Sticks (ON HOLD)

Chapter 1

Alton's POV
"Alton can we go home?"  Eight year old Kassie asks.  "All this training is making me tired."

"We're going home now okay Kassie."  I wipe the sweat off my forehead and walk over to grab my gym bag.  Kassie is sitting looking through my bag.  She found my phone and opened it to look through my texts.

"Why do you still have Barbara on your phone."  She says as I sling my bag over my shoulder.  Our faces sadden at the remembrance. 

"I don't know... I guess it just reminds me that she's always here you know?"  Kassie strolled over and turned off my phone.  Putting it in her pocket she hugged my side.  "Let's just go home okay?"  She nodded with a tear stained face.  Wiping one last tear from her face I put a smile on my face and slung my arm over her tiny shoulder as we walked to the car. 

I opened the door for Kassie as she hopped in.  Shutting the door I walked around the front of my car to hop into the driver's seat throwing my bag in the back.  Fumbling with my keys I finally turned on the freezing car. 

We sat in silent peace until I hit an intersection.  "Have you wondered what it would be like if Barb was here?"  Curious Kassie asks.

"That's a good ques-" My eyes widened at what I saw.  Slamming on the brakes with one arm across Kassie I try to stop the car from hurting a deer.  I was too late.  The car rammed into the front of the car knocking the animal out instantly.  Kass and I weren't thankfully. 

Our breathing was the only thing heard in the cold bitter evening of November.  I looked over at Kass to check for wounds.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," She responded.  Opening the frosted handle I opened the door to the bitter coldness to check on the deer.  Shutting the door I took a glance at the deer and thought that it was dead until I saw it's chest rise and fall.  The car opened and shut again signaling that Kassie had came to see. 

"Let's leave it here.  It'll wake up in the morning," I state.

"We can't!  Do you see the condition it's in!"  She says while rolling over the dear to uncover a bleeding wound.  "We have to take it home."

I look at her with all seriousness but she only looks back with pleading eyes.  "Fine we'll take it home.  You carry the backside."

She opens the door to the backseat and picks up the deer by the legs.  We shuffle the deer into the back while in a comfy position.  Kass hops in the back with the deer. 

Starting the car again I turn the heater up all the way as I adjust my mirror so that I can see Kassie rubbing the deer's back.  Lightly smiling, I head to the pack house. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"C'mon we need to hurry," She frantically states.

"Calm down Kass," I say to her.  She sighs out loud creating a white cloud.  I grabbed the deer out of the back and held it like a baby taking it to the infirmary.  Kassie shouted at everyone to get out of the way like in the movies while I just gave them apologetic smiles.  Bursting through the main office Kassie started shouting at the receptionist.

"Hey lady!  You need to fix this deer!"  Lucy, the receptionist, was startled and started frantically typing in her computer.  I walked over to Kassie and nudged her with my foot.
"Sorry Lucy," Kassie huffed.  I smiled at her while Lucy stopped typing.

"Room 312, third floor," Lucy stated smiling.

"Thanks Lucy!" I yelled over my shoulder as I chased after a runaway Kass.