Exactly 1,500 words :)

I watched intently as Caribou carefully crept up on the fat, beefy elk. It was unusual to see a fat elk in this season, much less one at all.

Her paws barely sinking in the snow, like an angel. She needed to see it in order to develop a strategy. There were around a bit less than 20 wolves behind her, excluding me. She was in charge of feeding this half of the group, as her second in command, Ghrunu, was feeding the other half or so while the other wolves guarded camp.

We didn't have a certain hunting time or day, because of spies and such.

She then looked back at us, pointing at random members, muttering some of their names as if to try and remember them.

"... Qirlum..... Pohuba...... Trivolep.... Klilik.. Emanmi... mmm, Hikoshi..."

I heard my name and began to pay attention again, but that was clearly all she had to say. She then pointed us to the side, making two other groups.

"Pohuba's group, you'll be the driving team, the ones guiding it toward us. my group will be on the left and Lmishon's will be on the right. Get in positions."

We all did so, quietly and hesitantly. if even one of us messed up, we wouldn't have food today, and perhaps much, much longer.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, questioning how nobody else could hear its thumps of anxiety. I watched as we all, slowly, rounded the beast as it munched hungrily on the various flowers and plants.

Then, it did the unthinkable.

It ate a Freesia.

I could feel my heart thunder with something that I rarely, if ever, truly felt.

Anger, real through and through.

My thoughts stopped as adrenaline rushed through them.

In less than seconds I leaped at the beast.

Some others felt it too as they also struck it with the same ruthlessness as myself.

Against four wolves, it could kill all of us in one blow.

Against four anger-fueled wolves? It didn't have a chance.

The others couldn't do anything but watch as we took it down in mere seconds, acting as one.

While one of us went to the throat, the others tripped it while I blinded it by jumping at it's face, leaving a large gash along its snout.

That was all I remembered as I watched it's massive structure fall limp and land with a thud.

The others stood there, stunned, as we walked up to each other, checking each other for Injuries. There was not a single mark on any of us.

I went up to it's mouth and gently tugged out the Freesia from it's mouth, placing it on the corpse. Finally, Caribou came up to us.

She looked mighty shocked about this.

I, suddenly, didn't want to hear what she wanted to say as I ripped off my fair share of the carcass and left the clearing, feeling their stares on my back while I hurried into the sun's glare.
I watched the horizon slowly set as the wind whipped by my face and my paw pads ached, me lost in slow, unfocused thoughts.

I finally stopped and looked around, realizing where my heart was aching to be.
The river on the edge of the two territories. It was the place where me and Mahogany always met, him watching on patrol and I just walking up to the place. The Freesia (or more like Caribou) had soon realized that it was way too much effort to keep track of every wolf, allowing us to take breaks and wander and hunt as we please, though we must hunt only less of how much we can fill our bellies with.

I sighed and layed down on the now newly grown, baby plants, checking if any were a Freesia before doing so.
There was always only one Freesia I knew about in our place, and that was a Freesia tucked away in a corner, next to a rock. It was on my side of the river, obviously, and always grew there when spring rolled around, feasting on the fresh water and thriving on the suns rays.

I had named it Connection, a cheesy name resembling how the Spirit's would weep into our world through our simple Freesia flower. It had some type of aura that seemed to pull you towards it, as all of the flowers do, and it's smell reminded me of something that only just lingered on the edge of my memories, on the verge of being forgotten.
It had smelled of honey.

After smelling it, time seemed to speed up.
Days whizzed by and battles raged again, hunting had become normality for me after taking down the glutton elk. The sun's glare was beginning to stir me later each following morn', and the moon began going down slower and slower, as if the Sprirts were tired of the long Winter.
Sooner than I had ever anticipated, I was being called up to Caribou's den.

The past days came back to me as I recalled many of my other litter mates being ushered into her pit, but I had never expected to be called up myself - I had never given it a second thought, actually.
I knew that I had a meet arranged with Mahogany this half-moon, so I prayed to the Spirits that this would be over quickly.

Caribou was perched on a taller piece of stone than I was when I had walked in, and I saw claw marks all round the platform, making me wonder how long it had taken her to carve it.

"Hikoshi... what excitement to have this conversation with you, one on one... as you must be pleased to see me too..."

I was not, rather, pleased to see her. Tonight was only - not a bonding moment - but for her to put me in my place, like a loud, unruly pawn of hers.
I clenched my teeth at the idea of this, but nodded as if agreeing in her bold statement.

"I see that you are rather... nervous about this meeting tonight and I assure you as long as you are good, there is nothing you need to worry about!" She coughed a bit before continuing with her speech, "I'll save some time and get to the climax of this delightful conversation... me, as well as my deputy, have throughly decided that you have the traits of a great parenting wolf!"

She gave me a bright smile as I stood there, shellshocked.
I would not be a mother-wolf, I could not!

Caribou soon dropped the grin as seeing my face, twisted with rage and disbelief.

"Caribou, there must be a mistake..."
She laughed at this,
"No, I assure you, your destiny is this. We have your partner arranged already."

I scoffed at her.
"Living caged in a den with some random mate will not be my destiny, Caribou. I was made to run and hunt and fight, not sitting with some babies in a confined space all.. all my life!"

She seemed to consider this possibility, until looking down at me - no - looking down at my coat as it bristled with unshown hatred.

"Well, it looks like you have no other choice at the moment Hikoshi... come and meet your new mate with a smile for your good deed!"

I just scowled at her, a deep scowl, something that was more than me - something passed down from generations of wolves as the way my lip curled and how my teeth gleamed in the rays of dawn.
Caribou just stood there, watching my teeth as if waiting for them to snap or close.
To obey.
But I am now something different than the wolf I was mere minutes ago.
I am disobedient.

This, of course was when my 'partner' walked in.
I turned to him and gave him my lowest, most pithy snarl that I could muster.

I knew him, of course.
He was Trivolep, a huge male wolf with a unique pelt.
His coat was long - of course - with gorgeous blackish fades on his back and forehead going down to his nose with sugar gray eyes and a black outline around his ears.
In fact he was so dark in color that many Freesia's began to dodge and avoid him, seeing him as a color of bad luck or just beginning to watch him, seeing if he was a spy or not.
I thought if it as nonsense, but having met instead fight an Onyx, it was a pretty biased opinion.

Here's an idea of what I am going for for his colors.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whitewolfpack.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fcry-of-wild-video-chronicle-of-wolves.html&psig=AOvVaw2cDDLfU9_SQx64fcWUXrjb&ust=1643861313523000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCNiLjO2S4PUCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

He just stared at my small frame, looking me up and down, grinning.
At that moment, I knew instinctively that I would hate him forever.