“OH! DAD! THAT ONE! I WANT THAT ONE,” cried Andy, pointing at a black and white Border collie puppy. Andy was an eight year old boy that always loved dogs. But today, his dad was letting him get one. He grabbed the puppy, his father paid for it and they went home. “I’m going to call you Searchlight,” announced Andy.

“Oh, boy!” yipped Searchlight. “I finally get a home!” When they were in the house, Andy gave Searchlight food and water. Searchlight happily gobbled it up. Then she decided to explore. She bounced through the house, sniffing.  “What is this?” she wondered, looking at a couch. She sniffed it. “Hmmmm,” she thought. The she chewed it. She thought it was fun to chew, so she chewed and chewed and chewed. Then Dad came in.

 “HEY! BAD DOG!” he roared at her “BAD DOG!” with that, he slapped her hard on the back. She yipped and sped out of the room. Then she was in a room with another couch, a table and slippers. She wasted no time exploring. She looked at the couch, confused.

 “I really want to chew it,” she whimpered. “Well, maybe just one chew.” She chewed the couch but couldn’t stop herself. Then Andy came in the room and laughed. Searchlight smiled. “Maybe chewing this couch makes people happy,” She thought and chewed as much as she could. Then the couch was all chewed up with stuffing coming out of everywhere and Andy continued laughing. “Maybe chewing the table will make him happy too,” she thought and chewed on the legs of the table, “Maybe not, that kind of hurts.” She looked around and saw the slippers. “Those look good!” She chewed them until the where all ripped up and Andy was in hysterics. The dad walked in and screamed at her. Then he punched her several times and she bolted out of the room.

For a week, everything was the same. Searchlight chewed and it made Andy happy, but not Dad. One day, Dad put Searchlight in a box and drove into a forest. Then, he threw the box out the window of the car and drove away.

The next day, Searchlight chewed her way out of the box and looked around “where am I?” she asked herself.

“It won’t matter,” snarled a voice behind her, “because in a moment, you will be in my stomach!” Then, a large white wolf leaped on the little Border collie, but Searchlight slipped out of his grasp and sprinted off. The white wolf pounded after her. Soon, Searchlight got tired and slowed down, unable to keep up the pace. The wolf snapped at her, catching her leg violently and pinned her down. Searchlight turned around, slashing his face. He snarled angrily and stood over her, saliva dripping from his jaws. Then, a black and white wolf leaped out of the undergrowth, bowling the white wolf over and pinning him down.

“What do you think your doing, Lanso?” snapped the black and white wolf.

“Hunting,” answered the white wolf.

“Not in my territory, your not,” she snarled and gave his shoulder a sharp bite. He yapped and took off.

“I’ll show that stupid Niana to mess with my meals! I’m going to catch that pup even if it’s the last thing I do” He growled to himself and stalked Niana and Searchlight wile they walked.

“So, puppy,” Niana growled softly, “What brings you out here?”

Searchlight paused, and then whined “I don’t know, I just got put into a box and ended up here.” She looked up at Niana who was looking down at her, her eyes full of sympathy.

“I’m sorry,” Niana whined gently, “but you’re welcome to stay with me.”

“Ok,” whimpered Searchlight, “but only until my owner comes back to get me.” Niana looks to the ground, knowing that they would never come back.

Searchlight woke up to the gentle rays of the sun dappling her face. She leaped up, not knowing where she was then figured out that she was in a den. Niana poked her head in and smiled.

“Morning,” she barked cheerfully, “There’s a rabbit right outside the den with your name on it!” She ducked out of the den and sat down in front of another rabbit that she had caught for herself. Searchlight got up and yawned dramatically, then bounces outside, ready to face the day ahead of her. She lay down next to Niana and began munching on her Rabbit. Niana looked up from her meal and watched the puppy. “I don’t think I caught your name, pup,” she rumbled optimistically.

“Searchlight… It’s Searchlight,” she yipped. “So, where’s your pack? Or are you a lone wolf on the prowl,” she snarled the last words playfully.

Niana smiled faintly, then looked to the ground, “Well, I wasn’t always a lone wolf… never mind” she turned away.

“No, tell me what happened,” her smile faded as she looked at Niana with wide probing eyes

Niana hesitated then sighed “Well, maybe I would benefit if I shared my story…. Well, here we go. I was born in a pack of six strong wolves. My father was a huge white wolf, bigger then Lanso and my mother a beautiful silver wolf. The rest of the pack was my older siblings and aunts and uncles. But one day, a rival pack of about eleven wolves had a horrible plot to take my parents territory. I had wandered off and heard the plot and went to warn my parents… but, “she paused and dropped her head shamefully,” I wasn’t fast enough….. I got there just in time to watch the horrific endings of a bloody battle. My father and mother and one of my older brothers lay dead on the ground and the rest of my pack retreated to the north with the enemy pack chasing them. I tried to outrun the enemy pack so I could tell my pack to change direction, but I couldn’t catch up and the three remaining wolves ran right into a human town, where they were slaughtered but man’s gun. I ran east and found this unclaimed territory and decided to claim it and live my life as a lone wolf. I ran into Lanso, but I hated him from the moment I saw him, so I didn’t even try. But he claimed the territory next to me and now he’s a nuisance. Every once in a wile, he fights me and takes over part of my territory every fight…. He’s stronger then me, so he can win against me.” She finished her story with an aggravated growl and gobbled up the rest of the rabbit, “Well, that’s my story and looks like you might be here a wile, so I’ll offer to raise you and train you in the ways of the wolf…If you want.”

“I would love to! And we are going to get back all that territory you lost, together.” she howled happily

“Alright then, let’s get on with training,”

They trained Searchlight for a year and she had grown considerably into a beautiful adult Border collie, as wild and free as any other wolf. She had even learned to howl as mysteriously as freedom itself, the trademark of the wild.

“I’m going to hunt, Niana1” howled Searchlight one day

“Ok, Searchlight,” Niana howled back

With that, Searchlight loped off. She ran stealthily, her black and white fur ruffling blissfully in the mild breeze. She ran so smoothly and elegantly, she seemed to be gliding gracefully just off the surface of the earth. She was stopped abruptly when she sensed an intruder…no a wolf… no, Lanso! She curled back her lips to her narrow muzzle to revel her small razor teeth. She charged towards the sent and soon came face to face with Lanso. She snarled in his face and he immediately pounced without so much as a growl. “I’m going to finish what I started!” He snarled in her ear and sank his teeth into her back. He let go and leaped again, clamping his teeth around her throat. She yelped and helplessly flailed around, trying to break free. Blood spattered Lanso’s muzzle as he squeezed harder and harder. Then, a flash of black and white darted out of the undergrowth and slammed into Lanso.

“Back off” She snarled.

Lanso snarled I beat you before, I can beat you again!”

“You hurt Searchlight! For that you will pay!” She leaped on him, sinking her teeth into his shoulder, “Now, give me my territory back!” She spat with rage at him and drove her teeth deep into his exposed throat. Then, she let him go and he went squealing into the bushes and deep back into his own territory. She snorted after him. Then she claimed her territory, followed by Searchlight, who helped. Her bites weren’t bad and she recovered quickly. That night, the two stood on a high cliff and howled along with the Northern lights as they danced beautifully above them and howled to claim a new territory and a new, better life.