Night time came upon them. Kismet went another day hungry and uncomfortable. He had to get down; he knew he would die if he didn’t. I’ll wait till morning. Then I’ll jump. If I die down there, at least I’ll be with Prestige. Kismet laid his head down and fell asleep. Even though he was jammed against a stone wall and ached everywhere, he found comfort in memories. Various visions of his mother baking, his father plowing, and Jovie and Shirley talking to him by the riverbank brought a soft smile to his face. But the moments that he reflected upon the most were his hours spent with Prestige. He remembered when they would stroll into town to sell his mother’s bread or eggs and people would tip their hats or comment on what “a fine animal” he had. They would also stop by the medical house and Prestige would stay and comfort the patience and Kismet would read aloud.
At Christmas, Kismet and Prestige would offer sleigh rides to the younger children. By then, everyone knew about Kismet’s wolf. Kismet didn’t mind the attention, and he found more friends that he could have ever wished for. But being who he was ever since he was little, he enjoyed being away from the town. On most afternoons, the two would spend their time in the cradling roots of an old oak tree. The old tree that had been scarred by the flood served as their hideaway. There, Kismet would read and Prestige would stay there with his head on Kismet’s lap, never once leaving out of boredom.
Kismet opened his eyes and found it early morning. A white fog circle the base of the mountain and a chilly breeze brought his arms across his chest. He looked over the side and saw the red wolf lying asleep. Smiling, Kismet stood up and measured the distance. If I don’t jump, I’ll just starve up here. Either die alone, or die beside my friend. Kismet looked up to the heavens and sighed. My life’s in Your hands now. Keeping his eyes on Prestige and ignoring the gap in between him and the wolf, he pushed off. He flung his arms forward and threw his knees to his chest once he was airborne. The only thing running through his head was what he was seeing in front of him. The ground rushed up beneath him and an impact so strong struck up his back. His knees hit the ground and he flew into a roll. His head struck the ground over and over and over again. His body came to a halt but his head continued forward and struck a rock. Everything went black.
When he woke up, he gasped and was astonished to find himself alive. He raised a sore hand to his face a rubbed his eyes. He tried to move, but the muscles in his back did not budge. He tried moving his legs, but a surging ache rushed up his body, causing him to cry out in pain. Kismet reached down to examine his leg, and as he did so, his hand brushed past fur. His heart stopped and a smile tugged at one corner of his lips. Looking down, without causing any more pain in neck, he saw his Prestige lying with his back against his injured leg, keeping it warm. Kismet sighed and looked up to the heavens. It could’ve only been a miracle he survived the drop. Even if he suffered from multiple breaks or a concussion, he was still alive. Banging into the rock saved his life, if it hadn’t been there, he probably would’ve continued down the hill and blacked out in the stream below.
“Hey, Prestige,” Kismet cooed.
Prestige’s ear turned to him and he flipped over onto his legs. Turning to the bow, Prestige crawled up beside Kismet’s face and licked the blood away.
“Aww, you’re a good boy! Thank you!” Kismet pressed his face into the warm, soft fur. Tears dripped onto the wolf and it was then, in that still fragment of time, Kismet could only believe Prestige was an angel.
The two of them knew nothing but the happiness of being together again. The boy and his wolf hoped they would never have to be a part. They hoped their trials had ended. But Kismet had the sinking feeling that their journey together hadn’t ended, and that their biggest test was yet ahead of them.
Once they were rested, Kismet struggled to his one good leg and began walking. He winced at the pressure even on that leg, but he forced himself to walk and didn’t rest until it was unbearable to take another step. Prestige stayed beside him, acting as his crutch. The wolf even limped from a deep shoulder wound the bear had made. But with the company of one another, they managed to hike forward. They decided to travel in the other direction Prestige had come from, as it looked easier to journey across and there was a stream running beside them all the while.
Four days went by and the scenery became familiar to Kismet. He remembered the designs of the trees and the familiar trail. It didn’t hit until he saw Banner’s thinned body lying in the dust. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach and he wanted to scream at Prestige for reminding him of the loss of his friend. With hot tears stinging his eyes, he approached the body within tolerable distance. It reeked of rotting skin and the frame itself was skeletal. The sunken eyes and the pinched lips frightened Kismet, and it was hard to identify the horrible face to be the same laughing one that greeted him every day at school. Prestige went up to Kismet and nudged his hand, telling him they had to go. Kismet bowed slightly to his friend and turned his back on him. Banner was an exceptional friend, but perhaps he wouldn’t have made it out in the wilderness, or perhaps if he hadn’t died, he would’ve suffered a more terrible death. Whatever the reason he was taken from Kismet’s life, he knew Banner was safe in heaven.
Prestige led Kismet down a path the wolf had traveled before. Kismet was bewildered at how persistent and confident the wolf was; it was as if the wolf knew the land by heart. Perhaps he did. Prestige entered a forest and his pace quickened. Feeling the wolf’s energy pick up, Kismet knew that something exciting was going to happen. Prestige swung to the right and disappeared. Hobbling as fast as he could, Kismet followed, wondering if his friend had found water or perhaps a deer. Kismet slid across the leaves and stumbled in front of a view he thought he would never see. His lips went dry and his body quaked. He thought he was dreaming, and he hoped he was, for how could something this marvelous happen to him so soon? There, in front of him, sat little Jovie, Shirley, her brother and father, the butcher, the doctor, a few of his neighbors, and several other faces he hadn’t seen before.
Shirley was the first to stand up. With tears glistening in her eyes, she ran up to Kismet and threw her arms around him. Kissing his cheeks and forehead she laughed in joy. “I knew Prestige would find you! He found us! You’re safe now, darling!”
Jovie leapt from his spot and threw himself in between Kismet and Shirley. “We thought we lost you!”
Seeing only the tears and smiling faces, Kismet knew they were overwhelmed at his arrival. He clung to Shirley and Jovie, fearing that if he released them, they would vanish and he would wake up. But when a warm kiss passed over his hand and the faithful eyes of his companion looked up at him, he knew this was no dream. The wolf’s yellow eyes gazed through his master’s as if he was telling him that it was all over, and that he was safe.
The wolf had brought over half of the town’s people back together, including some people who were stranded from their own hometown. Kismet begged the title of heroism to go to his wolf, but people admired his courageous efforts to stay alive, and those who knew Banner, knew Banner would’ve had a fit if Kismet didn’t receive some credit. Within the vicinity of Kismet’s town, fifty-four people survived the hurricane. Dozens of homes were wrecked; life stock was lost; and crops were destroyed. But each soul that had seen the destruction through felt blessed and thankful. The survivors headed south from the flood, where they hoped to rebuild their lives in a town that had been spared by the disaster.
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The Wolf's Boy
AventuraKismet and Prestige are just as unusual as their names. Though one is a boy and the other a wolf, they both desire the same thing: love. Through the years, their friendship grows and they become inseparable. But when their town is hit by a natural...
