Hour of the Wolf (on hold)

Things that howl in the night.

Things that howl in the night.

**Elle**

It took me a while, but the camp was up!  I had staked the tent down and closed anything containing food out of the reach of hungry forest animals. 

I sat next to a beautiful fire as it crackled away underneath a starry sky.  I stared into the licking flames and cradled a cup of tea.  My mind drifted to Duke.  We used to sit around a fire on the beach, Duke played guitar and the guys told stories.  The loss was still close to the surface but I could think about him now without melting into a puddle.  I was thinking about making a change at work, something I could consider now that Jen had moved in. 

Crack!

My thoughts were interrupted by movement to the side of the tent.  I clicked the flashlight on and pointed at the rustling bushes hoping the light would scare off whatever critter was rustling.  The rustling did stop, until something else rustled on the opposite side of the camp.  My heart skipped a beat and I flashed the light there and again the rustling stopped.

Silence descended again except for the crackling fire.  The fire!  I put a few more logs onto the fire hoping it would scare off any remaining rustlers.  The warmth of the fire helped calm my nerves too.  Camping was a little different to what I remember, but still it was soothing out here.

Showering was a semi-alfresco affair with luke-warm water from the solar heated tank.  I had just zipped up the tent and my sleeping bag when a long loud howl echoed throughout the forest.  I pondered sleeping in the Jeep tonight, but if I did that I might as well go home.  Another howl followed the first and I gripped my flashlight like a beacon.  Eventually I fell asleep that way, but didn’t dream of anything except Duke.

Chirping birds and a light breeze woke me the next morning.  This was the part I loved.  I quickly got dressed and rushed outside to watch the sun rise.  I boiled water for coffee on the gas-stove and breakfast was a bowl of cereal. 

I spread the map out on the hood of the car and studied the trails, deciding what I wanted to do for the day.  There was a trail that started quite close to my camp which led to some sort of look-out point.  I called in my hiking plans to reception, packed a bag with water, protein bars and my camera, and set off to find the trail marker.

It was wonderful, the wind in my hair and the sun on my back, I was feeling regret for not camping sooner.  An hour later I took a quick break and a drink of water.  That’s when I saw the deer through the trees drinking water by the creek.  Caught by the magic of the moment I crouched down, pulled my camera out and took a few pictures.  Thinking what the hell, I took a self-portrait; just to show Jenny what the ‘wild’ looked like with me in it!

I reached the look-out point at noon.  I pulled off my backpack and hat, sat down on a boulder and had a protein bar and more water before taking pictures of the view.  A Ranger Truck was driving off in the distance and I could just make out my tent too.  Birds took off from the trees below startled by a predator. 

Just about to leave I looked down the back of the hill I was on and stopped dead in my tracks. 

There, where the creek curled around the ridge was the waterfall from my dreams.

Even though I was far away I was 90% sure it was the same, although to see it up close would be the only way to be completely sure.

The decision was a hard one, go back to camp for a proper lunch, or make my way down to the waterfall to see if it really was the same one.

Every avid hiker knew to never go off-trail, but I could see where I was going and I was pretty sure there was a trail leading back from the waterfall.

Going downhill, it didn’t take more than half an hour to reach the waterfall and it was breath-taking.  It was nothing like in my dreams, and yet it was exactly.  Only, the colours were sparkling, the smells were fresh and intoxicating and the sounds were much more overpowering.

The water fell about 10 meters down into a round clear pool filled with smooth pebbles before slowly draining out a small outlet.  It was surrounded by moss and ferns and orchids.  It was so completely unreal I was speechless.  I pulled out my camera and took a million photos; I felt a need to document it as much as possible as if to prove to myself that it was real.

Without realizing it, an hour passed and I had touched everything to commit the texture to memory.  I pulled my boots back onto my feet from where I had been splashing them in the cool water, and started looking for the trail. 

A small path led into the trees and I took it after looking back at my dream waterfall one last time.

Three hours later I started to get a little worried.  Okay, a lot worried.  I have not emerged from the trees once and the sun was setting.   I suspected that the trail I had been following was created by animals and not for hikers; only where did I find the real one?  Do I keep following the trail or do I go back to the waterfall?

In the end the decision was made for me.  A low growl emitted from the thick ground-cover, and it was definitely not a critter.  I turned on my heel and sprinted back towards the waterfall.  I looked behind me once and only saw a pair of yellow eyes in the shadows, which was a massive mistake, as I went flying having tripped over a tree root.

I pulled myself up, adrenaline pushing me forward as I ran straight into a tree.  Dammit!  I ignored the pain in my leg, the scrapes and scratches and tried to follow the trail again, falling three more times.  Where were all those obstacles when I was walking earlier?  When I couldn’t run anymore, muscles aching and my breath coming hard I slowed and looked behind me.

Nothing.

Not even a leaf stirred.  All I heard was my own heavy breathing.  I walked the rest of the way until the trees opened up and the waterfall appeared again. 

Exhausted, I took off my backpack at the patch of grass and sat down.  The waterfall had lost some of its splendour as twilight dawned.  I could not even see the top of the hill I came down.  Now what?  I closed my eyes to think, and after a few minutes I fell asleep without even realizing it.

**Dean**

I was close, I could feel it.  It was getting dark quickly and I didn’t want to lose him again.  Focused on making as little noise as possible I looked around the tree down the path.  Nothing…  This wolf could melt into the shadows at the glimpse of an eye, what was he doing here?

I ran down the path scanning the forest floor for clues when the smell hit me again.  That same sweet lavender scent that has been hanging around the forest for the last two days.  When I checked the campsite of the new camper earlier today it was empty, but the sweetness hung in the air.

My movements slowed down as I followed the path.  Part of me wanted to keep tracking the wolf; the other drew me towards the waterfall, a force like a strong magnetic pull.  Instinct fought with logic but in the end curiosity won, and I took off sprinting towards the waterfall. 

Even before I emerged from the trees I glimpsed a colour that did not belong, but nothing could prepare me for what I found sleeping on the patch of grass.  Shock dropped me to my knees next to the sleeping girl; the scent of lavender filled my lungs.

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Author's note

Oooh, he found her!  

Is it a coincidence that the wolf arrived on the same day as Elle?

What do you think?

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