His Promise
As Ranger Grey slogged through the thick snow, he rubbed his hands together. He could see the air around him freezing as his breath froze. As low as the temperature was the hope that he would ever see the little girl.
Although heartbroken, he kept the promise he had made to the parents. No matter how badly she was hurt, he would find her.
A Dangerous Situation
The snow was knee-deep when he began trudging through it. About half a mile from his truck, he had left the warmth and safety of his truck. Despite not being naive, he knew there were probably others watching him as well.
Little girls and even seasoned rangers could not survive in the Alaskan wilderness. In that moment, he realized that his only protection against any dangerous animals was in the truck.
No Protection
When he found the abandoned sled, he was in a hurry. A track led into the woods from where it crashed by the side of the road. The driver followed a dozen footprints in haste, but his only protection had been left in the car.
His 308 wasn't with him. There is no longer a caliber rifle with him. There would be no protection from the denizens of the woods.
The Wolves
The thought crossed Ranger Grey's mind as he heard a howl in the distance. There wasn't too much distance between them. Among the apex predators that lived in Alaska's wilderness was the wolf.
Against Ranger Grey, their thick, shaggy fur and muscular legs give them the upper hand. His only hope was that they hadn't found the girl before him. Now that he was close, he knew it was time to act.
An Opening
Moving through the snow became increasingly difficult for the ranger. In spite of that, he had to keep going. A clearing finally appeared when the trees gave way. While there would be less snow, it wasn't empty.
The movement he saw ahead caught his attention. In the white snow, fourteen silhouettes dance in circles.
Spotting Them
A four-legged animal - wolves - stumbled back, catching his attention. There was no way he could get close to them. Before doing anything else, he returned to his truck.
As he turned to leave, something caught his attention. A big tree was surrounded by canines. In spite of this, he was horrified by what he saw in the tree.
The Photo
In contrast to the gray, leafless tree, one of its branches was brightly colored. In his pocket, he quickly pulled out a photo that made him feel dreadful.
An image of a missing girl appeared on the screen. It was the same color as the fabric in the tree as the thick winter coat she wore. A horror movie moment struck him as he slowly approached the animals.
Loved By All
The community called him Ranger Grey, and Adam Grey loved serving Nome, Alaska. Everybody knew him in the town, and he never let them down.
When he walked by people on the street, he would tip his hat to them. His reputation as a helper of the needy grew quite quickly. There was never a time when he hesitated to rescue someone who was in need.
A Lot Of Pressure
There was a lot of responsibility on Ranger Grey's shoulders. To make sure no one got lost or had been attacked by wildlife, he patrolled the town and its outskirts as well as the Alaskan wilderness.
People sometimes called him when they got stuck outside of town, and he checked on them while they awaited a tow truck.
He Knew Them
In addition to doing his job, the Ranger learned the names of most of the town's families. They became like a second family to him as he got to know them.
But that also meant he would have to endure the pain of seeing people he had known for years suffer tragedy. Taking action was the only thing he could do.
The Kelly's
Martha and Edward Kelly had lived in the community ever since they were born. The couple were just a few years younger than Ranger Grey and had started a family together not too long ago.
Their daughter, Kayla, now eight years old, was a bright character full of energy and curiosity. But that same curiosity would be her undoing.
Adopting Strays
The Kelly's had more than just a daughter as a family. The two had been adopting strays around the town for decades. Now, they had fourteen crossbreeds that were a part of their family.
They mostly got them to look after their daughter while her curiosity got the better of her. She always snuck out and explored the town. It was safe enough, but one day, that changed.
Going Everywhere She Did
Ranger Grey would often catch young Kayla on her family sled with her fourteen dogs pulling her along. The town had a deep heritage in dog sledding, and a lot of people felt it in their blood.
Kayla may not have been old, but wherever she went, the dogs did, and it was on the sled. She was a pro, and it always kept her out of trouble. But one day, everything came crashing down.
A Day Like Any Other
On a day like any other, Ranger Grey was making the rounds, checking up on his community, when he heard some terrible news. Mr. and Mrs. Kelly hadn't seen their daughter in hours.
The two were concerned and called the police to try and help. She was last seen on her sled with her dogs, but surely someone would have seen one of them around?
Vanished
It was as if Kayla had completely vanished. She was seen on her sled just four hours ago but now she was gone. Knowing the sensitive nature of things, the police quickly conducted a search in the town.
They went street by street, hoping to find anything that would help them figure out what had happened to the girl.
No Clues
After a full day of searching, they came up empty-handed. They promised to keep looking, but things weren't looking good for their daughter. That's when Ranger Grey decided to step in.
He had known the family for a long time and told them he'd look in places the police couldn't - the wilderness. He packed his truck with supplies and headed out in search of the missing girl.
Searching Methodically
Ranger Grey searched the wilderness methodically. He went east and drove around the icy, barren roads, hoping to find something. When it started to get dark, he always headed back into town.
After four days, he felt terrible. There was still no sign of the girl anywhere, but he had one more place to look.
A Different Route
He decided to go a bit further than usual. He knew of an old sledding path west of the town. He set up at dawn in the hopes that he could figure out what had happened to Kayla.
He owed her parents that much. They deserved to know what had happened to their daughter, no matter how grim the truth was. He knew that a dog sled team could have gone far.
Getting Closer
As he drove further out of the town, the path started getting narrower. His truck scraped on dead branches as he went through places he hadn't previously explored. No one had any reason to go down a path like this.
But he had a good feeling about it. It was the one place he hadn't checked yet. She had to be there. Otherwise, she really did vanish.
Seeing Something Terrible
After an hour of slow progress, Ranger Grey finally saw something. It was Kayla's sled! His heart raced as he parked the car next to it. But now, close up, he could see what had happened.
Kayla's sled was damaged and ran off the path into a snowbank. There were no dogs around, nor her. But then he saw the tracks in front of him. He had to follow them.
Tracks
The tracks were clear, but why had the little girl gone deeper into the wilderness rather than waiting on the road? Maybe she had been forced to run away from something?
He felt a shiver go up his spine as he raced after the tracks, knowing that time was critical. He would find the girl, but would he be too late? But in his haste, he forgot something precious.
Pushing Through The Cold
Ranger Grey rubbed his hands together as he moved through the thick snow. He could see his own breath freeze in the air in front of him. The hope that he would ever see the little girl was as low as the temperature.
But still, he had made a promise to the heartbroken parents. He would find her, no matter what condition she was in.
Dangerous Animals
He slowly trudged through the snow that was as deep as his knees. He had left the warmth and safety of his truck on the road half a mile away. He wasn't naive to what else was probably watching him.
The Alaskan wilderness was no place for a little girl or even a seasoned ranger. That's when he realized that his only protection against any dangerous animals was back in the truck.
Back In The Truck
He was in a hurry when he found the abandoned sled. It had crashed on the side of the road with tracks leading into the woods. He followed a dozen footprints in haste but had left his only protection on the passenger seat of his car.
He didn't have his 308. Caliber rifle with him anymore. He would be at the mercy of the denizens of the woods.
A Howl
Just as it crossed his mind, Ranger Grey heard a howl in the distance. It wasn't too far off. Wolves were one of the apex predators that called the Alaskan wilderness their home.
Their thick, shaggy fur and muscled legs put them at an advantage against Ranger Grey. He just prayed that they hadn't found the missing girl before him. He knew he was close now.
A Clearing
Every step became harder as the ranger moved through the snow. But he had to keep moving. That's when the trees finally gave way to a clearing. The snow there would be lighter, but it wasn't empty.
He saw movement up ahead. Fourteen silhouettes against the white snow dance in circles.
Wolves
He stumbled back, noticing that they were four-legged animals - wolves. He had to steer clear of them at all costs. He decided that he'd have to get back to his truck before doing anything else.
But as he turned to leave, his eyes caught something he hadn't noticed before. The canines were circling a big tree. But it was what he saw in the tree that made his blood run cold.
Torn Clothing
Against the gray, leafless tree, he saw a bright color hanging from one of the branches. He felt dread creep up his spine as he quickly pulled out a photo that he had in his pocket.
It was a photo of the missing girl. The color of the thick winter coat she was wearing was the same color as the fabric in the tree. He slowly approached the animals, but that's when he noticed something out of a horror movie.
No Wolves
It turned out that the animals surrounding the tree weren't wolves. They were the fourteen dogs she had left town with. He now understood what was going on. They were protecting her from the other animals in the forest.
Now closer, he could see that Kayla was hiding in a hollow inside of the tree. He called her name, and she came rushing out. She was cold and frightened, but he was there.
Going Home
"Do you think Mom and Dad will be angry?" The shivering girl asked as he threw his thermal jacket over her. "No." He chuckled. "They just want to see their daughter safe and sound."
Ranger Grey arranged for two K-9 police vans to come out and pick up the dogs while he personally took Kayla home. She promised she would never let her curiosity get the better of her again. But Ranger Grey was watching over her, just in case.