Elice was the kind of village that was surrounded by thick and tall trees. The people of Elice were both frightened and relieved that they were surrounded by forest. Predators could come in from all angles; on the other hand, anyone who tried to find them would get lost. This meant that they were lonely. They were so lonely, in fact, that they were desperate for companionship. Angelina was a ten-year-old villager with long and straight blond hair. She always got up early in the morning to see dawn rise. She loved seeing the colors being painted on the sky each morning as she lay on a grassy hilltop. Each day, as she lay there, she saw the same deer and thought to herself, Why do animals live in the woods? Early one morning, as the sun was beaming down on the village of Elice, Angelina’s peace was disturbed by the frightening sound of howling wolves. The wolves that lived in the woods had been curious about the people of Elice. Angelina stood up on the hilltop and turned to see a wolf pup caught in a net. Angelina sprinted as fast as she could over to the wolf pup. She saw two figures where the wolf was. As she got closer, she realized it was her friend’s parents, Julius and Jenna. Tears were running from her eyes like water running from a waterfall as she screamed, “Wolves are meant to be in the woods, not in houses!” This was the third time she had seen wolf pups being captured and she couldn’t stand it anymore. Without thinking, she grabbed the net to free the wolf pup. As she did so, she thought back to a conversation with her mother. “Wolves are meant to be in the woods, not in houses!” Angelina asked her mother, “Why are all of the wolf pups being taken away from their parents?” Her mother replied, “Because everyone has been so lonely lately. The wolf pups are a new member of the family to keep them company.” Julius pulled Angelina back, but she had hold of the net, setting the wolf pup free. Even though she saved one, many more were still being held captive. Angelina noticed that the newly captured pups had sharp and long claws, but the next day she saw them they were short and dull. On the fifth day of wolf pups being captured, the wolves that lived in the woods came to attack. They attacked Julius and Jenna’s house first. Angelina witnessed them circling the house and sniffing the air for a scent of a wolf pup. If they could not smell or see a wolf pup they would move on. But once they found a wolf pup they would use their sharp and pointed claws to break down the door. House by house the wolves attacked. One by one villagers were killed. The wolves were now circling Angelina. Even though she did not have a wolf pup, she carried the scent of one that she had saved. The wolf pup’s scent was newly applied. Before she knew it, the glowing eyes of predators that live in the woods were hovering over Angelina’s face. The colors of the sky flashed before her eyes. Blended in with the orange, red, blue, and light pink was the face of Clementine, the goddess of animals. Clementine wore a robe of white scattered with animal prints. “I have seen what you have done and would like to reward you,” declared Clementine. “You have been granted the powers to be able to speak to wolves.” Angelina smiled with triumph, knowing the wolves would get off of her. “But, with great power comes great responsibility, Angelina. If you succeed in saving your village, then you must have all the wolves understand why the people of Elice are capturing their pups and you must set them wild,” explained Clementine. “Another thing that will happen is you will need to tell your people that the wolves should no longer be disturbed.” After Clementine faded back into the colors of the sky, Angelina could now hear what the wolves were saying. The wolves were discussing why Clementine, the goddess of animals, gave this ten-year-old girl the power to speak to them. Angelina explained what happened earlier that morning, when she saved the wolf pup. The wolf pack leader held a meeting with the lower-ranking wolves, and they decided what would happen next. The leader gave Angelina the guidelines: 1) “All wolf pups must be returned,” boomed the wolf pack leader, 2) “No person of Elice shall ever try to capture one of us again,” and 3) “We must never be disturbed again by any mankind!” exclaimed the wolf pack leader. Angelina always keeps her promises, so for as long as she lived no one in the world went near any wolf pack. Because of her promise, wolves remain in the wild to this day. Every wolf today is living their life in peace with no one to disturb them. They howl at the moon every so often in remembrance of Angelina. Nina Oliva, 12Raleigh, North Carolina Elena G. Delzer, 12Suamico, Wisconsin
Animals
Answers in the Sky
“We all miss Papa, it’s so hard to move on without him…” Midnight woke at the crack of dawn. His glossy, dark pelt shone in the light of the rising sun. The tree shadows danced in the wind like fingers on a black table. Midnight looked around, watching his brother, Moonshadow, his sister, Autumn, and his mother, Silverwater. Midnight’s father had left the beautiful earth shortly after the birth of his family. “One day, I’ll be strong. I’ll live up to you, Papa. Even though I might be the smallest, I have power like no others,” Midnight whispered, staring hopefully at the sky, his heart aching at the thought of the father he missed so very much. As Midnight was settling back down, he saw Autumn’s eyes flicker open. “Midnight, what are you doing up so early?” she whispered, careful not to wake the others. “Couldn’t sleep. Bad dreams,” Midnight meowed back. “Like what?” “Well, Papa was there and… we were hunting mice together… and then he just… left, and…. I couldn’t find him anymore!” Midnight whimpered. “I understand. We all miss Papa, it’s so hard to move on without him… But we just have to remember that up there, high up in the beauty of the night sky, surrounded by stars, Papa is there, and he’ll be watching over us always,” Autumn replied. Autumn settled back down, leaving Midnight with his thoughts about his papa. Could he really be up there, watching me right now? Midnight wondered. And with this comforting thought, he settled back to sleep. * * * Midnight awoke to the faint smell of mouse. He opened his eyes to see that Moonshadow and Autumn had already finished eating. Mama was nowhere in sight. “Hey—where’s Mama?” Midnight meowed. At this, Moonshadow and Autumn exchanged nervous glances. “Well… Mama is… not feeling well,” Moonshadow murmured at last. There was such fear in his brother’s voice. At first, he thought nothing of it, but then he realized what was really happening. “Mama!!!” Midnight yowled. He ran to the small clearing where Mama loved to rest and found her lying in the middle. “Midnight…” Mama spoke, but her words were interrupted immediately by coughing. The cough sounded terrible, almost deadly. “Mama… No… You can’t… This can’t be happening… You are going to be OK!” Midnight meowed, trying to convince himself. “Don’t worry, Midnight… It’s all going to be OK,” she croaked. “No!” Midnight yowled, as his siblings appeared behind him. Their eyes widened as they saw the state their dear mother was in. “Midnight… Go…. Find us a new home…. Don’t worry about me… You must leave this place…” Mama spoke as she coughed some more. “But… Why? How will you survive while you are like… this?” Midnight meowed in panic, trying to take in all she was saying. “I have experience with herbs and healing. I can use catmint to heal my cough, and once the cough is cured I can hunt for myself,” Mama meowed wearily. “Mama… are you sure?” Autumn spoke for the first time. “I most certainly am.” Warmth sparkled in Mama’s eyes. “Now go, my kits, go quickly…” coughed Mama. The cats looked at each other for a moment, then nodded. “OK, Mama… We’ll go…. But remember, we are thinking of you every step of the way,” Moonshadow meowed sadly. “B-but… Wait! Why can’t you come?” Midnight blurted out. “I will not be here for long. It is best you make the journey alone. Soon, I will walk with Papa… And I will protect you in your new home,” Mama said, coughing. Taking one last look at the mother they might never see again, Midnight, Autumn, and Moonshadow turned their backs on the place they had always called home. * * * The three young cats walked along in sorrow. As Midnight padded along, he couldn’t help thinking, I should have insisted on staying there and helping! If she dies, it’s all going to be my fault… He felt terrible about leaving Mama in the forest all alone. When Midnight was ill, Mama had always taken care of him… “Midnight! Watch out!!!” Moonshadow yowled, but it was too late. Midnight was wrenched from his thoughts about Mama as he plunged deep into an icy-cold, swiftly moving river. Midnight frantically tried to pull himself out of the river, but it was no use. The fall had knocked the breath out of him, and he couldn’t tell which way was up and which way was down. Suddenly, Midnight felt a strong paw struggling to pull him out of the river. Then another paw reached for Midnight’s head, and he broke surface. Autumn and Moonshadow were staring down at him, fear in their eyes. Midnight could barely breathe. Water clogged his throat. He coughed up a large pool of water, gasping for breath. “Midnight! You’re OK!” breathed Autumn in relief. “Y-yeah…” Midnight gasped. “I’m fine.” “You have to be careful next time! You could have died!” Moonshadow spoke in annoyance. “Well, sorry,” Midnight replied bitterly. “We should keep going.” Without a word, the three cats kept walking toward a thick pine forest. It was slightly cold as they neared the forest, and Midnight assumed it was because of the small frosty mountain range surrounding it. It was getting dark, and the three cats decided to settle down for the night in a small, empty cave by the edge of the pine forest. As Midnight slowly drifted to sleep, he found he was not asleep at all. He was standing in a small, starry forest with the moon shining brightly over every inch. For some reason, the place seemed oddly familiar. When Midnight looked around, he let out a gasp. He could hardly believe his eyes. For the first time in so long, Midnight’s gaze rested on his very own father, just as he had seen him last. “P-Papa… Is… is that really you?!” he stammered, barely able to speak at the sight of the starry cat
Shannon
Shannon lifted her head and howled into the empty black sky. It was a sad, mournful song, shattering the cold silence. Slowly the old wolf dipped her muzzle to her toes in a sort of bow. Her graying white coat bristled slightly in the chilly breeze. Snow surrounded her, looking like a big, beautiful quilt of cotton. Only her soft paw prints disturbed it. She howled again. It echoed off of the nearby mountains, but again, there was no reply. Shannon stood up and shook herself of the snow, which sprayed everywhere. Then she walked over to the trees, her paws sweeping lightly over the snow. She stopped and listened, but heard nothing. The great, snow-topped trees loomed above her, as though taunting her, but she just walked on. She heard crackling in the bush next to her and flinched. Then she broke out into a fast-moving trot. She trotted through the big cluster of tall trees, pausing once in a while to sniff around. Finally she came to a small clearing. A small, wooden cabin lay nestled tightly in the deep snow; the tiny windows leaked long, eerie shadows onto the tree trunks nearby. The door of the cabin swung open to reveal a young woman with curly, chestnut-red hair, and a big moose-skin coat. She walked out and shut the door quietly behind her. “Hi Shannon, are you hungry?” Shannon paused for a second before coming out of the trees to greet the woman. Her brilliant green eyes darted around. “Hi Shannon, are you hungry?” The woman smiled and pulled out a small can of dog food, which Shannon eyed. The woman laughed. Then, with her mitten, she dug a shallow hole and dumped the contents of the can into it. “Eat,” she commanded, and gave Shannon one more pat before turning back to the cabin. Shannon dipped her head and started to eat. Once she was finished, Shannon walked back into the trees and pawed the snow, checking how soft it was. Then she lay down, tucked her nose under her tail, and with a sigh, closed her eyes. Instantly, she was asleep. * * * Shannon was awakened by the barking of some young, energetic dogs. Heaving herself to her feet, Shannon yawned. Then she trotted back to the same clearing as the night before, taking great, sweeping strides. She knew exactly what was going on, and she did not want to miss it. * * * When Shannon reached the small clearing, she was met by the woman who had fed her the night before. In the woman’s hand was a dog-mushing harness. “Shannon, do you want to go for a trail run?” the woman asked kindly Shannon wagged her tail before dropping her head so that she could be harnessed. Just as the woman was finishing up with Shannon a short and rather stocky man stepped out of the cabin. His eyes focused on Shannon right away. “Smart dog ye got there Kayla,” he said, his blue eyes twinkling merrily. “She isn’t a dog, John, she’s a wolf. Caught her myself, as a pup, I did. But yeah, she’s very smart and tame all right.” Kayla hooked Shannon up to the rest of the team, and snapping the last piece into place, waved at the man. “I’ll be back before dark; you can count on that. I’m an experienced musher of course. Well, bye.” Kayla waved at the man. Then she bent over to make sure everything was packed, just in case. Shannon tossed her head restlessly. She loved trail runs, as long as getting ready didn’t take too long. Most of the dogs in harness were just getting exercised, and knew the trail well. Only one dog didn’t. Roxy was a dark gray husky with a pure white mask on her face. She was fairly young, new to the trail, a little bit skittish, and was extremely afraid of thunder and lightning. This was who Shannon was placed beside. She was not extremely fond of the idea of running with a pup, and was ready to teach Roxy that, except Kayla called upon them to go. Shannon trotted along, enjoying the beautiful scenery The trees that had loomed so high above her the night before, now seemed welcoming. The snow now sparkled as the strong, early morning sun shone down upon it, creating a dazzling sight. Shannon wished her partner, Mendae, could see it. Like her, Mendae was a wolf, caught and tamed by Kayla. She was, like most wolves, gray. But unlike most wolves, she had one blue eye, and one green. Recently, Mendae had taken a bad fall and broke her paw. The vet said she would never walk again, but she proved him ‘wrong. He said she would never be a good sled dog anymore, but Kayla hoped she could prove him wrong again, but so far she hadn’t. * * * Roxy leaned over and bit Shannon’s ear playfully Shannon gave a warning growl and bared her gleaming, white teeth. Roxy whined. “Shannon, Roxy, break it up! You guys are supposed to get along!” Kayla jiggled the sled ropes, trying to catch the team’s attention. The dogs threw all of their weight into the chest pad of the harness. The sled creaked as it slowly started to move. It bounced along the trail, hitting many bumps as it gathered speed. Roxy began to bark excitedly as the dogs fell into an easy rhythm. Shannon just pushed harder into her chest pad, her paws turning up small clouds of snow. It seemed as though she was trying to get away from the pup, even though she knew perfectly that she couldn’t. “Keep going! You guys are doing great! Go!” Kayla called, trying to encourage the team into going faster. A gust of wind blew softly, tossing Kayla’s long red hair this way and that. The team trotted on, through the winding trail that seemed almost endless. Soon the wind
