Eliza awoke, and then found that it was raining. It stung her face. Eliza saw that Thunder had not moved. Eliza rubbed his wet nose. The wolf opened his eyes, and stood up. He shook his wet fur.
"I know I don't want to go to the village," said Eliza. "But we can't be in this forest when it starts snowing. We'd get too cold and hungry. We have to go to the inn."
Thunder licked Eliza's hand with his cold tongue. Eliza shivered, but smiled at Thunder. Then she said, "Thunder, you can't come in the inn with me. It's not allowed, and people would probably immediately start to plan how to catch you - a wonderful wolf." Then she added, "I would never let anyone do anything thing to you - never." She patted Thunder's fur. Then she stood up, and stretched. "Let's go."
When Thunder walked, his paws made no sound. And at night, his yellow eyes glowed. He sniffed the ground intently.
The wolf and Eliza soon came to the end of the wood.
"The inn is around here somewhere," said Eliza. As they passed other houses and shops, people stared at them, and mostly at Thunder. Eliza kept her wolf close to her and kept her hood over her eyes.
One little boy pointed at Thunder, his mouth wide open.
At one point there was a group of scary looking men. Eliza eyed them anxiously.
“Is that actually a wolf, or just a Husky?” One of the men asked.
“Is it for sale?” Said another man. He swayed dangerously. He had obviously been drinking.
Elisa didn’t say anything, but hurried past them.
They soon came to the inn, and Eliza said, “There’s a barn quite near the inn, I can put you in there.” She neared the barn, and peeped inside. “Good, no one is in there. Come on Thunder.”
The wolf followed her cautiously into the barn. It was filled with hay, and a few ropes were on the ground.
“I can use one of these too. . . Well, Thunder, I think I will have to tie you up, in case you go wondering off.” She tied one of the ropes around Thunder’s neck, not tight.
Thunder did not like what she was doing. He tried to bite the thick rope.
“Thunder, it’s okay. . . Just stay there, and in the early morning I will go and get you. I promise! And for a special treat, I will try and get you a little bit of meat!” Eliza said. She kissed Thunder on the nose again, and left her loving wolf.
Eliza entered the inn, and she came to the bench where there was a short grubby man.
“Another visitor!” muttered the man. And then more loudly, “What do you want?”
“Er, I would like a little bit of meat, and a room to sleep in for tonight,” Eliza said coldly.
“Fifteen dollars.That would be fifteen bucks!” The inn-keeper picked his nose and wiped it on his apron.
Eliza made a face under her hood in disgust.
“I said, the price is fifteen bucks!” barked the inn-keeper.
Eliza felt annoyed. If she spent fifteen dollars, her money would all be gone. But she knew she needed a room tonight when it was snowing of course. So she reluctantly handed over the dollars.
The man snatched it from her hand, and greedily counted the money.
“There ya go.” The man handed over some raw meat. “And you can chose your bloody room. They are up the stairs.”
Eliza took the raw meat, and she ran up the stairs. When she slipped into a room, and dropped the piece of meat on the ground and then flopped down on a hard bed. She lay there for a while in the darkness, worrying herself over Thunder. She looked out if the grubby window, and then saw that it was snowing. Her thoughts turned back to Thunder. Then suddenly there was a growl and then a howl. Then she heard men talking and then there was silence. Someone was stealing Thunder! Eliza knew it. She jumped off the bed, and ran as fast as she could down the stairs. She ran out of the inn, and then right into the barn. Thunder was gone.