singing but I kept doing it. It felt good to do it, but it still was too wrong. I finally stopped when Jack stroked my back. Then I closed my eyes and fell to sleep.

***

I woke up with Jack the next morning around six o’clock (Judging by the sun). By our den, there was a frozen creek that glittered in reflection of the upcoming sun . It was really beautiful, but we had to keep moving. We didn’t know if there were police after us, but just in case you can say we were on the run.

It was starting to get warmer, but it was still not warm enough for Jack. His nose started turning red. He didn’t look to well, but he still wore his smile.

We were running out of choices for food. The lake was frozen, and the little animals were hibernating. I tried to improvise by getting roots, or berries, but that was no food for a dog…….wolf, whatever, you know what I mean. I just starved for Jack’s sake. I had to worry about him, but it was so hard to do anything while you are so hungry. 

 I had an idea, when Jack was asleep I would go into the town and snatch a few things. It was risky, but I had to also worry about my health. At mid- night or so, I left Jack and started toward Nome.

The city was empty at night, and a-lot more frightening. It looked as if there were a hundred eyes staring at you and some where there is someone waiting to pounce, getting closer………….and closer.

Then, I don’t know what happened really, but as I drew nearer to the steak house, something hit me in the head and I found myself being growled at by a dark figure. It was small and skinny, probably the same size as me, and same age, and same colors.

“Who are you,” she growled. The voice was really familiar, “We don’t allow wolves in this town.” Then she got in my face and I saw her eyes, her dark brown eyes.

“Olive?” I asked. She stared at me for a moment then got off me and backed away.

“Who are you?” she asked. She obviously didn’t recognize me.

“It’s me, Riley.”

“Riley?!” She then looked at me then pounced on me again and nuzzled my face. We then pounced around each other as if we were puppies again. We hadn’t seen each other since we were adopted.

Then Olive stopped laughing and stood still, and backed away.

“Riley,” she paused, she started crying at the moment, “ you….you have to get away from here.”

I just stared at her and replied, “What are you talking?”

“You have a warrant here, for an attempted murder, of a bull dog, and for killing a little boy and attacking an over grown man. All of us as police dogs are to find and kill you. Is it true?” she asked

“Of course it’s not,” I was outraged, my own sister thinks I’ some kind of criminal! What kind of a world this is now a days. “1. The bull dog attacked me and tried to….well let’s just say it was a male. 2. That over grown man tried to hurt my kid and tried to set that bull dog on me. 3. I didn’t kill my kid, we ran away together!”

She just looked at me and hesitated she started crying more, “Please go, I don’t want to choose between you and my job.”

I stared at her and hesitated. Was she serious? After all I’ve been through, I thought I could have my own sister be on my side.

“Just go, No one loves you here! Mom and Dad said you were no longer their daughter, and expect me to bring you to justice, now go” and kicked snow at me, and I ran off. That was the last time I saw my sister.

***

I ran away from Nome, with only a few scraps of meat I snatched on the way back. Was what she said true? Did mom and Dad really stopped loving me? I started crying at the thought of no longer having a family. I wonder if Shasta still loved me or not, she didn’t say anything about him. But if my parents did love he as well wouldn’t.

I forgot about Jack! I ran as hard as I could, hoping that he wasn’t freezing to death. I got there in about a minute and found him still sleeping, but shivering. I lied next to him and whispered, “You are my only family.” The n nuzzled his face. Of course to him it sounded like a bunch of wimpy whimpering but it was true.

***

            We left the landscapes of the territory of Nome and was headed into the mountains. I didn’t know what to think really, it was where my home was, where I was born, but then again no one loved me there anymore, so now I am leaving any sight of my dear older sister. I never realized how much hate I had of her now.

            Who cares, if she wants to hunt her own sister let her, but she’ll have to catch me.

            We were at the top of Bear Mountain. It was really pretty how the landscape could look so much like an animal. I heard that there were wild moose’s up here, but I wasn’t scared one bit, more meat just meant…more dinner. I started to lose my mind at that point of how hungry I was. Jack set up a shelter and started eating roots. He got really skinny, and it worried me. He needed food quick, or else he was going to die. I wondered how I looked and how skinny I was, but that didn’t matter to me anymore.

            Jack patted me on the head and said softly, “Who’s a good girl.” I didn’t believe it. I was a refuge, a monster, Nome’s most wanted. I had almost killed a dog, and a person! My own family turned their back on me. There was no way I was near a ‘good girl’

           He sat down by the shelter and started picking grass. It was pretty on the mountain with all of fire flies and the whispering wind, but it was also a death trap. There was a snarl and a crash, and before I knew it, there was an angry moose getting ready to strike!

          Jack ran and hid and yelled at me to come with him, but I was doing something crazy. I stood my ground and growled.

“Well aren’t you going to listen to your little human friend?” his voice had a very annoying tone to it.

I then smirked and just stood where I was. Then snarled and charged. I then leaped over his head and landed on his back. The stupid thing looked around to see where I was and then I bit down into his neck. Then there was whining and groaning, then the moose lied dead at my feat. I saw Jack come out of the bush with a glazed look in his eye. I lowered my ears.

“Riley?” he paused, “that was amazing!”

                 My ears perked up. He was impressed with my kill, then he patted me on the head. He got into his pocket and pulled matches. Matches?! This hole time I was worried about keeping him warm, and he had matches. I stared at him.

“What, I kept them for an emergency.” He said as if he knew what I was thinking.

               “and you almost freezing to death wasn’t an emergency?” I thought. I then nuzzled his face.

                He made a fire out of twigs and pine needles and started smoking his share of the meat. He gave me my share raw, as we dogs like it. It was the best thing I had ever tasted.

***

                  Jack stored some meat in his jacket and attached it to a twig. We left Bear Mountain around noon. We fallowed a trail that led to something very peculiar. It was a crashed metal monster with wings. Jack stared in amazement, “It’s an airplane.”

                 Whatever this ‘airplane’ was, it didn’t look like something I could trust. Jack ran to it and looked in a hole. I didn’t know what he would find in there, but I certainly couldn’t stop him. He pulled out a canteen and a map. He opened the canteen and took a sip out of it which made me get scared. He didn’t know what was in there, but that’s the way boys were, not stopping and thinking. And why did we need a map. We were refuges. It didn’t matter where we were as long as we weren’t recognized, and if we get lost, we ask directions. He looked at me then smiled, “It’s a bush plane, I wonder where it came from?”

                I personally didn’t give a care about it. How does it help us? I hope he didn’t get any ideas about anything. I tugged on his shirt and nodded my head away from there. He hesitated and agreed to leave.

“That was really exciting, wasn’t it girl?” he said

Nope.

“I’ve all ways wanted to be a pilot, but ever since…” he paused, he didn’t need to say that made me know what he was thinking, “well that does it matter, I have you and that’s what matters.”

                 I didn’t know if I should be happy or sad. He said that he would rather be with me, but it’s making me keep him from