Warm morning light glowed through the trees, and into the clearing. The small pup opened her eyes and yawned, showing her small, pointy teeth. Dew laid in the blades of grass in front of her. She sat up and stretched gently, so not to wake her mother and siblings. She saw two other wolves asleep near the other side of the clearing. The rest of the pack must be out, hunting.
Her brother's eyes flickered open. "Alpine?" He groaned groggily. "Where are you going?" He asked, falling back asleep already. "Nowhere." She lied unconvincingly. She looked out into the forest, longingly. She wanted to explore its leafy depths. Suddenly, a thought came to her. She could go explore it, as long as she was silent as a mouse. Alpine slowly began to creep out of the clearing, setting each paw down quietly. She stared into the forest, curious of what she might find. As soon as she was far enough to where she couldn't see the clearing, she broke into a run.
She slowed into a trot, panting, when she reached a hollow in a tree. The large hole in the oak seemed like a perfect place to explore. Alpine poked her head in. She yelped in fear and leapt back as something flashed past her, but flicked her ears in embarrassment as she realized it was only a squirrel. As the brown and gray creature scurried away, she padded on, stopping along the way to sniff some flowers, or chase a bug. Alpine stopped by a large flower with many strange, yellow bugs on it.
"Hi!" She yipped at them. They only ignored her, continuing to fly around the flower. She stepped closer and snapped at them playfully, wagging her small tail in excitement. They buzzed around her, clearly annoyed. She yipped at them again, stepping closer, only wanting to play with the unknown insects. Suddenly, a horrible sting erupted on her back. She yelped and spun around, looking for the source of the horrid pain. Then, another sting on her back, and one on her muzzle.
She dashed away, pain flooding her mind. She stopped farther away, exhausted. She turned around fearfully, ready to continue running, but saw the bugs weren't chasing her, or at least not anymore. Alpine knew she should go home now. She looked around, but realized she didn't know which way home was. She howled, but it sounded more like a squeak than a howl. She was lost.
Alpine chose one way and set off, hoping it was correct. She whimpered as she slowly padded along, her head low. She looked up and perked her ears as she heard some rustling. A strange, auburn, wolf-like creature stepped out of the undergrowth. Alpine's mouth widened into a smile and she ran over to the creature. The creature whipped its head around towards her and bared its teeth.
She skidded to a halt and looked up at it. She wagged her tail slowly. It flattened its ears and a low growl thundered from its throat. She cocked her head and took a small step forwards. It snapped at her, its jaws just barely missing her head as she leapt back. She lowered her tail a little and swiveled her ears. It flicked its tail in annoyance and walked away.
Alpine whined and watched it disappear into a large patch of ferns. She looked away and padded on. The sun was getting lower into the sky, and it would soon get dark. I should be with my pack, I'm only a few months old! I can't survive on my own. She sat down in a small clearing and rested.
Suddenly, a huge screech erupted from the sky. She yelped and looked up. There was a humongous eagle circling overhead. Frozen with fear, Alpine didn't move. The eagle circled closer to the ground. It's talons looked as sharp as thorn bushes. She blinked and dashed away, letting fear lead her.
The eagle was still following her scent, not planning on losing the vulnerable pup's trail. She would be an easy meal. Alpine ran and ran, the eagle getting closer and closer. She tripped over a small branch, and tumbled into a rock. Her head spun, but she got up and ran again, the eagle right above the trees. Her fur bristled as she tried to flee from the eagle's pursuit.
Alpine struggled through a bush, her fur getting snagged on the sharp branches. She leapt out of the bush with leaves stuck in her fur and ran, her heart pounding. Her paw pads were scratched and beginning to bleed.
She heard the eagle screech, sounding as if it were right next to her. She whimpered as her legs began to weaken, not used to running so far. She began to feel as if she was climbing Lone Mountain. But, she continued. She pushed herself to go faster and faster, needing to escape the eagle.
Suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath her paws. She yelped as she plummeted down. She flailed her paws frantically as she tried to grip something, anything. Her body hit a rock jutting out of the stone walls. She wailed as she bounced off and flew down, the rocky ground coming closer and closer.
Her body fell onto the ground, with a final screech of the eagle echoing from high above. All feeling left her body and the world seemed to disappear.
YOU ARE READING
Alpine
Adventure*THIS STORY WILL NOT BE FINISHED. IT IS FROM 2017. All that has been been written is posted and will not be added to. Alpine is a wolf pup, living in a pack with her family. But one day, her curiosity took over. And being a young wolf, all alone in...
