The Beginning
Spilled blood means nothing in the eyes of those who have forgotten what it means to have a heart.
So thought a young wolf as he lied there bleeding in the grass. Death seemed so close, yet so far away. He could feel it overtaking his body little by little. Wounds lined his body like the stripes of a zebra or a tiger. How did I end up like this? Dying in the middle of the woods like some common deer, he thought to himself, his vision getting weaker by the second.
The last thing he remembered before blacking out was a figure running toward him. Death slowly took its hold.
Perhaps it would be better to start from the very beginning.
***
Snow lined the crowded streets of Nome, Alaska. People from all over town gathered in the center of the town. Rope had been lined out, dividing the crowd down the middle, creating a lane running from edge to edge of the town. Two tall posts stood in the middle of the lane, holding up a banner saying “Start” on one side and “Finish” on the other. Different conversations filled the air. A gunshot was heard through the chattering. Two sled teams then took off running, as if one was chasing the other. The crowds cheered loudly as they watched the race from either side.
A small pup pushed his way through the crowded streets, and found himself right on the sideline. He was mostly white with black ears, paws, and a black stripe going down the length of his muzzle. He sat down and watched as the two sled dog teams turned the corner. Cool, he thought to himself as a smile spread across his face.
He didn’t even notice the pup that came up and sat next to him.
“I love watching these races,” she said.
The white pup started and looked at the female pup next to him. “Oh, you scared me.”
“I’m sorry,” she giggled. “I’m Lana.”
“Damian,” he said, turning back around.
“Who’s your friend, Lana?” came another voice, older this time.
Damian turned around once more to see not just one, but a whole family sitting behind him.
“I’m Damian.”
“It’s nice to meet you Damian. I’m Lana’s mother, Aleu,” the grey-ish female said.
“And I’m her father, Nero,” said the all-black dog.
“Where’s your family, Damian?” Aleu asked.
“I don’t know. My mom kinda dropped me off here, and never came back,” Damian replied quietly.
Aleu and Nero looked at him sadly. “That’s awful,” Nero spoke up. “She just left you here, her own pup?”
So annoying, Damian thought. “Yeah.”
They then sat, not saying anything for about five minutes, before Aleu broke the silence. “Why don’t you stay with us?” she asked.
Just the very thought of living with this family mortified Damian. To have to listen to them yakking day after day just sounds like torture. “No thanks. I’m fine,” he replied.
“Nonsense. We won’t take no for an answer,” Nero replied happily. “You’re staying with us.”
Oh no…
***
3 months later:
The sun was shining over Nome. The snow was beginning to melt all around. A gentle breeze blew its way through the town. Dogs and their owners were walking up and down the streets. Puppies were frolicking playfully, while their parents watched and laughed, intervening when the pups got out of line. It was Spring.
A lone dog, well wolf actually, trotted along through the town. He was roughly six months old, and much more broad than most of the dogs in town. Every time he walked by a group of girl dogs, they stopped talking and just watched and swooned.
“Hey, Damian,” a light gold female said.
Damian just grunted and kept walking.
It seemed like all the girls acted this way ever since they became interested in boys. Unfortunately for them, Damian wasn’t interested in a relationship. While is adoptive brothers, Drake, Derek and Killo, had started thinking about girls and relationships, Damian showed no sign of wanting a girlfriend.
“Damian!” a dark-grayish dog called out.
Damian turned to look at his caller. It was Lana, his adoptive sister. He just groaned and continued walking.
“Wait up!” she yelled, running after him. “Wooh! What’s up?” she asked as she caught up to him.
“Being pestered to death by girls almost as annoying as you. You?”
“Very funny, smart guy.”
“I wasn’t joking,” he retorted, as he kept on walking.
She just rolled her eyes. “You can be such a jerk,” she said jokingly.
“I’m only a jerk as long as you’re annoying.”
“Anyways, I came to tell you that you’re late for lunch with grandma and grandpa.”
Damian sighed. “They’re not my grandparents, so why should I have to go to your stupid family reunion?”
“Because, Damian, while they are not you’re real grandparents, they did accept you into the family, just like we did,” she said sternly, flicking her tail angrily. It always made her mad when Damian said things like that.
He groaned loudly and replied, “Fine, I’ll go.”
Lana smiled. “Good. Now come on. Everyone’s waiting.” She then darted off towards the beach.
Damian just sighed and followed after her. How the hell did I get myself into these kinds of situations? he thought to himself. He remembered being a young pup, and just trying to watch a sled race, then he was pulled into a family that got on his nerves like no tomorrow! But, nevertheless, he eventually grew to somewhat like them, and even started considering his step-siblings as actual siblings.
He and Lana continued walking until they reached the beach, and the ship-wrecked boat that their grandpa, Balto, lived on. Balto was a dark gray wolf-dog who had saved the children of Nome from a diphtheria epidemic a few years before.
Lana led the way up the wood plank leading into the boat. Damian followed, still unsure as to why he even considered going to this thing. When they got into the cabin of the ship, the adults of the family were already sitting around, telling stories, while the pups played. Lana immediately joined in the play. Damian took a seat in the corner and just watched.
“What’s wrong, Damian?” Aleu asked.
Damian looked at her out of the corner of his eye, then back at the playing siblings.
“Damian, she asked you a question,” Nero said.
No response.
“DAMIAN!” they yelled at the same time.
“It’s nothing, okay! Just leave me alone,” Damian yelled back.
Aleu sighed and shook her head. “He’s always been like this. I understand that it must be hard to be dumped by your mother, and then picked up by a random family, but he could still show us some respect for saving him from a life on the streets.”
Jenna, Aleu’s mother, looked at her daughter and said, “Aleu, sometimes it’s not that easy. Damian’s having difficulty, because he has a strong personality. He’s not like those scared puppies you hear about in stories that just accept the family right away.”
“Your mother’s right. If you think about it,” Balto said, as he watched Derek get toppled over by Drake. “We’re not exactly the most orthodox family,” he said laughing. “So, I can see why it’s a little hard for him to adjust.”
The pups continued to play, when Lana stopped. “Come on, Damian! Let’s play!”
Damian grunted in response.
“NOW!”
He groaned, and then got up on his feet. Lana could be kind of a hothead sometimes. Just as he stood up, Derek pushed Drake over, and Drake rammed straight into Damian, crushing the wolf between himself and the wall of the cabin. The force of the impact shook the cabin slightly. Damian lost his breath and started coughing uncontrollably. With each cough, little specks of blood splattered on the floor.
“Damian!” Kodi yelled.
All the adults ran over to where Damian was standing. It seemed like the coughing just would not stop. The blood from Damian’s coughs was starting to form a tiny puddle on the floor. Tears flowed down his cheeks.
Finally he was able to stop and catch his breath. He then started sobbing, frightened by the amount of blood he had coughed up. Aleu nuzzled him warmly, tears staining the fur of her cheek.
“Shhh, it’ll be ok,” She assured him.
He continued to cry, unsure of what was going to happen to him. Would he really be alright? Was he going to die? Would this plague him for the rest of his life? None of them were sure.
To Be Continued….
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