Luna was torn from sleep and thrust into the morning by a blood chilling howl in the distance. The sound sent cascades of shivers down her spine. It had erupting from the throat of her mate, who was stoic and fearless. His fear infected her and radiated like ripples through the pack. As one, they bared their teeth and raised their hackles to the dying moon above.
She first caught his scent, then saw him—her breath frozen in horror—he was running at top speed toward the place they had called home for the past several months; the place where she had given life to their young. His eyes were white with terror, and she knew in that moment that she would never again see this place she had grown to love.
As Alpha franticly tried to communicate the danger he had just fled, the buzzing sounds from the day before begin to grow louder, rendering all explications unnecessary. The danger was coming closer to her home. Closer to her pack. Closer to her pups. Luna fled.
The pups had barely started coming out of the cave, and now, instead of being allowed the weeks of the carefree play that would help transition them into hunters, they had become prey. Even in the best of times children were lost to the balance. These were not the best of times. If they lost some or even most of the growing pups, the entire pack would morn as one, but life would go on. She hoped. But if all the pups were lost, the pack would wither and die.
After what felt like several days, the ominous chorus of sound began to fade behind them and the pack slowed to a trot. The children looked tired, but the fear that was present in the adult wolves did not show on their faces or in their scent. They thought that this was a great adventure. Maybe it was. Her heart burned for her young; she would keep them safe.
They ranged for several more miles after the sounds, had completely faded and fell into exhausted sleep. The sickly blackened sap of fear that they had been drowning in down began to fade into a light fog, and then a mist. Luna slept.
She awoke to the sounds of Alpha growling softly. The sun was bright in her eyes, how long had she slept? She was completely enveloped by white when she first opened her eyes. Her ears flicked as she became aware of a strange rumbling sound. It was like a distant winter avalanche. As she turned her head away from the bright light, she realized that she was still covered by the dark furs of night. The moon and stars winked at her from above. On any other night, the stars would have lulled her tranquilly back into sleep. Tonight, she felt uneasy.
The light she had mistook for day, burned like a tiny moon. It was coming from one of the parasites that had been stalking her young. The parasite held the sun in its paw, and the glare of its bright eye was staring directly at her.
A shriek of alarm echoed from her heart; her body was electrocuted with fear. More of the parasites begin to fade into the perception of her terrified eye. One of them cast its hideous gaze on her pups. Her fear turned to anger. The pack ran into the night.
There was a loud bang, and then all sound and all thought was swept aside by a high pitched ringing whine in her ears. Another bang tore through the chaos in her ears; her heart rent in two as she stumbled. A mother knows when her child dies. Luna ran on, howling at the uncaring sky.