Prologue
I am here today to tell you about the wolves. They loved and protected me and even gave me their lives when I was in trouble. Here is my story.




Dedicated to my families
I
barely remember where I lived before my life blew up. There was a small cottage on a snow covered mountain in New Hampshire. This was where my aunt and uncle lived. Then there was the musty, old barn. I was born in the barn because that was where my mother and father lived. Aunt Sharpie (her real name is Shariposia but I call her Sharpie to annoy her) and Uncle John were rich people that took a 2 year vacation to the mountains. Mom and Dad were their slaves or servants as they liked to tell me.
Today was a snowstorm day. Dad went to chop firewood in the forest while Mom did all the cleaning, cooking, washing and other house-cleaning stuff. I decided to help Dad. He let me ride in the wheelbarrow all the way to the cutting area. After a few hours of playing chase with the squirrels, the peacefulness of the woods was disrupted by a gunshot. That could only mean one thing; The Hunters! The hunters were a big, vicious looking group of about a score of bandits and merchant-fighters. They roamed the mountains in search of deer, elk, bear, moose, and people they could take with them to be pets. They had scary-looking Pit Bulls that they took with them to hunt. Whenever they came, we would get Mom and run for the barn to hide in the rafters and the attic. During a time like this, we hid in the Tree House – a small one room house built into an oak tree with a rope ladder. Dad hid me in the tree house and went to get Mom.

According to the old clock that my aunt and uncle gave us, it was 2:00 – one and a half hours ago Dad left me. I first tried to get away from the chilling cold that came through the window. Then I slept for a little. I woke up to hear Mom moaning. Dad went up to get me and gave me to Mom. Then he ran off. Mom and I talked together. Aunt Sharpie was dead. That didn’t mean much to me because I never really knew her. The next part hit me real hard. Big Ben, the leader of the Hunters was the one who shot her. Uncle John was taken captive while the cottage burned down. The barn remained untouched. While Mom and Dad were escaping, a burning roof piece fell on Mom. That is how she got her limp. She told me not to worry, and that everything would be okay. “Brighteye will keep you safe.” She murmured. Then, for good luck, she gave me her most treasured belonging, the locket with an engraved flower. All of a sudden, she felt cold, and then slipped lifeless from my hands. I couldn’t believe it. Mom was gone.

I cried that day, more than I ever had. Later, Dad came back with a large basket. He carried me and the basket for a while until we came to a clearing. Then he took out and blew strange looking whistle with a wolf engraved into it. Suddenly a she-wolf came out of the bush. I was scared, but amazed how tame it acted. He gave it the basket and placed me into it. As a parting gift, he gave me the whistle and “I’ll see you again someday”. I had a feeling that we never would though, as I watched him disappear into the woods. The wolf turned to me, with its jet black eyes searching through my mind. A shudder went through me. As if of magic, a flower popped out of the earth. The wolf looked at it with confusion and maybe even worry. Abruptly after that, I felt really tired. I heard a muffled voice but couldn’t understand it. I got a fuzzy glance at the trees moving and then I blacked out.


That was 10 years ago. I still remember the flower suddenly appearing, and the wolf – Brighteye – that brought me to this wonderful place. So hear my story, so you can understand what it means to be a hero.
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Chapter 1
The Message
I
t was a beautiful morning in the woods. I was on my way to Swiftpaw for my morning medicine when Brighteye asked me to take a walk with her. I gladly agreed, for I would do anything to get away from the foul-smelling plants I had to eat. Brighteye was also one of my best friends. She made a hut for me to live in, even though she was desperately in love with a wolf named Shadow who lived on the other side of our mountain. Our family consisted of Brighteye, her mother and father, her three brothers, and the nurse Swiftpaw. It was lightly snowing today, so I wore my leather coat that I had to sow together myself. The waterfall was frozen from the cold, so I couldn’t fish out of the pond. My only food source then would be from what I caught in my snares.
“I need to hunt, so I will see you later.” I said.
“Don’t forget your medicine and chores. Yoki would be mad if he had to do them all. Thunder and Spritzy left to go hunting already.”
“Okay. Thanks. See you.”

I listened to the hum of the insects in the hollow. The bees were busy at work. There honey was a treasure and a treat in our family. I was lucky to find them on this bone-chilling day. For getting honey out, I practiced in the summer. I always seemed to get stung whenever I tried to reach in to grab some. Today was a little better. I managed to pull my hand out of the tree and move three feet down before the bees came out. I got stung at least seven times before I reached the ground and dashed to the safety of the pine trees. I kept running until I came to my hunting area. Then I stooped down to check my wounds. I had a sting behind my ear, four on my arms, one on my neck and two on my right leg. They hurt, but the pain was quickly easing away. I decided to check my traps. They were made of wire that I had found in the woods. I caught two rabbits, four squirrels, and…. a deer! Deer were so scarce, so we almost never got any. Brighteye would be pleased. I hurried back to the shed to collect my game bag. I was in such a rush that I didn’t notice the jagged rock until it was too late. I tripped and fell on the ground, tearing a hole in my shoe as I went. As I hit the ground, my necklace broke. It was kept on a silver chain, broken from the fall. The clip unhooked and the locket fell, spread open on the grass. I had never been able to open the locket, for it was stuck tight by a clip that was glued to the sides. I picked it up with great care and made sure I had recovered before I looked inside. I found a picture of a woman, a man, and a little child. On the other side was a circle keyhole with these small words around it:
I come and go every year.
The wind blows me along
The sun fills me up with energy
Golden am I and as is the light
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Chapter 2
Top Secret
I
went back to Swiftpaw with my game. She was astounded when she saw the deer.
“Eat your herbs quickly, and then take that to Saskue. He will be pleased.”
I wasn’t so sure. It was hard to please Brighteye’s father. Still, I walked over to Saskue. He was in the middle of a conversation with Yoki.
“It’s not fair! I need help doing all the chores, especially the roof!”
“You’ll do as you’re told! Get back to work and don’t let me see you lolly-gagging again!” I walked over to him, pulling my prize behind.
“Look Saskue! Look what I caught!”
“Wow. Great catch. Go put it in our stock will you?” I sighed. It would be impossible to please Saskue. Oh well. Time to do the chores.
“Hey Yoki! I’m back”
“Great! You can help me with the beds and the roof. Go fetch sticks from the stick pile so I can lay this moss on top.”
Yet another fetching job. Yoki always made me fetch stuff so he would be the one to build it. As I went over to the stick pile, I had a thought. I needed to tell someone about the necklace. Who was there to tell? Certainly not Saskue, or Brighteye’s mother Karu. Thunder would automatically alert his parents while Spritzy would ignore me. Swiftpaw wouldn’t be able to help me because she is too busy. That leaves Brighteye and Yoki. Who should I ask? If I ask, will they accept it?

I decided to ask Brighteye first. When I entered her cave, I found that she was not there.
“Hey Karu. Have you seen Brighteye?”
“No I haven’t dear, and call me mother for god sake.”
Well that changes things. Yoki was too busy working and he would get mad at me for interrupting. Oh what do I do?

Brighteye returned shortly after dinner. I tried to ask her where she had been but she brushed past me as if trying to avoid me. As curios as I am, I did not follow her. I guess Brighteye wanted to be left alone. The next day I went straight to her den. Again she was absent. Later she came back at midnight looking as tired as ever.
“Where were you? What have you been doing?”
“Nothing! Leave me alone!”
She was so frustrated and upset. Did she have a secret like me? If so, would she accept mine?