Rick
#3 of A Day in the Life of....
Rick
The smell of smoke and heat of a fire assaults my senses making it hard to know what is going on. I sit huddled under the table my younger brother pressed close to my side shaking with fear. Jasper has a tight grip on my arm that gets tighter when the sound of fighting gets closer. a body of a grey wolf falls on the floor in front of us causing us both to jump. I pull Jasper back from the edge of the table as a crimson puddle begins to spread out from the body.
We both sit there in horror as death and destruction continues to tear our home down around our ears. just as I am about to give up hope of ever getting out alive a pair of familiar arms reach under the table and pulls my brother and I out. our dad speaks to us in a hurried voice, "Come on Rick, Jasper! We need to find your mom and get you out of here!"
Dads normally clean and order red and brown fur is ruffled and splattered in what I can only guess is blood. His right ear has been cut and is bleeding down the side of his head. Before I can ask what is going on he grabs each of us by the arm and pulls us from the room with haste.
He pushes us down the hall almost bent over double trying to keep out of the thickening smoke. There is a yell from the end of the hall. Turning I see our mom waving at us. Her normally snow white fur is grey from the soot and smoke as well as speckled with traces of red. She races to us and falls to her knees as she wraps her arms around me and Jasper.
Breathlessly she cries out, "Thank god you found them! I'll get them to the tunnel. The Alpha needs your help he was out numbered badly."
My dad nods and bends down to kiss me and my brother on the head before saying, "Go with your mother and do what you are told."
With that he races off to go help our Alpha. Mom stands up and pulls us down the hall towards the stairs. I try to look back for my dad but the smoke blocks my vision.
Following quickly on moms heels she leads us down stairs to the basement. Along the way we pass more bodies. Some I recognize from our pack other are strangers. when we reach the basement mom ushers us in before going to the far wall and opening a secret door I never knew about.
She pulls Jasper and me into a hug whispering in our ears, "I want you both to follow this tunnel to the end and wait there. I'm going to go help your father. Take care of each other. I love you both so very much."
With that she let us go and was heading for the door when it burst open. Silhouetted in the door was a large wolf with a blood stained sword. He let out a growl and attacked our mother. she never even got a chance to raise her harms before he shoved his blade into her chest. As she fell on her back I saw the red quickly spreading across her front as she tried to grab at the wolf now bearing down on my brother and me.
Just as he was raising his sword to attack us a black blade seemed to grow out of his chest in slow motion. With a look of disbelief on his face the wolf looked down at the sword dripping with his blood. Slowly he dropped his own weapon and fell sideways sliding off the blade that just killed him.
Looking up where the wolf was just standing I see a very tall solid black wolf looking down at us with a stony expression. With a swish of his long travelling cloak he bends down low over my mother and hurriedly says something to her that makes her smile briefly. she then points a trembling had at the two of us and whispers back to him before her hand falls with a thud on the floor.
Before I can run to her the black wolf turns to us and half pushes half carries my brother and I in to the tunnel...
.........................................
I wake with a start. It is a few moments before I realize where I am. Jasper stirs in the bed beside me before opening his eyes and looking at me as he asks sleepily, "Dream about it again?"
I just nod in the semi darkness, "do you think he heard?" Without waiting for a reply from my brother I look towards the curtain that separates our small room from the rest of the small cabin. Against the curtain is the shadow of a tall wolf sitting at a desk writing. The fire on his other side providing light and warmth to the room. For a moment I watch his outline flicker with the flames. His tail slowly sways back and forth behind him as the scratching of his pen echoes softly. Otherwise he shows no sign of being aware we are awake.
Jasper sits up a bit and watches the curtain with me before speaking softly, "it's hard to tell with Seeker. He never lets on what it is he knows. Hard to believe it's only been a month since...."
His voice trails off into silence but I know what he means. It feels like it has been ages since our whole family was killed and we were left alone. But at least the wolf who saved us knew about Seeker and was able to tell us how to get here. Otherwise I know Jasper and I would be dead now.
I lay back down on my pillow laying on my side watching the curtain. Slowly a tear slides from my eye to land on the pillow. For some time I just lay there staring at the curtain. Eventually light from the rising sun begins to filter in through the windows. At this seeker stops writing and begins to start cooking breakfast. When the smell of bacon fills the house he calls out, "Rick! Jasper! Time to get up, breakfast is almost ready."
Stretching the two for us get up and pull the curtain aside. Together we sit down at the table across from Seeker who is serving us plates of food. We eat in silence before he speaks up, "Well I have come to a decision."
Jasper and I glance at each other nervously. A trickle of fear runs down my spine. I'm sure that we are about to be sent away. Seeker takes a bite of bacon before continuing, "If we are going to be a pack now, it is time you two had your own rooms. So I am going to call in a couple of favors that some of the villager owe me and we will start construction of our new home today."
The fear from a moment before turns into joy in an instant. With that one statement Seeker helped us go from being the last two homeless pups of a dead pack, to being the first two members of a new pack with a new home. I don't hesitate for a moment as I get up and race around the table to hug Seeker with tears in my eyes.
I look up into his bright amber eyes to say thank you but can't seem to get the words out. He knows what I want to say though as he smiles kindly and says, "You're welcome Rick."
At that moment we are hit from the side as Jasper joins the hug as well.
"And you to Jasper." says Seeker.
For the first time since our parent died I have hope for the future and the two of us once again have a place to call home....