Part One
? - Love Starts With Trust - ?
"Tell me one thing, Love." Our final words to one another still float about in my head each time I fall asleep at night. "Yes, Duke?" I had replied to him with a questioning glance. "Do you trust me?" Believe it or not, these four words were the key that held our close-knit bond together. "Of course, why would you ask such a thing?" His questions had always left me in wonder, though this very question, made me curious as to why he'd question my trust to him. I know your probably hoping I'll just skip to the very end of my life and let you go ahead with your own, but I'm not. So go ahead and make yourself comfortable, maybe even grab a mouse or two to munch on as I tell you a good ole' classic. Well lets start from the beginning, all the way back to where I had met Duke for the first time.
? - For The First Time - ?
My name's Costlina, though most of my friends call me Googles, since I am always staring at the newcomer who lives among the pack. I'm not sure why, but he has really seemed to spark my interest, the way he hunts...eats... and even sleeps. Yeah, I guess it sounds like I am quite a stalker, but it's just that he always leaves me wanting to know more about him. His name is Duke, rather common for an uncommon wolf like him, but in a way, it suits him. My pack lives on the ridge of a peak where snow is almost always falling, the strange thing is that my pack is either the pelt colors white or gray. But not Duke, he is a dark black, making it rather hard for him to hunt in the vast valleys of our peak. The first time I ever spoke to Duke was when we were assigned on the same hunting patrol. The way he ran across the snowy drifts made me gaze at him with the same goo-goo eyes that I am nick-named after. I could tell my pack-mates were impressed by how he hide himself behind logs and such to stay hidden. Hunting beside Duke made me feel free; as though my spirit had just risen up out of my body and drifted to heaven. Our hunt was successful that day, leaving the pack with full bellies and a warm pride in my heart. I had grown to know Duke even more; like where he had came from, his parents, and if he had any siblings. At the time, neither of us knew that this day would change our lives forever, sending us on a roller-coaster of obstacles that we had to face together.
? - Young, Wild, And Free - ?
As we grew older, I noticed how much time we really started to spend together. Soon I found myself spending almost every spare minute with Duke, always just talking about general things like the weather and such. At this point, I knew that Duke was the male for me, even though I doubted that he felt the same way about me. After my third survived Winter, the new flowers of Spring began to bloom on the green grass that was sprouting from the earth. Duke took me out on a walk one early Spring morning, the birds were chirping and it seemed like an amazing dream that would fill my head during my deep slumber. As we neared the edge of the peak, Duke stopped in his tracks and reclined onto his haunches, a sweet smile spreading across his muzzle. "What is it, Duke?" I asked him as I reclined onto my haunches with an ear flick. "Costalina, being with you has made the past two years of my life feel right." He began to say, his voice trembling as he stared into my round crystal eyes. "You make me fill... whole, Costalina and I like that." I'm guessing he saw how tense I was becoming, because after his short lecture, he finally mumbled the words I had been wanting to here for so long; "Will you be my mate?"
? - A Fatal Secret - ?
After I had become Duke's mate, many changes had began to happen throughout the pack. New pups had been whelped during the Spring, living the pack with a new generation of healthy warriors. I had also been ranked Beta, though the Alpha never knew about my little untold secret. In my pack, Alphas and Betas aren't allowed to have a mate or have a family. If my Alpha was to find out about my relationship with Duke, we could be exiled or even worse... killed. It was early Winter now, I was sitting outside of my den, watching my pack-mates pad about doing their normal procedures. My eyes laid upon my sister, Kaliak, she was walking out into the forest with her mate. I already knew why they were padding out for some alone time, considering most females were already in heat during the Fall. I envied my sibling, she had already had a litter of adorable puplets, and now she would be having another litter next Spring. Her mate was a charmer to, he was always visiting her when she was pregnant with his pups, bringing her prey and always changing her bedding. One day, I found Duke sitting at the entrance to my den, waiting for me to wake up. "Goodmorning, Duke," I mumbled, stretching out my forelegs with a crack of the bones. "The same to you, love." He mumbled, his voice barely audible as I strained to hear him. "Can you promise me on thing?" I looked up at him, his eyes full of worry, seeing him like that made me whimper a bit. Padding over to him, I nuzzled his fluffy neck fur, the way his neck was shaped seemed to be custom-made for me head to rest there. "Of course, Duke. We're mates, I'll always keep my promise to you." I felt him stiffen, as though my words had stabbed him right in the back. "You must promise me, that even though I've made a horrible mistake, you'll love me forever." Pulling back reluctantly, he didn't wait for my response, he just turned and fled into the forest, his paws barely even touching the ground as he raced away. I was so confused, but before I was able to chase him, my name was called in a tone of worry and hatred. "Costalina, our dear Beta, our Alpha, he's dead!" The young wolfess in front of me yelped, her whole bulk shaking as she motioned towards the Alpha's den. I quickly ran by her, hustling into the Alpha's den and skidding to a hault as I saw his dead body sprawled out on the floor. Sniffing the Alpha, a few tears began to form in my eyes, gently rolling off of my muzzle and dropping onto the Alpha's pelt. As I began to mourn, a dark piece of tuft caught my eye, reluctantly, I picked it up in my muzzle. I didn't have to sniff if to know it was Duke's, the only reason I took it was to be sure that the Pack would never know of his horrible mistake.
? - Crushed Memories - ?
Months passed, the pack soon forgot abut our old Alpha, though his spirit kept us moving on to face another day. I was out hunting in the woods, maw to the damp terrain as I scouted ahead of my patrol, our light pelts blending in with the early-spring like snowfalls that speckled the ground. Ever since my Alpha's death, I had only saw Duke once on a border patrol, we talked for awhile...but it became a little more then just words. We had an argument, physically of course, though neither of us was severely injured. Eventually we made up, though I still couldn't help but feel a tad ticked about the whole situation. Though there was a little after-the-fight action... anyways lets just get back to the hunting part. My mind was focused as we began to corner an elk herd into a tight circle, all ten of us closed in on them, the more experienced canines leaping forward, mandibles grabbing around an elk. The younger, more inexperienced wolves assisted the elders, helping to take down the weakest elks possible. Yes, yes, our hunting habits aren't quite the same, since we are such a huge pack, we have to atleast kill two meals to feed all of the hungry tummies in the pack. Our hunt was successful, bringing back two adult elks to feed the twenty or so other wolves that were waiting at the camp. During dinner I went for a walk, my mind thinking about things other then stuffing my gut full of meat. As I rounded the corner to trudge up the snowy slope, a familiar scent wafted to my nostrils. "Duke...?" I murmered, my eyes widening as I felt a sudden sting in my side. As the scent vanished, I sighed in disappointment, "I wish you were here... they would have been so proud of you." I murmered, my eyes were beginning to close as I crashed to the snowy ground beneath me. "I wish I could be with you to, lovey." I swore I heard Duke say those words to me as I drifted off into unconsciousness.
