The New Wolf

Chapter Twelve

Icy rose up protectively and Ember was about to transform. I showed my own sharp teeth, ready to spring. An animal jumped out in a flash and I landed on it without thinking. 

"Hey, what was that for?" The animal was a wolf with gray-brown eyes and gray fur. 

"Riptide??" I released him. 

"Yes, who else would I be?" He acted hurt. 

I helped him up, "Sorry!"

"It's okay, I know you'll make it up to me!" He shot me a smile. 

My face burned and I had never been so thankful for the wolf fur covering my face. I smiled back at him, then turned to Icy. 

"Do you two know each other?" Ember asked. 

"Yeah, you could say that," Riptide stood beside me. 

"How did you find us? Where's the bear? Wh--" I remembered the waterfall. 

"Oh...um yeah, it's funny, really," he answered with a sheepish smile. 

"Oh, no, where is it?" 

"It chased me here, I lost it for the moment but it could catch up to me any second."

As if on cue, a roar scared our tails off and we ran the opposite way. Why, Riptide?! I scolded him in my head as if he could hear me. 

Icy broke off from the rest of us. "Where are you going?" My call was not loud enough, but I caught on and split away from Riptide and Ember, who took their own paths. I bounded through the forest a little too excitedly, but I loved the wind making my fur bristle.  

I looked behind me to find that the bear had not followed me. But if he didn't...who did he chase? There were no calls for help, but I skidded to a stop. The wind picked up and carried Ember's scent. I followed the smokey scent-trail to a rocky ridge behind the bare trees.

Another scent mixed with his, and I knew the bear had followed him. "Ember!" I howled as I watched the phoenix.

But his strong wings carried him through the air, flames forming a halo around him. He burned the fur right off the bear's upper forepaw. The bear batted Ember's face, but his fiery feathers burned its paw.

I threw myself at the bear, tearing the bear's fur as I slowly scraped down its back. I climbed up and stood on the ridge near Ember, feeling the heat of the fire surrounding him.

The bear stood on two paws, rising up to reach me. Its roar was answered with my howl. I drew blood from his ear, and the bear clamped its jaws around my paw.

I was dragged down from the rocky platform and onto the grass again. The bear lifted me up with the same paw and dropped me from a short height. I'd landed on my paws, but fell over from the impact.

Ember jumped in again with his own series of tearing fur and biting. He finished off with a burn from the fire that surrounded him in a halo.

With a final roar, the beast turned and ran until it disappeared into the forest.

Ember and I followed our own trails back to our meeting place, a clearing in the midst of the brush and trees of the woods where Shadow and Riptide had already made it.

"That bear won't be coming back any time soon," Ember remarked.

"He wouldn't dare!" I smiled.