Six months later. Nine months since Joseph left his village.

With every step Joseph took the sound of snow compacting beneath his feet was no longer there. Now only the sound of soft moist ground remained. The sun's warmth wrapped around Joseph, so much so that he now carried his bear coat on his back. Something even more unusual than the lack of snow was just how heavily White was panting.

Joseph also noticed this and spoke while petting White's back, "Every year we get a couple of months with no snow, isn't it nice! Well, I guess not for you since you have all that fur." Joseph ran his fingers along and down White's back, "White? Your fur?" Joseph now held out his hand, staring at the clump of white fur that he had just pulled out by accident.

Looking back at Joseph and his now very hairy hand White cocked its head. After appearing to take in what had just happened, only a second later was White's back on the ground with its feet up in the air, flailing.

"White what's wrong? Are you alright?" Joseph called out to White, but White didn't stop grinding its back into the ground. White even began rolling side to side and its white hair was now spread all around the ground near White. The wolf then stood up and continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.

"This is my first time living with a wolf but is your hair supposed to fall out like that White, you’re not sick are you?" Joseph asked a question but of course, it wasn't answered. The pair continued walking, they had been following the tracks. The tracks were deep in the mud and quite large, the largest once Joseph had seen so far.

"What kind of creature could have tracks bigger than a bear? It must be huge--" Joseph stopped midsentence when he saw White drop low to the ground. Joseph's face fell still and his eyes sharpened.

'It must be close.'

They weaved between trees, rocks, and animals that didn't realize they were there until they stood next to them. Their movements were swift, efficient and as a result, almost silent. They reached the end of the trees and were now looking out into a small clearing. They both stopped and observed the animal.

"Is that a horse?" Joseph looked at White, "No, I don't think horsed have horns like that, have you ever seen anything like that?"

White looked at Joseph blankly. "Oh never mind." Joseph laid his bear coat down onto the ground along with a bag he was carrying. He set his spear on top of the pile and then pulled out two footlong sticks that had both ends sharpened, gripping one tightly in each hand. "Alright White you stay here, I'll get its attention and you go in and take out its hind legs." White let out a low growl, "Listen we don't have time to fight over this, just stay until I call for you!"

White stretched out and lay down, making sounds of protest while doing so. Joseph smiled and petted White on the head before walking away from White while staying at the edge of the tree line.

"This should be far enough, now all I have to do is survive long enough to give White the best chance." Joseph looked up to the sky and scowled before taking off charging at the creature.

"AHHHHHHHH!!"

The creature stood taller than a horse, but still on four hooved legs. It had tall, flat, and wide horns sticking out of its head. They whipped around when Joseph yelled, but it did not move to run. It looked at Joseph and faced him, leaning forward. Joseph was about thirty feet from the beast before it started charging him. That distance quickly closed once it had started running and Joseph was now, face to face with it. Rolling to the side Joseph just missed its initial charge but it quickly turned around and began running at him once again but with much less speed.

"DIIIIEE!" Joseph yelled out while leaping into the air and stabbing the stick down on the creature's head.

"Darn!" it had quickly adjusted its head causing Joseph to hit nothing but its horns. Joseph quickly brought his left stick up to block the animal's other horn from stabbing him. Joseph was now being carried by the beast with both of his sticks locked in its horns. The creature stopped abruptly, shaking its head wildly and throwing Joseph back and forth. Joseph's left stick broke loose causing him to go fly to the right. He hit the ground rolling back to his feet instinctively. His other stick was still locked in the beast's horn. Joseph adjusted his right gauntlet of sharpened sticks that was wrapped around his arm, making sure it was tight while the animal shook its head causing his stick to fall away from its horn.

Looking past the creature Joseph saw White, now crouched and ready to strike. They were on either side of it, so once it charged Joseph its back would be too White. The creature stood up on its hind legs and yelled. It and Joseph charged at each other once more, but this time.

"WHITE!"

Joseph had been screaming and yelling the whole fight so it didn't react any differently this time.

'Perfect.'

It slammed into Joseph, who used his remaining stick and gauntlet to take the attack. The sheer weight of the creature alone force Joseph back but he remained standing, his feet sliding through the muddy grass. It took everything he had to remain standing as the beast pushed him back. 'I just have to hold out until,'

Snap!

A loud cracking sound rang out, and the creature let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Good job White!"

The creature fell to the side under its own weight, but not before kicking its only good hind leg back. White yipped before being thrown straight up into the air and falling about ten feet from where the wolf had been.

"WHITE!" Joseph stabbed his stick into the animal's left eye and used it as a step to launch himself over the beast and towards White. This shoved the stick deeper into the animal's head. The animal fell completely unmoving after Joseph leaped over it. Joseph didn't look back to confirm its death, only forward towards White. It looked like White had been struck in the chest by the creature's blow. He raced towards White, mud slinging up behind his forceful steps. Reaching White he lifted the wolf's head, "White, White! Are you okay, please White?" The wolf then bit down on Joseph's hand, "Oww, White what, why?" White then stood up and walked towards the slain beast.

"Of course you're fine, your White after all." Joseph shook his head while breathing a deep sigh of relief. Crunch, tear, the sounds of White eating the creature brought Joseph back to reality. "NO, White we can't eat it hear we need to take it back to the cave." Joseph grabbed White and threw the wolf back a couple of feet away from the carcass. White barked in protest, leaning down into a fighting stance.

"No. White. Stop it, you know we eat at the cave." White barked again this time scraping the ground with her front paws. "Come on White you could have just died and now you want to fight. Just listen."

White leaped at Joseph's face and he grabbed the wolf's front paws and spun, throwing White over his shoulder and slamming the wolf into the ground. However, just as Joseph had said, this was White so the wolf bounced off the ground and back onto its feet. Charging at Joseph once again.

"White, please I just fought that thing and I'm tired." Joseph pleaded with White while jumping onto the wolf's back and choking it out. White jumped onto its back and slammed Joseph into the ground but it didn't loosen his grip. What did was the amount of mud that White had gotten on it along with its loose hair. Both of those things allowed White to roll around, while in Joseph's chokehold, and face him. White then bit down on Joseph's neck and he hurriedly tapped White's head, "Alright, alright. You win so eat the damn thing and have to walk home on a full stomach."