Ukluk has a minion!

Tulukaruk the Vita

There is no better adversary than the snow covered ice caps of the Alaskan wilderness. Those subzero hunting grounds were once thought by the many of the brave men and women who dared to traverse it to be just a challenge waiting to be overcome through sheer force of will and the companionship of hounds. It was a place many believe over time to be overestimated by dog sled racers of old. It is a land that served as the ultimate challenge of the bonds of man and canine. A land that unfortunately preyed on those ill prepared to face the unpredictable wrath of nature.

And that ill preparedness led to the most recent danger of one such canine Ukluk. Ukluk was but a small sled dog similar in appearance to a white wolf with matted grizzly bear like fur. Ukluk like his master and the rest of his team were young and overconfident. Young pups that laughed in the face of danger and stepped forward into the frozen tundra. They had believed they could conquer the Alaskan wilds like all other areas they had before, and it had led to the direst of circumstances. An all too sudden blizzard had ended up overtaking the team. Batting them around and showing just how insignificant they were. It tormented Ukluk and his allies for hours on end, biting at them with freezing wind and pelting them with hail. Only three hours in and it cost nearly every live. Only one managed to slip away beaten and bruised by the storm, the young dog Ukluk. He limped ever forward through frost and snow, eventually finding shelter in a damp cave where he could lick his wounds and grieve.

Whatever pride Ukluk had come with when entering the Alaskan wilderness, it had been soundly snuffed out in the raging hailstorm outside the shelter of the cave. He had believed that with his fellow sled dogs at his side and his master at the reigns he could conquer anything, and now here he lay broken and beaten because of one storm, and all the family he ever new had found a shallow grave under the snow. The images kept haunting Ukluk as he tried to remain conscious clouding his mind for hours on end.

“Why did I live?” Ukluk growled to himself, “I should have died with them. At least then we would still be together.”

“There would be cold comfort to your companions had you died.” A voice whispered from inside the cave.

“Huh?” Ukluk stated confused as he tried to get into a defensive stance, “Who’s there?!”

“Do not fret young one I am no enemy. I am merely here to speak with you.” The voice said growing louder.

Ukluk turned as best he could and found himself perplexed by what he saw. Emerging from the cave was a wolf bluer than the midnight sky on a clear night. He seemed almost ethereal as he approached the wounded sled dog.

“What could you possibly want to talk to me about?” Ukluk growled lowly, “If this is some kind of mind game for you, save it. Just hurry up and eat me.”

“I have no intention of devouring or misguiding you.” The wolf responded as he took a laying position, “I merely wish to help you through this most dreadful storm.”

“Hah. Like that’s true. You’re just trying to mess with my head” Ukluk scoffed, “Who are you anyway, wolf?”

“Who I am is not important.” The wolf responded calmly, “What is important is that we discuss what you have been through and help you move past your loss.”

“I have nothing to say about what happened other than that I should have died.” Ukluk growled the wind of the storm outside howling as he did.

“You should not take your being alive for granted. You survived for a reason and it is not for you to die almost immediately after.” The wolf responded, “Surely your friends would not wish you to join them so soon."

“What do you know of me?! What do you know of my friends and master?!” Ukluk’s voice boomed, “I was just like them! Headstrong and cocky! Why do I have more reason to be the one still clinging to life?!”

“That is not something for which I can guarantee an answer.” The wolf admitted, “But from what I know of companionship I can say this. Those friends that you claim to be so much alike, that would know you just as well as you know yourself, would want you to continue living and move on.”

“I can't forget what happened. And I can't I forget them.” Ukluk cried as tears started pouring down his face and the storm outside seemed to rage ever stronger, “I can only remain with what happened.”

“That is only partially true.” The wolf responded regaining Ukluk’s attention and calming his cries to mere whimpers, “You cannot forget what happened out in the storm. But you do not have to remain trapped in the gravity of your loss. You can accept what happened out there in the ice and snow. You can choose to rise from the pain that has been caused and keep moving forward. If not for your sake, then for those of your fallen friends.”

At that Ukluk was left stunned in quiet. His mind began to pour over the past few hours he had spent in the cave. He had left himself focused on the deaths of his friends not allowing himself the slightest reprieve. He had constantly been muttering that he should have died, even when he recalled full well that those he had called friend had lived with the wish to enjoy life to the fullest. It dawned on the young sled dog how foolish he had and was being in his injured state.

“You can hold on to the painful memories of your comrades. But you must also hold onto the precious memories you have of them, and keep moving forward.” The wolf said as he rose to his feet, “ You have been given a second chance. Don’t let it go to waste.”

And just like that Ukluk found himself alone as the wolf vanished. Not soon after he heard the howling winds slowly die down and calm. Ukluk was not sure what he had encountered, or whether he wanted to know what had led him to the encounter, but he was certain he knew the purpose. From the tragedy of the storm he had lost his way, and that mysterious wolf had guided him back to the light from the darkness of despair. It made the sled dog certain of one thing. He would make it out of the wilderness, and he would live for and always remember those precious friends that he lost that night.

profile by Tennie
overlay by evrott
Story by Magani