Chapter 3: A Friend?

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Fleck couldn't see, darkness was closed in around her. The darkness brought a numbing cold. It seemed to turn her pelt to frost. She tried to fight against it, but the darkness crushed her. Unable to move, unable to call for help, unable to breathe. . .

A howl broke through her dream, she jolted awake. It was dark, but still Fleck could make out a slender figure. "Who are you?" she rasped, shivering even though her pelt felt hot. "The question is, who are you?" said the figure. Its voice was deep, it was a male.

Fleck didn't answer, her mind was whirling with unanswered questions. Why had Rose chased her away? Why was Red helping Rose? What would Mother think? How would Spotty react?

A sharp stabbing pain jerk though her tail. "Ouch!" she screamed. The male bristled then growled. "The tail has got to go." Fleck shivered. "Why?" she whispered hoarsely.

"The bone is broken." Said the male softly. "If I don't get it off, it would kill you." The word kill sent chills up her spine. "How will-. . . how will you get my-. . . my tail off?" she stammered. Fear made her heart pound.

The male hesitated. "Would you rather me bite it off, or cut it off with a sharp stone?" Fleck screwed her eyes shut. Biting it would be faster, but if he washed a sharp stone with pure water, he could make the wound clean, and he could make it look a stub tail.

Fleck opened her eyes. "Cut it." She could barely speak though the lump of fear and emotion in her throat. The male nodded, quickly padded off to a collection of small stones.

Dawn was coming, and Fleck see the male clearly. He was gold-tawny colored, paler toward his belly, but his ears were undog like, and his paws were huge. Fleck froze. He wasn't a dog.

He was a wolf!

For a moment Fleck couldn't speak, then she recovered her voice. "Why would a wolf help a dog?" she asked suspiciously. The wolf turned, a dripping stone in his jaws. "If any other wolf found you instead of me, they would kill you." He said softly. "But I found you, you were a shivering, unconscious buddle of soaked fur. If I wasn't there, you would have never seen another dawn, little pup!" He placed the stone on the broken part of her tail.

Fleck winced as fire scorched though her tail bones, but she forced herself to stay still. "Brace all your muscles except your tail." Said the wolf. "Tell me when."

"Wait!" Fleck blurted. "Please tell me your name!". The wolf didn't speak at first, then he said quietly. "I'm Finch." Fleck tipped her head. "I'm Fleck."

Finch made a loud rumbling sound in his throat, as if were amused. "Well, Fleck, are you ready?" Fleck squeezed her eyes shut. "Just do it." She growled numbly.

Instantly a crack sounded, and agony shot up her spine, making her screech. Fleck could barely feel Finch putting moss where her cut was, and then slicing the wound to make it more realistic.

Soon the unbearable hour was over. Finch was looking at her stub in surprise. "The fur should go back." He said, shocked. "The fur will grow back?" she said, eyes wide.

"It should. The fur will grow back quickly."

Finch looked at her. "How did you come in the forest, Fleck?" Fleck shifted her position. "Well, I was chased out my home, by my brother and sister." Finch placed a paw on her shoulder in sympathy. His forest green eyes meet hers.

"I met a wolf like that. He was chased out of his home by his mother. I healed his wounds and sent him on his away. He was killed later on; he broke his scull when a branch fell on him."

Fleck whined. This topic was making her uncomfortable. "Is this your home?" She looked around the cave to a bed to ferns nearby. "Oh yes, I live here." Finch murmured, washing his forepaw.

Fleck twitched an ear thoughtfully. "Do you live alone?" Finch snorted in amusement. "If I'm alone, who am I talking to?" Fleck huffed, half in laughter, half in annoyance. "That's not what I meant!"

Finch groaned in mock dismay. "What did you mean then?" He asked mischievously. Fleck shook her head. "Do you sleep, eat, and rest in the sun alone?"

Finch grunted in thoughtfulness. "I do mostly do those alone, but occasionally I do it with a friend or two."

Fleck blinked. "So, how do you know how to heal?" she paused. "I mean, you did well with my tail."

Finch raised a paw to wash his ears. "I'm what the wolves call a Healer."

Fleck nodded. "Are there many Healers around?" Finch stopped in his washing and replied. "I'm the only one in this forest." Fleck sighed. "Does it get lonely around here?"

"Not really. I mean, a lot of wolves come here, I have at least one visitor a day." Fleck gasped. "Wow, that's a lot of wolves."

Finch nodded and walked to a corner where many leaves, berries, seeds, and mosses were. "I got to get ready, Kiloa should be here soon to get her wounds checked."

"Kiloa?" Fleck asked, frowning.

"She got attacked by a fox, but she managed to escape with minor wounds." Finch said, relief in his voice. "I told her to be here at midday to let me check her wounds."

He turned and pawed a couple of leaves and berries into a small pile, which he dipped in a pool of water and mixed them into a pungent smelling heap.

"This should help her gashes to heal more quickly and help them not to be sour." Finch told Fleck. She nodded, quite interested. "What is in the pile?" she asked, curiosity prickling in her fur.

"Cilko leaves, to help ease pain, raspberry leaves, to help the wounds heal quickly, and pepper berries, to help them not to get infected." Finch recited, tearing at the pile with a claw.

As he said that a young red-furred female wolf entered the cave, limping on three legs with a gash on her shoulder. "Ah, Kiloa." murmured Finch, extending a paw, as if in greeting. "Right on time."

"I'm usually on time." stated Kiloa. "Not that this shoulder helped." she glanced at her wounded shoulder in annoyance.

"I can help with that." Finch drew back his paw and flicked his tail for Kiloa to come. Kiloa limped forward, laying down on a sun warmed, flat stone near the pool.

Finch brought the heap of soaked leaves and berries and sat next to her, dipping a paw in the pile and rubbing it into Kiloa's wounds. Kiloa sighed with relief as the juices sank into her gash. "It feels a lot better." She looked around and spotted Fleck, and her blue eyes brightened. "A dog pup! How did you find one?"

Fleck felt stung, but and Finch spoke softly. "The poor thing was nearly dead, she will be fine, but I had to take off her tail."

Kiloa blinked some form of sympathy. "The poor thing. I wouldn't like that either." she looked at Finch, who stood up and nodded, and she hauled herself to her paws and limped over to Fleck, extending a paw like Finch had done. "I'm Kiloa." she introduced herself.

Fleck stood up, wincing at the sharp pain in her stub, but she extended a paw. "I'm Fleck." Kiloa drew her paw back and looked around to Finch, who was cleaning up. "She looks like she's only four moons old."

Finch nodded without looking up. "She basically is." Kiloa looked to Fleck. "Well I got to go, I'll see you around, Fleck." she made her way to the tunnel out of the cave and disappeared, and Fleck thought she saw the gleam of her sky-blue eyes in the darkness.

"Kiloa is a young wolf." Said Finch, walking up to Fleck to watch her go into the tunnel. "She will heal fast."

"I hope so." Woofed Fleck softly. A twinge in the gash on her leg injury made her tremble. Finch yawned, tired too. "Get some sleep." He whispered.

Fleck suddenly felt weariness tug at her wounded body. She let out a big yawn, as Finch leaned forward to sniff at her wounds. Then he lapped at her sores, soothing her pains and calming her down.

Fleck shivered, and she buried her small, raspberry-pink nose in her paws. She closed her eyes as Finch continued to lap at her fur, and his gentle touch led her to sleep. 

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