Of Autumn Suns, Seals, and Wolves

In our lives there are influences that change us. Sometimes they sneak upon us, unbidden, but not unwanted, even if from that moment on things are changed forever.
Whether that is for better or for worse...
Well, that is for you to decide as we go on a long journey with Wolf, Seal, and Autumn Sun.



Wolf and Seal both lived far away from sunny plains...far up and farther still...in the cold northern lands of ice. Wolf lived in the western mountains while Seal lived in the eastern sea, forever to see the light and the darkness before Wolf ever did.

Seal was born a little less than a month before Wolf and so saw the Autumn Sun once before the cold nights began. She was more beautiful and ever changing than anything else that had touched the earth. After Seal's first glance, Seal began to spend much time on shore, his bright eyes searching always for the light through the winter nights.

During this winter was when Wolf met Seal. It was soon after the darkness had hit each of them through that harsh wind. The darkness had hit Wolf in the heart and paws, so that self-doubt would follow what ever she did and her heart would be cursed to feel too much. Seal had faced the darkness, so it had hit in the mind and eyes, so that feelings would never show through his soul-windows and his mind would be cursed to think too much. Such was the spell laid on these two wanderers.

Forever more Seal's eyes were deep as the ocean and Wolf's paws grew big with mistakes. Yet, they became as close of friends as the two very different creatures could. Seal would spend time playing games with his friends as Wolf would watch solemnly from by a small tree. Wolf didn't try to play for fear that her paws or heart would be hurt or hurt someone else, so she learned to be content with solitude. When Seal was tired of playing, he would come up on shore and sit by the tree with Wolf. They didn't need to talk because (although they did not know it) they sensed that the other had been hit by the darkness too and that strange friendship made it bearable.

Soon though, the wild called each of them away to far away lands. Seal went into the ocean's deep and Wolf traveled to the mountains high. Never did they expect to meet again in this life.

The winter passed away, as well as many months. Seal's eyes became deeper than the ocean and Wolf's heart became cold and hurt with loss as they journeyed through dark times.

Up in that cold land, out of all the suns the Autumn Sun is the only one to finally make it through the ice. So it was that slowly the light came into these creatures' lives. Seal saw Autumn Sun first, as was his fate, yet his eyes were so deep he did not at first truly see who she was. As Autumn Sun rose, Seal was happier than he'd been in a long time and it pleased Autumn Sun to see him. She traveled on through the sky and away through duty for a few times, always glad to see him playing in the waves. His eyes became less fathomless through her light as the darkness began to be conquered. And to Autumn Sun no other 'fish' would look so fine in the whole wide sea. Yet in time, Seal's family and the wild called him away to hunt for food, which left Autumn Sun very alone.

Autumn Sun went through her daily routine, trying to lose herself as she had lost her love (for Autumn Sun had indeed fallen in love with Seal.) Wolf met Autumn Sun right before this time in her life. For a long time now Wolf had been alone in her wilderness, so when Autumn Sun came around, Wolf took her as a casual friend. For Wolf knew that the Autumn Sun would never be able to stay as autumn never does, but Wolf was oh, so lonely. And Autumn Sun played with her while they were together, making Wolf's days bright with sunlight.

When Seal went away to the sea, Autumn Sun and Wolf became good friends.
Good enough that at times Wolf forgot the curse enough to become attached to Autumn Sun and feel Autumn Sun's feelings as her own. Wolf watched her as she grew to be as beautiful as Wolf knew she would become and Wolf grew even more in love with Autumn Sun.

If someone had been watching during those happy days, they would have seen Autumn Sun learning fast and freely dancing in the sky. And if they looked closer, always, not too far off a lone Wolf would be watching Autumn Sun with a secret smile in her eyes, every once in a while jumping in to show something new and exciting.

While Autumn Sun liked Wolf very much, she still preferred Seal with his steady ways and growing happiness to Wolf with her whirlwinds of energy and sudden silences. And it would make Autumn Sun happier than she could otherwise be when she would see Seal on his journeys frolicking in the sea with the other seals. Seal's eyes brightened and he came to the shores again to be in light with Autumn Sun.

These were bright days, wonderful days, full of joy and laughter for the three. Wolf felt her heart warm again, Seal began to look forward to light, and Autumn Sun grew to be happy once more. They played in the low mountains and whether they knew it or not, now that they had been touched by each other, they couldn't go back if they wanted.

Yes, these days were grand, but as we know autumn never stays still and calm like summer or winter. She felt the need to change her course as well as the other two. Wolf was drawn back to the higher mountains she had not yet explored while Autumn Sun wanted adventure and green places. Wolf and Autumn Sun decided to follow their hearts and knew they'd see each other when Autumn Sun traveled back to the low mountains where Wolf would meet her.

In the days where Wolf would see Autumn Sun and Seal together before the change, Wolf grew uneasy. She saw Seal's eyes had been reverting back to their deepness slowly, but unchangeably. Tension grew between Wolf and Autumn Sun because of Wolf's fear. Fear that Wolf would be hurt through the curse again by heartbreak. But Wolf could not tell Autumn Sun, for she longed only to see Autumn Sun happy.

The day came when Seal's eyes had become deep again, enough that he did not see the light through them any more, and his mind began again to think too much again. Seal felt the call of the deep and saw only the darkness ahead. He too felt the need for change that Wolf had felt. Change to avoid hurt; that was their instinct. He told Autumn Sun that this, their love, could not be. Autumn Sun could not believe it and was hurt terribly.

Because of the strange nature of Wolf's heart, she knew that something had gone undeniably and irreversibly wrong with her friend. Autumn Sun told Wolf what Seal had said and Wolf was deeply troubled. Wolf saw as some inner light in Autumn Sun went out; a light as deep as the ocean to be healed by only the bravest of heart. Wolf was saddened, so promised to try and help Autumn Sun get Seal back if she could.

Wolf traveled into Seal's home and talked with Seal of many things. Through Wolf's paws and heart, she opened up Seal's mind and eyes ever so slightly in hopes Autumn Sun's rays would touch them. Seal was still very strong though and pushed Wolf away once he felt something was happening. Seal's heart closed because of the darkness in his eyes and mind, but Wolf always blamed her paws. Wolf came back to tell Autumn Sun this.

That was the moment Autumn Sun's heart broke. Wolf felt her heart break in two with her. Silently Autumn Sun screamed and fought the world. She hurt beyond healing and shouted words of hate which only Wolf could hear. Every tear tore at Wolf's soul; every scream bruised Wolf's heart beyond repair.

Autumn Sun tried to make Seal see the light, but Seal had only twisted truth to follow and was ever steady as he'd always been. Seal went away into the waves, away from light and shore to find others of his own kind.

Wolf helped heal Autumn Sun's heart as well as a wolf could, but only Autumn Sun could truly heal her heart. Autumn Sun then moved on to near the sea, past where Seal lived, and waits for hope to come again.

Wolf had been changed, again doubting herself and the world often. At least for now her heart can't trust as it once did; it only hurts. Because of seeing the light, Wolf is no longer able to stand solitude as she used to and can't bear the darkness in herself. A darkness that soon enough would come out to battle the light.

Thus, the light was lost for a while to Wolf and Seal's world, leaving all three travelers alone once more. Until Autumn Sun could learn to heal herself and love again.

For Autumn Sun is still the only one who can conquer the darkness in all her friends, through her light, when she but heals herself...