Mystery of the Meadow

[Echo]

In the heart of the Black Meadow, all was calm, all still, as the sun crept its way slowly into the sky. Not one living creature seemed to be anywhere about; it was as if all had fled at some point in the night -- but when, and more importantly, why? All creatures, that is, except for one lone wolf, who lay sleeping in the tall grasses, in the open and exposed. Thick, dark and ominous clouds began to roll in, blotting the sun from view, and winds started to stir the grasses around the dark-coated wolf. His eyes fluttered open and the animal raised his head, looking around him. In his sleep-fogged mind, there was only one coherent thought: Where am I?

The wolf stood and stretched out his thin, lanky body, giving it all a good shake from head to tail, but the fog refused to clear from his mind. A quick mental check for injuries revealed that his body was undamaged; physically, he felt fine, though something deeper was amiss. How he came to be in this place was not the only knowledge he lacked. Before this moment, he realized, only black emptiness existed where his memories should. His facial features scrunched into a puzzled, hopeless looking expression. Yes, it was all gone.

He looked to the sky and saw the ominous clouds rapidly approaching. Thunder rumbled in the distance, gently at first, then suddenly much closer. A bolt of lightning flashed from sky to ground, searing the earth only a couple hundred yards away. Though his memories lay blank, the wolf’s instincts, thankfully, were intact. He knew he must find shelter from the storm, and quickly. He looked around fully once more to choose a direction, aimed for the closest hills and broke into a run just as the sky opened up. Hard pellets of ice pelted his body and he yelped at the stinging sensation they caused, paws pounding the earth faster. Quickly, the hail relented to torrential rain.

Ahead, at the base of the hills ahead, he hoped there would be caves, and though he caught glimpses of stone, what lay ahead were not natural caves. By the time he reached the ruins, he was soaked to the bone. Moss-covered stone structures towered high into the sky. No matter what they were... The wolf spotted a tunnel of some kind and darted in from the rain. He shook as much of the dampness out as he could before lying down and curing into a tight ball, both cold and hopelessness flooding his body.

Who am I?

Suddenly exhausted, the wolf allowed sleep to take him once again.

[Forte]

Since Sonora had discovered this valley a few days previous, she had seen many strange things, all of them beautiful. The entrance itself had been a horror: days she'd spent in that pitch-black tunnel, wondering if she'd ever make it out, nearly losing her mind. She couldn't go back. There were those in her old home who would kill her if given half a chance. So she had pushed on and on through the tunnel, through hunger and thirst and fatigue and claustrophobia, and it had all been worth it. Se had emerged on the steep face of a mountain and been greeted by relieving sight. A paradise, she'd thought at the sight of the rivers and forests and plains and waterfalls spread throughout this vast, lush valley, and it was all hidden from her pursuers. They would never find her here.

The valley was teeming with prey, and there had been no sign of other predators so far, so Sonora was gradually becoming more comfortable and relaxed in her new surroundings.

At least, that had been the case. This rolling meadow had seemed like a great resting spot at first, but now black clouds were forming in the sky above and booms of thunder were rapidly approaching. With shelter in mind, Sonora stood and began to make her way to the edge of the trees where the rain would not reach her.

Suddenly the young wolf yelped and cowered as she was blinded by a flash of light, and the grass on the other side of the meadow was ablaze. Eyes narrowed both against the hail, and in fear, she sprinted for the forest. Hopefully the wind would blow the fire the other way, or the rain would put it out. In any case, this rain was too heavy to be blocked by trees. She needed something more substantial.

A strange stone structure suddenly appeared out of the dense forest. Here and there at its base were yawning black holes. Hesitantly, Sonora approached one. It was black as night inside, but she couldn't hear anything stirring. Still she paused. Her sense of smell had always been severely underdeveloped; at least, that's what she had been told. Apparently other wolves could smell each other's scent on the ground they'd walked a day after the fact. Sonora could not. She detected no scent from inside, but she could not trust her nose.

Another crack of thunder sent her darting into the cave. Her night vision was poor, so she began to feel her way around for a comfortable spot to lie. The dirt seemed to be hard-packed beneath a thick layer of moss.

All at once, Sonora found her nose in the dirt and her paws out from under her. She had tripped over something in the dark...something that had felt like a body. Her survival instincts kicked in and in a flash she got to her paws and turned to face the unknown creature, teeth bared and a low growl rumbling in her throat.

[Echo]

The clouds continued to assault the earth with pelting rain outside, but inside the tunnel, the mysterious wolf lay undisturbed. Even the near continuous flashes of lightening and cracks of thunder did not wake him from his sleep. He was dead to the world, and not without reason. Who knew what horrible things had happened to him, and what could possibly have the power to suck away all an individual’s memories, all his experiences, his entire life?

His shock-induced slumber was quickly interrupted, though, by something jabbing hard into his ribs... what felt strangely like a paw. He lifted his head just in time to see the other wolf, all paws asprawl, nose-diving straight into the dirt. In another time and place this might have been humorous, but the female was back on her feet as quick as the lighting crashing outside, teeth bared with a low growl rumbling in her throat.

He couldn’t believe how she could not have seen him there, but didn’t dare move lest he provoke her. He mustered up all the calmness he could manage and, looking into to the wolf’s eyes with what he hoped was an expression of sincerity, he spoke timidly. “You can relax... I’m not going to hurt you. I just came here to get out of the storm. What’s your name? Mine’s... mine’s... “

He stalled, suddenly realizing that that knowledge too was gone. The wolf didn’t even know his own name.

“Actually, funny story.” He gave a gentle laugh, hoping to calm his aggressor. “I actually don’t know what my name is.”

[Forte]

Now that she was facing the entrance to the cave, Sonora could see the form of a wolf silhouetted against the dim light filtering in from the outside. Come to think of it, she could faintly detect his scent. Damn this nose, she thought. Had she been able to smell the stranger better she could have avoided this tunnel, and this confrontation.

His presence raised a new worry for her as well: The likelihood that he had gotten here via the same winding tunnel as Sonora was low, which meant there might be another way in, and the wolves who had attacked her pack still could track her down if they tried. She would have to remain watchful for signs of them.

But her main concern was with the present. Sonora was painfully aware that she might be cornered in this cave. She didn't know how deep it was, and she sure as hell wasn't going to go any deeper. She might never come out. Sonora had had enough of being lost in underground tunnels for one lifetime. She had always been a fighter, and a good one at that, but her wounds from her recent battle were just beginning to heal and were aching from her sprint to this cave, and she wasn't in a hurry to open them up again. Just in case he decided to attack her after all, she began to edge her way along the wall of the cave toward the entrance.

Then, the other wolf's voice interrupted her growl. Running from the storm, eh? Possible, seeing as she had done just that, but the part about not knowing his own name? Hardly likely. A suspicious "hmph" was all Sonora could conjure in reply, but she let her hackles fall. Perhaps she was being paranoid. She knew that not all wolves were as hostile as most she had encountered previously. She didn't trust this wolf yet, but she was a firm believer in common courtesy, and since he was being polite, she decided to return the favor as much as she dared. "Sonora..." she answered his question finally. "I came here to get out of the storm, too."

Another flash of lightning lit the cave, and she could make out a few more of his features: a dark coat, a gangling body. This comforted her. She could probably take him on if she had to, even with her wounds. She had a lot of experience fighting. Sonora relaxed a little more.

"So, tell me, No Name...how did you find this valley?" What could seem to be a casual question would help Sonora figure out how much danger she was in.

[Echo]

The wolf rose slowly to sit on his haunches but moved no closer to this stranger who had tripped upon him. Stranger? Hah. Wasn’t he also a stranger to himself? Whatever, there was no need to start a fight here. It would be a shame to have to fight a female, he thought. He caught a better glimpse of her as another lightning flash lit up the tunnel’s interior, and he noticed the signs of recent injuries, of battle -- still matted fur, the way she carried herself, the fear and distrust in her voice. No. He didn’t want to fight her. Besides, maybe she could help him. Perhaps she knew more about this valley, or maybe even what had happened to him... He sighed as she inched her way along the cave’s wall, ready to make her escape at any moment.

Finally he noticed her relax the tiniest, tiniest bit. It was a start, so he spoke again. “Hello Sonora. Please, don’t go...” His voice was even quieter this time, barely audible over the rain pounding the earth just outside the mouth of the tunnel.

So tell me, No Name...how did you find this valley?

[/i]
He could tell she was skeptical, and frankly he couldn’t blame her. It was such an unlikely story. In her place, he doubted he would believe it either, someone not knowing his own name. No Name she called him. He let out an audible sigh and hung his head, examining the moss covered earth, pawing at it idly as he pondered just how to respond to her query. After a long pause, he raised his head to look at Sonora and answered again, the only way he knew how -- honestly.

“I don’t remember that either.” No Name turned his head toward the tunnel’s mouth, looking out into the meadow beyond. "I woke up somewhere out there, in the open, just before the storm started, with all my memory gone... I remember nothing. Not how I got here, not my pack...if I had one... not my past, not even my own name. I just... was here.”

He wondered how well Sonora would swallow this, as skeptical and nervous as she seemed about him. No Name sighed a deep, hopeless sigh. He needed someone to believe him. “If you don’t believe me, I don’t blame you. it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth. If you don’t...well, go. You can leave. I’m not going to harm you. I just... I just want help.”
[/justify][/blockquote]

[Forte]

For a minute, Sonora remained skeptical while the wolf told his story. She'd grown up in an environment where no one trusted anyone outside the pack, so while she wanted to believe him, in the back of her mind lurked the paranoia and distrustfulness that had been tools in her training as a youngster. For all she knew, this stranger might be in league with her attackers, spinning lies to lure her into a false sense of security.

Then again, the pack that she had grown up with was gone now: killed in the battle or dispersed. Now it was Sonora's turn to decide whom to trust, and she was inclined to believe this wolf. As he continued with his story, it struck her that he seemed so...dejected and miserable. She would certainly feel that way if she'd lost all her memories.

After a moment of silence during which the only sound was the rain pattering in the mud outside, Sonora sighed and sat down. "Well," she began, "I suppose if you don't remember your name, you could always choose a new one. It always seemed unfair that we don't get to choose our own names."

[Echo]

No Name turned his gaze from Sonora toward the outside once again, idly watching the rain patter into the mud and a toad hopping lazily past. He had done his best to convince her he was being truthful. Now the only thing for him to do was wait for the female to pass judgement.

After a long pause, she finally spoke again.

I suppose if you don’t remember your name, you could always choose a new one...

The wolf turned to face her again, sitting up a little taller now, with his ears perked high, and most of his dejected expression gone, for now at least. She wasn’t quite being outwardly friendly, but, finally, she seemed to tentatively trust him.

”Really? Just choose one?” He asked, a touch of excitement in his voice. Well, what would I pick? There are so many names one could go by... and I don’t even know what I look like. Not as awful as I feel, I hope. Some of his excitement had faded with that realization, despite a small chuckle with his last remark. The storm outside was finally passing, though. The rain had slackened to a slow patter now, and thunder rolled softly somewhere far away in the distance, rather than directly overhead.

"Maybe you could give me one, Sonora?" he asked hopefully. "Besides No Name, that is. I mean...how would I choose?"

[Forte]

Sonora couldn't help but smile at the excitement in No Name's voice. He seemed like he would be quite the nice person, although...she wondered if, with the rest of his memories, he had forgotten his own personality as well. Was that even possible? She had to hope not, because she was beginning to like this wolf and if his memory ever came back, she wouldn't want him to remember a different personality as well.

But she was taken aback by his request. "Me?" she asked incredulously. "Name you? I hardly know you...." As soon as she said this she realized that, based on that argument, she had no less ability to name him than he had. He was a stranger to himself as well as Sonora. "I...wait. You don't...even...remember what you look like?" Sonora had heard of wolves who had lost their memories, but for some reason, it seemed like this information would be impossible to forget.

She turned to look out the tunnel. The storm seemed to be rolling away. The rain was definitely lightening, and it looked a little brighter outside than before. She could see No Name's ghost-like figure just a little better now in the darkness.

"Let's go outside. I don't mind a little drizzle, it was the lightning I didn't want to come into contact with. I'll tell you what you look like." Sonora stood and took the few steps that separated her from the outside. The clouds must have dispersed from the sky above, because the canopy above was bright like sun was shining through the leaves, and the "rain" was just leftover water running off them. She turned around to finally get a good look at No Name.

[Echo]

No Name was finally beginning to feel a little less miserable. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the storm had now passed and the sun was shining, filtering down through the thick canopy overhead, the falling drops merely the trees shaking off the rain still clinging to their leaves. Or perhaps it was Sonora... or a combination of both. Either way, his situation no longer felt quite so hopeless as before, and Sonora’s smile must have been contagious, because he couldn’t suppress his own.

His smile faded as she spoke, however. ”Yeah, well...it’s not like I know myself either,” the wolf sighed. “And yeah, not a clue...except for what i can see,” he added, looking down to his front paws. I haven’t seen my reflection or anything, I mean. Not since I woke up out there, anyway... For a moment, he worried she might actually deny this one request. Granted, it was a rather large one. Naming someone must be a big deal.

At her suggestion to go outside, some of his hopefulness and a hint of his smile returned as he nodded his agreement. ”That sounds like a great idea. For some reason, I don’t like this place...” Standing and shaking off the remaining dampness, No Name stepped out into the light.

[Forte]

No Name stepped out of the cave and into the light, and the first thing Sonora noticed about him was his bright gold-colored eyes that contrasted his coat, which was mostly dark gray, with some white hairs on his face. Rather plain-looking, until you noticed the strange, white marking on his forehead. It looked like a symbol of some kind, definitely not a random patch of discolored fur.

"What's that?" Sonora demanded, suddenly suspicious. "What's that marking on your forehead, a symbol? A rune?" Her voice was suddenly darker and quieter, her eyes harder. "I've seen wolves with markings like that. They were witches." The female did not like witches. Magic had been outlawed in her former pack, and she had watched the executions of several wolves who had had magic. She'd cheered with the rest of the pack as the blood spilled from their throats. Magic was an unnatural, dangerous thing, and she didn't know what she would do if it turned out that No Name was a witch. Leave him, surely. Whether or not she would kill him was the real question.

[Echo]

No Name blinked his eyes several times as they adjusted to the brighter environment, moving about uneasily as the female examined him. Suddenly, her expression turned sour, her gaze narrowing in on his forehead. If looks could kill...

What’s that?

No Name jerked his head around to look behind him, expecting, or hoping, to find something behind him, something that would warrant Sonora’s reaction. But no. She was definitely staring at him.

”What marking? Rune? I’m sorry. I really don’t know what you’re talking about...” he answered slowly, struggling with the words. He watched, frightened, as Sonora’s soured, scrutinous expression suddenly morphed into an angry, openly hostile one. She spoke of witches... and by the way she said it, No Name was certain that wherever she came from, wolves were not tolerant of them. He backpedaled a few steps, hesitant, afraid.

”Look, Sonora, I really don’t know what you’re talking about. Please... calm down. Have I threatened you at all? In any way?” He was pleading now, stalling, buying time. Except it was the truth. If he possessed any sort of magic, he didn’t know it. Frantically he tried to piece together this puzzle. "Is it possible it could have something to do with how I lost my memories...how I woke up out there a stranger? An attack? A magical attack...gone wrong somehow?"

[Forte]

Sonora rolled her eyes at the other wolf's remark. Of course he wouldn't know about the marking if he had lost his memories. It was hard to get used to that, and a little annoying. So far she liked No Name, but it was hard to trust him if he couldn't tell her anything about himself. And this cryptic marking on his forehead was not making it easier for her.

She listened impatiently to his non-explanation and his plea for her to trust him, barely waiting for him to finish his sentence before she spoke. "Listen, Rune," she said, her tone hard, "You're right, you've done a good enough job so far of not threatening me, but you've still got a long way to go before I actually trust you, if that's what you want. I have no reason yet to think that you'd attack me, even if you are a witch." Sonora had to admit to herself that she had never actually spoken to a witch. It would be terrible of her to condemn an entire group of wolves whom she had never met. Still, surely the alphas of her pack had known what they were doing, executing all those wolves?

With an inward sigh, the female decided to stop worrying about it and content herself with allowing her new acquaintance to win her trust.

"I dunno," she replied simply to his questions. "Anything is possible."

[Echo]

No Name nervously backed up another couple of paces, watching the female anxiously. as she rolled her eyes in annoyance. Was she even going to hear him out? And what would he do if she didn’t? He wasn’t going to fight Sonora. True, with her slight build, he might actually stand a chance, but the very thought of doing so just felt...wrong. She had shown him kindness, and though his memories were forgotten, he felt certain that violence was not his way.

The female’s curt reply snapped him out of his thoughts.

Listen, Rune...

At first tense, he breathed a sigh of relief as she spoke more reasonably now. It seemed the wolf was giving him a chance to earn her trust, and for this he was grateful. Rune... he mused to himself softly. Rune...Rune... That’s a fitting enough name, don’t you think? It would certainly be better than calling him No Name. It was beginning to annoy him.

Rune sighed to himself and sat down on the moss-covered ground, allowing himself to relax a bit. ”Maybe you could tell me about where you come from? If you--” Cut off mid sentence, the scrawny wolf’s body sat bolt upright, eyes fixed and unblinking, his mind someplace else. Sonora. Where was she? His vision had gone dark. Why couldn’t he see? The ground shook with a low rumble and he heard rocks breaking upon each other, tumbling down the side of the ruins. And the piercing death yelp as the mouth of the tunnel came crashing down upon Sonora.

With a flash, his vision returned. Somewhere high in the canopy, a bird chirped merrily. Sonora sat before him, at the mouth of the tunnel, and Rune sat blinking, confused. Then, almost imperceptibly, the ground began to rumble.

”Sonora, MOVE. NOW!” he shouted.

[Forte]

Really? thought Sonora, a hint of suspicion reentering her mind as Rune started to ask her about herself. He's going to ask about me, when he can't even tell me about himself? How convenient. But Rune never finished his thought. He went quiet right in the middle of his sentence and sat still as a stone, unblinking, for a moment. "Uh...Rune...? Sonora leaned forward, a bit worried, ready to try to snap him out of it, but then he blinked, and Sonora saw confusion on his face. "What--" she began, but he interrupted her. Move. Now!

The urgency in his voice, rather than the meaning of the command, was what got Sonora instinctually to her paws and she hesitantly stepped toward Rune. Suddenly she could feel deep vibrations in the ground through her pads, and they were rapidly getting stronger and louder. Her head whipped around, eyes scanning for the danger, but there seemed to be nothing. An earthquake? she thought, just before she was proven wrong as the tunnel the two wolves has rested in mere minutes before, collapsed completely, and dozens skull-sized rocks crashed on top of the spot Sonora has just been sitting. She had moved just in time; any longer and she would have been dead. She stared for a moment with wide eyes at the rocks that nearly killed her, heart pounding. Then she turned to Rune.

"How...how did... she was at a loss for words.