Chapter 3: Chapter 3
The next day she could not bring herself to leave the comfort of her camp. Having not slept at all the night before, she could still not seem to come to terms with the events of the previous day. Her mind had spent every moment since the wolf encounter trying to figure out an explanation for what was different about these wolves. They behaved almost as if they had been domesticated, and yet for some reason her brain refused to accept the explanation that the beasts would submit to a human. Nothing about them screamed domesticated, rather they seemed like the epitome of danger, with towering forms and sharp pointed teeth. No, these wolves could not be domesticated. They had to be a unique species, unknown to her, that chose to hide their existence in the darkest depths of the forest. It was the only thing she could think of, the only possible explanation for what she had seen and experienced the past couple weeks.
Looking over at the deer skin she was currently drying and prepping for clothing, she could not help but flash back to the eyes of the wolf as they stared her down, getting closer and closer. Not one prone to fear, having grown up the way she had, those eyes brought upon an immediate visceral reaction from her body. They were the eyes of a highly intelligent being, one that had spared her life despite her aggression towards it.
Needing to move and expend some energy, she grabbed a skin and went to refill it at the river. Exiting her camp, she slung her bow over her shoulder, the skin held loosely in her grasp. She wasn’t worried as she wasn’t going far, and the wolves never got this close to her little home. The walk to the river’s edge was relatively short, but she still had to weave in and out of the trees and step carefully at points where the dirt gave way and she could fall in.
Finally at a point where she could bend down and get her fill of crystal water, she breathed in deep. The air was crisp and refreshing and she enjoyed the faint warmth of the sun as it shone through the trees and onto her face. Looking up and towards the sky she sent a little prayer to mother nature, thanking it for all its wonders before taking a sip of what she had come for. Despite the circumstances that had led to her abandonment in the forest, she was grateful for everything the earth had provided for her, knowing that someone out there was looking out for her, guiding her senses and keeping her safe.
Capping her water, she stood from her crouched position, she was not quite ready to return to the stuffy cave with its dim lighting and smell of deer meat. Nevertheless, she knew she had to, any more time spent outside was risky, she did not wish to encounter any more wolves any time soon. Turning her back to the rushing water of the river she stepped towards the path home, only to stop at the sound of growls.
“Danger!” screamed the winds, but it was too late, there was no stopping what was about to happen.
From either side of her came two light grey wolves slinking out from the treeline. Instinct forced her to drop the skin that had previously been in her hand in order to reach for her bow. The skin rolled away from her and stopped its path at the foot of the wolf on her right, they were closer than she thought. Smoothly and with practiced grace she pulled the bow from over her head and in the blink of an eye had it nocked and ready to fire. She aimed at the wolf on the right even as her senses were screaming at her not to take her eyes of the one to her left.
Having observed the wolves from afar for quite some time, she knew they were loyal creatures, and was counting on the fact that the one would not make a move if it risked the life of another. What she wasn’t expecting however, was the large black wolf that would emerge before her, bigger than any of the other wolves she had seen so far. The black wolf oozed dominance from every pore, and upon its arrival the two grey wolves moved to flank him.
“I have never shot a wolf before,” The girl started, struggling to keep her voice calm and even, “You’re beautiful creatures and I would hate to do it, but if you come any closer, I will.”
She was proud of the delivery of her message and how steady her hands remained. All of her time spent surviving in the forest had been in anticipation of this moment, and she was grateful that her confidence with her bow had not fled at the first sign of trouble.
Taking as many steps back as she dared, she was conscious of the water that ran rapidly behind her. If she were to fall in, not only would she be swept away, but she would also be subjected to the freezing waters and in these cold late fall conditions she was sure it would mean her death. Trapped between two deadly options, should could not help but send a prayer to the winds and the trees that somehow her luck from the day before had not run out. Maybe these wolves would turn and flee like the last one, though from the sight of the three she was less than hopeful.
The black wolf stepped forwards and stared at her for what felt like an eternity. Despite the length of time she kept her aim right between his eyes and did not break eye contact with the beast. She knew that making eye contact with one of the world’s most apex predators was probably the wrong move, but she had done it and now she refused to back down. She was a daughter of the forest and she would not let herself submit to one of its many creatures, even if it meant signing off on her death.
To her surprise, it was the wolf that broke first, bending his head down and starting to shake all over. With wide eyes she could not help but watch transfixed as the hairs of the large creature seemed to retract into its body, the wolf’s body contorting in a painful manner. It was hard to watch, but she could not seem to look away, unknowingly to her, her bow arm dropped down by her side and she stood defenseless before the three figures that watched her. The wolf had almost stopped writhing, but she could hardly call it a wolf any longer. In place of the wolf now crouched a man, naked and breathing slightly hard, with a mop of black hair hung over his eyes.
The wolfman stood up and she noted how his legs and arms were pure muscle, skin pulled taut over his chest and torso. His jaw was chiselled and his cheekbones high and defined, with piercing brown eyes that watched her curiously for her reaction. Noticing for the first time that her bow was no longer in shooting position, she brought the weapon back up, creating a barrier between herself and the handsome man. He looked human, but his eyes gave it away, they were watching her as a predator watches its prey and yet behind the air of authority and pride, she could sense faint amusement rolling off of him, as if he expected her to scream or freak out.
She stayed quiet, she would not be the one to break the silence that remained after the transformation of the man. She had seen many things in the forest, and despite the surprise she felt at first, she could not help but be relieved to finally have the answers she had been looking for. She finally had confirmation that she was not crazy, that the weird behaviour of the wolves was justified, that they were not normal wolves, not at all. The winds had picked up their pace, swirling anxiously around the four that stood regarding each other, but despite their previous warning, they no longer spoke of danger. The winds did not seem to regard the wolves as posing a threat to her health and so she lowered the bow once more. The winds would never put her at risk and so she knew she was safe, at least for the time being.
“Are you not going to run or scream, Little One?” the man questioned, cocking his head to the side as she was sure his wolf counterpart did all the time.
“It will take more than you to scare me Wolf Man.” She held her chin high and made eye contact, he had not bested her as a wolf, and he would not best her now as a man.
“I can’t tell if you’re brave or merely stupid, Little Human. You should be scared, very scared.” He took another step towards her.
“You won’t hurt me.” She said confidently, matching him by taking a step towards him, shortening the distance between them substantially.
Looking down and noting their proximity the Wolf Man raised an eyebrow,
“You’re an odd little thing that’s for sure, James is going to have his hands full figuring you out.” He held a hand out towards her, “My name is Alpha Matthew Claiborne, you may call me Matt.”
She looked down at his hand that now stay suspended between them, was he going to strike her? Maybe he wanted her to bow? She did not know the significance of the hand, and so chose to let it hover in the air between them until he finally retracted it with another tilting of his head. She could see the gears turning in his head as he looked her up and down, no doubt trying to take her all in and figure her out. Too bad for him she was not one to be easily deciphered. Years of solitude had made her difficult to read and she knew he would not get anything about her from her facial expression.
“You’ve been giving our trackers a run for their money, I must say I’m impressed that someone so small could evade us for so long.”
He was being honest, she could tell from the way he looked at her that he truly was surprised at how she had successfully avoided the wolves.
“Glad James finally found you though, he’s been alone for so long and we were starting to think he might never find the one.”
She had stopped listening to the words the tall man was speaking, instead watching him for any sudden moves. From watching she could tell he was someone of importance, he carried himself with such dominance and power that she was sure he could not go easily ignored. He was the type of person that everyone gravitated towards, that could silence a room at any moment. Just as she kept herself withdrawn and hidden, he left himself open and easy to read.
“Ah finally!” she was pulled from her thoughts at his exclamation, his face lit up with excitement as he turned slightly over one shoulder to look towards the trees,
“He’s here.” Turning around completely, he left his back vulnerable to her as if he knew she wouldn’t attack, and began addressing the shadows between the trees,
“Took you long enough, man could you run any slower? Sarah could do better than that and she shifted two weeks ago!” His voice was teasing and yet the thunderous growl that erupted from the trees told her that whatever was coming did appreciate the attempt at humor.
Preparing herself for what was to come, she did not expect the warm brown paw that stepped into the small clearing. It was the wolf from yesterday, only now he looked angrily at her and the Wolf Man Matthew. Seeing those eyes again her heart began to pound, and she could hardly hear anything except the blood rushing to her ears. Slinking back and trying to make herself as small as possible she tried not to draw any attention to herself. They had called the brown wolf in to finish what he had started, to end her once and for all.
Taking another step back she wasn’t prepared for the lack of foothold, and she began to slip backwards, the frightened eyes of Matthew Claiborne the last thing she sees before being fully submerged in the icy waters and pulled away with the current.