For a pup who only barks, he sure was smart. He knew English. He understood both me and Monica. He knew the word "follow." He knew what he wanted. For me to follow him. To where? Where did this little guy want to take me? Why? Was it a trap? Would he lead me to the other snowwolves? Would I be their next victim?

He would not want me mauled - would he?

I made sure that nobody was staring us. Last thing that I needed was to be kicked out from the shop for having an animal. But they surely would know that he was not just any animal. He was no pet. He was a snowwolf.

He crawled into my lap and slid the book in front of us. He panted and flipped the pages.

An adorable snowwolf at that.

I wrapped an arm around him so he would not fall. "So why do you want me to follow you?"

About a minute passed before the pup stopped flipping and started wagging his tail. He put a paw on a picture, but I could not see because of the tail. I lifted my head. I leaned to the left. To the right. I still could not see. So I asked him nicely to lower his tail. He did and glanced up at me. We stared at each other before he kissed and licked my cheeks. I was a bit disgusted by the licks. But I giggled. He was a wolf. An amazing snowwolf. That is how they show affection.

I swung my elbow on the table and laid my head in my hand. I thought about what Luigi and Rufus told me at the grocery store. How the snowwolves enjoy killing us humans. They delight in seeing the horror on our faces before ripping us apart. I did not want to think of their doings. But my wild imagination got the better of me.

I could hear the snowwolves, the shiny snow crunching under their white paws. They were deep in the woods - with their human victims surrounded. They craved not for food, but for excitement. A survival game. But none of the humans would survive to tell the tale. They were no match for the huge and camouflaged and smart and powerful snowwolves.

That is scary to think of. Coming to terms that you will be killed because you can do nothing to stop the killer.

Drool dripped from the corners of the animals' mouths as they snarled. They showed their white, pointy teeth. They could easily rip through flesh. How did they keep their teeth clean? Was there a dentist snowwolf?

The snowwolves howled at the endless sky. It was time for the fun. Their glowing, blue eyes locked back on the innocent humans. The humans had their eyes shut and were huddling close to one another. Although that they were part of my imagination, I felt sorry for them. I did not want to die at the hands - paws - of the wolves. Not my brother. Not my aunt or uncle or cousins. Not even Monica. The townsfolk should not live in fear. But they would as long as the snowwolves stuck around.

I am starting to regret coming up here.

The snowwolf pup snapped me from my thoughts. His little paws were on my chest. His ears lowered. He was whimpering.

I stroked his head. "What is the matter? You so hungry that you can eat a horse?" I gulped. "Or a human."

Why did I say that?

I put him on the wooden table. "You would not want to eat a human. Humans taste awful. Believe me. I bit my arm one time. I thought that I would die."

He stopped whimpered and tilted his furry head to the side. A confused look was on his face. He sniffed.

"It is a long story. I have not told a soul about this. I...I was locked inside a room. A small room. I do not recall what it looked like because it happened years ago." My voice trembled. I had not admitted my story because it was traumatic. At least, for me. "I...I was five when this happened."

I caught the sadness in his eyes. He did not like when I was upset. He gestured his paw to me. I figured that he wanted me to continue. He wanted to hear more. I was unsure what to do. The only reason that I have not told my family is because of the trauma. I can never tell my friends because I have zero. But Monica and I hit it off. We have lots in common. Like interest in those wolves. Maybe Monica can be my friend. My first friend.

Should I confess my trauma to her?

The puppy rubbed himself against my open hand like a cat. He motioned to me one more time and smiled. His fluffy tail wagged furiously. He really wanted to know.

I brushed my hand down his white back. "Guess that it would not hurt to tell ya. You cannot speak, so you will not spill it."

He nodded and panted.

I lowered my voice to a whisper. "I am trusting ya with a dark secret. My only secret for that matter. I prefer to not keep secrets from my own family. But I-I can never bring myself to tell them this one."

He jumped up and down and put his paw on a photo in said book. It was a drawing of a cave. A large cave with the top covered in snow.

I examined the cave. "Is that what you pointed at when I could not see?"

He nodded again and tapped on a paragraph below the drawing.

I scooted my chair close to the table and read the small paragraph. When I finished, I glanced back at him and swallowed hard.

"Something tells me that you want me to visit the cave. Your home."