Deep in the Carpathian Mountains, there lies I.  I am laying down on the freezing snow waiting for my pack to come and keep me warm. As I repeatedly shiver, and my paws become numb, the pack finally arrives. They surround me like scavengers surround the dead. Most of the pack looks at me with disgust. But I still recognize remorse hidden in some of their eyes. My cruel alpha walks forward and turns to my mother and father and says, "We can't keep him. He's too weak for my pack. He can’t even survive his first winter. Leave him to die. We have no use for him anyway."   

My mother lowers her eyes and weakly replies, "Alpha, Please he's only just a cub. He can last through the winter. I know he can." My alpha snarls to my mother and commands,

"Were leaving him, Omega. And, that's final. If you don't like it, you can leave." My mother looks at me defeated and turns away. Shock and sadness fill me as my mother and father along with the whole pack turn around. They continue to walk away and start to leave my vision. I loudly whine and plead with my parents,

"Don't leave me! Mommy, Daddy!" But no matter my pleading and whining they continue walking away. No member of my pack turns around as they leave me to die in the freezing snow.

        Dawn turns into dusk, as I feel my body become numb. I no longer feel the chill of winter. And, I howl for one last time, as I finally accept that they left me to die. I quietly whine to myself as I look up to the stars. The beautiful dark sky comforts me as I await my end. I close my eyes as I lay down. As I'm lying down on the ground all alone dying it hits me. "No," I say to myself, I'm not going out this way. I must survive and my pack will regret ever thinking of me as weak. If I could just make it to the hot spring I could live. I slowly start to get up and crawl. I pant loudly as I put all my energy into crawling towards the hot spring. Time passes and finally the hot spring is in my sight. I'm so tired, my chest aches with betrayal and all I want to do is rest. "No, I must survive," I whisper to myself and I use that as a mantra to keep going. My body shakes as I use the last bit of life force inside of me to drag my small body towards the spring. I finally reach the shallow hot spring. And, I start slowly dragging myself into the water. Relief fills me as heavy snow continues to fall upon the mountain.

          The hot water rushes heat throughout my fur and body. As, I instantly feel better I continue to lay in the hot spring for three days until the chill has completely left my body. I hear a whistling overhead as I drag myself out of the hot spring. I look up and see an eagle flying in the sky. When the eagle exits my sight, I start to focus on my next goal, food. The ground is covered in snow as I look for anything that would lessen the pain of my hunger. The smell of berries fills my nose as I spot a berry bush. I quickly eat the cranberry colored berries as soon as I reach the bush. And, then I go look for prey.

         Season after season passes by after I survive that first harsh winter. Battle after battle occurs in those first couple of years as I fight to survive as a lone wolf. After, all the trials and battles I have faced. I know I am ready to face and conquer my pack. I am no longer that weak cub left to die. I am a survivor and I am strong. And, I am finally ready to redeem myself and rewrite all wrongs of long ago. I search the mountain as I await to scent my original pack. As I follow along the river, I finally scent them. A storm rolls over the mountains as the sky begins to cry. I enter their territory and start to rapidly run towards them.

         Thunder cracks as I enter the ring of wolves. I face down my old alpha and announce my presence with a thundering howl. The alpha looks at me and snarls, “Aww, look who it is. It’s the little cub back from the dead. Trying to take my place.” I bare my teeth and snarl at him. In response, he glares at me and quickly lunges for my throat. I move and counter attack. Blood drips from my jaws as I injury his underbelly. My throat burns as I pant rapidly. He holds me down, but I quickly twist and flip out of the way. Adrenaline fills me as I continue to dodge all his attacks. The alpha female tries to intervene, but he snarls at her and she backs away. Rain pours down on us as I calculate my final move.

         I dodge an attack and lunge. I hold him in place as I put pressure on the alphas throat. I anxiously wait for him to submit. The pouring rain is the only sound throughout the entire territory as shock fills the whole pack. When the alpha whines his defeat, I howl my victory. I release him. And, he gets up and goes towards the alpha female. He glares at me as he and his alpha female leave the territory defeated. There alone I stand in the middle of a ring of wolves. I turn my head up to the sky as I howl my victory for one last time. Howls follow mine as the acceptance and submission to their new alpha is voiced.