NorwayXInu!Wolf!Reader ~ Out in the storm

NorwayXInu!Wolf!Reader~Out in the Storm


3rd POV~

The group of five men made their way up the mountain trail through the forest.  The group had decided to take a vacation from their busy lives and go camping up in the mountains for a few weeks. The weather had been fair and had treated the travelers well up until now.  Half way through their trip the weather decided to take a turn, not for the worst, but it certainly wasn’t for the best.  Rain and wind combined made it a little uncomfortable for the group, particularly since one member forgot to pack rain gear and he was complaining.  Loudly.

Norway’s POV~

‘ If he doesn’t shut up soon, I’m going to strangle him so hard he won’t be able to talk for a month….Maybe I should do that anyways.’  My eye twitched rapidly as Matthias continued to complain about our current situation.  Which we wouldn’t be in if he had remembered to pack the blasted rain gear!

“How much longer!  My clothes are soaked!” Even over the buffeting wind I could still hear the stupid Dane.

“We are all soaked, idiot.” I had to shout to be heard over the wind and rain.

“Maybe we should try and find someplace dry and wait out the storm!  I don’t think it is such a good idea to be hiking in these conditions!” shouted the worried Fin.

“I agree with Tino!  We should find shelter!”

“What’s wrong, tough guy?  Afraid of a little storm?” replied Mr. Puffin to my brother’s statement, sticking his head out of Emil’s backpack.

“Shut up!  If you’re not scared of the storm then get out here with the rest of us!” snapped Emil.

“Hell no!” the puffin retreated back into the pack.

“Guuuuuuuuuuys!  The storm is getting worse!” Unfortunately the Dane was right.  Shortly after he said that the wind picked up even more, so much so that we couldn’t move.  I had to raise my arms to cover my eyes to shield myself from the pelting rain, which was beginning to turn into hail.  ‘Great.’

“We need to find shelter, fast!” Tino shouted once again as soon as the wind calmed a little.  “Lukas!  Is there any shelter nearby?”

“I don’t know!” I shouted back.  It has been so long since I was last up here that I couldn’t remember if there was any shelter nearby.  

“Tino!  Did you bring your dog with you?” The sudden question was completely out of place and I had an even stronger erg to strangle the Dane.

“No!  Why do you ask?”

“Because I hear barking!” he replied.

“Idiot, it’s the wind!  There is no dog—“

“Look!” Emil interrupted me, pointing up the path we were currently on.  Following his finger I looked through the sheets of rain to see a dark figure coming closer to us.  It wasn’t standing so it wasn’t another human, but it was large none the less.  I became concerned the closer it got, its size increasing, but it got close enough that I could finally hear the barking that Matthias had mentioned.  At last it was close enough that I could see that it was indeed a very large dog.  At first I thought it was a wolf, but why would a wolf be out in this weather alone?  Then again, why would a dog be out here to begin with?

“It’s a dog!” Tino shouted.  

“Are you sure?  It looks like a wolf to me!” Matthias shouted back.

“It looks like a dog.” he replied.

“Dogs don’t get that big, it has to be a wolf!” Emil shouted.  The animal barked at us.

“Wolves can’t bark.  Only dogs can so it must be a dog!” Tino shouted.

“Let’s just call it a dog and leave it at that!” I shouted, my agitation rising the more the others argued over whether or not it was a dog or a wolf.

Another sudden gust of strong wind came and we had to crouch down so we wouldn’t get blown away.  There was another sharp bark and I looked up to see the dog had approached us and was right in front of me.  It was the biggest dog I had ever seen before!  Maybe it was a wolf…  I made eye contact with it and it gave another sharp bark, grabbing the edge of my jacket and tugging on it before heading back up the path the way it came.  

“I think it wants us to follow it!” Tino shouted.

“How do you know?” Matthias shouted back.  He was answered by another bark and the dog now took his jacket in its mouth and gave it a few tugs, the same way it had to mine.

“That’s how!” I shouted.  The dog barked again and started to head up the path.  “Follow it!”

“Do you trust it?” Matthias questioned.

“Do you have a better idea!” I shouted.  I flinched when a quarter sized piece of hail struck me on the head.  “Just move it Dane!”  Without another word Matthias began following the dog up the path, the rest of us following not far behind.  

Time was lost to me.  I couldn’t tell how long we had been out or how long we had been following the dog.  The wind and rain had been joined with hail which occasionally struck us as it made its way through the trees, which I noted were bending dangerously in the wind.  I hope the soil doesn’t loosen enough to uproot the trees.

I had been too distracted in my observations and in keeping my footing that I hadn’t noticed the Dane stopping.  I ran into him and felt everyone else run into me.  I couldn’t tell who, but one of us lost our footing and the next moment was filled with shouts of surprise and flailing limbs as we all fell to the ground on top of one another.

“Ow!  Watch where you guys are going!” Matthias shouted from somewhere at the bottom of our pile.

“Brother!  Are you ok?!” I shouted, ignoring Matthias for the moment and looking around before locating the familiar silver hair of my little brother a few feet away from me.  He was lying on his stomach, the top of his blue, white, and red camping bag had opened some and Mr. Puffin was struggling to get back inside.

“I’m fine!” he shouted back.  I was relieved he was ok, but the fact that we had to shout just to be heard from a few feet from each other was very concerning.  Better check on the others.

“Tino!  Are you ok?!” I looked to the Fin who had landed on the back of my legs and was sprawled in a similar manner as brother was; who I now noticed was lying on top of Tino.

“I’m ok!” he shouted back.

“Berwald?!” I looked to my other side and saw him raising his arm and giving me the thumbs up.  He was ok too, despite being underneath the rest of us.  

“I’m fine too.  Thanks for asking.  Now, can you guys get off me?  You all are heavy!” Scratch that.  He was under all of us except for Matthias.  I was about to snap at Matthias but another sharp bark interrupted me.  Looking up I looked at the dog as it stood there observing us.  I don’t know why but I felt really embarrassed about being seen like this by the dog.  It stared at us for a few moments before turning around and running up the way it was leading us.  It soon disappeared from sight.

‘Great, just great.  Our only hope is now running away from us.  Knulle.’  The next couple of minutes was spent trying to untangle ourselves while remaining together, the wind making it difficult to even stand up straight.

I don’t how long it took us, but by the time we were standing again it had gotten even darker out and the rain, which had subsided for a little while, was picking up again.  I looked at the others to see them looking around, presumably for the dog we had been following.  Apparently I was the only one to see it run off.

“Now what?  The dog is gone!” Matthias whined.

“We still need to find shelter.  Maybe there is someplace nearby?” Tino suggested.  Shortly after his response there was a series of barks that grabbed all of our attention.  Looking back up the path, was the dog, standing there with a long coil of rope in its mouth.  

“He came back!” Tino cheered.  The dog came running up to us and dropped the rope at my feet.  Bending down I picked up one end of the rope, and the dog picked up the other end and walked backwards, stretching out the coil.  He stared at me.  I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to do with the end of the rope I held.  Finally he gave a muffled bark, not letting go of the end he held, and walked up the path until the rope was taught.  Looking over his shoulder he gave the rope a few sharp tugs.  That’s when it hit me.

“Grab the rope!” I shouted to everyone.  They seemed to realize what was happening as everyone took a hold of the rope.  Once we all had a hold of the rope the dog gave another muffled bark before going back up the path, this time pulling us along with him.

~time skip~

It was completely dark out and the storm was still going.  I had no idea where we were or where this dog was taking us.  Needless to say I was exhausted, and I knew everyone else was.  I was also freezing and soaked to the bone.  I had begun to lose feeling in my fingers and toes and that concerned me.  I stumbled over a rock or a tree root that had been hidden in the dark.  I tightened my hold on the rope, refusing to let go.  My mind kept drifting from one thought to the next as we continued to trudge uphill blindly, being led by a possibly stray dog.  That’s where my thoughts were the most.  Where did this dog come from?  Did he belong to someone?  He had to; why else would he be leading us if he didn’t have some kind of human interaction before meeting us?  And the rope.  Where did he get it?  Is this perhaps some rescue dog that got left up in the mountains?  Not likely.

I was suddenly brought out of my thoughts when the rain and wind abruptly stopped battering against my numb and tired body.  I know the storm hadn’t stopped, I could still hear it.  Looking around revealed nothing, it was even darker then it was a moment ago.  That’s when I noticed something, the ground sounded different underfoot.  No longer the wet sound of mud squishing and sliding under our thick and heavy boots but instead the sound of loose gravel and hard, compact earth echoed around us.  Also, the further we went the warmer the air became.

I would have continued to study our current surroundings if what happened next hadn’t wrenched me from my thoughts yet again.  There was suddenly a loud yelp that seemed louder than it should have been, accompanied with the sound of some choice words in Danish, which also were louder than they should have been, much louder.  The rope in my hand gave a sudden and powerful tug, jerking me forward.  The sudden action threw me off balance and I felt myself falling forward with a startled shout before landing with a hard ‘thud’ on something cold, wet, hard, and lumpy.  No sooner had I landed did I hear similar reactions to my own.  I also had the wind crushed out of me as several other bodies came crashing down on top of me.  The others having taken the same path I had when I had fallen and landed on top of Matthias.  Again.  Only this time, I was second from the bottom.

We all just lay where we had fallen, to tired and cold to move.  The only sounds we made were grumbling and the occasional incoherent word.  I couldn’t move with everyone else on top of me, and I didn’t think I had the energy to move I was so exhausted.  I faintly became aware of the sounds of something moving nearby when I felt something cold and wet press up against my face.  

‘Oh right.  The dog.’  I only groaned in response to the dog sniffing my face, too tired to push it away.  I felt its nose travel from my face down to my neck, then further to my back where I assumed it was sniffing my bag.  I felt the bag begin to shift and I heard the different items clink together.

‘What is the dog up to?’  It must have found what it was looking for in my bag because I heard it retreat with a clicking sound.  The sound continued and I was beginning to wonder just what it was the dog had taken from my bag when I was suddenly blinded by a beam of light.  I grunted in surprise, squinting my eyes as the beam moved erratically, occasionally shinning in my face.  I soon found out what it was the dog had taken from my bag, and where the light was coming from.

Somehow the dog had managed to turn on the flashlight I had packed and now held it clenched in its mouth.  I could faintly see the outline of the dog as it stared at me, the flashlight held like a stick in its mouth as the beam of light shot out of one end, illuminating the wall of a cave.  ‘ So that’s where he brought us…’

I was about to close my eyes, too tired to even think of moving, when the dog shifted the light in its mouth ever so slightly.  My eyes shot open at what the light illuminated.  There resting up against the wall of the cave was a wood burning pot-belly stove.  Its door open, revealing half burnt wood inside it.

The dog, probably curious about what I was looking at, turned its head in the direction I was looking.  As he did so, the light coming from his mouth moved across the wall of the cave, revealing other assorted objects ranging from blankets to ski poles, from first aid and food rations to crates labeled TNT in faded black letters.  Seeing all of these items lined up in somewhat organized piles seemed to give me a second burst of energy.  It was probably the promise of warmth and food from the stove and packets of food I had caught a glimpse of.

With a grunt I tried to pull myself out from the pile of bodies, the movement resulting in the grunts and groans of those above and below me.  Despite my desire to reach the stove, I simply didn’t have the energy to pull my cold and numb body out of the pile.  I tried again and the dog gave an awkward sounding bark around the piece of metal in its mouth, encouraging me to keep trying.  But I still couldn’t do it.  I collapsed back on top of Matthias’ bag.  I was about to give up hope (it’s amazing how much the cold and exhaustion can do to a persons mind), but it seemed the dog in front of me was going to have none of it.

Placing the flashlight on the ground in front of it I watched as it approached me.  It huffed, the warm air caressing my frozen cheeks.  I continued to lie there, hoping it would huff again, to blow more warm air on my numb body.  Instead it growled lightly in the back of its throat and then did something I did not expect it to do.  It reached out and took my arm in its mouth.  It didn’t bite hard but it held a firm grip as he pulled.  I could feel the pressure of his teeth through my soaked jacket.  As I continued to lay there he continued to pull on my arm in small, sharp tugs, the small growl rising and falling in time with each pull.

Finlay it gave up.  I couldn’t see it but I could tell that it was, in the way that dogs do, frowning down on me.  It huffed again and left my side.  I listened to the sound of its padded feet on the floor of the cave.  There was the sound of items moving around before the dog approached me once again.  With of the aid of the flashlight still on the ground I saw a glint of foil as the dog passed through the beam of light.  I felt the dog nuzzle my check before I felt it place the package it was carrying in my hand.  I stared down at my hand blankly, unable to see what it was I held.  With another huff the light was suddenly shinning in my face again, the dog having knocked the flashlight into rolling in a new direction.

After taking the needed time to let my tired eyes adjust to the change in light I looked at the foil package in my hands and my eyes widened as I read “Trail Mix.     Contains: cranberries, blueberries, apple slices, peanuts……..” I didn’t bother to finish reading the entire packet as I ripped it open and grabbed the first few pieces of dried fruit and nuts, popping them into my mouth.

I chewed slowly, savoring the mixed taste of slightly sweet and salty.  After having gone a whole day walking through a storm without rest not only made me tired, but it also left me feeling famished.  The altitude also hadn’t helped.  The small amount of energy this packet of food offered was a welcomed feeling.

The dog waited patiently as I finished off the pack, a small feeling of guilt passing through me as I realized I didn’t share any of the food with the others, not even my brother.  Before I could dwell too far on this the dog had again approached me and, once again, took my arm in its mouth.  It tugged gently, and with the help of the flashlight I could see the almost pleading look in the dog’s (e/c) eyes.  Sighing I decided to give it one more try.  Grunting I struggled against the dead weight on my back, the dog tugging on my arm aiding in my efforts.

At long last, after what felt like an eternity, I finally found myself falling out from underneath everyone and onto the cold hard ground, the dog having dragged me (somehow) a foot or two more after I had slipped out.  The dog immediately let go of my arm, but it then grabbed the bag on my back and, again, managed to pull it off of me.  I was so tired and relieved from having the weight removed that I didn’t even bother to question how this dog was doing all of this.  The small amount of energy that the packet of mixed nuts and berries had given me had run its course and I was now even more exhausted than ever.  I almost didn’t realize another packet of foil being dropped into my hands.

I struggled to get the packet open, my numb fingers no longer wanted to cooperate.  With a defeated sigh I dropped the pack.  I heard the dog whine and the sound of anxious feet dancing on the ground.  After a minute I heard what sounded like foil being ripped, and I realized the dog was tearing at the packet with its teeth for me.  How and why was this dog doing all of this?

I looked up when I felt the packet being placed back in my hands, the top having been nearly mauled off.  I repeated the same process I had done with the first packet with this one.  I sighed as I found myself faced with the feet of the large dog standing in front of me.  I lifted my head and was about to give it a look that said ‘what-do-you-want-now’ but instead gave it a ‘what-is-that’ look.  In its mouth it held a small, rectangular box.  It looked like a box of….matches.

‘What does the dog want me to do with a box of….’ Realization struck me as I remembered the stove in the corner of the cave.  Of all the things the dog could do, he could lead us to shelter, he could fetch and retrieve, he could pull heavy weights, he could open packets, but the one thing he couldn’t do was light a fire.

I looked from the dog to where the stove was, then back again before taking the box from his mouth.  I moved to stand, the numb feeling in my body not leaving, though in some places it turned into a pins and needles sensation.  I managed to raise myself onto my knees, the dog whining in encouragement, but my shaking limbs gave out from beneath me and I collapsed once more onto the ground.  The dog whined again, this time sounding both pitiful and encouraging.  If it could talk it would probably be saying ‘Come on, you can do it!  Try again!’.  I could only manage a small, tired smile as the dogs warm, wet tongue came in contact with my cheek.

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t….” I muttered to it.  It was almost absurd of me to think that this dog would understand me.  However, I already knew of the intelligence that dogs were capable of, and this dog seemed to show an above average intelligence for a canine.  I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if it could understand me.

In response it gave another whine before raising itself back up to stare down at me, a sad look within it (e/c) orbs.  He turned his head in the opposite direction and stared for a moment, almost as if lost in thought, before bounding away into the dark, away from the small pool of light still coming from the flashlight so that I couldn’t see him anymore.  The sounds of the dog moving around echoed throughout the cave.  Exhaustion was beginning to pull on me as I waited for the dogs return.  I was beginning to slip into unconsciousness, my eyes closing, when the dog once again bounded over to me.  Another object clenched in its’ jaws.

When he reached me, he dropped what he was holding and nudged it with his nose closer to me, whimpering.  Glancing at it I gave the dog a questioning look.  This time the dog had brought a rather thick branch, one end was blackened.  ‘Does he seriously want to play fetch now?’  The dog seemed to notice my confusion and disbelief.  It huffed in what I could only assume was annoyance.  Nudging my hand, the one that held the box of matches, he then moved his muzzle back to the branch before nuzzling it as well.  He did this several times, a low growl beginning to rise in the back of its throat the more it nuzzled.  Finally it stopped and stared at me as I stared blankly back at it, completely at a loss as to what it wanted.

It gave a sharp bark, startling me enough that I jumped slightly.  It then took the matches from me and shook the box, effectively sliding the two pieces of cardboard open and sending a shower of chemically treated splinters of wood with red tips to rain down on me.

“Hey…!” I muttered with slight agitation.  The dog seemed to pay me no mind as it tried to pick up a single match in its’ mouth, only to completely and utterly fail as it either snapped the thin pieces of wood or got them too wet with saliva for them to be of any use.  Arching an eyebrow slightly at the dogs’ strange actions, I noticed an untouched match stick in front of me.  Picking it up between numb fingers, I held the small piece of wood out towards it, muttering “Here…”

The dog looked up at me with slight annoyance in his eyes before seeing what it was that I was holding and the look turned from annoyance to excitement.  But instead of it taking the match from me, he instead picked up the box and held it out to me, whining again in anticipation.  I looked from him to the box, noticing the side facing me was the side used for striking the match.  ‘Does it want me to strike the match?’  It was the only explanation I could think of that made sense.  

Breathing a heavy sigh I reached out towards the dog with the match, my hand and arm trembling with the effort.  The dog, making it a little easier for me, lowered its head so that I could reach the box easier.  Grunting I pressed the tip against the rough side of the box and attempted to light it.  The dog held the box still, clamped firm in its’ mouth as I tried to light the match.  The trembling in my hand and arm wasn’t helping in the least as I tried again and again, but I couldn’t get the damn thing to light.

“Kom igjen!” I grunted, and with one more try I swiped the match across the box.  A gasp of relief left me as the tiny flame danced in the dark, the sound of hissing became music to my ears as the chemicals in the wood caught fire at last.  I was mesmerized by the small flame I held.  I could feel the small amount of heat it gave off on the tips of my frozen fingers, warming them just slightly.  

So entranced was I that I didn’t notice the dog moving until I found a large stick being held in front of my face.  It then took me a moment to realize that the black end of the stick was being held to the small flame I still held between my fingers.  After a few moments the flame from the match caught the larger stick on fire and a larger flame began to dance in the dark, held at one end by the dog.  By now the match was spent and the small flame had died out, but I didn’t notice it as the warmth radiating from the burning stick reached my frozen face.  I reached for the new source of heat, but the dog moved away from me, taking the only source of warmth with it.  I watched in despair as the flame followed alongside the dog obediently, moving slowly across the dark cave.

At last the dog stopped, the flame beside it illuminating a small circle around it, but I soon lost sight of the flame as the dog moved its’ head.  I could still see the faint glow, illuminating the dogs’ silhouette faintly.  Suddenly there was a whoosh and the light became brighter, illuminating that area of the cave more, the dog with it.  It dawned on me.  The stove.  The dog had lit the stove with the stick.  The dog had used me to light a match so he could light the stove with a stick.  I was astonished, how was this dog so smart?

As if hearing my thoughts the dog turned its’ head to look back at me, a canine smile stretching across its’ muzzle as our eyes met.  It ran over to me, a bounce in its’ stride.  When he reached me he, without hesitating, shoved his head underneath my body and flipped me over onto my back.  I grunted in surprise, but no sooner had I settled did the dog grab my arm and proceed to drag me across the cave in the direction of the stove.  I could feel the rough surface of the ground through my jacket and was glad the dog had flipped me onto my back.  I was also glad the others couldn’t see me, especially Matthias.  If he saw me getting dragged by a dog I would never hear the end of it.

The heat from the fire increased as the dog dragged me closer, the light from the flashlight growing distant as the light from the fire grew brighter.  Finally the dog stopped and gently dropped my arm.  I looked at the fire in the stove from behind me, then to the dog looking down at me.  A small smile pulled at the corner of my mouth as I reached up and gently scratched the dog behind his ears, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as his eyes closed.

“Good boy.” I murmured.  The dog stopped and growled lightly.  I was confused.  I was complementing him, why was he growling?  Then I looked between his legs and saw why (it was rather hard not too, seeing how it was standing over me).  “Oh.  Girl.  Sorry.” I murmured, a small heat rising to my otherwise cold cheeks (for reasons I couldn’t think of in my current condition).  He -- She, snorted.  “Good girl.” I amended and scratched her again.  She, to my surprise, made a gwafing noise, that, to me, sounded like an airy laugh.  If dogs were capable of such things.  I frowned.  “Are you laughing at me?”  She only made that noise again and walked off, returning shortly with a blanket clutched in her jaws.  She threw the woolen material over me, making sure my entire body was covered before running off again.

I began to drift in and out of consciousness as I heard the dog moving around.  I wanted to sleep, the exhaustion from the day and the warmth of the fire pulling at me, but something was preventing me from letting the dark take me.  I felt like I was forgetting something.  Something important….

It wasn’t until I heard groaning and the sounds of something heavy being dragged across the floor that I remembered what it was.  Who it was.

I was soon greeted with the sleeping face of my brother as the dog dragged him up to the fire, resting him next to me.  She had removed his bag as well, and had placed an unconscious Mr. Puffin on his chest, who she then moved next to Emil’s head once she got him settled.  She then ran off and returned with another woolen blanket for him as well, throwing it over him just like she had done to me.

Once the blanket was covering him completely she ran off, back to the others.  I heard Emil murmur something in his sleep and I felt him move closer to me.  He must have passed out shortly after having fallen into the dog pile with the rest of us.

Using what little strength I had left, I moved onto my side and pulled him up against me, offering him what little body heat I had.  I must have gained some back by now; my body wasn’t numb like it had been before, though my clothes were still soaked, so instead of feeling nothing I was freezing and I was racked with tremors as my body tried to return to a normal body temperature.  The heat from the stove and the thick blanket was definitely helping.

I felt my heart swell as Emil moved closer to me, my precious little brother curling up against my body as he buried his face into the rain soaked jacket covering my chest, his hands gripping tightly at the material through the thick wool of our blankets, just like he used to when he was younger.  I could feel the tremors moving through his body as well.  In any other circumstance he would never have done this now that he was grown and he will no doubt be upset when he wakes up, but I savored the moment while it lasted.  ‘I love you, my little brother…’ I thought as I pressed my chapped and frozen lips against his forehead briefly.

“Stóri bróðir…” he murmured in his sleep.  My heart swelled further and a smile pulled at my lips.

The sound of a sneeze drew me out of my thoughts.  I looked up to see the dog dragging a blanket over Berwald and Matthias before sneezing again, then returning to covering them.  I blinked and looked at the order in which the dog had placed us.  It was me and Emil.  Then it was Tino, who had curled up closer to me and Emil, and then it was Matthias and Berwald who were now sharing a blanket.

And we were all pressed close together.

…………

This was no doubt going to be interesting to observe in the morning.

I watched as the dog moved around us before walking up beside me.  Bending her head she took the blanket and pulled it up higher on me so that it reached my chin, the still wet but warm fur of her muzzle brushing against my cheek.  

“Thank you…” I whispered, my eyes beginning to close, the lids as heavy as led weights.  She gave a small grunt and licked my cheek as my eyes finally closed.  Before I lost consciousness I felt her lay down against my back, her large body, fur still damp from the rain, radiated a warmth that seeped into the muscles of my back.

And with this final comfort I let sleep envelope me, embracing it with open arms.


Readers POV~


I laid down against the blonds back, watching as his pale face relaxed as sleep overcame him.  I was both pleased and relieved that some color had returned to his skin and the blue of his lips had faded.  I felt his body shivering against mine, but that would just have to pass with time as he warmed back up.  I looked over the others and was pleased to see similar results.

Over the crackling of the fire I could hear their breathing, deep and steady.  I hope they don’t get sick.  Hearing a clap of thunder echo through the cave I turned to stare in the direction of the entrance.  I listened to the storm continuing to rage outside; a flash of lightning accompanied by another clap of thunder illuminated the cave.  The light illuminated the objects in the cave, throwing shadows that danced along the walls.  One beam of light caught my attention after the lightning subsided for the moment.  I had forgotten about the flashlight.

Rising slowly, careful not to disturb the human male, I walked over to the flashlight.  I stared at it for a while, just staring.  Then, lifting a paw, I shifted it into a hand and reached for the flashlight, clicking it off, before returning my hand into a paw.  I glanced over at the group of men, making sure they hadn’t seen anything.  They were still asleep.

I picked up the flashlight and placed it near the men.  I then collected their bags, carrying them one at a time in my jaws, and placed them in a line against the wall near the stove so that they could dry.  Looking at the humans I glanced at the piles and crates of items I had lining the walls of the cave.  I had a crate filled with warm, dry clothes.  I felt bad that they had to remain in their soaked clothes, but there was no way I could change them without giving away my secret if they were to wake up.  Besides, what would happen if they woke up in different clothes from what they were wearing when they fell asleep?  It was best not to think about it.  Sighing I went back to the spot beside the blond and laid down again.  I began to think about all that had happened today.

I had been gathering food when I noticed the storm approaching.  I had run back to the cave and was ready to wait out the storm when I picked up the scent of humans nearby.  Concerned with how close the storm was and with how fast it was approaching I set out in my wolf form in search of the humans.  By the time I found them the storm had already started.

When I saw the five men I knew they were in no condition to be out here in this weather.  I also could barely make out them saying something about finding shelter.  I knew I was taking a risk by approaching them, but they needed help.  I began barking in the hopes that they would follow me without seeing me but that didn’t work.  So I approached them.  When they saw me they started arguing over whether or not I was a wolf or a dog.  I tried getting their attention by barking but that just spurred their argument further until the blond with dull blue eyes ended it by saying I was a dog and to leave it at that.  Seeing that I was the result of a dog mating with a wolf the statement was partially true.  Since he seemed to be the most reasonable out of the five of them to deal with so I approached him.  After another brief argument they began to follow me.  That is until the one in the front, Dane I think is what they called him, such a strange name, paused and caused the others to collide into him.  The result was a pile of tangled limbs.

I knew it was getting late and there would be no light left for them to see, so I ran back to my cave, but not before meeting the eyes of one of them and barked.  When I reached the cave I grabbed a coil of rope and ran back to them.  When I arrived they were looking around, probably for me.  I barked around the rope in my mouth and heard a cheer of excitement from one of them when they saw I had returned.  I then managed to get the one with the dull blue eyes to understand what I wanted them to do with the rope I brought and began leading them to shelter.  I was going to bring them to a different cave, but given the circumstances, they would need the resources I had back at the cave I called home.  So that’s where I took them.

It was pitch black by the time we reached the cave, but thanks to my enhanced senses we made it ok.  I was leading them further into the cave when Dane stepped on me.  With a yelp I lunged forward, not only startling Dane but yanking the rope still clenched in my jaws with me, dragging him and all the others forward with me.  Unfortunately this caused them to fall into another pile, one on top of the other.  Dropping the rope I went to check on them. A few of them seemed to have passed out almost immediately; the others were in a half-conscious state.  Only the one with dull blue eyes was awake enough to respond to my sniffing his face.  I knew I was going to need a light source, so I searched his bag, relieved when I found what I was looking for.  The next minute was spent trying to turn the flashlight on with just my teeth.

When the light finally turned on the male looked around and I saw his eyes widen.  I turned to see what it was that had gotten his attention and saw the pot belly stove.  I heard him grunting and turned back around to see him struggling to get out from under the pile but they were just too heavy and he was too weak and he soon gave up.  But a packet of trail mix fixed that, with a little help from me of course.  He needed another trail mix after that.

I brought him a box of matches and I tried to get him to stand so that he could light the stove but he was still too weak and almost immediately fell back down, muttering “I’m sorry, but I just can’t…”  That’s all it took for me to know that it was going to take a lot of ingenuity to get that stove lit.  And it did, for the next few minutes I struggled to try to communicate with him that I wanted him to light a stupid match.  I even gave myself splinters on my tongue trying to show him what I wanted.  On my tongue!  He finally understood and I got him to light the fricken thing.  I took the stick from the stove and held it against the match he held, waiting until the wood caught fire.  When it did he reached for it.  I understood why, I could see it in his eyes.  Warmth.  That’s what he wanted.  And that’s what I gave him.

Once the stove was lit I dragged him to the stove.  I liked it when he scratched behind my ears, but when he called me a boy I growled at him.  He looked confused, until he looked between my legs and say what gender I really was.  The blush that appeared on his face was adorable!  He then corrected himself and I couldn’t help but laugh at the obvious embarrassment he felt.  He asked if I was laughing at him, and my only response was to laugh again.  I retrieved a blanket and placed it over him.  I repeated this process with the other four.  I placed the one he called ‘Brother’ next to him, assuming there was some family relationship between them (which I couldn’t see but hey), which pleased the other male.  He seemed especially happy when the smaller male cuddled up to him and he embraced the silver haired boy.  I brought the ones called ‘Tino’, ‘Berwald’, and Dane to the stove and covered them with blankets as well.  I only had two blankets left so Dane had to share with the tall blond male with glasses, the one called ‘Berwald’ I think.  Now that I think about it their all blond, save for ‘Brother’, and I noticed earlier that at least three of them had blue eyes.  Look-a-like’s much?

When I was finally done I checked on the one male who didn’t have a title as of now and noticed he was still awake, but barely.  I readjusted the blanket on him.  Before closing his eyes he murmured “Thank you…” and fell asleep.

The storm was still raging outside and my gut told me it wasn’t going to let up any time soon.  I was glad I had plenty of food and water for emergencies like this.  Looking over the five males, I couldn’t help but notice how attractive they were.  Especially the one I was lying next too.  They seemed like nice people, but despite that I felt weary around them.  What if they found out what I was?  I didn’t want that to happen again.  It was bad enough the first time.

Shaking my head I sighed, “I will just have to wait and see what happens.  Hopefully I won’t have to tell them the truth.” I murmured.  I snapped my jaw shut when the one next to me shifted in his sleep.  I sighed in relief when he didn’t wake up.  Glancing one last time outside, I laid my head down and closed my eyes, prepared for sleep.

‘This should be interesting.’