The Lone Wolf
As the sun began to set, Romeo glided past a large group of seeming meaningless boulders converged into a circle. To any passing creature it was just a large rock mass, nothing important nor special about it. But to the young wolf, it was home. Climbing his way onto the largest boulder in the mass he turned his head to the setting sun, the colors bouncing off his amber eyes as he got lost in thought. Soon the moon crept up and shone her gleaming teeth, a threat to all in the Waste that time was short should they have stumbled into the Barren area on accident.
Romeo Knew the barren Waste better than any wolf, after all, he was born here. His thoughts were broken by a howl, from where he knew not. Most wolves dared not venture here, so he was not usually threatened by a hostile takeover of any pack. Jumping into the middle of the circle of rocks he dug a little into the soft dirt, inhaling the smell of his home from birth.
His mother had raised himself and his two sisters in the waste, her being banished here to die after attacking her alpha. She taught Romeo the tricks to survive this always hostile area; where water was, where food would enter briefly in their curiosity, long enough for Romeo to attack and kill. She showed them how to fight and how to survey a situation before it got out of hand.
He lost his two sisters to a pack nearby, and he had never saw them again. His mother died the winter last, from age and starvation. He had mourned her death, but knew in the end it was he alone who ruled The Barren Waste. He alone.
He rose up as he heard the distant howls again, his teeth showing in irritation. Time to secure his territory from others who would rip it from him.
