Ice -- Wolv book II

1 - Shelter

It was the first sign of civilization we'd seen in nearly a month.

I blinked my eyes, not believing what they were showing me. Out here, literally in the middle of nowhere...who the heck would ever think of putting something like this out here? My mind questioned itself, yet came up with no plausible explanation. Perhaps it had been built ages ago; now, long forgotten, it stood exposed to the elements, slowly crumbling into rubble. In the dusk, the shadows that it cast were long and ominous, stretching out across the ground and painting an eerily frightening picture.

I let my tail wag a few times, and studied the structure up ahead, testing the air with my nose. I could detect the faintest scent of fish--old fish, probably thick with rot by now at that--but my mouth began to water nonetheless. Just the thought of food was more than enough to elicit a wagging response from my extended spine. I was starving.

We all were.

"Who builds a fish cleaning shack out here?" My ears perked as the soft, almost melodious voice floated through the air, voicing what we all were wondering. Inadvertently, I felt myself lean sideways until I could feel a soft coat of fur press up against my own.

The owner of the voice stood next to me, and she pressed herself into my side. I nuzzled the dark, brown fur that wrapped itself around her neck, and inhaled, enjoying her earthy yet pleasant scent.

"Doesn't matter. It'll do for tonight."

We cautiously stepped ever closer to the ancient building, sniffing the air as we went. If there was anyone inside, we would have to leave and find shelter somewheres else--the sight of four, starving wolves approaching oneself would be enough to provoke a dangerous, possibly deadly response, and frankly, we were far too tired to be chasing humans away at this hour.

"Smells all clear to me." In a blur of grey fur, the largest of my companions raced forward, unable to resist the temptation of sustenance any longer.

I followed after him, crouching low to the ground as we approached the shack. It was little more than a shed, hewn out of thick slabs of lumber and painted a faded brown. The door to the interior was twisted and warped; the glass that had once stood within the wooden frame of the entrance had long since been shattered and swept away over the years, leaving only a wooden rectangle, covered with a rusted metal mesh intended to keep bears and other wildlife out. Two windows had been cut into the side of the shack; as with the door, the glass had long since been removed, leaving only the brown metal safety mesh.

The giant grey wolf stopped at the door, sniffing the shack once more. He raised a massive, clawed paw, and hooked his nails on the mesh. He pulled his foreleg back, gently opening the door in the process. The metal hinges groaned in protest, sending a bone-chilling screech through the night. I cringed at the sound, and laid my ears back, hissing softly.

"Easy there, Hutch. We don't want to wake up the whole neighborhood."

The grey wolf--Hutch--ignored me, and pushed his way into the shack, and a much smaller, reddish-brown wolf followed him closely. I turned to my partner and flicked my head towards the shack.

"Well, home sweet home...I guess. Shall we?" I huffed dejectedly. I didn't like the idea of her sleeping in such a miserable looking place, almost as much as I didn't like the idea of spending the night in there myself. But it was shelter, and by now, we all knew from experience that any amount of shelter was preferable over being exposed to the elements. As the temperatures had began to drop down to freezing during the nights, shelter had become more of a necessity than an option.

The two of us stepped into the shack after our compatriots, and I blinked my eyes in the dim light as my vision quickly adjusted.

The shack was nothing special--four walls and a roof. A sagging table stood in one corner, full of deep gouges and dark stains left by years of filleting knives and countless prized catches. the remains of a pike were strewn over the table, casting a thick odor across the room.