I sat at the edge of the forest in a pile of torn clothing and howled. Long moments of silence answered my call and then, in the distance, I heard a response. I felt heat rush through my body, burning away the foggy haze that surrounded me since awakening.\u00a0 A sense of belonging settled over me.<\/p>\n
The ground melted away beneath me as I ran deeper into the forest as I followed a familiar scent on the wind. I could catch faint whiffs of them on passing branches. I flung my head back and howled. The response came much quicker this time. My stride lengthened.<\/p>\n
Excited yips greeted me as I came into the clearing outside a den. Home<\/em>, a whisper came from the back of my brain. Tiny pups slammed into my sides, all teeth and claws and fur. Mine<\/em>.<\/p>\n More sedately a tawny wolf ambled out from the den. Mate<\/em>. The pups quietened enough for her to twine her neck against mine, releasing a soft whine. I breathed deeply, letting the emotions of the wolf rush over me. Smelling her. Smelling pack.<\/p>\n My nose twitched and my ears flickered in the direction of the clearing. Deer. Dinner.<\/em> I nudged my mate and together we turned. A low, throaty growl silenced the pups and with a last whine they vanished into the cave. My mate and I ran, our strides even and matched.<\/p>\n Tonight we would feast.<\/p>\n That night I spent curled around my mate, our pups between us.<\/p>\n With the break of dawn on the third morning, I could feel the shift take hold, a sudden tension in my bones. I grit my teeth together, willing it away. Just one more hour. I just wanted one more hour with my family. With each passing second the pain sharpened. I gave a last lick to my mate and staggered out of the cave.<\/p>\n I woke naked under a fern. My body showed the telltale signs of distress. Scratch marks I couldn\u2019t quite remember, aches in every joint. The first time it happened, I thought it was a prank. Half a year later, I had accepted something was wrong. Now I planned my life around the missing days. Somewhere around here, I had a campsite stocked with changes of clothes. I only had to make my way to it and I could return to my life for the next twenty-seven days of freedom. In the distance I heard the lonely howl of a wolf.<\/p>\n \n
\n