Warriors but Wolves: Into the Wild

Chapter 3

     That night, as Rusty slept, he dreamed of his wanderings. The deer dream came again, the most vivid he could ever remember it being. His collar gone again, he looked around as he stalked the deer, and saw glowing eyes all around him. The Pack wolves had entered his dream.

Rusty awoke again, squinting his eyes against the bright light that shone into his face from the window. His food bowl had been filled up again, as had his water bowl. Rusty thought about the bitter taste of the water, and how he preferred the water left outside in puddles. Then he remembered how much easier it was to drink from his bowl than to go outside when it was scorching hot or he was very thirsty. Could he really give up this easy life?

He ate again, and stepped into the garden through the dog door. A warm breeze blew from behind him, and the scent of the flowers of the garden hung heavily in the air. He looked up at the sun, and saw that it was nearing its highest point in the sky.

"Hi, Rusty!" yipped a voice from the fence. Rusty looked over to see Smudge. "A shame you weren't awake earlier. The robins were out, stretching their wings!"

"Did you catch any?" Rusty asked, walking over to the fence.

"Couldn't be bothered," Smudge tossed his head. "I'd already eaten. So why weren't you out here earlier?" he pressed.

Rusty sat down, preparing to tell Smudge what he had done the previous night. "I was tired because I was in the woods yesterday."

Smudge looked at him, eyes wide. "Oh my gosh, I forgot about that! How did it go? Did you catch anything? Or did anything catch you?"

"Sort of," Rusty started, not sure of how to begin his story. "I met some wild wolves. I got into a fight with one my age at first, but he ended up being friendly. Then two older wolves came along."

"Wow..." Smudge breathed.

"At first, they wanted me to leave their territory. But then... they asked me to join them. They sounded like they needed more help in their Pack."

Rusty heard a sharp intake of breath from Smudge.

"That sounds suspicious. I wouldn't trust them."

"That's the thing. They're trustworthy. I can feel it. And I've made up my mind; I'm going to join them."

"What? You can't be serious! Please don't go, Rusty! I might never see you again!" Smudge howled.

"Don't worry, Smudge! My housefolk will probably get a new dog. I'm sure you'll get along just fine with it," Rusty tried to console his friend. When Smudge didn't say anything, he added "I'll try to visit you."

This seemed to convince Smudge, and he looked sadly at Rusty.

"I can't stop you. I can tell you're dead set on this," he whined. "I'm sorry to see you go. But no matter what, Rusty, you'll always be my friend. I'll never forget you."

Rusty pressed his nose against Smudge's through the fence. "I'll never forget you, either."

With that, Rusty put his front paws onto the fence that bordered the forest, and climbed over it as he had the night before. With one final look at Smudge, he turned away, and strode off confidently into the forest.

When he reached the spot where he had met the Pack wolves the day before, he took a moment to admire his surroundings. Tall trees cast dark shadows onto the ground, making it comfortably cool. Patches of sunlight shone through, dappling the ground in golden patches here and there.

Rusty could smell the wolf-scent from last night, but he couldn't tell if it was old or fresh. As he was sniffing the air, he heard a voice from the bushes in front of him.