The Immortal Howl

nine.

"One down, twenty-three to go!" Jasper proudly proclaimed as I followed him and his horse through the streets of Audax's town square.

I was slowly letting go of the other night's incident. He realized his mistake, and I recognized that he realized it. The horse I didn't have anything against. He was merely a forced accomplice, really.

And while the atmosphere was extremely grim, as well as the reason why Jasper was out and about this afternoon, the pack was even more beautiful during the day. Busy, too.

What I admired even more was how everything was set up. Shops and markets lined the stone sidewalks, and on the floor above resided Courage's pack members. They all lived above their day jobs and traveled by horse or foot. Everyone was hustling about.

It felt so archaic, but it was a welcomed change from the horrendous traffic on Viribus where houses were far from the city center and wolves were forced to migrate to and fro every single day. Almost everyone invested in motorbikes or scooters.

The wolves in the Pack of Courage seemed so down to earth and homely. Efficient, as well.

What was quite strange, however, was that Jasper's to-do list wasn't one at all. It was a list of names and addresses, nothing else.

He stalked through the streets robotically, turning at every corner with purpose and insight, as if he knew every single twist and curve of the town by heart. He puffed his chest as he walked, proudly displaying Courage's crest sewed on his left pec. But before approaching the homes, he would reach into the horse's saddle pouch to withdraw a piece of paper and a pair of roses, one red and one yellow, tied at the stem by a simple gold ribbon.

Red roses signify love and grief, which made sense with how the pack members were acting, but yellow I had no idea.

He urged me to stay behind with the horse, as I was still a stranger, but I did notice one thing. Every person who answered the door would soon be drenched in tears. Jasper would try to console them, but they would eventually recede back into their home. It became routine. To say I was curious was an understatement.

Making sure that Jasper wasn't looking, I took two very large and very suspicious steps backward, hands behind my back, and pulled open the pouch.

Thick sheets of light gold parchment were stacked inside the leather pouch, a silver trim outlining a square around a half-inch margin. Italic letters spelled out various names centered on the page, and two signatures on their designated corners sit below. Above the flourished name, a sentence in printed fine lettering read:

"In memoriam of an untimely and courageous death, this certificate is hereby presented to Nicholas Thorne and family in commemoration of bravely defending Audax territory and its wolves."

All of these people died? I had no idea a war was even going on. Twenty-four people dead was not a light conflict, especially in our world. Pack members were very close and dear to each other.

It didn't occur to me until now that I really was on Courage soil. They held bravery, in times of war and peace, as the most important trait to have in life. Everything to them was about having the courage to fight and protect, which was the exact opposite of what I was born into.

The Pack of Strength prioritized stability and individualism above all. The way I was raised, if our minds were weak, then so were we. To resist temptation and bribery and one's deepest desires was to have strength, and of course, hitting the gym.

I came from a pack of wolves who believed in helping themselves over others, and that was the exact opposite of what I was watching Jasper do right now.