The Wolf Pup (H.S. Short Story)

Part Two: The Alpha

///10 years later..///

'Couldn't they have thought of something more exciting than camping?' Jenny loved the woods and her friends knew that, but a camping trip for her 18th birthday? Not exactly what Jenny had in mind.

She would've much rather have taken a trip to Yellowstone National Park. It was her dream to visit someday, yet here she was, miles into the woods on a designated campground with her idiotic best friends.

"Ahh! Jenny help! A spiderweb is trying to eat me!" yelled Jack.

Jackson Johnston and his twin sister Jane had been Jenny's two best friends for years. The 3 of them were so close that Jenny considered them her own siblings and Jack truly was the annoying brother.

"You big dummy. Isn't it the spider that eats you, not the web?" Jane pointed out with a laugh.

Jenny rolled her eyes. 'These two are insane,' she thought to herself with a smile.

As the twins started to argue over how to properly set up the tent, Jenny heard the rushing waters of a stream off in the distance.

"Hey guys, I'll be right back, okay?" She said even though they weren't even listening. 'Hopefully they don't kill each other' she thought as she made her way through the trees towards the water.

Pushing through the last layer of brush, she found herself in a clearing at the top of a hill. The stream ran by it, adorning multiple little waterfalls. She could see the entire town from up here; it was beautiful.

Looking around, she gasped in realization. She had been here before. Suddenly she was eight years old again and remembered the mysterious yet amazing best friend of her childhood.

Her wolf pup.

The little boy who promised to someday return.

A wave of disappointment rushed over her. 'Why didn't he come back? Why did he break his promise?' She grasped the wolf pendent that had remained around her neck all these years. 'Surely he's an alpha now? It's been 10 years...he promised to come back when he became alpha. Did he forget? Did he move on? Is he even still alive?'

All of these thoughts made her sick to her stomach and tears sprung to her eyes. She was angry at herself for being so heartbroken over a silly promise she had made as a child. She couldn't help it though, she had felt a special connection with him since the beginning.

Out of the trees behind her, there was a rustling and the sound of twigs snapping. All the hair on her body stood on end.

She turned and faced the noise. A growl emitted from the brush and a pair of glowing eyes watched her every move.

Hope surged through her. Was it him? Did he come back? "H-hello?" She spoke with a slight tremble.

The dark figure sauntered out of the shadows and stood on alert. It was a very large wolf, but not the one she was expecting. This one watched her with menacing red eyes and bared its slobbery teeth. It was covered in dark gray fur and looked deadly.

This was not her wolf pup.

She started to back up, looking frantically for a way to escape. In her panic, she tripped over a dead tree root, falling to the ground.