We left nothing, but our paw prints in the snow

Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

I smelled lots of humans. Metal. Death and other wolves. I felt cold and heavy. I felt stiff, like I couldn't move. I heard weird sounds that I've never heard before. It was a kind of beeping. And loudest of all, was the silence. My senses were extremely dulled though, so I couldn't tell anything for sure.

I tried to open my eyes, but they seemed to be glued shut. I got a bit panicky, then, I felt dizzy, then I felt nothing as my senses slipped away completely again.

When I next woke up, it felt like no time had passed. Same smells and sounds and I felt exactly the same, only more drained of energy. I also felt colder, but maybe that was just my imagination.

I tested my muscles. I could move them, but moving them hurt way more than I had expected.

I heard talking in the background. That clumsy way the humans used to communicate. One of the humans was a female about my age, the other a male, about the age of the old alpha male who had died. The male human sounded like the alpha. Maybe he was her father. But why was he so angry. Parents were never angry with their children, only ever disappointed.

I heard the female yelp in pain. What was the male human doing. Was he hurting her?

But then I wondered why I even cared about the humans. I mean, hadn't it been humans who had brought me away from my pack, my pack that probably needs me. But something about the female made me want to protect her. She sounded so innocent, so young, and so ignorant of things she could know so much about. It seemed to me, that I could teach them to her. Show her what it means to be a wolf.

Hang on! A small part of my mind shouted. She's a human. She can't learn our ways. She's a human.

But I sense a wolf in her. A tiny little wolf, longing to show itself! I argued with myself.

There was an odd sound, then the humans suddenly seemed much closer. They were arguing about something. I didn't understand a word they were saying, but I knew instinctively that I agreed with the girl.

They were still shouting at each other, the girl clearly scared, when I decided to make myself known. I got up and did something that sounded like a very hoarse bark, but could have been a lot of other things as well. I'm not quite sure.

Both of them instantly fell silent and looked at me. Maybe making myself known wasn't such a good idea after all.

When the father next spoke, he sounded exited. He seemed to speak to the girl, but she resisted him. Shouldn't it be impossible for you to resist the alpha? Especially the male? Apparently humans listen to different rules to wolves. But from this close up, they didn't seem all that different to us.

The father turned to his daughter, and did something unimaginable. He hit her across (what I think is) her is face.

Parents never hurt their children, in any way. They are there to raise them and protect them, not hurt them. I'm starting to think that we're a good deal more different after all.

The father gave the order again. He wasn't alpha, I could hear it in the way he gave orders, but the funny thing was, he was this girl's father, and therefore the alpha of his pack, or?

The girl, to her credit, still didn't obey. She moved towards the metal thing I was in. She moved towards me, and said something that silenced her father.

The father threatened her, but she pretended not to hear.

She reached the metal thing that encased me and lifted her hand towards something. That motion made her father stop breathing, and his heart pump faster and louder. He was clearly nervous.

It all happened really quickly.

She did something.

The father rushed forward.

She opened something, and now there was a hole in my metal surrounding. I could have jumped out, but I would have hurt the girl if I had, and I am not entitled to hurt anyone except prey, and then really only when I hunt it fairly and for hunger.

The father pushed the girl towards me. Before she could hurt herself somewhere, I caught her.

The father closed the hole and made an evil sounding sound.

He said something, but it only effected the girl, as I couldn't understand. She was clearly upset though, so I licked her, telling her everything was okay. Telling her, that I wouldn't hurt her like her father. Telling her, that I was the female alpha of my pack, and that I knew how to look after puppies. Looking after puppies couldn't be all that different as looking after children, could it?

I called her Pup, because she was like my first puppy. To me, she would always be Pup, like my mate was Mate.

To my surprise though, she backed away from me.

I whimpered, telling her that I was going to do anything to her. That I would keep her safe.

She was in a corner now, and I approached her. She didn't move away, but I could tell she was scared. I moved slowly and calmly, putting all my thought into seeming caring, and not threatening.

I got to her, and licked her. Finally she got the message.

She buried her face into my scruff, and made odd noises that I couldn't quite place, but it sounded like a new born cub wailing, and I felt water through my pelt, as if it were raining from her eyes. I was going to remember that rain from the eyes of a human means that they are really sad, maybe a bit scared too, and that when she buries her face in my scruff, she is seeking comfort.

I let her eyes rain onto my pelt, even though it chilled me. I let her breath in my scent, just like any puppy would breath in the scent of their mother. And the mother's scent would always comfort them, because the scent reminded them that their mother was there, and the mother is there, to raise, protect and comfort her puppies.

After a while, Pup pulled back from me. She sniffed. Her eyes looked red and more swollen than before, and they smelt of salt.

I looked into her eyes, trying to convey a message, but obviously humans rely a lot on their loud and clumsy sounds to convey messages, because Pup didn't get what I was trying to tell her.

What was wrong, and what could I do to make it better?

What was she trying to tell me?

“Mummy,” she seemed to wail. Maybe that was her name for me, like Pup. I was going to answer to that name from now on.

Now she could call me.

I howled her name, Pup.

She looked at me and smiled.

Now I could call her too!