A chance meeting chapter 2
the second chapter in the tale of Ben and Alanna
Chapter 2
She did not come around again for the next few days but before the week fully passed she returned. Carrying her little pup that seemed to be starving, she looked worse then before. Her fur and skin hanging, dirt caked and her tail dragged through the dust behind her, she set down her pup, barked once and collapsed. He saw it all, coming down from the tree and slowly padding towards the wolf with a soft purr in his throat. "Be still wolfling, I cannot carry you both so ill take you pup, if you can please follow me, it's a short distance."
Tears had been in her eyes and they welled up anew as she struggled to her feet standing protectively in front of her pup who had all but fallen asleep.
The raccoon just placed his paw on her nose, "it's okey, trust me for now, " ducking under the wolf he lifted the pup in his arms, presenting it to her and slowly stepped back, "this way."
He moved slow enough for her to be able to follow and not be worried he would run off with her pup, but she stayed on guard and the fur in her neck never went completely down. After a few turns and twists in the wood they found themselves at the entrance of a cottage, a human cottage.
The racoon carried the pup inside and placed him down in the bed in a side room, leaving the door open. " this is a place forgotten, humans used to come here and they kept the place well stoked, there is more canned food then either of us could eat in our combined lifetime. " She tilted her head, "Canned?" "yes ill show you, one moment please" stepping through a door and down some stairs he returned moments later with a paw full of tin cans, they had pictures of meat on them, she could make that out with ease, but there where strange symbols too. The raccoon motioned her to follow him as he made way to a small kitchen, a fire burned low in the stove so he added a few more pieces of wood. A pan was set on the stove and after opening the cans he dumped the contents into the pan, a beef stew, "this will take a little while. Please I ask you to be a bit more patient. In the mean time we should get you cleaned up. This way" Like a well trained house dog she followed him into another room that had a large tub, twisting the faucets a stream of hot water spilled in the tub and he stepped back, "Careful its hot" "what do I do with it? " she asked him calmly. "well... you get in."
Again she tilted her head, stepping up to the bath and sniffing the warm water, then she heaved her front paws to the edge, struggling a bit and finally giving up. "I can't " Ben smiled at her and moved behind her, "hold on." With his shoulder against her hind quarters he pushed her up and in the bath. Splashing around a bit when the unfamiliar heat caressed her body but quickly adapting she let her fur soak, turning the water a muddied brown, making the racoon turn the handle a bit more and letting the wolf rinse off all the dirt, then he stepped in with a plastic brush in paw. "Let me help you a bit." With slow even strokes he began to brush and clean her fur, first her head, then shoulders and from paws, her flank. Her hips, the outside of her hind legs and finally her tail. "this should do it then, and I believe the food is ready too, hold here for a second" leaning to the side he turned the water off and waited until the last of it was down the drain then he laid a towel over the wolf, " come to the kitchen when your dry, and please do not shake off inside the house".
Having to defy her core instincts she settled for splaying the towel on the ground and rolling over it to dry herself. Being clean had given her renewed energy and a soft smile on her muzzle as she made way to the kitchen, stopping every now and then to sniff objects of interest. There was no other scent that that of the raccoon, her son, and the delicious aroma of the stew being prepared. Pushing open the door with her muzzle she was greeted by the raccoon who sat on the floor next to a steaming bowl, filled with stew.
Without talking she just lurched forward and began to gulf it al down, burning her lips and tongue but not stopping to care. Meanwhile the racoon placed another bowl with clear clean water next to her meal which she drank to the bottom. " Go feed your pup now. We can talk later." Ben said to her. Walking back outside to hop on a chair on the patio.
She made her way to her sleeping pup who stirred, the meal having invigorated her much more then the bath had she hopped up the bed, curling around her pup and covered him with her tail, she gave a short whimper as his teeth sank into her nipple but then sighed happily, (drink little one, drink all you want, its there now..) and she drifted off to a very deep slumber, feeling much safer then she had the past year.