The wolf- Sam, padded daintily toward me, his powerful legs as unsteady as bambi. I didn't move, I couldn't out run him and I couldn't fight him, it was just better all round if I stood still and let him gage me on his own. The wolf tottered closer, his nose stuck twitching in the air as he closed in on me, his large body snapping and breaking the twigs that lay beneath his paws, unaware that his foreboding presence had quieted the birds surrounding us.
I shuddered as a cool breeze fluttered through the trees and enveloped me. The wolf whined a little and took another, more determined, step toward me.
"Don't" I plead shakily, my hands spread out before me as if to ward him away. He whined again, a little more loudly this time and began to lower himself, his huge chest hovering only centimetres above the ground as he crawled toward me. Was he submitting?
He looked up at me then, his massive brown eyes staring up at me like a child’s, filled with only innocence and uncertainty.
"Sam?" I whispered, the cold air caught my words and carried them away, stealing my breath. He stopped at my feet, his big furry head bowed and his eyes downcast. I cautiously ducked down beside him.
"Please don't bite me" I begged him quietly, my hand resting just above his head before sinking into his thick brown fur. He shuffled closer, pushing his head against my hand like a dog would, his tail thudding rhythmically against the floor. I couldn't help but smile, the corners of my mouth tugging upwards hesitantly.
"You're very soft" I told him, my hands running lightly down his long snout. He looked up at me again and let his jaw drop into what I could only describe as a doggy smile. I laughed a little at his expression; it was too human for a wolf, especially one of his size. Those teeth of his didn't look like they were meant to be used for smiles. His head tilted and I threw him an amused smile.
"You know I kind of like you better this way" I joked, my hands rubbing soothing circles behind his ears. His chest rumbled a little and I could have swore I saw regret in his eyes.
He abruptly got up.
"I jus-" I tried to apologise but he was already at my feet again, using his nose to push me along.
"Sam wha-" He whined loudly and ran in front of me. He was pleading with his eyes from me to follow. I sighed and looked down at my already muddied shoes.
"Okay, okay I'm coming" I promised. I trudged through the foliage, pushing away stray branches that seemed to dart from every angle. It was stupidly difficult to keep pace with Sam who seemed to have found his legs and was bounding through the forest with as much vigour as a new born puppy.
His chest rumbled as we finally approached a clearing, I took my last step out of the strangling sea of trees, twigs branches and (ugh) spider webs and was rendered completely breathless.
"It's" My eyes struggled to take it all in as they widened in awe. "Sam It's..." breathtaking, gorgeous, wonderful, amazing. I wanted to tell him all of those but the words wouldn't leave my mouth.
I had never been here before, the school was prestigious, it didn't do field trips into the wilderness. I was glad they didn't. This place was special. It looked like something from a holiday brochure in paradise.
A large lake, crystalline clear and shrouded in vibrant green, it stretched out before me like a rippling piece of heaven. The water shimmered a brilliant white against the stray rays of sunlight that filtered through the trees and cast an almost silvery glow, where dragonflies darted this way and that, their wings beating and creating the most harmonious sound I’d ever heard. The trees that hung above acted as a canopy, shielding us away from the rest of the world to seclude us in our new found haven.
"How did you find this place?" I asked my mouth agape as I wandered close to the lake edge and peered down. I took a quick glance back and noticed Sam sniffing the ground. Did he even understand me?
"Sam?" He glanced up at me. "Do you...understand me?" He gave an awkward jolt of his head and trotted over to me to sit on the bank with me.
"You know I didn't have a problem with you making friends, I guess I just didn't understand why I couldn't be one too." I ran my hand across the soft blades of grass and began tugging aimlessly. "I kinda figured we'd look after each other you know?" I glanced out across the lake and sighed.
"I like you" I smiled and looked at the beautifully regal wolf beside me. "You know who you are, you know what you want and it's good." I tore at the blade in my hand absentmindedly. "I don't know what I want anymore" I looked down at my uniform. "Don't know what I'm doing" I let the torn pieces of grass fly away in the wind and laughed. Here I was talking to a wolf, a werewolf, and he didn't even like me.
I don't know how long we sat there in silence before Sam's first bone cracked but it jolted me from my thoughts violently. His disturbing cries followed shortly after and all I could do was brush my hand through his receding fur and utter words of encouragement and comfort. It was quicker this time, many things changing at once. It was fascinating to watch but made my stomach churn uneasily.
"Sam?" His body quivered half human and half wolf, his spine protruding and his fingernails digging into the dirt.
"It's almost over" I reassured him firmly, my hand now gliding over his slick skin that glistened with sweat. He groaned loudly, a strangled growl clawing its way up it's his throat. He wasn't facing me but I knew he was in agonising pain, the way his body spasmed and shook beneath my palm was a testament to that.
"Madeline" He cried, his arms straining with fatigue before finally giving out beneath him. He lay on the ground for a moment, his naked body spread across the brick and brack of the muddy forest for like a fallen angel.
He shuddered before lifting his head and turning my way.
"Hey" I smiled. His hair fell over his face in a sweaty dishevelled mess, curling at the ends around his tanned cheekbones and forehead. His dark eyes swam with the echo of pain but his bloodied lip had lifted into a relieved smile.
"Hey" His voice was hoarse and gruttel but it sent a shiver down my spine.
"Maybe you should wait befo-" He was already pushing himself up though, his muscled arms tightening and straining, creating a rather attractive view.
"You should rest" I told him half heartedly but he was already getting shakily to his feet. I looked away, aware that he was completely naked and in full view.
"I'm fine" He told me curtly. I grimaced, was that it in? He hated me again.
"It's just-" I gave up, what was he point.
"This place smelled so amazing when I was a wolf."
"It is beautiful" I admitted to him, my eyes never straying from the lake.
"Yeah" There was a moment of silence before Sam stepped into view his broad back muscles and powerful legs stealing my attention before he jumped into the water with a splash.
He resurfaced shortly his abdomen just about hidden by the water but his pecks creating a suitable distraction for my wandering eyes.
"You coming in?" His dark eyes stared back at me and I couldn't speak not when he looked so good. The water was reflecting off every perfect angle on his tanned body and I couldn't stop looking. How could I own him? No one could own him.
"Madeline?" I shook my head.”No?" he asked me.
"No, it's so cold, aren't you cold?" I asked. He smiled flashing his sharp white teeth at me and swam closer to the bank edge.
"I'm not cold" he lifted his head to the sky, the sunlight streaming against his face. "I was thinking this could be swimming lesson number two.
