Chapter 6

Long Road Ahead

It was some time before Juno came to again, peeling her eyes open and waiting for them to adjust. Small tingles of pain still moved through her limbs, her head throbbing a bit from the prior strain. How long was I out? She wondered, And why do I feel so warm? She didn't have to wait long as her eyes soon focused on their surroundings. Hmm, I'm back in the cave, She thought, peering at the familiar rock formations lining the walls and ceiling. She felt something touch her side, looking over her shoulder to find the source. She'd been nestled into the side of the stallion that saved her, feeling his warmth and soft breathing. He must have felt her stir as he turned his gaze the black wolf.

" Oh man, I'm glad you woke up," He sighed with relief," Kind of thought you might dead for awhile there." Juno pulled herself up from the floor, her bones creaking and popping in protest.

" No, it'll take a little more than that to kill this old bi… wait a second...," She paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow at Albany," If I couldn't find my way back, how on earth did you?" It really didn't add up, How? How could this farm horse not only find me, but not get lost in the storm like I did?

" Well, finding a black wolf in the white snow isn't as difficult as you may believe," He began," And I used to get lost in the snow pretty often as a foal; The trick is to drag your feet a bit through the snow so it takes longer for it to be covered up."

" And you used your trail to find the way back, I can't lie that's a pretty clever idea." Maybe he's not as bad as I thought, I could make something of him yet, She thought, nodding her head at the prospect.

" Yep, I think if I'd come a few minutes later you wouldn't have pulled through, guess we got lucky there." The smile he wore faded to a more serious expression." Listen, about earlier, I ne…"

" No, no," She cut in," It's on me, not just for snapping at you, but for my stupid reaction too." She broke eye contact, glumly looking down at the floor." You couldn't have known you'd strike a nerve, it's still painful though and I don't think I've come to terms with it yet, so I lashed out."

The stallion shook his head," At least it seems you cared for your family, I left mine for dead like a coward, had I tried to save them… maybe it would have turned out different…" He looked away from the wolf, clenching his eyes shut.

Juno walked over, placing herself in the horse's view once again." Had you tried to save them, you'd have just shared their fate," He looked at her once more as she continued," Don't fight unwinnable battles just for the principle,do what you can, but being rash won't help anyone; I almost learned that the hard way tonight." She scoffed.

Albany sighed." Maybe I should have died with them, certainly seems better than being too afraid to face your fear."

" You know they wouldn't think that," she said, shaking her head," They'd want you to live on, it's important you live your life in a way you think would make them proud and you've got too much ahead of you to long for death."

" I suppose you're right." He agreed, watching as she meandered over to a flat spot in the middle of the cave. Apparently satisfied with it's condition, she circled a few times, curling up on the floor and facing him with a yawn. Dogs.

" Of course I'm right!" She barked, settling into her new position." You can learn a lot from me you know, I've come around to the idea of us sticking together."

" Thank goodness, I like the snow just fine, but being alone all winter would drive me mad!" He smiled a bit again, With the two of us working together, we'll make it through the winter, I know we will

" Well it's a good thing you ran into me first, there are things out here far worse than some snow or a she-wolf without a pack." Albany's eyes widened a bit, he had never given that thought, just what was out here exactly? " Don't worry about it too much though, I'll make sure you know what to look out for, I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it." He glanced over to the entrance of the cave, the gale was still blowing outside just as strong as before. He began having a thought he couldn't shake, they wouldn't hear something coming until it was too late…

" How do you stop yourself from worrying about all you're up against?" Looking back to the wolf," It seems the odds are in favor of us not living to see the spring."

" They are," She replied frankly," It's easier for me since I've lived a long while, but you face the threats as they come, thinking about it all the time won't help you." She yawned again, resting her head on outstretched." You ought to get some rest Albany, we've got a long winter ahead of us."

" Alright," He moved his own head toward the cool stone," Goodnight Juno."

" Goodnight Albany." She shut her eyes wearily.

He settled in to rest, looking through the cave's entrance once again. The snow was certainly beautiful, fluttering through the air in droves before him, shining and shimmering even in the dark of night. It made him, for a moment, feel like a colt once again, wanting to run out and play in it. He was brought back to reality after remembering the day's events. All the pain and death he now associated with it. His eyes began to sag, sleep ready to overtake his tired body. One things for sure, He thought before drifting off, There's a long road ahead...