Persephone

~~~

Everyone thought she was cursed. Her fur was dark as night, deeper than the Great Abyss. Her parents gave her up. What else were they supposed to do? The entire pack was disgusted, curious, or plain terrified. They thought she was an omen of death, that she would bring them all doom, that they would all die because she was born with dark fur.
So she was abandoned, they were having a pup lesson, pathfinding, they said. She was led out into the middle of the tundra, far, far from camp. The mentor left her there, not meeting her eyes, said "I'll be watching, try to make your way home."
She watched as he walked away, trying to make out his shape but it got blurry as he got farther from her. She started off in that direction, but no matter how far she walked, she couldn't find him or anyone else.
She kept walking until after the sun had disappeared. "H-hello?" She called, shivering in the snow, she didn't have thick fur like the rest of her pack. There was no answer.
She kept walking, determined to finish the lesson and go inside the nursery, curl up next to her pupsitter, and sleep. But soon her paws felt like stones, her eyes were lowering, and she felt like she was dragging a tree. She lay down, and tried to sleep.
She dreamed of her pack, of all the wolves she liked the least. Saying "We're glad you're gone." Or "You're useless." The words that had been contained behind their contempt fulled stares for months. They knew how much the words could hurt her, and they didn't care.
She woke up the next morning, and gave up. Why would she go back? They would be disappointed if she turned up, happy now that she was gone. So she didn't go back, she chose a direction and walked.
And walked.

~~~

She had walked a long while, before she was found, she was much older, much sadder, and much more alone. She was found by a brown furred wolf by the name of Bark, he was an herbalist, and he was kind.