At the bottom of the mountain, Sitka lay motionless in the melting snow. Shakira was nowhere near him. Two wolf pups played around him until one of them stood on his nose and he stood up. The pups crawled away in fear as he shook his head and looked around him.

‘ Shakira!’ He shouted. He was alone and he needed to get home. He walked south and saw the edge of the forest that was only a few miles away from home, but Sitka didn’t know how big the forest was…

He ran as fast as he could until he tripped over something half hidden in the slippery snow. Sitka investigated on what had caused him to stop him from returning. He swept the snow away and found Shakira, paralysed in shock and fear. There were many wounds on her and she was barely breathing. Frost had covered her thick fur and she was shivering. Sitka felt tears come from his eyes, as he had never seen anyone in such condition.

‘ Sitka…help me…’ Shakira whimpered. Sitka sat beside her, sharing his warmth.

‘ I’m not gonna let you go. I’m not losing you now.’ Sitka whispered as more tears came to his eyes. He hadn’t cried for years and it felt strange. He laid his head on Shakira’s neck as the wind blew hard.

Hours later, Sitka and Shakira were underneath a thin sheet of snow. Sitka stood up and stretched his long legs. His girlfriend had only warmed up a little bit and it seemed that she would never make it. He lifted his head and howled loud with sorrow and grief until he heard a voice and saw a dim light. He started barking and the light became brighter until Sitka saw the figure of a human. The human came closer and saw Sitka who stuck out like a sore thumb.