Get your own Free Home PageAlaskan Runaway
Selennia looked out the window of the airplane. Her family bought some tickets to go up in a sky-diving plane, watch some people sky-dive, and then get a sky view of some of Alaska's mountains. So far, her family's move to Anchorage, Alaska had been wonderful - to everyone but Selennia. In fact, the eleven-year-old girl did not want to move in the first place. She saw nothing wrong with living in a small apartment.
Just then, the door of the plane flew open. "Let's go!" yelled one of the sky-divers, who were sitting behind her, over the roar of the engine. Then they all piled out right behind one another. "Now for the view of the lovely mountains," yelled the pilot over the noise after all the sky-divers were out of the plane. Then he looked over at Selennia and smiled. "I hate the pilot. I hate the air. I hate the mountains, and I hate Alaska," thought a very stubborn Selennia. But she knew that she had to obey and be quiet. So she just smiled back at the pilot.
Selennia, her parents, and her older sister, Floria, were now back at their new house. "Selennia, honey, can I talk to you about something?"
"Sure Mom, what about?" replied Selennia.
"Well, your eleven now, and you are old enough to become a Scout. That's girl scout talk. I was wondering if you would like to join, like Floria did when she was your age." Mrs. Perkins, Selennia's mother, was the leader of Scout Group 952. Her sister had joined the group when she turned 11. But Selennia hated girl scout stuff. Just then, an idea started to form in her head.
"Well, I suppose I'll have to do something with the Scouts to see if I'm cut out for it."
"Oh that's perfect! You can come to the Scout's Self-Survival Night tomorrow night. That's the one where you go out into the wilderness alone and try to survive until morning."
Selennia grinned. Just what she had hoped for! "Okay Mom. Sounds like fun!"
"Okay, now which way should I go?" Selennia asked herself. It was the next night, and Selennia was on her own. All out in the wilderness by herself. "Boy, I have to get used to lots of new things. Like how to live all by myself. And not just for one night!" Selennia looked at her watch. Eleven O'clock. Time to set up camp. Selennia came into an opening in the woods and stopped. Perfect. She opened her bookbag and took out her supply of survival books. "Hatchet. My Side of the Mountain. The River. All my books with facts about survival are here. Now to set up camp."
The next morning Selennia knew she should get some food. So she packed up her tent and wandered into the woods. She also knew that if she did not go at a strenuous pace, she would be found by the troop.
"What luck!" exclaimed Selennia that afternoon. She had been walking all morning and now came upon a beautiful, sparkling lake. All around it were raspberry bushes. A river ran through it on both sides. She would cross the lake and feast on raspberries. Then she would set up camp on the other side of the lake. And that's just what she did until dark(Which is quite late in Alaska during the summer).
"So. This is my first day all alone in the wilderness. I'm happier all alone here than I am back at home with them. Well now I suppose I'd better plan out what to do tomorrow. Well, I suppose I'll get out my raft and float down the river. The Scouts would never imagine that I would float down the river! So I'll get some sleep and take off early tomorrow." Selennia closed her eyes and instantly fell asleep. It had been a long day.
Selennia sat up abruptly. "What was that? Some noise woke me up, "she thought. She quietly unzipped her tent and looked outside. When she saw what was out there, she gasped. For an arctic wolf was standing outside by a berry bush. It was bleeding. Selennia had been through enough of her mother's survival lessons to know that it had been shot, and she knew exactly what to do. She removed herself from the tent and walked slowly over to the dying wolf. It had laid down on its side, surrendering itself to death. Selennia was armed with a pair of tweezers and a bandana. The wolf's eyes were now closed, so she approached it unafraid. She sat next to it and started digging at the bullet. It took about a half hour to get it out, and when she reached out to tie the bandana around its side, Selennia noticed that she was covered in blood. She bandaged the wolf and found it some pine boughs and made it a comfortable bed. Then she washed herself in lake. It was now broad daylight. Selennia knew she should name what she now knew what was a male wolf. She knew that she had to take him along or he would die. So he needed a name. But that would have to wait until after breakfast. She went out to pick some berries, not knowing that the wolf left to get the breakfast. So when she came back, there it was, and with it two arctic hares. One for him, and one for her. So together they ate their first meal.
When they were done, Selennia knew that they must be going. So she packed up the tent and blew up the raft. Then she lifted the wolf into the raft, that was now on the lake, then climbed aboard herself. Once she was aboard, Selennia swallowed hard and said, "Well, here goes nothing" and paddled down to the river until the current took over.
At first, the waters were really smooth. During these times, Selennia tried to find a name suitable for the wolf. She didn't want any stupid, childish name, such as "Wolf" or "Wolfie." So after about 42 minutes she decided on "Raquem." When she thought of it, she thought it was perfect, but she had to see if the white Arctic Wolf liked it. So she said, "I have it! What about "Raquem?" How do you like it?"He barked so she took it as a yes.
About a half hour the waters started to get very choppy. The raft was being thrown into the air and then crashing back into the waters. Raquem sensed something bad so he started to bark. Selennia knew that would not help the tossing of the raft, so she hushed him. All of the sudden, Selennia heard the sound of falling water. Now she knew what Raquem was barking about. He was trying to warn her. But now it was too late. They were caught in the current. There was not enough time or strength to turn the raft towards shore! Raquem jumped out and swam to the shore. He ran alongside the swift-moving raft. Selennia tried to jump out too. But now she was falling! Falling and falling!
Part Two
Selennia was falling, but then she blacked out. She woke up to Raquem licking her face. Now she was back on dry land. Selennia rubbed her head, thinking that she must have hit it harder than she had thought. She looked up and saw the waterfall nearby. "Raquem must have dragged the raft to dry land and pulled me out of it. Either that, or he pulled me out of the raft and now it has floated away. But I guess I'll never know,"thought Selennia. She patted his head and said,"Thank you Raquem. You saved my life. I can never thank you enough."Now they had to travel by land, for the raft was nowhere to be seen. After that, Selennia would never get back into a raft anyway. So the walked.
They had walked until six thirty. Then, Raquem caught them some fish to eat for dinner. After they finished, they walked until dark. Then Selennia pitched the tent and let Raquem sleep there with her. Now she definitely trusted him. After all, had he not saved her life? They slept there together that night.
For breakfast the next morning, the two companions had left over fish. Selennia sensed that Raquem seemed to act differently. She knew that there were nearby humans because of his behavior. Then they came from a nearby clump of trees. Selennia could hear the two men talking. "That's the blonde haired, blue eyed, eleven-year-old who ran away!" They started to run towards her and Raquem. When they approached her, they said,"Are you the Perkins girl?"
"Yes I am. Can you tell me anything that happened to my parents?" At those words the two men exchanged a glace and said,"Well, we don't know how to tell you, but a tornado came while you were gone. It killed your whole family."
Those words gave Selennia a shock. But she and Raquem went with the men. The men led them back to Anchorage, and she had the biggest lecture of her life. There were news crew there too. Selennia eventually found a kind, giving family, that became her foster parents. They were so nice, they let her keep Raquem. So that's where Selennia grew up happy, with her wolf friend.
By Erica Griffin
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