The boy grew up healthy and strong. He had great parents one of whom was his father. Who always taught him that a vow should be kept at all times. Because of this, a vow should not be made hastily, and never on your honor. For honor had nothing to do with a vow. That’s how powerful a vow was, it was above the person and therefore can’t be placed on the person let alone the person’s honor. The boy grew to greatly love his family and even his village. As he grew he was taught religion and taught of God's greatness and power. Before he knew it he was twelve and blessed with a little brother who he loved most of all. However, that is when everything changed.

When the boy turned twelve his father told him of his blessing by God. It was a wonderful thing to know that he had been blessed by the God he had been taught about his whole life. What he learned next though caused his blessing to matter little to him. The great God had also given a prophecy. One that stated when twenty-five years had passed everything would be destroyed and everyone would die. Thus, joining God in all his greatness. Everyone saw this as a miracle that they would be able to join God. But the boy only saw it as a threat to him, his village, and his brother. No matter who he spoke to within the village he was told it was a blessing. His father begged him to stop for if he were not blessed by God he would have been killed, for going against God, by now.

This crushed Joseph, the boy. He made a vow that he would stop God. He also promised himself that to never use the power that God gave him but he did not vow it. For he may need to use the power in the future to defeat God. However, he doubted that a power given by God could defeat God.

‘If no one here understands then I have to leave. I must get stronger, strong enough to stop God. To protect my family and this village.’

With that, Joseph left the village. This is what happened next.

***

Light and chaotic footsteps ran through the snow. Joseph’s heavy breathing is all that can be heard, it muffled the sounds of the light and paced footsteps not too far behind him.

‘I thought I could at least make it down the mountain without any problems, but to get spotted by a wolf just a month into my journey. I must be stupid, why else would there be a dead deer laying under a rock? I was just so hungry. It isn’t much further to the end of the mountain, I can see it.’

Coming to the end of the mountain he spun around pulling out a knife he had stolen from his father before he left.

‘No, once I hit the open field it will either run me until I drop or catch up to me. I have to stop it here!’

Taking off his rabbit fur coat he wrapped it around his arm. As he did he saw the wolf approaching, now able to get a good look at it for the first time.

“It’s a pup. Why is it out hunting on its own?”

Though the wolf was young it was still strong enough to pose a threat to a twelve-year-old boy. Now with the hope of winning in him, Joseph braced himself. The wolf lunged at him biting down on his fur-wrapped arm. His knife slashed across the wolf’s head from his left ear to his right eye. Still, it didn’t let go only snarling at Joseph. Its front paw slashed Joseph from his temple to his jaw. The pain of which causes him to drop his knife, with it disappearing into the snow.

“Noooo! You damn dog!”

Now striking the wolf's left side repeatedly joseph yelled in rage. The wolf yelped letting go of his left arm. The bite didn’t penetrate the skin but he would surely have bruises if he survives this. Now both exhausted from the long run and the fight both parties stand there staring at their counterpart waiting for the other to make a move.

“Dammit I don’t see the knife anywhere. All the snow has been kicked up.”

They sat there staring at each other for several minutes before Joseph decided to try and leave. Slowly walking backward he kept an eye on the wolf. Though it was solid white, with the cut bleeding across its face it was now easy to make out. It followed him not with the intent to attack but rather waiting for an opening to. Eventually putting enough distance between him and the wolf joseph picked up some snow placing it against his burning head. It melted fairly quickly but there was an endless supply to numb his pain with. After a while, he turned his back to the wolf to keep an eye on where he was going while constantly glancing back at the predator.

They traveled for a day like that, neither eating nor sleeping. After deciding he had to sleep, he then climbed up into a tree to try and sleep while the wolf curled up beneath it.

‘Why won’t you just give up? I can’t let you eat me. Is it really that desperate for food?’

Taking out the last of his dried meat that he was saving, Joseph yelled at the beast.

“This is the only meat you’ll be getting from me so you better be gone when I wake up!”

The wolf stared at him intently. Looking at the piece of meat Joseph shook his head.

“Man!”

Closing his eye’s he took a big bite and threw what was left down to the wolf. Chewing Joseph teared up a bit knowing he was eating the last of his rations. After savoring his meal he found three branches in the shape of an upside-down triangle and position one under each arm and one in between his legs to make sure he didn’t fall in his sleep.

He woke up cold and surrounded by snow, he had fallen in his sleep. Jumping up in a panic he checked himself out making sure no limbs had been eaten while he was asleep. After realizing he was safe he looked around checking for the wolf. There was none to be seen.

“It actually worked! Now to find some food.”

While on his hunt he came across a water supply and decided to see how bad the damage was from his fight with the wolf.

‘He got me pretty good but the wound looks relatively clean. Maybe sleeping in the snow cleaned it off a bit?’

Splash

Jumping back from the water joseph yelled in fear. After the rather high-pitched yell, he sat there embarrassed by himself.

“That stupid fish I ought to…… Fish?..... Food!”

Excited by the prospect of food Joseph quickly found a stick, sharpening it with a rock. He spent the whole day at the stream and only caught two fish. Now night, he started a fire using the wood shavings he made earlier and the flint rock he had with him. He used this fire to cook the fish.

“How does everybody else do this so easily?”

He was now chomping on a black rock that was in the shape of a fish. While he had been taught many things by his father his mother had yet to teach him cooking. As a result everything he had eaten besides the dried meat he had from the village, was in this state.

‘Maybe I should just eat the other fish raw? It might be better that way.’

While thinking about what to do with the second fish he heard something. The sound of snow crunching under a foot. He kept eating as if he hadn’t noticed until he figured out the direction it was coming from. With that, he lunged forward grabbing a stick that was on fire and pointing it in the direction.

He saw two small reflections in the night. That’s when he heard it. the slightly high-pitched growl. Putting the fire in between him and it, he kept the stick pointed in the direction as a wolf with a very distinct scar appeared into the light.

“You? I thought you left?”

The wolf limped into the area where the snow had been brushed or melted away. Laying down across from Joseph, the fire still in between them.

“You’re not scared of the fire? What kind of wolf are you?”

The wolf stared at Joseph looking as if it was thinking about attacking him. Not wanting a fight without his knife joseph threw his other fish to the wolf to try and appease him. It snapped it up in its jaws and stood up limping away into the night.

‘I didn’t notice it at all. It could have attacked me at any point. Lucky I was able to do some damage to it so it doesn’t look like it wants to fight, but it does need food. Great, so now I have to feed him and me!’