“Grandma, why is the wind so sad?” a young girl asks one stormy night. The old woman by the fire chuckles.

“Now that, my dear, is a beautiful story. Would you like to hear it?”

The little girl nods, climbing up on her cozy lap.

“Well then, let’s begin”

***

Long ago, millennia before humans climbed down from their trees, They existed. All races knew that They existed, but no one knew exactly what They were. Some said that They were the essences of a race’s collective thoughts, while others claimed that They were the guardians of the earth, sent to maintain balance between the animate and the inanimate denizens of the earth. Sometimes They took the forms of races that They identified with, while others stayed without form eternally. Some had powers beyond the scope of imagination, such as controlling the forces of nature, while others had quieter, subtler gifts, such as great wisdom. It was not known how long They lived, where They came from, and where They went when They let go of this world.

One such being loved to travel far above the earth in the form of a gust of wind or a cloud. In fact, he had a special kinship with the wind; whenever it blew, he would sing to it; his song would carry everywhere, and those who listened close enough would hear words of great wisdom- and great loneliness. He was lonely. He longed to have someone with whom he could share his life. He longed for a community. Often he would gaze down at the races of the earth and see them together and his heart would ache. He found himself longing to join them. The more he watched, the more it hurt. He found himself watching one race in particular. He would watch them chose mates, form families, and spend their days together. He saw them hunt together and rest together. He watched them as they reproduced and helped to raise their young together. He made up his mind. He would become one of them. He would become a wolf.

He descended to earth and began to transform. His body took form and sprouted dense fur, long muscular legs, a powerful tail, a sharp pointed muzzle and keen ears and eyes. His form shuddered and solidified. He was surprised at how well it had worked; he had never shifted into a solid form before. He decided to test out the new form. He began walking, and then prancing, and then he broke out into a run. He pushed himself to go faster and faster, until he was streaking across the landscape. He could not stop; the strain in his new muscles, the beating of his heart, the air rushing through his lungs were all so exhilarating. He ran for hours, feeling his large paws strike that ground and fly through the air. He kept up his amazing speed for longer than any normal wolf should have been able to, but he did not care. He could not stop.

As the moon rose, the wind picked up a new song and carried it to him. His ears picked up the sound and his feet turned towards it. He began to run with a purpose now. He ran towards the song of howling wolves; his heart leapt at the prospect of finding a family. The wolves were many miles away, on the edge of their territory. As he got closer, he began to hear the individual voices; there were three males, and three females, plus two pups doing their best to imitate the adults. He reached the edge of their territory, and slowed, then stopped just inside the border. He did not want to intrude on them. He decided that the best way to introduce himself was to follow their example.

He tilted back his head, pulled back his lips, and howled. Immediately the others responded, weaving harmonies around the melody he sang. One in particular seemed to reach out and dance with his, as though they were now singing a duet. The other voices pulled back, and the duet swelled and danced through the night air. He heard the voices get closer to him, and he started running towards them. Finally, the music began a decrescendo, then one final note lingered on the air before dying, and he found himself standing in front of the pack. The largest male, a tan and brown wolf, stepped forward and addressed him.

“I am Cedar, alpha of this pack. This is my mate, River.” He said, flicking his tail at the dark gray she wolf beside him. He introduced the rest of the pack, too. The two pups were named Holly and Sky. Hawk, a lean red male was his beta, and the other male was a black wolf named Night. the sorrel female was Larch, the black and tan female was Rowan, and, finally, the cream and brown female was named Singer.

“She is my sister, and has by far the best voice of us all. She sang with you.”

“I am delighted to meet one who revels in song as much as I. What is your name?” Singer asked of him.

“I am called many things, but I prefer ‘Wind.’ I have come to request a place in your pack.”

“Have you no family?”

“None.”

“Then,” said Cedar, “Come run with us.”

Thus, Wind began his new life. He was no longer one of Them. He was now Wind. As the days slipped into years, he began to forget his years as a spirit as his mind gave itself over to his life as a wolf. He helped Cedar and River to raise pups. He and Hawk trained each other in fighting. He sang with Singer every night under the stars and the moon. He taught the young pups the legends of Them, and of the lore of the other races. He forgot that he was ever anything but Wind. He fell completely in love with Singer.

He knew it was wrong. He was not the alpha, and did not wish to upset the pack. He also felt as though there were another reason, as though he and Singer were so inherently different that it could never be. Yet he did not know why these thoughts plagued him. Year after year, he fell more completely in love with her; her beautiful eyes captivated him, her stride, fluid as a river, made his breath catch, her song, so full of love and joy, made his heart swell. He loved her. He could never tell her, yet he could not hide these emotions, either. Cedar had noticed, long ago, and finally confronted him about it.

“You are in love; I can see it in every move you make.”
Wind was taken aback; was it that obvious?

“Cedar, please, allow me to explain…”

“None is needed. Your actions and songs are enough. How important is she to you?”

“More than I treasure my own life, I want her to be happy.”

“I see. And would you protect her through everything?”

“I would.”

“Do you know if she feels the same?”

“No.” Wind admitted. He was too scared to ask; too scared of being hurt, of being alone. Sometimes he had dreams of a half-remembered loneliness, so deep and crushing that it scared him to his core. Still, Cedar demanded that he ask. That night, before the song, he came to her.

“Singer, do you love me? I love you more than I thought it ever possible.”

Singer gazed at him through her beautiful brown eyes, sighed, and spoke.

“Let tonight’s song be my answer,” and it was. It swelled through the night air, their voices twisting and weaving as they had on the first night. Then her voice rose and the others quieted a heartfelt solo pouring out into the night. It was full of love, hope, and a faint sadness. It recalled the very first night that they sang together, and together they repeated their first duet as though it was the last. Suddenly, memory flooded back into Wind. He remembered his life before the pack. He remembered his desperate longing for a family. He remembered what he was. His song cut off as he gasped in horror. All these years he had lied to the pack, to Singer… to himself.

“Wind? What is it? I have answered. I love you, too. I love you more than I thought it ever possible.” Singer’s voice rose in concern.

‘I… I lied. It was… all a lie…I lied.”

“What? What did you lie about?” Singer asked.

Wind stared at her in horror.

“I… am not a wolf. I… am one of Them. How- how could I have forgotten?” he looked up at Singer and saw the despair written on her face. “I’m sorry.”

He could not stay any longer. He could not live with the knowledge that he had lied to her. He felt his form begin to slip. He was turning into a gust of wind. Soon he would fade and be gone.

“I’m sorry. So, so sorry.” He repeated as his body slipped away. He was unable to stop the transformation now that it had begun. He had no choice.

“Wait! Don’t go! Why does it matter? Stay with me! Please, stay with me!” Singer cried as the last vestiges of Wind’s form slipped away.

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t leave me!” Singer cried, then collapsed on the ground as a slight breeze drifted by, then disappeared.

Months later, Singer could not take the pain anymore. She fell ill, and River, caring as she was, could not help. Singer was dying. Cedar, unable to see his sister suffer, ran to the highest hill in their territory and started howling.

“Wind! Wherever you are, hear me! Your love, Singer, is dying of a broken heart! Is there nothing you can do? Save her!” Cedar cried, pouring his heart into his cry. A gust of wind began to stir in the aspens, and then grew stronger, until it began to swirl and solidify before him. Out of it stepped a familiar silver and black wolf; Wind.

“I never knew. She still loves me despite knowing what I am?”

“Perhaps all the more because of it. Now, come see her before she disappears.”

They made their way to the cave where Singer lay dying. As though she knew that they were coming, she was laying near the entrance when he came.

“Singer, I …”

“Shh, there’s no need for words. It is enough to have you here.” They lay in silence for a while, and Wind soon came over to Singer and lay down next to her. After a while, though, she got worse. Her heartbeat became frantic, and she struggled for air. She made no sound other than her ragged breathing.

“She is almost gone.” Wind looked up sadly at Cedar.

“Is there anything you can do?”

“I can give her my power; she will live, but I will never be able to return to my wolf form. I would still stay by her side, though, as a gust of wind, or a ray of sun, or a little butterfly.”

“That… would be fine…” Singer breathed. “Just promise… never to leave me.”

“I promise.” Wind concentrated all of his strength on Singer, pouring all of his power into her body. Soon, her heartbeat steadied and slowed, and her breathing quieted. Wind’s form flickered, then shimmered, then melted away. Yet this time he did not fly away. He stayed as a gentle breeze playing through her fur. He stayed like that always. When Singer died as and old, tired wolf, she became one of Them, because she had given her whole heart to one of Them. She and Wind played and sang together always. They sent out messages on the wind as they still do today. Now anyone can hear Their songs and those who truly listen can find great wisdom in them. Singer and Wind are no longer two entities; They are one wind, one sunbeam, one cloud. Their love, joy, and sadness is sung on the wind for all to hear, and all who have heard it are touched by Their spirits. They still exist all around us and watch us as we live, love, hurt, and heal. You see, the wind is not sad. The wind simply sings Their tale to all who will listen.