Unspoken Bonds

Instructions

Please don’t be homoph0b!c or transph0b!c here. It makes me sad. If you are, don’t read this. It’s about two lesbian doggies and a non binary pup. {POV: Sparkstalker “Arky” of the Firewolf pack} I watch the mouse carefully. One wrong move, and the hunt is cancelled. But do it right, and the pack will eat. I pounce, and feel the satisfying cr@ck of the mouse’s bon3s. It’s d3ad. I pick it up and signal to the rest of the patrol. We return to camp. I look around. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Everyone except me. I haven’t enjoyed myself since the day that Dartblaze d!ed. My sister hunts with the Sky, now. And I haven’t forgiven my packmates for letting her d!3. Floralnight will understand. She’s a good… friend. Right. Friend. Nothing else. {POV: Floralnight “Flo” of the Waterfox pack} The letter said to meet tonight. It was written on a small piece of bark. I know that clawwriting. It’s Sparkstalker. She only wants to talk when it’s urgent. Ever. Oh, Sky, please send me an omen if what I’m doing is wrong. I wait. I hear nothing. And so, I set out to find Arky. I approach the border. “Arky?” I call out. A twig shifts, then cracks, and Arky emerges. She still looks as beautiful as she did the day I met her. Her golden fur, her orange patterns flowing down her back- no! What is wrong with me? I most certainly do NOT love a Firewolf. But… her voice, her protective, gentle fierceness, the way she steps uncertainly… everything about her is beautiful. Even without pupils, the glowing colours of her starlit eyes are the most wondrous thing I have ever seen. {POV: Sparkstalker “Arky” of the Firewolf pack} I can’t help it. My heart skips a beat whenever I look at her. I think our visits may have gone past friendship by now, I think, no- I fear- that I may have a crush on her. “Flo.” I murmur. The gentleness doesn’t escape my voice, even though it shouldn’t be there. My mother would never approve. Two wolves of the same gender, from different packs, in love? She would k!11 me. Of course, my mother can’t tell my heart what to feel. But it’s hard. “Flo?” I ask. She lifts her head. “Yes?” I take a deep breath. “Will you meet here tomorrow?” She pauses, and for a second, I think she’s going to say no. “Yes. I will.” I relax. “Thank you, Flo.” {POV: Floralnight “Flo” of the Waterfox pack} I know she feels the same way. Any time she talks to me, I can see it in her eyes. I love her, and she loves me back. “What was it that you had wanted to talk to me about?” She hangs her head. “I don’t know what to do, Flo. I… I just can’t forget what they did. They gave up on her, and didn’t even try.” She buries her head in my neck, and I lay mine on hers. “Don’t worry, Arky. We’ll get through this. Together.” {POV: Sparkstalker "Arky" of the Firewolf pack} Even Flo's kind words do nothing to cure my sadness. She promises that we'll get through it, but the gentle words are lost to the coldness of my heart. We part ways for tonight, no more words shared between us. Maybe tomorrow night, there will be safety. For now, there is nothing. [Two moons later] I arrive at the meeting spot. Flo had seemed excited the last time we talked. About what? It doesn’t matter. If Flo is excited, I have to listen. She arrives, steps light. “Arky!” She purrs. I step forward to nuzzle her. “How are you?” I ask. She responds, “I’m doing great! And- we have company!” {POV: Silentsky “Sil” of the Waterfox pack} I creep out from behind Mommy’s back paws. Is this Mother? Mommy had talked about her a lot… Mother, if that is her, is a beautiful wolf. Golden brown with orange patches. So much unlike my gray, or Mommy’s deep blue. “Mother?” I ask tentatively. Mommy nods encouragingly. “Yes, Sil. This is your mother. Arky, meet Silentsky.” {POV: Sparkstalker “Arky” of the Firewolf pack} A pup. A loner pup. Our pup. “Silentsky…” I mutter. For the first time since losing Dartblaze, my heart feels warm. And I feel alive. Sil is a beautiful creature, despite their eyes being the only colour on their entire body. Even though their colouring is unnatural, even though they walk with unsteadily splayed paws. Finally. There’s someone I can hold dear. Someone I can care for and love and keep safe. {POV: Floralnight “Flo” of the Waterfox pack} I’m so glad I stumbled upon the pup. If I hadn’t, they’d still be out there, if a predator hadn’t gotten them first. But now, they’ll have a home. And two loving mothers to support them. And Arky is content too. I can sense it. She’s found peace with me, with us, with our new family. And finally, maybe, the time for her mourning is over. Maybe the time for hatr3d has passed. {POV: Silentsky “Sil” of the Waterfox pack} I don’t know what happened inside the silent glance that my moms shared. I don’t know how they talk without words. I don’t know how their packs work, or why they’re not allowed to be together. But I do know one thing. They’re happy. The end.