Chapter 4: Puppy Love (written December 3rd, 2024 to December 4th, 2024)

November 14th, 2009

Over the course of several weeks, Garth continued to receive hunting lessons from his father. Slowly but surely, the eve of winter passed, and all every junior could talk about was the upcoming Alpha School program. Garth passed the Admissions Test, but to the disappointment of his father, it was when he was down to his last attempt. It turned out that Garth was far from the exemplary student his father imagined. He excelled at the physical aspects of being an Alpha. He breezed through exercises, but when it came to remembering facts and studying, he collapsed like a dead tree covered in too much snow, for he was a simple-minded wolf whose future responsibilities had yet to weigh on him. It frustrated Tony. Suddenly, the idea of giving Garth a career leg up no longer seemed unattractive, especially as every one of Garth's friends passed on the first try. Even Alex managed to do so hours after completing his project.

Passing alongside Alex was Chelsea. Garth's mother got to know Chelsea's auntie, and they frequently collaborated so that Garth and Chelsea would have time to play together in between lessons. On the fifty-fourth day of autumn, Garth and Chelsea found themselves playing hide and seek on the large field that had previously been the testing site. Garth's other friends would normally join, but they instead chose to relax with their families. Like Garth and Alex, Chelsea had no siblings. It was for this reason that the three of them tended to have the most time on their paws out of the group, but with Alex unavailable now, Garth and Chelsea were alone for the first time since they met. This circumstance was not lost on them.

"Okay, Chelsea, it's your turn!" Garth told as he started looking for a place to hide. This was difficult in an open field. Fortunately, in some areas, the grass was rather tall.

"That's right! You better run!" Chelsea replied with a giggle. She then counted. "One… Two… Three… Four…" Garth ran back and forth, frantically looking for a spot. Round after round, he kept thinking he had used up every good spot, but when the time came, he always managed to find somewhere new. "Seventeen… Eighteen… Nineteen… Uh, what's after nineteen? Oh, right! Twenty… Twenty-one… Twenty-two…"

In the center of the field, an oak tree stood alone with a spacious cavity in its trunk. Garth had the brilliant idea of diving inside it. "Ha, ha! It'll take her years to find me here! Decades even!"

"Twenty-eight… Twenty-nine… Thirty! Alright, Garth! Ready or not, here I come!" She sniffed the ground for Garth's scent.

Garth took a peek to see her progress. The red she-pup was already heading in his direction. Oh, my… She's good… he thought. Garth's nose was one of the largest of the Eastern Pack, and yet it didn't seem to work half as well as Chelsea's.

Suddenly, she bolted toward him. Garth pulled his head back into the shadows and tried to appear as small as possible. Chelsea knew she was getting close. She slowed down and sniffed her new location. Then, in the corner of her eye, she caught a red blur shooting out of the nearby oak tree. It was Garth… and he was breaking the rules!

Garth hightailed it toward the Eastern Den Grounds, where he knew the terrain better. He sprinted along a line of shrubs, trying his best to control his breathing in the manner that Stormfast taught him. Just as he began to think his struggle for air hadn't betrayed him, Chelsea ambushed his right flank. She collided with his stomach, and the two rolled over an area of tall grass that softened the blow. "Gotcha, you little cheater! You're not allowed to change hiding places mid-round!"

"You forced my paw! I had to get creative," Garth replied. He quickly recovered and attempted a great escape.

"Not so fast," Chelsea muttered to herself. She knew Garth long enough to recognize that he overly relied on clear pathways, which made him laughably predictable. He lacked the ability to think on his feet. Once she was able to deduce his destination, she tore through the dense underbrush, saving energy that would otherwise be expended following endless curves. As expected, superior tactics won out. She gained on him.

"You win each time! Let me have this one!" Garth pleaded.

"Nah, I don't think so."

"I'm sure we could settle this peacefully!"

"Fat chance." She went ahead with her objective and bit Garth's tail.

"Ow!" he shrieked. A cloud of dust formed as he tripped over his own legs. Next, she pinned him down.

"Hm. Tagged ya!" she claimed triumphantly.

Garth looked up at Chelsea. He suddenly realized just how beautiful she really was. Her mane was perfect as it gracefully swayed in the gentle wind. Her eyes stared directly into him. Her lips appeared inquisitive. As she smiled, Garth remembered what he had been thinking about weeks ago, about how he wanted to find a pretty female wolf one day and fall in love. Chelsea was drop-dead gorgeous. Garth kept staring at her. She stared right back. Wowww… Garth thought, his heart operating at a thousand beats per minute.

You know, I think he's… kind of… well, cute! Chelsea thought as a million other things rushed through her mind.

This is beautiful but… wow… Just… OH, MY GOSH! We're supposed to be playing hide and seek! Garth thought frantically. Umm… "Oh, darn, Chelsea," he awkwardly began, "you caught me."

Chelsea enjoyed this, their reluctance to look at anything but each other. It was really… "Oh! Oh… Yeah, I did."

Garth needed an excuse to get away. He couldn't process these emotions, not when he was stuck under her. "Well, what do you know? I think I hear my mom calling. I'll see you later." He slid out from under her and awkwardly walked away.

"But… I didn't hear anything," Chelsea said.

"Trust me. She's definitely calling. Goodbye!" He darted off into the nearest grove.

Chelsea whined as she tilted her head. "I guess I'll… see you later… Goodbye."

— A&Ω —

Garth dashed into his family's den.

"Slow down there, Garth!" Tony cautioned. "What's the big hurry?"

"Hurry? Oh, well, um… there's no hurry! Why would there be a hurry?"

"Garth, is everything okay?" Martha asked her son.

"Okay? Is everything okay?" Garth repeated. "Well, yes of course! I mean, no way! It's terrible! Uh, actually, ummm… I need a bath before dinner!" He exited the den and made a beeline for the pond, his tail tucked.

He sat down in the shallow end, where the yellow herring wouldn't disturb him. He thought about what just occurred between him and Chelsea. "'I need a bath before dinner.' Yeah, right. When do I ever take baths before dinner? Never! That's when. Pshhh!" Garth had no idea what to make of what happened, what the consequences were. He dreamed of having a girlfriend but never thought he could have one so soon. Was he in over his head? "They'll probably split us up in Alpha School. Maybe that's a good thing… but then I'll miss her like crazy! She's starting to become closer to me than I am with Alex! Or is she? Ohh, I don't know! I just don't know…"

Meanwhile, in the den, as Martha divided a share of caribou meat into three chunks, Tony wondered what had gotten into their son. It was like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, something usually associated with Omegas. Had Garth approached the ranger cabins and eaten a piece of sugary human food from the trash bins? A so-called Twinkie perhaps? He decided to talk to his mate before Garth got back from his sudden bath.

"Martha, what do you think has gotten into Garth?"

"I was just about to ask you the same question," she replied. "Something new and strange obviously. Since when does he take a bath before dinner? Or, better yet, when does he take a bath of his own volition?"

"Tell me about it," said Tony. "Really, though, what is it? What's he been doing after my lecture today?"

"Don't be so naive. He went to play with friends as usual."

"I've seen his friends. They weren't with him. Alex wasn't with him. Luke wasn't with him. Roxana and Dulmore weren't with him. I told him not to talk to Stormfast and his brother."

"That just leaves his newest friend, Chelsea…"

A simple diagnosis came to them, one as plain as the noses on their muzzles. Their son had a terrible case of butterflies in his stomach.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh… Yeah! He… and Chelsea…" Tony pushed his front paws together repeatedly to symbolize kissing.

"Do you really think so, Anthony?"

"Well, yes, but I also think we should see if he tells us naturally. We'll watch him closely and give him a day or two."

"Sounds like a great plan," Martha agreed. "In fact, I'm quite sure that he might have seen her as a bit more than a good friend and playmate today."

A few minutes later, a wet Garth returned, and it was very clear to his parents that he was forcing himself to act natural. His lips were tightly shut throughout dinnertime, so much so that he never commented on the portion he was given, which was the smallest one so far. As the famine intensified, the portions became smaller and smaller, but Garth only wanted to head straight for his bed. After he finished, he didn't even wish them goodnight. Observing their pup as only parents can, Tony and Martha walked into his room.

"Hey, Garth," said Tony. "Did you have a good time with Chelsea?"

"Who? Oh… her. Yeah, well… I always do," Garth replied nervously.

"Right. So, did anything… special happen?"

"Ummmm…" Garth looked up at the cave ceiling. There was a long pause. Why don't you just tell them both at the same time? Garth thought. You won't be able to even breathe until you get it out. "Ummm… Mom…? Dad…?"

"Yes?" his parents said in unison. They leaned closer to him.

Garth tried to think of the easiest way to get the info across to his parents. "If… well, you know… If a boy wolf knows another wolf… a female wolf… for a while… and they play together every day… and they become best friends… but then one day when they're playing… ummm… the boy wolf sees this girl wolf in a certain way and thinks she's… pretty… could that be the start of… love?"

"Well, it could be," replied his mother, "but it's important to note that if it is real love, then the girl wolf would feel just the same about the boy wolf."

"Okay, so if she did feel like he did…"

"Then I would say you have found love," Tony finished. "Maybe even true love."

"True love…" Garth whispered. "Then, basically, I'm halfway there?"

"Well, not you but the boy wolf you described," said Martha before winking at Tony.

"Oh, yeah! Right! Well, what if… What if that story was real?! And everything in it really did happen?! And what if… What if that boy wolf… was me?" Garth swung his head between them, his innocent turquoise eyes waiting anxiously for their answer.

His parents smirked, then Tony stepped forward. "In that case, if I were you, I would pay extra close attention to how this girl behaves and try to find out if she is feeling the same way about me. And if it turns out that she does, then I would go up and ask her to be my girlfriend."

"And if I was the girl wolf," Martha added, "I would want him to ask, not the other way around. Girl wolves love it when a boy wolf takes the initiative."

"I see… well…" At that point, Garth yawned. "Oh, man… I'm spent. I think I'm going to go to sleep now. 'Night!"

Tony shook his head. He made it this far. He now couldn't accept being left in suspense for more than a few seconds. "Wait, Garth, before you fall asleep, I need to ask you two important questions."

"Umm… about what?"

"About that story. So, did that really happen to you today?"

"Um… yes…"

"Really? Then, in that case… who was the girl wolf?"

Garth looked down bashfully. Next, he slowly lifted his head, nervously grinning, and replied, "Chel… Chelsea."

"Seriously?" his parents said in unison.

The red pup nodded.

"Garth," said Martha, "this is WONDERFUL! You actually think a girl is pretty! I'm so happy! And I hope she feels the same way about you! ANY girl who can think straight should think you are the kindest, sweetest, and most handsome boy wolf around!"

"Really? That's great! Thanks, guys!"

"You're welcome," said Tony. "We're glad you told us."

"Have a good night, Garth!"

"Sweet dreams, kiddo. We're cheering you on."

You are? I can't believe it! Garth thought. At last, his father cared about something other than his training. Oh, Chelsea! I hope you feel the same way about me! I would move heaven and earth to do anything for you!