"Get your ass up here, Justin!" I heard my dad scream. I groaned as I hauled my bag up the trail, the snow imbedding my paw prints in a line all the way back to the car. The snow felt a little warm, it was melting right beneath my feet. It's close to the end of February, so I guess the snow is starting to die out. Whatever sense that makes. I caught up with my dad, who was giving me a snarl. "You're a god damn Arctic Wolf! I'm taking you out for a week in the forest out of my own love for your history, Justin... Your ancestors spent many years in the cold, you should be able to sit outside for ten seconds without freezing." Dad says. I sighed, scratching my neck. "Dad... Did you really have to bring us to a forest? We could've just sat in the car with the AC on full blast with a bag of wheat. Couldn't have been that tough." I snap back. He smiles, rubbing my head. "You're a smart kid. But there's no backing out of this. You're gonna know how hard it is to put up with what our ancestors put up with every single day. Now, hand me the map, Justin." He asks. I give him the map, and he stops. "The lake is just a little to the right of the Big hallowed tree... That should be close by." Dad says, clearly frustrated. We go forward, and I take out a snack bar. I start to chomp on it. "We've only been out here for 2 hours, Justin. Put that back." He says. I groan, and put it in my pocket. I swear, he's way too connected to our 'ancestors'. I want him to- for just once - listen to me and turn back. His fluffy ass hasn't even been in the cold for a solid week. Mom is at home cooking for my little bro, most likely, but I know she's super worried about camping in the freezing cold forest with limited food. My dad isn't exactly the smartest wolf, and that's clear as daylight. I think he's just d-
I feel myself trip over something, and I faceplant into the snow, the snow melting instantly. "Shit! Justin?" My dad panics, pulling me up. I feel blood from my nose leak all over the snow. "Ah, son... You have to be careful, you tripped on a tree root..." He says, putting a piece of tissue up to my nose. I grab it, throwing it on the ground. "Whatever dad, I don't need to be babied anymore. It's just a little fall, so back off." I say in embarassment. He laughs to himself, and looks down at the ground. "That's a good point, you don't need to be babied anymore. I'll make sure to keep that in mind when I'm setting up the tents." He laughs. I walk forward, and he walks along with me. I spot a Hallowed tree a few minutes later, making me groan. "FINALLY." I yell. I look at the lake in disappointment. "That lake?... That's the biggest lake you could find, dad?" I ask. He nods, and points at the lake. "It was bigger when I came here a few years back. But it's big enough for me and you, plus a car maybe. Nice ice cold water." He says calmly. I throw my backpack on the ground, pulling out my tent and sticking the rods in the ground. I look over at my dad, his tent already done. "Son you're doing that all wr... You know what ... You're old enough. I don't want to baby you anymore. I'll just hang out in my tent with my cozy blanket. And maybe I'll take a nap! If you're not done by then, I'll take two!" He jokes. I roll my eyes, trying to put the folds into the rods, failing miserably. He goes inside his tent, and I hit my head against the rod. "Stupid... Can't even do the basics..." I whisper to myself. I get up and look around me. It's not too cold, in fact, it's pretty cool. Just a light breeze and snow make a steady chill down my fur. I feel my tail sway lightly as I lean against one of my rods. This isn't so bad... It's pretty relaxing if anything. Maybe if I came here without dad, I'd be more relaxed. He's such a prick to me, because I don't express what my ancestors had to go through. He really feels distant from me and closer to my ancestors, it pisses me off. When I denied to come, he gave me a sad look. He knows that I can't deny that stupid look... I just feel like if I'm gonna do something this big for him, he'll stop being so harsh on me and finally see me as the man I am. I bend down and start getting the tent together, using my dad's layout as inspiration. I finish, and it's... Half baked. My dad comes out, and eyes it with concern. "If it ever gets cold in that tent, you can come in my tent-" "I won't get cold..." I cut in. He sighs, rubbing some snow off his fur. "Fine. But you know our ancestors-" "Cuddled up for warmth? Yeah, I don't care. Just one week of this torture and we go back. Then maybe you'll torture Liam instead of me." I say, looking away from him. He doesn't say a word, only making the tension in the air higher. He breaks the tension with a sigh, him heading to the lake to get a small drink of water. I put my stuff down in my tent, attaching my flashlight to my shirt. A few hours passed, and the sun started to fall. I felt a chill down my spine, as the forest started to get darker. Dad takes out a magazine, and reads it with his flashlight directly on it by the hallowed tree. Probably another "Heavy Meowtal" or whatever it was called... Cuz our ancestors totally had Magazines. I can't tell if he's doing it to piss me off, but I'm not paying any attention to him. I get inside my tent, puting on my varsity hoodie from last year's Freshman pep rally. The cold seeps in through the holes in the tent, making me shiver a little. "Stupid fucking tents... Where'd he get this, the dumpster?..." I whisper to myself. I close my eyes, putting the hoodie over my eyes as I drift to sleep...
