Finally. Inspiration.

The Lone Wolf
By Saliim Amir

When the mountains were not yet named,
When life was simple and free.
Before men cleared the wood like flame,
My tale begins for thee.

There lived a pack of wolves in kind.
Fifteen strong were they.
They roamed the mountain woods at night,
And cared for each other by day.

Strong were they when they stood as one
And lived by their own choice.
And in all things, it could be said,
They spoke as if one voice.

But things did change, that fateful day,
When among them arrived a bear.
It stood so tall above them all
And filled their hearts with fear.

It gave them all a single choice
And all had to decide.
Either work for him and bring him food,
Or be outcast then, and hide.

All said that they would stay and live
And their food they all would share.
For food was plenty. How could it hurt,
To share some with the bear?

The next few weeks went on as such,
They hunted and shared their prey.
The bear ate his share before the rest,
And life went on their way.

But after time, the colder winds
Came blowing from the North.
The food supply getting slim
And not much of any worth.

But still the bear, he ate his fill
Leaving less food by the day.
In fact, his share had grown in size
And the pack, they had no say.

For if one dared to question the bear
It was sure he would be met
With a sweep of the claw across his snout
Or a worse fate would be met.

One day a wolf within the ranks
Decided to make a stand
Against the bear and his greediness
For the sake of his fellow clan.

His name among them was Silver Mane
For the lock of hair that stood
Upon his neck that shone in moonlight
Like a glowing, silver hood.

He told the others they should not hunt.
Leave nothing for the bear.
If we do nothing to bring in his feast,
He will have to leave our lair.

He will have to hunt for his own meals
And will again be free.
A mighty clan of our cunning and might
Should not fear one such as he.

So the next day when time came to hunt
The wolves brought nothing back,
And when the bear came from his cave
He noticed the decided lack.

“Where is my meal,” the bear cried out
With rage burning in his voice.
Silver Hood stood before the wolves
And presented him their choice.

“The food is getting difficult
To gather every day.
We cannot feed ourselves and you
And live our lives this way.”

The bear then stood to his full height
And released a roar of ire.
The other wolves stepped back as one
As if from blazing fire.
But Silver Hood, he stood his ground
And let the large beast bawl.
When it was done, he asked the bear,
“Do you think to take us all?

“My fellow wolves are brave and strong
“Not fearing the likes of you.
“So try to take us if you dare,
“But no good you will it do.”

The bear just sneered and said to them,
“Does this one speak sincere?
“Do you not fear me as he says?
“Do you really have no fear?”

The other wolves as if they were one
All turned and ran away.
But Silver Hood still stood his ground.
Fear ruled him not, this day.

The bear let loose a booming laugh
That shook leaves from the trees.
But Silver Hood just stood his ground.
From there he would not flee.

The bear reached out his mighty arm
Swiping at him with his claws
But Silver Hood dodged and rebounded fast
And pierced the mighty paw.

The bear, he did not flinch away
Though his paw now gleamed with red.
He attacked again and aimed to crush
His target’s waiting head.

He caught the wolf a glancing blow
And drew blood from his hide.
He swept again at the now stunned wolf
But his strike was knocked aside.

Silver Hood, his head filled with clouds
Tried to dance out of his grasp.
He dodged one strike, and parried one more
But a blow did hit at last.

Silver Hood lay on the ground
Blood dripping from his wounds.
The bear stood tall above him now
Ready to seal his doom.

But he did not strike at Silver Hood
Instead he called aloud,
“Does not one of you have the guts
“To step forth from the crowd,

“And save the one who stood up for you
“When you left him on his own?
“Are you all that scared of one such as me,
“That you would leave him here alone?”

Not a sound was made. Not a move was seen.
The wolves made not a breath.
They hid themselves among the trees
To leave Silver Hood to his death.

When all at once from within the bear
There shown a stunning light.
And from him came a giant wolf
Its fur a dazzling white.

The bear skin coat dropped to the ground
And the Wolf shed a single tear.
It landed upon brave Silver Hood
And a howling filled the air.

And suddenly, his wounds were healed,
And he rose up from the ground.
He stared in wonder that he was alive,
The he stopped and looked around.

He saw the great white Wolf that stood
Before him shining bright.
He bowed his head and said to him,
“I thank you for my life.”

The Wolf grinned a little and said to him,
“It was not mine to take.
Your bravery against overwhelming odds
For your own pack’s sake

“Is what saved you from certain death.
But from what I have observed.
Perhaps your goodness and loyalty,
Your pack does not deserve.”

And with his words, the pack came forth
From the cover of the woods.
They all came forth and encircled the Wolf
And their martyr, Silver Hood.

The Wolf looked at them one and all
And gave a single cry
That shook the ground on which they stood
And rained leafs from upon high.

And with the howl came a blinding light
And a stirring of the air.
And when it faded, Silver Hood saw
The Wolf was no longer there.

He looked around and was taken aback
By the strange tableau
Where once stood about him a pack of wolves
Was a ring of haze aglow.

The light within began to dim
And there came a rush of air.
The haze was blown away from him
And in place of the wolves, stood hares.

The Wolf had changed these once great beasts
Into creatures of prey.
And Silver Hood, he feasted well
On the bounty for him that day.