The calm shades of the night had spread over the clouds and into the heavens, locking away the sun and its effulgent rays of light in an isolated chamber. The silence, peacefulness, and stillness of the night surrounded the resplendent sky. Darkness was tranquil, and the moon bathed in its bed of velvet sky. The silky, blazing stars beamed and glittered in the black, low clouds like the shimmering tears of angelic beings. A breeze of chilling wind descended over the snow-covered pine trees and stirred up a great ruffle. The tall, silent trees hung over the low, lonely plain and spread their bony arms across the sky hoping to embrace their brothers and friends. The clouds, barely in view, found their way across the sky and struggled jealously to steal the sky for themselves. They greedily marked their territories in the heavenly-filled sky of gleaming stars.

The fair boy awakened and felt his injured head. He has been bleeding slightly from his head and his right leg. Close to him, a stray dog with gray-coated fur was observing and sniffing the unfortunate boy. The boy was frightened by the dog, thinking that he would furnish the dog a good repast. He cowered. After observing that the dog was friendly and seeing that no harm was to come, the boy became less frightened. He pushed off a huge branch that had imprisoned his legs and got up slowly.

He moved cautiously towards the dog and petted his warm fur. Such a warm and pleasant feeling overcame him, and he was reminded, once again, of his wonderful memories of home. His heart began racing, as he thought of home and warmth. He began to look around, to see the familiar path back home. The blizzard that had knocked him out earlier had covered away all traces of the familiar path towards home. The boy was now in despair. His mind wandered once again, and he became cold and numb. He was used to this freezing cold all of his life, but this chilling feeling that overcame him was unbearable. He was stupefied; he had never been away from his home this far, and certainly never this long. Vertigo seized him, and now, more than ever, he felt tired. He needed to get home.

After a few minutes of solemn thinking, the boy shook off the build up of snow on his feet with his hands and dragged his feet out of the deep snow prints his feet created. He looked around for his ax and slowly retrieved it from the snow-covered ground. He stood up once again and gingerly began limping from tree to tree, with no true knowledge of direction but just by relying on his basic instincts to get home. The stray dog followed him like an obedient servant. The boy’s progress was slow, and the task became increasingly difficult with each step. His legs were becoming numb and stiff. A thin trail of blood ran from his leg wound towards the soft, clear snow.

The hours of the night has dwindled away, and the boy was even more entangled in the trees’ intricate maze like a fly struggling to escape a spider’s web. Lost, and hopeless, the boy became fatigued. Hunger enveloped him like a plastic bag suffocating a careless child. Walking soon became an unpleasant and difficult task. The boy came across a big tree trunk and decided to sit down. The dog, which has been following him loyally, also stayed with him. Somehow, the boy felt happy to have with him a friend. At least he would not be alone in this cold, cruel weather. No way was he going to lose his friend.

Suddenly, beast-like howls banged and echoed throughout the stirred forest like the fierce cries of savages chanting their barbaric rituals. Soon, from the shadows of the ominous trees, emerged the repulsive owners of the incessant snarls. The wolves, with sharp, piercing fangs and red, devilish eyes, had scented the blood and have tracked the injured boy down. They slowly circled around the boy and the dog, with the main focus of getting a nice supper. The wolves’ terrifying howls, resembling hideous laughs, flooded the forest with terror and dread. The boy shivered like an innocent rabbit caught in a trap, and he cowered, holding his ax for protection. As if the moment had ripened into a fruitful product, the wolves leaped upon the terrified boy and the dog. The boy swung his ax back and forth in front of him and tried to elude himself from danger, but the wolves managed to sink their sharp teeth in the boy’s delicate flesh. Pain, like venom, found its way into the boy, and it sponged into every nerve of the boy’s fragile body. It rushed through him, like a serpent striking a rat. The pain overwhelmed the boy, and unconsciousness took hold of the boy once more.

The night had grown darker and nearing the dead time of midnight; the moon was still shining clearly above the sky and added to that were the twinkling light of the stars. The boy awakened and realized that he was still alive. He looked around for his friend, and discovered that the dog was deeply injured. The dog lay lifeless, as the boy once was, next to a puddle of blood; every now and then, it gave a low yelp and struggled to move. The dog was bitten many times; there were vicious teeth marks around the dog’s neck and face. Blood dripped from his nose, neck, and ears like a leaking faucet. His body was also ripped apart, though the flesh remained somewhat intact. The dog suffered many wounds, but most were superficial, and the few that were serious, were not going to cost him his life. The boy felt sorry for the dog. He understood what had happened. When he was unconscious, the dog had managed to protect him and chased away the wolves. Even though the fight was tough, the dog had managed, with its heroic strength, to make the wolves realize that the food was not worth the trouble and leave. The dog had risked his life to save the boy, and the boy was deeply touched. A dog he had just met was willing to save his life. He slowly picked up the dog and carried the dog in his arms, as he continued on through the night. Truly, this new friendship the boy had found will always be thicker than blood.

Hunger filled the boys’ thoughts as he continued walking through the forest searching for a true shelter. Day light had reappeared. The sun danced on top of the sky cheerfully as it replaced the moon and regained its throne. Dawn had crept up on the boy, who was now asleep in a shelter he had made from a few branches he had gathered. The dog was still with him, still breathing and alive. There on the bed the boy had made with twigs and branches, the dog lay resting. The boy was famished. He had not eaten since that morning when he first came into the forest to chop down trees. Now he was starved. He tried his best to find berries and fruits, but there were none. All the animals had gone into hiding and it was impossible to hunt. Besides, the boy was too tired to catch animals. He felt depressed and mad by the minute. He had lost much blood, and he felt really tired and hungry. His mid swirled round and round. It was impossible for him to think clearly.

Suddenly, the boy smiled. A smile that was full of happiness and joy. He had came up with a brilliant idea. With his ax in hand, he looked for a large stone, and meticulously he began sharpening the ax. He worked on it carefully and skillfully as if his strength had came back to him. He felt happy and even began singing to himself. Time passed quickly and the ax got sharper than ever. When he felt that the ax was sharp enough, he went back to his shelter. He found the dog.

“I found food!” he said to the dog cheerfully. “I found food!”

The dog, as if he had heard the boy call his name, rolled his eyes up to look. He whimpered, showing a sign of acceptance. His eyes held the reflection of the boy with the sharp ax swinging forcefully downward.