“Ciana, what’s going through your mind right now? As we watch this beautiful sunrise, what thoughts run through your head?” Fiadh was sitting on his haunches, staring as the red-orange sun slowly rose in the sky.
“I’m just thinking about how much I enjoy being here with my mate, not a care in the den.” Ciana turned to look at Fiadh. He swiveled his head to look at his beautiful silver-furred companion and barked softly, in joy. Ciana stared into his deep, blue eyes, then pressed her nose up against hers.
Now the sun was displaying its beauty, and small yips and yaps sounded from the den nestled in the cliff behind the mates. Fiadh pulled away from Ciana and padded into the den to care for the pups.
“There’s a rabbit next to their place!” Ciana called. Fiadh turned slightly and nodded at her. She nodded back and stood up, stretching her legs. Just another day.
---
“I don’t care why, Delilah! You should’ve known better than to go out, never answer my calls or texts, then come back two days later! You’re such a brat! I knew I shouldn’t have married you those years ago. In fact, I want a divorce!” Joel stomped to the front door, walked out, and slammed it behind him. Delilah was left standing in the center of the living room, shocked still. Tears ran silently down her face. The sound of Joel’s car pulling out of the driveway reached her ears.
I want a divorce.
I want a divorce.
I. Want. A. Divorce.
Joel’s words replayed themselves in Delilah’s head, over and over. The worst part was that she knew they weren’t just fighting words. She knew that he meant it. The love of her life was leaving her.
“Knock, kno-” Suzie Houper walked into the house, a smile on her face fading as she saw the sight of Delilah. “Dee, what’s the matter?” Closing the door behind her, Suzie cautiously walked to Delilah, stopping in front of her.
“J-j-joel. He-he… Suz, we’re getting a divorce!” Delilah howled. She threw herself onto Suzie, bawling.
“Oh, no, Dee. I’m so sorry.” Suzie contemplated saying something along the lines of “You were too good for him, anyway”, but knew that it was too soon for that. Right now, Delilah just needed to wallow in her sorrow.
---
“This time, Fiadh, I’m going to go with the alphas for food. You’ve gone the last three times. It won’t take long, but still, don’t let the pups out of your sight. They’re tricky. Especially Aurelio. Watch him closely,” Ciana instructed. She padded around the den, making sure that everything was in order. Before she left, Ciana licked Fiadh and barked a goodbye to her pups.
Several hours later, Ciana trotted back into her den. Her mind immediately told her that something was off. Fiadh was sleeping in the center of the den with Jazlynn and Kulia climbing on him. Acantha and Breaker were also sleeping peacefully on the west side of the space. And Aurelio was… Where was Aurelio?
“Fiadh! Wake up! Get up, Fiadh!”
Fiadh jerked awake, throwing Jazlynn and Kulia off of him. A deep growl began in his throat before he realized it was Ciana.
“Hello, Ciana. The pups and I did well. What did you kill?” Fiadh glanced behind Ciana, to see if there were any dead animals there. Before he could see clearly, Ciana snapped.
“I leave, and you fall asleep when you’re supposed to be keeping a watchful eye over the pups. What kind of wolf does that make you? Not a very good one in my eyes. Oh, and where in the den is Aurelio?!” Ciana’s ears were sticking straight up, and her teeth were bared. “And this isn’t the first time you’ve lost a pup! You know what, Fiadh, you can just leave. The pups and I can manage on our own.” Ciana gestured to the pups who were cuddled in the corner now, ears flat to their head.
“Fine. I knew you would just weigh me down, anyway.”
---
Delilah’s tears slipped silently down her face. A small bird hummed a sorrowful tune in the distance. Toddlers laughed from the closeby neighborhood. One toad croaked in the pond. The wind rustled leaves on the ground, and on trees. Through her tears, Delilah sang an emotional song that she had written.
“No one sees her pain; it just happens again and again. She puts on her brave face, but she really needs an embrace.” Delilah sang it softly, but with just as much power as she normally would in her studio. “She won’t let them see, no matter how hard she wants to. She hides it with her crazy. This is nothing new.”
The bird had gone quiet now, listening to Delilah’s melodic voice. The toad had also gone silent, stopping on the edge of water and land. Delilah only stopped when she heard someone or something step on the edge of the forest. She snapped her head around and saw a silver-furred wolf with piercing indigo eyes.
---
Never. Never had Ciana heard a voice like that. So, unwillingly, she was pulled by a trance away from her den, to a part of the forest she had never explored before. There was a clearing, and man was sitting there. This man was female, with dark brown fur and light green eyes. The female was singing.
“She won’t let them see, no matter how hard she wants to. She hides it with her crazy. This is nothing new.”
Ciana stepped on a twig, and it snapped in half. She winced as the female man stopped singing and turned towards her. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. It felt like hours, though it was probably only thirty seconds.
“Hello there. You’re pretty far from wolf territory. Are you lost, sweetie?”
A feeling began deep down in Ciana’s stomach. She could feel it. It was a good feeling; it told her it was okay to go towards this female man. Of course, Ciana didn’t know who the female was, but trusted her. Ciana could tell the man felt the same.
As Ciana inched forward, the female man began to sing again. It was a song that meant a lot to her, Ciana could tell. Why was the question Ciana couldn’t answer.
---
“I built a friend out of three pieces of plastic and a pen. I made him on the table in the den. I gave him my old cell phone for a head, for a head.” Delilah sang slightly louder than the time before, hoping to spike the wolf’s attention. It worked, because the wolf continued to proceed towards Delilah. Right up until the wolf was next to Delilah where she was sitting, cross-legged, in the clearing. The wolf sat down next to her as Delilah continued the song.
“And we spent holidays at my house and we left presents in a stocking. And we bought bolts and things and strings and a new watch, that’s what he got.”
---
For the next hour, Delilah sang different songs to Cianna. The wolf was a great listener, intently watching the entire time. While this was happening, the sun was setting and the moon was rising. A silver glow covered the clearing, enhancing the light of both Delilah and Ciana’s eyes.
Delilah finished up the last verse of “Hallelujah”, then stopped. She reached over and wrapped her arm around Ciana. A message passed between the two, silently and sneakily.
You’re alright.
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93 comments
Wow, Brooke! I love this, and I knew you would do good with the POVs! These are so good! I love both Delilah and Ciana. The repetition for when Delilah hears Joel's angry words is great, and I applaud you for that! The wolves are also very well thought out, and I like how both the humans and wolves are having problems! Good job! :)
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Thank you so very much, Raquel!
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No problem :)
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Hi B, I loved your concept of using wolves but I agree with Megan about the body language of the wolves. Loved the names, super unique!
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Thanks so much! Yeah, I know that I need to work on that.
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sure, if you need help don't be afraid to ask me!
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Okay, thanks!
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Oh my goshhhhhhhhhh YOU NEED TO TELL ME WHEN YOU COME OUT WITH A NEW STORY, BROOKE!!! I loved the POV similarities between Delilah and Ciana. Also I loved how they came together at the end- both of them needed a friend, and you pulled them together amazingly. Just a tip- for some of the wolf scenes, let me just say human body language is much different than wolf. In our stories we use dialogue to describe how they are feeling but in the wild, and even with our own dogs, body language is the primary language. So, like when Ciana was angry...
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XD Fine, from now on I WILL, MEG!!!!! Thanks for the compliments! Oh, gosh. I'm SO BAD at wolf stories. I even seriously looked up wolves body languages. Grrrrr... (pun not intended). But, THANK YOU. I will definitely try to remember this the next time. You definitely didn't sound rude, I just can't write wolf stories. Your best bestie, B (you can call me that, it is my nickname)
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YES YOU CAN WRITE WOLF STORIES SHUT UP B! (hehe there's the nickname+ I just submitted another, if ya wanna check it out :)))))
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Well, I can't, but thank you anyway. You seriously are the best person ever that I'm not related to (that would be my mom. She gave me life XD) I will be there ASAHP
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:D Thank you so much, you're so sweet!
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You're welcome! You're sweeter!
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Wow, I thought this story was really amazing, Brooke! I loved the chemistry and the way you aligned both of the stories. Just brilliant! -Lillian
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Thank you so much, Lillian!
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Can I do an upvote spree? FINALLY A W O L F STORY!
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XD Thanks for reading! Sure! You do mean upvote spree-for-upvote spree, right?
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I upvoted you!
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THANKS SOOO MUCH
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YOU'RE WELCOME SOOO MUCH
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WELL IM GONNA UPVOTE YOU AGAIN FOR BEING SO NICE
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AW THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME I APPRECIATE IT
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This is such a unique take on the prompt. The two stories working their way together perfectly. The human emotions and characteristics of the wolf mimicked by Delilah. It was a joy to read from start to finish. If you have a moment to look at my story, “Silence” I think you might enjoy it and chuckle a little. Please give It a try and let me know what you think.
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Thank you so much! Okay!
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Hey Brookeee i just realized my thing in ur bio is outdated bc my user changeddd
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Oh, yeah! Sorry! I'll go fix it, Amaya!
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haah that;s okayy
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I just read the beginning of your bio. Hello, fellow bullet journaler! I am a new one, any tips?
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I used to bullet journal a lot, but i haven't done it in a WHILE. what kind of tips do you want? like ideas? supply recommendations?
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Mostly tips on how to make sure that I get the most use out of the journal itself. If that makes any sense.
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Wonderful.Keep writing.
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Thank you. And to you as well.
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Welcome
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I LOVE the name Delilah and im kinda glad that ya ended up using the name, I also really liked the name Ciana because I don't think I've ever heard the name before until now. I still think you did a pretty good job with this story like all of your other ones and it deserves a 10/10 :)
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Thanks so much, B.!
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No problem ^^ how do ya come up with the names for your characters?
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Either looking up names that mean a word that describe their personality, or using Google Translate to do a word that describes their personality into a different language and see if it would be a good name.
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whats your favorite name that youve named a character in your stories?
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Oh, I can't choose.
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Both of those ways are ways that I have learned from Megan.
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she helped you?
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Yes. She helps me a lot, actually.
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I liked the story thanks for writing it
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Thank you! And you're welcome.
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heyyy
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how are ya?
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heyyy
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I loved the idea of the species of human being "man", but maybe make that clearer. Also, great job with the POVs! Could you read my stories? Also, I'm going to do an upvote spree for you!
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Thank you so much! Oh, gosh. Thank you! I will return the favor! Yeah, I am definitely trying to get better with these wolf stories. Thanks again.
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I just upvoted you! :D
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Oh My GOD !!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! do you have any feedback on the stories?
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YOU'RE WELCOME SO MUCH!!! Not yet, but I will once I get the chance.
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Aww, you're super nice! I will follow you now!
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You're super nice, too! I'll follow you back!
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