Greely's Story

"I'm home!" the young wolf cried as he padded through the mouth of his cave, the only home he ever knew.

He was expecting the usual reply from his parents, but no sound was to be heard.

"Uhh, hello?" he called out again in hopes of a response. Still no luck.

He slowly padded further into the cave. The wolf's pupils opened to welcome all light, but there was none. On a normal day the cave was lit with torches, but today was not a normal day.

He padded even further until he bumped his head into a large rock. He had reached the very back of the cave. All of a sudden, he recognized the wall.

"Hey, I know this!" he said to himself. "A picture of me as a pup is hung here..." He felt around the wall with his left paw for the picture frame, but unfortunately only ended up with bits of dust stuck between each toe.

"Or, at least, was hung here," the wolf sighed. He wondered where his beloved family was. Did they run away? Did someone kidnap them while he was away? So many horrible possibilities, he thought.

Then, the most horrendous thought of them all entered his mind: what if they're dead?

A bitter gust of wind swept through the cave and sent chills crawling up his spine. He shivered and curled up into a ball to trap as much of his body heat as possible, all while the horrendous thought remained firm inside his head.

The wolf's eyes welled up. A little tear streamed down his cheek and dripped onto the tip of his wet black nose. He licked the salty drop of despair with his long pink tongue, then buried his face into his furry, cobalt blue tail and fell into a deep sleep.

It was only hours after he had fallen asleep when he heard several loud crunches coming from the mouth of the cave. The wolf immediately sprang to his feet, as if he were aware of what was going on during his slumber the whole time. He nervously padded towards the mouth of the cave to investigate, guided by the moonlight shining through a small opening in the cave wall to the right of him.

As he neared closer and closer to the mouth of the cave, his heart began to pound ferociously. With each step he took, the beating of his heart vibrated through his chest so powerfully that the vibration waves could have been easily spotted with the naked eye.

He stopped for a moment and listened for the loud crunches he was hearing just seconds earlier. To give his ears a better, clearer path for the sound waves to travel through, he hopped onto the unstable rock next to him (which was also the rock closest to the small opening in the wall). The only sounds that passed through his tall, pointy ears were those of the forest night: the chirping of crickets and the hooting of owls. Little did he knew that was all about to change when suddenly -

"BOO!"

The head of a grey heron popped through the small opening. The poor wolf shrieked and tumbled to the floor.

The heron chuckled. "I'm sorry, did I frighten you?" it said.

The young wolf was knocked unconscious for a split second, but quickly regained his strength and jumped to his feet like nothing had happened.

"Yes, very much so," he began to say as he shook his dust-covered pelt. "Er, what I meant to say is, no, you did not scare me at all."

The heron laughed again. "Well, either way, I'm terribly sorry. Let's just say I've been feeling... happier than usual."

The wolf smiled. The heron returned it with a big grin. "I suppose you're wondering who I am," it said. "I'm Mira, the Sky Mother."

The wolf gasped. "You're Mira!?"

The heron blushed. "Indeed," she said.

"I'm Greely."

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Greely."

"Nice to meet you, too. It's such an honor! My parents have told me loads of amazing stories about you and Zios. And to think I'd actually get to meet you! Wow, I'm going to have to tell them all about it -"

Greely paused. His ears drooped.

"Er, wh-when I f-find them." His eyes welled up once more. He tried to hold back the tears by sniffing and coughing, but he couldn't hold them back for long.

Mira retracted her head from the small opening and walked through the mouth of the cave. The moonlight seemed to shine down on her, as if the heavens were bowing to her. She was even more beautiful than Greely's parents had described: she had a gorgeous, sleek, aquamarine plumage with long, stick-like legs. A thin, azure crest sat upon her head, declaring her royalty.

She walked over to Greely and crouched down beside him.

"What's the matter, dear child?" she asked sweetly. Her soft gaze locked onto his.

"I don't have the slightest idea where in Jamaa my family is!" he sobbed. "I came home to this cave, expecting the regular: Mommy and Poppy greet me, we all sit around the stone table for a bite to eat, and we take a stroll or paint or howl or read stories together and stuff like that, but today they weren't here!"

Mira glanced away.

Strangely enough, Greely's crying ceased. He put his paw on her wing. "Are you okay?"

"Greely, there's something I have to tell you," Mira's voice cracked.

Greely sat up straight, eager to hear the news. "What? What is it?"

"Surely you do not want to hear, but it's for your own good, and for the sake of Jamaa," the heron warned.

The young wolf then realized that what Mira was about to tell him obviously had something to do with his missing family.

"Go on," he whispered.

"Your parents are dead," Mira croaked.

For some reason, Greely was not surprised, but heartbroken.

"That's what I thought," he hissed angrily.

"I'm terribly sorry," Mira apologized. "While you were out and about, your parents were taken hostage by the Phantom King and his minions. We do not know how they died, but all we know is - they're dead."

There was a minute of silence between the two, until Mira finally spoke up. "We do have a theory, though, on exactly how and why they died, but before I tell you, may I ask, do you have any questions for me?"

Perfect timing, Greely thought. He had a numerous amount of questions that needed an answer.

"Yes, in fact, I do have a few questions," he started. "First of all, why me? Why my parents? Secondly, who's we? And thirdly -"

Mira interrupted him. "One at a time, please, thank you," she said. "Your parents were important to the Phantom King, and the theory will explain more of that when we get to it later. You also asked, 'who is we?' We is the Alphas and I."

Greely had never heard of the Alphas before. "What are the Alphas? Please, oh please, advise me of what you know!" he pleaded.

"The Alphas are a group of highly trained animals. Before Zios fell, we, as a couple, decided that Jamaa needed a special band of warriors to protect the land from the Phantoms. As you know, the phantoms are growing stronger and stronger. They serve a great deal of help to me. That is why I am here."

"You're not saying -"

"Oh yes, I am saying, Greely. I want you to join the Alphas. Together, we will defeat the phantoms once and for all!"

Greely was stunned. Protecting his home from the phantoms, the evil creatures that kidnapped his parents and killed them!? It would most definitely be a difficult task, but an exciting one.

"I'll do it," he agreed.

Mira's mood drastically changed from depressed to gleeful. "Wonderful!" she clapped. "Hop on my back. I'll take you to the Temple of Zios, our home base. There, you will be provided with a new home and plenty of food and water. Our journey begins now."

So Greely climbed onto Mira's back, and together they flew through forests and mountains and oceans and all sorts of terrains.

While soaring over the Sarepia forest, something hit Greely hard to his very soul: the Sarepia School. 

All of the young animals, big and small, that attended that school were waiting outside for their families to come and pick them up and take them home for a lovely supper. Greely envied these young animals. They all had parents and families. They looked so happy.

As the years went by, Greely remained a faithful servant to the Sky Mother (who had mysteriously vanished) and the rest of Jamaa, but nothing would ever be the same without his Mommy and Poppy. Although the other Alphas often questioned his shady personality, his love for his long-lost family remained strong and true. The loss of his parents gave him something even greater to fight for.

Don't take things for granted, because you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone.

THE END