The Wolf Cub

By Alison Bellringer

Lewis just loves living with his mother in a small cottage that backs directly onto a vast forest.

The shy four-year-old’s favourite spot to relax is in a clearing by a watering hole, where all the woodland creatures come to get their daily measure of drink and forage nearby for food. He always enjoys chatting to the smaller animals (especially the squirrels and rabbits), making new friends nearly every day.

And that’s exactly where the boy was when it happened – the hair on the back of Lewis’ neck suddenly stood on end, and the young boy shivered slightly.

He was being watched…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Mar 28, 2024
• ISBN: 9781035837038

Alison Bellringer

Alison Bellringer has been writing short stories to share with friends and family for many years and always enjoys exploring her creativity when putting pen to paper. She is excited to have the opportunity to share her love of writing with others. Alison loves spending time with her pet dog, a Labrador x Huntaway called Smoky, teaching her tricks and taking her for walks. She lives in a small town in New Zealand near many beautiful parks and beaches. Alison has been playing trombone since about 2010, and euphonium from mid-2019, and always likes getting together with a few friends to ‘make a joyful noise’. She also enjoys a bit of photography when she gets the chance, especially if it involves taking pictures of sunsets.

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Copyright Information ©

Alison Bellringer 2024

The right of Alison Bellringer to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035837021 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035837038 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

By the Same Author

My Dog, Moss

Surprise at the Beach

The Bronson Escapades

For loyal animals everywhere

(not all wolves are bad)

(1)

Leaves and twigs crunched and snapped noisily underfoot as the small boy treaded lightly along the path, which led ever deeper into the forest.

The cottage where Lewis and his mother lived was located on the outskirts of a nearby village, right at the very edge of the dark woodland canopy. The small building actually backed directly onto it and Lewis merely had to step out the door, and he was practically already on the forest track.

Mrs Cartlow was a seamstress and was always kept busy with work from the tailor shop. While she was there, Lewis generally had to entertain himself. Usually, it was only for a couple of hours at a time until she paused to make his lunch or dinner, but occasionally she had so much to do that sometimes Lewis was left on his own for the whole day. The youngster was still too little for joining school, so the four-year-old simply roamed about (wherever his toddling feet happened to take him). They had lost Mr Cartlow to a deadly disease over a year ago, and so it was left to Mrs Cartlow to provide enough income to keep both her and their son properly clothed and fed. This didn’t leave a lot of time to actually be with Lewis very much, which grieved Mrs Cartlow, but she was left with practically no choice in order to receive enough cash to simply put bread on the table (and she herself often had to go without to make sure that Lewis got enough for a growing boy’s needs…).

Lewis was a little shy when it came to other people, but that never stopped him from meandering up and down the village streets – the main avenue by all the shop fronts was definitely the most interesting place to be. He enjoyed watching the bustling activity from a good distance: the farrier shoeing horses, the owner of the general store loading various wagons and carts with his customer’s wares, the aimless wandering of eager shoppers peering in at eye-catching window displays, and much, much more. It was always a busy hive of lively action!

There goes the Cartlow boy again. People would say if they happened to catch sight of him pattering about, dragging his stuffed old bear by one hand so lowly that it nearly brushed along the ground (but it didn’t quite!). He was very proud of that bear because it had used to belong to his own father, back when he was a little boy growing up. Such a shame he always has to fend for himself. His poor mother…

Some villagers would often stop to ask him how he was, and Lewis was always friendly with them, grinning shyly while they were speaking. And he always said that he was fine – no matter how hungry he felt, Lewis would never, ever, ask anyone for more food. Often people would take pity on him anyway and hand him something extra to gnaw on: a muffin here, a cookie there, or even a fresh slice of warm bread lathered in jam or honey. Lewis accepted the handouts gratefully, and gradually got to know all the other residents of the village rather well. There was Mr Reed, the general store manager; old Mrs Harrow, a widow; Mr Rush, the farrier; Mr Rye, the butcher and his assistant, Hal. And Mr and Mrs Coal who ran the tailor shop (Mrs Cartlow worked for them). There were a few others, but those were the ones who were especially kind to young Lewis.

Actually, there was one other: Miss Sylvie, the schoolteacher. She was keen to have Lewis