New Home, New Town, New Life

"We're here?" I paused. "This is where we are moving?"

"Yes. This is our new home. It's not much, but it's home" My father said.

Looking at this old, gross house that is going to take forever to fix, I let out a sigh. "There is no was I'm going to live here. Drive me home. I'll live on my own there."

"Oh come on Pen, this will be a good new home. Just like the last one."

"Not a chance Hank. I'm not living here. To be honest, I'd rather live beside Mom's grave. In a grave of my own."

"Pen, that's enough. We are going to live here and will you please stop calling me Hank? I'm your father so call me Dad or something."

"Not going to happen. You left Mom when she told you she was pregnant. I'm not calling you anything but Hank."

I'm Penelope Windford. My mother died about a month ago. My father, unfortunately, is Hank Freeman. He's not the best person in the world. Hank is more of a one night stand guy. When my mother died, he took me in. He doesn't know how to raise anything. Not even a dog.

"Pen!" Hank called for me.

"What?"

"Can you help me unpack please?"

"No, I'm busy."

"What are you busy with?"

"I'm going out." I was blunt.

"But we aren't done unpacking yet." He was practically begging.

"Are you really going to take my right to go out on my own away from me too now?"

"No. I'm just asking for help. Don't parents ask their kids for help anymore?"

"Not really. They do it themselves nowadays."

"Well I'm old school, come help me."

"Not a chance, I'm out. Later!"

I walked out of the house, hearing Hank calling me. Telling me to come back. "You can ground me all you want. I'm not going to listen to you, asshole." I muttered to myself. I walked around in the forest. Feeling like I was being followed. "Hank, I'm not helping you unpack your shit." I turned around, but no one was there. "Whatever." I mumbled. I kept walking, but I also kept feeling like I was being followed. "Okay enough! Come out!" I yelled, but nothing came out into view."I will wait you out!" I paused. "I mean it!" Still, nothing came out. I huffed and sat down. I had patience, and a lot of it. I will wait them out.

I sat there for almost two hours, when a small pearl white wolf cub came out from behind a tree. "So you were the one following me." It sat there and waited for me to get up. "I'm not going to move. If you're here, your mother isn't too far away." I t whimpered and laid down. "I'm still not moving. I don't feel like getting killed over your cuteness."

I sat there for another ten minutes before I finally gave in. I sighed and got up, slowly walking over to the pup. "Where is your mother?" I asked, patting its little head. It whimpered again then let out a long and loud howl. I stood up with my heart pounding in my chest. I waited about twenty minutes, but nothing came. "You lost your mom." It whimpered and nuzzled up to my to my legs. "Oh, no. I can't bring home a wolf. My dad would kill me." It looked at me, giving my those cute puppy eyes.

I gave in and walked home with it in my arms. "You are very lucky that you are cute, but I don't think Hank is going to like this." When I opened the front door, I could hear Hank yelling from the kitchen. "Don't tell me."

I ran to the kitchen. I was right, Hank was trying to cook. "Hank! Put the fire out!"

"What do you think I'm doing!"

"Not with that!" I grabbed a half full pot of water and dumped it on the fire. "Jeez! What are you trying to do? Burn down the house?"

"No. I was trying to cook dinner for us. You know, food."

"Well, from now on, leave the cooking to me. You clearly can't cook."

"I wanted to at least try to be a decent father, but fine. I'll leave the cooking to you." He looked away. "Why is there a dog in the house?'

"Uh, because I found it, and, it's not a dog. It's a wolf."

"What!?"

"Yes, a wolf."

"Put it back were you found it! Now! Before its mother comes looking for it!"

"Its mother is dead!" I yelled over Hanks panicking.

"What?" He said. He was a lot calmer now. Or, at least seemed like her was calmer.

"Its mother is dead. It howled and nothing responded nor came to us. So I told it I would take it home."

"What's the gender?" Hank asked.

I shrugged. "Don't know. I haven't looked." Hank walked toward it quickly and went to touch it. "I wouldn't touch it if I were you."

"Why not?" He reached out, and it bit him. "Ouch!"

"I told you." I gave him that I told you so look.

"Why doesn't it bite you?"

I shrugged. "Because I saved it. I guess.

"Will you please stop calling me an 'it'!? I'm a girl!"The wolf spoke.

Both my father an I stared at her in shock. My brain couldn't handle what just happened. "Did- Did you just--" My words trailed off and I fell over.

"Hello?" A girls voice said. I opened my eyes to see the wolf pup standing beside me. "Oh good! You're alive. Most of the things that fall like that are things I have killed or just croaked on their own."

"Well, I didn't croak. I just fainted. But, why are you talking and where is my dad?"

"Well I see you didn't croak, and what's 'fainted' mean? I can talk because I'm from a different part of the forest. I also put your dad on the couch."

"It means you have had an over whelming experience and your brain can't handle it. How did you get Hank on the couch?"

"I picked him up. Like I said, I'm from a different part of the forest."

"What part?"

"A part where you humans can't get to. There's many animals there, talking ones too."

"Try me. Take me there, I'd like to see this place."

"I can't take you. The elders will be really mad at me. Same with my Daddy."

"What's your name?" I asked.

"I don't have one. I'm not old enough to have one, so everyone calls my Six."

"Well, in my part, everyone gets a name the day they are born. Like me, my name is Penelope but everyone calls me Pen. A nickname."

"Well, I'm Six."

"Well. I'm going to call you Snowflake."

"But that's against the law. I cannot have a name." Snowflake finally stopped the sass she had, but it was replaced with fear.

"Are you anywhere near your father or the elders?" I raised my eyebrow at her.

"No. I'm about ten miles south from them."

"Well than, your name is Snowflake." I smiled brightly at her. She sighed and sat down, shaking her head.

I headed to the living room. I attempted to wake Hank up, but he wouldn't wake up. So, I grabbed a blanket and put it on him. "I hope you know this is all you're getting out of me Hank." I whispered.

"He sleeps so peacefully, doesn't he?"

"He does, but I still hate him. Though I think I just have to get to know him a but more."

"That is all you have to do, but with the way you are fidgeting, you aren't ready for that yet."

I shook my head. "You're right. I'm not ready."

"When you are ready, I can help you through it. If you would like that."

I nodded. "That would be good, but right now, I think we should get to bed."

"But I'm a night creature." Snowflake protested.

"Snowflake, don't make me pick you up and carry you in bed."

"I'm coming." Her voice was nearly emotionless.

As soon as Snowflake was asleep, I grabbed my boots and coat. "I'm going ten miles to the south, or about that." I thought to myself. I left the house as quietly as I could and took off toward the south. "Okay, I should come across something not normal when I get that. I said to myself.

I was jogging for about nine miles when something tackled me to the ground. I closed my eyes and kept them closed, making my body go limp. Soon enough, they stopped pinning me and I stayed at still as I could.

"Hey, Boss! We got human here!" A male voice sounded.

"Yeah and she smells smoke like Six, Sir." Another male said.

"Follow the human's scent back to where is came from. See if Six is there. If not, destroy the place or area and kill the human." A female said.

My heart started pounding and my breathing picked up. I didn't want to die. Not at this age! I did something stupid, I sat up. "I know where Snow- Six is. She's at my house. Please, don't destroy my house and please don't hurt my father.He didn't do anything, I did. I'm the one who found her and took her with me. But I swear, I didn't hurt her. She's on the second floor, sleeping in my room. Please don't kill me." I rambled on.

I was scared, I really was. But, I had to protect my dad. No matter how must I hated him. Although, I liked Snowflake too. "Why do you want Six back?"

"That is none of your concern human!" The female wolf yelled.

"Tell me or I'll call my dad and tell him to get his shotgun ready!" I yelled right back at her.

"Our kind does not belong out here! Six has to go back to her mother and father!"

"No need to keep yelling. But, Six told me that her mother was dead." I said.

"She's not dead! I'm her mother!"

"What?" I was very confused as to why Snowflake would lie to me.

"That's right. I'm her mother" She must have caught on to my confused look.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"I can't tell you. I already have a life partner"

"What's a life partner?" I asked. I guess she figured I wasn't much of a threat.

"When one of us becomes of age, we come out here and find a human who likes us. They then give us a name and we bring them home with us. Six however, is not old enough to be out here."

"Mother!" Snowflake yelled.

"Six! You're home! Come back inside. with us."

"No, and my name is Snowflake. Not Six."

"What? Who gave you a name?"

"Pen did. She's my life partner."

"But you can't! You aren't old enough! It's against the law!"

"Well it's too late now. I'm not going back in there. At least not without Pen." Snowflake puffed her little chest out in pride. I felt proud of her too.

"Six--"

"It's Snowflake!" Snowflake cut her off. I saw her mothers teeth start to show and my body stiffened in fear.

"Snowflake, I'm sorry to say this but, you are under arrest for breaking the law. You know and have your rights. You also know the penalty for breaking this law."

"I know I do, but you can't kill me because that involves killing my life partner and her father. That would be two innocent lives and their blood on your paws."

Snowflake's mother dropped her head. "I can't kill you or your partner."

"I know you can't. You are too old to have more pups and I am your only child."

"Why do you have to be so damn smart?" Snowflake's mother growled.

"Because I'm a genius and you know it." She said. She was a very sassy pup.

Snowflake, her mother and I along with the other creatures went into a large cave. "I'm sorry to ask suddenly but, what about my dad?He's going to look for me."

"He will stop looking after a few years." Snowflakes mother was blunt.

"But I can't just leave him! I'm the last thing he has left.After my mom died, he was the first one to speak up in taking me in. Have you ever lost someone you loved very much?"

It took her a while to respond. "My name is Jenora and yes I have. I lost all my children to sickness , I lost my partner and I'm losing my mate. The sickness has gotten to him and he has just lost his life partner."

"I lost my mom, my friends and my home." I looked down at my feet.

"You have taken the last thing I have left! Six was supposed to be mine for another four months, but you had to take her from me! You had to give her a name! If only I could have found her before you did. If only I could have been a better mother to her. If only--" She trailed off.

I knelt down beside her and hugged her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up." I whispered into her ear.

We got out of the cave, and entered a beautiful place. Trees, green grass, animals and humans from all over the world. "Wow." I whispered.

"It's not much, but this is home." Snowflake said.

"Not much? This place is beautiful!"

"Not really. Not when you are born here and have no friends."

"Why don't you have any friends, Snow?"

"Because no one like runts. Why did you call me 'Snow'?"

"It's a short form of Snowflake, or in easier terms, a nickname."

"Oh, okay." Was all she said.

As we walked around, I heard some of the other animals making fun of her. "Hey Snow?"

"Yeah?"

"They don't know that you have a partner, do they?"

"No. We haven't had the ceremony yet. The only ones that know are my mom, her men, you and me."

"Than tell them." I bluntly stated.

"I can't do that. I'm too scared and I'm the youngest to have a partner."

"No need to be scared, I'm here for you, and you being the youngest is a good thing. It means you have something they probably don't." I smiled at her.

"That's true. I am the only one out of the four hundred kids my age to have a partner."

"Well than, tell them the next time they say something."

Her tail wagged. Wolves don't exactly have to facial muscles to smile. "I will." She said. I smiled at her and pat her head.

We were about halfway around the entire area before a young bear cub started teasing Snow. "Hey Six! Did you hear? Your mommy was looking for you. You have to go home for bed." He laughed.

"Shut up Eighteen! My name isn't Six, it's Snowflake! I have a life partner now!" Snow yelled at him.

"What? How can you have a partner? You are the youngest of us all."

"I went out on my own and found Pen." She said. I could hear the pride in her voice.

He looked up at me, astonished. "Get rid of her and take me. You're pretty."

"Not a chance. I picked Snow, not you."

"Why? She's nothing compared to a bear! A measly little puppy isn't as majestic as a bear is."

"Yeah? Well, bears sleep too much. I know a whole lot about bears and to be quite frank, I don;t like bares." He ran away crying. I knew it was going to have a bad ending. but I didn't care. No one was going to mess with Snow while I was around. In fact, not at all. "Come on Snow, I'm hungry."

"Same here, but we have to go to the ceremony before we can eat. It's a tradition that we don't eat before."

"Why is that?"

"Because, the elders want to see how we eat together before we get set into our own home."

"Oh. That's weird."

"It is, but that's the normal thing around here. You know?"

"I don't know, but I guess I'll have to get used to it." Snow giggled. I had never heard anything so cute in my life! "Your giggle is so cute!" I squealed.

"It's not that cute." She said. I could tell she was embarrassed.

"It totally is." I smiled at her.