As my strength flagged, only my will and hunger kept me running. I needed this kill, needed it desperately. The hunting had been poor, and other starving animals had already stripped the trees of whatever poor sustenance they could provide in bark. Drinking snowmelt provided only an illusory and brief fullness. I wasted away.

As I so often did, I wondered how my pack fared in my absence, if they starved as I did. I hoped not. I understood why I'd been exiled--there could be only one leader, or confusion would result, and in most cases my fate would have been a fight to the death instead of exile--but it still hurt. We had been one body, and being alone now left me maimed, even aside from having to discover and develop new hunting techniques. Alone....

As the wind shifted, I suddenly smelled another wolf, very close, dashing my hopes. Surely he was in far better physical condition than I, far stronger, and my dinner would become his. He smelled of wind, healthy wolf, and, somehow, a kinder winter than the one I knew, a melange of scents I'd find wonderful under different circumstances.

The doe smelled him as well and skidded to a terrified halt. When he roared out of the underbrush with a loud growl and rustling of branches, she backed up right into me, the easiest kill I'd ever made. Her hot blood coursing over my tongue sent a rush of strength and victory through me.

Yet I remained alert, unable to tend to my kill until I fought my challenger. I bristled as large as I could and bared my teeth, snarling.

He simply sat and stared at me. Every line of his lean body--lean by nature instead of emaciation, as mine was--suggested interest but not aggression. When I still continued my display, he sighed, stood, then bristled up to four times his normal size and let out a loud, grinding growl that should have come from an even larger animal. It wilted me a bit. That done, he returned to his more casual look, sat down again, and gave me a wry smile.

So we've established that we're both big and bad and have sharp teeth, he said. What now?

It scandalized me. What pack could have taught this impudent....

I eat, I answered. Instead of being offended, he just kept looking at me, making no move toward the deer, even though he salivated at its rich scent as I did. He confused me. Why would he do this if we weren't pack?

I said, Thank you for your help. You... would you like some?

He ripped free a chunk of the haunch, then moved away to work on it, seemingly leaving me the rest. I ate as much as I could as quickly as I could without making myself sick. The blood smell would lure others here, and I needed to be long gone with my catch by then.

There's a valley nearby where the hunting is better, he said. Do you want to come along?

Why? I asked.

It's warmer there, and there's a good river....

I mean, why would you ask me to come along?

The more the merrier. We could be a great team.

Something in his stance suggested a loneliness akin to mine. Could he be alone, as I was? It would explain his odd manners.

Something in him neutralized my wariness, and his actions suggested sincerity. In any case, I couldn't survive here if the winter continued this way.

Yes, I answered. I will. Thank you. But if your territory is better, why come here?

I was looking for something. I found it.

He nearly bounced as he started to walk away. His scent suggested an older wolf than his behavior did, but I found his puppy ways strangely appealing.

He could be pack.

Follow me! he said, with an edge of impatience.

I took up what I could of our kill in my teeth and followed.

I'd gotten what I needed.

*********************THE END************************

More Viridian5 stories can be found in The Green Room at http://members.tripod.com/~drovar/viridian/
Fandoms represented: due South, Hard Core Logo, X-Files, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, Two Guys and a Girl (was Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place), Once a Thief, Angel, X-Men, Doctor Who