Caelestis

Chapter 18

Chapter 18: I Get a New Pet

That night was sleepless. First, I couldn't fall asleep because I was too excited for the upcoming day. Next, when I finally did start to drift off, there was a knock at my door. I looked up and pushed the covers off of me. I took the dagger in my hand and walked over to the door. I slowly opened it. Ben was standing right outside with a small candle and a bundle in his arms.

"What are you doing?" I whispered hoarsely.

"Just let me in and I'll tell...I mean show you," Ben replied. I opened the door up a bit more and let Ben into my room. I looked around for Skye but didn't see him. I sighed. Ben set the candle on my dresser and the bundle on the floor.

"What's that?" I asked. Ben sat down on the floor and I copied. He pulled the cover off of whatever was in the bundle and I gasped. A small, gray wolf cub fell out and stood up. She looked at me and then stretched out her head so she could lick my fingers.

"Ben! Where in Caelestis did you find that wolf pup?" I asked.

"It's one of the ones from the litter we saw earlier today," he replied.

"What?" I shot a look at Ben, tears brimming in my eyes. "Why did you take her from her mother?"

"I...I didn't," Ben stammered. "When I went back to the old oak tree to pick up the arrows I had left there, I found the mother wolf completely skinned with four arrows in her chest and two in her side. When I looked further, I noticed several gashes in her side. She must have put up a good fight to protect those cubs." I gasped with a lump rising in my throat and looked at the wolf pup that was now sleeping in my lap. My lip shook and a few soft tears trickled down my face. "Knowing that those pups would need someone to care for them, I went into the woods to look for them," explained Ben.

"Who would have killed the mother and just left her like that? Why?" I asked, voice trembling.

"Well," replied Ben, "a group of men go out every other month to hunt wolves. They say that the wolves keep killing off all their livestock but I think it's just an excuse. The hide of a she wolf is prized among all the furs you can find, especially if it's white. There are plenty of deer in the woods for the wolves to hunt. Why would they eat the sheep? I think it's the Gramores doing." Ben paused and scratched the pup's ear. "Anyway, when I finally found the pups," he sighed, "I was too late. The hunters had killed and skinned all of them, too." I glared. I couldn't believe that someone could be so heartless. I was so mad.

"So where did she come from?" I asked, pointing to the sleeping wolf on my lap.

"I sat down on a log and I heard a sniffle coming from inside the den. I shined my torch into the den and saw a little, gray wolf pup. I coaxed her out and gave her a little of my dinner. Then, I picked her up, flew back to the castle, and came to your room," Ben finished and stood up.

"Where are you going?" I ordered.

"I have to go to bed now," Ben explained. "I brought the pup home because I knew you would want to take care of her."

"Thanks, but," I said, "how do you take care of a wolf pup?"

"Trust your gut," was all Ben said. He headed out the door but stopped abruptly. "I named her Ardennais, just so you know."

"Ardennais?" I asked.

"Yeah. It means 'little one' in ancient elvish language. Ben smiled and left. Ardennais looked up at me and whined.

"What?" I asked. "You hungry?" She stood up and barked. I put my hand around her muzzle and looked at the door. "Shh! Don't wake anyone up!" I whispered. Then I stood up and took a piece of unfinished bread and some roast beef off of my dinner plate and fed it to her. She wolfed it down and then trotted over to my bed. She tried to jump up onto it but just fell down with a thud. I laughed and stood up. Ardennais looked at me as I walked over to her. I smiled, picked her up and set her on the bed. Immediately, she curled up and went to sleep. I climbed up in bed, too, and slipped under the covers. Closing my eyes, I heard Ardennais walk up to my pillow and crawl under the covers with me. She licked my fingers and whimpered softly. She missed her mother.