Ashley

Ashley had been born into silence. While her littermates twitched their ears at every rustling leaf, every distant howl, every command given by their mother, she had known nothing but quiet.

At first, it hadn't mattered. She had learned to watch instead of listen, to read the world in movement, in expression, in the shifting of bodies rather than the sound of words. She followed her siblings when they ran, leapt when they did, learned the rhythm of their games by watching their paws. But as they grew, her differences became clearer.

The first time she failed to hear a warning growl, she had been knocked to the ground by an older pup, teeth pressing into her scruff in frustration. She hadn't even seen it coming.

Her mother had tried to be patient, nudging her along, using gestures rather than sounds to guide her. But the pack wasn't as forgiving. A deaf wolf, they believed, was a wolf who wouldn't survive.

She had worked twice as hard to prove them wrong.

She learned to read the wind, to feel vibrations in the ground when prey stirred or when danger approached. She watched the subtle flickers of muscle in another wolf's face to understand their moods before they ever bared their teeth. While her siblings relied on their ears, Ashley relied on everything else.

But no matter how much she adapted, it was never enough.

When she missed a command during a hunt, the pack grew impatient.
When she didn't react to an approaching threat as quickly as the others, they grew wary.
When food became scarce, she became a liability.

By the time she was six months old, she had learned to expect to be left behind.

And then, one day, she was.

The pack moved on without her, leaving only the faintest traces of their scent behind. No farewell, no warning—just emptiness where their warmth had been.

For days, she wandered, but she didn't despair. She had always been on the outside looking in, had always known that, in the end, she could only rely on herself.

Then she found Haru's pack.

Or rather, they found her.

She had been lingering at the edges of their territory, unsure whether to move forward or flee. Packs never welcomed wolves like her. She expected growls, raised hackles, the kind of rejection she had always known.

But that wasn't what happened.

Instead, Momo approached first—not with dominance, but with gentle curiosity. She didn't speak, not at first, but instead tilted her head, tapped the ground lightly with her paw, waiting to see how Ashley would react.

Ashley, surprised, mimicked the gesture. Momo's tail flicked, approving.

Then Haru stepped forward, his eyes assessing but not unkind. He lifted his head slightly, slowly exaggerating the movement, making sure Ashley could see every motion.

"Stay?" His mouth formed the word clearly, deliberately.

She understood him instantly.

She had never been given a choice before.

So this time, she chose to stay.