Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism
Chapter 26

Chapter 26 Taking Away the Little Wolf Cub

After another forty minutes, Violeta paused on a small hill, gazing into the distance where a red flag marked the finish line.

"See that? The finishing line is just over there. A mere two minutes, and we'll make it!

"That's a relief Kaylee plopped down on the ground, massaging her tired legs.

Meanwhile, Jezebel, seated nearby, heard a soft whimper. Turning, she spotted a furry little pup in the grass

"Look! A puppy!" Little did she know she mistook the wolf cub for a domestic pup.

Eagerly, she lured the cub with her food and water, cradling it in her arms.

The cub's whimpers caught Violeta's attention. "What's that sound? Did you guys hear it?"

Kaylee swiveled around and spotted Jezebel trying to stash the wolf cub in her bag.

"Hey, Jezebel! What on earth are you doing?"

Jezebel hesitated. "I don't know who left this little guy here. I felt sorry for it, so I considered taking it back with me."

Upon hearing Jezebel's harebrained idea, Violeta was on the brink of unleashing a torrent of

curses..

"Are you out of your mind? That's not a puppy! It's a wolf cub! Didn't I warn you? There are wild wolves in the mountains

During the hike, Violeta was on this wild wolf hunt, carefully looking for any traces of those

creatures in the area.

You'd see wild wolves in Mount Wilson from time to time, but not often. People would hike up the mountain regularly to scare them off, so the chances of bumping into them were pretty low for regular folks. But guess what? In Violeta's dream team, Jezebel turned out to be a bit of a scatterbrain. She mistook a wolf cub for a fluffy little puppy! Seriously?

Ordinary dogs, guided by their instincts, would steer clear of wolf territory upon catching a whiff of their distinctive scent. The fact that Jezebel failed to discern the difference is a perplexing twist in this wild tale!

"Dogs wouldn't dare sniff around where wolves have left their scent!"

"What!?" Jezebel's hand did a shaky dance, causing the wolf cub to hit the ground with a sad little whimper.

Exasperated, Violeta grabbed her bag with one hand and said, "Hurry up! We must pick up the pace now!"

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Knowing that Mama Wolf might show up following the scent trail later, the girls didn't dare to dawdle, hastily trailing behind Violeta.

The little wolf cub took up the rear, giving out a few whimpers before scampering along on its tiny legs

Kaylee was alarmed and hollered immediately, "Oh sh*t, Violeta, it's following us. What do we do now"

Violeta's face scrunched up, and just then, a distant howl from Mama Wolf sent shivers down the other three girls' spines, making them pick up the pace.

Sonya pointed fingers at Jezebel, "What the heck were you doing back there? Hugging the wolf cub? Now, we're all gonna end up wolf chow!"

Jezebel scowled. "I thought it was a dog... Why blame me? Violeta's the one who dragged us down this path. It's on her! We wouldn't deal with wolves if we took a different route!"

Kaylee glared fiercely at Jezebel, turning her head, "Are your eyes just for show? You can't even tell a wolf from a dog, and yet you're blaming Violeta? She already warned us about the wild wolves nearby!"

T..."

Violeta cut off their bickering, "Enough! Let's keep moving! We're almost there, and then we'll be safel

Getting surrounded by a wolf pack wasn't a joke.

Violeta might know how to run herself to safety, but she couldn't guarantee the safety of these three liabilities.

The trio shut their mouths and followed Violeta, hustling to distance themselves from the wolves.

What would normally take twenty minutes in a rush took them only ten, fueled by adrenaline. They hit the finish line, collapsing onto chairs, letting the tension seep away

The instructors, waiting at the finish line, saw the four emerge from the bushes like their lives depended on it and hit the stopwatch, "Wow! Two hours and seventeen minutes, we've got a new record! But why'd you guys come from that way? Everything cool? Come on, grab some water first!"

Jezebel and Sonya were going to complain to the instructor about Violeta. Still, before they could say anything, the head instructor spoke up, and their eyes widened, "What! We're in first place!?!

The instructor confirmed, "Yep, not only are you leading, but you also smashed the old

record!"

"We broke the record!?" Jezebel and Sonya exclaimed together, their excitement making them jump up and down.

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"No way! Breaking the record means extra rewards, right? An extra ten grand on top of the original prize money!"

The instructor nodded, Exactly too, you're looking at sixty grand and a single-person dorm

spot"

"Oh my god!" Kaylee was pumped, too, but she wasn't as over-the-top as Jezebel and

Sonya

Instead, she glanced at Violeta beside her and said, "Kudos to Violeta! We'd probably still be stock in the mountains without her leading the way Violeta stayed quiet and took a seat to chill

Things got hairy back there. If the wolf pack had caught them, rewards would be the least of their concerns. Making it back alive would be the real worry. Just as Violeta started to unwind, she felt a weird sensation in her feet and looked down.

She was surprised because the little wolf cub tagging along had actually caught up!

Violeta thought she had left the cub behind, but this little critter was determined! It was using Its stubby legs and sniffing their scent to keep up!

It was no good.

Awoul

"What's that noise?" The instructor caught wind of the wolf howls and turned to look.

Kaylee glanced over and quickly covered, "Sic it's just my phone's ringtone."

The instructor said, "Oh, I thought I heard a wolf howl. All the wild wolves in this mountain range have been kicked out, so there shouldn't be any roaming around. Wolves are pretty. clever creatures. If they catch a whiff of human scent, they won't easily come after us unless they're desperate for food. Otherwise, they won't risk messing with humans"

Unless there were folks like Jezebel, lacking some common sense, actively taunting the wolves, these animals would be even less likely to mess with them with such a big group Trekking through the mountains tonight.

Jezebel and Sonya were clueless about the whole situation. They were too caught up in their victory high, forgetting about what happened earlier

Violeta firmly grabbed the back of the cub's neck and covered its mouth, ensuring it stayed

silent

In a low, serious tone, she wamed, "Keep quiet! If you make a peep, I'll shut you up

The cub cowered, tucking its tail between its legs, giving Violeta a pleading look with those big, watery eyes.

Not knowing if it was lost or ditched, Violeta couldn't risk the instructor replaceing out.

H