Penny's Journey

Chapter 2 - Penny

  It was a busy day helping mom out with all of her preparations for the Spring Festival. I haven't intended on staying as late as I had. However, we had been so busy that we lost track of time.

  As I stepped out the front door I stopped for a minute. Taking a look out across the valley that our pack lived in, and seeing the sun setting just over the mountains, it was breath taking as always. All of the rich vibrant colors. The pinks, purples and the different shades of orange. it was just peaking over the mountian top. So breath taking.

  For what seemed like hours, the cold wind brought me back to my train of thought. I noticed that there was a few snowflakes floating around. The storm was on its way.

  Bundling myself up in my rabbit fur coat that my parents gave me last Winter Festival.

  It was time to head home and find something to stop my tummy from rumbling.

  Listening to the sound of my steps that I made in the snow while following the path to my cabin,I pondered on what I have at home that sounds good to eat.

It's only about a 10 minute walk from my parents cabin to mine. I moved out when I turned 18. My father and a few of his friends built the small two room cabin that I now live in. I love it. It's very cozy for just me.

  I saw my best friend Jen, Setting on my porch as I was walking towards my place.

"It's about time you got here. I thought I was going to turn into an ice cube before you got here."

"Oh I'm so sorry Jen, I forgot that you was coming over for dinner tonight. I volunteered to help my mom with all the paperwork for the Festival coming up here in a few months."

"Sounds like you've had a busy day then. I've only been sitting here waiting for you for a short time. But now I understand why."

"You could have gone inside to stay out of this cold wind. At least I made sure that it would be nice and warm when I got back."

Walking up the two steps to the porch, I stopped and loaded my arms with wood for the wood burning stove.

"Can you grab the door for my please." I asked.

Jen opened the door and I carried my load of wood to the wood box that I made.

"So what's for dinner, I brought the good stuff." As she pulled out a bottle of wine from her coat. "It's the really good stuff, my brother made it a few years back. Choke berry wine." As she sat it on the table and walked over to the dish cupboard and gets us two glasses for the wine 

"Well let me see what I can throw together for us to have for dinner."

I walked over to my pantry to see what I have for us. "How about some rabbit stew?" As a grab the jar that it was canned in. "Mom and I canned this last fall."

"Sounds good to me. Your mom's cooking is number one in this pack." She says with a huge smile.

"Two jars it is then."

I grabbed a stew pot and poured both jars in the pot. Added a few more logs to the potbelly stove and started to heat it up. "This won't take long to cook. I love that mom does all of this canning for me when I need it in a pinch."

"So you said you was helping your mom with all the plans for the Festival coming up, is there anything you share about any of it?"

Well my father was saying that there is going to be a lot of packs here this year. Oh, and he said that Prince Bastin will be attending this year."

  "Oh I've heard that he looks like a God. I can't wait!  I'm just hoping to find my mate this year. I can't wait to be mated and start my own family with a few pups."

  "I'm not sure if I'm ready to be honest. I have so many things I'd like to do before I have to settle down with a mate and pups yet. Could you grab a few bowls and spoons?  I believe that dinner is ready."

  I walked over to the stove and pulled the pot off and sat it in the middle of the table. As I filled our bowles with the bubbling hot stew, Jen filled our glasses up again.

  "You do know I'm not letting you walk home after we finish that bottle of wine, right."

  "Yes I know, it's going to be a snuggly night with you again. I just wish it was with my mate." She says with a big smirk on her face.

  After all the dinner dishes were all clean and everything put away we sat there talking and laughing while we polished off the bottle of wine. It was very late and we was really toasted. So we went and piled up on my bed after throwing a few more logs on the fire.