I awaken surrounded by darkness and warmth. I spend a moment of confusion trying to find out where I am. After listening to the deep breaths and snores of Dodge and Oak, I realize where I'm located. Since the snow has covered up the entry to the temporary shelter, I can't tell if it's morning or not. 

      I lift my snout, snuffling through the snow until I reach the world outside. A dull light floods through the small hole that my nose made. I push the rest of my head out into the early dawn. The sun has not yet risen, but its rosy glow is just barely peeking over the horizon. I debate whether or not to awaken Dodge and Oak, as they seem so peaceful. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of time from the mountain lion chase, and should really get going. 

       Since we left a bit before sunset from the Bearclaw Uplands, we're in an awkward place in the forest. It's the broad no-man's-land between the Uplands and the river. If we run all day, and partially into the night, we'll be able to reach Whitetail Valley without needing another night of camping out. It might get a bit tiring, but it's not impossible.  

        I nudge Dodge with my nose, and he shifts around in the snow momentarily, grumbling. He opens one blue eye, looking up at me.

"Is it morning already?" He mutters.

"Yeah, we need to get going. It's going to be a long day of travelling." I reply quietly. 

"Alright, alright. Come on, Oak." Dodge says, rising to his feet and pawing at Oak.

        Oak stands up quickly, brimming with energy. He leaps out of the den, breaking the bubble of warmth we had all built over night. Cold air washes over us and I shudder. I follow him out of the den, and Dodge comes after me. After shaking the snow out of our pelts, we get going. 

        We gallop over the wide no-man's-land that separates the territory. After over a day of running, the sun setting over the horizon, the river is finally in view. We're almost home. However, one thing in our way is the human town. Lights from the campfires flicker from the human's camp. They seem to have retired for the day. Most of their time seems to be spent loading things into the abandoned town, fixing crumbling buildings. 

        We turn right, following the edge of town until we reach the river. The cold water sinks into our pelts as we swim across, Oak clinging to my back and shivering. I shake out my pelt, droplets of water flying everywhere. I also insist that Oak shakes thoroughly, since I don't want him to get sick from the cold. The sun has since set, and the air is growing even colder.

        The brown pup looks absolutely exhausted, and can barely keep his chocolate eyes open. He's getting pretty big, but I doubt he can make the rest of the trip. I lift him up by the scruff of his neck, and he naps as Dodge and I make the rest of the trip home quickly. 

        I pad tiredly into camp, making my way to the den where Oak's mother is sleeping. I gently set Oak down beside her, and he unconsciously snuggles up next to her. Head hung low and ready to sleep, I exit the den and walk up beside Dodge. I let out a groan when I remember I can't go to sleep just yet.

"What is it?" Dodge questions.

"We still have to tell Alpha about how the Bearclaw Wolves accepted our offer." I answer, folding my ears back.

"Let's be quick, then. I need to get some rest, and I can tell you're exhausted too."

        I nod, and we both move through the camp in the direction of Alpha Granite's den. He's inside, but awake. His back is turned to the entrance, head down.

"Alpha?" I call out in a low tone.

        He turns his head, quickly rising to his paws and trotting over to us. He looks very stressed, more so than usual.

"How did it go?" He questions immediately. 

"It went well. The Bearclaw wolves accepted the offer." I reply.

        Alpha looks elated. I quickly let him know about some important details before rushing back to the den and passing out. When the rising sun shines into my eyes the next morning, I crawl behind Dodge, still half asleep, so the light can't hit me anymore. After a few more hours of sleep, I force myself to get up. I can't sleep forever, but lord I wish I could.

        I pad around the clearing alone, leaving Dodge to continue sleeping in the den. The camp is a lot more desolate than usual. I make my way to a spot that's usually full of wolves, which is emptier than usual today, but there's still a group there chatting casually. I walk over, tail hanging loosely and wagging.

        The wolves break from their conversation, greeting me with friendly nods and a few smiles. I leap up onto a snowbank, laying down in a relaxed position and yawning.

"How did your trip go?" Braze asks, coppery head tilted.

"It went pretty well. The Bearclaw Uplanders are going to help us." I explain.

"Has the disease reached that territory yet?" He continues.

"Definitely. I think it's worse over there. I saw several infected animals in just one day, and I got chased by a mountain lion on the way back." 

        The group of wolves seems interested in the story about the mountain lion, and press me for every last detail. Once I finish recounting the tale, I ask my own questions. 

"How's the Pack been while we were gone? I know it was only a few days, but maybe something changed?" I ask curiously.

"A few more wolves contracted the disease, and we unfortunately had to kill them. I'm sorry to say this, Cadmium, but one of the dogs was infected too, the lanky brown one. But there's some good news. We've started focusing on fishing from the river instead of hunting, and it's been working out well. The fish are still plentiful." Pitch pipes up, shifting his black paws in the snow absentmindedly. 

        My face falls as I hear about the dog's death. I'm certain he's talking about Hawk, the wiry Chinook from Dodge's team. He was very anxious, but still friendly and great to be around. I wonder how Dodge will react to the news. However, knowing that the Pack has been getting more food helps soften the blow. 

        The conversation continues for a few more minutes, but after a while it starts to slow down and the group disperses. I walk through the camp in the direction of the river, hoping to catch a few fish for the Pack. As I pad past the den the dogs and I sleep in, I hear Dodge's voice ring out from inside.

"Wait up, Cadmium!" He calls, taking a few seconds to leap out of the den. His fur is half groomed, somewhat messy from sleeping. 

          Once he comes up next to me, I continue walking.

"I'm going fishing, if you want to come." I offer.

        He nods, and we both start to make our way onward through the forest. Through our conversation, I start to notice his tone is a lot more somber than usual. I was waiting to tell him about Hawk's death, but I think he may already be aware.

"Dodge, did the other dogs tell you about Hawk?" I ask, just making sure. 

        Dodge lowers his head slightly, but doesn't stop walking.

"Yes. I asked where he was this morning, and they told me. It's a shame. Hawk was a good member of the team. I'm sure we'll all miss him." He answers.

        Hawk and I were never very close, but I can tell Dodge is a bit shaken up about his death. I decide to let the topic drop unless Dodge wants to talk about it. Once we reach the cold, rushing river, the topic has mostly abandoned our talk. We follow the river, heading downstream until the river starts to split up into many tributaries. As we go on, the streams split more and more, until we eventually reach the huge lake they all drain into. We can't fish out of the lake out of respect, as when we dump our dead into the river that's where they end up. I spend a moment looking out over the water, thinking of the dead friends and family members I've had throughout my life whose bones are somewhere at the bottom of the lake. Tundra is down there. My father is down there. So is Hawk.

        Dodge and I pick a tributary, and follow it until we find a place with ample fish. I'm not the best at fishing, but I'm determined to help feed the Pack. I wade into the cold water, urging Dodge to follow me. He does, moving a few meters down in the water from me. I stare down at the water, watching the silver fish dart around my legs. 

        After darting my head underwater a few times, jaws open wide, I manage to snag a large fish. I drag it to shore, still flipping and trying to escape, and let it freeze and suffocate on the snow while I turn and walk back into the water. This process repeats for about an hour, until the pile of fish on the shore is large and my legs are painfully numb. 

        I crawl out of the water, white and grey pelt dripping and wet from the splashing fish. Dodge's fur doesn't look too different. His face is pulled into an indignant scowl. We both shake out our soggy pelts, droplets of water flying everywhere.

"I guess we should bring these back to camp, huh?" Dodge asks, eyeing the fish.

"Yeah. But I think we should eat a little. We haven't had much, and with all of the new food coming in, we should take this time to gain some fat. The fish won't last forever." I suggest.

        Dodge nods, and we both dig in. Once I start eating, I can't stop. Once I step back, I realize Dodge and I have eaten a lot of the fish. I sigh, realizing that we'll have to catch a few more before heading back.

"Worth it." Dodge mutters, trotting back into the water.

        I follow him, and after a short amount of time, we have enough fish to return back to camp. 

"The trip back shouldn't be too rough, since we've got some food in our bellies. Let's get going." I offer.

        I reach down, grabbing as many of the fish as I can. They hang by their tails from my mouth, swaying with every movement of my head. Dodge picks up the rest, and begin our trip home in silence, mouths to full of fish to chat.  

        After a while, we begin to near the west edge of the territory. The trip has been very uneventful and quiet. However, when a familiar scent reaches my nose, I'm put on high alert. Even through the smell of the fish, the scent of human is unmistakable. Dodge smells it too, ears perked and eyes alertly darting around.

        I quickly stash the fish under a bush, and Dodge does the same. I rub my nose in the snow for a second, trying to wash out the smell of fish out so I can track the human easier. I move close to the bushes, stepping silently and slinking, liquidlike, nose searching for the source of the smell. I follow it southward, and the scent grows stronger.

        Even more alarmingly, I stumble upon a set of footprints in the snow. Human. Even with the bulky boots the humans wear, these prints are smaller than usual. Clearly not from a pup, but maybe an adolescent or small adult. I give my nose a break, and simply follow the prints silently.

        I hear a crunching up ahead. Footsteps. Dodge and I slip into the bushes, remaining completely hidden. We sneak forward, and a slow-moving figure comes into view. A human. It's bundled in furs and fabrics, hunched over while it walks.

"Wow, it sure is fast. Like lightning." Dodge mutters sarcastically. 

"Shh." I hiss.

"What's it doing? Humans never come out this far into the wilderness alone. Especially without their dogs." He whispers, confused.

"I don't know." I respond, quietly as possible.

        We move forward through the bushes, trying to get in front of the figure for a better look. His face is bundled in furs, with just his small eyes visible. He's not suited for the cold by nature, making up for his lack of fur by cloaking himself in that of other animals. I stare at the figure for a few seconds, considering my next move.

        I slink out into the open, moving towards the human with calculated movements. Dodge pokes his head out of the leaves.

"Cadmium! What are you doing?" He barks, giving up on being sneaky since I had already revealed us.

        The human's head snaps to the side, hearing Dodge's barks. His eyes land on me, and he stumbles backwards in the snow, landing on his rear in terror. He shuffles backwards, stopping once his back is against a tall pine tree. I stalk forward, eyes locked with the human's. His breath comes out in terrified pants, letting out puplike whimpers. The furs that covered most of his face have fallen, exposing his pink flesh for me to see.

        His face looks different than that of the other humans. He appears to be younger, face unmarked by wrinkles or lines. I assume that he's a very young adult. His terrified eyes spark with life.

        Dodge leaps from the bushes, creeping closer to the crouching figure carefully. Once the human sees him, a look of confusion and recognition crosses his face. 

"I know this human." Dodge says, turning his head to me.

        I tilt my head, urging him to explain. 

"This is the son of their leader. He never leaves camp, no matter where they've set up. It doesn't make sense for him to be this far from the rest of them. He's got no survival skills, they'd be crazy to let him be here alone." He explains.

        The human tilts his head, and lets out a word in his odd language. Dodge pins back his ears.

"They'd make that noise when they wanted me to come to them. It's like they gave me a name." He grumbles indignantly. 

"I'm going to check if he has any weapons on him. I'm not sure if he could use them if he did, though." I tell Dodge, stepping closer to the human.

"And why haven't we just killed him yet?" Dodge asks, icy eyes glaring daggers at him.

"I don't really know. He doesn't really pose a threat, and he might be useful." I explain.

        I stand directly in front of the human, my snout inches away from his face. He's frozen with terror. I sniff the human from head to toe, but there are too many layers of fur and fabric bundling him to tell if he's armed or not. I grab his fur coat with my teeth, pulling it back. He lets out another scared whimper. 

        A rifle peeks out from underneath. There's also a knife tucked into a pocket. I go for the gun first, grabbing it in my teeth and pulling it out. I back away, dropping it on the snow in front of me. Dodge and I take a few seconds to sniff it, lifting our heads continuously to keep an eye on the human.

"Do you think we can use it?" I ask, pawing at the weapon.

"I don't think so. Humans have hands, and we don't." Dodge answers, shaking his head.

"We should try. Can you imagine how easily we could fight with this thing?"

"Fine. I think that you press that little thing inside of the ring thing down. That's what I've seen them do." He explains, gesturing to the ring.

          The ring is small. I don't think I can fit my paw or snout in there. I trot into the bushes, grabbing a small, strong stick in my mouth. I bring it back, sliding it inside of the ring. It fits.

"Okay. You hold it, and I'll push that weird little thing and make it fire. Let's shoot that tree." I instruct.

        Dodge holds up the gun in his teeth, aiming it at a nearby pine. He's holding the long tube at the end. The human watches us, confused. I raise the stick, inserting it into the ring and turning my head to the side with as much strength as I can manage. It clicks, and a deafening snap assaults my ears. As the bullet fires, the gun shoots backwards out of Dodge's teeth and onto the ground. He lets out a yelp.

        Dodge leaps backwards, grimacing and snarling. His mouth is hanging open, and he shakes his head.

"Damn it! That hurt!" He barks.

        Since his mouth is still open, I look at his teeth to make sure they're not damaged. One of his bottom teeth, closer to the back, is bleeding and clearly loose. It doesn't look too bad, though. He spits some blood and the tooth into the snow, gingerly closing his mouth. The human looks just as confused as before, if not more so.

        As if to add insult to injury, we completely missed the tree. From four feet away.

"Well, it looks like using the gun is out of the question." I mutter, eyeing the weapon that's lying in the snow.

"You don't say." Dodge grumbles.

"So... now what? What should we do with the human?" I ask, looking over at him.

"I say kill him." Dodge replies without a second thought.

"I don't know... he looks so scared. He isn't posing any kind of threat to us, anyway." I suggest, a bit worried about how Dodge will react.

"Ha ha. Very funny." Dodge mutters, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not joking, Dodge. Maybe he can be useful to us." I argue.

"The only way he'd be useful is if he was dead, and dragged back to camp for the wolves to eat." Dodge replies stubbornly.

"It looks like the humans abandoned him. What if he's mad at them over that? What if we can get him to use his gun against them when we attack?" 

"Cadmium. Are you hearing yourself right now?"

"It's worth a try."

"The Pack isn't going to like this."

"They will once they understand where I'm coming from." I reply confidently.

"Fine. But if he steps one foot out of line, he's dead where he stands."