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?

whiff of their distinctive scent. The fact that Jezebel

dare sniff around where wolves have left

did a shaky dance, causing the wolf cub to hit

said, "Hurry

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show up following the scent trail

up the rear, giving out a few whimpers before

hollered immediately, "Oh sh*t, Violeta, it's following us. What do we do

face scrunched up, and just then, a distant howl from Mama Wolf sent shivers down the other three girls'

"What the heck were you doing back there? Hugging the wolf cub? Now, we're all gonna end

Violeta's the one who dragged us down this path. It's on her!

head, "Are your eyes just for show? You can't even tell a wolf from a

T..."

"Enough! Let's keep moving!

surrounded by a wolf pack wasn't

to safety, but she couldn't guarantee the safety of

trio shut their mouths and followed Violeta, hustling to distance

twenty minutes in a rush took them only ten, fueled by adrenaline. They hit

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

Sonya were going to complain to the instructor about Violeta. Still, before they could say anything, the

not only are you leading, but you

record!"

and Sonya exclaimed together, their excitement making them jump up and

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the record means extra rewards, right? An extra ten grand on top of the original prize

Exactly too, you're looking at

spot"

but

Sonya