21. Found
Fifty centimeters down, Jake’s hand hit something. A glove. He kept digging, and a man’s arm appeared beneath the snow. Jake pressed his fingers to the man’s wrist. A pulse — faint, but there. Mark Sullivan was alive. The low-density snow around him had preserved an air pocket. Jake shouted into the radio: “Survivor confirmed! South slope, near the old tree!” Titan stopped digging. He crouched down beside Mark’s face.
22. What Titan Did
Until the rescue team arrived, Titan lay across Mark’s torso — using his body’s weight and warmth to keep the man’s core temperature from falling further. He seemed to have come to this exact spot for exactly this purpose. When the rescue team arrived, they stopped short at the sight of the enormous wolf. “Did the wolf find him and dig him out?” one team member asked. What had Titan sensed that night, that had made him break through the fence and come here?
23. The Rescue
Mark Sullivan had escaped hypothermia thanks to his thermal gear. His right arm was fractured, but he was conscious and not in critical danger. As he was lifted onto a stretcher, he opened his eyes slightly and said: “In the snow — I felt something warm, something large next to me. I thought at first it was a bear.” A rescue worker smiled and said: “Not a bear. A wolf.” Mark closed his eyes again, his face peaceful.
24. Confirmed Alive
Hospital examination confirmed a fractured right arm and mild frostbite, with Mark expected to be discharged within 24 hours. His doctor said: “If we had found him two hours later, he would not have survived.” When local newspapers first ran the story, national media arrived the following day. “Wolf rescues avalanche survivor” spread instantly. But would this change anything for Titan?
25. What Was Saved
Lead investigator Collins saw the news and called Jake. After a long silence, Collins said: “If we had followed the regulations, that man would be dead.” Jake said nothing. Mark Sullivan came to visit the center the day after his discharge. He stood at the fence facing Titan for a long time without speaking. Finally he said: “If you hadn’t come that night, I wouldn’t be here.”
26. A Change in the Authority
Three weeks later, formal documents arrived from the wildlife management authority. “Recognizing Titan’s conservation value and contribution to public welfare, continued management under current conditions is hereby approved.” It was only later that Jake learned Collins himself had written the recommendation. Jake read the letter and closed his eyes. Four years of fighting — what had it all been for? And where should Titan now live?
27. Protected Species
As Dr. Reid’s research advanced, it was formally announced that Titan likely belonged to a rare lineage of a critically endangered northern wolf subspecies. Under the federal Wildlife Protection Act, Titan was granted legal status as a protected species. Permission was given to build a large dedicated enclosure on the ranger station grounds. Jake picked up a shovel and started building the fence himself.
28. The Bond Between Jake and Titan
On the spring morning when the new enclosure was finished, Titan and Jake walked together across a wide meadow. Titan stayed one step behind Jake and to his left — the position of a trusted companion within a pack. Jake walked without speaking. What had begun four years ago as an act against the rules had become something no one could undo. Dr. Reid said to Jake afterward: “You actually speak wolf, don’t you?”
29. One Step Toward the Wild
When autumn came, Titan began spending more of his time near the north fence of the enclosure. When the wind came down from the mountains, he would raise his nose and stand motionless for long stretches. Jake watched him and wondered. What did Titan truly want? Was returning him to the wild the right thing to do? Or was this place — this ranger station — his real pack?
30. Guardian of the Mountain
The following winter, Titan turned five. Every morning, he and Jake stepped outside together and looked toward the mountains. That was still their routine. Since the night Mark Sullivan was pulled from the snow, hikers in the Bitterroot Mountains had been telling stories of “a very large wolf” spotted on the slopes. Locals had begun to call him the Guardian of the Mountain. Titan still watches the hills. Carrying a will to live that no regulation was ever large enough to contain. *This story is fiction. All characters and events are entirely imaginary and bear no relation to any real persons or events. Photos are for illustrative purposes only.
