CHAPTER 1
The white wolf was taking his daily walk alongside the frozen river, when suddenly a distinct smell reached his nostrils, and his ears perked up. It's been a couple of weeks since he had a decent meal and the snow white wolf was beginning to feel it in his strength, and his bones.
Not a young wolf anymore, the wolf had to make do with what he could find, it had been a rather harsh winter thus far, colder than any his wolf mind could remember. He paused for a moment to sniff the air; searching for the direction from which the scent came from, and then the smell became all too familiar to him . . . troll . . . there was no mistaking the foul, putrid smell. Once, when he was still in his prime, he had the misfortune of encountering one of the vile creatures, and it had not ended well for the troll. He was still in a pack then, so it was easy to take the monstrous creature down. If this one was still alive he was in for a bad fight. These creatures were strong and brutal, they killed with no reserve, and they always went for the kill. Memories of the taste of the troll's flesh flooded back to the wolf, and he hesitated for a moment, but hunger drove him forward.
As the wolf reached the edge of the forest, another smell reached his nostrils, humans, which meant hunters and for a moment fear gripped him, but his hunger was too overwhelming, even if it meant he risked death itself. Desperate times, called for desperate measures. Reaching a small clearing, the wolf sank down into the snow, he observed the scene in front of him; there was perhaps a half dozen humans, standing wide eyed around the troll's corpse. They seem to be trying to see if the thing was still alive. The smell of the troll's putrid flesh was very overwhelming and the wolf sneezed a few time to try and get rid of the smell that clung to his nostrils.
The wolf saw that there was no real way of getting to the troll. He stood up slowly so as to not alert anyone to his presence, and started walking around the clearing; he took a few steps forward stopping abruptly as he stepped on a rather large twig, which cracked under his front paw.
Standing still the wolf hoped that his white fur would serve its purpose while probing the area to see if anyone sensed his presence. He stood like that for at least ten minutes.
Satisfied that no one has seen or sensed him, the wolf lifted his paw from the now broken twig, and took a careful step forward.
Slowly he made his way to the opposite side of the clearing, as he observed the men hacking away at the trees surrounding the clearing. Humans have always been a mystery to the wolf. As he reached the other side, the wolf once again realized that going for the troll would certainly end in his death. Deciding that a troll was not worth his death, the wolf turned away and started heading back to the river, when suddenly a searing pain shot through his entire body, the wolf gave an agonizing howl, and fell helpless to the ground.
As he lied there whimpering like one of the prey he felled so many times before, the wolf tried to stand up, but pain shot through his whole body. And he fell to the ground again, as he laid there; the wolf raised his head, to see an arrow sticking out of his back leg. Again the wolf howled in agony, and anger.
Just then, as he was trying to remove the arrow, a dark figure appeared in front of him, he bared his teeth, growling at the figure a few steps away from him. Blinded by the pain the wolf tried to make out what the creature before him was. As his eyes cleared the wolf saw the figure of a man, standing in front of him, it was an elf. And he had strung another arrow, seeing death in the elf's eyes. It stood up, and tried to get away. But the pain that shot through his body again felled him to the ground, helpless.
The snow now stained crimson by the blood seeping from the wound inflicted by the arrow was warm and wet against the wolf's white fur, the wolf closed his eyes, and a million thoughts rushed through his mind. He waited for the dark shadows of death to claim his spirit, if he had to die, then so be it, he had a good life, a life full of memories, maybe it was his time to die, maybe the spirits willed his end, he would return to his mother, the earth.
