The Cages of Destiny

A orange red toned wolf's ear flicked at the sound to trumpets as she slept. The noise slowly stirring her from her dreams. Slowly lifting her head she yawned sleepily looking around her. The female was laying hidden under a piece of debris, sheltered from the snow. Suddenly she remembered where she was, trapped in this strange place she had stumbled upon earlier. Upon looking around she had quickly lost her way and couldn't find her way out again. She remembered almost tumbling into one of the strange pits around the place. The orange one shuddered, as from her point above she had seen no way out if a wolf fell in.

Crawling out of her makeshift den she looked around, giving a dejected whine. This place frightened her, it was all so foreign and strange. None of it felt right and yet other animals dwelt here. Keeping her head low she began to wander again. The sounds of trumpets came from the distance again sending a shiver down her spine. She didn't want to meet whatever animal made that noise as it didn't sound very nice.

Looking up at the sky as she trotted along she wondered if there would be more snow. It would certainly hamper her efforts of trying to find her way out of this place. All of a sudden her legs were no longer under her. Instead she found her face in the snow, her legs sticking out at odd angles. Under her felt something warm, something alive. Panic gripped her of the anger this creature might lash out at her for disturbing it. With a squeak she scrambled to get up, only managing to occasional kick the creature. When she was able to get off, the female wolf quickly backed away, her gaze averted, tail between her legs, and her limbs bent as she crouched in fear. Her body trembling, expecting whatever it was to attack her.

The small male paced gingerly around a fence, then across another fallen one. He knew not where he was going, only that today, something was different. Nose and ears alert for any sign of life, the wolf continued across the snowy enclosures. He was comfortable here. He knew his way around, and he could name most of the animals. After all, he had lived here for a good month before the park was even abandoned.

The fellow heard a shuffle in the snow and turned to see an Alpaca lying in one of the enclosures. He snorted at it. He had been wanting to get to the creature, but the plastic rocks around it were extremely slippery. Besides, he couldn't kill the thing. It had been clinging to life forever, and the male realized with a thrill of triumph that it was now on its last legs.

Not that the little wolf was doing so well himself. He was built for warmer climates; had he been in his natural environment, the winter mornings would be sunny and warm. In this weather, a Mexican Wolf would always feel a little chilly. His problem wasn't helped by the fact that he hadn't eaten in days. His ribs stuck out through his too-thin pelt like a sore paw. The wolf was not a hunter, for he had been born and raised in captivity. Needing to find his own food was new to him; although he knew the area well, foraging inside the enclosures was nearly impossible. The wolf would have to wait until an animal starved, and risk being trapped for eternity himself. Fortunately for him, the wolf knew everything there was to know about human objects, such as how best to climb them or, even better, get under them. The enclosures were riddles with holes dug by the male.

Leaving the alpaca to its fate, the wolf continued on. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something was different today.

Then he smelled it: other wolves. Taking a deep breath of icy air, he started galloping towards them, swerving around fence rubble. His heart pounded in his chest- it had been so long, so long since he had seen a friendly face! No matter if the wolves were aggressive; the male could probably escape them. And if he couldn't, murder would be a much more pleasant ending then slowly starving in solitude.

"This is it, Howie," the wolf panted to himself as he ran. "You don't have to talk to yourself anymore!"

Upon seeing the other wolves, the little Mexican slid to a halt, tiny chunks of ice spraying around his paws. He peered over at the group.

There were three, two females and a male. The massive white-and-black male was looking on as a black female growled at a little red one. Were they a pack? What were they doing here? He would soon find out.

"Hi!" He barked loudly (the bark was unintentional- wolves aren't really barkers but Howie was so excited he couldn't quite contain himself.) "What are y'all doing out here?"

(Question: How long ago did the zoo fall into disrepair? I'm assuming not TOO long ago, since an elephant is apparently still alive on the battle grounds. But I'm not sure.)

As the creature she had tripped over spoke, the orange red female risked a glance up. It was a wolf she had tripped over, a black and scary one as she barked and growled. This only served to frighten her further. She tried to open her mouth to answer the dark female's question but no words came out, not a sound.

A white male arrived shortly after, towering over the small red coated female. He was at least wasn't threatening, yet. Another male came along shortly after, this one was friendly, but the female felt like the wolves were closing in around her. Panic flooded her mind. Her breathing became rapid. Blackness started to creep into her vision until the female passed out.

When the white male arrived, the dark female frowned slightly. His strut told her that he was confident and his short way of speaking seemed to say that he was one with an attitude. The small russet female was another problem. As was this other wolf that arrived and let out his own perky greeting. Ears twitching in annoyance, the female looked at Cole, then to the russet one, then to the other new male.

"They call me Karma," she remarked nonchalantly to Cole. The little russet one passed out within a short amount of time of her saying so, leaving the dark female to wonder at just how long the little thing could survive with such fear. Her golden gaze shifted over the cages as an uncomfortable feeling passed through her belly. Slowly, the dark female sat and scratched at her ear - the one that had been torn through by the man's bullet. It was a cruel reminder to stay away from the two-legged walkers and all of the things that they made and used.

But this place seems to have been forgotten by them she thought as she looked around.

(Roughly a decade ago was when it started to fall into shambles, but the abandoning was about six years)

[then how has the elephant survived? I'm confused xD Either way I think I'm going to have to edit Howie's history cause at this rate, he'd be like 9]

"Well hi, I'm Cole." Howie had time to hear the white male introduce himself.
"They call me Karma," the black female said coolly. The other female, the little red one, suddenly collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.
Concerned, Howie half walked, half slid down a fallen, snow-covered fence until he was standing next to the three. When they looked in his direction, he flattened his ears.
It was hard to tell if they were a pack. They were introducing themselves, but that might have been to Howie. The female, he could guess, was not a member of any pack, seeing as she fainted at the sight of wolves. Maybe she was sick! Or starving! Howie knew how being hungry felt, that's for sure.
He turned to the white male, who seemed big and intimidating, like someone who knew what he was doing. Excitement flared inside him again. He was looking at another wolf, a real animal! And these weren't captive wolves. He was looking at real wild wolves!
"What happened to her?" Howie asked, speaking at about a mile a minute. "Do you know her? Are you a pack? Are you wild? Why are you here? My name is Howie!"

(Some animals broke out of their cages and have been living off of the wilderness and managed to get into food stores in the zoo. They have also reproduced so the elephant now may not necessarily be the one that lived in the zoo while it was lively)

(in that case, I'm just switching Howie's history. I'll just say his parents were captive wolves and they escaped their pen after the zoo was abandoned to raise him and his siblings on the zoo grounds. Howie isn't technically a captive wolf, just feral, but he's lived here his whole life. His family... Left, i guess. There. Now he's still 4 lol.)

(( Figured it was about time I posted. >...< Sorry about that.))

A wall. It's a wall!

A wolf nearly twice her size would have been more simple too overcome than the obstacle in front of her. Cream, snow-covered paws treaded back and forth, melting the snow and exposing the dead earth underneath. Agile, graceful, quick-footed, even tall where all words that did not fit the fae. Though they would be useful, as a wall about three feet above her height blocked her from her destination. Where that destination was she wasn't sure, but Terra was much to stubborn to admit it or give up.

Finally, after minutes of pacing and grumbling, Terra sat down to clear her head. She knew all too well that she was becoming more irritable by the day, but everything always seemed to pose some sort of difficulty. The female's ears flattened as she pivoted her head back and forth searching for some sort of solution. Anything would suffice at this point. It was then she saw them.

A crowning halo of light seemed to appear around a short stack of crates a little distance away. Terra, instead of being happy about escaping the side of the strange brick wall, was only frusterated. She let out a low growl at herself and a short-tempered swipe at the worn down earth for not spotting it sooner. Within a few moments the female had managed to stumble her way obnoxiously up the boxes and was perching on the edge of the enormous wall. With a loud thump and an uncomfortable jerk of her back left leg, Terra mustered up the courage to jump the large distance back down on the ground.

Almost as soon as she was grounded again, the fae was running. It was not the jump that had spooked her into sprinting in the troublesome snow, but a much more promising sound in the distance.
Another wolf.
It seemed to be low like a male's, and it was yammering sentances that sounded much like questions. Questions meant answers. There has to be another to answer. At least two wolves, or so she hoped. No matter how hard she tried Terra always felt like she was running in slow motion. Most wolves with long legs for their proportions could run fairly fast, but she ran like a brick.

It was these thoughts that ran through her mind, distracting her from the task at hand; or rather path at hand. Terra was soon skidding to a sudden halt and sending snow flying behind her, struggling to not cause much of a rucus. She was only a few inches away from a limp body sprawled out on the snowy ground. A limp wolf body.

Slowly the bright russet female woke. Her eyes fluttered open to find herself looking up at a group of wolves. Instantly she was on her paws backing away in fright. Whimpers escaped her as her eyes looked at each of the wolves present with large eyes. She hated being so frightened but she couldn't help it. Courage and bravery were not something she was capable of.

With shudders in her legs Rubie, felt her tail touching her underbelly. Of all the places to be swarmed with wolves she had not expected this strange place to have been on the list.

With ears and tail lowered, Howie slunk over to the russet female and stood between her and the cream one who had arrived out of nowhere. He got the feeling these two wolves didn't like him, or any of them for that matter. Well, hmph. It had been so long since he had last seen another face, he was more than willing to deal with some growling and sarcasm.

"I'm Howie," he said cheerfully, for neither of the two ladies had heard his original introduction. "This place is a zoo. It's pretty weird, and it's been abandoned since before I was born. My parents raised me here, so I know my way around. I can show you around, if you like."

The Mexican shut his mouth so quickly his teeth clicked together. He looked at his paws, embarrassed at how fast he'd been talking. Apparently, he had already annoyed the black female, Karma. But how could he resist? Save for a fox that had passed by a few weeks ago, these were the first canines he'd seen in months. And so he continued.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Howie reassured the cowering red wolf, noticing the terror on her face. "I won't hurt you. I don't know about those two-" he motioned towards Karma and Cole. "- But I won't do anything."

Howie then turned to the cream she-wolf.

"Who are you?" He asked nicely.

Rubie let out a silent whimper at the white male's growl and the black female's sarcasm. The strange chuckle that came from Cole was not one that put her at ease. It was one filled with pleasure but not one that was pleasurable for others. The black female Karma seemed to be able to guess what the other was thinking, Rubie was left clueless. She just wished she was by herself again, curled up under a log or something.

The light brown dusted male came to stand between her and the other in a somewhat protective stance. This confused Rubie, nobody ever stood up for her. To most she was just a small wolf afraid of everything that was perfect to pick on. Despite his comforting words she stayed in her cowering position as unfortunately it didn't really help to take away her fear. Karma's bark startled her again making her lower her body further, so that her belly touched the snow.

(I want to play with colors too!)


Karma was staring at him and smiling all creepily. Why was she doing that? Was it something he said? He looked at the sky, avoiding her gaze.

Five heads turned to look as another wolf, a pretty golden female, appeared. The lass laughed and lied down, crossing her paws and smirking.

"What do have here?" the newcomer called, arching an eyebrow. "A pack? Can't you look after yourselves without help?"

The Mexican looked at her, confused. What does that even mean? Of course we can, we're all... Oh. She meant we can't survive on our own.. I get it now. Still, that was an odd thing to say, especially since nobody here knew each other.

Then Howie had a thought that made his blood freeze. What if these wolves were secretly a pack, and they were going to drive them out of his home? What if they wanted the zoo because it had such easy pickings, and they were going to drive him out into the snowy forest. Howie couldn't live in the forest! It was dark and creepy in there!

Looking at the golden she-wolf, he replied, We aren't a pack. I'm the only one that lives here. We all just, uh, happened to meet up. I guess."

His voice quavered slightly. He had only said that to assure himself that these really were merely loners that all happened to meet here. He looked around, ears pinned flat against his head, at the other wolves and waited for them to start chasing him.

"We aren't a pack. I'm the only one that lives here. We all just, uh, happened to meet up. I guess."

The speaker, (and the first to reply to Kristla) was a small tawny coloured male. He was older and more experienced than her, yet spoke with a slight tremble in his voice, as if he was wary of her and the wolves surrounding him. His somewhat submissive countenance was amusing to the lass, but she preferred wolves with a bigger back bone who would snap at her straight away for no reason. Now those, were the really fun ones. "I see." she mused, obviously unimpressed by the male's explanation. If he had lived here his whole life, surely he would be a bit more confident and at ease in these surroundings. Though who was she to question his actions? He might just be putting on a front to decisive them.

Out of habit she found herself staring at him, as she always did when trying to figure out another's thoughts. The forests she had grown up in were a great place to be, however it was boring and dull, and every day was the same. Here, in the zoo, she found things were a lot more unpredictable and dangerous. Also there were creatures inhabiting the site she had never seen before. Like the tusked grey giant and the spotty cackling dogs-but-not-dogs. 

She stood and leapt soundlessly down from her perch. Her duo coloured eyes lingering on each loner in turn as she silently judged them. But as she turned to a young russet she-wolf, Kristla felt amusement (and some slight annoyance) plastering itself on her features. "Wow, isn't she the most bravest wolf you've ever seen?" she muttered sarcastically, flicking her tail to the cowering female.

At the female's tone, Howie felt a flash of annoyance. He had never really dealt with a wolf younger than him, as he was the youngest in his family. One scary sarcastic wolf, he could deal with. But this one? She was looking over them all with a judgmental air. And what right had she to mock the little russet female? That was rude, and Howie did not understand the point of rude.

"Why don't you lay off?" he snorted, neither growling nor quailing. "Maybe if y'all didn't show up ten at a time, some of us wouldn't find you so overwhelming."

Howie wasn't talking to Karma or Cole, of course - he would never dare speak to them in such a way. Instead, he kept his eyes on the young lady, who was staring at him intently. It was unnerving, but Howie was too annoyed to think about that.

Spoiler:

"Why don't you lay off?" he snorted, neither growling nor quailing. "Maybe if y'all didn't show up ten at a time, some of us wouldn't find you so overwhelming."

Kristla turned away from the russet female and fixed an unnerving stare on the mexican wolf. She stepped closer with a paw extended threateningly. For a moment her pretty features were ruined as a dark look crossed her face. "Don't treat me like a pup." she threatened icily, her voice laced with venom. Her fur bristled slightly, her eyes narrowed. She didn't need some stranger telling her what to do. She was Kristla the independent. She was glad at least one wolf in the group could gather the nerve to snap at her, however she was beginning to wonder if her actions lead her down the best path.

Maybe she shouldn't have interrupted the way she did, and should have just watched the group from afar. They might have formed a pack. They might have let her join. Kristla was a solitary wolf, but she would be lying if she said the idea of a pack didn't tempt her at all. There would be easier meals, protection and she could just search for interesting things whilst they hunted for her. However fate had it a different way, and Kristla had blindly mocked another and probably ruined her chances.

Looking down at the terrified fae, Kristla felt some guilt tugging at the edges of her emotions. She trotted closer to the russet wolf and crouched down in front of her, her back to the rest of the gang. She made sure only Rubie could hear, so the tawny wolf was not given the satisfaction of knowing she actually did what he had said. "My apologies to you young lady, but not to him" she murmured softly, and her eyes were truly apologetic for a heartbeat before she stood and walked back to sit outside the den she had stood on before.