Nika’s Decision

Nika started to wake once more. The white wolf seemed like a dream, but she didn’t hurt. Her jaw felt like the stick never touched her jawbone.

She rolled in the dirt again. She knew she couldn’t stay in the cave forever. She crept toward the cave opening, keeping her belly on the dirt like her momma had taught her. Momma said that staying low kept you close to the earth and kept your smell off the wind and the bad creatures from finding you.

She reached the cave opening and sniffed the air. She smelled the sheep first, a large number by the amount of scent on the air. She picked up a tiny scent of two-leggeds. She could also tell by the strength of the wind that all the creatures were at a great distance.

She steadily inhaled and exhaled, licking her tongue over her snout and getting a better taste of the air. She could smell three different two-leggeds. Two were new, different; of the two, one might be female. The third, filling her with dread and fright and fight, was the one that hit her.

She knew she was to serve the two-leggeds. It was not like knowing where good water is or where the best food is. It was more like pack memory, but it was something about the white wolf, like he left some message behind that she didn’t understand about the two-leggeds.

Usually, two-leggeds mean good food, good water, something to do, and good medicine. Even when things get bad, two-leggeds mean good things.

She knew she would not follow a pack any more. She knew she would serve a two-legged.

She howled, her seeking howl. At first there was no response. Either the four-leggeds with the three two-leggeds couldn’t hear her because scent was carrying further than sound or they never had learned pack rules.

Her stomach grumbled and tumbled within her. There was no scent on the air except for the sheep and the two-leggeds. So, she let out one last seeking howl; she let it last a little longer and made it come out of her a little louder.

After a few seconds, she heard a response. She filled with both excitement and dread as she realized the response came from the oldest alpha female under the two-legged that had hit her.

She howled once more to tell the female her response was heard. Then she took off loping in the direction of that howl, using her tongue to continue scenting the direction she should go.