Alpine

Chapter Five

Alpine dashed even closer towards the two figures, her paws flying over the ground. The shape was bobbing farther and farther away, and the other figure was becoming even more panicked.

As she ran even closer, she noticed the two figures were wolves, like her. She pushed herself to run even faster. She tripped over her paws and almost fell into the river. She ignored the near accident and continued on running, slowly making her way towards the constantly moving wolves.

After what seemed like hours, but had only been minutes, Alpine was close enough to call out to the wolf on land.

"Hey!" She barked. The wolf turned it's head for a second, then turned back and kept running. "I'm here to help!" Alpine said. 

"I don't need help, I can save her myself." The wolf snapped, keeping a close eye on the wolf in the water.

Alpine ignored that. She continued running alongside him.

"I said I don't need help!" The wolf snarled. Alpine pulled back a little, surprised by his seemingly constant hostility. "She'll drown if I don't help!" Alpine growled lowly.

The wolf stared at her in surprise for a moment, then bared his teeth and huffed, "Fine, whatever." His gaze lowered, "As long as she's safe... I couldn't bare to lose another littermate." He mumbled, barely audible.

Alpine stared at him for a moment, beginning to struggle to keep a steady, fast pace. "We could grab a branch, to haul her out of the water." She suggested.

The wolf nodded, looking up. Only moments later, he leapt, grabbing a low branch from a tree, snapping it off. "Is this thick enough?" He mumbled behind the large branch. Alpine nodded.

Alpine grabbed onto the branch a whisker length from his muzzle, helping to steady it. They ran faster until they were near enough to reach the wolf in the river with the branch.

"Grab on!" Alpine shrieked through the branch. The wolf turned her head, looking at Alpine in fear and curiosity. She struggled in the current, trying to grab the branch.

The wolf gripped to branch with a paw, struggling to hold on. She pulled herself closer, weakly grasping it in her jaws. She held on as tightly as she could but was beginning to slip back into the rushing water.

Alpine whined softly. Her paws barely lifted off the ground every now and then, and she was beginning to fall behind.

Suddenly, the wolf on land dropped the branch and leapt to the waterside. Alpine struggled to keep a hold of the branch.

The wolf barely managed to snatch the other wolf by her scruff, and pulled her closer to the edge of the water. Alpine dropped the branch and dashed to help him.

Together, they hauled her out of the water. She coughed up water, shivering. The wolf laid beside her, helping to warm her up.

Alpine sat a ways away. The male wolf looked up, "Thank you." He mumbled. She nodded briskly.

"I don't think I got the chance to introduce myself, I'm Alpine." She said a few minutes later. "I'm Flint, this is Hollie." Flint replied.

Hollie was sitting up, looking more alert and energized than any other wolf Alpine had ever seen, especially surprising since she was almost washed away by a river.

"Hi!" Hollie squealed. She was smaller then Flint, although they were from the same litter. Maybe she's the runt. Alpine wondered.

Alpine grinned, "Hello." Hollie wagged her tail, then tried to stand up, but immediately flopped back down. "Are you okay?" Alpine asked her, worriedly.

"Yeah." Hollie replied, "Now I know fish aren't easy to catch." She giggled. Flint rolled his eyes, a distant worry deep within them.

"So, are you part of a pack?" Flint asked Alpine. Alpine's mood plummeted. She stayed silent for a moment. Flint looked guilty, and confused.

"I was." Alpine murmured. "Well, wh-" Hollie began, but was cut off by a sharp nudge from her brother.

Alpine sighed, then told them. She told them everything, from leaving the clearing to exiting the ravine. 

The two wolves stared at her, eyes glazed with sympathy. She held her breath for a moment, she had just met these wolves, yet she was telling them everything.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Flint said with a gentle tone. Hollie's energy had gone, and she was looking at Alpine as if she were a lost pup.

"What about you?" Alpine asked. "We used to be part of a pack, but we were separated, just like you." Hollie replied.

"By humans." Flint added. "They came with fire sticks and killed our alpha, a beta, and a few others... including our mother and sister. Everyone else scattered." He concluded with a flick of his tail. Alpine stared at him in horror. And I thought my life has been rough!

Suddenly, she remembered the humans from earlier. She shuddered, also remembering the fire. "That... that's horrible." She whispered. "We were trying to find them, but now we're okay by ourselves." Hollie said.

The sun began lowering in the sky. She looked at the two littermates, then her gaze drifted towards the forest she had lived in with her pack. "Hey, since none of us are part of a pack, and it's dangerous to be alone, I was thinking... maybe we could stick together?" Flint said.

"Yeah! That'd be so fun!" Hollie squealed, her energy back. Alpine smiled, looking back and forth from Hollie to Flint. "Alright, it would be good to have extra protection too." Alpine nodded. Hollie yipped and bounced.

"We should find a place to spend the night." Flint said. Alpine nodded briskly and scanned the area. "I think we should head towards Hazel Lake." Hollie suggested. "There's not enough time tonight. We can make our way down there later." Flint told Hollie, who's ears flattened a bit.

"Hey, I think I found a place to sleep." Alpine called from a few lengths away. Hollie and Flint padded towards her. "See? A hole under a tree." She said.

"That'll do." Flint said, crawling under the trees roots to enter the shelter. Hollie followed him. Alpine watched them slip into the den, but stayed outside. She sat a little bit away from the entrance.

How do I know I can trust them? They seem nice, but I just met them a few hours ago. She heard the scuffling in the den die down. 

She sighed and stared at the stars. I want to go home. She whimpered quietly, making sure not to let the other two hear her. She looked back at the den, Flint and Hollie were asleep. Alpine turned away and padded off into the forest.

She scented a mouse. She crouched down, noticing a small pile of leaves squirming near her. A pale pink tail peeked out.

She leapt at the leaves, crushing the mouse with a hard stomp of her paw. It's small body went limp. She dug a small hole and buried the mouse for later.

Only minutes later, she saw a squirrel heading towards a tree. She broke into a dash, the squirrel panicking and running up the tree. Alpine leapt up, grabbing the squirrel's tail with her paw. She pulled it down and snapped its neck, now hanging limp in her jaws. 

She headed back and dug up the mouse. She held the bundle of prey tightly as she headed back. 

As she approached the den, she peeked in cautiously. Hollie was laying on top of Flint, both asleep. Alpine stifled a giggle as she crept in, dropping the prey near the entrance. She curled up a few pawsteps away, falling asleep almost instantly.