She Who Bears The Wolf's Mark

Wolf in My Backyard

Wolf in My Backyard

My eyes fluttered open. The first thing my eyes took in was the full moon, glorious, shinning, radiant and high up in the sky amongst a sea of twinkling, shimmering balls of fire. I stared at its mysterious beauty in admiration, a sight to behold, my mind free of any thoughts but praise to the luminous orb, Earth's loyal companion and lover since the dawn of time.

Sleep eluded me. I couldn't go back to sleep, something that rarely ever happened to me since I was a deep sleeper and awoke to almost nothing. But tonight I did, and for no reason, it seemed. The digital alarm clock sitting on my nightstand read 3:37 AM. The flickering bright red digits glared at me and I stared back, waiting for sleep to wash over me again.

3:39 AM

3:55 AM

I finally gave up on the notion and flung the covers aside, sat upright and threw my legs over the edge of my bed. A chill raced all the way from my toes and up my spine when my bare feet touched the cold floor, a cold reminder of what season was upon us. My eyes swept over my furnished room, lit up by the moon's glow, casting frightening shadows across the floorboards. I glanced at my window. Had I fallen asleep with the curtains open?

Shrugging, I rose from bed and went to the window, wanting to admire the full moon a little longer and act all lovey-dovey and stuff. Resting my elbows on the windowsill, I noted the way the Evergreen forest's trees swayed violently as the wind roared viciously outside, their branches twisting and bending until I thought they'd snap. The last of the colored leaves abandoned the trees and were blown away into the night. I looked up at the clear night sky, noticing the stormy clouds predicated to arrive during this week hadn't shown up yet.

Eighteen tomorrow, I thought with giddiness accompanied by a little unease.

Something stirred the thick, evergreen, two-feet-tall bushes separating the Evergreen Forest from my house's backyard. Something big. Two tiny baby rabbits jumped out of the bushes and scurried away hastily, leaving cute immaculate paw prints on the snow in their wake. Whatever had given them cause to abandon their home moved once again, fiercely shaking the bushes like an earthquake until the leaves started falling off.

For an unexplainable reason, I held my breath until my lungs screamed for air. Anticipation and excitement with a hint of fear bubbled inside me, the sleepiness completely eradicated. My once droopy eyes were now as wide as saucers and my heart beat an unhealthy staccato rhythm, hammering against my chest. Was it a deer that had somehow lost its way and wandered all the way here, to the outskirts of the forest? Or perhaps it was simply an overgrown rabbit?

To my shock and horror, what had to be the biggest, blackest, furriest and scariest animal I had ever seen e emerged out of the bushes, its moves graceful, elegant, leaving massively large paw prints on the snow in its wake. I had no experience or knowledge when it came to animals, but from the way that beast stalked into my house's backyard like it owned the place to its appearance told me that it was a wolf, and a gigantic one at that. It was about the size of a cow, if not bigger. Even from up here in my room, I could see just how silky and soft its coal-black fur was as it beautifully reflected the moon's glow. The wind blew at its glossy coat, ruffling it the way wheat swayed when a strong wind swept by. Reflexively, my hands ached to brush the wolf's attractive fur, ruffle it myself and feel that velvety softness between my pointer fingers and thumbs. The wolf was magnificent indeed, beautiful.

In my daze, I failed to notice just how close to the house the wolf had gotten until I was bending over the windowsill, trying my best to keep the wolf within my eyesight. When it finally sunk in, it was like a jolt sent from my brain or like cold water being poured on me that made me jump, alarmed.