By: Bay, 6th grade
“Kutaira, you have to get in the cave!” The young wolf pup, who had been playing in the forest, perked her ears up, intent. “Yes, papa? What is it?” She called in response. “There’s a blizzard minutes away from here! You must get in the cave right now!” The pup jumped up, and rushed towards the sanctity of the dark, warm cavern. She arrived, panting heavily, her pink tongue lolling out of her mouth. “Get to the back; it will protect you from the snow.” Kutaira gave a nod of affirmation, and proceeded to the back of the cave. She sat down next to one of the other pack members, Sukemto. “Where’s Noitar?” She asked, and Sukemto perked his ears up. “Oh, no… he doesn’t know about the storm!” He said, and rushed towards the front of the cave; but Lakairn leapt in front of him. “No, I’ll do it. I have better eyes. You keep Kutaira safe. I’ll be back soon.” He said, and stepped outside. Sukemto complied, and headed back to his place next to the pup. “I hope papa is okay…” Kutaira said quietly.
Outside the cave, a thick curtain of snow was falling. Lakairn couldn’t believe that a minute ago there was only a slight chill in the air. He scanned the area, attempting to see the familiar orange-red pelt of Noitar. Even though he had the best eyes of the pack, finding the half-breed in this weather was hard. He sniffed the snowy air gingerly, attempting to catch the well-known scent of a half fox-half wolf. He walked through the knee-deep snow, searching, ever searching, for Noitar.
Sukemto perked his ears up as he saw a shadowy figure step in front of the entrance of the cave. He growled quietly. “Who goes there?” He demanded, causing the sleeping Kutaira to jump up. “Don’t worry, guys, it’s me.” A familiar voice said, and a snow-covered Noitar entered the cave. “It’s Noitar!” Kutaira called, and rushed over to her friend. Sukemto gave a smile, and walked over. “I was out hunting when I saw the snow begin to fall, so I came back to the cave as fast I could.” Kutaira’s smile fell. “You… didn’t see papa?” “No… I didn’t see Lakairn.” Sukemtos’ ears tilted backwards. “Lakairn headed out to find you, to tell you about the storm. He hasn’t come back yet…” Noitar gasped. “He’s still out there?” Kutaira nodded. Noitars’ face contorted and he began to shake slightly. “What will we do without Lakairn?”
Lakairn gave a groan as he collapsed into the snow. He had been searching for a long time, and was now in unfamiliar territory. He hadn’t found Noitar, and was now hopelessly lost. He closed his eyes tight, trying to force himself to try and get back to the cave. He had no energy left, he could barely move. The snow slowly began to cover his body, and soon fatigue took over, and he fell into an uneasy sleep.
The snow began to pile up as the night went on, and a freezing wind was curling around the land of Kundiar, causing the pine needles to turn a shiny blue, and the ground to freeze over. As morning broke, the snow did not let up. But; Lakairn slowly began to stir. He opened his eyes, but all he saw was white. He was covered in snow. He lifted his head, causing the snow to fall on him, breaking through the thick layer above him. The blizzard had gotten worse. He shook the snow off of his body, and took a few steps forward. He had to find the cave, before the blizzard trapped him in its icy grip forever.
Kutaira looked out into the snowy white from inside the cave, her tail twitching every second or so. Noitar and Sukemto were lounging in the back of the cave. The pup was thinking hard. Her thoughts were crowded. She vaguely remembered a wolf named Keiron… someone who took care of her, and she called him her father. She also had only an image of a female wolf with brown and red fur. She could not pinpoint who these two wolves were, or where they came from. Kutaira thought for another long time before something struck her. She remembered her mother and her father, and… her old pack. She had formerly belonged to a pack called Kartia, with many wolves. They had all died in a war against foxes… except for her. She frowned. Then… this Keiron had to be her father. But why was Lakairn saying he was her father?! That was a lie! She growled quietly to herself. Lakairn had lied to her. Keiron was her real father, and she didn’t even belong to this pack! As if you could call it a pack… there were only four wolves. That is, if you counted a half-breed as a wolf. Kutaira stood, fuming. She wanted to scream at Lakairn right then and there, but another part of her wanted him to get lost in the storm. The first part won.
Lakairn stumbled through the snow. Patches of his fur were frozen, and his body was covered in powdery white. His tail was hidden between his legs. It was s cold… he could barely concentrate on walking. He just wanted to stop and find some way to keep warm. His mind was cloudy. His yellow eyes closed. His front legs collapsed, and soon he fell completely in the snow. He absentmindedly sniffed the frigid air. His eyes snapped open. There was a familiar scent in the air. It smelled like Kutaira. He mustered all his energy, slowly following the faint scent trail. As he plodded through the snow, the scent got stronger. He collected all his energy and began to bound through the snow. Lakairn skidded to a halt as he saw the cave. He gave a half-hearted howl, and rushed as quickly as he could towards the warm darkness of his home.
Noitar perked his large ears to the air. “I just heard a howl…” Sukemto grumbled and awoke from his nap. “What…?” “I heard a howl.” Noitar repeated, and walked towards the entrance of the cave where Kutaira gently smelled the air. “It smells like Lakairn.” She said grimly, digging her claws into the cave. “Lakairn?” Sukemto said, and joined the others at the front of the cave. He peered into the swirling white, and saw a dark form moving through the snow. “It is Lakairn!” Noitar gave a happy bark, and rushed into the bleak white, and soon returned with a freezing Lakairn.
“Lakairn, you’re alright!” Sukemto said, relieved. He rushed over to his friend and began to brush snow off with his muzzle. Lakairn smiled a small smile at his friends, and laid down on the dark cave floor. Noitar had grabbed some meat from some leftover elk and dropped it in front of their leader. Lakairn happily nibbled it, feeling warmth return to his body as he ate the warm meat. “We were so worried...” Noitar said, wagging his tail. “We’re so glad you’re back.”
Kutaira sat a little ways away from the others, growling. She had a bone to pick with her so-called ‘papa’. “Everyone but me…” She said, approaching the frozen wolf. “What do you mean, Kutaira?” Sukemto asked. “I remember Keiron, as well as my mother and my former pack. You lied to me.” She snarled. “You called me your daughter… I’m not your daughter! I’m the daughter of Keiron, former leader of the great wolf pack Kartia!” Lakairn was shocked. He thought she had lost her memory in an avalanche accident several months ago. “But… how did you remember? You hit your head in an avalanche.” He said, and stood. “I remember the accident, and I remember my pack. You lied to me. You don’t deserve to lead this pack! And I called you my father…”
Sukemto stepped forward. “He only said that because he knew that no matter what he told you, you would never believe him. He did it for your own good! Be grateful that he didn’t abandon you out of guilt!” He snarled angrily, his ears pinned to his head. “He knew about all this, and told me nothing! Lakairn is not fit to lead this pack!” She growled. Despite being young, she had the voice of a powerful adult. Noitar was confused. He was unsure as of whom to side with. Lakairn was silent, and then he looked to Noitar. “Noitar… what do you think?”
Noitar looked to the ground, deep in thought. His bushy tail was lowered. “Lakairn… should not stay with Kutaira…” He said solemnly. “Noitar, you can’t-““You just can’t… you did lie to her, Lakairn… you have to go.” Lakairn gave a gasp. “How could you do this??” Sukemto frowned, and looked into Lakairn’s eyes. “I agree…” He sighed. “Lakairn… get out…”
Lakairn’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean…” Noitar nodded. Lakairn took a few steps back. Tears stung his eyes, but he forced himself not to cry. “I can’t believe it…” Noitar walked in front of him. “Go…” With a quick jerk, he pushed Lakairn back into the snowy abyss where he came from.