Chaska heard the click of the rifle, though did not brace himself. He was still frozen, staring at his mother's lifeless corpse, tears streaming down his cheeks. Yet nothing came. He lifted his head up and looked the hunter square in the eyes. He saw the hunter struggling with his rifle. He looked at his mother, then back to the hunter. He felt a boiling feeling bubbling up inside of him. He moved his front paw towards the hunter, rage filling his eyes.
"You" he growled. The hunter must have his growl, since he looked down towards the now advancing wolf. He began to struggle more with his rifle, trying to load it, though he tripped on a small rock right behind him. He flung his arms into the air, throwing his rifle unwillingly. He quickly recovered to see Chaska getting closer, but he looked much different. It looked as if his fur had gone darker, and his eyes almost red. He bared his fangs, which hung down lower than they normally do. His claws extended to almost double their length. His rage had made him feel much bigger and much more dangerous. "You killed her" Chaska growled again. Although the hunter could not understand Chaska's words, he understood why he was so enraged. The hunter pulled out his knife and began swinging it around in front of him.
"Stay back! I said stay back!" he screamed at Chaska, but he continued forward. He easily dodged his swings, and lunged forward at the right time, grabbing the hunter's arm in his jaw. He crunched down on it, causing the man to let go of his knife as he cried out in pain. The hunter threw Chaska off, but did not knock him off. Chaska leaped forward onto the man, holding him down. He brought his face to the hunter's, his steaming hot breath covering his face. "Please...don't" he uttered. For a second, the hunter believed that it was all over for him. But Chaska got a hold of himself before he could. His eyes went back to normal, as did the rest of his body. He stared down at the hunter, who's eyes were filled with fear. It felt as if he had blacked out for a moment.
"What am I doing?" He looked back at the hunter who's face was still frozen with fear, his heart and breath racing. Chaska stared hard at the human. "Go." The hunter remained until Chaska motioned him away with his head. In an instant, he was running, holding his injured arm close to him. Once he was out of sight, Chaska returned to his mother's side. He knew that the hunter would get the others, and he would never let them take his mother, dead or alive. So he grabbed her by the scruff and began dragging her, stopping every now and then to cover up the trail they left behind.
Somewhere ahead of Chaska, the pack had found refuge in a small system of caves, with the only path leading to it being hidden by some bushes beside a river which washed their scent away. Several wolves stayed on watch over the path, but one was only watching for his friend. Nikan sat at the entrance, looking down the path, expecting Chaska or Nina to come through the bushes at the bottom at any time. He had been there since they arrived. He had also wanted to go after Nina, but Koza forbid anyone from following, for if the did, they would risk leading the hunters straight to the pack. Koza came out and sighed when he saw his brother still waiting.
"Why are you still out here? It's been a long time since they disappeared. I doubt they are still alive. Come inside and we will have something to eat" he persisted. "No" Nikan answered back. "I will not abandon a friend. And if you had any sense left in you, neither would you." Koza was stunned by Nikan's reply. Normally, he was kind and fun. He had never seen him act so aggressively, especially towards his own brother. At the same time, Koza was angered at him, and left as quickly as he appeared.
"Fine! Then you can starve!" he yelled back. Nikan cringed, his ears folded back. He glanced back at his brother. He knew the reason for why he was like that. He was conflicted between protecting the pack and saving his friend. And Nikan felt the same. That was why he sat here, so if either side won, he could take action without anyone stopping him. He hesitated for a moment, then began to go back in. But just before he disappeared into the cave, he caught a glimpse of something down the path. He moved back and saw the bush was moving.
"Guys! Something's coming!" he called out. Koza and Dakota came running out to see what all the commotion was about ,and were soon joined by two other wolves on patrol. They watched closely, ready for anything. And as Chaska came through the bush, their hearts were filled with relief. But that quickly diminished as they saw what he pulled along with him. "Oh no" Dakota gasped. Koza and Nikan rushed to Chaska with the two other wolves. Chaska collapsed from exhaustion next to Nina's body.
"W-what happened?" Nikan stammered. Chaska took a few deep breaths and used what strength he had left to lift his head and answer.
"A...a hunter c..caught me by surprise. H..he almost killed me, but N..N..Nina saved me. She...she died for...me" he finished, then his head fell to the ground as he fell asleep. "Get him some food and water" Koza ordered the two wolves. "Nikan, help me." Nikan came to his brother's side and helped him pull Nina's body up the path behind the two other wolves. Dakota followed them in, holding back tears.
Chaska found himself waking up in a small chamber deep in a dark cave, with no light. He could barely see, and he knew it would be too dark for any human to see. He began surveying his surroundings. The cave looked damp and cold He felt no touch of the wind, and the air was musty, was he must have been pretty deep. He could hear voices echoing throughout the caves. One of them, he faintly recognized as Koza's. He stood up wearily and found his muscles aching. He then remembered the long trek he made to get to where the pack was, dragging his mother along. He was struck by a sudden wave of sadness as she came to mind. He had been forced to watch what had happened to her as she traded her own life for his. The rage he had felt. How he almost killed the hunter. He shuddered at the thought, never wanting to imagine him killing someone. It puzzled him, how he had become so angered. It was as if he was someone else entirely. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he made his way to the voices. He found Koza with Nikan, discussing something. Koza caught sight of him over his brother's a shoulder and cast a smile.
"Glad to see you're up, though you should be resting. You walked a long way." Chaska grunted at him, obviously disagreeing. "I'm fine" Chaska insisted. "Where is she?"
"I don't think you would want to see her. Go back and sleep some more. We'll come and-"
"I said where is she?" Chaska asked again, his voice becoming more demanding. Chaska gave a hard, long stare in Koza's direction. With a sigh, Koza surrendered and walked towards the exit. "Follow me." Chaska followed closely behind. They went through several other caverns, filled with other wolves. On the way, they offered their sympathies and bowed their heads in respect. He paid no attention to it, since he only wanted one thing. Koza stopped in the entrance of a dimmed cavern, blocking Chaska's path. "Last time to reconsider." Chaska remained silent, giving Koza his answer. He moved to the side, and Chaska walked through to see his mother, laying on the ground. It looked as if she was sleeping, and Chaska would have believed that, if it wasn't for the wound in her side. He made his way to her side and sat down.
"I wish to be alone" he said without turning. Koza gave a nod and turned away to make his way back. Chaska laid his head on her soft neck. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten angry at you. You kept the truth from me to keep me safe, and I should have known. I wish I could tell this to you, so you could hear." He paused to wipe a tear from below his eye. "I'll miss you. Forever." He cried into her fur for what felt like a lifetime.
Snow began to fall gently on the Alaskan wilderness. In a small clearing sat Chaska looking down on a small dirt mound with a wolf's pawprint on top. This was the final resting place of his mother, Nina. As he sat there his ears momentarily turned to face the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. He didn't react however. There was no more room in his heart for any other emotion but sorrow and emptiness. "Chaska, everyone's worried about you. Are you okay?" asked Koza. Chaska stayed silent for a moment before speaking, "I'm alright. Just...thinking. Remembering." he said in a low, emotionless voice.
This worried Koza even more. He was new to this side of his friend. Since they were pups, Chaska was always the cheerful, care-free one. But now, it was like he was talking to a completely different wolf. Koza's ears folded against his skull, "Okay. I was just wondering what's your next move." he said trying to be as empathetic as he could. Chaska stayed silent. "Chaska? Did you hear me?" he asked, now only wishing to get any kind of response from his friend. "...I'll stay for one more day, then I'll head back for Nome." Chaska said before falling back into silence.
"Okay then. I'll leave now. And Chaska, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. For everything." Koza apologized. Chaska didn't react, only staring at the grave in silence. With nothing else to be said Koza walked away, leaving his best friend to grieve.
Now alone Chaska's mind began to wander. Memories of Nina turning over around his head. At the thought of his time with his adoptive mother Chaska's eyes began to well up with tears. His heart filled with all sorts of emotions. Heartbreak, Anger, Despair, and Acceptance. With no other way to release all of these feelings Chaska lifted his head into the air and let out a long sorrowful howl that could be heard for miles.