Chapter 1 - A Place to Call Home

Ajax found himself atop a hill on a cold winter's day peering out into an unfamiliar valley below. A river ran through, mostly iced over with the only running water right in the middle. Lifting his nose up, he sniffed the cool air. The valley was filled with unfamiliar scents and he grew excited to explore it.

Ajax trotted off down the hill top towards the river. His throat was dry from his travels and it had been a while since he had found a water source. He was thankful that water was plentiful in this valley. Ajax hoped to spend a while here.

When he reached the river's edge, he carefully stepped out onto the ice making his way to the running water. Ajax lowered his head and began to lap. The ice cold water splashed towards his mouth. Feeling satisfied, he leapt back up the river bank.

His ears perked up and he glanced around wondering which way he should head first. He decided to follow the river and see where it lead him. Ajax trotted off along the river, his paws making a thud with every step, his tail swishing back and forth.

A while later a faint sound entered his ears. He stopped, pricking his ears, twitching them this way and that way trying to figure out which direction it was coming from. Moving forward he could see a small figure. He could hear the figure making small wimpers. He made his way over cautiously. This was out of the ordinary.

It was a young puppy. Ajax sniffed. "Uh... Hello. Are... you lost?" Ajax asked. The puppy shyly replied "I... uh... I don't think so..." Ajax looked around, wonder where this pup's parents were. This had to be some kind of a trick.... or something. There was nobody in sight.

"Do... you know where your parents are? Do you have a family I can take you to?" Ajax questioned the pup. "I.... don't know" answered the pup. The pups answers weren't very helpful. Ajax couldn't leave the pup to fend for itself though, it would never survive.

"Well, come on then. You can travel with me for now I guess." Ajax trotted off a short distance, looking back to be sure the pup was following him. "Uh... okay." Replied the pup. He clumsily followed after Ajax. "What's your name by the way?" Ajax asked. ".... Riot" replied the pup. Ajax smiled "Riot, my name is Ajax".

The two stayed pretty silent after that. Ajax plodded along, making sure the pup was keeping up. They continued following the river. Ajax wanted to find them a spot to rest for the afternoon. Soon he found themselves at the bottom of a mountain. He sniffed around then tossed his head back howling to see if anyone else was in the area. He didn't want to intrude on anyone else's territory.

His howl was returned. Ajax sighed. "I guess this spot is taken. Come on pup." Ajax and Riot continued on their way. They traveled most of the day and Ajax could tell the pup was getting tired even though Riot never said anything about being tired. He figured the pup was probably hungry too, but there was no food to be found and Ajax would need to rest before he would be able to hunt.

They continued on until Ajax seen another wolf out hunting. He decided to avoid the other wolf since he didn't like conflict and had to keep Riot safe. They trotted along the mountain until Ajax found a crevice to follow on up. He couldn't smell anyone else's scent so he felt they were safe to continue on. Soon he found a good spot for them to rest.

Ajax plopped down on the ground, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted. Riot was quick to plop down too. They were both tired from their journey. Ajax rested his head upon his paws while keeping his eyes open and his ears alert.

After a while Ajax lifted his head and looked around. He looked over at Riot, the pup seemed to be all rested up. Ajax smiled then asked "Should we go explore and see what's up here?". The pup slowly replied "Sure...". They both stood up and trotted up the hill.

To Ajax's surprise, he found a small cave that would make a perfect den. It seemed vacant and would work out great for the small pup. Ajax gave a wag of his tail and began putting his claim on the territory. He marked the trees and the bushes. He tilted his head back and let out a loud, claiming howl, letting everyone know that this territory was now his.

Ajax and Riot both plopped down by the den entrance, Ajax feeling pretty proud of himself. It wasn't long ago that he left his parent's pack in search of his own place, his own pack. Now he had the perfect place to start his own life. An almost permanent smile was on his face. He looked over at the pup that he was now responsible for.

A white rabbit suddenly made it's way through the den site. Out of instinct, Ajax leapt to his feet. He had caught the rabbit completely by surprise and it was a quick kill. He picked up the rabbit and dropped it by Riot. "You need to eat" Ajax told the pup. Riot looked confused. He had never eaten meat before and didn't know how he was supposed to eat this furry creature laying in front of him. "Uh... I'm good" he told Ajax.

"Your loss" Ajax replied as he ate the Rabbit, not realizing the pup was still used to regurgitated food.

They both lay by the den for a bit, trying to get more rest. That's when they heard the growls.

Ajax leapt to his feet, his eyes darting around, his ears twitching, looking this way and that way. Then he seen them. Two wolves came out of the trees, growling and threatening Ajax and Riot. Ajax stood guard, protecting Riot. His tail held high, his ears pricked forwards and loud growls escaping his maw.

"You're on our territory, leave now!" Ajax growled. They didn't listen. Both kept trying to steal the puppy. Ajax protected the pup, lashing out and biting as either drew near. Neither would give up. Ajax could tell he was out numbered. He picked up the pup and got themselves out of there.

Thankfully they weren't followed. When Ajax felt it was safe, he set the pup down. Ajax growled. He felt frustrated his territory was stolen so soon after finding it. He decided he would be back to steal it back once he had a bigger pack.

"Come on pup" Ajax said with a sigh. They hadn't gotten nearly enough rest but were forced to journey more. They were vulnerable out in the open. Ajax wanted to find some cover. After a while, Ajax found some brush. It wasn't nearly enough but him and the pup were tired. He plopped himself down. "Get some rest pup." He told Riot.

Ajax rested his head on his paws, still thinking about those two rude wolves. Suddenly, Ajax's head shot up and ears perked up. He had heard a splash and a yelp. Someone was in trouble! Ajax sprung into action, running full speed towards the river forgetting that Riot couldn't keep up.

He quickly got to the river and found an adult, female wolf scrambling and trying to paw her way out of the icy river. She had fallen through the ice. Ajax carefully went out on the ice, grabbed her by the scruff and drug her to shore. "You okay?" He asked.

The female shivered, "Yeah... I... I think so". She was freezing. She felt nervous of this large male standing in front of her and she obviously wasn't in any shape to put up a fight. Still.... he had saved her life.

With out thinking, Ajax lay beside the female trying to warm her up. Riot had made his way to the river by now too and followed suit snuggling up to the female. Ajax's eyes fell upon a strange sight. Three coyotes near by acting very strangely, They seemed to just be running circles and doing the oddest things. Not natural at all.

The female jumped up, completely uncomfortable with this situation. She didn't know either of them at all.

Ajax was a little embarrassed. "Oh.. uh. I'm sorry. I was just trying to warm you up." Ajax averted his gaze a bit. "Do you have a pack or someone you are traveling with?" He asked.

The female was still unsure. "No." She replied. "What's your name?" She asked. "

"My name is Ajax, and this is Riot. What's yours?" Ajax asked.

"Red" the female replied. Ajax could see why, her coat was a beautiful red color. "Is that your pup?" Red asked.

"Um... not really" Ajax replied. "I found him along the river by himself this morning and decided to let him tag along with me. Would you like to travel with us?" Ajax asked, hoping she would.

Red shivered, still freezing from falling through the ice. "Sure" she replied. "Great, let's go find some place out of the wind." Ajax said as he trotted off in the direction of another crevice he could see. This one was close to the first mountain he had come up to, the one that was already claimed by someone else. He hoped they wouldn't mind them being near by. They really had to get some rest.

Ajax lead the way up the crevice and found a spot slightly out of the wind. "How's this?" He asked. "Looks good to me" replied Red. "Me too" replied Riot. Ajax gave a wag of his tail and lay down on the cold ground. He was now feeling exhausted.

Red curled up, her fur a little dryer since they had been moving but still cold. Riot moved closer to her, trying to keep himself and her warm at the same time. Ajax kept his distance since he had already made Red so uncomfortable earlier.

Unfortunately, their peace and quiet didn't last long. The two wolves from before had followed them. They growled as they came out of the trees. "Give us that pup!" They said.

Ajax leapt up, his tail high, his body tense. "Is it YOUR Puppy?" he growled. Frustrated he couldn't get a moments peace. They didn't answer, obviously just wanting to steal the puppy. Riot hid behind Ajax, scared. Red was confused but could tell Ajax didn't like these two. She growled and helped protect Riot.

"Leave now! You have no right to take this pup!" Ajax growled again. They didn't listen. He was done trying to be nice. He leapt at the wolf closest to him, biting and going right for her neck. Red protected the pup, biting at anyone who got too close. The dominant female sent her mate to go get the help of someone. Then, Ajax knew what he had to do.

"Get Riot and follow me, I know where to go." Ajax told Red. Ajax took off towards the territory he had originally claimed. Red picked up Riot and followed as quick as she could. Riot slowed her down a bit though. Ajax couldn't wait up. He had to get there first before the other two figured out what he was doing.

Soon he was at HIS den. He would not let them take it away this time. He marked his territory again while waiting for the rest to arrive. He knew the two wolves would follow him, and probably not be very happy. He waited by the den entrance.

Soon the two wolves arrived along with Red & Riot. The two wolves growled and made a lot of noise. Ajax made it clear that this was now his territory and they were unwelcome. Him and Red defended the den site persistently and the other two finally gave up and went away. Ajax howled a triumphant howl. They would probably be back but hopefully not for a while.

Now they were all really exhausted. Ajax and Riot lay down by the den and quickly drifted off to sleep. Red trotted up the small hill and lay up top. She curled her body and tucked her nose under her fluffy tail. They all got a good night's sleep.