( note(Note from the author: Because of a mistake I made, some of
chapter ten was missing. If you go back and read it, it may make a little
more sense. Thanks for reading!)
I held stock stillstock-still as the monster in the dark stared at me, snarling with hunger. I started to move away, but was too slow to stop the attack.attack . . . It rushed forward, and clamped it'sits teeth around my throat, growling and thrashing. I reached up and pulled my attempted killer off. It was a little puppy! It kept on growling at me, but soon got tired of the 'vicious predator' act. It wagged a wispy tail, and licked my hands. I wondered why it looked so familierfamiliar, and it came to me! This was one of those wolf thing puppies! It cocked it'sits head at me, and ruffed happily. I smiled and petted it, chuckelingchuckling at how cute it was. It was very short lived though: at that moment, I realized that all puppies have parents, and this one's couldn't be very far off. "that'sThat's it!" I whispered to my new little friend.
"that'sThat's the word I was looking for earlier.earlier . . . this cave is a den!" The little cub seemed to know what I was thinking, and whimpered. It jumped out of my grip, and crawled back into the cavern beyond. I went too: afraid, but curious. I waited, and heard nothing but the puppy's whimpers, and the sound of it crawling around. I tried to find Itit in the dark, and my hand ran across a stiff hide. I found the head, and felt the huge teeth. This was one of the wolves. I felt around more, and felt that the wolve'swolf's throat was torn. This creature was dead. Was the puppy dead? Where was the other parent? I crawled back through opening, and roused Brutus.
"Wha' is i'?" He murmured, still half asleep. "There's a puppy in here.here . . . I think this use to be a den. One of the parents is dead."
Brutus sat up, awake and alert immediately. "WHA'?!" He shouted. I led him back into the cavern, and he switched on a flashlight from his knap- sack. He shined it around the room, and illuminated both the parent I had found, and a second wolf corpse in the back. The puppy was crouching in the corner, hackles raised threateningly: he was obviously terrified of Brutus. He. Was it a boy? Did it really matter?
"Here boy," I called. "It's OK, he's not going to hurt you.you . . ." The puppy reacted, and calmed quickly at the sound of my voice. It happily bounded over to me, though it paused while passing one of the bodies. I picked it up, and craddledcradled it in my arms. Brutus looked back towards the hole, and saw that the sun was raised. He pointed to it, and I nodded. It was time to move on.
As Magnum and Brutus left the cave, they didn't notice the signs of life before them.them . . . foot printsfootprints, not paw prints, surrounded both wolf bodies. If they had gone around the back of them, they would have seen that much of the male wolf was cut away, not torn off. A big but un-scarred and young looking hand printhandprint in blood had been left on the rear wall . . .
Even though the ledge jumping was in it's own way, kind of fun, I was relieved to find that the path back to my old home was much more level. I remembered with some reluctance, the big rocky platforms that dotted the western side of the mountain. It was one of these that the old house had been built on. Loki (pronounced low-key, was the name I gave the puppy) was tumbling down the path and playfully darting around my legs. I laughed and told him to stop. Brutus shouted to me, and I ran to him. He had gone off the path, and had found something.
"loo' at this.this . . ." He whispered. It was the remains of a fire, recent but not new. There were also foot printsfootprints. BIG foot prints. It wasn't Masadona obviously, but it was some one worth finding. If they lived up here, maybe they had seen Masadona! I decided to see if Loki was a good tracker, and led him to the fire. He sniffed around the fire, and sneezed when a bit of ash went up his nose. He dug around a bit, and unearthed a bit of cloth. I held it to his nose and let him get the scent. He sniffed at the scrap for several moments before going into a frenzy.
'AAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ! !" He howled, in a high-pitched puppy voice. Brutus dug his fingers into his ears. Loki suddenly ran off into the scarce brush surrounding the area, and I followed him quickly. I almost tripped over him when he stopped, and turned sharply. I followed him again, and we both dashed off. I heard Brutus thundering behind me, easily keeping up. We ran like this for almost an hour, winding back and forth, down the mountain.
We stopped in front of another cave, and I stared at the smoke that trickled from the mouth of the cave. I leaned forward, and called into the opening. "HELLO!" I called into the opening of the cave. My voice echoed back, and I heard with it another response.
"AYE, WHO IS I'?" A lumbering shadow came from the cave, wiping his hand on a cloth similar to the one Loki had found. I noticed quickly that the cloth was soaked with blood. The shadow stepped out into the light, and I saw that it was Goliath. He looked up, and stared at Brutus. The rag dropped from his hand, which I saw was bleeding. Brutus stared back, his face full of surprise. Goliath staggered, and leaned against a tree.
"Are ye my . . . ?"
Before he could continue, the sound of laser fire tore the air. NME's troops were attacking us! Goliath fell to the ground, with a steaming hole in his back. . .
(Dum dum dum! HAHAHA! For the purpose of creating a cliffhanger, I decided to end it there. Can you guess how Brutus is connected to Goliath? Will Goliath even survive? KIRBSTER, SHUT UP! DON' T TELL ANY ONE! Okie dokie! Keep reading if you want to find out!)
I held stock stillstock-still as the monster in the dark stared at me, snarling with hunger. I started to move away, but was too slow to stop the attack.attack . . . It rushed forward, and clamped it'sits teeth around my throat, growling and thrashing. I reached up and pulled my attempted killer off. It was a little puppy! It kept on growling at me, but soon got tired of the 'vicious predator' act. It wagged a wispy tail, and licked my hands. I wondered why it looked so familierfamiliar, and it came to me! This was one of those wolf thing puppies! It cocked it'sits head at me, and ruffed happily. I smiled and petted it, chuckelingchuckling at how cute it was. It was very short lived though: at that moment, I realized that all puppies have parents, and this one's couldn't be very far off. "that'sThat's it!" I whispered to my new little friend.
"that'sThat's the word I was looking for earlier.earlier . . . this cave is a den!" The little cub seemed to know what I was thinking, and whimpered. It jumped out of my grip, and crawled back into the cavern beyond. I went too: afraid, but curious. I waited, and heard nothing but the puppy's whimpers, and the sound of it crawling around. I tried to find Itit in the dark, and my hand ran across a stiff hide. I found the head, and felt the huge teeth. This was one of the wolves. I felt around more, and felt that the wolve'swolf's throat was torn. This creature was dead. Was the puppy dead? Where was the other parent? I crawled back through opening, and roused Brutus.
"Wha' is i'?" He murmured, still half asleep. "There's a puppy in here.here . . . I think this use to be a den. One of the parents is dead."
Brutus sat up, awake and alert immediately. "WHA'?!" He shouted. I led him back into the cavern, and he switched on a flashlight from his knap- sack. He shined it around the room, and illuminated both the parent I had found, and a second wolf corpse in the back. The puppy was crouching in the corner, hackles raised threateningly: he was obviously terrified of Brutus. He. Was it a boy? Did it really matter?
"Here boy," I called. "It's OK, he's not going to hurt you.you . . ." The puppy reacted, and calmed quickly at the sound of my voice. It happily bounded over to me, though it paused while passing one of the bodies. I picked it up, and craddledcradled it in my arms. Brutus looked back towards the hole, and saw that the sun was raised. He pointed to it, and I nodded. It was time to move on.
As Magnum and Brutus left the cave, they didn't notice the signs of life before them.them . . . foot printsfootprints, not paw prints, surrounded both wolf bodies. If they had gone around the back of them, they would have seen that much of the male wolf was cut away, not torn off. A big but un-scarred and young looking hand printhandprint in blood had been left on the rear wall . . .
Even though the ledge jumping was in it's own way, kind of fun, I was relieved to find that the path back to my old home was much more level. I remembered with some reluctance, the big rocky platforms that dotted the western side of the mountain. It was one of these that the old house had been built on. Loki (pronounced low-key, was the name I gave the puppy) was tumbling down the path and playfully darting around my legs. I laughed and told him to stop. Brutus shouted to me, and I ran to him. He had gone off the path, and had found something.
"loo' at this.this . . ." He whispered. It was the remains of a fire, recent but not new. There were also foot printsfootprints. BIG foot prints. It wasn't Masadona obviously, but it was some one worth finding. If they lived up here, maybe they had seen Masadona! I decided to see if Loki was a good tracker, and led him to the fire. He sniffed around the fire, and sneezed when a bit of ash went up his nose. He dug around a bit, and unearthed a bit of cloth. I held it to his nose and let him get the scent. He sniffed at the scrap for several moments before going into a frenzy.
'AAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ! !" He howled, in a high-pitched puppy voice. Brutus dug his fingers into his ears. Loki suddenly ran off into the scarce brush surrounding the area, and I followed him quickly. I almost tripped over him when he stopped, and turned sharply. I followed him again, and we both dashed off. I heard Brutus thundering behind me, easily keeping up. We ran like this for almost an hour, winding back and forth, down the mountain.
We stopped in front of another cave, and I stared at the smoke that trickled from the mouth of the cave. I leaned forward, and called into the opening. "HELLO!" I called into the opening of the cave. My voice echoed back, and I heard with it another response.
"AYE, WHO IS I'?" A lumbering shadow came from the cave, wiping his hand on a cloth similar to the one Loki had found. I noticed quickly that the cloth was soaked with blood. The shadow stepped out into the light, and I saw that it was Goliath. He looked up, and stared at Brutus. The rag dropped from his hand, which I saw was bleeding. Brutus stared back, his face full of surprise. Goliath staggered, and leaned against a tree.
"Are ye my . . . ?"
Before he could continue, the sound of laser fire tore the air. NME's troops were attacking us! Goliath fell to the ground, with a steaming hole in his back. . .
(Dum dum dum! HAHAHA! For the purpose of creating a cliffhanger, I decided to end it there. Can you guess how Brutus is connected to Goliath? Will Goliath even survive? KIRBSTER, SHUT UP! DON' T TELL ANY ONE! Okie dokie! Keep reading if you want to find out!)