Alpine

Chapter Four

What is that? She cautiously sniffed the air again, the strange scent flooding her nostrils again. She coughed.

Then, she saw it. Smoke billowing gently from a ways away, near Sunflower Meadow, which her mother had told stories about. She whimpered, then decided to be brave, and investigate.

She trotted on, towards the scent. As she approached the meadow, the scent became stronger. More disgusting, choking, stinging.

When she cleared the trees, she saw a terrifying sight. Two tall, two legged creatures, whom she believed to be humans, stood near a massive pile of wood, orange flames flooding the wood.

"Fire." She breathed fearfully. The humans bared their teeth, in a seemingly happy way. They barked at each other and threw sticks into the fire.

In a flash, the grass near the flames caught on fire. She whined and scooted backwards into the forest. The humans yelped and stomped on the growing flames. The fire engulfed a human's leg, and it rolled on the ground in panic.

Eventually, the fire on the human was put out, and the other human grabbed a strange container of water. The fire on the grass left singed black blades behind it, and it began to cover more and more.

The human frantically threw the water onto the grass and wood, extinguishing the flames. It then helped the other human up, and they trotted away, past Hazel Lake, towards the far off Human Settlement.

Humans really were dangerous. She remembered her mother had told her about them before. They had fire-sticks that could kill a wolf with a single attack. She shivered, shaking away the thought. Humans had lots of fire.

She flicked her ears and headed back out into the meadow. She sniffed the singed grass, leaping back as the disgusting scent touched her nose.

Her stomach growled, distracting her from investigating. She remembered the fawn from yesterday, all her negative emotions surged back to her. Her stomach once again distracted her with its growling.

Alpine sniffed the air, noticing the tang of rabbit in the air. She sniffed again, then sped off towards the scent.

"The best way the catch a rabbit is with surprise and speed." Her father had said. She slowed as she saw the tawny pelt of the rabbit in the near grasses. She had never hunted a rabbit, or even been in the grasslands. She had a huge disadvantage.

She crept through the long grasses, keeping her eyes on the rabbit. It didn't have too much meat on it, but it would be a way to help fill her stomach.

She froze as the rabbit jerked it's head up, sniffing and searching the area. Alpine lowered her self even further to the ground.

The rabbit relaxed and went back to nibbling on grass stems, but was still wary. Alpine crawled even closer. Then, she bolted upright and sped towards the rabbit.

It froze in terror, but then dashed away. She growled under her breath and chased after it. She slowly began gaining on the rabbit.

Suddenly, Alpine tripped over a rock. She tumbled, crashing into the rabbit. She bit down on it's fur, catching it's leg. She fought with it for a moment, until she could reach to it's neck, quickly snapping it.

The carcass of the rabbit lay in front of her. "I did it! I caught a rabbit!" She yipped to herself, prancing around in a small circle.

Then, she lowered her head, eating the rabbit, savoring the delicious flavor of fresh meat. She licked her muzzle clean and piled dirt over the bones. 

She looked up at her surroundings. She saw looming mountains in some areas, including Lone Mountain, jagged and deadly to any climber, no matter how strong and brave.

She saw another mountain range, unknown to her in the far distance, as well as many forests. 

She strained to see even higher above the grass and hills, catching a glimpse of a river. It caught her attention, and she decided she would head towards it. After all, she had no pack to hold her back.

Alpine lowered her gaze a bit, now looking into the grasses, searching for a place to spend the night. She spotted a small dip in the ground nearby. She trotted over to it, making sure it was completely safe.

She decided it was safe enough, and could partially protect her from rain with the mounds of dirt near it. She curled up in the hole and fell asleep.

The next morning, she awoke to a prickle in her pelt. She sprang to her paws, shaking herself. A small rodent flew away from her and dashed into the long grasses. She flicked her ears and stared into the grasses where the rodent had ran to.

She heard rustling as the rodent ran off. She growled, then stretched. Her back ached, as well as her paws.

She remembered what she had been planning to do. The river. She leapt up onto level ground, looking around to locate the river. She saw it glimmering in the distance.

The grasses obscured her view a bit, but she made her way towards the distant river. The dew dripped onto her coat, sending shivers down her back.

She sped through the grass, stumbling over branches and stones every once and awhile. The river came closer and closer.

After a few hours, she was only paw steps away from the waterside. It rushed along. The water must be getting too high, if it's this strong of a current. She spotted a waterfall in the far distance. 

She stepped forward, lapping up the water eagerly. She sat back, enjoying the mist that flew from the water every once and awhile. This was a perfect place to relax.

Suddenly, Alpine heard a squeal downriver. She stood up, searching for something in trouble. She saw a head bobbing in the water, paws flailing, it's head nearly underwater. A figure chased it frantically, yelping frequently.

She stood frozen for a moment. Then, she raced towards them. They needed her help.