I woke up kinda early the next morning. I opened my eyes and looked at my clock by the bed. It was almost 8AM now. I yawned and sat up, rubbing my eyes. I looked down at Lilly and she was still asleep, softly snoring. I smiled and got up to stretch.
I walked over to the door and opened it, going outside. Dad was up already and had the fire going. I went out and sat in one of the chairs by the fire, getting warmer. "Morning. Sleep good?" He asked, putting another log on it.
"Yeah, pretty good." I said. He chuckled and said "Lilly still asleep?" I nodded and said "Yeah, she is. I'm not going to wake her right now. She needs as much sleep as she can get."
"Good point." He said. About then, Mom came out to join us. "Morning, boys. Sleep well?" She asked. We both nodded and she said "Well, good!"
"Was Lilly still asleep when you came out?" I asked. She nodded and said "Yeah, she was. You're doing the right thing by helping her today, you know?" I smiled and said "Yeah, I know...I just want her to go alone and get hurt."
"Well, that's very sweet of you. I'm sure she'd like to have someone to help her find her mother." Mom said. Just then, I heard a gentle thump inside the RV followed by scratching on the door. Dad chuckled and said "Sounds like she's up now."
I got up and opened the door for her. She came out, saying "Morning, everyone!" Mom smiled and said "Hi, Lilly. Did you sleep good?" Lilly nodded and said "Yep, I did! Was nice and warm in there!"
"That's good. So, when are you guys leaving?" She asked. "That's up to Lilly. I'm ready whenever she is." I said, looking down at her. She shrugged and said "I was thinking in an hour or so? Let it warm up a little."
"Good idea. It's still pretty cool out here." I said. She nodded and said "I don't mean to be rude, but is there anything to eat? I'm really hungry..." I smiled and said "No need to be nervous. Come on, I'll make us some breakfast."
She followed me inside and hopped up on the couch, laying down while I got breakfast ready. I got some eggs out and started cooking them. The smell of the food was making her mouth water. I started laughing and she blushed, turning her head away and wiping her mouth.
"Sorry...I'm really hungry." She said. "It's okay. It'll be ready in a few minutes." I said, smiling. She nodded and said "Thank you for taking care of me. I don't know how I can ever repay you."
"Please, don't worry about it. After what you've been through, it's the LEAST I can do." I said. She smiled and said "Well, thanks. I never really thought humans cared about wolves."
"No, we really do. In fact, we've been trying to help you guys. Humans that hunt are not allowed to shoot wolves or they could get in serious trouble." I said. She looked surprised and said "Wow, really?"
"Yeah, really." I said. "Wow...And I always thought you never cared." She said, sounding stunned. I smiled and a couple minutes later, the food was done. I got a couple plates out and divided it up between us.
"Here you go!" I said, setting her's down in front of her. She sniffed it and her eyes went wide. I was about to ask if something was wrong when she started devouring it. It was gone in just a few seconds.
She licked her lips and said "That was good!" I laughed and said "You didn't even have time to taste it!" She giggled and said "Hey, I was hungry!"
"Obviously...You want anymore?" I asked, starting on mine. "Oh, no thanks. Just gotta go outside real quick. Gotta...you know..."
"Right. Let me finish my breakfast and we'll get going." I said, getting up and letting her out. She walked off into the woods to use the bathroom while I finished eating. I was done a few minute later and got up and washed our plates.
I looked out the window and Lilly was laying by the fire with my parents. They were talking and laughing, but I couldn't tell what they were saying. I put on some heavier clothes and got my gun, along with shells for it.
I walked outside and Lilly looked over at me, smiling. "So, we're going now?" She asked, tail wagging. I nodded and said "Yep, whenever you're ready."
She got up and hopped off the chair, ready to go.
"Okay, just be careful, you two. Come back in one piece." Dad said.
We nodded and said "Okay."
We started walking toward the valley, going northwest. After a couple hours, we came across a river flowing through the valley.I had a water bottle on my belt and decided to refill it. While I was, I asked "So, how much farther?"
Lilly looked around and said "Not too much. This river divides the east and west territories."
I nodded and stood back up, taking a drink. I was just about to put my bottle back on my belt when something jumped on my back, knocking my shotgun away out of my reach. I yelled as I was dropped to the ground, getting Lilly's attention.
There was a growling sound in my ear when Lilly said "Mom!"
The growling stopped and I heard "Lilly? Run away! Now!"
"No, Mom, let him go!" She yelled, coming over to me.
"What!? No, this is a hunter! Now run like I told you!" The female voice said.
"Mom, he's helping me!" Lilly said. "Helping you!? Do what?" She asked.
"Find you!" Lilly said. I suddenly felt the weight come off my back and I turned over, backing away as fast as I could. The voice that was over me turned out to be a tan colored wolf, like Lilly said.
"How do you know him?" She asked, glaring at me.
"He found me yesterday. I was hiding from him in a bush. He had his gun, but he didn't hurt me. In fact, he's my friend!"
"Friend!? How can you be friends with a human!?" The wolf yelled.
"When the pack was attacked, I ran back up the hill. He saw me and asked what was wrong. I told him about Dad and everything that happened. We went back to his camp where his parents were and they kept me safe all night." Lilly said.
The wolf looked at me and then Lilly, who smiled. Then she came up to me and said "Thank you." She put her forelegs around me, hugging me, and said "I never thought humans cared about wolves."
"That's not true...We really do. The one's that hunt your caribou are forbidden to hunt wolves. Doing so can get them in serious trouble. I don't hunt at all since I don't like the blood." I said.
She let go of me and said "Well, that's good to hear. Just a couple questions..." I nodded and she said "If you don't hunt, why do you have a gun?"
"So I can protect myself. To be honest, if I didn't know you were Lilly's mother and I could get it, I probably would've used it." I said, a little nervous of what she may do.
"Oh, okay. Sorry for scaring you. I saw you behind Lilly and thought you were going to hurt her." She said.
I chuckled and said "No, I'd never do that. She's a sweet girl...", making Lilly blush.
"By the way, I'm Eve." The wolf said. I smiled and said "Nice to meet you. I'm Cody."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Cody. So, you know what happened yesterday, then?" She asked.
"Yeah, I do. I'm so sorry about her father..." I said, feeling bad for them. She had tears in her eyes and said "Thank you. I really appreciate that..."
"Mom?" Lilly asked. Eve turned to her and said "Yeah, honey?"
"Where's Kate? Have you seen her yet?" She asked.
"Yeah, I did. She was also found by a human. She decided to go home with him. Of course I was sad to see her go, but she's not a pup anymore and it was her choice." Eve said, smiling. Lilly nodded and said "As long as she's happy and safe."
"She is, don't worry." She said.
"Eve, can I ask you something?" I asked. She turned back to me and said "Sure, what is it?"
"Well...My family and I really like Lilly. If she'd like to, would it be okay if she come lives with us?" I said, nervous of her answer. Lilly lit up and smiled widely, her tail wagging. Eve looked at her and then back at me, unsure.
"While I might not like the idea of losing my little girl, it would be good for her to get away from all the danger around here. You do know that since her fur is white, she needs the cool weather to stay healthy, right?" Eve asked.
"Yeah, I do. We live in Montana and it stays pretty nice and cool there." I said.
"Oh, Montana, huh? I've got some friends that live there. They live in that state park near the border." Eve said, smiling. I thought a moment and said "Oh, you mean Glacier Park, right?"
"Yeah, that's it!" She said.
"Well, we live in Kalispell. It's a few hours from the park." I said, smiling. "Oh, really!? Well, knowing that, I'd have no problem with Lilly living with you guys. Only if she wants to, though." Eve said.
"Really, Mom!?" Lilly asked, excited. Eve nodded and said "Really. Your father and I were planning to go live in Glacier when you and Kate were old enough to travel. The human Kate went with lives in a warmer area and her fur is more suited to that."
"But, what about you, Eve? Isn't your fur the same color as her's?" I asked. She nodded and said "Yeah, but I've gotten used to the cold. I actually like it."
"Well, that's good. Don't worry, anytime you want to come visit, feel free to. You're always welcome. In fact, would you like to go meet my parents?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'd love to!" She said, smiling and her tail wagging.
"Well, we should go then. It's a couple hours back to our camp." I said. She nodded and said "Let me go say goodbye to some friends first, okay?"
"Yeah, sure. We'll be right here." I said. She ran off toward the pack, leaving us by the river.
"You really meant what you said about me coming with you?" Lilly asked. I nodded and said "Of course I did! We really like you and would love for you to live with us."
"Wow! I'd love to go with you guys!" She said, tail wagging. I smiled and said "Well, I'm glad to hear that. I think you'll really like it in Kalispell." She nodded and a few minutes later, Eve came back.
"Okay, I'm ready to go." She said. We started walking back toward our campsite after Lilly got some water. About halfway there, Lilly suddenly laid down in the snow, almost invisible. Eve and I did as well and I said "Lilly, what's wrong?"
"There's someone following us..." She said, looking around. Eve nodded and said "Yeah, I can feel it, too."
"Okay. You two stay here and I'll check it out." I said, getting up. I took my shotgun off my back and started searching the area around us. I was walking past a bush when it suddenly rustled. I racked my shotgun and said "Whoever's in there, come out or I'll shoot you!"
Suddenly, a reddish and white wolf, about the same size as Lilly, came out of it, scared and shaking. "Who are you?" I asked, pointing my gun at it.
"G-Garth..." The wolf said. I could tell by his voice he was male. "What're you doing in there?" I asked, still unsure.
"I w-was watching you. You're in the Eastern Pack's territory." He said.
"Garth, it's okay. He's with us." Eve said, coming up behind me. I looked at her and said "You know him?"
"Yeah, he's Tony's son. He's the leader of the Eastern Pack." Eve said. Lilly came up behind us as well and said "Garth, you'd better get home. He's not going to hurt you."
"Okay. Sorry, Lilly..." He said, turning around and walking off. I put my gun back over my shoulder and said "Well, let's keep going. It'll be lunch time soon." We started walking again and a couple hours later, we got to the campsite.
Mom saw us coming and said "You're back!" She got up and came over and hugged me. Dad came out of the RV when he heard Mom.
She let go of me and looked down at Eve and said "Who's this?"
"Mom, this is Eve. Lilly's mother. Eve, this is my Mom and Dad." I said, introducing them. Eve smiled and said "It's nice to meet you two!"
"Nice to meet you, too. You've got a very lovely daughter." Mom said, smiling. Eve smiled too and said "Thank you! She's my little girl..." Lilly blushed a little and Eve said "So, you're the humans that protected her last night?"
"Yes, we are. Cody brought her back last night. She told us everything that happened. We're very sorry for your loss." Dad said. Eve nodded and said "Thank you, I really appreciate that. I told her to run away when the attack started. Her sister came back, but she went to live with a human that found her."
"Well, that's good to hear. I'm sure she's very happy right now." Mom said. Eve nodded and said "Me too."
After a couple seconds of silence, Mom said "So, I suppose Cody told you how we'd like for Lilly to live with us?"
"Oh, yeah, he did. I almost forgot about that." Eve said. Dad smiled and said "Are you okay with it?"
"Yeah, I am. I'm actually going to live in Glacier from now on. I've got friends and family there I'd like to be closer to." She said.
"That's only a couple hours away from where we live. You can come by anytime you like." Mom said, smiling.
"Thank you! Lilly, are you going to be happy with them?" Eve asked, turning to Lilly. She quickly nodded and said "I am! They really care for me and I really like them!"
"Okay, honey. As long as you're happy. When are you guys leaving?" Eve asked.
"Monday afternoon." Dad said. Eve smiled and said "That's when I was planning to as well."
"Really? Well, if you like, you can come with us." Mom said.
"Oh, no thanks. I'm going to stop near the border to visit some friends and let them know where I'll be." Eve said.
"Okay. Would you like to stay here until you leave?" Dad asked.
"If it's alright. I don't feel safe with those wolves still out there." She said.
"It's no problem. If they come here, you'll both be safe." Mom said. Eve smiled and said "Well, thank you. What do you do here?"
"Mostly just sit around and enjoy the quietness." Dad said. She nodded and I said "I was going to take my Jeep back up some of the trails if you guys want to go."
"If you do, take the spare tires for it." Dad said, smiling. I nodded and Lilly said "I'll go. Please, Mom!?"
Eve smiled and said "Of course I'll go." Lilly's tail started wagging again and I said "Okay, we'll go after I get some stuff together."
"Okay, no problem." Eve said, laying down with Lilly. They started talking and laughing with my parents while I got some food and water together. It only took a few minutes before we were ready to go. I finished loading the stuff up and said "Alright, we're all set."
"Okay, just be careful. Use that shotgun if you need to." Mom said.
"Alright, Mom. See you guys later." I said as we all got in the Jeep. We set off to the north along some side trails winding up the hill. They came out and stopped at the side of the hill, overlooking the entire park. We got out and sat down, enjoying the view.
"Wow, Mom! I never knew the park was THIS big!" Lilly said, tail wagging. Eve smiled and said "Neither did I, honey."
After about 20 minutes or so, we started getting hungry. I took some of the food out of the cooler and divided it up between us all. Just some eggs and bacon I cooked before we left. Lilly and Eve downed it all in just a few seconds.
"Wow, that was really good!" Eve said, licking her paws. Lilly nodded in agreement and I said "Well, thanks. But it's nothing compared to what we have back home."
"Oh, really? What else is there?" She asked. I told them about hamburgers, steaks, hot dogs...Everything I knew they would love.
"Wow, sounds great!" Lilly said, smiling. I did too and said "Yeah, it is! Well, we should be heading back now. It's gonna be dark soon and you never know what's out here at night."
"Yeah, good point!" Eve said, looking around behind us. We all got back in and started heading back to camp. Eve and Lilly were just looking out the windows, enjoying the scenery. By the time we got back, it was completely dark outside.
Mom and Dad were already in bed since it was almost 11PM. I parked the Jeep and we got out, stretching. "Eve, would you like to sleep inside tonight? It's a little warmer in there." I asked.
She smiled and said "Yes, I would! Thank you." Just then, we all heard a howl ring out from the valley. Eve smiled and said "Just a couple at Howling Rock...Nothing to be worried about."
"Okay, got a little nervous there." I said, smiling. We went inside and I shut the door, locking it. "Lilly, where do you wanna sleep?" I asked.
"I'll sleep on the couch with Mom." She said. I nodded and they hopped up, laying down together and falling asleep rather quickly. I smiled and went to my bed, laying down and falling asleep as well.
So, there's chapter #2. Seems like a good place to stop this one. I really appreciate you guys' feedback so far. I'm glad to know that you're all happy with it so far.
On a side note, I put a new chapter on Lone Wolf's New Life. Just thought I'd throw that out there since no one seems to have seen it yet.