It enjoyed being around this absurdly large tree. It had been able to feed itself with a few rats and mice it had found amongst the roots, and it offered shelter from much of the weather. The nameless creature had lingered beneath its branches and in the forest for a few sleeps now, since receiving help from the kind wolf. It had not wanted to go too far.
Still, it wandered amongst the trees and root system, quiet as the rodents it consumed. This was vastly preferable to being out in the tundra, where it had no reprieve from the cold and the snow. The forest and the tree were a much better place.
Often, it had wondered if its friend would have liked it here. Often, it woke, expecting to find him sleeping beside it, arms wrapped around its frame. It looked different now than its had the last time it looked at itself. Before, its ears had drooped at the ends and its fur had been spotted and longer. Its tail had curled over its back. Its eyes were brown and not gold.
It had changed. There was still mottling in its fur, but it was more brown than anything. Its eyes had changed to gold. Its ears had perked. It looked more wolf than what it had been.
Would its friend even recognize it now, it wondered?
It hardly recognized itself.
Wandering amongst the roots of the trees, right on the edges, it spotted a black figure approaching. It remained quiet and low to the ground, body as still as standing water. It did not initially plan on approaching, but the desire to get a closer look, curiosity, won out, and it crept nearer the trees' edge.
This would prove to be a mistake. Its front left paw caught a twig and it cracked, and the other wolf froze, staring in the Creature's direction.
It had frightened the wolf, which had not been its intention. Not wishing to continue to do so, it crept the rest of the way from its hiding spot, a chuff escaping it, body still pressed low to the ground. It still could not form words, and so it hoped to convey through nonverbal language that it was not a threat.
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