Solaris

A Requiem for the Lost

Solaris slept fitfully. She tossed and turned, ears twitching at every little noise. Finally, she awoke, unable to remain sleeping. She stood, looking around in the darkness of her den.
She was alone.
Padding softly over to an empty spot on the ground, she nosed the dry grasses there. They still smelled faintly of her companions. She sniffed the area, filling her mind with the fading scent.
Alma. Gone.
Fermi. Gone.
Korora. Gone.
She paused, almost back to where she had been sleeping. She touched the ground with her nose, softly, almost reverently.
Debian. Gone. All gone.
Solaris sat back on her haunches, her snow white fur was dirty and matted, her pelt hanging off her frame making her look haggard and old despite her being in the prime of her life. Even her blue eyes, which normally sparkled with vigor were dull and flat.
"Where are you my friends. Where have you gone?" She whispered into the night air.
The past month there had been strange things happening. Wolves were reporting bizarre sightings, strange glowing lights, sounds of pups crying out. Plants that Mint was unable to identify were found growing everywhere. Strange animals wandered the lands followed by wolves no one recognized. As if that wasn't enough, the moon hid her face one night, and all the wolves started reporting peculiar dreams filled with mystical beasts and drops of moonlight taking crystal form.
Solaris sighed.
When she had left home to find lands to call her own, she had met Debian, and the two had traveled together. They grew close, and eventually Solaris could not imagine life without Debian by her side, like a shadow or her own tail. His warm body curled up against her when she slept.
After arriving in the mountains she now called home, they'd met Fermi, a wolf who quickly became a loyal and dedicated pupsitter, swiftly followed by Korora, a slightly older wolf who was always daydreaming, but eager to lend her wisdom to young Solaris. Finally they were joined by Alma, a russet colored she-wolf with an eye for detail, who found herself drawn to Fermi. The small group had held together through thick and thin, weathering storms that would send them running to hide deep in the mountain caves.
When wolves from other packs started vanishing, Solaris took note. She warned her pack to be careful. There were strange phenomenon all around them, rumors of the Faecul and of wolves getting lost in a Land of Dreams. However, it was not enough.
Korora was first.
The wolf had always lived in her own little world. Perhaps she wandered too far one night, Solaris wasn't sure. All she knew was Korora vanished and did not return.
Fermi and Alma were next.
The Faelcu? Perhaps. They were known for stealing away wolves. All it would take would be to enthrall one and the other would follow without question.
Debian wanted to look for their missing companions. Solaris tried to forbid him from going. Too dangerous. They needed a plan first, and perhaps the help of their allies.
"Do you even care that Korora and Alma and Fermi are gone?!?" He had screamed at her, before turning and dashing away.
Of course I care. She thought to herself sadly. But I am the leader of this pack too. I have responsibilities.
Solaris padded quietly out of her sleeping cave. Her pawpads were cracked and sore. Every day since Korora had vanished, she'd been patrolling her territory every chance she got. Looking for any sign of her missing friends. Solaris searched far a wide, asking any wolf she met if they'd seen or heard anything.
She hunted down scents until they ran into dead ends, and fought fiercesome foes in hopes that there was some sign of her missing companions, even if was to be torn from their belly. She walked every day until her paws were split and bleeding, then she'd return home and lick them to stanch the blood.
Mint had been treating her wounds quietly, so as not to let the rest of the pack know what was happening. Despite everything, Solaris returned alone after each outing, with not even a clue to lead her onward.
Solaris walked quietly through the dens, checking on the pups, the adolescents, and the adult wolves. They all slept peacefully, resting in the warm caves. Solaris stepped carefully between the sleeping forms until she found the one she was searching for. A young brown wolf with a splash of white, almost like bird wings, across her back.
"Feather." Solaris nosed the sleeping wolf's ear gently.
"Mmm?" Feather's ear twitched, she murmured in her sleep and snuggled deeper into the pile of warm bodies around her.
"I am... Sorry, Feather." Solaris whispered into the furry brown ear. "I know I had discussed you someday taking over for me. This was, not how I wanted this to happen. I thought we'd have more time. I thought I could prepare you better." Solaris raised her head up and looked around at the many furry forms around her.
She turned and padded carefully over to the entrance to the cave. Moonlight spilled in through the opening, illuminating Solaris, for a moment, she took on an almost ethereal quality. Her fur shone pure white once more, the red mask blazed like blood and the golden undertones made it look like she was lit by the rising sun from beneath. She looked back towards where Feather slept, her blue eyes bright and shining. "Please watch over them Feather. Keep them safe as I could not."
A cloud slipped over the moon, and darkness filled the cave. When it passed, Solaris was gone.