FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

~(Begin)~

The Wolf of Castle Blackpaw: Part I

The snow blew in drifts across the forest floor as the wind howled across the tall silvery pines. He pulled his fur cloak closer around his body, desperate to keep the wind from seeping between his clothes. It was bitter cold, nothing like he had ever felt, and it bit at his skin even through his thick black winter fur. He wasn't even wearing much; just his old ridding pants, some leather fastened around his feet as makeshift boots, and of course the fur cloak that he had "acquired" days past from the hunter who was fast asleep. He stopped for a moment, standing in the cold blizzard and snow and thought to himself how much he really hated the fact he had stolen this cloak. That hunter may have needed it, but with that, he reminded himself, he surely needed it more. He shook the conflicting thoughts from his head, pulled the cloak tighter and trudged further through the snow.

The snow was getting high now, it was almost at his waste and the blizzard showed no signs of letting up. He needed to find shelter, and he needed to find it now, lest he freeze to death in this gods forsaken forest. The thought spurred the wolf on a little bit more, yes, shelter is what he needed and a nice fire! It seemed as though there was nothing but snow and pines, pines and snow out here though. He snapped his head to the right, his instincts taking hold, as he heard a crack over his shoulder. The ice and snow was starting to build up on the branches and the tree limbs were starting to break. With his attention towards the snapping branch, he forgot to check his footing and he slipped on an icy rock and tumbled down a bank till he heard a crack and a splash! His whole body, paw to ears was soaking wet. He had fallen in an ice covered creek. Quickly he pulled himself from the frozen waters and drug himself ashore.

His clothes were soaked, his fur was soaked and he was starting to shiver. He wanted to just lay there, he wanted this nightmare to just end. He wanted to just let the winter steal his soul and be done with it, but he was not so easily broken. His iron will had survived much worse, and he would be dammed if he was going to let a little snow and ice break it now. With all his might, he pushed his paws out in front of him, pushing the snow aside and as he began to push himself up, his water logged clothes began to crack as they had already started to freeze. He groaned and growled as the frozen cloak and pants cracked away from his body, snapping off bits of his thick black fur. It was if he was wearing garments made of ice at this point and he knew if he didn't find shelter in the next few minutes, he would be dead.

Even slower than before he pushed himself forwards. One foot forwards into the snow, dragging the other behind him, planting that foot in the icy snow, and dragging the other up behind. Then, just then, he thought he had heard the howl of a bull. He quickly looked around, turning his head from side to side frantically for the sign of life, but he didn't see anything. He thought to himself that it must be his mind, slowly losing its grip on reality, slipping into the endless madness. He pushed forward again, more carefully this time planting one foot in front of the other, but there it was again, the distinct loud call of a bull. He looked, turning his had side to side and again saw nothing, but then the call came again. His heart burned with the fires of hope and that added hope cracked a cocky grin on his muzzle as he said to himself, "Not today."

He followed the cries of the bull closer and closer till at last, just outside of the forest he spotted the silhouette of a building. As he got closer he realized that the building was indeed a barn. A fairly decent sized barn h had thought to himself, one probably with cozy warm hay for drying his frozen and soaked clothes and fur. He dragged his frozen body closer and closer till finally he could reach and touch the side of the wooden barn with and outstretched paw. He felt his way to a metal handle and recoiled as the frozen metal felt as if it had burned his paw. He drew both of his paws then in front of his muzzle and blew some warm air from his lungs into his paws, hoping to stay the icy metal for just a moment so he could pull the door open. He grabbed the handle firmly with his icy paws, wincing at the pain of the cold metal and pulled at the barn door, it only groaned under his efforts.

This couldn't be it, he was here, and shelter was inside! He needed to get inside! He cupped his paws in front of his muzzle again and gently blew what felt was the last of his warm breath into them, trying to regain some feeling in the tips of his paw's digits. Again he winced as he gripped the handle of the door and then, he pulled, and he pulled, and his mustered all of his rage and all of his anger into that door. He remembered being chased from his homeland, his kingdom, by the traitors he had called friends. He remembered his family being sacked and gagged, drug away in the night with nothing he could do. Most of all though, he howled at the thought of the betrayal that had cursed him out into this damned frozen wasteland! With that last thought the door creaked and cracked and groaned as the ice that had frozen it shut had broken away and the barn door slide open. The wolf gave a short sigh of relief before steeping inside and found a nice tall pile of hay to pull himself into.