Alone With The Wolves

Alaska, Here We Come!

Skylar's POV

The next few weeks were pretty torturous, for me anyways. I was super excited to finally achieve one of my biggest dreams. To see wolves in the flesh. And not only normal wolves, but Arctic wolves! I was packed and ready for the trip days before we were actually supposed to leave. I brought two notebooks, two sketch pads, and tons of stationery so that I wouldn't be able to miss a thing. I had also persuaded my brother, Ryder, to lend me his camera.

Ryder and I have always gotten along pretty well. He's seventeen now. And he has golden brown hair just like me. His eyes are piercing blue, just like my mother. Unlike me, with forest green eyes.

Apart from a brother, I also have an older sister. Bailey, who is 20. She has beautiful blonde hair like my mother and has greenish blue eyes. She's the type of person who can fit into any situation and manages to do everything correctly. Miss perfect. The only thing is that she's mean to Ryder and I. We used to be really close when we were little. But when Ryder was born, he used to always want me. Not her. And I guess she got kind of jealous. Ever since then, she has been mean to both of us.

*****

Finally, it is the day that we leave for Alaska! I wait on the sofa with my suitcase between my legs. Super excited to be heading off to the airport. One by one my family members join me in the living room. And of course, Bailey is the slowest. By the time we are all sitting and waiting to leave, she has to apply a few layers of makeup on her face.

I can barely contain my laugh as I see her face lathered in a pound of makeup. She gives me the evil eue before sashaying out the door.She was scared that the long hours in the airplane would smudge or ruin her makeup. So she added a few more layers just to be safe. And boy, does she look like a clown!

I am squashed in between Ryder and Bailey during the whole trip. Bailey is practically shouting into my ear while she talks on the phone with one of her annoying friends. I sigh before ignoring her and concentrating on Ryder.

Ryder on the other hand, is snuggled comfortably against me. His head resting on my shoulder while his arms are wrapped around my arm. The only problem is,he is drooling all over my sleeve. I try to get him off, but I am unsuccessful.

Instead, I manage to put a cloth under his head to stop the drool from soaking my sleeve. Then I really look at Ryder's sleeping face. And he actually looks like how he did when he fell asleep on my shoulder after Bailey first bullied him...

*****

It was a normal night for me. Everyone else had already gone to sleep except me. I was in my room, still trying to perfect my drawing of the wolf. Suddenly, the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps was heard heading towards my room. I put down my notebook and pencil. Rushing to the door and opening it.

A small figure crashes into me, Ryder. His small arms wrap around me and his head rests against my chest as tears starts to stain my t-shirt.

" What's the matter, Ryder?!" I say while I hug him tighter and close the door before getting back on my bed. Not wanting anyone to hear the commotion. My arms still holding him tight as I try to get the answer out of him.

In between sobs he manages to answer me. "B..Bailey tore up my book of dinos and c..called me stupid for reading it!" He says before burying his head into my shoulder and breaking into another round of sobs.

" It's ok, Ryder! Don't be so sad, I'm sure she didn't mean it." I say while I try to comfort him. Rocking him gently back and forth as I offer him reasons not to cry. Unfortunately, this makes him cry even more.

Flabbergasted at what to do, I try to search my mind for something to talk about that will interest him and hopefully make him stop crying. Dinosaurs! I think to myself. Wait no, I don't know a thing about dinosaurs. I groan as I desperately search for something else to talk about. My eyes wander and settle on my wolf poster. Why not? I say to myself. Might as well give it a try.

So I start to tell Ryder everything I knew about wolves. What they usually look like, how they behave, how they hunt in packs, where they live. And halfway through I notice that Ryder had stopped crying. His big innocent eyes trained in my face as I tell him about wolves. Looking so interested.

When I reach the last fact I know, I look down and see that he is fast asleep. His arms still wrapped tightly around me. I look at his face. So young. I stroke his face and try to memorize this peaceful face of his. I smile as I slowly drift off to sleep. His sleeping face still clear to me even though my eyelids are already closed.

*****

I laugh quietly as I remember that fateful day. Ryder displayed a huge interest in wolves after that, but the interest soon died down after he started to mix with friends and picked up other interests. Although, since then, every time he needs someone to talk to, he comes to me. And during the rare occasions he starts to cry, the facts and stories of wolves still managed to calm him down and make him stop crying.

Sometimes, he asks me to tell him stories about wolves. Although I think he let's me tell stories to him sometimes to calm myself down when I'm stressed or upset.

I have to shake him awake as our car rolls into the parking lot of the airport. He awakens and looks at me with sleepy eyes. A smile creeping into his features when he realizes where he was resting on. Turning his normal, teenager-like face into the face of the innocent brother I once knew.

" Just like old times, right Sky?" Smiling as he gets out of the car. Grabbing his backpack and mine. Handing my backpack to me.

" Yup. Just like old times." Laughing as I get out of the car and put on my backpack.

Bailey looks over and I swear I see a look of jealousy flashing across her face. Quickly replaced by her famous eye rolling. I blink my eyes a few times. Not sure if the look of jealousy was real.

Surely not after all this time.... I wonder to myself. I mean, she must've gotten over it. Contemplating in my head as I lead Ryder over to the airport. Laughing as he bumps into an old couple and gets a scolding from them.

*****

The next few hours are boring. My parents busy sorting everything out. Bailey, flipping her hair here and there while texting all her friends. Ryder is reading a book on cheats for an online game. While I am in my own world. My headphones are in and I listen to a podcast I had downloaded yesterday, about wolves (obviously). But this was on Arctic wolves. Since I was about to see them soon on Mount McKinley.

When I reach the third chapter its already time to board the flight. Surprise, surprise, I'm stuck between miss complain a lot and Ryder. Bailey is reading a book about how to apply make up perfectly. Although I have no idea why she would want to read a book on looking like a clown when she already looks like one with what looked like her whole makeup set applied on her face.

Thankfully, there are a few seats empty in the flight and Bailey goes to the back row which is completely empty. She wants to be able to stretch out and get her 'beauty sleep'.

I move to the seat next to the window and rest my head against it. I look at the clouds as I turn up the volume of the podcast. Trying to calm my excited nerves and drown myself in wolf facts. Enjoying the view of the clouds.

Snow wolves, also know as Artic wolves are a subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus). Arctic wolves inhabit some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world where the air temperature rarely rises above -30 degrees C (-22 F) and the ground is permanently frozen...... The voice sounds in my head.

The facts calm me down as I slowly drift off to sleep. I feel so happy and feel a smile spreading across my face. Can anything get better than this?

*****

Author's note:

Hi guys! Sorry for the complications on the chapters just now. Something went wrong when I uploaded the first chapter. Please fan, vote and comment ok? It would mean so much to me!