Chapter 4

A Chance Encounter…

The wind continued to howl past the entrance to the cave as Juno tentatively entered the confined space. Though the air still had a chill to it, the lack of wind in the tunnel certainly helped make things more comfortable, starting to melt the snow that clung to her coat. Her frozen body shuddered a bit from the sudden warmth enveloping it. Ahh, that's more like it. Relieved to be safe from the elements, the wolf's mind is drawn to a new issue. The oppressive darkness. The cavern was pitch black, concealing just about everything, apart from what was near the entrance. These old eyes certainly don't help matters, squinting in hopes of seeing a bit better. It was taking awhile to adjust to the darkness, she'd have to rely on her other senses for the time being.

Slowly, Juno dragged her paws across the cold floor, inching her way further into the abyss. Her claws clacked as they made contact with stone beneath them. Twitching her ears, she heard other sounds permeate the air. The dripping of water from somewhere on the ceiling. The scurrying of a rodent from one hiding spot to another. Nothing out of the ordinary for a cave. Except, for the breathing she had picked up on, of course.

Her eyes widened, a tingle of fear shooting down her spine. A few minutes had passed, yet she could see no better in the blackness. What could it be? She thought frantically, considering making a break from the cave. It really could be anything, a bear, a cougar, just about any creature you could think of was seeking shelter from the storm. Juno weighed the odds; whatever it is, I won't be able to do much to it being exhausted and malnourished, she reasoned, better hope it's not too dangerous. The creature kept a steady breathing pattern and didn't stir, it must be sleeping. Perfect. It would be easy to make her exit, turning to slink back the way she came… when a familiar scent filled her nose.

She sniffed at the air, unable to put her paw on what the creature was. She decided the mass before her wasn't a predator, not picking up the musk common of many of the other carnivores she encountered. It was still rather large though, still a danger to an old she-wolf. Unable to curb her curiosity, she inched closer and closer to it… what is this thing?

Juno's heart froze. The creature finally began to stir, lifting it's head to look around the tunnel. She guessed it felt her presence as the hulking silhouette rose from the floor, making a clattering sound on the stone below. Hooves, she realized, Is it a deer? An elk maybe? No, neither of those could reach the size of the beast before her, towering at three or four times the height of the wolf. It snorted loudly, pawing a bit at the ground just in front of it. She crouched close to the ground, her eyes finally adjusting to see what it was.

A… horse? She concluded, a bit confused at the reveal. I almost never see them around these parts, especially during the winter months. The horse stood its ground, looking more inquisitive at her than anything, further confounding Juno. She looked it up and down. He was a stallion, with a blueish coat and a dark mane and tail. He had a white stocking on his left leg and a white streak down his tail. What was strange though were his eyes. They were exactly the same shade as hers, cutting through the darkness with ease. It felt as though he had pierced her very being with his gaze, looking into her soul itself.

" Why do you remain where you are colt?" She snapped, attempting to maintain some semblance of confidence," A wiser horse would have turned and ran when faced with a predator."

The horse furrowed his brow in confusion," A predator?" He nickered," Try and fool me all you like, but I've seen many dogs in my life, they certainly ain't predators."

"A dog?" She questioned, hardly believing her what she'd heard," You've lived out here you whole life and you don't even know what a wolf is?" Unbelievable, annoyed at the prospect, it's a wonder he's still alive at all.

The stallion hung his head a bit." No, I haven't lived out here I was… separated from my owner and now i'm trying to make it out here on my own."

Hmm, this is interesting. Juno swished her bushy tail back and forth as she put the pieces together. A human's pet, lost out in the snow on his own, how unfortunate. She turned to face the horse again," You must have a name then, what is it?"

" It's Albany, but you could call me Al for short." He replied.

" Well… Albany, I need some rest so I'll make you a deal," She chidded, walking past him to a small nook in the cavern wall," Leave me in peace, and I'll do the same for you." She turned back to the muscular horse, still standing where he'd risen," Deal?"

Albany began to settle down himself, watching as she curled up on the ground, facing away from him. This revealed the many grey hairs the she-wolf wore from her old age." Yeah, that sounds fine to me." Closing his eyes for a moment, in the same spot he slept before. But then, an idea." Hey," He called, snapping his eyes open again," are you still awake?"

"No," The exhausted wolf groaned without looking," I'm not."

He stirred a bit, ignoring her reply," Well I got to thinking, you're pretty old, you must have some experience gettin' on out there."

Juno's eyes remained clamped," Yeah, so what?"

"Well," He began," I don't really know what I'm doing out here, but you do. You may not be as spry as you were, but I'm still strong. I think we need each other, considering you're alone an…"

" I'm not alone, and I don't need your help out here either." She snapped in interjection.

" That's strange, I didn't see any more dogs come into this cave, looks like I missed em'." Albany replied facetiously.

She spat her words at him," I may be alone at the moment, but my pack is out there looking for me right now." She felt a lump in her throat from the obvious lie, desperately hoping he would drop the conversation.

"Ah, so they left you behind in the storm because you couldn't keep up, that's a real shame." He said, shaking his head a bit.

Juno could feel the anger boiling," That isn't what happened," She growled, baring her teeth a bit," We just got a little split up is all, they'll be here soon and we'll sort it out." She finished, letting just a little too much emotion into her voice. Looking back, the wolf awaited a response.

The stallion wore a look of sorrow on his face," if it means anything, I'm sorry they left you…"

She jumped up from the ground," THEY DIDN'T LEAVE ME BEHIND! I CAN STILL HANDLE MYSELF JUST FINE, SO DO ME A FAVOR AND SHUT UP!" She bellowed, her cries echoing through the cave, leaving the arguing pair in silence. The wolf shook a bit from her overwhelming emotion," Forget this, I'll be fine on my own out there, lets see you do the same." She stormed past the stallion, making her way to the cave entrance.

" No, wait!" Albany called as she bustled past," I didn't mean to offend, I just felt bad for ya is all."

She took one last look back at him, shooting the horse a look he wouldn't soon forget." Don't." She snapped before turning back to her path. Albany could only watch as her outline faded away into the frigid night, obscured by the snow...