Chapter 2

I cried for a week; I didn't eat, nor did I leave the tree.

There were consequences for crying too much; my tears were linked to the rain. It could cause a flood and a lot more damage. I had to close my eyes to stop the tears, and immediately the pouring rain outside stopped.

I left my habitat. I was now starving after refusing to eat for a week.

The earth was so soft by the rain; beneath my feet, my fur was soon wet by the raindrops falling from the trees.

I shook my fur dry and listened for any small prey nearby. My nose also sniffed for their scent. I was disappointed to find none. There was a time I could spot a meal immediately, but now it was taking much longer than I thought. I sauntered along the depths of the forest, trying to find anything to put a stop to my hunger. I found nothing. Not even a rabbit, mice, birds, snakes, or any other small creature.

I was not fond of fish, and neither was my grandmother. Occasionally, we would consume them for nutritional benefits by biting off their heads. Their heads were good for imposing lower risks of injury for hunting large mammals.

I was surprised when I went to the river that there weren't any.

For hours I have been hunting for food, and still I am unlucky to find any. I drank some water and returned to the tree, hoping the next day would be better.

I was disappointed; the next day was no better than the day before. I found no food. It seemed as if all the animals had traveled from where I was to another location. Dust came, and I returned home more hungry than ever. I throw myself down onto my belly, feeling weak. I needed something to eat badly, or surely I'd die of starvation.

The next morning I felt hopeless attempting to hunt within the same area, for it felt like I was now the only creature within the depths of the forest. My stomach had had enough of being filled with water to ease the hunger. I needed meat. A big, juicy bone to satisfy my hunger. If I don't eat something fast, I will surely become weaker and unable to do any more hunting. I could die in my tree.

I looked straight ahead of me, knowing the only way I would survive now was to leave the depths of the forest. But it was not safe to do so. The night the Grey Pack secretly attacked my pack, my grandmother told me the alpha saw her. So, the alpha knew I was still alive, and his pack could still be searching for me out there.

A painful thought came to me, that my grandmother's wish for me before she died may never come true. I may never get to be as old as her if I don't get something to eat quickly.

I whimper at the thought of sleeping on another hungry stomach tonight.

I felt my body, as if it had a mind of its own, move towards the path that led me from the depth of the forest. I immediately stopped myself, recollecting the promise I had made to my grandma. Never leave my safe place.

I turned to look at the tree my grandmother and I shared as our home and back to the path that led me from the forest. I started to sprint from it. I was not going to die of hunger, even if it meant breaking my grandmother's promise.