The big female wolf picked me up and placed me on her neck. Her fur was really warm and inviting. If not for the curiosity of where we are going, I would've fallen asleep in her embracing fur and the steady up and down of her moving.

Now that I could see and I wasn't distracted with finding shelter, I looked at the forest closely. Beautiful trees were everywhere. Some green, some white, some blue. Some big, some small. Some tall, some short. Some had leaves, some had needles. Some were home of squirrels(funny, why am I so worked up?), some were the home of birds.

Those birds were small, and some were big. Their plumage were beautiful. Streaks of color flew threw the sky. There were babies just like me with brothers and sisters who all had mothers to feed them, care for them.

For a moment my heart sunk; I felt cold and alone. Then words rang out inside me and I felt the warmth beneath me.

'You're not alone. Not now. Not ever.'

I stared straight ahead, and soon we came out to a clearing. In that clearing was a small wood cabin.

I could tell it was old and used, smoke still seeping out of its chimney. Around the cabin, there was a stump with an old rusted ax resting against it, a stable that hasn't been used in years, and a field that, surprisingly, had many crops flourishing in it. Big green leaves stretching a foot in either direction from the plant. There were some plants completely frozen, though I got a feeling that was natural.

We were at the door of the cabin now and I was wondering how we would get in when the door swung open all on its own.

I was very surprised and I thought I hid it well, but apparently not because Adolf said proudly, "You surprised? I bet you are! Mother's the best physic of all the wolves! Even my amazing talent hasn't caught up to her yet!"

"Adolf, quite," the big female wolf chided Adolf.

The inside of the cabin was, surprisingly, furnished with new furniture, bookshelves, beds, writing desks, even candles.

They must've been magic candles because all of them lit up at the same time when the door opened.

My amazement was almost palatable, but it was interrupted by a large growl.

*GRRR*

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The big male turned towards me but spoke to the wolf holding me, "Accalia, feed her. I'll take Adolf and Ptolemy to gather food." He turned to the biggest of the three and said, "Loki, please arrange a place for... Artemis to sleep."

All the males left and only Accalia and I were left. It was at this point that I realized the growl was mine and it was coming from my stomach. I blushed and looked downwards in embarrassment. 

Accalia lowered herself to the ground and slid me off onto the bed. She then climbed up herself and laid down, stomach facing me. She reached out her paw and pulled me in. I was so hungry my natural pup instincts took over and a warmth flowed into my mouth. It had a really pleasant flavor. It was creamy and sweet and most importantly filling. I felt like I hadn't eaten anything in weeks, which to some extent was true.

Minutes flew by and soon over half an hour passed.

I stopped feeding and backed up. When I looked up to Accalia, her face was right in front of me. I was a little startled, but soon calmed down when I felt a warm tongue pass over my mouth, catching excess milk. She then started to clean me until soon I fell asleep.

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It wasn't long after Accalia finished that her son, Loki found his way back to the main room.

He whispered to her, "Mother, what are we doing? She is a white fur, how can we take care of her? Don't you even remember why we're here?!"

"Loki, my son, I hate white furs more than you could ever imagine, but first and foremost, I am a mother. That child is as innocent as the day she came out of the womb and she is as innocent as the children who were killed. Do you want to be like the people you hate? Do you want to stoop to their level? Are you going to be a deceiving, sinister, horrible man when you grow up? All because of fur color?" Accalia spoke to Loki in a calm and collected voice, but she was unrelenting causing Loki to slowly cower back.

"BUT!" He tried to speak.

"No! If you want to base your hatred of vile men on their fur then you're no better than them and your not my son," She responded fiercer than before and did speak a word more.

"Okay," Loki grumbled.

Their conversation ended with that and silence prevailed the cabin until Harou, Adolf, and Ptolemy came back with fruit, nuts, and a few dead rabbits.

Possibly due to the smell of food or the loud noises, Artemis woke up and started to cry.

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I slowly opened my eyes, still crying and confused about what was real and what was a dream, or rather nightmare.

I was in an icy tundra. There were no trees, no plants, no animals, and even the sun was blocked by the constant blizzard. The snow and hail were horizontal. I was cold and alone. I wanted to see mother more than anything, I wanted to hear a comforting voice that belonged to her. After what seemed like years of being alone I finally saw my mother, but before she could say anything her face turned to ice and the ice turned to dust. I could hear a voice. It was my own but not my own.

It taunted me.

'You killed her!'

"No, I didn't," I screamed.

'You killed her and now you're alone!'

"No, I'm not!" I shouted back.

It repeated those words over and over until it all blended together.

'You killed her!' 'You killed her!' 'You killed her!!' 'You killed her!!!'

I couldn't hear myself. I couldn't close my eyes. Her face turning to dust repeated over and over.

'NO, I DIDN'T!'

"Squeak!"

I opened my eyes, and I was back in the cabin.