Forest Girl

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - A Boy and His Wolf

It was a bright beautiful morning and the breeze was just right to make this summer day a perfect one. Kiara walked into the woods and howled for her sister and brother.

"Pack-sister!" Alue and Luca yipped, as they ran towards Kiara. Alue pounced on her making her tumble to the ground, while Luca gave Kiara a few licks on the cheek, giving her a warm wolf like welcome. Kiara nuzzled back a quick hello, and started walking along the same trail she took every day.

The two wolves were Kiara's only friends; she had found the two wolf pups a few days after the great fire. Kiara had assumed that the mother was killed by the blaze since these young wolf pups were so weak and hungry when she had found them. Kiara had taken care of them since she was eight summers old, and now they were no longer the cute little cubs she had found in the wood all those years ago. They had grown up into beautiful young wolves. Alue was a bit small for an average wolf, her fur on her back was a tan like colour and the fur under her chest was a very light brown, but was almost white, and her ears were a dark brown. Luca is a fairly large wolf; the fur on his back was a dark brown as well as his ears, and under his chest was also a very light brown.

Kiara walked to the end of the trail where there was a big oak tree. Kiara walked over and sat underneath the tree and leaned her back up against it. Kiara pulled out her deer skin journal and started to write in it. Kiara wrote in it every day, about everything; the things she saw, learned, knew, and thought, but the journal was mostly about Alue and Luca.

Today was the day of the great clan meet, the clans of the far forest were gathering to decide what to do with Kiara, since she was the last of the White Wolf Clan. Kiara was to either be outcasted or to be executed, which was kind of the same thing. If they decided for her to be executed they would take her into the forest far away from the camp and kill her. Being outcasted was almost the same thing. If they decided to cast her out, all her belongings would be taken from her and would be burned, and they would paint an outcast tattoo on her forehead. They would also rip her clan creature skin off of her deerskin jerkin and burn it in the fire, and she would be forced to watch. Kiara shivered just thinking about it.

Suddenly Alue started to growl, and so did Luca. Kiara heard something moving in the bushes, and heard panting from a dog. 'It's probably just a River Otter hunting party or search party.' Kiara thought to herself as she pointed her finger out of the clearing directly behind her, and Alue and Luca responded immediately trotting out of the clearing. Kiara quickly scrambled up the oak tree into one of the higher branches; in case someone decided to look up.

Kiara had just managed to get out of sight as a wolf jumped into the clearing, but the movement had caught his attention. The wolf walked over and looked up right at her. She let out a sigh of relief that it wasn't a search party or hunting party looking for her.

"Echo! Echo get back here right now!" yelled a young boy as he entered the clearing.

He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen summers old like herself and he was well shaped, a hunter by the looks of his broad shoulders from shooting a bow or swinging an axe. He had short brown hair that covered most of his forehead and came just past his ears. He wore a deerskin band under his hair across his forehead as well.

"Echo, you stupid wolf, get over here!" the boy said, sounding quite annoyed.

Echo looked at him, then looked back up at Kiara, who's branch was about to snap. Echo ran over to the boy and pounced on him, just like Alue and Luca did to her. Kiara had to stop herself from laughing. The boy pushed the wolf off and patted him on the head. The boy stood up and walked over to the rock on the far side of the clearing, and sat down. Echo fallowed him and lied down beside him.

Kiara felt the branch start to bend under her weight, 'Oh, great!' thought Kiara, she knew what was about to happen and got ready for her embarrassment to start.

'Crick, criiiiiick, c-criccckkk... SNNNAAAAPPPPP!!!!!!!!!'

"AHHHHHH!!!" Kiara screamed as she fell on to the ground.

The boy looked up from his wolf and was quite shocked to see that a girl had just fallen out of this big oak tree.

"Oh... that hurt... STUPID TREE!" Kiara yelled, as she caught her breath that had been taken from her a few seconds earlier. The boy jumped to his feet and ran over to her and Echo fallowed him.

"Are you alright-" the boy got cut off as two wolves jumped in front of them and snarled separating them from Kiara.

"Luca, Alue, down." She said in a calm voice. The boy watched as the two wolves stopped growling and walked over to the tree and lied down, and Echo fallowed them to exchange greetings.

"Are you ok?" the boy continued as he grabbed Kiara's hand to help her up.

"Yep, fine, just fine... stupid tree..." she mumbled as she staggered to her feet.

"Easy, easy, take your time," he said as she stumbled a bit, he picked her up and set her down on the rock he had been sitting on a few seconds ago.

"Thanks," she said looking up at him with gratitude.

"My name is Koda from Timber Wolf Clan and this is Echo my pack-brother, and you are?" he said gesturing over to the wolves.

"Kiara, from White Wolf Clan, but I'm staying with the River Otters because I am an orphan, and the last of my clan. Oh, and the light brown one is Alue and the other is Luca."

"Nice to meet you Kiara," He said checking to make sure he had said her name right. "I have a question..."

"Let me guess, how did you get your wolves to do that?" she said out of annoyance.

"Actually, I was going to ask you if I could walk you back to the camp... since you fell pretty hard and your left leg is cut pretty bad." He replied.

"My leg is fine the cut isn't that bad!" she said as she stood up and took a step forward with her left foot, but it gave out instantly. Koda had been ready and grabbed her waist.

"Nope, you're just fine," he said sarcastically,

"Okay yah, I guess I could use a hand getting back if you don't mind." She said blushing about how embarrassing it had been to fall out of a tree then to be wrong about how her ankle was hurt, 'I must look so stupid' she thought to herself.

"No problem," Koda replied with a warm smile on his face.

"Now, I have a question for you," Kiara said in a mocking tone.

"Ask me anything" he said.

"Why didn't you ask me about how I can talk wolf?"

"Oh that's because my father can, and he is trying to teach me but I'm not very good at it yet." replied Koda.

"Oh, is there a chance I could talk to him, I would like to know why I can speak wolf, because no one ever taught me."

"Sure, would you like to start heading back?" he asked,

"Whenever you ready," said Kiara politely. "Hey!!!!" she said, startled as he grabbed her waist and legs and lifted her up.

"Put your arm around my neck." He said as he cradled her in his arms.

"You know, you could just help me walk back, you don't have to carry me." She said as she put her arm around his neck like he had asked.

"I know, but this will be faster... and more fun." He said looking down at her with his blue-ish, green eyes.

Chapter picture link

http://qatd5y.deviantart.com/art/Protecting-Kiara-479716536