Lisanna Swallow is a twelve-year old writer who participated and completed the summer 2025 Writer’s Palette Writing Challenge. Her short story, ” The Colors of an Echo” tells the story of a young, weak pup named Echo with an incredible secret world who must protect his friends and family from constant threats.
Read Lisanna’s story below:
Part One
Echo ran. He dropped the squirrel. His sister, Gwen, was ahead of him. Breathing was beginning to become hard, though this didn’t make much of a difference. Echo was the runt of his litter, but on top of that, he was blind and weak. The wolf pups ran fast, the fear of losing their lives fueling them. The fox snapped forward. A snap was the last sound Echo ever heard, a pain in his everything the last thing he felt, the choking smell of fox the last scent, and the sour, skin crawling taste of blood the last taste he ever tasted.
Echo woke up. Dark. He thought. But that was entirely new to him. He had never seen anything. He was entirely blind. Unable to sense light without feeling its warmth, unable to sense others unless hearing them or smelling them. But there was something in the distance, something that glowed. He stood. Light was illuminating where he was, allowing him to see for the first time but this light was different from the glowing in the distance, this light was something that felt meant to be. Then, he remembered, “Wolves are nocturnal, we see even in the darkest of nights.” His mother, Branch, had told him that when he couldn’t see. He didn’t know why he could see now but he guessed it had to do with the fox. He did not think he had survived the attack.
Echo had waited for a while now, nothing, truly nothing had happened. He decided to walk to the glow. He knew where he was now, well he didn’t really. He knew he was in a cave. The glow called to him, a silent song of a secret siren. There was no siren. In the place of it, there was a crystal, glowing bright and strong. There was more than one crystal, though. There were five crystals, lined in a row, each going deeper and deeper into the cave. Echo stepped closer to the crystal and then it glowed but in something he had never seen before, something called a color. Like all colors, he didn’t recognize it. He stepped closer, it glowed brighter. Finally, he touched it. It was a small tap with the tip of his nose but it was enough. His eyes snapped shut.
His eyes opened again and he was no longer in the cave. He was in a forest, a beautiful forest covered in the same color as the crystal. The same, nameless, beautiful, hopeful color. “Green.” Replied a voice. “This color is green.” Echo whipped around and saw a wolf behind him. A male with brown, mottled fur and a gray tip on his tail. “Wh- who are you?” Echo hoped he was safe, the wolf was lying on the ground, his glance charismatic and assuring. “You may have heard about me before. I am Moths.” Echo didn’t understand. “Uh- no, sorry. I’ve never heard of you.” The two wolves sat in an awkward silence for a moment. Moths gave him a sideways glance, “You mean- you haven’t learnt ‘The Rules of a Wolf’ yet?” Echo felt hot blood rush to his face, his blush showing through his fluffy, thin pup fur. “Well, then I guess this story won’t be a repeat to you.” Moths chuckled.
Moths sighed again. “Branch, oh Branch. You should have learnt better.” He stood up and stretched. He tapped his paw on a stone and the grass disappeared. The world was underneath him. Echo gasped, staring at the ground in awe. The world grew closer and closer to his home, gliding across their feet. Finally, they were in his den. “Mom!” Echo called to Branch. She did not reply. “They cannot hear us. We are ghosts, seen only sometimes. But now, we must be silent.” He gave a glance at Branch, love and pride reflecting in it. “Good luck, my friend.”
The forest was back now. Moths licked his paws awkwardly. “It- uh-would be best if you didn’t tell anyone about that. I… technically am not supposed to be the one showing you our ghost- powers.” He winked. “What are you supposed to be doing?” Echo mused. Moths chuckled, his charisma returning. “Showing you this.” The world changed again, this time it was a forest still. But it was unfamiliar, new. “What is this?”
“This is a story. A story of greed, a story of friendship, a story of challenges, but most of all, a story of foolishness. This story truly is magical. It will transform you and you will live through it.” Echo gaped at Moths. He had no idea what he meant. “This is where I leave you. I will see you soon.”
Echo stood, wondering what to do. He was in a pack that did not seem to be his. A leader stood atop a large stone. He was young and looked like he had only been leading for a moon or so, like he had only been an adult for a moon or so. But Echo knew who he was. “Moths! You’re back already!” Moths ignored him. “Moths?” No reply. Then, he saw a pup that looked terribly familiar.The pup was more adult than pup, much older than Echo, about the same age as Moths. A pup dark as the night. A pup with kind eyes and fierce paws. Branch. “Mom? Is that you?” Branch did not notice him. Nobody noticed him. Then, he realized. This was a story. His actions could not change anything. So he simply sat and watched.
A gray she-wolf stumbled into camp, carrying something huge. More wolves helped her drag it in and Echo realized it was food. It was a dead elk. It was huge and it made his mouth water. “Wow. What an amazing catch!” More wolves came in, dragging in an even bigger elk. Moths looked impressed. “Great catch! I’ll go hunting with you tomorrow!” He seemed sincere. The pack gathered to eat. They only ate one of the elk. Echo felt warm with joy. They’ll have plenty of saved food in the winter! Moths looked at the uneaten elk with disgust. “Throw it away!” The gray she-wolf looked astounded. “What about winter?” Moths looked at her, scoffing “Surely, Knight, if we had such a great catch today we’ll have great catches in the winter?” The gray she-wolf, Knight, stood, bewildered. “Prey travels for the winter. We must be prepared.” She looked at a white male who simply shrugged. She sighed and dragged the elk to the waste.
This same terrible, wasteful thing happened day after day. Prey became less and less plentiful until there was no more. Branch and Moths were now full adults, the age Echo knew him as. Branch dragged in the daily prey, a single squirrel. She sighed and set it down. She stretched and glanced at Moths. “We should hunt together.” He nodded solemnly. They walked out of camp together, Echo followed. There was no hunting. They did not try to track any food. They simply walked and talked. Branch glanced worriedly at Moths “It’s too late, isn’t it?” Moths nodded. “The prey has rotted.” Branch sighed. Echo could almost feel Moths’s guilt. They sat down. “What do you think’s going to happen?” Branch looked at Moths for a while. Moths shook his head. Branch stood. “Well, we might as well try to get all the prey we can.”
It was day. The pack was sleeping. A growl struck them, a pounce. Another pack had found out about their weakness, their starvation. Most of them had died already. Moths jumped forward and bit at an enemy wolf. “Run, Branch!” Branch didn’t. She jumped at an enemy wolf and bit a scar in their paw. The wolf whipped around and bit a chunk out of her ear. She jumped back and bumped into Moths, who had blood staining his fur, turning the wooden brown spots on his fur scarlet. He was guiding what was left of his pack away from camp, to safety. Branch followed him and her packmates. “Where are we going?” Moths shook his head. “Anywhere that’s safe.”
The pack was running now but the other pack was hot on their trail, nipping at their tails. “They won’t leave us alone. I’ll hold them off, run!” Branch stopped running. She braced herself to fight. Moths shoved her out of the way. “No! I’ll hold them back!” Then, Echo saw something he never thought he would see. Branch stood, salty water pouring out of her eyes. She was shaking in fear. “But I love you!” Moths shook his head, he was crying too. “I know, I’ll miss you, my dear.” Then he glanced back at the rest of the pack. “Follow Branch, she leads you now. Run! Run!” Echo shivered and stayed as the pack ran off. Branch stood, dazed and heartbroken. Then, she ran. Echo watched in fear as the enemy pack mauled Moths. The leader of the enemy pack, an all white male, his fur stained with red, spoke “Don’t follow them. We have their territory and their leader. We have what we came for.”
Echo collapsed in fear. He knew it was just a story, he knew it couldn’t hurt him but he fell anyway. When he fell, he closed his eyes. He opened them and for a second, he was back in the green forest with Moths. He blinked again and he was back in the crystal cave.
Part Two
The crystal cave was blurry at first. Everything was blurry at first. Am I becoming blind again? Echo shivered on the floor. He stood up and stretched. He knew he could not have been asleep for too long because vivid memories attacked him, making him bleed inside. Green forests stained with a color that was so vivid, he did not need another wolf to name it for him. Red. He blinked. He was not becoming blind, he was simply tired. The blurriness faded until he could see almost clearly in the dark, glowing cave.
The green crystal was still glowing, but this time, it was dim. He pressed his nose against it, expecting it to swallow him into another forest. Nothing happened, no forest, no wolf, no story. He looked up, deeper into the cave and realized that another crystal in the line of five was glowing. It was a color that Echo did not know. Strong and warning like red, but loud and warming like the sun. It was almost the color of Moths’s coat. He tapped it with a paw, a flick. Rays of the color sent him spinning into a forest.
The forest was cool, a light breeze lifting leaves off the ground. The trees were bare of leaves and smelt warm and soft. The crystal color and the colors of Moth’s coat painted the world. “It’s autumn in this forest. The color you are seeing is orange.” A she-wolf’s voice barked behind him. With thin, gray fur and a pastel pink nose, she looked like a female, adult version of him. “I am Knight.” Echo shuffled his paws. “Are you going to tell me a story, too?” Knight chuckled. “I wish.”
“I am sorry. This part of entering death is always the hardest. It is a part of changing, becoming truly dead. We shall go to your pack as ghosts, watch them mourn for you, and feel the crows pick at your body. This will take you here safely.”
Knight started walking. She kept quiet but Echo knew to follow her.
He wanted to ask a question but no words could express his confusion.
After walking for a while, the world faded away. The forest, this time, was somewhat familiar. This was his home. It was night. His whole pack was gathered in a hollow behind his den.
Branch was the first to howl, Gwen the next. Rust, his uncle and his close friend, howled. Then, his grandmother, Charcoal. Finally, everyone was howling, everyone but his father, Bingo. His father did not love him. Knight howled too, nudging him with her muzzled. He stuck his nose into the sky and let out a miserable, mourning howl. “ROWWWWLLlllllllllllll!
AAARRROOOoooooooooo!” A chorus of cries and sobs that pierced Echo’s ears continued on until the pack had no howl left in them. Bingo was the first wolf to crawl to his den to sleep. Others followed. Echo turned to Knight. “Are we done now?” She sat for a while and finally, shook her head. “We must watch the last of the mourning.”
Gwen turned to Branch. “It’s my fault, isn’t it?” She was staring at Echo’s body in terror. “Of course it’s not your fault!” Echo knew she could not hear him but he needed to say it anyways, for reasons unknown. “No, sweetie. Not at all. It was Echo’s idea. He’s here. You can’t see him or hear him. But close your eyes, feel him. He will not think it was your fault, dear.” Branch was correct. How are mothers so smart? He had once wondered to himself. Now the only thing he wondered was, Am I really dead?
Echo stepped toward his sister. He opened his mouth to speak but no words could express how he was feeling. More wolves appeared out of the bushes. Like Echo, they were not alive. But unlike the other wolves, Echo was not dead. These wolves howled too. Once the howling stopped, most of them left. “Hey, kid.” Barked a voice, making Echo jump and whip around. “Moths!” Moths chuckled. “I can’t stay but I’ll see you later.” Echo blinked and he was gone. Noticing that he was crying, he sat down. “This is all moving too fast. I don’t understand.” Knight was the only non-alive wolf that had stayed. “I know.”
Agony jerked Echo’s body. Pure pain made him scream. “HELP ME” Jerking and writhing, Knight’s sympathetic stare piercing his skin, he fell to
the ground. Crows picked at his body, red staining their beaks. Living wolves had made their way to their dens and dead ones to the stars. The only wolves left were Echo, Knight, and Echo’s bedraggled body, still a feast to the approaching crows. Knight licked Echo’s forehead gently to comfort him. “Do not worry, sweet pup. You will be alright.”
Moments passed. Crows continued to devour the pup’s body. There was not much left of it. “You have it both easy and hard. Your body is small so you suffer for less time, but your soul is young and you lack strong pain tolerance. Either way, I do not envy you. I am sorry. You should know, it is almost over.” Knight muttered over Echo, still thrashing and groaning. The crows were gone, The body was a skeleton, Yet Echo still felt pain. Knight nuzzled him up to his feet. He stood, shaking and panting. “Can we go now?” Knight shook her head. “I told you, we must watch the last of the mourning.” “But- but- it just finished. Didn’t it?”
Echo and Knight sat down in Branch’s den. His brother, Dark, was already asleep. Gwen and Branch still lay mournfully. “Mom?” Gwen asked. “Yes, Honey?” “Why did you name him Echo? Did you know he would be blind?”
“No, dear. Nobody could have known he would be blind,” “Oh. But then why did you name him that?”
“He looks a lot like an old friend I knew. Almost an echo of her. Pure gray fur, pink paws.”
“Who was this friend, Mom?”
“Her name was Knight. She was strong and clever. Knight was very supportive of me when Moths died.”
“Moths? You mean that foolish wolf from the story you told me yesterday?”
“Yes. He wasn’t that foolish, not once you get to know him. He was really amazing.”
“Amazing, huh?”
“Yes. The best wolf a she-wolf could ever ask for.” “What? I thought you liked Bingo!”
“I never liked your father. He’s simply the strongest male in the pack and I’m the strongest female.”
“Yes, I’m sick.”
“Oh. You don’t seem sick either.”
“Not physically. But emotionally.”
“Emotionally sick?”
“Yes.”
Part Three
“What is this?” Echo stood back. “This isn’t really happening. This is all a dream! Soon I will wake up and be home with my mother and sister. My sister that isn’t sad! My mother that isn’t sick!” Knight shook her head. “No, pup. This is all real.” Echo fell to the floor. “I know.” He closed his eyes. A flash of red shook him. A flash of blood. A flash of warning. “Something terrible is going to happen!” Echo stared at Knight. She looked him in his eyes, colorful and dead at the same time. Tilting her head up, the world paused. Echo looked at Knight. She was not only frozen, but red. Blinking again, the world went back to normal. “Come, pup. We must help the pack.” She tilted her head up once again and howled.
A bark woke the living wolves. Not a bark of the living pack, not a bark of the dead pack. The bark of a white wolf. “This is our territory now!” Growled another white wolf. Echo recognized one of the white wolves. His all white fur, his ugly snarl. Moth’s killer! He was the leader of the other wolves. Echo knew that the other wolves would do anything to get territory. A black wolf shoved Moth’s killer out of the front. “Shut up, Snow! Quit acting like you’re still the leader of this pack!.” Snow lifted his paw and batted the black wolf on his head. “You must not like that paw.” The black wolf growled. He flipped Snow over and bit his paw, hard. Snow whimpered a screeching cry “You don’t have to be so mean, Ash!” Ash growled and Snow ran to the back of the group.
The wolves of Echo’s pack gathered in front of the white wolf pack. Branch growled and snarled at Snow. The first wolf to pounce was Ash. Aiming for Bingo’s neck, he jumped and landed hard on Bingo. When Bingo bit Ash’s ear in response, That signaled all of the wolves that this was a battle. Fur flew. Growls and howls of pain drowned out the sound of teeth snapping and blood splashing when it hit the grass. The dead wolves, Echo’s new pack, were fighting alongside the live ones. Echo noticed that the other pack had no ancestors fighting with them. A white wolf charged at Echo. He flinched. Nothing happened. Echo looked behind himself to find the same wolf that had jumped at him was now fighting Dark, Echo’s brother.
Knight nipped at Echo’s ear. “You fool! Live wolves cannot touch ghosts unless the ghost wants them to.” Though the words had hurt Echo, he realized Knight seemed to be in a hurry. He followed her and watched. Jumping into almost existence, she slashed a white wolf’s cheek open. The white wolf flipped around and bit her ear. Jumping back, Knight fell back into the ghost form, a scratch on her ear bleeding dramatically.
“You-You’re fighting!” Echo stared in horror at the battle. Maybe I can fight too! Branch was fighting Snow, goring his shoulder as he tried to flip around to bite her. Echo lunged forward and bit his paw where Ash had bitten it. He pulled hard with his jaws and stripped rough skin off of the large paw. Snow snapped at Echo and broke into the pup’s fur. Teeth clamped Echo’s back and cut down deep. Branch’s eyes lit up in anger and horror. She seemed to understand that Echo was a ghost. Echo didn’t know if ghosts could die but if they could, this would be the end for him. Red flashed in Echo’s eyes, red and black did too. When he opened them again, he was a ghost. Branch and Snow were fighting but Snow had almost won. He jumped at Branch’s neck. Echo jumped too. “I can save her!”
Crack! WHIMPPER! Fwoosh! “Oh, no, you don’t!” Snow’s jaws were clamped onto a limp, dark gray and black corpse. Branch was dead. Moths was holding onto Echo’s scruff. The tiny pup was held still. He was still a ghost. “You will die if you run into the jaws of an enemy like that.!” Growled Moths. “I’m already dead!” Echo bared his teeth at Moths. “Oh, pup. You cannot think like that. Even in death, wolves must survive. I cannot let you die.” “Then why did you let Branch die!? You loved her! YOU LOVED HER!!” pure fury crackled in Echo’s voice. “I know, Echo. But I couldn’t have saved her. You couldn’t have either. She made her choice. She was a dead wolf when she decided to save you. I love her. That is why I had to grab you. She died trying to save you. I don’t want her sacrifice to be extinguished because I couldn’t stop you. Please, forgive me.”
The enemy wolves were retreating. The pack had won. “We must return to death. You haven’t completed death yet. Come on.” Knight licked Echo on the forehead. Echo shook his head. “I need to stay.” Knight walked away, leaving Echo to think to himself. If I hadn’t attacked Snow, Branch would’ve won. It’s my fault Branch is dead. I killed her! “I can stay with you for a little while but once I say it’s time to leave, it’s time to leave. Being in the living world for a while is dangerous, even for a fully dead wolf.” She sat next to Echo and they watched.
Gwen wandered around the pack’s den area. Something smoky gray caught her eye. She ran up to the still bundle of fur and saw something terrible. “Branch!” She placed her paw on the corpse and shook it hard. No response. “Branch? Branch, NO! MOM! BRANCH!” Echo sat and watched. He cried. The salty water from his tears blended with Branch’s blood. Knight put her head on his. “There, there, pup. It’ll be alright.” Gwen cried too. Bingo walked past her body, glancing at it only for a second. Branch was the only wolf that died. Most wolves got hurt. Echo snarled at Bingo. His mate had just died and he didn’t care. Gwen was crying too. Rust, who was their uncle, comforted Gwen. “Come on, pup. Let’s go.”
Part Four
Echo lied on the floor. “You have one last step to be dead.” Knight lay next to him. Echo’s eyes were open but all he could see was black. It was similar to being blind again but when he was blind he saw no color. He looked up at Knight. He could see again but that brought no cheer to him. He closed his eyes again. Knight nudged him until he stood. “Come on.” Echo ignored her. She sighed and grabbed him by his collar. He was only a pup and she could take him anywhere without much trouble.
When Echo opened his eyes again he was somewhere else. Somewhere cold. The world was coated with white but the skies were black. Knight was with him but she was pacing, pacing almost like she was waiting for something. “Alright, Alright. I’m here.” A voice called from the black, dead forest. A black crow sounded in the distance. From out of the bushes came a black wolf. Echo noticed something strange about this wolf. Unlike the other ancestors, she was not an adult. She was not as young as Echo but she was only about a month older than him. “Took you long enough, Raven.” Knight teased. She turned and walked away.
Echo jumped up and ran to Knight. “Don’t leave me!” Knight turned and licked him on the head. “Trust Raven. You’ll be safe.” She kept walking. “No! Knight! Don’t leave me!!” She nipped him on his ear, not breaking skin but hurting Echo’s heart just the same. “Don’t follow me. I’ll see you later.” Her voice was stern and commanding. Echo collapsed back onto the floor. He closed his eyes. As Knight walked away, he cried. “Branch. I’m so sorry I killed you. I am a terrible wolf. Please, Please, Please help me!”
“Who’s Branch?” A curious voice asked, startling Echo. He looked up at Raven. “She’s my mom.” Echo muttered. “And… You killed her?” Raven looked bewildered.
“Basically.”
“How do you ‘Basically’ kill someone?”
“Well it’s complicated…”
“Then tell me! We have plenty of time!”
Echo explained how he killed Branch. Guilt burnt every part of his soul, tearing his heart into pieces. Raven only sat and listened. The pieces of his heart dissolved into his blood and sent him into agonizing fury. Fury at himself, fury at dying, But most of all, fury at leaving Gwen to mourn on her own. She had Charcoal, Rust, and Dark. She didn’t even really have Dark. He loathed her in ways a brother should never feel about his sister. “I’m so sorry that happened.” Raven put her paw on his. Echo jerked it back from her. “Oh! I’m so sorry!” She stood up and stretched. “Well, It’s time for a story, I guess. I mean- you told me one so I guess it’s only fair I tell you one. I don’t really want to but I have to.” Echo remembered what he was here for. “Oh, right.” She smiled at him but that fell into a quick frown. “I have to warn you, It is a sad story.” Echo’s face fell too. “Oh.” Raven nudged him. “Don’t worry. I’ll be with you for this one.”
Dark purple skies lit the snow into a blueish tint. The sunset was just ending and night air froze Echo’s lungs. The air melted back into the hot summer that Echo was used to. “Come on, the story’s over here!” Raven ran off and Echo ran to follow. She ran into a small rock cave. Echo’s old den. “What is this? Isn’t this supposed to be your story?” Raven shook her head. “Nope!”
A small gray pup with blank, blind eyes sat in the den, illuminated by moonlight. An adult dark gray and black wolf sat at the back of the den with a large black pup and a gray and brown one sleeping next to her. The dark gray adult was sleeping as well. The brown and gray pup stood up and stretched. She glanced at the small gray one. “Couldn’t sleep either?” She asked. “I heard him talking. He hates us doesn’t he, Gwen? He thinks we’re weak.” Gwen walked closer to the gray pup. “Well, yeah, Echo. Bingo hates us.” She licked Echo’s ear in an attempt to comfort both him and her. “I have a plan.” Echo’s blind eyes lit up. Gwen tilted her head. “What is it?” “Well, he thinks we’re weak, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And he thinks we’re too weak to hunt?”
“Yeah.”
“Well then let’s hunt!”
“Yeah! Let’s sneak out and go catch something! It could just be something small like a mouse.”
“I mean…”
“Come on! We have to prove him wrong!” “Ok ok… I’ll go.”
“Alright, shush.” Echo crouched down and flicked his tail to show Gwen to do the same. She reluctantly dropped down to the floor. Silent like the dark night, they crept out of the den and into the lush forest. Catching the squirrel was easy. Echo sniffed it out and Gwen pounced on it. It writhed under her paws and her weight crushed its bones. “Uhh, now what?” Gwen gave a worried glance to her dove colored brother. “It looks really sad.” Echo mused. “Let’s put it out of its misery. We can’t eat it if it’s squirming around anyway.”
Echo dragged the squirrel through the brambles even though it was barely smaller than him. They were almost all the way back to the den. Cheerful and ready to eat their feast, they howled triumphantly. “Just wait till’ Bingo sees this!” A growl stopped them. Their warm bodies froze in an instant. Gwen whipped around to see what was behind them. A fox with fur the color of watery blood snapped at the pups. They ran, splitting up. Gwen quickly realized how they split. Also noticing how the fox chased her brother, she followed Echo in a pathetic attempt to help him. It was over before it started. Foxes were hardly a danger to wolves. Wolves were simply superior. But Echo was a blind runt and his spine snapped. His body went limp. “ECHO! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
Part Five
The story was over. Echo stood, panting. He wasn’t even himself. He had been watching himself. Raven sympathetically licked his ear. “Thank you.” Echo looked Raven in the eyes. She tilted her head. “Why?” Her tongue lolled out of her head when she did that and Echo couldn’t help laughing. She laughed too. “How could someone as kind as you die so young?” He wondered aloud. “I could say the same about you!” “Yes but you already know my story!”
“That’s true. I’ll tell you if you do three things for me!”
“Aww, what?”
“Trust me!”
“Fine”
“What’s the first thing?”
“First, Why did you thank me for showing you how your death really happened?”
“Well, I was born blind. I didn’t see what happened for myself. But that’s not all of it. My uncle, Rust, was also blind. He was so kind and understanding. It was almost like he could see. He saw something more than color though. He saw hearts and I look up to him. I hoped that because I was also blind that I could see like that too but I can’t. I can’t at all. I feel like being able to actually see what happened with the fox happened a lot. Looking at my eyes, seeing my fear, my stupidity. It really helps me see more. More than what eyes can see. I thought if I could see prey without eyes then Bingo would respect me like he respects Rust. I thought it was smart but it really was stupid. I’ll never be wise like Rust but I can learn from my mistakes.”
“Wow.”
“What do you mean, ‘wow’?”
“I mean that sounded pretty wise to me.” “You’re just saying that!”
“No, seriously. I mean, sure you’re not as wise as Rust but he’s old! You’re just a pup! There’s no way you’re gonna be as wise as him at your age!” “Yeah, OK. What’s the second thing to do?”
“Well you already have some friends here but you’re gonna need some friends your age here!”
“And?”
“What do you mean ‘and’? Do you wanna be my friend?” “Yeah! What’s the third?”
“Well, friend, I have a surprise for you!” “Wait, what about your story?”
“Seeing the surprise is the third. Besides, you’re gonna like this more than any silly old story!”
Raven led him out of the black forest into somewhere Echo had never been. The place was a sparkly blue forest. There was a pack of ancestors that all looked happy to see him. Knight and Moths were sharing a scrap of deer. Knight looked up to see Echo and flicked Moths so that he noticed too. “You’re finally dead!” Moths congratulated. “I’m not sure if it’s really a thing to celebrate…” Knight teased. “Well look, you’re cheered up too!” Knight mused. “I told you to trust Raven.” Raven chuckled at Knight’s comment. “Wow! This is amazing, Raven!” Echo’s paws fit perfectly into the grass. “It is but this isn’t the surprise.” Raven started walking out of the den and into the forest, Echo followed. “Then what is?” “This.” A figure came towards Echo out of the forest.
“MOM!” Echo ran to Branch and let her lick his face. “My son. I love you so much.” Knight and Moths stood and embraced Branch, too. “My love, I have missed you so.” “Branch!” “Knight!” More wolves came to greet Branch, many of them wolves Echo didn’t know. But Echo had seen how many of Branch’s friends and family that starved so he didn’t question it. Branch glanced at Raven and then glanced again. She squinted and stared at her for a second, as if trying to process new information. “Is that-Raven?” Knight looked solemn. “Yes, Branch.” Branch licked her friend’s head. “You are amazing. Just look at how much she’s grown!”
Once everyone calmed down, they went back to the den so that Branch and Echo could have their first dinner dead. Echo sat next to Raven. “So… How do you know Branch? And why were they sad?” Echo nudged her. “Well I suppose I did promise I would tell you my story…”
It was a cold winter evening. Stars painted the black sky. Branch paced in front of the den. Howls of Knight’s agony sounded from the den but Knight had told Branch not to come in the den. Branch had taken on the anxiety that a father wolf would have for his mate because Knight was her closest friend and these pups’ father was nowhere near the pack. Finally the pained screeches turned into words. “Branch! Branch, come in!” Branch ran in swiftly to find Knight curled around a single pup. Two lay lifeless on the floor behind her. “Knight, no.” Branch whimpered and howled a mournful howl with Knight but Knight still sounded pained. She fell to the floor. Branch stepped forward. “Knight, no. Stay with me, Knight.” Knight shook her head. “It’s over. Her name’s Raven. Take care of her, Branch. I just wish her father could be here to raise her.” Branch shook her head. “I can’t lose you!” Knight was already gone. Branch picked up Raven and comforted her but the pup was weak. She licked Raven to wake her but the pup had fallen into the same endless sleep as Knight. That night, Branch cursed the terrible wolf that was heartless enough to leave his mate and unborn pups. The evil wolf that was not dead but his heart was foul and rotted like death.
Echo stared at Raven. “I’m so sorry.” Raven tilted her head, “Don’t be. I don’t remember it.” Echo shook his head “It’s still terrible! Where are your siblings?” Raven shrugged. “They were never alive, I guess. You can’t die if you weren’t born.” Raven seemed hardly bothered by the story. “Anyways, I didn’t mean to make you sad! It’s so boring! The only thing that is happening is talking! Let’s go and actually play!” Echo nodded. “Yeah. In a second.” Raven ran off.
Echo finally understood. Being blind did not make him wise. It did not make him unwise either. There are different kinds of wisdom. For him, It would be wise to learn to hunt and play and howl like a regular wolf, despite his size. He needs to keep trying and learning and watching his living family. For Raven, though, It would be wise to not dwell on the past too much. It would be wise for her to be herself and not cry over something she couldn’t control. For Knight, It would be wise to remember what happened but still raise her pup and have fun. For her, she can always be
sad but it is wise to not give up. For Moths, it’s wise to learn from his mistakes and hope for forgiveness. He must still love and try to make up for his idiotiness in the past. There is a wise decision for every living thing ever. Being wise is not being smart. Being wise is seeing the inside of everything. Echo knew he was only a pup but he could make a difference and he would try. But for now, he was going to go play tag with Raven in the forest.
The End
