Howl of the Winter Wind (A Myth)

                    Long ago, there lived a rather small kingdom filled with many grassy fields and meadows, and dens and houses that the people who lived there had built themselves. The people of the kingdom lived quite peacefully there for ages, until one unusually frigid season. It had been around late autumn, by modern day's standards, and it seemed that winter had wanted to come a lot sooner than it should. It had been strikingly cold recently, and all the fallen leaves that covered the ground had been frosted over and frozen to a crisp; crunching as the kingdom people walked. The harsh wind blew silently through the fields. The animals that the mortal citizens hunted for food had been scarce, and nearly the whole kingdom was beginning to go hungry.

                    The ruler of the kingdom, King Mythocus, decided that he must do something about this. He was a very kind-natured king, although strict, and he wanted to make sure all of his people lived well; certainly not starve to death. The king was thought to be a descendant of the gods, though no one knew for sure. After days of thought about the matter, King Mythocus decided he could only do one thing. He would send his son, Nikoceus, the strongest hunter in the kingdom, to go hunt in the far forest. May people were surprised when they heard of the King's plans, as the far forest was a very dangerous place. It was home of many fierce creatures, such as dragons, wild centaurs, serpents, as well as wolves, foxes, owls and other weaker animals, King Mythocus knew this, of course, but he also knew that if all of those creatures survived in that forest for so long, there must be plentiful food and animals to hunt, like deer and rabbits.

                    So  King Mythocus told his son what he was to do, and Nikoceus confidently accepted. On the day he was to leave for his mission, the kingdom people gathered around to say their goodbyes. After all, no one knew if the young hunter would ever return from this dangerous quest. Nikoceus make sure to say long, special goodbyes to his father and his future wife, Krypta. Both were quite sad to see him go, but they knew it had to be done.

                    "Stay strong, Nikoceus." said Krypta quietly, trying to keep away the worry in her voice.

                    "We know you can do this," noble King Mythocus said to his departing son, "But you must be brave, my dear son. You must hunt like the mighty wolf." Nikoceus nodded his head, and hugged Krypta one last time. He shook his father's hand, and with that, Nikoceus left for his dangerous task.

                    It must have taken nearly a week for one to have reached the faraway forest, but Nikoceus finally got there. Once he did, he ventured down the dark, shadowy path through it, He explored and walked on almost non-stop for days, and on the way, the young man encountered what he thought to be a lone wolf. Remembering his father's words, he decided it would be best to journey along with it. He showed the animal that he was no threat, and the wolf backed down into a submissive pose. It began to walk away, but then looked back, as if gesturing for someone to follow it. Nikoceus did just that, and the "lone" wolf turned out to have a small pack of it's own. The wolves made themselves out to be quite fierce when they first saw Nikoceus, but they calmed down immediately when the lone wolf raised his tail and whimpered a noise. Throughout the next little while, Nikoceus bonded with the pack, and gave them a small share of the deer he had already hunted so far. Nikoceus knew he did not have enough food to feed anywhere close to the entire kingdom, so he had to keep going. He trekked on with the wolves, hunting  swiftly with his sword and arrows; the wolves helping him along, slaying small dragons and serpents and anything that got in their way. It had been a long while since Nikoceus had set off for his mission, and he was on his way back, the pack of wolves aiding him with carrying what all they had hunted, It had started to snow early that morning, and it continues to do so, now harder than before with the wind blowing strong, It snowed and snowed, and there was at least two feet of snow on the ground already, still going strong. But even then, Nikoceus and the wolves bounded on through the blizzard conditions, almost half way home to the kingdom. Days later, they hadn't gotten much farther. They were freezing, and the near five feet of snow had slowed them down quite a lot. The wolves' ears and paws were surely badly frostbitten, as well as Nikoceus' hands and feet. He could barely feel any part of his body anymore, but still, he continued on. Finally with only a few miles left to go, Nikoceus reached the point in which he couldn't go on anymore. Most of the wolves had already died in the storm already, and there were only two or three left, the lone wolf being one of them. Nikoceus fell to his knees and let himself sink into the deep snow. The rapid wind blew relentlessly, though at least Nikoceus couldn't  feel it anymore. His long dark hair was sticking to his face with snow; his eyes almost frozen shut. The remaining wolves seemed to know what was coming and lay down beside him. As the wind blew once again, the wolves howled as the snow began to bury them. Using the last little bit of strength he had left, Nikoceus sang with them. They were almost completely buried now. The wolf's song was his last breath, and Nikoceus died together with them under the snow.  After all, he was only mortal.

                    The storm eventually died down soon after. The people of the kingdom were close to starvation, but they all had survived, having warm houses to block out the snow. On a sunny day later, once the snow had almost melted, Krypta went out to look for Nikoceus, as he had not returned after departing close to three moths ago. She had been very worried, and after three moths of him being gone, no one had much hope left. She walked a few miles towards the far forest and was heartbroken when she saw Nikoceus' frozen body. She ran to him and kneeled down, bowing her head in grief. She lifted it again as she swore she heard something. As the wind blew she heard a howl and a familiar voice. It was distant and echoing, but she was sure she had heard it. King Mythocus, who had followed behind Krypta when she had left the kingdom, sat down beside her and his dead son.  He too had his head bowed in grief. The howl of the wind came again. Both Krypta and King Mythocus looked at each other in realization. Nikoceus had done just what his Mythocus had told him, he hunted like the wolves; and died along with them. He had completed his task, and the snow had frozen the deer and animal carcases so they were still good to eat. The kingdom would surely have plentiful food until spring now, although they had sacrificed a terrible loss along with it. Now, every time the winter wind blows, the brave hunter Nikoceus and his wolves shall be remembered for eternity with a quiet, whispering howl; the howl of the wolf's song.