Growls filled the air, sounds of primal aggression echoing through the wilderness.

A pack of wolves encircled the solitary black creature, their eyes gleaming with a predatory intensity. Undeterred, he snarled in response, his lips lifting to reveal sharper and longer fangs than his adversaries. Though outnumbered, he exuded a fierce aura, unwilling to yield in the face of the encroachers.

They were trespassing, all seeking to seize what wasn't rightfully theirs.

The air crackled with anticipation. With ears pulled back, each member of the opposing forces gauged the other for weakness, preparing for the imminent collision that would determine supremacy in this moonlit battleground. The tension was palpable as they confronted each other, a clash of territorial instincts and dominance. 

Grunts emanated as paws swiped, jaws snapped, and flesh wept.

Faint moonlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting an eerie glow on the scene unfolding in the heart of the woods. A cacophony of wild, untamed sounds reverberated through the night. Claws clashed, fangs collided, and crimson oozed.

Growls transitioned into yowls, gradually fading into shameful whimpers.

The lone wolf's dark fur seemed to absorb the lucent silver rays, rendering him a shadowy figure standing defiantly against the cowering pack. He released a howl filled with rage and pent-up longing. It echoed through the night, a warning and a promise.

Their attacks were relentless and desperate, attempting to end his life and cease his solivagant journey. He posed a threat to their carefully constructed hierarchy. 

How could a single creature possess such immense power?

Wolves lived in packs, relying on each other for survival. They couldn't thrive alone, and the presence of a creature such as him that defied the rules of their existence was an aberration. He was an anomaly, and he ought to be eradicated. Not only was he a lone wolf traversing the lands with no qualms or fear, but he had no notion of limited or private territories. Everything was there for him to reach and claim.

His howls had roused more than the attention of the Moon. They evoked terror and anger. How dare one wolf presume to claim ownership of every corner of these vast lands?

Yet, all of their attempts ended in utter failure. 

They met an end befitting of their blatant disrespect and disregard for the vast gap in their strength. His chest rumbled as he expressed his displeasure.  He had been deprived of expressing his adoration for too long a duration. His heart ached, shedding silent laments of saudade. His gaze flitted over the strewn, fallen bodies of those who dared attack him and disrupt his rendezvous with his silver beloved. 

The wolf bristled before releasing a shuddering, low guttural sound that slowly swelled until the ground shook beneath his paws.

Mud coated his matted fur, blood dripped from his muzzle, and, when shameful clouds attempted to hide the moon, his ashen irises lifted toward the sky. They glinted with newfound resolve.

A silent vow echoed in the depths of his soul.

The black wolf swayed on his quivering limbs but he persisted, forcing himself to trek up the rest of the way up the hill.

Scarlet trickled down, soaking his fur and coloring the soil underneath. His wounds whined, and his muscles screamed, but he refused to yield. Digging his claws into the earth, he pushed on, each step a battle against the agony that threatened to engulf him. Just a few more steps. The short distance ahead was nothing compared to the unwavering mission he had already endured.

Reaching his destination, the wolf collapsed in a mess of huffs and chest rumbles. Tension escaped his body in a rush as faint light tickled him. A sigh tumbled out. 

Home.

He was home, at last.

The cliff greeted him, familiar and steadfast, its rugged edges offering solace and sanctuary. Abandoned and untouched, it remained a sacred space, untouched by intruders who dared not approach his spot.

His forelegs trembled from exertion as he rose to sit on his hindquarters, allowing his gaze to sweep across the lands below. Light filtered through the few clouds that roamed the skies, casting dispersed pools of holiness that seemed to bless the earth.

His heart swelled with pride. Longing grew, grew, grew, with each passing moment until his ribs could no longer contain it. An overwhelming force strained against the confines of his soul. 

A deep inhale disrupted the song of nature and a profound stillness blanketed everything in anticipation for the long-awaited hymn of the night. His chest expanded, his breath catching in his throat, and then the howl erupted from deep within him, echoing across the landscape and reaching everywhere his paws had touched. It was a testament to his unwavering devotion to the Moon above.

"I never forgot or abandoned you," he hoped to convey. "I never stopped yearning and searching for you."

As soon as it ended, another followed, and another, and another. Life exploded with each one, a haunting melody expressing his pent-up emotions.

It wasn't long before howls from everywhere, every mountain, valley, forest, and prairie, joined, merging into one deep and powerful symphony of reverence that reverberated through the night. A chorus of voices united in adoration of the silver beauty that adorned the heavens.

The full Moon shined brighter with every beat of his erratic heart until azure spread across the shimmering orb. Then, the blue rays spilled all over the skies in a breathtaking explosion of the celestial being's grandeur entrance. 

The black wolf's serenade, it seemed, had reached his otherworldly beloved.

Beams of silver light danced in the air, blue mist enveloping Accalia while she floated atop the cliff, gazing down at her devoted worshipper. Tenderness stretched her rosy lips, her smile holding the night captive. Silver strands danced to the breeze and her dark aegean dress flapped around her slender frame.

Labored pants overwhelmed the wolf as he watched her descent, tortuously slow but majestic and spectacular. His voice faded, his limbs betraying him when the last drop of energy he had evaporated, and he crumpled to the ground. Exhaustion had finally seized his battered body.

Yet, as life slowly trickled out, the creature felt nothing but utter admiration, pride, and astonishment.

The Moon did not abandon him. She did not forget, or overlook his efforts. After a lifetime of searching for her, there she was. She came to him instead, visiting him atop this very cliff where everything had begun.

Faint breaths rattled in his chest as he lay moribund, his gaze never straying off of Accalia as she hovered midair, gracefully twirling around and taking in the scene before her.

Then, electric blue met light grey and the wolf was stunned into submission. Warmth flooded his heart. Baring his neck, he let out a feeble bark. "This is all for you," he wanted to say. "It is my gift for you, my silver beloved."

Slowly, his eyes fluttered shut and he was spiraling down an abyss of darkness.

Word count: 1168.

Total word count: 2073.

2K milestone✔

Main prompt✔ (34. You wanted to go to the moon, see the silvery white glow of it for yourself. Instead, the moon came to you. One day, at your door.)

MEANING OF THE WORDS USED:

Solivagant: one who wanders alone.

Saudade: (n.) an emotional state of melancholic or profoundly nostalgic longing for a beloved yet absent something or someone/a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant, or that has been loved and then lost; "the love that remains".

Aegean: a shade of blue. 

Moribund: in a dying state; near death.