I tamed my first wolf the other day. Since 1.6 of the Minecraft beta was released, there’s been lots of cool new features, but by far the best addition is the packs of wolves that now roam the countryside. Now I can live the dream of exploring a new world with a canine companion. Its just like that film Cast Away, only with a dog instead of a football.

So there I was wandering through the woods near to a small shack which I currently call home, and through a gap in the trees I spotted them milling around in a clearing. The sun was going down so I knew I had to be quick if I was going to catch one. There were 3 wolves, and they scattered as I approached. I managed to get close enough to one, bone in hand, and fed him it. Nothing happened at first, so I gave him 2 more and suddenly a little red collar poofed into existence around his neck, and he looked up at me and barked. I was in love. I named him Frank.

Frank and I made for home. It was dark now so the zombies were approaching and there were some creepers in the river which we had to cross. After a short swim we made it back to the hut where I fed Frank some pork chops to give a boost to his health and his tail perked up showing me that he was healthy. Tomorrow, we would need to find Paul, who had gotten lost and setup a new home somewhere far away. I decided I needed a map if I had any hope of finding Paul and finding my own way home, but in order to make one, I needed redstone. So first, Frank and I would go hunting…

Sleeping in my bed made the night go by, and Frank was waiting for me by the door where I had left him the next morning. We set out for a nearby cave, which I had explored a bit of, but was yet to discover anything of value inside. With Frank at my side for protection, I was sure I’d find something worthwhile down there.

On our way to the cave, Frank walked too close to a lava pit, and caught fire. There was nothing I could do. He yelped and ran around, I tried to lure him towards the river but it was too far and after a few seconds he keeled over, stopped moving and then disappeared forever in a small puff of smoke.

I mourned.

Then I saw a pack of wolves just outside the cave entrance. I had some bones left, so I tamed one and named him Frank. We made our way to the cave.

It took all day and the following night to explore the cave, and Frank was a true hero. Countless times he saved me from skeletons, zombies, spiders – I’d usually attack with my sword first, and he’d spring into action teeth first and bite them to death. If ever I was ambushed, he’d be there ready to defend me. We were a true team. I managed to find a whole heap of minerals and even some gold. We explored the dark passages together, fighting off the monsters and whenever Frank got injured, a couple of pork chops later he was ready to go again. Then I fell down a hole, and Frank followed.

We both crippled our legs and were in total darkness as I fumbled for a torch. Unfortunately, we had fallen into a zombie lair, and I heard yelps from the darkness as three of them attacked Frank, who was viciously fighting back. I fed him the last of the bacon and together we dealt with the undead. Battered and beaten, I realised we had to get out.

I saw light coming from a nearby tunnel, so headed that way. As I got closer, I realised it wasn’t daylight, but lava. Frank whimpered. I told him to sit while I scouted ahead, and he obeyed. Using gravel, I covered up the lava so it was safe for my faithful friend to traverse, and then spotted the redstone glowing in the floor. Success! I mined it up quickly and went back to Frank, who was constantly whimpering in pain, clearly only capable of taking a few more hits.

We fought our way out, but a sneaky skeleton fired off a lucky shot which Frank caught in the belly. He yelped one final time and joined his brother in wolf-heaven. I smashed the skeleton to pieces and ran for the exit. By the time I got out of the cave it was daylight, so I made my way home.

I crafted a compass and then a map using the materials Frank had helped me collect, and now I am ready to find Paul. Tomorrow, I will venture out in search of him and his new land, but the Franks will never be forgotten. And hopefully I’ll even meet a new one on the way.

Minecraft 1.6 is glorious.