GRETA HAD WALKED AS FAR AS SHE COULD BEFORE FINALLY LYING DOWN TO THE FINAL SLEEP. SHE WAS TIRED AND OLD. GRETA HAD BEEN A VERY SUCCESSFUL LEADER OF THE PACK FOR MANY YEARS. HER CHOICES HAD KEPT THEM WELL FED AND HEALTHY BUT LATELY SHE HAD BEEN SLOWING AND WITHDRAWN. LATELY, GRETA HAD BEEN ALLOWING PASHA, HER ELDEST CUB, TO FOLLOW HER EVERY PAW PRINT WHEN SEARCHING OUT ROUTES AND PREY, A TASK SHE HAD ALLOWED NO WOLF ASSIST HER DO BEFORE. LAST NIGHT SHE LEFT THE DEN AND REFUSED TO LET ANYONE FOLLOW HER. TO HER FAMILY, SHE SEEMED VERY SAD AS SHE NUZZLED EACH ONE LONG AND LOVINGLY BEFORE LEAVING. WHEN MORNING ARRIVED AND SHE HAD NOT RETURNED TO THE DEN, CONFUSED AND ARGUMENTATIVE, THE PACK BEGAN TO FOLLOW HER SCENT TRAIL FOR MILES. PASHA FOUND GRETA COVERED IN THE NEW FALLEN SNOW. PASHA TRIED AND TRIED TO GET HER MOTHER’S COLD BODY TO RISE UP AND TELL HER WHAT TO DO. PASHA SENSED THE IMPENDING BATTLES ALREADY BREWING BUT SHE WAS NOT READY. SHE WANTED HER MOTHER TO TELL HER WHAT TO DO. BELKI, GRETA’S MATE AND FATHER OF MANY CUBS, WAS SINGING A SONG SO SAD THE VALLEY SEEMED TO ECHO TEARS. THE TWINS HAD WANDERED OFF WITH THE REST OF THE PACK NOW IN EMOTIONAL CHAOS. WHEN THEY RETURNED THE FIGHTS WOULD BEGIN. Bryce6, GeoControl terrain, Zygote wolf and Poser5, PS and PSP for postwork