Our Endless Shadows of Darkness

Chapter 1 ~ Trapped

"Get up." Something nudged me hard, making my head jolt up. I looked around for a moment, confused on where I was. I looked up to see Grim, not the wolf I was looking for. He looked annoyed, his fur bristling and his lips drawn back in a disgusted face. I rose to my paws drowsily.
"What do you want?" I asked him.
"You're not here to sleep all day, mind you, and you're going to need to make dirt sooner or later." Grim grumbled gruffly. I snorted.
"You trust me to go out on my own and come back?"
"Of course I don't." Grim said simply. "Because I'll be there while you're out."
"You're going to watch me make dirt?" 
"No. I'll be waiting for you." He sounded shocked that I had even suggested that. "And don't try escaping, because you won't get far." I rolled my eyes.

Grim padded up to the brambles and walked through them, careful not to get his fur caught on it.
"How do you expect me to go through brambles? I'll loose all my fur!" I protested.
"I'll pull you out myself if you don't come now." Grim didn't give one bit of sympathy.
"Fine." I hissed through clenched teeth. I walked up to the brambles and squeezed uncomfortably through them, my fur snagging on almost every thorn that I passed through.
"You obviously don't know how to get through brambles without loosing fur." Grim commented as he rolled his eyes.
I bit back a retort, growling in response. He beckoned his tail for me to follow him and I did.

We had walked for only a few steps before Grim spoke.
"You didn't tell me your name." I stopped dead in my tracks once he finished his sentence.
"So, what is it?" Grim urged after I hadn't responded for several moments.
"Bright." I breath. "It's Bright."
"Yeah... well that's not your name anymore." He started walking again, and I followed.
"And why not?"
"Because I don't like it."
"And that gives you the right to change it?" I challenged.
"As your mate, yes, yes it does." Grim said simply.
"Mate? And when did we become mates?" I snorted. Who did this wolf this he was?
"Ever since I said so." He snapped.
"Never in a million years." I spat defiantly. Grim spun around and glared at me. His icy eyes sent a shiver down my spine.
"Make. Dirt. Now." Grim ordered.
"Well you can't look at me, so turn around." I said. He rolled his eyes, turning around to face a tree. I made my dirt then buried it. "Alright, I'm done."

Grim started heading back, glancing over his shoulder to make sure I was keeping up.
"Twilight." He said once he stopped in front of the brambles.
"Huh?" I asked.
"Twilight." Grim repeated. "That's your new name." At least he chose something pretty, I thought.
"Now go through." He nudged me from behind. I took a deep breath and squeezed through the brambles, ducking as many thorns as I could while I moved in an uncomfortable position.
I made it inside the den. It was somehow dark, like the rest of the forest. Which is something I never understood; how some parts of the forests were full of lush growth, sunshine, rich prey. And other parts were covered with darkness, the moon and the stars, few growth and less running prey. I didn't hear Grim's body squeeze through, making me stiffen. I turned around to face him; he was pushing more brambles onto the entrance and securing it with the longest of the tendrils.
"You don't trust me in here alone, do you?" It was a stupid question, because I knew the answer.
"No, I don't. Not after your sharp tongue earlier." Grim finished fastening the last of the brambles to the entrance. I was barely able to make out what was beyond it, narrowing my eyes to see his shape outlined like a shadow against the brambles.
"I'm going out hunting." Grim started. "Any specific prey you want? Caribou, elk, moose, hare, rabbit,...?" He trailed off, waiting for me to answer.
"Uh... Anything you catch me, really." I was uncertain how to answer this question, because whatever I caught was whatever I ate. But this wasn't the case and I had a choice, a choice that seemed too stupid to take seriously.
"What don't you eat? 'Cause I don't want to bring back something you don't want to eat."
"Moose." I replied.
"That's a really weird diet for a wolf." Grim said, puzzled.
"And how am I suppost to keep myself entertained? There isn't even any moss in here." I protested before he had the chance to leave.
"You can talk to yourself." He grunted.
"I don't do that." I sighed in another protest.
"You're not here for fun either, so just go to sleep." Grim replied irritably.
"Ugh!" I grunted loudly, throwing myself to ground. He rolled his eyes and set off to hunt.

~

I woke up to see a dark figure staring down at me. I gasped and numerous shivers ran down my spine.
"Woah, calm down." Grim said. "It's just me." I remained silent, looking down at my paws.
"If you're hungry, food's over there." His tail pointed to a hole; it seemed to be filled with prey. I got to my paws and padded over to it. My eyes widenned in surprise as I stare down into the hole. There was an elk, 2 squirrels and 2 rabbits. To think prey was scarce around here, he had caught a lot.
"Go ahead; eat as much as you want." Grim said around a large mouthful of food. I quickly snatch the two rabbits, settling down to eat them back in the corner; which just became my corner.

I tucked into the rabbits one at a time. My paws itched to get out, but I knew that if I asked Grim he'd claw my ears off. So I stayed quiet and curled up. 
Eyes burned into my pelt, almost sweeping me off my paws, even though I wasn't on them. I lightly turned my eyes and caught Grim's stare, who didn't stop until he had caught my eyes.
"Just," I warned him, now pissed. "don't stare at me."
"And why not?" Grim narrowed his eyes.
"Because I said so."
"And when were you the one to tell me what I can and can't do?"
"Hypocrite." I teased him. "Now we're even." Grim bared his teeth in the start of a snarl.
"Hey," I defended myself coldly. "There's nothing fun in here to do except make fun of you. Unless you let me go outside..." I added, trailing off with hopeful eyes.
"No." Grim cleared his voice to speak, his voice twice as cold as mine.
"Someone's in a grumpy mood."
"No I'm not."
"Uh, yes you are." I contradicted him, springing to my paws instantly. Grim's eyes looked dead as he stared into mine without a care.
"Sit down, and sleep." He snapped. "I could do without your meddling for a while."
"Then it is true!" Satisfied I was right, I called. He bowled  me to ground, his teeth landing ferosciously under my scruff as he shook me a little; enough to make me cry in pain. Grim spat me out, he teeth covered in a little blood each as his eyes burned with fury. I stood trembling with fear on the ground, cowering back into my corner.
"You really are a rogue." I chocked out, my tail slapping over my mouth when I heard what I had said.

When he realized what he had did, his eyes widened in shock as he took a step back. As if Grim was hidding something, he slipped through the brambles and trailed off. I glimpsed through the brambles to make sure he was gone, then I huddled up closer to the corner.
Honestly, I didn't know he would do that to me. I thought that Grim had the some sense, therefore why would he do that? Maybe I was wrong, maybe I was, but what am I supposed to do now? 
Pain flooded through me when I remembered that he had sunk his teeth just below my scruff. He had drawn blood shaking me around then dropping me on the ground like a worthless piece of prey.
Part of me was glad that he had left, but the other part couldn't bare the thought of being alone in this den. I decided that maybe if I ate some more it would ease my pain and solve my problems. Although, even I didn't believe the last of what I was planning to do.

Pearing through the brambles I realized that it was only a little pass high sun, judging on how much light there was out and the lack of light in these parts. I picked up the elk carcass in the hole and walk back to my corner, settling down and eating as much as I could force down; leaving only a small piece of a the elk carcass. I groaned for a long time before falling asleep on my belly.

~

I awoke to a paw prodding me sharply in the rib.
"Wha...?" I muttered, drowsily blinking my eyes awake to look up. It was Grim.
"Do you mind? I'm trying to sleep here." I grumbled loudly. Amusement glimmered in his eyes.
"Says the one who complained about having to sleep earlier."
"Leave me alone." I groaned, wanting to throw something at his face to make him go away.
"I thought you would need to go make some dirt and get a drink, since you ate that elk and haven't had a drop of water in more than a day." Just when he said that my tongue felt dry like sand. 
I slowly nodded and rose to my paws, forcing my eyes open as they sometimes closed. Grim narrowed his eyes at me, confused. I walked past him and pulled through the brambles, my coat getting caught on all the thorns around me but I pulled out and left tufts of my fur behind. 
I heard Grim squeezing out and taking the lead. I followed him, feeling utterly blind in forest.
He led me to a flowing stream. I drank as much water as I could and walked to where I had last made dirt.

Once I arrived at the dirt area, I quickly made dirt and retraced my tracks back to the den. Suddenly, I halted in the middle of the path. Something rose in my throat and I gaged, trying to swallow it back in. But my mouth didn't do anything but let myself vomit. My head perched as I faced the ground, staring. 
"Twilight...?" That was the last thing I heard before I collapsed to the ground under shaky legs, loosing consciousness immediatly.