A Boy And A Cub

• Murray Macgroarty, Grade 6, Emmanuel Catholic Primary School
• Short Story
• 2019

Finalist in the 'Inspired 2019' competition

My feet were penetrated by cold and my blood felt like a frozen river. Papa and the hunters were kilometres away and because of a blizzard I had lost them in the hunt. The wind screamed through my ears and snow thundered down as I quietly stumbled along without direction. Only God knows how long I was hobbling along until a sharp and loud yelp pierced the air above and around. I went in the direction I thought it came from and before I knew it I had almost tripped over a motionless wolf, it had died. Its body was bloodstained half buried in red snow and shredded, three arrows protruded out of its lower torso.
I knelt down beside it and saw movement, and slowly, very slowly, a small white wolf cub uncovered itself from its dead parent. It looked up at me with small piercing eyes and started whining. At that moment I crumbled down to a sitting position picked it up and hugged it. How it was so warm, it reminded me of Papa’s comforting hand holding me so close I could feel his heart saying he loved me, and know he was looking at me with pride. It reminded me of Mama at the village how she would hug me every time I came and left the house and it reminded me of the coals we would sit around when Papa would tell stories with such excitement. The baby wolf’s fur was the purest of white and felt of the softest fabric. The cub started whimpering, a shiny tear rolled gently down my cheek and off to the icy ground below. I must stay strong to protect this cub, man has struck its carer down, so man can pay its debt. I trudged along in the snow still with no direction but now with a sense of purpose.
It seemed like an eternity when suddenly the wolf cubs ears twitched and moments later a long howl washed over us like waves of wind. The cub yapped quickly twice in one direction and I took off in a ferocious gallop to the source of the sound. When I got to the sound’s source, I saw the worst scene imaginable. There before me Papa lay in a heap on the frosted land. I placed down the little wolf and ran to Papa, tears instantaneously came gushing down my face when I saw he was dead.
“PAPA!!!” I bellowed beating down on the snow.
“These wolves are pure evil boy!” a hunter growled coldly.
I looked at the wolf, it’s razor sharp teeth bared and it’s eyes narrowed on me. Then, I glared at the hunter, his long menacing arrow was drawn, his eyes glowing with anger. I stood up, the tears stopped, I stepped over my father and stood between the wolf and the hunter.
“Stop” I said calmly as the wolf cub walked over to the other wolf and stared strongly.
Then boy and cub left silently.