Louder now, the sound sinks into Caleb’s heart, causing a feeling of panic to rise up inside. He must save him! Help him somehow!
He grabs a flashlight from the drawer near the door and checks his pocket for his knife. Then he jerks on his boots and plunges into the snow. Caleb stops at the edge of the thick woods, he shouldn’t go into them. Predators are probably on the way to the dog, lured by the sound of the pain, but he can’t just leave him to die.
“ARR, ARR, ARRR!” The dogs yelping grows more intense, and Caleb breaks out into a sweat and his hand are shaking. He has to save him! Driven by desperate need to help, he runs towards the sound, no longer caring about anything except helping the animal.
The Arctic Moon climbs higher into the night sky to watch the boy run towards his fate. The only sound heard now is the boy’s breath as it puffs in and out. Over the crunching of the snow he hears a howl break out, not the howl of a dog, but a wolf calling for help. The howl cuts off and Caleb pushes through some brush and sees him, illuminated by the blue glow of the Arctic Moon. His fur is silver, grey and white, and his eyes! They are glowing silver, as though part of the moon itself.
Chapter
6
Caleb stares in amazement at the beautiful young wolf. His radiant silver eyes match the luminosity of the moon! He realizes the wolf is pinned to the earth by a broken tree limb. When he steps towards him, a low growl erupts from the curled lips. He bares his teeth and attempts to break free. He pumps his legs trying to get up but it’s no use, the tree limb is too heavy.
“Easy boy, I can help you.” Caleb says in a soft, low voice. At sixteen years old, Caleb is almost six feet tall; he has always been large for his age, so he squats down to the ground in order to look less threatening. “Easy, it’s okay.” He reaches out with a trembling hand and stops midair, when the wolf growls again. Wolves are larger than dogs and this young wolf isn’t full grown but he is still big enough to make Caleb cautious.
A soft snow begins to fall again; Caleb sighs and drops his hand. “Look, I am not supposed to be out here in the first place. I came to help you, will you let me?” he asks staring into the silver eyes of the wolf. The wolf licks his lips and whines, then lays his head down on the ground as though understanding him.
“Good boy,” Caleb takes that as a yes. “I must be crazy out here talking to a wolf in the dark.” He grabs the tree limb and as soon as he lifts one end, the wolf leaps free and hits Caleb square in the chest, knocking him to the ground!
“Ahhh!” Caleb quickly rolls to his side and jumps up and that’s when he feels it, pain in his right hand. The wolf is circling him and growling. Caleb glances at his hand in shock but he doesn’t run.
“You bit me!” His hand is throbbing and stinging as scarlet drops of blood sprinkle the white blanket of the forest. Caleb grabs a stick to keep the wolf back and begins to back away. The wolf turns his head sideways and looks at the blood in the snow, whines, and sits down.
“Yeah, you should be sorry,” Caleb stops moving and cuts a piece of his flannel shirt off with his pocket knife, then wraps it around his hand hissing in pain. The wolf throws his head back and howls as a shadow crosses the moon, then he races away. Darkness floods the forest and Caleb has the sense to be scared.
“Time to go CJ,” he tells himself and turns around to leave. The throbbing of his hand eases and soon stops. He follows his footsteps back towards his Grandfather’s cabin. The house is flooded with light and he sees his Grandmother’s jeep. “Wonderful, she will freak out if she sees this.” He unwraps his hand intending to stash the bandage in his pocket but what he sees has him stopping in his tracks. His hand is healed! No marks, no puncture wounds, nothing! Just fresh pink skin!
“I must be losing my mind.” He whispers as he rubs his hand.
“CJ! Where have you been?” his grandmother asks as she steps outside. “Land sakes, child you have grown! Why you are taller than me now!” he hugs her and smiles. The scent of cinnamon surrounds him and he inhales the familiar scent.
“Grandma, it’s not hard to be taller than you!” he says with a laugh. She joins him in his laughter.
“Your daddy loved to tease me too, five foot four is not short!” she says laughing and they walk up to the porch, stomping the snow of their feet by the front door.
“Well you haven’t outgrown me yet!” his grandfather says and steps outside to greet him. Daniel Slade was six foot four and strong as an ox. He wraps Caleb in a bear hug as they laugh.
“Maybe by the end of break I will!” he says teasing and enjoying the company. Maybe this will not be such a bad holiday after all.
His grandfather pulls back and with a hand on each shoulder looks Caleb in the eyes. Blue eyes so like that of his father. “Where did you go son?”
“Don’t worry; I was just sore from my flight, so I took a short walk. I’m fine, really.” Caleb says feeling guilty for lying to them. No use scaring everybody, he is fine.
“It’s really important that you
