Wolves

Chapter thirteen

Nick runs quickly, heading to the tree house, tears flying down his face.

He wanted his dad back.

His mom didn't care about him.
His sister laughed at him.

The only thing holding Nick back from running away is Stef.

But now since he met Aliah he might just leave.

But Aliah was gone too.

He ran to the tree house.

He needed to think

Where to leave.

Maybe he'd live in the tree house.

That's never going to happen.

He'll starve.

He'll freeze to death.

His tears streaming down his face wildly, frustrated and sad.

How could mom speak about dad that way?

Like Stef said, she lost hope.

He saw the tree house in the distance and smiled.
It always reminded him of how he and Stef built it when they were young, all the happy memories of going out on an adventure to find his dad.

It was so much fun.

When Nick was about a foot away from the tree house he heard some one humming a tune and he stopped abruptly.

The song was beautiful and then he noticed a pair of bare feet hanging from the tree house entrance.

Stefanie?

No. it couldn't be.

She always hated walking bare foot.

He got closer cautiously.

Then he stopped.

This was his tree house!

Whoever was in it better have a good reason.

He stomped up to the tree house angrily, watching the bare feet swing back and forth in the rythm of the song the person was singing.

He tapped the leg and the humming stopped.

The familiar face of Aliah looked over the tree house platform.

She smiled.

Nick climbed up the tree house steps, relieved that it was her and not someone else.

He quickly wiped the tears from his face when he sat on the plat form, watching Aliah care fully.

" What are you doing here," he asks

" Um...." she looks at him

" How did you know about this place? it's in one of the hardest to find areas of the forest, " he asks curiously.

" Um well my home is close by here so I found it," she said a matter of factly.

He looked at her intensely.

There was something she wasn't telling him.

" What don you mean it's close to your home? Your cave thing is not near here. Actually it's east. We now are west, the town is south and the forbidden areas are north."

" Well.... I was just walking around like I usually do, and came across this tree house. Didn't know it was yours." She said.

" Whatever you say..." Nick said looking down at what she was holding.

" What's that.' Nick asks pointing at the flowers Aliah was holding.

" It's a flower crown," she said.
" I made it my self," she added proudly.

" It's beautiful," Nick says looking up.
He sees she is already wearing one made from violets and daisies.

She places the newly made flower crown on Nicks head gently which was made from red flowers and daisies.

"It's nice," Nick says admiring her work.

" Thanks," she says giggling as the crown tips crookedly and Nick quickly trying to put it back in place.

" Here," she says fixing the flower crown.

" Thanks," he says.
" One other thing"

" Yes?" she asks

" What was that song you where humming, I liked it a lot."

Aliah froze.

" You heard that?" she asks

" Yea" he says brushing a brown hair out of his eye and trying to fix the flower crown again.

" oh, just...just a tune a made up," she lied.

" Cool" he says trying to fix the flower crown on his head.

Aliah giggles and fixes it for him again.

...............

Nick and Aliah wall back to her home, which Nick calls ' the cave'.

Nick tells Aliah about how his mom and sister don't like him, and how he was planning on running away.

" You could stay with me a while if you want," Aliah says
" It's ok with me"

" Really? You'd do that?" he asks

" Yea course I'm fine with it," she says smiling.

" That would be great thanks," Nick says happily

..................

They walk a little longer until a crack of a branch sends Nick to fear, but Aliah seemed fine.

A wolf emerged from the shadows in front of them.

Nick knew that wolf.

It was the one that attacked John!

It's grey and black fur gleaming, and the single brown spot around its eye.

It looked at Nick, and it snarls, its white, canine teeth showing.

" Stop it Kamien, your not helping matters," and with that the wolf stops snarling, it sitting back, glaring at Aliah.

The wolf grunts. And Aliah growls back, in a tone that sounded almost like the wolf.

The wolf rolled its eyes and gave Nick a death stare.

Aliah growls at it again.

The wolf snorts, gets up and walks away.

Nick just stood there mouth wide open.

He was shocked.

What just happened?

Aliah turned back to Nick.

"I'll explain later." She says and urges him quickly to her cave while the sun started setting.