Warmth lapped at my face. A soft pink glow filled my vision, and a nearby chirp tickled my ears. The wind whispered, the sound slipping through soft, swaying leaves. I inhaled sharply to taste the breeze, and the scent of the forest filled my snout. Sweet and full of life, like spring.

I dared a peek out of the safety of my blindness, the cozy embrace of sleep. My pupils blinked in the brightness, adjusting to find bright blurs of green. Clusters of narrow, pointed leaves focused from among the haze. They were needle-shaped, bitter pine by the scent, emerging from a dark branch. My gaze followed the tree trunk upward. Skewed limbs stretched toward the sky.

I willed my neck upward to stare at the blue expanse above, but my muscles only groaned in response. Dejected, I focused instead on the ground. The pale, gritty soil shifted beneath my body. Something cold and wet tugged at my tail, and the glinting surface of water flashed in my peripherals.

None of this seemed right. I let the air I'd been holding in my lungs trickle out through my teeth, a slow and steady stream, until a sharp pain latched its claws into my chest.

I clenched my jaws through the rest of the breath. The numbness of my mind wore away, and a high-pitched whine left my muzzle. Why did it hurt so badly? Ignoring the reluctance of my body, I shifted my weight to one side. It took more effort than my weak muscles had to spare, but I rolled over to lay in an upright position.

Regret reared its ugly head. The world spun at my paws, and darkened spots danced in my vision. My bones' peaceful slumber had been disrupted, sparking a riot amongst them. A fierce flame gnawed at my legs, and the fire consumed my body. Each breath grew heavier with coals of burning pain, and my belly lay raw against the sand, like it'd been scorched from the smoke.

I was bruised, battered, and exhausted all over. I looked the part too.

Dull gray fur was missing from my hide in patches. Scrapes and scratches littered my pelt, while clumps of wiry hair were matted so thickly with twigs and mud I'd have to gnaw them out. Along my underside was a rough and flaky husk, a scar the color of a mahogany branch. The scabbed-over wound ran from my belly, between my forelegs, and up into my neck. Tender pink skin peeked out at the edges, and the fur around it was stained with red.

Another glimpse of crimson quickly claimed my sight. I counted my limbs sprawled all around me, finding three mostly unscathed. The last wasn't so lucky.

My left foreleg stretched out in front of me. Where my paw would be was only a gorey absence. Sharp, white fragments emerged from where the leg abruptly ended, a mixture of mangled muscle and fur. The pale color was replaced by jagged holes seeping blood, and the fury of torn flesh was visible beneath my skin. It stung like the poison of a nest full of buzzing bees, and I gently licked the wound.

I wasn't sure how this had happened. Slumped over my belly, I lay on a sloping bank of sand. The river it belonged to flowed near my side, and the translucent color reflected the murky green and brown of the wooded surroundings. I judged its depth at just over a wolf's head, while the width stretched several deer-bounds. Near the bank, the current was slow and the water was shallow.

The river wound through the trees in both directions for as far as I could see, though my line of sight was limited by the forest's growth. There was no blue above me, only fast-approaching storm clouds darkening the sky to a dismal gray. The musky scent of oncoming rain hung heavy in the air. Sparse trees were nestled into the sandy soil around the embankment, but the forest grew denser farther from the river. Hardly any branches bore leaves over the waxy quills of evergreens, and their lifeless equivalent littered the ground in the form of pale and prickly straw. The trees' painful spawn were scattered amongst it, rounded cones of sharp-toothed spines.

None of it fetched familiarity. I reached into my mind for anything. Something about myself, my home, or my pack--but the realization formed in my throat, falling like a boulder to the bottom of my stomach. A forceful wave of nausea washed it down, accompanied by growing winds of panic. I tried to push through, clawing through my brain for a simple answer to appease the storm of fear.

I didn't have one. My memories were gone.

Pounding with a new, furious resolve, my skull threatened to split. Each breath grew shorter than the last, until small anxious gulps were all I could swallow. My throat closed, triggering a reflex to gag. With a retch, a stale mix of saliva and acid emerged from deep within my twisted gut.

It was an all too familiar taste. I closed my eyes and my vision grew blurry. I tried not to dwell on the desperation. The confusion. The fear.

A pair of soft brown eyes glinted in the darkness, belonging to a she-wolf with a gray pelt. Her warmth wrapped gently around my feeble form, and her calming scent was tinged with floral notes like early spring showers. My shoulder bore the weight of her chin, leaning gently into my cheek. I nuzzled her back.

Within moments she was gone, but so was the sickening weight of worry. My breathing returned to a steady rhythm, and the dizziness evaporated.

The silver face lingered in my mind, a familiar comfort in the cold unknown. I didn't know who she was or where the strange vision had come from. Was she a part of my past?

I'd have to figure it out later. Right now, I couldn't overwhelm myself. I needed small and viable steps to tackle what came next. A deep cry of thunder echoed in the distance. Before long, the downpour would arrive. The edge of a river wasn't an ideal place to be, but with a missing paw, I knew I couldn't make it very far. My body hurt too much to move, anyway. The quiet throbbing had become mere background noise.

Growls interrupted what comfort I had left, this time from inside my belly. The feeling gnawed at me, like I hadn't eaten in days. My skin was tight and sunken against my side, each rib visible through the thick fur of my pelt. I ran my tongue over my teeth and collected the grains of sand between my gums. I spat it out, longing for the taste of something--anything--to take its place.

It too, would have to wait. If I couldn't seek shelter, hunting was a goal even farther from reality. My injuries mocked the thought, and my mangled leg led the howl of laughter.

The certainty of my future wept instead.

Nature wasn't kind to the weak and injured. Prey wouldn't slow down or feel sorry that I couldn't keep up, nor would any creature care enough to give their time to help. Any wolf would see me only as a liability, a useless pelt of dead weight, and I would never survive on my own.

I almost hoped another wolf would find me--that they'd be kind enough to end my suffering before I starved to death. Or maybe vultures would eat me alive, too weak to fight back as they picked every sliver of flesh from my bones. The gruesome thought was enough to make any wolf shiver. Without a pack, I was nothing. Without my pack, I'd never make it out alive.

I eyed the river sideways, only guessing that it was the perpetrator, dragging me from my home and dumping me here. A crumpled remnant of a wolf. I begged the skies to tell me the wolves I'd left behind were searching for me. Then my hopes fell. In my own tattered state, who knew how the rest of my pack was faring? If I even had one to begin with.

My mind fluttered back to the gray, kind-eyed wolf with fondness, and my heart ached to imagine her dead. I didn't even know her, and at the same time, her fleeting image was all I knew.

Pushing away another wave of doubts, I closed my eyes to think. Sure, things were bleak. A droplet of water landed on my nose, followed by a soft, pattering drizzle. I forced out a heavy breath, matching the sough of the wind in the trees.

But I had a plan. For now, this little patch of forest would be my humble abode, perfect for building up my strength and learning to hunt its small rodent inhabitants with my new... disability.

Finally, when the time was right, I would move on, start traveling back up the river. And maybe, one day, I would find my real home.

~★~

A/N

And we're off! Welcome to the story, everyone! I hope it's been enjoyable so far, because we know it isn't for our poor wolf friend. He's trying his hardest to stay positive, but perhaps there's not too much to be happy about right now...

I'd like to take this time to make a special dedication to a wonderful group of readers I know are here for one specific reason: DreamlandCommunity and their wonderful book clubs! I'm so glad I get to share this story with you guys, and even more excited to get your feedback as the story grows. DL in itself is an amazing place, a wonderful community full of supportive and knowledgeable writers. If you aren't part of their discord server, you really should be.

As always, be sure to leave your thoughts and a couple comments, even a vote if you've liked it so far! Thanks for reading!