Little Black Wolf

A pack of wolves stood in the snow, freezing their paws numb. One stepped forward, his head low and nudged the black lifeless body that lay before them. He whined and looked back at me, avoiding my eyes but obviously pleading for me to do something. But even as an alpha male, I could do nothing. He should know that. But I understood the way he felt. I padded forward to my brother and pressed against him to comfort him. We would all forget about this soon enough, since our kind weren't known to brood over lost members very long. So after a while of huddling together in the cold snow, watching over the little black figure, I stood up and padded off to find shelter. The pack gradually got up and we all left the body to the harsh but beautiful forest.

It was not always like this.
Our pack was a lively one before Winter had set in.
The alpha's name was Stalker. He was strong enough for his position, but he wasn't as wise as his younger brother, Fasthowl.
There was the occasional scuffle between the two for leadership, but Stalker had the advantage in that part of the journey to becoming a leader. And of course there was the alphess, Silence. Not the sharpest tool in the shed either.
Also her constant opponent, Windsong. The two battled constantly, unlike the brothers. And if they weren't doing that, they were shooting glares over the carcass(like the table at dinner time). Our omega, Thunderpaw, also a sibling of Fasthowl and Stalker, was rarely seen. We didn't mind letting him wonder off. He wasn't much a help in hunts anyway, but we loved him for his cheerful personality. Thunderpaw couldn't take down an elk, but if anyone could chase down a rabbit, he could. He was pretty quick, but for that he wasn't very strong.

All three brothers were the gray of their parents, and Windsong was sort of white, but she looked pretty much like us.
Silence had a bit darker pelt, like a smokey color.

Our tight knit little group hadn't been together long, but we were close like one that had been together for years. Mostly because half of us were siblings.
This came to our advantage in hunts.

Stalker led us to a lake, and we all lapped at the cool water. That's when Fasthowl raised his head and growled, looking into the woods. He looked back at the now bristling alpha and wagged his tail. Stalker relaxed and lead them towards the sound his brother had heard. A large heard of bison grazed peacefully unaware of their presence. This was a great opportunity!
Fasthowl darted forward, nipping at the nearest one's heels. Stalker had no time to punish him, so he went along with him and all together, they took it down.

After the hunt, Stalker was worn out. He sat panting aside form the feasting pack. But he had already eaten, so he didn't mind.
Then, something knocked what little breath he had caught, out of him. Stalker whirled around to face his attacker, and was surprised to see Fasthowl. He snarled, outraged that he had been taken advantage of, and lunged when his brother raised his tail.
The two went back an forth, biting ears and snapping at throats. No one was seriously injured, but the outcome was shocking.
Fasthowl chased his brother away, and stood triumphantly. He walked to the pack with a smug expression, expecting praise. But the pack simply plopped down for a nap. Fasthowl was disappointed, but guessed it was always like this.

The next few weeks went smoothly, the two brothers weren't mad at each other. Besides, they were wolves. Wolves weren't known for holding grudges.
But things soon heated up. New alpha, new alphess. Windsong had caught Silence glaring at her during a nap, and now the two were quarreling relentlessly, leaving the boys to watch. One would get the other down, then walk off like they had won. Only to be knocked over by the other. And this went on for hours until finally, Windsong emerged victorious.

Sadly, the happy times could not go on forever, and winter set in.

It was a cold day. Rain had fallen, and now, snow.
Our thick coats shielded us from the wetness, but we were still cold.
Fasthowl checked on everyone, and decided we all needed a meal. Prey was still about, just hard to get. Thankfully we had hunted before the snow had fallen, and Fasthowl led his pack to the carcass. On the way there, Windsong and Silence had a scuffle. It led to Silence getting hurt and limping off in shame. Before we could get to the food, snow began to fall again. We were exhausted, so we all laid down as night and snow fell over us. Hours went by and the snow kept going. Stalker occasionally raised his head, checking for something.
Thunderpaw surprisingly showed up and huddled together with us. But Silence had yet to come back.
Windsong could take it no more and stood to howl. Fasthowl was surprised, but knew that the two females were close, despite the way they treated each other. He joined in, and so did Stalker.
We only go the response of lone wolves.
The pack howled many more times throughout the night, and finally, a howl that we all knew echoed through the trees.
It was close to. Silence started towards us, and now that the sun had risen, we could see her now. Stalker got up to go and greet her, as she was hurt and had to sit down often. But Fasthowl stopped him quickly. Another sight had caught his eye. A huge shadow. It was coming up behind Silence, and the awful sound of a plane filled the air. Silence picked up her pace and darted towards us. When she was close enough, Fasthowl turned and fled, leading his pack away from the huge machine. And then, a loud yelp sounded form behind them. But they kept running, just wanting to get away from the plane. It finally flew off, leaving the pack breathless and shaken.

One member was missing now.
The little black wolf.
Silence. We all turned around, darting back over our snow trail and froze to see the snow covered in red.
Silence lay before us, lifeless.
Stalker padded forward, his head low and sorrowfull, to nudge his lifeless mate.
Then he turned and gazed at me, pleading.