Rogue Moon

chapter 14

By morning my ankle already felt better and my wolfy companion seemed to be in less pain, considering the moment I got up, he tried to make me stay and had ended up curling himself around me at some point during the night.

I had to push him off of me just to get up and he seemed annoyed when I got dressed. Sometimes I wonder what on earth is going on in that creature's head. I knew we both needed food, and hunger was already affecting me. But he was still in no condition to hunt, so that left me with trying to provide for us both.

Grabbing my bag and the empty bucket I made my way to the door. Only for the wolf beast to get in the way and block the only exit. Once again, we had to be stubborn and tried to keep me inside.

"I just need to go find some food and get some water. There's a small springs behind the cabin, I won't go far to try and find food, you need to move!"

He only grumbled in response and plopped his furry butt in front of the door with his ears pulled back. Why did he have to be so difficult?

"We need food! You know! Meat? Water? Vegetables? " he closed his eyes looking away clearly ignoring me. Sometimes I think he actually does understand what im saying, but that's beside the point. Whether he understands or not he needs to let me go...

Thinking for a minute a small smirk made its way onto my face as an idea came to mind. Making a long exaggerated sigh I set my things off to the side and sat back down. I could see him crack one eye open as he watched me.

"Oh well...i guess since I can't leave I won't be able to give you that treat I promised yesterday."

At the mention of the treat, his ears twitched and he lifted his head to look at me, so I continued my little charade.

"I could just imagine having a nice dinner too...before having a nice, juicy treat. "

With my back turned on the wolf it only took a few seconds before he walked up beside me and laid down with his ears back and puppy dog eyes. I smiled, silently calling victory to myself.

Petting his head and rubbing his ears I reassured him that everything would be fine." ill be back before you know it... The more rest you get the quicker you'll be able to get back to normal...or as normal as you can be..." He growled lowly looking away as I stood up, grabbing the bag and empty bucket before going outdoors.

The chill of the air outside made me shiver slightly as I stepped off the porch. I almost forgot how late in the season it was...winter was coming and soon the temperatures would drop below freezing. We would need firewood, food, and a bigger water source if we wanted to survive out here. Anxiety continued to swirl around in the back of my mind. How were we going to make it through the winter out here?

Going back to the springs I collected some water and searched the area for anything I could use. I noticed some mushrooms and carefully inspiring them. Luckily they were the same ones that me and gramps use to collect outside of town.

Grabbing a few I stuffed them into my bag and walked around a bit more, finding more red berries.

As I was busy looking at the ground a snap of a branch got my attention and my head shot up as I froze.

Just a few feet away stood a deer, munching on some grass. I was in awe at the sight before me. I had never been so close to a deer. It raised its head looking at me. I was captivated by the sight, and after a few moments it pranced off deeper into the forest. Smiling I continued to look for food and even ended up finding a few wild potatoes in the process. It wasn't much but it was food, and that's all that mattered. Heading back to the cabin I noticed something furry, sticking out of a bush. I stopped for a moment expecting the creature to move or run away when it didn't. I got closer to investigate.

That's when I noticed the blood, and glint of a metal bear trap. It was a rabbit, like I had thought. The poor creature was unlucky and wandered into the old trap. Walking towards it I took a closer look. It wasn't a very old kill, considering the blood hadn't clotted yet.

Chewing my bottom lip I released the dead rabbit and decided to take it with me, smiling as I went. At least now I had some meat. With everything I gathered, I could probably cook a stew.

As I continued forward, the cabin came into view and I couldn't wait to start cooking. A growl from behind me made me stop in my tracks and I sighed.

I turned around as I spoke, "Look I didn't go that far you didn't have to come looking-" freezing up I realized this was not the wolf beast. Instead of the familiar grey fur, I used to, it was a brownish color with many scars across its body and even a missing eye, the wolf looked feral... Maybe even rabid, as saliva dripped from its mouth. One thing I was a bit relieved about was the fact it did not have the same collar as the other wolves. It wasn't one of them.

It took a step forward and I mirrored the action by stepping back. It continued walking towards me ready to pounce as I walked backwards trying to keep it at a distance.

Glancing back at the cabin was a mistake as the wolf barked and lunged at me. I looked back just in time before diving out of the way landing on the ground. I couldn't run. My ankle was still injured!

It got ready to tackle me as a loud snarl caught our attention and the wolf beast busted through the cabin door before jumping in front of me. I thought they were about to fight, but a simple snarl was enough to scare the brown wolf away.

He watched as it retreated into the forest, completely out of sight, before looking back at me. I took a deep breath calming my nerves and racing heart. All these encounters with crazy wolves is enough to shave off a good portion of my life.

"I'm okay..." Standing up, I walked back inside with the beast. He laid over on top of the mattress as I grabbed some tools such as the knife and started cooking up the stew.

I guess normal wolves were sensible enough to know that the wolf beasts were not to be messed with. Once again, however, I found myself getting saved by this creature. skinning the rabbit and getting rid of the...extra stuff. I cut up the meat, mushrooms, and potatoes before adding them to the pot over the fireplace filled with water.

Adding more wood to the fire I smiled and looked over at the wolf beside me, smiling. He tilted his head slightly while resting it on his paws and I couldn't help but think how cute it was. Sitting down I waited for the stew to cook. I know it would be bland without seasoning but this was the best I could do at the moment.

--------hours later-----

Once the stew was finished I removed the pot from the fire and poured some stew into two bowls.

"Alright! Are you ready for your treat?" The wolf beast's head shot up and eyes quickly opened, now wide awake, after his short nap. His ears were pointed forward and I could tell he was excited.

Taking one-bowl over to him, he watched me closely. "Here you go! Rabbit stew!" He looked at me than the bowl of soup, before his excitement completely deflated and his ears folded back.

"What?! You haven't even tried it." He looked back up at me and I could see the clear annoyance and disappointment in his eyes.

I grabbed my own bowl and started eating with my wooden spoon.

"It's not that bad come on I thought you'd like this treat... Rabbit stew is better than eating straight mushrooms or wild berries!"

He laid his head down next to the bowl and huffed with a pout.

I continued eating my stew wondering what his problem was.

I guess food wasn't the kind of treat he wanted...