Crickets, birds, and cicadas buzzed and chirped as Storm padded into the forest. A shuffling sound came to her attention. Her ears perked up, and she stopped moving. After a moment of silence, she moved on.

Storm was a cautious female wolf, careful to not fall in love. She had gotten her heart broken once, and did not intend to have it broken again. Her fur was a light brown, almost a sandy color in the sunlight. She had had the softest fur in her family, that is, when she had one. Storm’s eyes were bright amber, seemingly sprinkled with cinnamon.

 A male wolf stepped out in front of her. His fur was soaked in the river’s water. His coat was black and shiny. He was Thunder. He swiftly shook out his luminescent fur, showering a misty spray towards Storm. Thunder’s eyes were an alien green, as he caught sight of Storm.

Thunder was a playful, boy-next-door, type. He loved water, and was usually never alone.

The two wolves met each other hesitantly. They were both searching for a family, a wolf gathering. An idea formed in Thunder’s mind. He could search with Storm. She mildly agreed.

As soon as they agreed on it, Thunder and Storm set off. It was awkward between them at first. But as they became closer friends, the awkwardness disappeared.

Wandering the seemingly deserted forest for weeks on end concerned Storm. She was afraid she would never find a family again. However, Thunder was having the best of times. He slowly realized he loved Storm.

One morning, Thunder woke up to find Storm in the river, enjoying herself.

“Hey, Storm, how come you’re having this wild party and you didn’t invite me?” He joked, splashing her with one paw.

“Sorry, ran out of invitations!” She joked back.

They talked for hours, lying in the river. They caught fish, splashed each other, and told their life stories.

“Yeah, and once,” Storm stopped to laugh. She couldn’t even finish her sentence. She continued to giggle hysterically while Thunder watched, amused. “I was with my brother, Willow,” Storm rolled over, laughing more. “and he told me, that he wanted to be vegetarian!” Storm practically screeched at the end of her sentence, bursting into more laughter.

Thunder joined in with her twinkling laugh with his deeper, husky bark. The idea of a wolf being a vegetarian was so absurd, it brought laughter.

Gunshots. The air stilled. All signs of happiness left Thunder and Storm’s faces. Humans! They were near. Humans were the biggest threat any wolf could ever have.

Another gunshot was heard, closer than before. Thunder collapsed before Storm’s eyes. He’d been shot. Tears built up in Storm’s eyes as she sprinted to where Thunder lay. It was in his leg.

“No!” Storm cried. She gently grabbed his neck’s scruff in her teeth and pulled him into a nearby cave. She brought him fresh rabbit meat and lay alongside him for the rest of the night. Thunder wouldn’t eat, and his wound grew worse by the hour.

Storm knew he was going, and going fast. She needed to do something. Making sure there were no predators around the cave, she sprinted out. It turned out the cave was on the outskirts of the forest, right by a village. Storm knew she could get caught by humans, but she was desperate to save Thunder. As she walked by the tiny town, she saw a man. He was reading. He seems calm and kind. Storm knew it was a risk, but she had to do it.

Storm walked right in front of the man.  He gasped and curled up, frightened. Storm came closer, and licked the man’s hand.

“Hey, where’d you come from, huh, boy?” Storm would usually make a fit about someone thinking she was a boy, but none of that mattered right now. She nudged his hand towards the cave. The man got up. Let’s see if humans are all that smart, Storm thought. She walked in direction of Thunder, looking back at the man. She tried to twitch her head, trying to signal the man to follow her.

Finally, he understood. Ducking under branches and tripping, the clumsy man found the cave with Storm at last. Seeing Thunder in his condition, the man ran back to the village. Storm sighed and sat by Thunder, filled with sorrow. She should’ve known all humans would just run.

Storm was more than surprised when she saw the man back, with more men and equipment. She was terrified. Were these men going to hurt her and Thunder? She tried to drag Thunder away from them, but they were too fast.

With gentleness, they laid Thunder’s body on a flat plank of some sort. They took him away, but didn’t bother to take Storm. The man whom she’d seen first stayed with her. He tried to twitch his head the same way Storm had. Storm chuckled. She liked this man.

Following the man, Storm went into his house. Relief flooded through her as she saw Thunder, with his eyes open. They had healed him!

Everything turned out okay, and eventually went back to normal. But, there would always be that scar, both physical and mental, on them. Physical for Thunder, mental for Storm.

The man that had helped them from the start was Jamal. He had decided he would take care of Storm and Thunder. They both loved him already.

Storm and Thunder had lived with the sweet Jamal for 6 months. He would give them the freshest meat in the village, let them lay by the fireplace, and read them stories.

The three grew closer than they had ever expected. Jamal would not eat without knowing that Thunder and Storm had something to eat, too. He would not sleep unless he knew the wolves were snuggled by his side.

But what seemed perfect could not be enjoyed further. A mother in the village had been having a conversation with a park ranger, and had brought up the two wolves, living with Jamal. The park ranger immediately thought of the danger, and called in with the zoo.

Zoo employees agreed it was not safe for an entire village with children to have two wild wolves living there. After discussing the matter with heartbroken Jamal, they took Storm and Thunder to the rundown zoo, very near the village.

This zoo was nothing special. It didn't have very wild animals like giraffes, elephants, polar bears, lions, or flamingoes. Instead, it had goats, one monkey, antelopes, sheep, three foxes, and a little house of doves. Of course now, it had two wolves.

Jamal visited Storm and Thunder every morning, and every evening.

The head of the zoo was a plump, elderly man, called Harold. He loved animals and taking care of them. Unfortunately, he wasn't the one in charge of buying food or supplies.

Creaky metal cages separated Storm and Thunder. They pressed noses against the bars, and whined. A tiny tear streamed down Storm's amber eye. It was so small, it could be missed by anyone, but Thunder saw it clearly.

Their meat was rotten, and in tiny portions. Storm was better in health than Thunder, since the bullet. Thunder sank to the floor of his cage, eyes closed. His rib cage showed, jutting out from his black fur.

One zoo employee showed Thunder to Harold. He gasped in horror at the wolf. The condition Thunder was in, he might as well have been dead. Harold ordered men to release Thunder. He didn't want families and children to see such a sight.

Storm was the only one left. She had no idea whether Thunder was even alive, and was also starving. Storm quietly cursed herself for falling in love, once again. She knew love never ended good, yet she had easily slipped into it.

Meanwhile, Thunder slowly regained his health. He hunted day and night, exhausting himself, then quickly falling asleep. He was trying to keep his mind off of Storm, for he knew she was dead.

A new wolf had entered Storm's cage. Her name was Faye. She had dark brown fur, and eyes as black as coal. While her appearances were unfriendly, she was the most cheerful wolf Storm had met.

Storm and Faye gradually became as close as friends as Storm and Thunder had been. After 3 months being in the same cage with Faye, she finally told her the entire story of her and Thunder. To her surprise, Faye cried her eyes out.

"Now you listen, Storm. I know Thunder isn't dead, and I know that for a fact. You know why?" Faye had said to the sniffling Storm.

"Why?" Storm meekly asked.

"'Cuz true love like that doesn't die." Faye's words gave Storm hope.

After a health inspection, Harold's zoo had had to be shut down. All animals within the zoo, were to be kept on a farm, or released.

Faye and Storm yelped happily as they ran freely into the forest. Before going though, Storm checked if Thunder might've been with Jamal. He wasn't.

Scouting the forest with Storm, Faye saw something that had caught her eye. Wolf tracks. Tens of them. There must've been a gathering here!

Storm joyfully cried on Faye's shoulder. She could have a family again!

After two days of following the tracks, Storm and Faye finally found the wolf gathering. Almost twenty different wolves were already there!

Storm saw something. She couldn't process what she saw in her head. Her world froze in place. And, in just one moment, Storm's heart broke.

Thunder was there. In front of Storm. Alive. Snuggling with another wolf.

Thunder eyes melted into Storm's. He had seen, clearly, in her eyes, what he had done to her.

Storm fell apart inside. She couldn't bear to even look at Thunder anymore. After all they had been through, Thunder could just, find another wolf?! Storm raged.

She sprinted deeper into the forest, losing sight of the gathering. Finally, out of sight, she broke down. Storm lay there, crumpled in the grass, crying.

Faye had seen the entire thing unfold. As soon as Storm's eyes saw the black wolf's, Faye knew it had to be the Thunder she had listened Storm fantasize about.

After flashing glares and snarling at Thunder, she took off after Storm.

Nadia was the wolf Thunder had been snuggling with. Thunder couldn't bear to have Storm heartbroken, but he didn't want to hurt Nadia, too.

Thunder was still in shock from seeing Storm. He had been sure she was dead. He had spent hours trying to forget about her. Now, it was all he could think about.

He looked back at Nadia. She was nothing compared to Storm. Thunder realized he couldn't live a life with Nadia, knowing he had broken the heart of the one he really belonged to.

Thunder had to do it. He explained the whole story to Nadia, and broke it down to the fact that he couldn't be with her anymore. Nadia snarled and stalked off, her shoulders hunching out.

Racing to find Storm, he tried to follow Faye. He finally saw Faye, lying beside Storm. Storm's eyes were turning black, her face was streamed with tears. Faye saw Thunder before Storm did.

"Get away from here! Go ruin another wolf's life!" Faye screamed at Thunder, making gestures as if to hurt him.

"No. I came because I realized what I felt for Nadia was nothing compared to what I feel for you, Storm. You're probably hurt that I've moved on, but for a long time here, I was sure you were dead. I lost sight of everything and was hopeless for weeks. Nadia came, and she made me happy. We could be together. I knew that you would've wanted for me to live happily."

Storm rose from her crumpled form into a crouch. "Really?"

Thunder gave a solemn look. "Really."

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Wow that's so good! I love it!