The firelight was fading
The shadows grew in size
In the distance if you listened
You could hear the faintest cries
Of coyotes and of timber wolf
Signalling the end of day
Howling at the growing moon
Keeping night spirits at bay

The last piece of the sagebrush
Was burning to it's core
The flames that danced as quicksilver
Now, they danced no more
The fire, once was blazing
It's flames a dangerous height
Was now a nest of coal chunks
to warm us through the night

Four days out and three to go
We'd be in two days ahead
The scheduled trip with this years herd
And we'd be back in our own bed
A smaller group of beef this time
But, that's the way it goes
At least we'd leave the mountains
Before the early snows

Coffee from the morning meal
Was still sitting in the ***
Two minutes in the embers
And it was steaming hot
The first round of watch was up
And the coffee was re done
The second watch, for wolves and things
Needed coffee and a gun

Two went down the first night out
We heard the wolves, but missed them all
They'd been following us for three days now
And at night you'd hear them call
They signalled that the day was done
And that the herd was staying still
The darkness was their element
It was time for them to ****

The fire was near finished
The flames were all but smoke
but that cup of cowboy coffee
put life into this old grey cowpoke
If the wolves kept at a distance
And just kept howling at the moon
We'd lose no more beef tonight
And be home two days from noon

The fire spit and crackled
The night was damp and cold
The stars were silent beacons
To the wolves so quick and bold
We heard them in the distance
Howling loud as if to say
Will you make it through till morning?
Wait until we come to play.....

She held him within her. A coiled mosaic, whirling on the precipice. His frame shook tumultuous, his skin the colour of autumn grey. The wetness from his eyes spilled against her soft fur. He pressed his lids tighter, as if to keep his tears from the world. Warmth pooled beneath their paws, a thick ichor that smelled of iron and salt.
The dusk receded, and he breathed his last.
Night left the world a husk. A slumber, cessation. In the still, she felt a chill gather within her, cruel and implacable. The forest stirred, with a restlessness only the dead knew. The barrows shrivelled to their skeleton frames. Death lurked in the furs of the pitch beast, in the mottle snares of the witherfang.
She ****** them all.
Her howl tore through the air, bright and gleaming. It thundered beneath the earth, reverberating through the bones of the long deceased. How had she once felt pride in that sound? A bitter rage roiled in her blood. It twisted the vessels of her body, and set her muscles to stone. She moved and shattered into a thousand shards, each one sharper than the last.
She grieved for two days. The soft contours she’d held his dying body against grew lean and taut. The hollows of her ribs had closed themselves around a seething stone, that filled her flesh bitter. She rose a new beast on the third day. Smarter, but crueller; wiser, but filled with rage; and with only one thought on her mind.
She would find the deceiver, and devour all he loved.

The wolves come out to watch
when night falls.
They mean you no harm.
They will not leave.

When night falls,
your silent guardians rise.
They will not leave
until you are ready to wake.

Your silent guardians rise,
sentient of your dreams
until you are ready to wake;
their firefly eyes aglow.

Sentient of your dreams,
they mean you no harm.
Their firefly eyes aglow,
the wolves come out to watch.

A branch of a tree scrapes against my side
The long green grass tickles my tummy
My nose twitches as I smell the crisp morning air
My ears flick towards distant sounds
My eyes are soundly focused on the target in front
As I creep forward

My eyes lock onto the prey in front of me
I can see the rest of the pack closing in
My paws step quietly in the long grass
I can smell the scent of the deer
My mouth is watering from the thought of food
As I prepare to pounce

A growl escapes from my mouth
My paws feel the cool morning air
I can hear the barking of the other wolves
I can see the fear in the eyes of the beast
My prey makes to run
As I launch towards the deer

My claws dig into the flesh of the deer
My jaw locks into the neck
The rest of the pack have grabbed on
The deer begins to bolt but stumbles
We crash onto the floor
As we savage the deer

There is blood around my mouth
I can see the deer’s eyes looking at me
Though the eyes aren’t seeing
Deep down there is guilt
But we wolves have to eat
As we turn and stride away

A cloud of black on a landscape
Of purity, raindrops of red
Falling staining the floor below.

They move collectively , but the
Seniority is but one. They sense
The shifting of light to dark as
The moon bathes upon their
Dark silhouette.

Singing upon the wind, to the
Sky, they call to their pack, as
The hunt begins, they guide,
Manoeuvre their intended
To that point of no return.

The white shaded with moments
That pass, the quarry is at that
Moment, where life becomes
Death, when last glimpses
Of white teeth tearing upon
Its delicate flesh.

A moment and then it's over
They howl upon the wind,
Hunger still cradles their
Insides. Baffled, puzzled, as
To what was done. It released
Itself to the wind, fell to the teeth
Of the cliff and then was gone.