His Rogue Luna

Two

Picture above is Artemis's wolf form

Werifesteria
(v.) To wander longingly through the forest in search of mystery.

For the past couple of days, I had been overwhelmed with this sense of longing. For what exactly though, I wasn't sure. Loneliness crept onto me, slowly consuming my thoughts and I found myself craving companionship.

I had lived alone for most of my life and was used to solitude. In fact, I thrived off of it. I became self sufficient and independent but as of late, my outlook on life seemed to change.

I found myself wishing to be surrounded by family and friends, laughing and sharing my moments with loved ones. I wasn't sure what brought these sudden feelings and thoughts along and Diana, the old witch, wasn't much help.

So I ventured forth into the wilderness, looking for answers, or at least something to sate me and bring me some sanity. I left behind my sanctuary and my only friend and ran through the forests with no real destination, letting my paws guide me.

I ran as fast as I could, skilfully weaving in and out of the dense trees. The wind felt amazing in my golden fur and I pushed myself to run faster. As I ran North, I watched as the landscape change from warm shades of green and brown, to whites and greys. Soft and fat snowflakes began falling and I stopped to watch them, not having seen snow in person before.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment, taking a lungful of crisp and fresh air. The ache in my chest and the dark cloud of thoughts in my head seemed to disappear for a moment and I just enjoyed the small moment of clarity.

I inhaled once more but paused, catching an unfamiliar scent. My eyes opened and my ears perked up, listening for any sounds as I tensed my muscles, ready for an attack.

After a moment of silence, I heard the soft padded footsteps of another wolf approach. Turning to the source of the sound, I watched a grey wolf emerge from the shadows.

It was a little smaller than me, shorter than me by a couple of inches. It also appeared a little skinnier than me but still carried strong muscle under its fur. Its muskier scent revealed it was a male.

I watched it cautiously as it took a tentative step towards me. I quickly looked around, checking if he had friends ready to attack me. Realising he was alone, I looked at him again.

He was a rogue. Like me.

My fur bristled and I let out a low warning growl. I was even more on edge, unsure of his intentions towards me. Rogues weren't known for their friendliness.

He let out a whine and lowered onto his stomach, his ears laying flat on his head. I stopped growling, even more confused at his display of submission.  He took that as a good sign, crawling towards me. I lowered into an attack pose, not sure if it was a distraction tactic to attack my throat from underneath me.

He paused a couple feet in front of me before rolling onto his back, revealing the soft fur of his underbelly and ultimately exposing his neck. I stood up straight, tilting my head at him in confusion. He let out a little bark/yelp before slowly coming closer.

I sniffed him again and the lack of other scents around him confirmed to me he was indeed a rogue. Again, I was even more confused by his behaviour.

He sniffed the air around me, probably wondering what pack I was from. My fur colour was clear evidence I wasn't from around these snowy regions. The browns and golds stood out against the pale landscape.

He leaned closer, his wet nose touching the side of my face and sniffed some more. I pushed him away with my paw, backing up, ready to continue my journey. Before I could walk away, I felt a tug on my tail and I yelped, turning around and snarling at the bold male.