leaving on a jet plane

wolves weren't meant to be solitary animals.

and not just because it made hunting large prey near impossible, but because wolves - in aba's opinion - were social creatures and they weren't meant to spend the warming spring nights alone. wolves weren't even born alone, there were supposed to be siblings to play with - and if not siblings that shared your blood, then the pups of another litter. they were your pack brothers and sisters, after all. this old marshal, however, was already an exception to this. his brother hadn't even survived long enough to be given a name and there hadn't been other pups when he had been born. and by the time there were other pups on the new island, he was too old to be interested in them. maybe it was a sign. he was supposed to spend all of eternity alone. but he couldn't face that reality. no, not in this life. so he'd made an army of his own. so that he'd never have to suffer the poison of solitude. the aged don halted in mid-stride and, with a foreleg, swiped at the bits of damp leaves and debris that blanketed the ground, conveying his sudden fury. no one, not even he, wanted to be alone for their entire life. he wrinkled his nose, not at the thought, but from the stench of mould that came from the leaves that he had overturned. having been laying there, slowly decaying, since early autumn, it shouldn't have been surprising that it smelled so rotten.

it turned out to be a good distraction, though. albeit a temporary one. abaddon was unceremoniously pulled out of his depressing thoughts and forced to take a glance at his surroundings. his dark rustic eyes took in everything in a second and it took about half that for his mind to process the fact that he truly didn't know where he was. he knew that he was somewhere in the heart of sparse pines, but that was about it. not that it really mattered. there wasn't a soul on this island that would be missing him. nevertheless, aba lifted his head and inhaled deeply through his nose, figuring that getting to know his surroundings a bit better wouldn't hurt. he wasn't ignorant to the fact that he may not be the only predator in these parts, and he didn't want to be caught off-guard. as he processed the scents in his brain, the ambassador simultaneously studied the towering trees that surrounded him. pine, oak, aspen, and others that he couldn't be bothered to identify. their roots were hidden beneath soft, smelly earth that was covered with a layer of damp, mouldy leaves from last fall. the sharp scent of mould mingled with that of small prey and their droppings, making the tall wolf wrinkle his nose again.

not only did everything look the same, but it all smelled the same, too. the only good news was that he didn't detect the scent of any animal that would potentially pose a threat to him. part of this news disappointed him, though. abaddon would have enjoyed getting into a fight. he was still young at heart and despite being highly intelligent, he was still headstrong and reckless. always looking for danger. but it was just as well. fighting was yet another reason why wolves shouldn't be travelling alone. pack wolves always had each other's backs in a fight. if you were injured, they would look after you. if you were killed, they would avenge you. you didn't fight one wolf, you fought the whole pack. his large, rounded ears flattened slightly as his previous thoughts came flooding back, bringing with them the loneliness that he was trying so hard to escape. "you?re a fool, abaddon." he growled to himself, just to hear the sound of something that wasn?t a buzzing insect or a chirping bird.