It's still alive

The giant beast lies there motionless, but not dead. You kneel down next to the wolf watching as it breathes slowly. You lay a hand on the wolf's neck feeling though as to comfort it till it's **** takes it away. The beast closes it's eyes and gives a faint howl before it passes. You stand feeling sorry for the beast, but knowing there was **** in the matter. You take a breath, feeling tired and cold. You then hear another sound coming from within the cave. You don't feel threatened from this sound though. It sounds like a yelping pup. You venture further into the cave, searching for the source of the cry. It is not long before you find it. There, huddled up next to the neck of a freshly slain deer, lays an all black pup, with emerald green eyes. You look back to the dire wolf that you've killed realizing you've taken the life of this pup's mother.

You approach the pup, lifting it and cradling it in your arms. The diminutive creature is no bigger than a domestic cat. It snuggles into your arm naturally feeling safe. The sadness that you felt earlier returns twofold. You walk back to the mother wolf's corpse and lay your hand on it once more while holding on to its child. You bow your head and speak in hopes the mothers spirit will hear you.

"I'm sorry I had to take your life. I'll make sure that your child, your kin, lives on. I will protect it, taking the position that of which I've taken from you. You were a strong mother."

You look down to the pup and see that he's a boy.

"And I will make sure your son is the same. Forgive me for what I must do next. For our survival."

You place the pup down beside you, pulling the dagger out from behind you and slowly starting to remove the skin from the wolf.