Howl Silently My Love

Stillness

Chapter 1

---Maia's POV---

"Alex, honey, I need your help in the garden."

"Coming mom!"

I shook my head with a smile as my I made my way down stairs with my earphones in my ears. My mother seemed so clueless when it came to anything dealing with nature which was why I didn't understand her reason behind gardening. I, on the other hand, felt this strange connection with nature that was too noticeable to ignore. Sometimes I swore I could hear the trees talking to me and more than that I'm positive that I've had dozens of conversations with my dog, Ryder. Though my parents didn't believe me. Half the time they thought I was going mad.

"Yeah mom?" I asked, sticking my through the door way to get a look at her problem.

"This one's dying and I can't figure out why." She said, now sulking.

I made a face at her. "Don't be such a baby, that plant just hates the sun. Try planting it over there below that large oak tree." Her face lit up. She uprooted it then held it out to with while pouting. I sighed then took it. Sometimes I thought that Dad and I spoiled her just a bit too much. 

I walked over to the oak tree and after planting it felt a gently breeze blowing. I suddenly thought 'It must have been stronger up there!'. So I grabbed a low hanging branch and began making my way up. Soon no branch was higher than me. I pushed my body out as the breeze began again. This was heavenly. I couldn't understand why most of the girls at my school hated the outside. They were all just stuck up prises, who got mad when I said I would have preferred talking to my dog than to them---but it was the truth!

"Get down from there." I looked down and saw Ryder sitting at the foot of the tree. 

"Oh hey Ryder", He was a grey wolf but I liked calling him a dog, it pissed him off. "you know I've been thinking lately and I realized that when I was younger I used to make up poems for you." He continued staring at me, not acknowledging that I had spoken. I sighed. "I'm not coming down until I hear a poem." I said with a stubborn smile.

"Alright, Roses are red, violets are blue, get down."

I began to laugh. "That doesn't even rhyme." I heard him give off a low growl. "Alright alright, I'm coming jeez." He may have been my dog but he was still a wolf and those things were fierce. I always admired them though. The way they hunted in packs, the way in which they set up their structures making everything all organized despite the fact that they were just dumb animals, even their look and walk intrigued me. In fact my room was plastered with pictures of wolves. I guess you could say I was obssessed.

"I really wish you would stop talking to that wolf as if he's human." Mom said as I got off the tree. "You keep giving me the idea that someone else is around." She said with perplexed look as she petted Ryder.

"But he'll be lonely without my voice."

"Don't kid yourself."

I glared down at him and he casually looked away.

Later that night I sat around the table with my parents for dinner while Ryder went out to hunt, Even though he was grown on kibbles and bits as soon as he was big enough to run fast enough so none of us would be able to catch him he started bolting towards the forest. That was when we stopped trying to catch him.

"So princess I hear that cheerleading tryouts are tomorrow." Dad said, smiling over at me.

"Forget it."

"Oh but you know that you're much more flexible and agile than the other girls, come one give it a shot."

"I'd rather swallow nails."