work on Grey. Anyone would immediately swarm us if they saw his charcoal black coat, so, I came up with an idea. I took the bloody sheets from my bed, took some twine from my cabinet(The last of the twine we owned. Better look for that when we go to Market.) and tied them around him. If anyone asked, I would say that I had just caught a wild beast from the woods and that it would attack anyone who looked at it wrong. I had seemed to stir people away with less convincing tales. So, after we had dressed up, we both set out together.

Finding the Market was not a problem. We both knew the Elm Woods inside and out, and the Market was just on the outskirts, behind the Snake Creek that led to a giant burrow of vipers. Huge mistake on their part if you ask me. Grey and I took a deep breath before heading in. "You ready, Buddy?" He wagged his tail in response. Okay, just got to find some lettuce, cucumbers, and honey. Oh, and of course, twine. This shouldn't be too hard.

>----------<

SMELLS! Is that smell from here? It smells spicy. I'd rather be smelling squirrels. Or rabbits. Ooooh! Cow meat! I think it's cow. Was that a bird? A white Bird! In a weird, round, holed box. I want to see all the smells! I'm bored. Imma paw at the ground. Is that a worm? I wanna look at the worm. Oh, wait! Brother's going too fast. Wait up, brother! Ooh! Honey. I've had honey before. I want the honey. Wait, smell! What is that smell? Is that...another wolf? What is that? That's not a wolf! But it smells like one. This place is nothing like I’ve ever seen. What’s that man doing? Brother’s with him. What’re they doing? I wanna check it out. 

I pounced on the man. He smelled wrong. Brother was scared. He's angry now. I understand. I get scared then angry when strange men try to break into the wooden den. What's that? It's a pounding sound. I see the man. He's with others. Their pack is chasing us. Run, Now!

>----------<

Great! Grey's sheets fell off. Of course that crook wanted the genuine gold-thread sheets that were just hanging off my dog. But, the minute he sees the black wolf, he just has to call his hunting buddies who are just waiting by. I'm starting to believe the world hates me.

Grey and I started running into the woods. We had to lose them. Their huge rubber boots were allowing them to easily speed through the thick mud. I knew I should have chosen better shoes. Mine were already soaked, and I hadn't even crossed the river yet. The River! That's when I got an idea. We had to move fast, though. I could already feel the man five feet away from my back. "Just give us the pup, Mark!" Quickly, I pulled the sheet off of Grey and tossed it behind me. It would give us enough time. Grey and I ran to the river's edge, before making a sharp right. We raced deeper into the thicket, before jumping to the side at a huge rock. I looked back for a second. Perfect. Our tracks led them straight over here.

I held Grey with both arms, one hand over his snout. We silently waited for the men to follow us toward the rock. "Listen, Mark. We just want the pup. You give me the sheet, give my buddies the wolf, and we'll all give you a share of what we earn off it. Seventy-thirty sounds good, don't it?"

I suppressed the urge to laugh at the trap we had just set. As one of the hunters got close to us, a rustling sound came from the rock. I caught the man's eye gleam with joy. When he lifted the rock, he was met with three copperheads. One immediately struck at the man's head landing a hit on his nose. The other two slid out to the open, headed toward the others. I decided now would be a good time to make a break for it. Grey and I slid out from the other side of the tree just in time to see another viper strike at a man's arm. At that moment, Grey snarled at the crook and the final hunter. The hunter, in response, stopped kneeling beside his buddy to pull out a shotgun. We both sprinted into the thicket, just barely missing the heart-stopping <BOOM>. I quickly dropped to my knees and felt around my body. I think I got out okay. I looked behind me. Grey looked fine, at least, under all that dark fur. That's when I noticed him limping. I took a deep breath and pulled him close. The bullet had grazed his left back paw. He just needed patching up. He'd be okay. "Alright buddy. We're just gonna get you cleaned up, okay?" I ducked my head under him and slowly stood up, carrying him home on my shoulders.

>---------<

Grey stood still for most of the journey home. He wasn't used to being carried. Other wolves didn't have the strength to place wounded family members on their backs. He didn't hate it though. He liked that his brother was able to do it. Someday, when he got big enough, he'd be the one to carry his brother when they got attacked. They walked into the wooden den with Grey still on his brother’s shoulders. His brother set him down on the seat by the window, and got out the burning water and the white cloth. Grey whimpered. He remembered the last time he saw those. His brother had picked him up and taken him into the wooden den for the first time when their family died. They were both pups back then. His brother tried to heal his paw, which was stuck with a thorn. He would just not stop whimpering whenever the burning water was poured on his wound. After that, however, his brother gave him some meat from a leftover sandwich from earlier that day. They ate together, they placed stones and sticks outside and mourned together, they bathed together. That was the first time Grey's brother treated him as family. Grey had always tried to do so. He remembered when he and the rest of his siblings would race and play in the Elm Woods. He missed the rest of his siblings. But he still had his brother. They were both all that was left of their family. They had to stick together. They had to remind each other that they were not alone in the world.

>---------<

The moon glistened in the Elm woods. Every bird, rabbit, and deer lay shivering as the icy cold air stood still around them. The fresh dew began forming over the tall grass, no doubt waiting to drip off the long leaves in the morning. The deer and bear tracks fossilized into the mud, now dried dirt, as even they tried to huddle together to shield from the cold. The wind whistled as it blew through the spiny leaves of the pine trees, and shook the branches of the tall oaks.

Deep in the forest, a little wooden cabin sat atop an elevated clearing. It wasn't much to look at. The darkness of the night seemed to swallow it whole, leaving nothing behind save for the glint of the windows from the full moon. Through one of these windows, a wolf ten times blacker than the night sat upright, singing a beautiful song only he and the moon understood. After the climax of this melody, he retreated to a soft, golden bed now covered with a thick, cougar-fur rug. There, he huddled under the rug's weight next to his brother. Both slept peacefully throughout the night, never to be disturbed.