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Tim had waited a long time for his pack to come back to the den, but they hadn't. Tim had worried for a long time that they would leave him behind. He’d heard the whispers of runt, weakness, burden; he’d seen how they looked at him, but he still hadn't thought they’d really leave him.
The sun had gone down the first day, and they hadn't come back from the hunt.
They didn’t come back the next day, either.
On the third day, he tried to follow their stale scent, but he could only follow it as far as the banks of a swift-moving river. He remembered his mama telling him that if he ever needed to run away from someone chasing his scent, he should run through the water to lose them.
Tim was too small to try to swim to the other bank, so he stayed on his side, walking first up one way, then down the other as far as his little legs would carry him.
He was so hungry when he curled up under a bush to sleep. All he’d eaten since his parents had left him was a fat newt that had been mostly dead already.
He wasn’t going to last long without his pack.
Tim didn’t know what to do. He didn’t even know where he was going, just that he needed to keep moving until he found something. He was too small to last on his own, and too weak to make his pack want him back if he did find them. What could he do?
Tim whimpered as he pressed on through the woods on achy paws. He didn’t want to die. He was just a puppy! He wanted to grow up and be big!
Awooooo!
Tim froze in his tracks. That was a wolf call, and not one he recognized. It was distant, but…
Awooooo!
Arooo!
Tim’s ears perked, and his tail wagged hopefully. That was a pack calling to each other, and one of those calls sounded like a puppy! Tim was a puppy! They could be friends!
Maybe that pack would be okay with a runt puppy. He would grow up and be very useful when he was big! He’d promise, and he’d try to be useful right away so they’d like him!
Tim set off toward the unfamiliar wolf call with a skip in his step. This was going to be a good day after all.
Tim was a bit less sure it was going to be a good day when he came to the border of his new pack’s territory. He could smell several of them, and they all smelled really strong. Even the puppy scent was older than Tim guessed. Would he be too little for them after all?
It was too late to turn back now, though. He was so hungry, and either the alpha of the pack would kick Tim out, and he’d stave to death, or the pack alpha would kill Tim, or the alpha would pick Tim up and carry him to a den and feed him lots of meat because the alpha loved when little pups wanted to be his.
The pack called to each other a few more times, and Tim tried to keep up, but they were so fast. Or maybe they just had big legs. Tim did not have big legs, and it made him sad and slow.
It was only once the sun had nearly gone down that Tim found the pack in a clearing high up the mountain. Golden light filtered through the leaves, showing Tim his new pack sprawled out in front of him.
There was an older wolf lying drowsily in the entrance to the coziest looking den Tim had ever seen, and a nearly full-grown one stretching from tail to toe.
The pack had caught a deer, and the sight of what was left of it made his empty stomach throb and his mouth water. Maybe, if they decided to kill him, they could feed him first. Tim would like that.
Not far from the older wolf, the alpha Tim had smelled all through the territory lay with the older pup. The alpha was huge, bigger than any other wolf Tim had ever seen in his life. His head was the size of Tim’s whole body! The pup contentedly being groomed between his paws really was a fair amount bigger than Tim. They could still be friends, Tim was pretty sure. Friends sounded like a lot of fun!
The wind was carrying their scent toward him, and not his scent toward them, so they hadn't noticed him yet. If he wanted to run away, this was his only chance.
If he ran away, he was going to die in a few days. If he ran to the pack, they might kill him. If he stayed where he was, he was going to be hungry until they found him and either killed him or accepted him.
Tim watched as the pack alpha groomed the puppy’s fur. He wanted to be groomed to. If the alpha was busy, maybe one of the others could groom him? Tim was really dirty after having no pack to groom him for almost five days. And he was so hungry, too. The pack looked really nice, so they’d want him, right?
Only one way to find out. Tim took a deep breath, shook himself from head to toe to get shed as many leaves and twigs as he could, then he scrambled out from under his hiding bush into the clearing.
As soon as he’d revealed himself, the older wolves all shot up, growling and looking for the threat. The pup pressed himself to the dirt, safe from his place hidden under the alpha. It took them a second to look down and find Tim.
Tim froze for just a moment before remembering that he was supposed to be a good pup, and good pups were always glad to see their pack.
Tim gave a happy yip of greeting and trotted forward like he’d always belonged. The other wolves just stared in shock.
Tim hesitated as he got closer. Should he go to the pack alpha and submit? The alpha was guarding a puppy, though, and he might not like Tim getting close even though Tim was just a puppy too. The other pup who was almost-grown up might be safer, but sometimes young wolves got scared. Tim got scared of lots of things, but if this wolf got scared, he might hurt Tim or kill him.
Grownup wolves who weren’t protecting puppies were never scared of anything, though, so Tim made up his mind. He skipped over to the oldest wolf, who stared down at Tim like Tim was a bunny who’d just sprouted wings and flew away.
Tim yipped again and wagged his tail to say I’m so happy to see you! He hoped the other wolf understood.
The oldest wolf stared at him a moment more, then lowered his head and leaned very close to Tim. He wasn’t growling, but it was very scary to have the wolf so close to him. This wolf wasn’t as big as the alpha, but he would still be able to kill Tim with one bite, especially when Tim was this close.
The oldest wolf nuzzled Tim’s neck, carefully investigating the puppy in front of him. Tim flinched at the cold press of the wolf’s wet nose against his skin. Those teeth were so close to Tim’s throat…
The oldest wolf sniffed Tim several times, then lowered his snout to sniff at Tim’s stomach. He had to nudge Tim a few times before Tim got the message and rolled obediently onto his stomach.
He wagged his tail, hoping the pack saw what a good puppy he was being for the oldest wolf. Being a good puppy was better than being big and strong, surely! He would be very good for their pack!
The oldest wolf sniffed all over Tim’s tummy for a long time before giving a small wuff and licking a kiss onto Tim’s face. Tim’s tail wagged even harder, so hard it hurt. The wolf liked him!
Then a second nose pressed against Tim’s stomach, and Tim froze.
It was the alpha.
It was all Tim could do to keep from whimpering as the oldest wolf stood up, leaving Tim to the mercy of the alpha.
The alpha was even more curious about Tim, and less gentle. He nosed insistently all over Tim’s body, pushing Tim with his nose to roll him over when he wanted a different part of Tim’s body. Tim stayed still like a dead mouse the whole time the alpha’s teeth hovered just over his skin.
Only when he’d sniffed all over Tim’s whole body did the alpha back away. Tim had less than a second to relax before a massive set of vicious teeth closed around his scruff and lifted him into the air.
Tim did whimper. What had he done wrong? He hadn't meant to make the alpha mad! He hadn't meant to be small and unlovable!
Tim thought he was going to be carried down the mountain and thrown off a cliff or just torn to shreds, but instead, the alpha carried Tim back to where he’d been lying and set Tim down right beside the other puppy.
Tim stayed stiff and frozen as the alpha lowered him to the ground and Tim’s dirty fur brushed against the clean, well-groomed fur of the older pup. He was messing up all the work the alpha had done by getting the other pup dirty again!
The older pup didn’t seem to mind. Instead of snarling or growling, he leaned over and sniffed Tim like the others had, but he only sniffed a couple seconds before he yipped softly in greeting and licked over Tim’s ear.
The big pup was grooming him? Tim’s tail thumped hesitantly against the leafy ground.
The alpha laid down over top of them, corralling the two of them with his forelegs, then he started grooming Tim too, nibbling out tangled twigs and matted fur.
Tim shuddered in relief and slumped against his new packmates as the last, nearly-grownup wolf came toward them with a happy wuff. Tim liked being groomed and not being eaten. He liked it a lot.