Up north, through the thick rainforests and crystalline rivers, the road eventually reaches the tundra. The pine trees become smaller, thinner, while the undergrowth thickens in a coiling morass of mossy green. Above the snowy peaks, a moon rises, and a forgotten tale howls in the wind.
"Awooooooowake, brothers and sisters! Drifter has gone missing! I have searched the cliffs to the north, the running waters in the south, east and west, I have looked for him, yet of Drifter, I have not found a single clue. Awoooooooake nooooooooow, so that we may find and reunite with our lost brother."
"Inevitable. The young today have no respect for pack and tradition. Off they go in search of trouble, as sure as the moon also rises, the wind will blow through the leaves, and the snow will fall. That is the way of things."
"Drifter is a spirited young one. It is indeed the way of new generations to seek new forests and glades. He will find his way back home or build a new den beneath a distant star. The Mother Moon will guide him and SkyWolf father protect him. Let us howl well into the night, may our songs serve as beacons in this uncertain hour."
"SkyWolf father, furry be thy coat.
Moon Mother of our cubs,
bless us with the fruits of thy hunts.
Protect our brother from bears and other harms
May he find his answers in the thrill of the run."
"A new moon rises, behold the drifting snow! A pristine realm beckons me closer. Mother Moon and SkyWolf father illuminate and guide my path to this mystery. I must seek it. Track it. Hunt it. The scent of savage freedom. With heavy heart, I leave behind everything I've known. But forward I must go. Farewell, my brothers and sisters, sooooooo looooooooooooong."
This story began with art generated while playing around with Stable Diffusion. I used variations of a prompt about a wolf howling under a full moon with aurora borealis and snowy peaks. Something like that. I then printed the images generated and 'randomly' glued them to my notebook. Then filling up my Conklin pen with a silky ink called Nightshade, I brainstormed the story. I jotted down impressions of each wolf's personality and how they would react to the missing Drifter. I did not follow any particular order but just went wild and jumped from wolf to wolf. After rearranging a few things to improve the narrative flow, I put it together in digital format. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading.
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