The omega. Always the last to feed, despite my part in the hunt. Always the butt of snickers, warning growls, scuffles—and the bites and flesh tearings that drive me apart. Always the omega. All because I run to my own heartbeat. Because my howl is my own. Because the pack would rule me when I…

First light arrives before five in the morning. The birdsongs arrive with it. A cacophony of twittering, and avian arias, shatter my sleep, and any hopes of returning to it. By afternoon, however, a scattering of songs—at well-spaced intervals—may arise. This abundance of radiance—so close to the end of the academic year. This longest day—followed…

The shadows of bare Locus and Maples stripe the immaculate snow covering the backyard. The line of distant cirrus clouds foreshadow another snowfall sometime in the future. For now, the houses across the street reflect the light of the descending sun. A week ago, Mira and I arrived at Lake Skannatati. Doning our crimpons, we…