Untitled and Unfinished Part 2

Part 2

            Layora took her time that afternoon bathing the wolves. She could not bring herself to bury them without giving them a proper bath. She had set up camp close by and made a warm broth for the one surviving pup. Fretting over him all afternoon she made sure he was warm enough by the fire and gave him as much broth and water as he desired. After a few initial spills, he began to lap at the warm liquid and it wasn’t long before he had finished a small bowl to himself. She was pleased that he had managed to drink a couple of portions throughout the day and she gently touched the top of his head in reassurance. He was frail, but it was beginning to look as if the pup had a bit of strength left in him. His white fur was so soft beneath her fingers and as she caressed him, she wondered what colour his eyes might be. He was just a little lump of fur and as she held him to her chest, he slept soundly. She had made sure to look him over for any injuries and was relieved to have found none.

            After a while, she laid the pup on her blankets inside the tent. She wished to bury the other wolves before it got too dark and soon she had picked a spot for their final resting place. She used a small tool she had brought along with her for digging up herbs. It took her a while, but eventually she was ready to place them inside. She laid them down together, all nestled against their mother and set to the task of covering them with the soft earth. Carrying four small rocks from the river’s edge, she placed the rocks over the packed dirt and sat back on her heels. “I’m so sorry Mother Wolf; I did not get here in time to save you and your family. But maybe I can save your little one, or at the very least, show him that he was loved.” Sighing, she rubbed her eyes and stood, heading back to the fire. In silence, she put away her cooking things and with a heavy heart, she crawled into her tent. She stopped short of entering the tent completely, however, and smiled at the sight before her. The little pup was sprawled out on her furs, deep in slumber. Closing her eyes for a moment, a deep ache settled into her heart. It was painful but she could do nothing but try and dismiss it. She lay down next to the pup, curling herself around the little bundle. She could only hope that he would still be with her in the morning.

~

            Layora awoke to noises that she had never heard before or imagined that she would ever hear, for that matter. At first there was just a little bit of rustling, but then the sound of a soft whimper reached her ears. She sat up and came to realize that the little pup was nudging her leg. She calmed immediately and reached down to pick the bundle of fur up. Grasping his middle, she lifted him to her chest. He whined a bit, but soon calmed and rested against her. He felt so small in her arms and she tried hard not to hold him too tight. Reaching for her water, she let him have some from her water pouch and planned to give him some broth as soon as she could. He squirmed in her arms and pawed at the water pouch as she tilted it for him. She couldn’t help the bouts of laughter that escaped her lips. After a little while she brought him out of the tent and set him in a fur while she went to work packing up her things. He still seemed too weak to get up and not being able to open his eyes definitely kept him from going anywhere. Warming the broth while she worked, she tried to keep an eye on the little wolf. He didn’t seem to be going anywhere and in fact, had fallen back asleep. It was still rather dark out, but the Sun was slowly rising and she could see the sky growing brighter as she packed up her tent and the rest of her belongings.

            Layora spent some time feeding the pup and was unusually pleased when he finally relieved himself. She was confident that this was a sign that the water and food were helping his dehydration. All she could do was hope that he would get better. Wiping away more of the crust that had built up around his eyes was proving to be very difficult. He whined and squirmed in her grasp and finally gave up for the time being. She picked up her pack, bow and quiver and gazed down at the pup. She smiled and gently scooped him and the fur up into her arms, letting him cuddle up to her chest. She started on her way and soon he was deep in sleep, soft noises coming from him as he dreamt.

~

            Layora spent the majority of the day walking along the river’s edge and occasionally venturing into the dense forest to collect some of the berries she saw along the way. She collected tinder as well for the fires she depended upon and thought of what it might be like without a flame to keep her warm during the winter and a shiver worked its way through her. The pup shifted against her and whined softly, he had felt her shiver uncomfortably against him. Layora stopped and looked down at the bundle, wanting to make sure that he was alright, “I’m sorry, I must have startled you. Don’t worry, we’ll be alright.” Layora smiled and watched as he tilted his head from side to side as she spoke, his eyes still had not opened. “Do you understand me, little one?” She laughed and the wolf growled and yipped at the foreign noises she made. She simply shook her head and held him closer to her. She was beginning to enjoy his company.

            In the afternoon Layora collected several branches for the arrows she had planned on making over the next few days. Taking her time choosing the best suited for her arrows, she also spent a little of her time trying to catch a rabbit or two. She preferred their fur for the clothing she wanted to make. She knew that she would need a thick coat and hood to keep her warm and gloves were definitely going to be necessary. Only another month lay between her and the start of winter and she knew that she would have to prepare herself for the worst. Glancing down at the wolf in her arms, she squeezed him tighter, “Maybe the winter won’t be so dreadful if I have you with me.” The wolf turned his face up to her, his eyes still tightly shut. He listened to her, rather content in the woman’s arms and Layora simply smiled and carried on her way.

~

            Soon hours turned to days and days turned into weeks and with each passing morning, more leaves were to be found littered upon the ground. That morning she awoke to a soft growling and smiling, she opened her eyes just a bit. Staring down at her were a pair of bright blue eyes and she couldn’t hold back her laughter. She reached up to rest her hands on the wolf’s neck as he stood over her, giving him a good rub. “Good morning, Snow. How did you sleep?” She continued to smile as she rubbed the little wolf. She had settled on calling him Snow because his fur was just that, snow white. He had made a wonderful recovery since she had found him and after spending almost a month with her, he had grown quite considerably. He was making his usual play noises and Layora rolled over onto her stomach, pushing herself onto her knees. The pup stood in front of her, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth as he panted. He wanted to play and soon he was jumping and growling at her. All she could do was smile and scoop him up into her arms. He seemed to spill over them, now roughly the size of a small dog. She held him close and nuzzled his face with her own, sighing against his soft fur. He was calmer now and let her hold him for a moment longer. Putting him down, she started rolling up her blankets and putting away her things, wondering if she would be greeted by any snow this morning.

            She had made a warm coat for herself and with each passing day, she realized how thankful she was for the warmth it provided. Now that she had come well away from the river, and started heading farther inland towards the mountains, it was growing much colder. They were still a great distance away, but she would come across them in another two months or so, well into the start of winter. Snow had really grown quickly, his body had gotten stronger and his legs much longer. He was just shy of knee height now and so fluffy. She absolutely adored rubbing him, his fur was so soft and always made her feel warm when they cuddled. He now walked beside her and never wandered away from her side. He seemed to stay intently focused upon her most of the time and rarely strayed from her side. Perhaps he was fascinated by her; Layora was definitely intrigued by him.

            She absolutely loved to play with him and she spent much of her time teaching him new things, like when to stop and listen for other animals nearby. Whenever she withdrew her bow, he knew to sit and stay very quiet, even when a rabbit darted past, and they did, on more than one occasion and he wouldn’t move a muscle. She always made sure to reward him for his wonderful behavior too. He was very gentle with her, but she never once forgot that he was a wild animal and a wolf no less. She treated him with the utmost respect and admiration and always tried to keep the wolf in him strong. He was not to be treated as a pet, but rather, a companion. He may curl up with her every night, lick her face and play with her, but she was always mindful of what he would become; a fully grown male white wolf. It frightened her a little, but she would push it from her mind whenever she could. She loved him too much to think he might one day harm her. She would do anything she could to raise him in a loving, nurturing environment and she just hoped it would be enough to keep him as her companion, without being frightened of sleeping next to him.

~

            Layora had not slept well the previous evening and was plagued by awful dreams throughout the night. Snow had lain by her side for much of it, trying to comfort her in any way he could. He watched as she cried in her sleep and tossed and turned and it wasn’t until he rested his head on her chest that she began to relax. After a while she slipped into a deeper sleep and although she did rest for some time, it was not a fitful sleep. When she awoke, it was in a cold sweat and the Sun had already risen. She did not care to waste away the day in bed, so she quickly packed up her things and started off. The day seemed to drag on for far too long and by late afternoon she had stopped to sit and rest for a while. Sitting down by the tree line, she gazed up into the treetops. They stood tall all around her and as she looked up into the canopy of leaves above, calmness came over her. The Sun played with the shadows as the leaves swayed in the wind. And slowly a frown began working its way across her features, marring them. Her eyes fell to the forest floor and soon she shut them tightly, trying to hold it all back. The nightmares would not stop, not even now. Running her fingers through her hair, she drew her knees up close to her chest. Her arms moved to hug her knees tightly and she began to cry.

            Snow sat a few feet away from her, quietly observing the young woman in her distress. She wept and hugged her knees, her lithe frame shaking with the force of her sobs. All she could think of was the fire, the flames and screams. All as if it was yesterday. Her nightmares were always that way and they never failed to bring her back to the bottom, “Where I belong.” She whispered and Snow’s ears twitched at the sound of her voice. Soon he was standing before her, his nose pressing firmly against her hand. Almost instantly she stopped crying and raised her head, wiping her tears aside she tried to compose herself. Looking up at him she gazed deeply into Snow’s bright eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered and reached out to rub behind his ears. “I must sound strange making all that noise.” She kissed his nose gently and stood, picking up her things soon after. “Come on love, let’s go. I’m sorry for worrying you.” Snow darted around her and she smiled warmly at him and soon he was racing ahead of her, trying to coerce her into joining him. She laughed lightly and jogged ahead, teasing him into believing that she may run with him. He seemed to almost prance around her, jumping completely up off the ground at times.

            Before she knew it she was racing with him, following close behind and laughing at the way he darted around her. “You’re going to be so fast one day, Snow!” she cried as they continued to run together. It was no longer a race, merely a chance to enjoy something together as they ran side by side, the cold air stinging her cheeks slightly and turning them a lovely shade of pink. After a while of this they slackened their pace and came to a slow walk as they reached the edge of a large clearing that opened to the forest. Snow laid down on a flat rock that jutted out of the forest floor and Layora came towards him, looking around the area. It was beautiful here where the forest opened to greet the grassy fields and soon she was seated next to him on the little rock. She enjoyed the quiet of being on her own, well almost alone, but she wondered what it might be like to be among the sounds of other elves. Would their cities be busy and loud or would they be calm and peaceful? Odd things to think about, but she thought of these kinds of things often enough. Sighing, she leaned back on her hands, looking around her at the border of trees. Snow was soon sleeping soundly by her side, his breathing deep but relaxed and Layora simply smiled and stood, ready to set up camp for the evening. It was time to call it a day.

~

            They both slept soundly, meanwhile, the wind picked up and the trees swayed around them. Snow was on its way and they were none the wiser as they lay curled up together, Layora under the blankets and Snow sprawled out next to her. His ears twitched while he slept and soft whimpers escaped him as he dreamt. Layora lay peacefully under the blankets and she too was wrapped up in a dream. A much more pleasant one than the last, but it was filled with uncertainty and upon waking that morning, she was overflowing with it. Pulling back the blankets, she got up and put her things away. She finally bundled up and was ready to leave the tent and as she turned to crawl out the door, she stopped to meet with Snow’s bright blue eyes staring back at her. She laughed a bit, “Come on you, it’s time to go out.” His tail was swishing back and forth and she couldn’t help reaching out to rub his head, ruffling his fur affectionately. He whined happily at her and turned around to leave the tent. She started untying the knots holding the door together and he slipped out before she could finish the last knot. Pulling back the flap, Layora’s eyes widened. Snow stood there looking rather stunned. He was surrounded by a thick layer of freshly fallen snow. “Oh my,” she whispered, stepping from the tent. Snow turned and looked at her almost in question. Layora smiled and shook her head a little. He blended in beautifully with his surroundings,” I knew Snow was a perfect name for you.”

            After the arrival of the snow, Layora spent the day earnestly making her way towards the far off mountains. The snow had stopped falling, but her worries were sending her spiraling. Every negative thought only made her walk faster. Snow followed her patiently, enjoying the feel of the cold snow beneath his feet, or so it seemed. He would prance around her or run just a little ahead every now and then and spread his paws wide into the snow. Fixing her hood, Layora tried to dismiss some of her worries and instead focused on training Snow. She had spent a lot of time teaching him little things like hand signals and a couple of voice commands and he really did seem to enjoy all the little treats she would give him if he did well. She decided it would be best to work on his hunting skills today. If she asked him to ‘hunt,’ he would disappear a little ways off and when he returned, he would lead her to wherever he had spotted an animal. Today he had led her to two rabbits. While she would never kill anything unnecessarily, she liked using these smaller animals as a lesson. She even let him run after them on more than one occasion. Most of the time he would return without the rabbit, although he was fast, they could be faster.

            As of late, he had started to develop a better method of capturing the animals and now when he went after one, he never failed to bring it back. He was a completely different pup when he encountered wildlife now and she always made sure to allow him his freedom. If he wanted to catch something, she would let him. But for the most part, he simply watched as she would take her bow, notch an arrow, draw the string and let it fly. They worked well together and although it had taken a lot of practice, they hunted as a team. Layora was sure that in another month or so, he would be strong enough to help her take down a small deer if need be.

            The day went by much faster than she would have liked and although she tried to make use of every bit of daylight, she was still forced to setup camp earlier in the evening as the darkness swept over them. The freshly fallen snow had scared her when she had awoken that morning and although she was trying to be optimistic, the bad weather was making her nervous. Sitting quietly by the fire she took another sip of her broth, her gaze shifted to look upon Snow. He lay next to her, chewing away at a couple of chunks of rabbit she had given him and somehow had managed to miss his vegetables. She gently rubbed his back while he ate; happy that he had enough trust in her to let her do so. He stopped chewing suddenly and began sniffing the air, even Layora seemed to stiffen. His ears twitched and after a moment or so, he stood, staring off into the darkness. Layora had put her bowl down and was listening intently, her muscles tense, ready to spring at any moment. They could hear music, or drumming, something loud but very far off. She slowly stood and smothered the fire carefully, making sure that not too much smoke was let out.

            Biting her lower lip firmly, she headed in the direction of the sounds. Snow remained by her side and they walked through the clearing to the North. It seemed to be where the noise was coming from and as they continued, the steady drumming became louder and louder. The forest was dense here and she used the shadows to her advantage, afraid of being seen by whoever might be travelling. The noises however, sounded far too loud and almost thunderous to be only a small group of people. Slowly the forest grew sparser, the trees became spaced out and through the darkness she could see a small hill. Warily, she approached it and upon reaching close to the top, she lowered herself close to the ground. Crouching, she made her way right to the top and soon she was lying on her belly, her eyes wide.

            An army was crossing the wide expanse of the snow covered plains and although quite a safe distance away, they were loud and getting much louder. There must have been close to two thousand men coming towards her, they were travelling from the North and if she didn’t get out of the way, they would be on top of her in just a few hours’ time. She watched for a little while, trying to see if they were truly men, as they were far too loud to be anything else. She went back to pack up her things after staring at them for a long while. Snow seemed agitated and she did her best to reassure him that everything was okay. She thought it would be best if she travelled North in the forest alongside the moving army and then cross behind them to the East so as to avoid any contact with the strangers. She knew that she may be close to them at some point and hoped that she could perhaps see where they may be from.

            Shouldering her pack, she started out into the darkness of the forest and did her best to find her way. Snow had moved out in front of her after a while and seemed to be leading her through the trees under the bit of moonlight that filtered down. The noise that came from the army was terrible and after being in quiet for so long, it started to wear on her. She rubbed her head a little and nearly tripped over Snow when he stopped suddenly. Frowning, she went to speak to him but quickly thought better of it when she saw his ears pricking. Then she heard it; voices. She froze, unsure of what to do. She wanted to run but quickly dismissed the idea. She needed to hide and she needed to hide Snow as well. She patted his bum and motioned for him to follow her.

They went a little deeper into the woods, looking for a dense patch of trees or shrubbery to hide amongst and while she looked, the voices grew louder, it sounded like a small scouting party. She shivered and finally they came upon some shrubbery that looked big enough to hide them both. She motioned for Snow to stay close and pulling back the shrubbery a little, she told him to lie down beneath it. He scooted past her and lay down and soon she was in next to him. She placed her pack in front of them and pulled whatever she could of the branches and other shrubbery over top of them and her belongings.  Opening her bag, she tried to find her digging tool but started to panic. The voices were so close and she abandoned the search and wrapped her arms tightly around Snow, telling him to be very quiet in the softest whisper she could manage. He leaned against her and she rubbed his neck a little to reassure him.

The voices continued and it seemed as if they were just talking casually amongst one another. There were a total of nine men and they were definitely looking around and surveying the area, but not really concentrating at their task. Layora was so thankful of their laxness and relaxed as they slowly started passing her by. They were about twenty feet from where she hid and Snow was stiff, but showed no signs of running after them. She kissed his snout and rubbed his back, trying very hard not to make any noise. With the way the men were shuffling about, she was pretty certain that they would not be heard.

They passed her by and shutting her eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief. Snow looked up and licked her cheek. The small group was well out of earshot now and after a while of listening, she knew that they were the only scouting party coming for the time being. Pushing herself up from the ground, she pulled away some of the brush that hid them and picked up her pack. Snow rubbed his forehead against her leg and she patted the top of his head gently. It was growing darker and she realized that staying here may be the best thing for them. It wasn’t likely that they would encounter any more of the travelers and she knew she could hide them even better with a little bit of searching. She decided to head away from the path she had been taking, moving farther West through the forest. When she was comfortable with the distance she had put between them and the army, she went to work pulling branches, fallen trees and logs into a small tent structure. She knew she couldn’t set up her own tent as it might easily be spotted, but she felt comfortable enough hiding out under the shelter the forest thus provided her.

~

That night, Layora and Snow slept beneath their makeshift shelter, huddled together for warmth. She knew that making any kind of fire would be a bad idea and decided that they could do without, so long as they bundled up in her blankets. The army continued to move and although the drumming continued, Layora managed to sleep through the night. She was exhausted after having nearly run into the group of men and it had gotten very late by the time she felt well enough hidden away to sleep. Snow had had trouble falling asleep and even when he had finally managed to, his ears twitched throughout the night with the sounds of the moving army. They did not cease their marching and continued on through the night. It wasn’t until morning that Layora awoke to the sound of horns. She jumped from her hiding place in fright and even Snow had sprung into action and was growling terribly in the direction of the sounds. The army had passed them by still at a great distance, but their horns had not been heard before. Now they refused to cease. After a few minutes, Layora had collected herself enough to pick up her things and they started towards the tree line. She wished to see how far the army had passed them and whether it would be safe enough to cross behind them to the East.

As she approached the edge of the forest she grew nervous, although the army had moved on, there was still a chance that there may be stragglers or another group following. She told Snow to sit still with her pack and proceeded to climb up a nearby tree. Snow watched her curiously, as he had never seen her climb before. He made little noises and paced around in the spot she had left him and when she looked back, she smiled at him, “It’s okay, Snow. I’m alright, just rest.” He sat back down and pawed at the ground for a moment before he finally lay down. Layora continued through the trees, swiftly moving from bough to bough. She had her bow and quiver with her and was careful not to lose either of them as she made her way closer to the edge of the forest. She heard no noises and as she came to the very edge, she gazed out across the large expanse of the open snow covered fields. There were thousands of tracks through the snow and they left much in their wake. Pieces of wood, garments and other items littered the ground.

            She shook her head gently and scanned the area as far as she could see, no one remained and she sighed with relief. Slipping down from the branch she had stood upon proved an easy feat and soon she was walking back towards Snow. She came upon him while he was rolling in the snow and laughing she approached him. The moment he had heard her laugh, he sprang to his feet and quickly sat down where she had told him to earlier. Layora smiled and shook her head, “You are such a sweetheart.” His ears pricked and he tilted his head, listening to her voice. She placed her hand upon the wolf’s head and gently scratched behind his ears. Looking out towards the tree line, she knew that they would have to continue on their way. She wondered at who the army served, as she had never seen banners like theirs. Their banner symbol was a red bird with a half-moon shape to the right. She had drawn it out in her sketchbook so as to not forget it and thought that it was such an interesting symbol for a ruler to use and she wondered at what they might be like.

            She had been very frightened of them, but she did not know if it was because they were men or because they were so many. She was afraid of humans and of having to make contact with them at all, but sooner or later she would have to face some kind of civilization. Sighing inwardly she shook her head and shouldered her pack, “Come on, Snow. It’s time to go.” They walked quietly together until they reached the edge of the forest and after taking a few minutes to make sure they were still clear, they started to run. Layora had not wanted to take any chances and decided that running to the other side of the valley would be their best option. So they ran together, Layora’s cheeks burning from the cold and Snow’s heavy breathing at her side. It was a wide valley and after almost ten minutes of running, they finally reached the other side where a very steep hill thus greeted them. It was much steeper than she thought and although she started at a quickened pace, she was forced to slow and pull herself from rock to rock at certain points. After a while of this they had finally reached the top of the embankment and sat down in a huff.

            Snow sat beside her and started licking her face as she had lain back on the snow covered ground. She laughed a little and pulled her water from her pack, taking several sips from the bag. She pulled out a bowl and emptied some of the water into it for Snow and he readily drank from it. She rubbed his back for a few minutes and looked out into the valley below, her gaze turning South. She did not see the army; she only heard the faint rumbling of their far off drums. Deeply thankful for this, she got up and put away the bowl and water flask. Scratching Snow on his back, she then started on her way, he walking close beside her.