The Frozen King's Mate [ON HOLD]

Chapter 1

Tala POV

I grab my coat and pull it tighter around me, the wind picking up in strength.

"Come on, Scout." I call my 7 year old husky.

He bounds towards me and we walk into the cabin and I shut the door. I stomp my boots, getting the snow off and that's when I hear it.

The beautiful howls of wolves.

I smile and just imagine what it would be like to be such a beautiful and majestic animal.

The tea kettle going off breaks me out of my trance and I head towards the fire, taking it out from its holding place and pouring myself a cup of tea.

Now, I know what you're thinking.

Snow?

Cabin?

Howling of wolves?

Where on earth do you live?

Well, I'll tell you.

I live in the beautiful snowy place called Alaska, more specifically Nenana. A small city, but I love it. In fact, I live on the outskirts of Nenana, in the forest to be exact.

Most of our food is from the sea or shipments from the city of Anchorage.

But, I mostly live off the land. Going into town at times can be a hassle and a waste of resources that I don't exactly have an abundance of.

Anyway, back to my tea.

I put a green tea bag in the cup along with some sugar and wait for it to cool down. So, in the meantime, I put on a pair of wool socks and rekindle the fire.

Scout goes to his bed in the corner and sits down, staring at me.

"You're probably hungry, aren't you boy?" I ask him and he barks, no doubt his way of saying yes.

"Well, just wait a minute. Let me finish my tea. It should be cool now." I say to him and turn in my seat, taking a sip of the warm beverage.

I sit there and reminisce of my parents; my mother, a very beautiful woman who I never got to meet and my father, a big, strong, and burly man who just up and left one day.

I always sit and think, mulling over my thoughts as to why he just suddenly disappeared.

What is because of me?

Was he tired of this lifestyle?

Did he leave me to spend time with another woman?

Was he embarrassed of me?

Out of nowhere, I'm licked across the face.

"Scout." I groan as he sits there and barks, obviously telling me to "Hurry up!" I chuckle and pet him.

I soon finish my tea and put my boots back on along with my coat and grab my bow and arrow along with my father's rifle.

We head out into the forest and I soon start to see our dinner: moose tracks. I follow them into the woods and every now and then, make a mark on a tree so I won't get lost. After a while of walking, I see it: A big buck.

"Catching this one could last us awhile." I think to myself.

"Now, the only question is which weapon do I use?"

I decide on the gun, it will be able to pierce the tough hide and death will be swift. So, I get down on one knee and judge based on eye level, aim for the heart. I take a deep breath, it's never easy for me to take a life.

"Bang!"

The birds fly from the trees as the bullet hits its mark. Scout barks and quickly runs towards the dead moose carcass along with myself.

I'm swift, cutting through its hide, and begin the process of dismembering the moose. I look around every now and then, making sure no bears or wolves sneak up behind me. I'm just thankful that my father taught me how to hunt and how to skin an animal.

It's dangerous to be out at night, the animals can see you but you can't see them.

After two hours, I can finally wash the blood off my hands and knife with the snow and pick up the knapsack full of raw meat and head home.

I trudge through the trees along with Scout, looking back to make sure no predators are following us every now and then. .

We just make it into the cabin as the sun sets.

"That was close. Too close." I say, sternly to Scout, who whines.

At times, I swear this dog acts more human than what he's supposed to.

Now, the real fun begins: Cutting up, cleaning and sorting the meat.

Two hours later....

I'm finally done with sorting the meat, putting the last pack of meat in the freezer. The moose meat will last me a couple of weeks. I decide to make moose stew, knowing it will last me a couple of days. I grab some potatoes, carrots, celery, an onion along with some spices and begin to cook.

Two hours and fifteen minutes later....

"Mmm." I say, enjoying the delicious dinner.

"Nothing is better than moose." I say and Scout barks.

"You're right. Deer meat is better." I say and he barks, agreeing with me.

We sit there and eat our meal in peace. I then realize it's completely dark outside.

"Yes." I whisper.

I grab my camera and run outside, looking into the sky and see countless beautiful stars and what I really love (a bit more than Scout but don't tell him): the moon.

I smile brightly just like the moon and I take a picture of it and stare at it in awe; remembering something my father said.

*Flashback*

My father and I are walking in the snow, heading back towards the cabin.

We are both tired since it took us most of the whole day to find Scout. He was a puppy then and he ran right out the door.

We followed his paw prints, which lead to a beautiful view of a waterfall, but it was frozen.

My father picked him up and we headed home. We were just about to enter the cabin when I saw the moon.

"Dad! Look at the moon! It's so beautiful!" I say, staring at it in awe.

"You are a selenophile." My father.

I was seven years old at the time, I didn't quite understand the word.

"A what?" I ask, looking up at him.

He chuckles and says "Selenophile. A lover of the moon."

"Now, let's get inside. It's cold." He says and he leads us inside the cabin.

*Flashback Over*

I smile, thinking of the incident. I'm not only a selenophile but a bibliophile (lover of books aka bookworm) as well.

I realize it's late and that it's time for bed.

I stripped out of my clothes and throw on an old shirt of my father's and sweatpants and jump in my comfy bed and go to sleep, dreaming of the moon and wolves.