Minecraft Short Story: How Sylvia Found Dixie
It was dawn. The first rays of sunlight were filtering through the small windows on an oak wood door. A girl lay covered with a red blanket on a wool-made bed. Her gray fox ears twitched as she awoke. This was Sylvia. A miner. A traveler. A survivor. She looked around at the dirt walls that surrounded her. A crafting table lay a couple block-lengths away. Sylvia made makeshift huts like this almost every night she traveled. She moved across MineCraftia everyday.
To a better life. Sylvia thought. Just me, myself, and I.
Her long, light brown hair fell over her front as she drooped her head wearily.
All of a sudden, Sylvia heard a yowl laced with fear and anger.
It was a wolf. Female by the sound of it.
Something is wrong. Thought the girl. Nah, It was just another wolf.
Or was it? Why did Sylvia feel her insides tighten?
She threw on her beanie and grabbed her iron sword when the wolf yowled again, now sounding hurt. Sylvia raced outside and sprinted over the hill to where the noise was coming from. Her face twisted in horror as she saw what was happening in the expanse below her. A female wolf, covered in blood, an arrow in her shoulder and one lodged into her flank, stood protectively over a small pup, curled up in fear on the ground. A skeleton stood in front of them, aiming his bow at the canine. Before Sylvia could even move, the arrow went straight into the wolf's chest. Her legs buckled underneath her body and she fell into a bloody gray heap on the still darkly shaded grass.
Sylvia saw the skeleton start to raise his bow, clearly going for the tiny pup next, who was fretfully batting her mother's ear with her gray paw. Sylvia screamed at the top of her lungs and ran down the hill towards the skeleton. It turned from the pup and her mother and looked at the raging fox girl. He lifted his bow to shoot. The white monster barely missed Sylvia when the arrow left its string. She jumped onto the skeleton and beat it with her sword. It fell to the ground and she jumped on it over and over, hearing the bones crack under her feet. She looked at the shaking bloody wolf and the baby. Sylvia slowly walked towards them, never taking her eyes off the two dogs. The mother wolf licked her whimpering pup and closed her eyes. Then she went limp. She leaned down next to the wolf. Sylvia rubbed her soft fur and carefully took out the arrows that were stuck in the poor creature's body. She then remembered the puppy.
"Here girl," called Sylvia quietly "come here."
The pup looked at her mother a moment longer and then very slowly, she came up to Sylvia's outstretched hand. The brunette ever so slightly rubbed her hand down the wolf's ears.
She is so young. She can't protect herself. I know that I must take care of her. Besides, I don't have to be alone now.
"Hey, do you want to come with me, sweetie?" She asked softly.
The puppy was slowly rubbing her head on the bottom of Sylvia's hand. A cold breeze blew across the clearing. The pup starting whining and shaking.
"Come here," Sylvia said again "I'll keep you warm."
She pulled back her hand and hovered it over her legs. The pup climbed into her lap and rubbed her head to Sylvia's hand again. She pulled it away once more and slowly put both hands around the puppy's body.
I hope she doesn't bite me.
Sylvia slowly picked up the wolf and held her to her chest.
"So, are you gonna be my puppy now?" Sylvia asked, looking at the small bundle of fur. The pup licked her face. "I'll take that as a yes."
