Wild Desperation

Chapter 9

I don't know how we made it through that winter. It was the worst one I had seen in the four years I had lived in the park, longer than all the others too. I think the reason I made it was that I had to keep Arrow alive too, I had shared everything I killed with him, whatever little amount of food I had was split with him. The blizzard that came through the first time had snowed us into the cave, I had dug us out but then I couldn't go check my snares since the snow was too deep.

 By the time the snow had melted enough for me to go hunting our food was all gone and we were both showing signs of starving, ribs more evident then ever before. We suffered together and prospered together, not once did Arrow steal from one of my snares, he even helped me bring down a deer when I couldn't get within range without spooking them. His paw had healed nicely, only leaving a small scar where the wire had cut him the deepest, but his fur covered that and he showed no signs that it had ever bothered him. 

With his leg healed he proved an even better hunter than I had first thought him to be, I made sure that every kill had his approval of being safe to eat. I had come across many virus ridden prey and now knew that whether it showed signs of sickness or not it was better to trust his nose then my eyes. I also learned that he was fearless when it came to taking on anything that wasn't sick, but was quick to high tail it in the opposite direction when a sick critter came around. 

I had watched him stand his ground against a bear that had come from its den too soon and thought I was her next meal, I had gained some scars from the attack but lived to tell about it. Arrow had attacked the bear and ran it off, then on a different occasion with a sick weasel he had tucked tail and come running to me as it chased after him, yelping as if his fur had caught fire. I had killed the weasel and burned its sick corpse, checking that Arrow was safe before comforting him with some scratching between his ears. 

When spring flowers had started to shoot from the dirt I had wanted to cry at the sight as I knew we had made it through another winter. I was seventeen now, shocking how fast the years had passed by. I remembered the vow I had made to myself about leaving the park and after a week of hunting and putting some weight back on I was ready to leave my winter camp and head for the answers that I was seeking to find. I packed up all of my things and closed my thorny gate as I called Arrow to my side, and so with a bag full of jerky and a few fresh rabbits I led us away from our winter home and into the dangers awaiting us as I headed for town.

 Arrow seemed confused as to my change of direction but once he was sure I wasn't turning back he trotted on ahead to scout, he did this whenever we went hunting or checked out a new area. He would check that all was safe and well or if no food was to be found he would come back to walk along at my side. I eagerly welcomed the company he provided, I also was relaxed enough to keep my bow on my shoulder when he was on guard, with him I felt much safer.

 I think that's why I was immediately on high alert as I brought my bow forward and notched an arrow at the sound of his deep warning growl. I watched his hackles raise but he made no move to attack or run so I turned to see what he was so focused on and noticed the wire snare not unlike the one I had saved him from all those months ago. I felt my blood boil as I realized we weren't far from where I had first saved him and that the trail of wire traps I could so clearly see were probably from the same person who had hurt my boy. 

I set my bow on the ground as I pulled my knife and started to destroy the traps I could find, I wasn't going to allow another innocent canine to be caught in one of those horrid things. I was on the fifth wire snare when I heard a twig snap behind me, at first I thought nothing of it until I noticed the silence of the forest and the fact that Arrow was nowhere to be seen. I felt the chill run up my spine and I immediately dodged to my right as a large club came crashing to the ground where I had been a moment before.