The Ice Wolf by Cody Bruns S ECOND P LACE The harsh, icy winds blew in his face as Nathaniel London climbed out of the car. He glanced around, taking in the almost untouched beauty of Chione. Chione was a beautiful town which was rapidly becoming popular for its prime location and views. The town had a view of three snowy mountains rising up like some sort of great trident overlooking the land, as well as amazing hiking trails winding through hills and forests. In the summer, Chione was still a nice place to visit, but winter was when it truly came alive. Come Christmastime, the town was full of tourists who came to see the Northern Lights, take in the view, and maybe see a little bit of the surrounding nature. Nathaniel, or Nate, as he was known to everybody except his parents, had come to Chione for the holiday season, along with a few of his friends.The four of them had rented a cabin not too far from the town, out in the forest, which was currently covered in a blanket of fresh snow. “This looks incredible!” Nate’s close friend, Ben, exclaimed. Nate had to admit that Ben had a point.The cabin looked even better in person than on their computer screens, with large windows facing the forest, a cozy feel to it, and a roof covered in snow. Nate was of the opinion that covering a building in snow made it much nicer to look at. “Can we get out of the cold now?” Nate’s other close friend, Alex, grumbled. Alex’s brother, John, chuckled at his sister’s obvious distaste for the snow. “Yeah, let’s go inside,” John said, “Dibs on the room with the big window, though.” Nate shook his head in amusement as Alex led the way to the cabin’s front door, while Nate and John grabbed the bags and Ben stared in awe at the three mountains looming in the distance, easily visible above the trees. “Enjoying the view of the pitchfork mountains?” John called over to Ben. “It’s not called that,” Ben corrected, then glanced at Nate, “Is it?” “No,” Nate shook his head, “The mountains are called the Chione Peaks.” “I like Mount Pitchfork better,” John said stubbornly. Nate and John, laden with bags, headed towards the front door, and after a moment more of enjoying the view, Ben hurried after his friends. None of the boys saw the wolf standing in the shade of the trees, its azure eyes glowing bright. The interior of the cabin was no less welcoming than the exterior, with a warm hearth crackling in the large brick fireplace over by the wall, a couple of soft leather couches placed in a semi-circle around the hearth, and a dining area over by the small kitchenette in the corner. “Hope we’re not doing any cooking,” John noted, “The oven looks like it’s in need of repair.”
56
Nate looked over at the oven and saw that it was definitely not operational. There were two
