The Cull. The ultimate fear for any wolf. Ash knew that any of them could be chosen. He knew he could be one. So why did he still go to the Culling? Fascination. Fear. Devotion. The need to know.
"Adrie Blackpaw," the announcer read from the little piece of wood in his paw, shaking Ash out of his thoughts. A small girl in the back started, looking up, then began to shake fitfully, the smell of fear permeating Ash's nose. A few guards forced her up to the stage, where she stood, still shaking slightly. Ash felt relief, the wolf from Pack A having just been chosen.
An hour later, he heard the X and Y contestants being chosen, and then he heard "Zain Redtail". Ash didn't even know what he was doing, but suddenly he was in the aisle yelling, "Take me! Take me in his place!"
The announcer looked up and said, "Very well. We have a volunteer. And your name would be?" he asked, looking towards Ash. "Ash Redtail," Ash responded, feeling numb now that Zain was safe. He felt numb through the run to the Arena, through the entire speech, and even through getting ready for the Cull.
When they were set out into the arena, though, instinct clicked in, and he ran out from the center of the Arena where they started, following the one that looked the weakest, ruthlessly ripping the small wolf's throat, killing her instantly.
A day later, he saw the scoreboard, which showed him and a wolf named Ikiris having 12 kills each. He searched for Ikiris, eventually finding him pillaging off of a wolf named Natacha, who Ash had killed. After a brief stand-off, they had a long and bloody battle, which had both of them nearly dead. Ash was reaching for Ikiris's throat when he suddenly felt something happening to the middle of his body, then felt nothing, saw nothing, hear nothing, tasted nothing, smelled nothing. He was simply in black nothingness, something that he feared over all other things. Nothingness. The shadow of shadows. The worst nightmare of your worst nightmare. It was all these things and more. Then suddenly, it became a blinding brightness, before fading to a cold and frozen forest. He knew this forest to be the afterlife, though he didn't know how he knew. He just knew. "Hello, Ash. I have been waiting for you."
ns 15.158.61.51da2
