Howling Sorrows {Kanny}

The black and white wolf howled inn the night, eyes gazing up at the moon. Where was her mate? The one who was known as Aatu? Always Wildfire had welcomed him, but now there was no sign of him. The tall chestnut stallion who roamed the lands heard the call, and knew what was being said. Anata had howled like this for many full moons.

This time though, there were other calls as well. Her son Rudi, calling for Bandia, and Aero calling for Naolin. All three called for their mates.

She growled, spotting him in the darkness as he came closer to her. "Finally," she growled. She was not pleased with him. and neither it seemed was the one coming who sounded like thunder with his hooves beating the ground as he came.
For Wildfire had come to see if she was alright.

She heard the howl and blinked. "Naolin!" she leapt to her feet, dashing passed Aatu without a glance in his direction. She was only too interested in finding Naolin right now. It was not long before she leapt over towards him, falling to the ground beside him. "Naolin."
She was horrified by all the blood on his body.

Anata paused as she heard his words, for a moment considering what she had heard, before he clarified his own words. "You never found them?" she asked, though she said no more, before Wildfire tapped the rock above the cave entrance and lowered his head to look in at them.
"Never leave without warning again like that, Aatu!" the aging king snorted, looking in at them. Aatu was lucky he was in the cave, for Wildfire would have pulled his ear if he could reach.

She smiled, licking his cheek gently. "Rest," she said, smiling at him. Her tongue started to lick at him, cleaning him off.

Anata looked up at Wildfire. "Let him rest please," she said, looking at him.
The aging stallion sighed. "Very well. Just don't do that ever again, Aatu." He trotted off.
Anata licked Aatu's cheek.

Aero comtinued to lick at him, cleaning his pelt as gently as she could.

She licked at his cheeks sighing as she heard the rush of words. It was not his fault, the humans were cruel, he hadn’t had much chance, and she knew that. The next lot though would be well guarded by the older ones.

She snorted though in surprise when she saw Illusion. Where had her horn vanished to? “Thank you, Hidden Illusion,” she said, smiling. “He has been stressed out since he returned, though I have never blamed him for not being able to find them.”

"Do not think on it any more, Aatu. Besides you are safe here with me. No one could have done better than you, I am sure," Anata replied. She smiled at him, licking his cheek.

She continued to lick at him, pausing for a moment to look up at him. "Don't think about it, Naolin. I have been fine here, though lonely, that is gone now. What's done is done, we cannot take back the past."

She chuckled at his words. "Never too soon, Aatu," she told him. "But you need to recover first before we do anything."

Aero sneezed. "I understand." She smiled licking him again. "And one day we will."

"we aren't," she replied gently. She smiled at him. There was nothing she thought if in such away. They would always be with them.

She chuckled nuzzling her mate. Aero was very defensive at he moment.

Anata sighed as she woke once more. She knew things were getting more difficult now, but it was something that happened every now and again. There was a storm coming and who knew who would survive it.

She woke with a start. “I guess I fell asleep, huh?” She smiled at Naolin.

“I’ve not been able to sleep much without you here and safe,” Aero replied. “That one’s your fault not mines.” She smiled slightly though, nuzzling his cheek gently. She knew he’d had to go, though it had been hard for her.

“I think we should. “In the time you were gone, Charme passed on and well, Wildfire has a new queen, Gloria.”

“Gloria was a more recent addition to the herd. He went two or three seasons without a queen. He knows he’s going to pass on soon, so he had to ask.” She smiled.

“I know you are,” she smiled, gently headbutting his chest. She chuckled. “Alls well now, other than a new queen in the lands.”

bump