By the time the morning rays broke over the horizon we were already on the move again, this time for food. The first hunt with my life mate; the thrill was overwhelming to say the least. I could watch him in action and learn to become one with him as we tracked our prey. I wanted to leap and bound with the joy of it all, but of course this was foolish. Breaking the quiet focus needed to find the scent of prey would be disastrous for us both.

He soon found the scent of a deer and we followed as the trail broke sharply to the right toward a patch of thick underbrush. This deer seemed likely to be old and alone, as no other trace of another deer was found. This prey would be easy, but I felt a little down that we wouldn't get a real challenge during a first hunt together.

He made the first move as we approached the brush where the deer hid. I circled around to the opposite side as he crouched down to pounce, ready just in case the deer tried to escape. He launched himself straight into the brush and I followed suit. Leaves and twigs smacked against my face, but I felt my paws hit the coarse hair of an old doe. Her strangled cry filled my ears as I bit down on her haunches and he took hold of her throat. Her death throes were short in the grasp of his jaws. I was a bit jealous, but tried not to show it as we dug into the carcass.

I wanted to be powerful and fearless like him in manner of hunting. He never once hesitated as he tracked the doe down and made the final move. Even as I fed, I couldn't help making quick glances at him. Blood stained his snout, flowing from his mouth in rivulets with every bite he took. The sight was beautiful and mesmerizing.

He noticed my frequent glances and paused to lean over to me. I froze, expecting punishment. Wrong again. He licked softly at my blood slicked snout as he made a low affectionate sound deep in his throat. I licked at him back, enjoying the sweet mix of the taste of blood and his fur. Like a bitter musk it was as the taste rolled over my tongue. He pulled back to briefly touch his nose to mine again before returning his attention to the carcass.

We ate until our stomachs were bloated with the warm meat. I felt blissful and ready for a long sleep. First though I had to follow him back to where ever his home was. Our little stop in the woods last night had no semblance of a home, so I knew we were headed somewhere else.

He chose a path that aimed for the mountains. It wasn't that far, but I did know that our bellies would nearly be worked off by the time we reached them. We traveled over rivers small and wide, narrowly avoiding bears that were out fishing, and having to climb the side of a waterfall that came down off the side of the mountains. That was toughest part, but lucky for me his home was far from the top of the waterfall.

It turned out to be a cave set to the left along the rocky ledge. The place was more suited to what a bear might choose as a home. I had to remind myself though that my mate was a tad insane. I wondered how long it would take me to get used to him. The entrance of the cave was high and narrow, allowing only one of us at a time to pass through. I kept close behind him as he walked into the entrance, it being so dark and all. Dark spaces give me the shivers.

Once inside the cave though I was appalled to see what he kept in there. All manner of human made objects were strewn about the floor and in little alcoves in the walls. Little fires on sticks rested in the alcoves to give light. The floor was half covered in soft beddings in a vast array of brilliant colors. A mound of bedding in the shape of a nest was shoved against the wall opposite of the entrance and around it lay countless tiny objects that glittered and shone brightly in the light.

As I stood there at the entrance he immediately busied himself in pawing around at the unused bedding. He began collecting a portion of it and shoving it up beside the already made nest, poking and prodding at it until it also resembled a nest. Was it for me? I hesitantly stepped over to him to investigate. He moved aside to watch me as I looked over the new nest.

It was unconventional for wolves to use caves, and even more so to sleep in nests, that much I knew. The nest did look comfy and inviting despite that. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to try it out. At least it would be better than the rocky floor of the cave.

I stepped carefully into the nest and turned round a few times before sitting. The bedding was shiny and smooth like a beaver's coat. Not really soft, but it was sturdy. He tilted his head as he watched me, as if he was curious to what my opinion of the nest was. I wiggled my tail to show my appreciation.

He yipped and turned circles in a burst of joy. He then grabbed out a few of the glittering objects lying against the walls and brought them one by one to my nest, dropping them around the outside. He was decorating my bed as he had his own. It was gesture to show our new bond as mates, but seemed more fit for a pair of birds. Could he have been raised by birds instead of wolves? It would surely explain the odd cave he had and the nest style of beds.

When he had brought over enough of the objects he set to work arranging them in a pattern. The larger objects were pushed to the wall while the smaller ones were set in front, and he also arranged them by sections of color; blue to my left, green to my right, and white to my front. After a moment of studying his handiwork he looked to me for my approval. I moved forward to touch noses with him as an answer. He wiggled his tail.

After I got acquainted with my new home he took me out to explore the territory. He owned a wide area around the waterfall that was mostly grassland. The view from atop the waterfall was amazing. The location was great for defending our home against other wandering males. If it wasn't for him I would've never known there was a path up the waterfall and I doubted if other wolves could figure it out easily.

He took me down the side of the waterfall again to lead me out to the edge of his territory. I was surprised a lone wolf could've kept such a large area. Most packs would love to take over this place and all its advantages. He must have gained all those scars simply from protecting this land.

The grass here had a much sweeter fragrance than my home valley. Beside the stream grew one lone tree with branches that drooped low over the swift current. It was old and twisted, but still kept its vibrant spring flowers. One branch even dipped down low enough for me to sniff at the flowers. I stretched my neck out over the water to brush the flower with my nose. The scent was soft and made my nose itch. I sneezed and watched as a few flowers were torn off their delicate perches. Into the water they went and were swept quickly away.

He came up beside me to rub against my fur. I rubbed back and licked at his face. A playful mood came over me all of a sudden. I wanted to jump and roll and run everywhere at once. With a sharp twist of my body I leapt away from him and went bounding along the edge of the stream.

He followed after me, leaping and bounding high into the air as well. We circled and flew over each other in turns, trying to catch the others tail. The fast paced game sent endless waves of adrenaline coursing through me. What an awesome feeling, soaring through the crisp clear air with my very own mate, playing a simple yet exhilarating game of tag. There was no doubt that he was my other half, the missing piece that every wolf needed to keep the soul alive.

We were at it for nearly an hour before we both flopped down the ground to catch our breath. I wiggled onto my back to see the sky. Clear and lovely, barely a cloud to be seen. Two birds flew into view to circle around and around the other before zipping off just as quickly as they had arrived. I was sure we had flown like that just moments ago. Did our feet even ever touch the ground? I could not remember.

He scooted up beside me to lay on his back too, turning his head to rest his snout in the crook of my neck. I heard him breathe in deeply and warmth filled my heart. Our bond was growing so thick and fast, like the vines of a faraway forest I had once gotten lost in as a pup. This bond was twining our souls together with every gesture and every moment that passed between us. The vines, our combined spirits, and the flowers for every affectionate gesture that we shared.

I closed my eyes, breathing in the scents that wafted all around me like a comforting embrace. Then I caught a familiar and altogether different scent coming from him. He was ready to mount me, for sure this time. I could feel his want brush against my haunches as he rolled over on his side to stand. I did the same and began to position myself as I had seen my mother do countless times; back legs wide apart, tail held high.

His sudden great weight on me caused my legs to buckle, but I fought to keep myself standing. I refused to ruin this with any sign of weakness. I felt his paws around my stomach and I instinctively dug my nails into the ground.

The moment passed just as swiftly as the first encounter, but the sensation was a thousand times greater. To feel my inner walls give way to his throbbing length was pure, clear ecstasy. His playfulness with me back in the forest grove was a mere dim memory in comparison. Not even the ends of the earth were enough now. I was sprinting to the stars, filling their bright pulsing energy take over my body, imploding inside of me again and again.

When the last wave left me, I crumbled to my belly, taking him down with me. Curious that was. We were stuck together, quite literally this time. His length was lodged firmly inside of me and refused to budge. He still held to me, as if waiting for us to disconnect. No problem with that, I was perfectly content to just lay here for the time being.