As the pack ate, Saiela stayed in the shadows. She had learned not to try to grab herself a morsel; the others would only punish her if she did. The role of Omega in a pack is a difficult one. A shiver wracked her body; it was getting colder out. From the corner of her eye, there was movement. Turning her head, she saw Blizzard, a pup about her age, coming toward her with a hunk of meat hanging from his jaws. Frightened, she cowered in the corner, but all he did when he reached her was drop the meat at his feet.
He lowered his head and tail, indicating his lack of dominance over her. She simply stared. After waiting for a few moments, he nosed the food towards her, then walked back to where the pack was eating. When she was sure his back was turned, Saiela grabbed the meat and gobbled it down in a matter of seconds. She was not full, but the gnawing hunger had receded.
* * *
Something wet and cold settled on Saiela’s nose, waking her. Prying her eyes open, she saw that the entire clearing was blanketed in white. She was chilled and damp to the bone. Standing up, she wondered what the white stuff was. Her paws were numb, and she was very uncomfortable.
Yip! Yip! Noise drew her attention to the left. She saw the other wolf pups romping in the stuff, and as they landed it came up in giant poofs, which seemed to thrill them. Bounding, yelling, and rolling, they were having a ball in the stuff. Blizzard was almost invisible, his light coat blending with the white blanket as hers blended with shadows.
Warmth touched Saiela’s back, and she turned around. The sky was now a light periwinkle blue, and the sun was smiling down at her, a plump yellow ball in the sky. The coniferous trees seemed to straighten up and reach for the sky. The whole scene was much cheerier, and it made Saiela want to romp in it too. Momentarily, she forgot how cold she was.
“Look Mama, it’s snow! The snow has come!” one of the pups shouted as the adults began to emerge from the caves. With a pang, Saiela wished she was allowed to sleep in the warmth of the caves.
She had heard of snow before; when her mother was still alive, she used to tell Saiela about the winters of her life – how much fun they would have playing in it. She never mentioned the cold, or the shortage of food. Suddenly grasped by an urge, Saiela began to play in snow as well in her own little corner by the tree; at first she bounced just slightly on her toes, and then she began to take bigger and bigger jumps, smiling as the clouds of snow settled on her nose and ears, tickling her.
Her play did not last long, however. It was not very much fun by herself, and she felt too conspicuous. The black of her coat stuck out against the snow.