the last wolf stands in shadow
his breath thick with survival\'s weight
he knows the silence of hunger
the sting of wounds that won\'t heal
his eyes scan for moonlit paths
where the others vanished before dawn
he carries the echoes of their howls
a chorus reduced to his own voice
the earth beneath him is damp
soaked in what he must endure still
he lags yet remains tethered to them
the scent of the pack a faint thread
each step drags the heavy memory
of loyalty, of blood, of what was
the rear holds not weakness but duty
to guard what was, to honor what stays