It had been hours since Littlepaw and the rabbit, who said her name was Dash, had begun traveling. They had made it to a giant grey pine forest but they couldn’t find even the littlest shelter, the ground was flat, barren flawless and the trees all seemed the same. Littlepaw didn’t even know where he was going exactly, all he knew is he needed a new home, any home right now. His belly rumbled; and food, he needed food and in the next day or two or he would be in trouble. But even though Littlepaw had known a fast way to get to a place with good shelter, the avalanche had forced him to take the coldest trail.
He glanced back at Dash, thinking how she might be able to pull him along enough to get out of this creepy place. Littlepaw shook his head. Though, what am I going to go? Going Herbivore is just against my nature. I’m a full-blooded carnivore! Maybe, I could become an omnivore, which could work. He looked around and up to see if he could look through the pine needles but not even a single ray of sunlight shone through the trees. That would explain not seeing any producers, I mean plants. Man! This rabbit talk about plants is really getting to me. Though, all I have seen so far are a whole bunch of decomposers, I mean mushrooms and fungi! I really need to stop listening to those lectures Dash gives.
Littlepaw sniffed the air and immediately stopped. “I smell... I smell rouge wolves!” Littlepaw burst off running through the trees, the sled slowing him down but he refused to let go of the Dash, since he had promised to keep her safe and he was not willing to break that promise anytime soon.
Shadows of dark enemies lunged towards them or ran in the background of the forest, ready to attack. Alone, Littlepaw would have been fine but with a rabbit, the rouges would want ‘their share’. The rouges kept lunging at Littlepaw but he successfully dodged them all. He saw daylight, he was almost there. The rouge’s ranks were peeling off into the darkness, they were retreating! A couple more seconds and he would be free of this place! He sprinted faster and faster until her thought his legs would fly off. Throughout all of this, Dash had clung to the wood, her grey eyes wide and ears flat to her back.
Littlepaw leaped out of the forest and into the light. He and Dash celebrated for a few minutes while Littlepaw tried to catch his breath. Soon after, Littlepaw had begun to continue on again. They soon had found a stream, which Littlepaw caught fish in and Dash had found berries nearby. They sat down to eat and Littlepaw explained what the forest was with the rouge wolves were all about. He told her that competition for food there was tough, excpecially since they had twenty plus mouths to feed. When they find anything edible, they steal it then eat it.
Not too long after, since it was growing dark, Dash and Littlepaw went to sleep out in the open since they still couldn’t find any shelter. The next morning, Littlepaw got an early start on traveling; he didn’t even wait for Dash to wake up. He just set her on the wood and pulled her along.
But by the time she had woken up, Littlepaw had stopped in front of some bushes. “What’s wrong?” Her sleepy voice asked him. Littlepaw sat staring though a part in the bushes and he was smiling, happily. “I think I found our new home.” He said as he pulled the sled through the bushes to reveal a large cave with a natural orange lichen curtain in front of it. “Wow!” Dash exclaimed. “That’s amazing!”
Littlepaw nodded but his smile turned into a frown. “Yes, but there is only one problem, there’s already something living in there, a bear.” “A b-bear?” Littlepaw nodded again. Yes but I already have thought of a plan. But first, I need to know, is your paw better?” Dash shook her head up and down. “At least it should be.” She stood and nodded.
“Ok,” Littlepaw said. “Here’s the plan. You go in the bears cave and give him a good jaw kick, like the one you gave me, then, lead him out behind the cave, there’s some cliffs not too far off from here.” Dash tilted her head and her eyes filled with worry. “Wait, you are going to push him off the cliff? How will you do that and live?”
Littlepaw had already started to trot off behind the cave saying back. “I guess we’ll just have to find out. Over that past day Littlepaw had grown quite fond of Dash and Dash had of him too. Littlepaw went off behind the cave and prepared himself to run. His fur stood on end though when he heard a booming roar echo throughout the forest. Dash ran quickly around the corner, a giant brown bear on her heels. “Take over Littlepaw!” She yelled as she hurtled past him. Just then, he shot off, taking Dash’s place as she peeled away into the forest. He ran faster than he ever thought possible and then he felt the wind. That meant the cliffs were nearby, he was almost there! He burst out of the trees, the bear in a rage, snapping at his tail. I guess I know how Dash felt now. He thought as he closed in on the edge of the cliffs. “Here I go!” Littlepaw said out loud as he jumped off the cliff, the bear, dumb with anger, followed. For a brief second, he felt like he was flying, then he began falling.
Dash had followed not too far behind and as she saw Littlepaw jump, she ran to the cliff’s edge. She feared for her friend’s life, the one who saved her life, twice, and she saw him! He clung a foot or two down on a ledge. Dash managed to pull her friend up and bring him back to the cave. He didn’t open his eyes till he was brought back, though. Dash then told him about what he had done and how brave he was and even how she was scared for him. This made Littlepaw smile from pride of being able to have such a great friend. They had later claimed the cave as their own and they lived the rest of their happy lives together in peace because Littlepaw found that he didn’t need a home to be happy, he just needed his friend, Dash, to be happy.
