Realize

Things are not always as they seem.

Water was not my preferred element. Not in any situation, not in any form. So as the snowflakes fell quietly and gently landed on my face, and the Montana air chilled me to the bone, I was not seeing life in a very positive light. Fear gripped me as the temperature dropped, and the eerie howl of my prey rang through the forest. Moving abruptly from Florida to Montana was not an easy transition, nor was it one I was planning to cooperate with. My uncle had brought me out here armed with nothing but a Carhartt jacked and a twelve-gauge. And then he left me alone in the Montana wilderness.

Whether it was on purpose or not, I figured I’d never know, considering I was bound to die in the cold that night. The sun set and my breath began to freeze, and I knew I had to find some kind of shelter. The howling of the wolves I was supposed to be hunting kept me on edge. They had been drawing nearer all day, but from which direction I couldn’t tell. I had spotted one of them just as the sun began to dip, and it stood twenty feet away. I pointed the gun at it, hoping to kill it before it killed me.

The wolf was twice the size of my Uncle’s Labrador, and black as coal. It’s bright yellow eyes glanced at me with… hunger or fear I couldn’t tell. Just as I was readying to pull the trigger it rambled off into the woods. I cursed under my breath. It would be at least one less threat while I slept. 

Out of sheer luck, or fate, maybe, I found a hollowed tree just large enough for me to curl up in. Packing the ground with leaves, I laid on my side, knees to my chest. It had only been that morning that my Aunt served me up a hardy plate of eggs, bacon, and homemade bread. I hadn’t said thank-you and that was my main regret of the day. Now I would die and she would never know. Had I planned on starving that evening, I would have savored the food more.

Now I would be the food. 

My Uncle had decided to take me wolf hunting, thinking it would boost my morale and maybe build some character. He had said “Killing a wolf ain’t like killing a deer. It makes you feel on top, superior. Deer are stupid and slow, but wolves. They’re smart. Sometimes smarter than people, I think.” 

Damn straight. I thought to myself as I heard them cry out again. They were sure as hell spooking me, making me scared. Blood must taste better when it’s pumped with fear and adrenaline. The evil bloody creatures. I gripped my gun close and shuffled my hand in my pocket, feeling slightly comforted by the extra ammunition. 

To my surprise, the tree hollow warmed up enough for me to fall into a fitful sleep. I dreamt of the wolves, their real-life howls penetrating my dream fantasies. I felt their teeth sink into my ankle, into my arm, into my neck all night. When I woke up that morning, I was shocked to find that I was still alive. My stomach was pinched with hunger, and I knew I would have to find a way to civilization. I was about to crawl out of the tree trunk when the pain in my stomach was replaced as fear gripped my heart. Directly outside of the hollow was a small spot of urine and huge paw prints, dozens of them. I almost vomited when I realized the wolves had been circling me all night. I looked around and couldn’t see them but the quiet shuffle all around me told me they were still around. I was marked, and I was going to die. I double-checked to make sure the twelve-gauge was loaded, and decided my only hope was to make a run for it. 

I slowly, painfully crept out, but no sooner had my right arm left the hollow than the big black wolf charged me, snarling and barking. I retreated back into the hollow, and fired the gun but missed. 

“What are you waiting for eat me already!” I shouted at them. Two more crossed in front of the hole, looking at me curiously. I shot at them too, but again I wasn’t quick enough. Exhaustion and the cold were petrifying me, and my reflexes were slow. Tears came to my eyes and I saw an imaginary headline behind my eyelids.

“Teenager, 17, killed by wolves in the Rockies.”

I tried to make a break for it again, but the wolves continued their ritual of snarling and herding me back into the tree. 

For three hours I sat, quietly, listening to the wolves whine and nip at each other. But then I noticed a new sound.

A trudging, louder and heavier than any of the wolves. Then the heavy breath of a leviathan creature, and then a roar I had heard before.

Grizzly. 

“Wolves get the top half, bear gets the bottom.” I said humorlessly. One of the younger wolves, light gray, peered their head in and looked at me curiously, it’s tongue lapping out in a smile. I glared at it, having long given up trying to shoot them. It was saying “You will taste delicious.”  

“Screw you.” I said, growling to make it go away. Those mocking yellow eyes made me squirm.

But the little wolf was distracted as a huge brown mass emerged from the woods. The grizzly was moaning in anticipation of it’s coming meal. This I would not give up on shooting. I quietly loaded the gun and aimed, missing by a foot. I had to hit it or I would just keep pissing it off. “D****t.” 

The snarls of the wolves soon accompanied that of the grizzly, and it seemed a standoff was coming. They gathered in a circle around the grizzly, black and pink lips accented by saliva. They were guarding me, their quarry. I guess the bears and wolves wouldn’t share after all. 

The bear made the first move, and swiped at the big black wolf. The keen animal dodged and bit the bears paw. It roared in anger.

And then the wolves were on it, biting and clawing savagely. Fear froze me to the spot, even though I knew this would be my only opportunity to escape. The horrific sound of yelps, snarls, and roars were like something from a nightmare. I had no idea how long it went on, but several of the wolves were bleeding from their necks and hindquarters. But finally, their overwhelming numbers drove the grizzly away, and it retreated. There were nine wolves, and the grizzly was small. They howled and barked after it, panting, several of them starting to lick their wounds. And then the fear left me. The big black wolf, followed by the rest of the pack, retreated into the northern edge of the clearing. All hid except for the small wolf that had smiled at me. He lay down and began nursing himself.

Something told me to leave, and I cautiously left my hollow. The little wolf watched me, but made no attempt to move. I exited the clearing at a slow jog, unable to keep it up for any extending period of time for the lack of food. But as I panted my way towards what I thought was home, I realized with amazement and confusion that the wolves had been protecting me from the bear. 

And then I heard the sweetest sound ever uttered. My name, being called out through the woods. I ran towards the source of the noise, yelling as loud as possible. 

Author's Note

First draft.

Reviews

[Century]

thank ya

[Rocki-san]

Aw, I loved it! :D