Wolf Rage | ✔️

[1] Subdued

A/N: Notice the chapter starts out with a part in the PAST and then goes to the PRESENT.

[1] Subdued

The first time Mia met Samuel it was an accident on her part.

Her parents had recently bought a cabin by the woods, a suppose 'gift' to their grandmother, but in reality it was a chance to spend money on it without feeling guilty. Credit card debt was awaiting their payment after all, but her outdoorsy parents could not give up the chance to purchase the rinky dink space. It was small, old, and covered in numerous layers of dust.

Even the front door didn't have a proper lock, any intruder could enter without a knock. (A lock is easy to fix, honeybun. Watch your Papa work.) So far, the main intruders to the house seemed to be bugs and a small variety of squirrels. Talk about a whole roof-to-floor remodeling. The place needed all the help it could get, and Mia would gladly take no part of it. Which is why her sophomore-year-self ventured into the surrounding wood area while her parents were hard at work.

She had some rope in her hand, a net, and a variety of other supplies in her bookbag. Most important of all her camera. Being in girl's scouts made her appreciate the outdoors, today she would make good use of it by exploring this part of the forest and catching a rabbit.

Mia took great care as she set up the trap. Since their cabin was located near the main streets she had to travel considerate time to reach a denser area. Her sharp eyes could decipher tale-tell signs of animal life here, if she was lucky it wouldn't take long before she caught her prey. 

She placed an apple in the center of the trap, spraying some apple cider vinegar around the area to further accentuate the apple smell while clearing it of the human scent. After setting it up, she walked off to explore the plants on the opposite side.

It was broad daylight, she had nothing to fear as she ventured even deeper. She caught sight of a beautiful white trillium. It was a lone one but the further she went the more clusters she saw of the white flowers. Mia took her camera out to snap photos. The angle of the light as it filtered through the trees made them look gloriously majestic.

Help!

Mia paused, looking around her. Did she just hear someone asking for help? The area around her remained deathly quiet. How odd.

Please help me!

She stood straight, placing her camera in her bag. That was definitely not her imagination. It sounded strange, almost as though it weren't coming from the outside. Trusting her gut instinct, she fled to where she felt she heard the voice coming. Oddly enough, it was leading her back to the place she made a trap.

Her jaw dropped as she saw—not a rabbit hanging from the tree, but a small wolf in her net.

"Oh my gosh!" she cried, eyes growing wide. She had never seen a wolf in person before, only in pictures. Judging by the size of it, it had to be a young one.

Please help me get down here.

Mia's jaw dropped. Did that—? Did that wolf just talk to her? "Are you talking?!"

Yes, I saw an apple and ended up here. They told me not to go into these parts of the woods, I just wanted to explore. He said sadly, a wolfish whine escaping his lips. This one she could hear with her own ears. So then how did she hear him talk otherwise?

Something was wrong with her.

Throwing all precautions away, Mia threw her bag down and searched for her knife. The tree was massive and very large, not to mention it lacked branches that would help her climb. She would have to cut the rope in order to release him. "I'll have you down in a few minutes," she promised, searching for the part of the trap she could cut to let him down gently.