Wolf Heat:THE STORY OF VENTUS
#3 of Wolf Heat
Ok, this is the third chapter of this story and now it will actually progress. This chapter will focus mostly on getting you to know a bit more about one of the main characters, Ventus.
I don't know for sure yet, but I think you'll see a lot of him in the future. This story takes place where the seconded chapter ended, the evening the same day. Enjoy and please leave a comment.
THE STORY OF VENTUS
In the horizon the sun is setting, dark shadows stretching from the trees like fingers reaching for the light, and in the cool air an owl greets the night. Ventus was resting on a rock, watching the pack go to sleep he saw Luna accompanying her sister Astri into the den. Ventus smiled as he thought back on how he had spent the day with the two sisters. He had played with Astri the younger of them, and offered his service to Luna. That had almost ended with them getting caught in action by Astri.
He liked the two sisters, even do they were very different they shared a sort of innocence and naivety that he found rather cute. The thought made him chuckle as he got up and started walking out from the glade, leaving the pack in the cover of night.
As he walked through the forest, in his mind he also walked down the road of his life. Ventus was born on a mountain where he lived with his parents and his siblings.
The den was high up in the mountain. As a pup the first thing he saw after leaving the den for the first time, was the world stretching out in front of him, and a wind ruffled his fur and brought him its treasures of scents, the very essence of the world. But he was told that there was more hiding beyond the horizon. And from that day he was filled with one wish, he wanted to see it all.
His mother gave him the name Cursor, meaning runner, because he was faster then all his siblings and he was always running away on short journeys, always to return in the evening.
But one day he did not return, he had leaved the pack at an age of three months, feeling that he no longer belonged there he runned far away, driven by a burning desire to see the world.
As he travelled he changed his name to Ventus, to honour the wind that was his only companion, that just as he travelled the world.
Racing the wind, growing faster until the day he became as fast and silent as his namesake Ventus journeyed to many places and meet many packs of wolves, and even do some of them greeted him friendly and offered him a place in their pack, he usually did not stay with them long before leaving .
Ventus got back to the present as he noticed a rabbit on its way home. Feeling hungry he tailed it, making sure to stay in head wind so his sent would not give him away. Searching the ground for twigs and gravel with his paws making sure to avoid stepping on anything that would make a sound, walking softly, every step was no more then a gentle contact with the ground. With stealth he swiftly came closer and closer to the rabbit.
From time to time the rabbit looked around for threats. Any time Ventus saw signs of that he immediately ceased all movement, knowing that being still was the best way to stay invisible.
He knew that as soon as he would attack it might sense his killer attention and make a brake for it. But by then it wouldn't matter anymore. Leaping towards the rabbit, it takes off. But as Ventus takes ground he immediately leaps again, using the momentum of the first attack to launch him at great speed towards the rabbit, crushing its head between his front paw and a tree, the death was instant.
As he tore up the rabbits guts he noticed the fact that the rabbit had eaten not to long ago. A bonus as he would gain the well needed nutrition's from the vegetables that the rabbit had consumed.
As he ate of the still warm flesh he resumed his thoughts, looking out over the glade which the hunt had led him back to.
He had been with a number of packs but always left soon enough. Then why did he keep coming back to this one? His home had been the world since the day he left the mountain he was born in. Then why did this place, these wolves, whenever he returned make him feel as if returning to a solid place in life? One that was always there, and he always returned too.
It didn't make any sense to him and he shrugged as he turned his back to the glade and started walking back into the forest.
'Are you leaving again?' A voice said behind him. Turning around he saw that it was the alpha male Terra.
'Why do you keep coming back Ventus?' He said, do his voice showed no traces of anger or hate. He seemed more concerned, or perhaps curious.
'I don't know. Why do you keep letting me?' He asked. A question that had been on his mind for a long time. Terra had no reason to let him back into the pack, time after time. He sooner had all reasons to tear him to pieces as soon as he entered his territory.
Terra sighed.
'You're a good wolf Ventus. I hope you'll one day be able to settle down...'
Ventus looked at him for a moment, thinking about what he had just said.
'...Well I don't!' He barked and swiftly turned away dashing out into the forest.
Terra calmly stood looking after him, sure of that he would be back within days.
Yet still He was worried about the young wolf. A wind blows by, as if following its companion. Before he turned back towards the den he whispered to the wind.
'How much longer can he live like you?'
Ventus was dashing through the forest, feeling the wind blowing through his fur, this was what he lived for, the freedom of the world. But Terra's words had fed a fear inside of him, the fear of loosing that freedom. And the concept had pushed him into blindly running through the forest, trying to run far away from the place that he felt tried to tie him down.
But it wasn't permanent, was it? A voice inside of him said. He would return in a couple of days, a week, maybe a month at the most.
No, not this time, he thought to himself. This time he wouldn't come back, he would go somewhere far away, and never again stop travelling.
Yes, this is not the first time you've said that. The voice inside of him mocked. And he knew it was true, but he didn't know why it was true. The fact that he did not know was as painful as not being able to do anything about it.
Slowing down to a stop he tried to get a grip on all the thoughts racing through his mind. Realising that these thoughts got him nowhere he tried to forget about them. Bury them deep within his mind. Deeper and deeper until he could no longer hear them, but yet still they were not gone, in the back of his head he could feel them clawing to get to the surface. To once again fill his mind with painful thoughts.
His response was to quickly occupy himself. Looking around at his surroundings he prepared yet another journey.
'So where next?' He asked. And soon after the wind started blowing, and Ventus did as he always did and followed it, leaping over fallen tree trunks and through great bushes he made his way towards the waiting horizon.
To be continued...
Ok my stories have a lot of 'hidden' facts about wolves. In this chapter for example you notice that Ventus (or Cursor as he was called then) seemed to leave at an early age. At the age of 5 weeks wolves starts exploring the surroundings of the den (up to a mile away actually), and at the age of 2 months (plus a couple of weeks) they are permitted to come with the other wolves as they hunt, do then the pups are only observers. So wolves evolve quite quick actually.
Then some of you might have raised an eyebrow when I mentioned the killer intent that the rabbit would notice. It is said that all animals can sense killer intent, and some martial arts we try to re-learn that sixth sense that we humans lost. In marital art that sense is called Sakki.
I find that an interesting part of what we humans have lost that the other animals have. The hunting scene was quite rashly put in because I felt when reading about wolves, people want to read about hunting., and adding Sakki was simply because I was thinking about how it would effect a hunt. Don't worry, next time I write about hunting it will be better.
Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please rate it and if you got time, leave a comment ?