I wrote this short story some time back in response to an image prompt for a competition. Proudly, I was a runner up. I'm unable to share the image for copyright reasons but hopefully this story will still work aesethetically without it!
As the night faded into dawn, a hollow song cut through the frozen air. The howls of grief jolted me awake and chilled me to the bone. Not even the warmth of mother beside me could thaw me.
In the night, another of our pack had succumbed.
Our irrepressible pack leaders were despondent. The days when they could hide their despair were long gone. They beckoned sleeping packmates and welcomed back the midnight hunters dutifully but none could miss the hollow look in their eyes.
In hushed tones, Stone, father of the pack, informed us that we were mourning the loss of a skilled hunter and youngster in her prime. We all raised our heads in a mourning song of remembrance.
The news was no surprise, but that didn't matter. I felt the loss of my packmates painfully, and another emotion begin to take root in my heart.
Fear.
The pack had once had so many wolves, packmates had felt as plentiful as trees. But now… now we were like a tree without its leaves. It scared me. Why was this happening? And where had my packmates gone?
As our mourning song came to an end, I saw the pack adults glancing at each other meaningfully.
I knew this look well. It was time for the adults to whisper away from the innocent ears of pups.
On cue, my mother began to nudge us away. However, just as I reluctantly turned to go, a voice disturbed the air.
"They should stay here, you know."
A russet figure stepped forward, head raised defiantly towards Stone.
"This involves them too."
Stone's fur bristled and he let out a warning snarl, "Hush, Bracken. They are too young."
"You can't hide this from them forever," Bracken returned, tail lashing, "Like it or not, they share this fate. We can't run from it and neither can they."
The pups around me whimpered sending a ripple of disapproving growls through the pack.
"Your grief for your mate has sent you mad, Braken," Stone said harshly, "Do not speak out of turn again."
And, with those few words, order was restored and I was ushered away.
~*~
I do not know what happened to cause their change of heart but happen it did.
In the dead of night, I was roused from sleep by Lichen, mother of the pack.
Eyes conflicted, she beckoned us out of our burrow, ordering us to stay quiet.
The wind howled ferociously around us, driving stinging snow into our eyes and ears. The soft snow beneath us had turned icy and sharp, hurting our paws as we walked. The familiar trees about us were contorted and made strange by the unyielding gales. There was no softness here; the world was uncompromising and feral.
After journeying to the edge of our territory, Lichen told us to hide. Crouching in the underbrush, we watched and waited, shivering in unison.
Initially, I could make out nothing except the sound of snarls around me. Then, ahead of me, I spotted Stone. With all the steadfastness of his namesake, he moved back and forth as if circling invisible prey, lunging forth threateningly with his teeth bared. For a moment, I couldn't understand it. Why was he acting this way?
It was only then that I looked upwards and spotted a pair of shining eyes among the treetops. Just barely visible in the scarce moonlight, the silhouette of a monstrous figure was towering above me. It was like one of my brethren but twisted beyond imagination. It's eyes glowed, slobbering maw full of sharp glittering teeth.
Raw terror pinned me to the spot, knocking my breath from me.
"I'm sorry to have to scare you like this, dear pups," Lichen whispered, "But it is something you must see. This is what we battle each night. An enemy that seeks to destroy our pack. To rob each one of us of the life we know."
As she spoke, a collection of howls rang out. I gasped as several more wolves rushed forth to fend off an ever-growing number of midnight enemies.
"We do not know why this is happening. All we know is that we must all resist, whatever it takes. We must not succumb."
And with our trusted leader's words ringing in our ears, she led us carefully away.
~*~
Life was never the same after that. The days had the same shape, perhaps, but they were overshadowed by the ghost of the midnight monsters.
And yet, there was so much still I didn't know about them. What were they? What did they want? And why did they keep taking my friends from me?
The adults were evasive. They swore ignorance but could not hide their sadness.
And then, one night, it happened.
In a blur of sleep and panic, my mother was ripped away from me. At first I assumed the monsters were attacking but I was wrong. She was dragged away by my packmates themselves.
Terrified and confused, I tried to stop them but they forced me back. She was sick, they said, and she would return when she was well.
However, the next day, none of the pack would meet my eye.
My mother had succumbed.
~*~
Now, the search for answers gripped me totally.
How? How could my mother have succumbed? It didn't make sense!
My packmates still refused to discuss it, sending me half mad. But then, my mind stumbled upon an idea - a wolf who might give me my answers.
Braken took one look at my sorrow-filled eyes and seemed to instinctively know what I needed.
"Come with me outside of camp, young one," he said, nuzzling my face, "and I will tell you all you need to know."
~*~
"The elders of our pack would like to pretend that the horrors of our lives don't exist. To pretend all is normal," Bracken explained. "And that is why they tell you nothing. They think it will be easier - happier - to keep you in your blissful ignorance.
"But they are wrong. None of us can hide from the blood running in our veins. From the truth that, like it or not, our land is cursed."
Startled, I asked him what he meant.
"Many generations ago, a disaster occured in the human dwelling nearby. A rumbling boom and fires shook the earth, sending the humans who lived here running, never to return. Our ancestors thought nothing of it. Normality returned and they thought themselves safe, blessed even by the lack of humans.
"But what they didn't see was the invisible sickness. A rot that twists all living things it touches. Even if, for us, it didn't start to until a few years ago."
The haunted look in his eye sent a shiver down my spine.
"Those things you saw," he said quietly, "are our kind. We don't know why but… something inside us makes us transform into them. It can be days or years but no one can avoid it completely. We all turn into monsters - the midnight wolves - someday."
Horror struck me like a blow to the face. At first, my mind lingered on my own future fate, filling me with revulsion and grief. But then, I stopped in my tracks as my thoughts turned to another.
"You mean that my mother is one of those things?" I asked, disbelieving.
Bracken looked at me, sympathy etched on his face. I felt another sickening wave of grief.
"Then… then why did she leave me?"
The question caught Bracken unaware. This time, it was his turn to look upset.
"She didn't have a choice. Neither did my mate or any of the rest. All who become midnight wolves are a threat to us… to the future of the pack. They have to leave. We force them to. It's… tradition."
These were words my still puppish brain could not comprehend.
"But she's my mum!" I shouted, aghast, "Your mate. They're our family!"
Bracken's nose trembled, "But this is the way Stone says it has to be. They aren't like us anymore. They're monsters now."
The words stung and I was temporarily chastened into silence. But then, one simple question gripped my thoughts.
"How do you know?"
And with that, I ran. I ran with all the energy I could muster, ignoring Bracken's warnings of danger. I knew I had to see the monsters and find the answer myself.
As I reached the edge of my pack's invisible territorial boundary, I skidded to a halt. Countless glowing eyes peered down at me from between the trees.
Then, gripped by an instinctual urge, I threw back my head and let out a mournful howl.
Every single midnight wolf raised their maws and joined me in song.
~*~
And that, my dear pups, is how we, the wolves of Pripyat, embraced our nature and united as one pack again. No longer marred by corrosive secrets and fear of the future, our collective happiness returned. Our lives might have looked different from those we had once envisioned but it didn't matter. The future was ours again and even now we delight in facing it together.
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