Little Wolves (gxg)

Chapter 7 - Wolf in the Woods

I was home.

Unfortunately, the beauty of the woods didn't stop my legs from cramping. I had to stop to catch my breath, walking until I was able to jog again. It made me kind of mad. I hate that I can't run forever. I wish I didn't have to build up endurance, I wish I could just have it for free, no hard work needed... but there's a beauty in working for the things you want. The accomplishment, the feat being conquered. The hard work finally paying off. It's—

There was a rustle to my right.

I looked in it's direction expecting to see a deer, or a squirrel—maybe a bird—but none of those creatures were there. The bushes were kind of tall in this part of the path and it wasn't long before I heard the rustle again.

Something was running this way. It sounded kind of big. I stopped in my tracks, not sure what I should do. Run back? Turn around?

But I was frozen. 

My body was in denial, not believing that I really could get attacked by a bear or mountain lion out here. My thoughts traveled back to last night, to the wolves. The howling memory echoed in my head but it didn't register in my mind that anything bad could happen until the creature jumped out of the bushes, landing a few feet in front of me, blocking the trail.

My body went rigid.

There was a wolf standing in front of me.

It was huge, about twice the size of a normal dog... and even though I was scared out of my mind, it was weirdly pretty. I was standing there breathless, and the wolf seemed to be staring at me the same.

A beautiful combination of greys and whites covered its coat. Its paws and legs were pure white, but its body, tail, and head were grey with a few places accented in a creamy brown color. And the eyes... the sun must've been reflecting off something, because the eyes of this wolf were a vibrant, golden orange. The color was so rich they were practically glowing.

My heart was beating so fast. I was slowly starting to realize a real wolf was standing in front of me. Its lean body was angled to the side, but it was looking directly at me. I didn't know what to do. If the wolf attacked me, I think I would be dead. That would be the end, really.

The beast suddenly took off. 

It continued to run in the same direction, jumping into the brush on the other side of the path.

I almost shit my pants.

I let out a breath so loud and long I had to immediately gasp for another breath so I wouldn't pass out. My hands were leaning on my knees. Not to mention my stomach. I felt like I was about to throw up.

Turning around to head home received no protest from me, even if I kind of wanted to keep going. There was no chance in hell I was now, though, coming so close to a bad encounter with a wolf. A wolf! My head was still spinning.

I was out of that forest in an instant, using last of my adrenaline to sprint home. If my parents ask why my run was so short I figured I would just tell them I was incredibly out of shape. That's a reasonable explanation. Better than telling them I saw a wolf not too far down the path. I'd never be able to go in those woods again and there was not a frickin' chance I would let that happen.

"Nelly!" I heard my name being called as I made it onto the main road. I looked up to find Jo leaning forward off her porch, waving me over. Placing my hands on my hips to catch my breath, I faced her at the edge of her lawn.

"Hi, Jo, what's up?" I called back. She motioned me over to her, waving her hand around. Raising an eyebrow, I started walking across her lawn to meet her on the porch. The closer I got to the house, the louder this pit in my stomach yelled. I couldn't tell if I was actually that out of shape or if my anxiety was returning for round two.