Chapter 5 Help and Healing

Claudette's POV

"Dusty what would you do if you were me?" I asked as we walked in the back of the group.

"I'm not sure really I've lived with Huntly most my life, though one time I made him mad because I cleaned out his side of the den. He didn't talk to me for a week because of it but he got over it and has helped me clean out my side ever since." She replied

"I don't think they'll get over what I did though." I said and she stopped me.

"Trust me everything will get better." She said kindly.

"You sound like my mom." I said it was odd because I would've expected my mother to say the same thing.

"Then she must be smart." Dusty replied as we resumed walking.

"She's the greatest alpha ever." Dusty started asking me about her I started rambling on about my family in Jasper, my brothers, and the pack members.

"Sounds like it's pretty packed up there." She replied I laughed a little. I noticed Runt was having a good time with Huntly and Split ahead of us.

"He's kind of a goofball." Dusty said to herself as she looked at him I guess she was in a similar stand still as me.

"Oh you like him." I piped up

"Oh what him pfft as if." She replied it took a little while and she bent down to whisper in my ear. "I do it's just he told me a few months ago and I um turned him down."

"Hey you two hurry up!" Huntly yelled back to us we were falling behind so we sped up. I looked over at Fleet.

"If you tell him I'll tell Fleet why I wanted to win the race." I shook paws with Dusty.

"Alright deal." It wasn't long after, Huntly stopped us again. "What now." Dusty asked

"We should get something to eat." He replied my stomach growled at the thought of food. We didn't eat yesterday.

"Alright like what?" Dusty asked

"I don't know anything really I could even go for berries at this point." Huntly replied

"So you can get squirrels and chipmunks with the boys and I'll take the girls to get berries." Dusty said and we split up into our groups. We walked through a path that had small red berries. I picked a few and put one in my mouth it tasted sweet and sour.

"Hey Magril you have to try these." I gave one to her and she put it in her mouth.

"Mmm." I heard her mutter she wasn't that much of a talker. We started picking as many as possible when Dusty found us she gave a flat piece of wood to put them on. After we picked around forty we headed back. It took awhile for the boys to come back they only had three squirrels though. A squirrel barely fed a pup much less six.

"You all will have to split them." Huntly said as he sat them down. "Dusty you can have the berries."

"What about you?" She asked

"I've gone longer without food I'll be fine don't worry." He replied she looked rather worried but didn't argue we ate our small meal greedily before continuing on, this time though Dusty didn't stay behind with me she instead up next to Huntly I guess she was worried about him. Runt kept me company though.

"So how's talking with Huntly?" I asked

"Fine he's pretty cool and Dusty?"

"She reminds me of mom." I said

"So ho ware you feeling?"

"I'm fine Runt." I gave him a smile and he stopped bugging me about it. Dusty slowed down a bit and started talking to Fleet. She walked back to me and motioned for me to walk over to him, I was to scared to do it. I was afraid he was going to start yelling at me again.

"Alright what's wrong?" Dusty asked

"I'm afraid he'll get mad again." I replied and she motioned for him to walk over to me. He did and I began getting nervous. Neither one of us spoke to each other I guess he was to afraid I was mad at him as well.

"Hey!" Magril yelled and Fleet walked back over to her as she sped away from Ed. It seemed everyone was falling apart. I walked up with Dusty to Huntly, Split, and Runt.

"It's' called cabin fever. It's when you speed so much time with each other that you eventually get sick and tired of it." Split explained.

"Dusty and I have gotten it before when it happens we spend a few days apart and it gets better." Huntly said it sounded like the six of us right now. I saw Fleet and Ed arguing Stinky joined in on it, we were never going to get over this.

"So what your saying is when we get back we should spend some time away from each other?" Runt asked

"Well nothing more than like two or three days." Huntly said.

"Huntly they don't have cabin fever." Dusty said

"What do we have then?" I asked

"Every friendship has its times were it's hard to get along this is just one of those times." She reassured me and Huntly rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath.