Where the heart lies

Chapter Three

Flame and the girl stayed snuggled against each other for quite some time. The girl needed the comfort, and Flame was too kind-hearted to be the first to rip away. So, he just sat there in the ashy waste, the child's tears drenching his thick red pelt.

"P-puppy, I don't know how to get h-home."

Flame gently pulled his head off her shoulder and gazed up at her with troubled eyes. He could tell from the human pup's bleating that she was upset, but he didn't understand what she wanted from him.

"I w-want my mommy!"

Flame felt his ears perk. That sound was actually somewhat recognizable. It was the same pitch as the bark he or his sister would give off whenever they needed their parents. Maybe... of course! The human pup must have gotten separated from her pack! Hopping to his paws, Flame glanced up at the entrance of the hole. He unsheathed his claws and began to climb toward the sunlight.

"W-wait! No puppy! Don't go!"

Flame paused in his scampering to look back at the little human pup. Her big blue eyes were wide with anguish. He could have told her not to worry, but he had a suspicion that if he couldn't understand her, she wouldn't be able to understand him either. Instead he gave her a soft whine, before turning and finishing his climb.

The moment the fresh air hit his ashy coat, Flame bounded down the rest of the timber. He gazed across the river and could see his pack. In the middle of them, was a screaming caribou. As soon as one of the wolves got a killing bite in, Flame had a feeling that the hunt would come to a conclusion. This meant he had to work fast if he hoped to help the human pup.

Lifting his little snout to the sky, Flame took in a long deep breath. Junk, caribou, wolves... and ah! The human pup's scent. If he followed that, maybe it would lead him to her pack.

Dropping his nose down to the ground, Flame began to track the engaging smell. He followed it around the back of the old human den, and into the woods behind it. While following the scent Flame, didn't even notice the barks and howls of his own pack beginning to fade into the distance. He trailed the girl's scent all the way through the forest until, at last, the trees broke away and he found himself gazing out at a large meadow. Right in the center of the clearing, next to a bizarre green velvet den, he saw them. Humans!  Real live humans! Two of them were obviously adults, and standing near them was another female pup, though this one smelled older than the one back in the valley.

Flame felt his tail beginning to wag, and he took a step toward the humans. He stiffened suddenly. For the first time since he had found the human pup, his father's warnings began ringing around in his head like a crow cawing. The pup hadn't hurt him... but these new humans were grown... they just might harm him.

Flame dipped down into the brush as the older pup came closer. Her face was red and wet just like the other pups. In the back of his mind, Flame wondered if this was just how humans usually looked.

"Oh mom! What if something's happened to her? It would be all my fault!"

Flame felt his ears flatten. She sounded so sad. He watched with interest as the female adult, probably the pup's mother, he could assume from the similarity in their scents walked over. She wrapped her long forepaws around the pup's neck, pulling the older pup up against her chest.

"Oh sweetheart, don't worry we'll find her."

The mother human's voice was soft and soothing, but Flame could smell a strong fear scent coming from her. He felt his heart ache. Were they missing the pup? Is that why they were so sad?

Suddenly, Flame felt an abrupt certainty explode in his heart. They wouldn't hurt him. He didn't know how he knew that, or why he was willing to risk his life on nothing but a feeling, but he was.

Quickly, hoping the sudden feeling of courage would last, Flame slunk out from the thicket and let out a low whimper.

The female humans whipped their heads up to stare at him. The male, who had been messing about with some strange creatures who looked like elk without antlers, began to run over to his pack.

"Oh goodness! Harold! It's a wolf!" The mother human screeched, pulling her child closer to her. She used her body to shield the pup. The male arrived at her side and leveled an odd, smoke-smelling stick to his shoulder. Flame felt his heart begin to beat hard in his chest. Had his gut been wrong? However, much to his relief, after a heartbeat of gazing at him, the man lowered the odd stick.

"It's just a pup."

His mate veered her eyes away from the older pup to glare at him. "There could be a mother!"

The man didn't seem to be listening to her. He kneeled down and squinted at the pup.

"You know, I'm not so sure that's a wolf at all."

The Mother loosened her grip on her cub ever so slightly and blinked down at Flame. He did his best to look non-threatening.

"Then what on earth is it?"

The older pup had managed to wiggle free of her mother's grasp at last. She let out a sharp gasp. "Why! It's a dog!"

Flame flattened his ears. For some reason, he understood that word... But he wasn't a dog...was he?