Flame & Moon: Caged Mammals (Book 2)

Chapter 2

     Moon and his family slept on a large smooth boulder. All remained quiet. After a few minutes had passed, a maned wolf padded towards the four wolves and sniffed their flanks. Moon rolled on his side and startled her. She backed away and watched the wolf awake.

     The maned wolf trembled and stammered, "Hello... fluffy wolf."

     As confused as Moon was, he stood on all fours and leaped on the ground. The maned wolf almost panicked. She had been a lone wolf her entire life. The she-wolf had encountered a few wolves in her past and feared they would murder her. She scurried away and hid behind a thick oak tree.

     Filled with curiosity, Moon trotted towards the tree and peered at the she-wolf. She grew frightened and stepped a few paces back. He wondered why the maned wolf feared him and cocked his head in confusion.

     "Quit... s-staring.. at me," she stuttered.

     "I swear I won't hurt you," Moon reassured her.

     To convince the she-wolf,  he introduced himself and smiled at her. She returned the favor by mentioning her name and introducing herself.

     "Margarine, I understand how you feel."

     She grew confused and responded, "You do?"

     "Yes."

     Moon told Margarine about his mother and how she had abandoned him. The she-wolf grew sad and longed to comfort Moon. He spent half the day telling her about his childhood. Once the wolf had discussed his entire life, Margarine felt a strong connection towards him.

     The two wolves gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments and grinned. Margarine leaned forward and Moon grew a surprised look on his face. He figured she planned on kissing him and almost panicked. Should he have informed the wolf of his potential girlfriend? They were technically single.

     "Should I allow her to kiss me?" he wondered.

     Before Moon could make up his mind, Margarine licked his furry cheeks. He sighed in relief and thanked the she-wolf for everything. She figured he overcame his fear of loneliness and smiled at him. If Margarine had known the real reason, she would have felt ashamed and refuse to speak to wolves. Therefore, Moon would never speak of Flame to her.

     Margarine knelt before the arctic wolf and thanked him for speaking with her.

     "I'm glad I could help," he spoke as if he were her friend.

     Malty awoke and looked to the right. He spotted Maple sleeping beside him and wondered where Moon could be.

     "Maple," he whispered as he nudged the timber wolf.

     His father ignored him and continued sleeping. Malty wondered how he would wake Maple. The wolf thought it over for a while. After imagining all possible scenarios, he came up with a brilliant solution.

     Without hesitating, Malty stood on all fours and arched his back. He farted as loud as possible. Scarlet and Maple awoke with surprised looks on their faces. They stood up and sprinted away from their son. The two wolves never imagined he would fart in their faces and were appalled.

     "At least they're awake now," Malty thought.

     His parents grew furious and regretted not teaching him proper manners. If he had been raised as a polite pup, Malty would know better then to fart near his parents. The more Maple and Scarlet thought about it, they realized how funny the situation sounded. The two wolves cackled as they imagined Malty farting. They may not have raised a well behaved pup. However, that didn't matter. Maple and Scarlet loved their son for who he was. After all, he could make his own choices. Therefore, the two wolves smiled and put their faith in Malty.

     The gray wolf grew sad and padded on the ground with his tail between his legs. Scarlet and Maple darted towards their son and stated, "Malty. Your father and I understand why you farted."

     He grew confused and tilted his head. Why weren't they angry at him? Any other wolf would have disciplined him. So why did his parents act as though nothing had happened? Malty awaited their response and wondered if they would discipline him.

     "And it's alright," Scarlet reassured her son.

     "You're sure about that?"

     "Yes."

     Malty grew a smile on his face and wagged his tail. Maple and Scarlet smiled at their son. They loved him as much as Moon and were glad to have raised such beautiful boys.

     The young wolf almost forgot about Moon and asked his parents, "Where is my brother?"

     Malty's parents hunched their shoulders and responded, "We have no idea."

     The gray wolf refused to give up and figured Moon was nearby. He trotted around the cage and searched for his brother. Malty didn't spot him anywhere and almost lost hope. However, Moon couldn't escape this prison all on his own. Therefore, Malty figured he could find his brother by tracking his scent.

     He leaned forward and sniffed the fresh earth. The wolf smelled a strong odor and knew it belonged to Moon. Malty could now pinpoint his brother's location. Without hesitating, Malty sprinted in the direction of Moon.

     Margarine padded towards him. He didn't expect to see a maned wolf and froze. Had she been speaking with Moon this whole time? And if so, what did they discuss?

     Malty grew confused and stared at Margarine. Her brown eyes glimmered in the sunlight. He found her quite attractive and smiled at the she-wolf. Margarine watched as his cheeks blushed bright red. She figured he had a crush on her and decided to flirt with him.

     The she-wolf padded towards Malty with a grin on her face. He grew happier and wagged his tail.

     "You're quite a handsome wolf," Margarine spoke in a beautiful soft voice.

     Malty anticipated that she would kiss him and awaited her response. As Margarine leaned forward, Moon trotted towards the two wolves and interrupted, "I see you've met my brother."

     They both stared at him with surprised looks on their faces. Margarine didn't expect Moon to have a brother. Why hadn't he mentioned Malty earlier? Whatever the reason, she assumed he had a good explanation and demanded an answer.

     Moon explained to Margarine that he and his family were planning on escaping. She grew curious and awaited the wolf's response.

     "It may take time," he informed the two wolves.

     "But we will escape this prison."

     Maple and Scarlet believed in their son and padded towards him. Moon felt determined as ever. He puffed his chest and stared at the sky, as if he were a noble hero. Margarine wondered if he would bring her and asked, "Would you mind if I tagged along with you all?"

     After thinking it through, Moon replied, "Sure. Feel free to join us."

     Margarine grew happy and couldn't wait to experience the outside world.