This is the first part of a story I wrote for Halloween. The holiday passed but I still want to finish it. I hope you enjoy and leave me some feedback in the comments. Thank you for reading!

The hefty body of the wolf puckered up as its senses kicked in. The creature scanned its surroundings, but nothing caught its attention. The rest of the pack seemed calm and oblivious to any threats or changes in the encompassing woods. Yet, the wolf's fur was bristling up in anticipation of the undiscovered treat. Its blood was pumping faster, and its muscles started tensing up involuntarily.

The threat was closing in from all detections. It was staring at it from the blackness of the forest, from among the branches of the tree beneath which the wolf was resting, and it was coming from the wolves laying scattered across the clearing. The wolf sprang up, its senses going haywire, and leaped into the murky forest. The uncontrollable feeling of an impending threat took control of its body, and the wolf bolted between the massive trunks. It had to get away from the danger, and its legs propelled it faster and deeper within the groves, the wind whipping at its ears.

As the distance behind it grew, the wolf was starting to feel like it had outrun the threat. The creature's mind was calming down as the adrenaline subsided. It slowed down its pace from desperate racing to a slow trot. With its tongue hanging down its jaw, the wolf came to a stop and listened carefully to the sounds of the forest. It was quite safe for the gentle swishing of the wind and the occasional hoot of an owl. The innate instincts of the animal started kicking back in, and its pack mentality had it racing back to the others.

As the wolf was nearing the clearing, however, a familiar prickling at the back of its neck reemerged slowing down its step. The low growling of its pack members reached its ears. The sound was one of wolves ready for attack and this time the feeling of menace found its source. The returning wolf was compelled to go closer, teeth bared, its bloodlust and terror rising.

Leaves rustled in the distance, the sound getting closer and growing increasingly erratic. The creature was hiding behind the trees and among the bushes, as its instincts screamed to take cover and lay low. The pack of wolves had since long sharpened their ears in an attempt to keep track of the returning wolf which emerged from amidst the bushes and assumed the same position as the others.

The clearing of the forest was blanketed with autumn leaves. They crunched and rustled under the paws of the dozen wolves which were scattered across the clearing with their legs spread wide and heads close to the ground. Twinkling eyes darted from one companion to another as the drool was sliding off of their bared fangs. Some of the wolves were standing still, protecting their ground and others were maneuvering slowly, inch by inch. Each of them was trying to keep their distance from the other. Low gurgles and growls emanated from their throats. When the returning comrade appeared from the bushes and gingerly stepped into the clearing, the wolves turned their piercing gazes to the wolf, sensing yet another source of danger. The wolf scanned the parameter slowly, the flesh painfully pulling back from his teeth and eyes as the animal's face contorted in a snarl. The creatures' backs and tails bristled with the new threat, their muscles tensed up tighter.

The surrounding woods were vibrating with the echoing gnarls of the frightened animals when a roar and a sharp wail pierced through the air. A single misstep was all it took to set off the wolves who had been living in comradery for years. With the crack of a twig, a wolf latched onto the closest throat. Its fangs cut through the flesh and ripped at the shrieking animal. Its own blood was drowning the creature, subduing its yowl. The scent of fresh blood permeated the cold air of the night. The previously silent forest became filled with growls of anger and shrieks of agony. The wolfs had been living as a pack for many years, but that night the comradery had come to an end.

The bunch was tangled in sharp fangs, bloodied fur, and torn pieces of flesh. The wolves attacked each other, biting whatever had found itself within reach. The whirlwind moved fast through the forest as the wolves struck and sprung back in self-defense. The clearing wasn't far away from the edge of the woods. One could follow the track of crimson blood drenching fiery autumn leaves on the forest floor and the thick chunks of fur still attached to flesh that were left behind.

As the jaws of the wolves clamped down on each other's necks, yowls of misery reached the far edges of the woods. The dread only grew more burdensome as the cries drowned out one by one. The air became heavy with the smell of blood and saliva. The night was silent once again, but near the very edge of the forest, one could listen to the wolves and their whimpers of agony and hear the last breaths wheezing wetly out of their lungs. Many of the wolves were tangled with each other each squeezing the throat of a former comrade between its crimson teeth. There, they lay. Some silent and growing colder and others still writhing in agony with the last convulsions of muscles about to grow motionless forever. The last wolf stared blankly in the distance. The animal's gaze fell on a window bathed in soft, warm light. With the final breath of air leaving its crushed lungs, the wolf let go of one last howl, a dying song announcing the end of the pack.