Chapter Text
“Rolf! playtime!” A voice calls out, and seconds later an adolescent wolfdog rounds the corner, tail wagging with excitement.
The human that had called for him abruptly picks him up and begins walking outside. The hold is uncomfortable however Rolf tries not to wiggle so he’s not dropped. He trusts his person so there’s no reason for panic. Although confusion does fill him as he is brought to a big vehicle.
He sits as he is placed in the back seat, head tilting in wonder while his eyes track the person rounding the other side of the vehicle. They hop into the front seat and with a twist of their hand, the vehicle rumbles to life. Rolf startles at first but calms after remembering it was not anything dangerous. The last time he’d sat in the vehicle, he was a very small pup and he had just recently met the human he lived with for the first time. He pondered where they were going, but nonetheless was excited to spend time with the human.
The drive is long but Rolf is mostly distracted by the fast flying world passing by the half-opened window. The wind ruffles his fur and cools him down; however, it also makes his mouth dry which is unpleasant. Unfortunately for him, he did not see the human bring his water bowl. He questions this as the vehicle slows to a stop. Perhaps they did bring his water and they were taking a break! The wolfdog didn’t want to be thirsty for playtime afterall, which was supposedly the reason they were traveling. Or at least that’s what they had said when calling him.
The door beside Rolf swings open to reveal the human and immediately any and all concerns of his dry mouth are thrown to the wind as he spots the familiar spherical object resting within their hands. Ball! Rolf is on his feet in an instant, tail wagging wildly behind him. He can hardly contain himself as he sees the human step towards the trees and wind their arm back.
“Fetch!” The human exclaims as they throw the ball into the forest.
Before he can lose sight of his favorite toy, Rolf darts out of the vehicle and pushes his legs to move as fast as they can. Leaves and needles are kicked up as he runs, His fast sprint allowing him to reach the yellow ball just as it touches the ground. The wolfdog happily picks it up and turns back to the road, only to notice the once parked vehicle was now moving away from him. The sight startles him enough to lose grip on the ball but he doesn’t have time to retrieve it once more. Instead he dashes after the fleeing vehicle, desperately trying to catch up.
“Wait!” Rolf barks. “You forgot me! I’m still—here!”
His pleas are no use as the thing keeps driving off. Rolf’s legs burn with effort and his dehydration only gets worse, yet the vehicle keeps getting further and further away instead of closer, despite his efforts. Still, the wolfdog persists, continuing to chase even after his target disappeared from sight.
It isn’t until he reaches a fork in the road does he stop. He sits against the concrete, growing cold as the sun sets, and the exhaustion finally weighs down on him. He had wanted to keep running and he would have, however he has no way of knowing which way was the right way. Not even his keen sense of smell could help as the whole roadway had the same stench that made his nose wrinkle with disgust. Rolf has to resist the urge to whimper. He was abandoned, he has no idea where he is or what to do, and he is more thirsty than he has ever been in his life.
With much reluctance, Rolf stands and slowly pads towards the forest. His paws ache with each step; nevertheless, he needed water. At least that is something he can track with his nose. So, he does just that, seeking out the specific wet algae smell of a river and treks slowly towards the scent, ears and tail drooping.
Luckily it isn’t too far but the sight of it just serves to make Rolf recall the only other time he’d been to a river. The human had taken him out on a walk and when they came across the body of water the wolfdog excitedly bounded towards it, ripping his leash right out of the human's arms. He hadn’t meant to, however he was hot and he just knew : that river would cool him off.
He had been dragged back out of the water rather quickly, and scolded harshly. They yelled at him a lot actually. The human had grown unkind as he grew older; nonetheless they were the only family he could ever remember. They were in most of what he could recollect and their absence along with unfamiliar surroundings causes fear and hurt to linger in his mind. What had he done to be left behind like this?
Having sated his thirst, he began wandering aimlessly. He would have to eat soon, though his only experience hunting was the occasional rodent that passed through the backyard. Rolf imagined there had to be some out here if they made it into his yard. That made sense. So he stuck his nose to the ground and searched through the various new scents of the forest. This led to him tracking his prey for a lot longer than he was used to, moving along the undergrowth as stealthy as he could manage.
Finally, the fresh scent he’d picked up on multiplies and he sees what he has been tracking. It was a rather plump rat, digging at something in the ground. Just as he prepares to lunge, a low growl makes him freeze and he can feel his hackles raise. The wolfdog glances up just in time to jump out of the way of a large paw swipe.
Towering before him was a grizzly bear, something Rolf had never seen before. In an instant, he took off, dashing away from the predator as his heart pounds in sudden terror. The rat had immediately run at the sound of the grizzly, so now Rolf was the prey. Much to his distress, he was already worn-out from his earlier sprint so his steps were wobbly and misplaced.
Rolf is forced to turn sharply to avoid another attack from the grizzly but missteps, sending himself toppling down a steep incline. Twigs and roots dig into his fur and leave small cuts along his skin yet the adrenaline causes him to not even feel the sting.
By the time the world stops spinning, Rolf is dizzy and disoriented however he doesn’t have time to waste. He goes to stand and almost collapses once more when he places pressure on his right front paw, though manages to stay upright. Now standing, albeit a little unsturdy, he assesses his surroundings and determines the bear must not have found it worth it to chase him all this way. Still he doesn’t want to be out and exposed much longer so he forgoes finding himself food to instead search for shelter.
Every step he takes causes his face to screw up in pain; in spite of that he pushes through, staying acute to his surroundings.
The moon is high in the sky when he nearly trips again only this time it was because of a small hole in the ground. By smelling around, he picks up an unfamiliar scent. It reminds him of the smell of dog but different. Luckily though, the scent is very stale, so whatever had been inhabiting the hole is long gone and likely will not be coming back.
With caution he slides himself into the hole, just barely able to fit. To his delight, it opened up into a wider space, like an underground pocket. The joy at the size quickly fizzles out as the large area reminds him of his current situation. He is curled up tightly with an aching paw and growling stomach, and he was completely and utterly alone.