Status: This was a story I wrote for a school assignment a few years ago, and I never forgot it. I always had thought about taking it and making it bigger. So far, at least what I will post right now, is the assignment. I hope to make something more of this story, but until then, I hope you like it.
Winter
Chapter 6
She spent three moons by herself, feeling more alone than ever. She couldn’t stop thinking about Muskar and what the elder threw at her that night. Each night in her seclusion, she howled in pain to the moon, the only friend she had left. As the sun reached the top of the sky on the fourth day, she walked by the river next to her new camp and sat there in the stillness to think. Winter bowed her head to drink from the river when she heard a sickening crack and the water splashing. She searched for what had made the noises and gasped when she saw Muskar struggling to stay afloat in the current.
Winter jumped into the river and swam as fast as she could, reaching Muskar in a matter of minutes. She grasped him by the fur of his neck. His wet, limp body dragged her down like a weight, draining her energy. She swam with all of her might, fighting the raging rapids, but it was no use. She just didn’t have enough strength.
She looked wildly, searching for an answer that would save them, helpless as the water threw them against rocks and dropped them down falls. Then she saw a tree that had fallen into the water, but was still holding onto its stump. She used what was left of her strength to swim towards the fallen tree, desperate to save Muskar’s life and her own. Their bodies hit the fallen tree with the force of the water. She used the log and slowly pulled Muskar’s body to the shore.
Winter looked at Muskar and shuddered. “He might not live to see daylight if I don’t do something.” She examined his body and discovered his broken leg. “This will take many moons to heal,” she thought sadly. She did her best to dry him off. Then she left him to scavenge for long, thick leaves from bushes that grow around her camp to wrap around his leg. When she returned, the sun had turned the sky crimson. She went to work wrapping his leg in a make-shift splint, and making the rocking shoreline as comfortable as possible.
When the moon met the middle of the sky, she stepped back to inspect her work. That’s when she noticed his fur. His ears and tail, once completely black, were now tipped white. She looked closer at him, and saw the white diamond on his chest. “I can’t believe I didn’t see this before now. But, now it makes sense.” She didn’t want to believe it, but the elder was right. They were the missing pups. After much trouble, Winter eventually put the matter at the back of her mind and fell asleep next to Muskar. His healther was more important to her than what Elder Cosark had told them. “He has to live,” she told herself before falling asleep.
When the sun rose the next morning, Winter felt Muskar stir. She quickly jumped up and turned to look at him. Muskar opened his eyes and grunted in pain. “Where am I?” he asked, looking around him. Seeing Winter, he tried to get up but collapsed to the ground. “Ouch! What happened to my leg?”
Winter helped him into a sitting position. “I’m not really sure. I saw you fall into the river, and I swam in and pulled you to shore. I saw your leg was broken, so I wrapped it up.” She looked at the diamond on his chest. “You look like me, Muskar.”
He looked at his chest, then back to Winter. “I’m sorry I didn’t’ tell you sooner, Winter. I just hated being different, Animals laughed at me, taunted me with awful words. So I covered the white up, hid my uniqueness from the world and became a dark wolf everyone feared. When I met you, that night on the prairie, I learned to accept my differences. But, when Elder Cosark spoke to us, I knew I couldn’t tell you. I thought you’d reject me; that you’d think of me differently, and not of who I really am. But now you probab;y think I’m a selfish jerk, right?” He stared at the ground, already anticipating her answer.
She walked over and sat down beside him. “I didn’t think that at all. I was actually thinking the same about myself. When the elder talked to us that night, I was so confused that I didn’t know what to do. I knew I couldn’t look at you the same ever again. But now, I don’t think that anymore.” He lifted his head and she looked into his chocolate eyes. “I don’t think I needed to hear what the elder had to say. I knew I wanted to be with you the night I met you; and I still do.” She moved closer and licked his cheek. “Now, let’s get back to our pack.” He smiled as she helped him to his feet.
Winter jumped into the river and swam as fast as she could, reaching Muskar in a matter of minutes. She grasped him by the fur of his neck. His wet, limp body dragged her down like a weight, draining her energy. She swam with all of her might, fighting the raging rapids, but it was no use. She just didn’t have enough strength.
She looked wildly, searching for an answer that would save them, helpless as the water threw them against rocks and dropped them down falls. Then she saw a tree that had fallen into the water, but was still holding onto its stump. She used what was left of her strength to swim towards the fallen tree, desperate to save Muskar’s life and her own. Their bodies hit the fallen tree with the force of the water. She used the log and slowly pulled Muskar’s body to the shore.
Winter looked at Muskar and shuddered. “He might not live to see daylight if I don’t do something.” She examined his body and discovered his broken leg. “This will take many moons to heal,” she thought sadly. She did her best to dry him off. Then she left him to scavenge for long, thick leaves from bushes that grow around her camp to wrap around his leg. When she returned, the sun had turned the sky crimson. She went to work wrapping his leg in a make-shift splint, and making the rocking shoreline as comfortable as possible.
When the moon met the middle of the sky, she stepped back to inspect her work. That’s when she noticed his fur. His ears and tail, once completely black, were now tipped white. She looked closer at him, and saw the white diamond on his chest. “I can’t believe I didn’t see this before now. But, now it makes sense.” She didn’t want to believe it, but the elder was right. They were the missing pups. After much trouble, Winter eventually put the matter at the back of her mind and fell asleep next to Muskar. His healther was more important to her than what Elder Cosark had told them. “He has to live,” she told herself before falling asleep.
When the sun rose the next morning, Winter felt Muskar stir. She quickly jumped up and turned to look at him. Muskar opened his eyes and grunted in pain. “Where am I?” he asked, looking around him. Seeing Winter, he tried to get up but collapsed to the ground. “Ouch! What happened to my leg?”
Winter helped him into a sitting position. “I’m not really sure. I saw you fall into the river, and I swam in and pulled you to shore. I saw your leg was broken, so I wrapped it up.” She looked at the diamond on his chest. “You look like me, Muskar.”
He looked at his chest, then back to Winter. “I’m sorry I didn’t’ tell you sooner, Winter. I just hated being different, Animals laughed at me, taunted me with awful words. So I covered the white up, hid my uniqueness from the world and became a dark wolf everyone feared. When I met you, that night on the prairie, I learned to accept my differences. But, when Elder Cosark spoke to us, I knew I couldn’t tell you. I thought you’d reject me; that you’d think of me differently, and not of who I really am. But now you probab;y think I’m a selfish jerk, right?” He stared at the ground, already anticipating her answer.
She walked over and sat down beside him. “I didn’t think that at all. I was actually thinking the same about myself. When the elder talked to us that night, I was so confused that I didn’t know what to do. I knew I couldn’t look at you the same ever again. But now, I don’t think that anymore.” He lifted his head and she looked into his chocolate eyes. “I don’t think I needed to hear what the elder had to say. I knew I wanted to be with you the night I met you; and I still do.” She moved closer and licked his cheek. “Now, let’s get back to our pack.” He smiled as she helped him to his feet.