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A small snout painted brown and white lifted into the air. She sniffed, breathing in the night, the combination of smells all coming to her at once.

She took a step back as she began to feel overwhelmed. But she still wasn\'t used to the large paws or the tail. Then, finally, she tripped on a fallen log, stumbling back and falling to her side with a soft whimper.

Not far from where she lay, she could hear the others running through the trees with ease.

She had received her wolf almost a year ago, she was one of the oldest in the group, and yet, she struggled more than any other.

She sighed.

Her father had tried to push her to shift more, to return to her classes. All the others had returned after two weeks, but for her, it had been almost two months.

Even after her return, she had struggled to keep up, to practice on her own.

Joining the Mourning Call was mandatory. If not, she wouldn\'t be here.

‘Cheer up, buttercup!\'

She let out another soft whimper as the cheerful voice whispered in her memory.

Losing Teacher Renee had been a pain that all the wolves her age had felt deeply. But for Alma, it had been far more personal. Teacher Renee wasn\'t just the person that was guiding her in the use of her wolf.

Alma had lost her mother when she was only a baby. Her father tried, but he was a military man with long rotations on the farthest borders of the northern territory. Sometimes he would be gone for weeks.

Teacher Renee had realized quickly that Alma needed more than just a friendly face and a lesson about her wolf. She needed someone to confide in, to help her sort through the feelings of having lost her mother, before she even knew her.

She became that person for Alma. Building her confidence, her hope._.

And then she was gone.

Alma laid down on the ground, resting her snout on her large paws.

‘I\'ll just wait, someone else will find it, I\'ll never be able to do it,\' Alma thought sadly.

‘Not if you don\'t try,\' Teacher Renee\'s voice whispered in her ear.

Alma looked up, expecting to see her. But no, it was just another of her memories haunting her once again.

“Alma, just try again. It\'s ok to take it slow.”

“I can\'t!” Alma cried out. “It\'s too much! I can\'t find anything! I\'ll never be able to do it!”

Alma had failed her tracking test three times. Even now, Teacher Renee had stayed late to help her, and she still couldn\'t get anything right.

Teacher Renee smiled sweetly, reaching her hand to Alma\'s shoulder with a gentle squeeze.

“Not if you don\'t try,” Renee whispered. “Everything in life takes effort, Alma. But the things that matter the most, the things that stick with us for the rest of our lives? Those will always feel like the hardest. And it will suck and feel like you\'re climbing up a sludge-covered mountain with snowballs being thrown at you the whole way.”

Alma laughed as she wiped away her tears. Teacher Renee smiled, knowing she had shaken the despair Alma had clung to.

“But they are so worth it, honey,” she said softly, “So, let\'s try again, ok? Nice and slow. Just listen to what I tell you.”

Alma swallowed and then nodded.

“Alright,” Renee grinned. “Now close your eyes.”

Alma did as she was told.

“Take a breath, and then tell me what you hear.”

Alma took a deep breath and then tried to listen. The wind, the birds, the beating of her heart, the crunching of leaves somewhere close, not far… close. Her brows furrowed as she began to feel overwhelmed.

“Breath,” Renee instructed. Alma focused on taking another deep breath. “Now, tell me what you hear, one at a time. Find one sound, identify it, and then the next.”

“Wind,” Alma whispered. “Birds… leaves moving… crunching…. An animal? It\'s scurrying.”

“Where?” Renee whispered.

Alma listened, she focused on only the sounds of the creature, only the leaves crunching around it, she turned her head and then opened her eyes.

“There!” she shouted with delight, pointing to a chipmunk at the base of a tree washing itself.

“Very good!” Renee laughed proudly, Alma turned and gave her a high five. “You got this girl!”

Teacher Renee\'s amethyst eyes sparkled with joy; Alma had never felt so proud of herself.

“All it takes is a little time and patience, Alma,” Renee said softly. “So, let\'s climb this mountain together. I\'ll even take all the snowball hits.”

Alma sniffled and let out a soft whimper as the memory faded away. She felt alone, hopeless.

And then she felt cold, as a clump of snow fell from the tree she was pouting under. It landed directly on her head. Splatting against her snout.

Alma looked up at the branches of the tree, and another splat of snow fell on her face.

And for some reason that she didn\'t understand, she laughed inside her heart.

She took a deep breath and stood up.

‘I guess I have to take all the hits myself now,\' she thought. Alma closed her eyes and thought once more of Teacher Renee\'s gentle smile and the sparkle in her eyes. ‘Thank you, Teacher Renee. I\'ll climb mountains for us both from now on… I promise.\'

With renewed energy and purpose, Alma stood tall, raising her snout into the night sky she inhaled the scent of the forest.

‘Trees…snow…. Charlie…\' She thought to herself, identifying each smell she recognized. ‘Sap… dead tree…soft, crisp, fresh… there!\'

Alma took off before she had even opened her eyes, following the scent, trusting her body to move how she wanted. Knowing her large paws would guide her, her tail would balance her. Her instincts would help her maneuver the trees as she tracked her prey, just like Teacher Renee had always told her.

***

A horn echoed over the trees and the music of the bonfire dancing.

Ashleigh looked out toward the forest with a smile.

“Someone found it,” she said, bouncing on her toes.

“You\'re awfully excited about this,” Bell commented with a questioning look.

Ashleigh looked back with a mischievous grin and then hurried to stand beside her parents and Axel. All of whom stood looking out toward the trees to see the arrival of the victor.

She looked up at Axel, her smile never fading.

Axel took a deep breath and sighed. Taking another drink from his stein. He turned and set it down, before looking back to the tree line.

“Are you excited?” Ashleigh asked quietly.

Axel looked at her with furrowed brows.

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

Ashleigh bit her lower lip, her grin wide and full of expectation and excitement. She leaned toward him as she spoke.

“I know…”

Ashleigh\'s eyes brightened, and she wiggled her brows.

Axel responded with even more confusion.

“Know what?” he asked.

“You know…“ Ashleigh nodded. “The announcement…”

“Ash, are you ok?” Axel asked, reaching out to check for signs of fever.

Ashleigh slapped his hand away.

“Axel!” Saul called to him from below a few feet away, he pointed toward the forest.

Axel and Ashleigh both turned their attention to the tree line. There, the young wolves walked out of the trees, the last of them, a small girl. No more than ten years old.

Ashleigh gasped and looked at Bell.

Bell smiled and nodded, tears in her eyes. Galen wrapped his arms around her.

“What\'s wrong?” Axel asked.

“Nothing,” Ashleigh replied. “The victor… her name is Alma, Renee\'s favorite student. She always said there was something special in her.”

“Huh…” Axel smiled. “Did you know, Renee was the victor of the Mourning Call in her litter?”

Ashleigh scoffed.

“Only because I wasn\'t allowed to participate,” she said playfully.

“You were recovering from exposure in a blizzard,” Axel laughed.

Ashleigh shrugged.