The Wolves of Asgeird Ridge

Omar's Story

Saluki shivered as she loped back to the cave with the pack. The encounter with the three strange wolves had shaken her badly. The last time she had been in such dire danger was the day her mother died. 

She wondered why Loki always seemed to take charge in the danger. Could it be that her sister was coping with their mother's death in a different way than Saluki? Looking at her small sister through a new lens, Saluki realized that just like her, Loki might have felt responsible for the tragedy.

Omar took long strides ahead of the hunting party, his dark shoulders low to the ground. He had seemed to recognize know who the strangers were, and so did Fern, but no one else in the group had a clue. 

"Back so soon?" Bliss called from the comforting warmth of the den as the group arrived. Bliss took one look at the worried faces and trotted up to Omar, licking his face gently. 

"What happened?" Alpine asked quietly as she appeared in the entrance. 

"Firenze  is back, and stronger than before" Omar explained briefly. He glanced back at Terra, who stood in the entrance of the den. "Bliss, could you tend to Terra?" 

Bliss hustled Terra over to a pile of ferns in a back corner and started cleaning her wounds. 

"I'm sure everyone has questions," Omar said finally. His voice was grave, quite unlike his usual jolly tone. Saluki glanced at Seneko and Loki, who looked at her with the same confused expressions. Saluki noticed that Seneko hadn't been as talkative as usual. He looked embarrassed that he hadn't been able to protect her. 

"I think their questions can wait a minute more," Alpine's gravelly voice cut through the silence. She nudged Omar out of the den for a conference, and murmuring started in the den. Through the noise, Saluki picked up bits of the conversation that was occurring outside. 

"They will need to know everything," Alpine pressed Omar in an urgent tone. "With winter coming, men in the forest, and now your-" 

"Not so loud!" Omar barked defensively. "I'm sorry, Alpine, I just..." He glanced around and Saluki quickly dropped her pricked ears. She glimpsed out of the corner of her eye Omar and Alpine staring each other down. Alpine seemed to be winning. Omar slumped his shoulders. "I'll tell them now, it is their right, as my pack." 

The two wolves made their way to the center of the den. Saluki had a strange feeling about Alpine and Omar's conversation. She realized after a moment that it was because she had never heard anyone in the pack arguing with or contradicting Omar, not even Bliss. 

Alpine must be wise, Saluki thought, to be qualified to advise the alpha. 

"Gather round, my brothers and sisters," Omar growled kindly. His golden eyes seemed to have gotten bigger in the starlight. Saluki stepped toward her leader. 

"I'm sure that anyone who wasn't at the hunt was told what happened," Omar looked at Bliss kindly, who nodded. "Firenze is back." 

Bliss's face turned to shock, and Seneko took his gaze away from his mother. "Who's Firenze?" Seneko asked. His brow furrowed in worry at his mother's reaction. His large tail thumped nervously on the ground, sending puffs of dirt billowing into the air. 

The stars sparkled ominously in the cold night sky outside the warm den. 

"I'll tell you all a story that might explain some things," Omar sat down and settled himself on the pine needles. 

"A long time ago, there was a small pack of wolves living in a part of the forest far away from here. The alpha's mate had two pups; brothers. Six Moons after the pups were born, they had their first encounter with humans. The humans lifted their death stick s and tried to kill the one of the pups, but the other leaped at the humans to save his brother. The humans ran and the pups were fine, but the one that was saved was changed forever.

"He became different. When humans came into the forest, instead of hiding like the other wolves, he would go out and try to attack them. He became distant and unpredictable. One night the alpha talked to him. He told him that he was bringing dishonor to the pack by attacking humans and would someday bring disaster to himself if he continued his behavior. He fought with his father that night and lost. And the next night he just ran away." 

Omar hung his head, as if telling the story had drained him. 

"Who were they?" Terra whispered. 

"Firenze is the one who ran away. I am his brother."

Saluki gasped, alongside everyone in the pack except for Alpine, who only nodded comfortingly. Bliss padded over to her mate and rubbed her head against his. 

"How could someone like you be related to someone like...him?" Bliss wondered aloud. Saluki had been thinking the same thing. 

"The universe works in ways I cannot explain. Firenze made his choice that night," Omar told the pack. "But I am not quite finished. A year after Firenze ran away, I bid farewell to my loving mother and pack. I set out on my journey to establish my own realm, meeting Alpine and Fern on the way, but that's a different tale. Long story short, we made our way to Asgeird Ridge and the rest of my pack began to form. Three winters ago, Firenze appeared by the River Ranora. We managed to chase him and his few scrawny followers off, but he vowed to come back someday and take my realm for his own. I tried to reason with him, but he told me that he would get rid of me and kill all the humans that came into this part of the forest, no matter the cost to himself and the surrounding wildlife. Now he is back, and I fear that as he is stronger, he will try to do just that." 

Saluki felt a shiver run through her spine, and she quickly shook her thickening coat. With the oncoming threat of Winter, a time the older pack members seemed so wary of, humans in the forest, and a rival pack determined to take the territory, the coming season promised to throw every danger it had at the wolves of Asgeird Ridge.