Part three

Flint was soon too large to sleep in the house and Tyren stayed awake, listening to the wolf whimper and howl continuously at the front door. She finally swung her legs out of bed until they touched the icy floor, where she stopped herself from yelping. A coat was yanked off of the hook beside the door and Ty braved the night's coldness to sit by Flint's side. The wolf's amber eyes shined brilliantly against the moonlight. She stroked his head as he lied down beside her, placing his head on her lap. She ran her fingers through his thick, winter coat which had turned an ebony black. The wolf was now a full two years old and had long since tasted meat. He was even beginning to hunt for himself. Although he had been raised in captivity the majority of his life, Ty heard a note in his howl. One that spoke of a longing for real freedom and of being that untame wildness that defines a wolf. She stared down at the wolf who gazed back up at her.

"I don't want to lose you, Flint" she paused for a moment "but if you wish to truly be free, you may go" he stared at her and looked ahead as if considering her words. Instead he whined deep in his throat and placed his head back on her lap. She smiled and ruffled the fur on his head, getting up and walking towards the front door. His paws clicked on the porch as she heard him following her in hope that Ty would allow him to follow her in. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't allow it. the wolf needed to learn to face the harsh winter nights as any other wolf would. She crawled back in bed and listened for a moment as she heard him pace a few times at the door and sniff deeply under the crack, but he didn't whine again. It seemed she had satified him enough for the wolf to lay down on his blanket that was set out for him on the porch. The next morning as Tyren awoke, she sighed in relief, remembering it was a Saturday. Flint greeted her with a furiously, wagging tail.

"Alright, We'll see who gets thelast biscuit this morning" They both raced wildly to two pine trees that were a few feet and even from eachother. Flint easily outran her but not by much. They wrestled around in the snow for awhile. Thankfully her father was already at the store, for the was soaked when she trudged back through the cabin.  She turned on the stove and slide a pan of biscuits inside, letting them cook while she showered. When she was done, she ate two biscutis and gaze the Flint the rest.

"Spoiled" she exclaimed, looking down at him. He wagged his tail and play bowed, trying to get her to play. He grabbed her wrist in his jaws and mouthed it. At anytime he could snap her wrist in half, but the wolf was far from being savage. Too many days and nights had they spent together to even think he would harm her, still he was a wolf. Very much capable of turning to her as an easy meal. She shivered and hugged his neck.

"You wouldn't do that would you?" the wolf simply wagged his tail and stared up at her. Ty smiled but it faded quickly.

"You can't stay her Flint" she began "sooner or later, someone will spot you, I have to start looking for a pack that will except you"

He merely whimpered and licked her face.

"Good boy" she patted his head and went inside to grab her coat. Scowling, as it was still wet. She soon found a dry one and slipped in on, walking back outside. Soon, they were deep inside the forest. Tyren had never been this far and neither had Flint, making them both feel uneasy, especially Flint. They walked for awile and Ty hoped it wouldn't snow again to cover her tracks. The sky was fairly clear and promising as they made it to a denser part of the forest. A howl shook the trees and almost made her jump out of her socks. Then another broke lose, making even Flint shutter.

"They're warning eachother of our presence" she said nervously. He tilted an ear towards her while still looking to the east where the howls came from.. As soon as their voices were heard, over ten wolves emerged from the trees. Some still pups from last spring. They gazed at Flint and only when Ty stepped back a few feet, did they come to greet the wolf. A huge black wolf, with a muzzle glazed with white, came up to him first and they touched noses, wagging their tails stiffly in the air. Suddenly, it tured into furious wagging and as soon as that was done the whole pack came up to him. This surprised Tyren, for usually in the beginning they showed a good amount of aggression so the wolf would know where he stood in the pack. All of them greeted him as if he'd lived with the pack all his life and merely gone on a long hunt. She was puzzled at this but strugged it off. yet there was a perfectly good reason for the way the huge, black Alpha treated Flint. He was only greeting, his long, lost son like any father would.

To be continued......