Ice Wolf

The Pack (3)

She walks up to me, unnoticed by the other wolves. I wonder what she is doing, and try to hide further behind the boulder.

She rounds the edge of the boulder, approaching with something in her mouth.

In her grip rests a large hunk of bloody meat. I wonder if maybe she just came to eat it over here, away from the others, but instead of biting into it she lays it in the snow in Front of me.

All at once I realize she is trying to share with me. Not wanting to be rude, even to a wolf, I decide what's the harm.

I've had raw meat before, although it's not very good at all. It is edible though, and packed with nutrients.

I pick off a piece from it, rolling it in snow to make sure there is no blood or hair on it. I then proceed to pop the cold piece of meat into my mouth, chewing gingerly and forcing myself to swallow.

I must admit, it was disgusting, but Ara seems satisfied. She lays down and begins feasting on the large hunk of meat.

I am extremely shocked and flattered that this wild wolf would spare some of HER food, for me.

The rest of the pack doesn't seem to care that Ara is gone, and they don't seem to notice me at all.

The pack.

The fact that I am sitting here, in the middle of a wolf pack FEEDING, is beyond comprehension. A wolf, a 'ravenous, evil' wolf, just shared some of her meat with me. I am beyond flattered, I am amazed.

I spend the rest of the evening with Senara and the pack, although I make sure the rest of the wolves don't know I'm here.

I sense a few of the lower rank wolves know of my presence, but the main one I'm worried about is the Alfa.

I have decided to name the Alfa Kummatz, which means Wise one. I have a feeling I will eventually have to face him. I decide then and there that whenever I'm around the wolves, I will always keep my bow with me. It would just be much safer.

Before it gets dark, I decide to go home so I don't worry my family. I silently stand up, about to go when I realize-

"Triumph!" I call without thinking. Suddenly realizing what I've done, I look around to see the wolves' reactions.

To my surprise, only a few of them notice. None of them seem to care. Relief flooding through me, I go back To my previous thinking.

Oh, how could I have jut forgotten Triumph and left?!?!? He could be anywhere now, and I CAN'T lose Triumph! I quietly jog over to where I followed Senara.

I spend the rest of the evening re-tracing my steps, extremely relieved when I find Triumph grazing on some dead yellow grass.

I mount and we head home, the sun already set.

--------

I once again pull myself up onto Triumph's back, my muscles extremely sore and my shoulder aching.

My trusty white steed pulls into a canter as we jump the fence again, landing uncomfortably hard. My bones jolt and ache when we hit the ground, but I deal with it and kick Triumph into a gallop. I want to find Senara faster today.

The sun is just rising, and the air is cold and crisp.

We ride through the trees, jumping logs and obstacles in our way. When we finally reach the clearing I found Ara in yesterday, I slow Triumph to a trot.

I search the area, finding nothing. I decide to take a break, so I dismount and tie Triumph up to a branch.

I lay down in the soft snow, letting it cool my sweating back off. I hear crunching snow, and I sit back up to investigate.

Senara approaches, her fur coat matching the snow exactly. She has some faint blood stains on her muzzle, and I assume she just ate.

I quietly reach over to the bag sitting in the snow by me, opening it carefully. I take out the dead rabbit I shot earlier and hold it out to Ara, signaling for her to take it.

She creeps over, smelling the meat. when she realizes it's food, she great fully snatches it from my hand. She carries it over to a hole in the ground, crawling inside and putting the meat there.

"A den! I wonder if she has pups," I whisper, waiting for her to exit her den.

Once she is out I slowly creep towards the den, watching her for any signs of hostility. She seems to not mind me entering the den, so I lean my head in the small hole.

I expect to see little furry wolf puppies, but instead all there is is the smell of blood. The stench is so strong I gag. at first I think the smell is just from meat she's brought in, but when I find a tuff of soft white fur I question it.

This could just be from an arctic hare, but hare fur is fine. This is slightly denser. I know what this is. This is wolf puppy fur.

Understanding that something-or someone, killed Ara's puppies, I pull my head up. Senara is looking at me intently, as if wondering what I'm doing.

Without thinking, I reach out my hand to her head. She instinctively pulls back, lowering her self a bit.

My time with the pack has taught me much about wolf behavior. I have learned what it looks like when a wolf is happy, alert, scared, angry, or submissive.

Ara looks excited and happy right now, but also alert and cautious. She leans up and smells me, as if I'm some sort of strange alien or something. she's so close, I can feel her hot breath on my skin.

Such a beautiful and majestic creature that God made, and so rarely seen by humans. The only wolf I've ever seen was the ones my father brought home from his hunting trips. And those, of course, we're dead. I've never seen a live wolf in person.

I stare into her deep blue eyes, and in that moment, some sort of bond is made. Now I can feel that she trusts me. And I trust her. For the first time, a bond between man and wolf is made.

The moment is shattered by a deep snarling.

We both jerk our heads over, and right there, standing in the deep snow is Kummatz. The Alfa.

-

Authors note:
Sorry for the short chapter, and for the wait! Oh and plz lemme know If u find anything incorrect in my book. :) I understand my punctuation and all that isn't the best, so plz tell me if u see any problems! And also if u see anything unrealistic in my wolf behavior or anything, lemme know! Thanks for reading :)