Chapter 4
"Why did you do that?" Phoenix growled in a low voice once he'd pushed Storm far enough away from the wolf.
"Do what?"
"Even a restrained wolf would try to kill you if you got too close."
"I think you're wrong. I think that wolf is just a misunderstood creature, and is simply lost in a world that hates her. If she wants to try anything I think it would only be to try and escape."
"I'm sorry Storm, but you're a fool if you think that."
Storm shook his head. "I'm just trying to understand the wolf. Might as well try; we're going to have to take her back to our home."
"No, I will not try to understand that thing, and if it tries anything, I'll kill it."
"Fair enough."
Neither said anything more as they went back to where the rest of the group was. The exhaustion was finally setting in as the sky grew dark, making Storm and Phoenix want nothing more than to just curl up, preferably on something comfortable, and go to sleep.
They would stay in the village for all of tomorrow, and then leave the following morning.
"Did you see the wolf?" Blaze asked upon their return.
"Yes."
"Does it look mean?"
"Storm tried to approach it, but I stopped him. It didn't do anything to him but it could've been just biding its time."
Storm ignored that comment. "Do you have any clue as to how we're going to take her back home?"
"No, but we'll probably find out tomorrow."
"Agreed, let's get some sleep."
…
For the first time, the white wolf felt truly alone and afraid. She was surrounded by beings that hated and distrusted her, and now she was going to be taken to somewhere that was probably even worse. She wondered what would happen to her there. Would she be tortured and killed, just like the stories?
Aniu thought so. Unless she could gain the trust of the dog she had seen earlier. He didn't seem like the others. She was sure he didn't trust her, but would change that if she gave him reason.
And maybe, just maybe she could escape with his help.
"I will not die yet." Aniu said to herself, repeating it over until she went to sleep.
…
The next day went by relatively quickly, and the team learned about how the wolf would be taken home. Jarrod had some sharp pointed objects that were called needles, that when injected into said wolf, would make her drowsy and tired and thus unable to put up a fight. None of the dogs did anything that day except for rest, since it was expected that the first blizzard of the winter was due soon. Everyone would need to be fully energized if they were to beat the storm home.
The temperature hadn't risen above twenty degrees for the last three days, and it didn't look like it would today either. The whole team sat by Jarrod's fire, either napping or talking quietly. The man himself was sitting on a wooden chair, writing something in a notebook.
Storm sat next to Jarrod, staring into the fire. He couldn't get the wolf out of his mind. Despite what Phoenix said, he did not think that the wolf was a vicious bloodthirsty animal, but rather something that was misunderstood. Storm wanted to understand.
What he'd seen in the wolf's eyes was not that of a murderer. Having been to many places, he'd looked into the eyes of more than a few truly evil dogs and humans, so he knew what evil looked like. What Storm saw in the wolf's yellow eyes was primarily fear, fear of a world that hated her. But he'd also seen a little bit of curiosity. Perhaps she had a desire similar to his, to find out more about the beings that surrounded her.
"Storm, you alright?" Indy asked, breaking the husky free of his reverie.
"I'm fine."
"You've been acting different since you saw the wolf last night." Indy took a moment to look around, making sure no one else could hear him. "You can trust me."
"I know that…"
Indy had been like a father figure and a guide to Storm when he'd first been selected for the team. He still was, and Storm trusted him with anything.
Storm voiced his thoughts to Indy, and the husky nodded silently.
"I've got to agree with you. I wish dogs and wolves could live in peace. I've heard so many stories about the evil and nasty wolf. How they kill and maim dogs and humans alike. But I hear your point as well. We're the ones hunting them, and it's only natural to defend. I've never seen or heard anything about a wolf coming to our town and killing us."
"I also wonder what kind of stories they tell about us."
Indy didn't reply to Storm, but instead he jerked his head a little to the left.
"You might get a chance to ask."
A native was approaching the camp, the white she-wolf in his arms. She blinked drowsily when the native placed her by Jarrod's tent, Storm noticing that her legs were tied together. When she looked up, she seemed to recognize Storm, and he saw something flash in her eyes. It was fleeting however, because as soon as she lifted her head Phoenix growled and she promptly lowered her head again.
"Phoenix!" Jarrod said sternly, reprimanding his dog who quickly quieted. "You will not harm her."
And again Jarrod Anderson was thankful for his dogs. They always seemed to understand what he said to them. Aniu was thankful for Jarrod as well. Even though she couldn't understand him like the dogs surrounding her could, she knew that he held authority over them, and that gave her a small bit of hope. That didn't stop the one called Phoenix from speaking to her though.
"Listen to me wolf. I don't care how much you act, I know your kind. You're evil. I will obey my master and I will not hurt you, but if you so much as touch a single hair or so much as snap at me, my teammates, or my master, I will kill you. Do you understand me?"
Aniu quickly nodded.
"I can't hear you."
"Yes." She said softly.
"What? I still can't hear you."
"Yes… I understand." Every dog in the circle looked at her in shock, as if she had just been birthed and then said her first word on the same day.
"Good wolf."
Meanwhile Jarrod thanked the native for bringing the wolf to him, and he quickly took out one of his tranquilizer shots and injected Aniu. She felt only a small prick, but felt the effect immediately. She was suddenly tired, and her eye lids drooped and her head rested on her paws.
She still looked around, and her yellow eyes focused on the same grey husky that she'd been thinking about. Aniu wished that she could speak to him and only him, but knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Partially because of the fact that his teammates probably wouldn't leave her alone, and the more immediate reason being whatever she'd just been subjected to.
Aniu relaxed quickly, dropping off into a deep cold sedation. Phoenix watched this with a small amount of satisfaction. He still wanted to kill her, but doing so would probably bring about his own demise. He worked for Jarrod, and in return got food, water, and shelter. He didn't want to do anything to compromise that. Jarrod then made sure the wolf was securely restrained. No one wanted her to be able to free herself if she woke during the night. Jarrod put a muzzle on her and then tied her to a two foot long rope, leaving barely any room to maneuver.
All of the dogs made sure to get out of range of the wolf, in case she still tried to do something.
Storm wanted to speak with her. He laid himself down to nap. It was his hope that she would awaken sometime during the night, so then he could ask her some questions, and maybe find out the truth about wolves.
..
Pretty boring and a lot of repeating things. I guess this story is also gonna be my attempt at writing somewhat of a love type story. I've never been good at those, and I've attempted more than one. Y'all think I'm doing okay? On another note, I'll say this as well. This story, for what I'm plannin' is going to turn into my own sort of Balto series. Already got ideas for a couple of things after this one.
Thanks for the reviews, feel free to leave a lot more. They really do help.
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