Jaws of Life

A short story I HAD to write...

The sparkles land softly on the ground beneath her feet as she walks. Her breath hangs in the air, clouds of life amongst the silent trees. She makes her way to the frozen lake, the familiar haunt where thoughts cease their incessant swirl, and peace surrounds her. Crunching her way down the bank, onto the ice. She lays down, face up to the chilled air, staring up at the sky, cloud gazing. Her mind drifts, breathing steady and calm, stress melting away in the frigid air.
   Her head jerks up, curls flying about her face as she sits up, looking around. Amber eyes scan the treeline, nothing. She narrows her eyes, searching still. Shrug, lay back down, and float away again in her own meditation. Hair on arms rises under warmth of downy jacket, heart skips a familiar beat, and that feeling of being...watched returns. she sits back up, yet again wanting to seek out her observer in the woods. A frustrated scowl forms on her face as she sees nothing still.

   *CRUNCH*
Dark tresses whip as she spins her head, body following, to the sound behind her. He is already no more than a foot away, easily within the swiping range of his sharply clawed black paws. She stares at him, wide brown eyes taking in his sleek glossy shadowy fur, sheer size, and glinting golden eyes. He stands still, head high, ears forward. She finally exhales, lungs reminding her without question that breathing still mattered. He flicks his tail once, nods imperceptibly, and then with an all but silent growl, turns, and pads towards the trees.
    Staring after him, her mind still processing, she remains still. Suddenly, she jumps to her feet, fluidly starting across the snow covered lake. Her eyes never leave his retreating form, her mind now only thinking of getting to him before he can vanish for good into the woods. The loud crack reached her ears too late, though it echoed loudly between the trees, scattering birds from their perches on frozen limbs. Before a sound can tear from her lips, she drops into the icy blue below her. Her arms flail, and her feet kick, but even a lifetime swimmer such as she cannot fight the chill surrounding her.
    Without a second thought, he turns and gallops back towards the lake, aiming for the floundering girl. A quick test of the ice with his own heft on two paws and he is on the way to her side. Gliding to a snowy stop at the breakthrough, his jaws snap in the air as he reaches for her sleeve, and misses. He snaps again, teeth grazing her blueing flesh as he latches onto her arm, digging back with his haunches and pulling. He bites down further, increasing his grip as he steps back inch by inch until she rests on the solid surface a couple of feet from the hole.
      Shivering and panting, she lays in the wet snow, fingers curled into the fur on his heaving side. He noses her face, growling softly and then adjusting his furry form until he cocoons her much smaller body with his own. She burrows in, his warmth fighting away the bone numbing chill of her skin. His hot tongue licks at her clothing, her hair, wicking away any excess moisture that it can, helping her dry and thaw. She moves to look up at him, and opens her mouth to speak finally. With another, slightly louder growl, he bumps her mouth shut with his muzzle, and uses a forepaw to tuck her head against his chest, effectively silencing her. She shrugs to herself, accepting the silence of the moment, and then is lost to the dizzying drug of sleep.
      She awakes to the dreamy echoes of howling, and looks around sleepily a moment before the haze in her mind clears. Finding herself still on the lake, not too far from the gaping reality of her near death, she scoots quickly back to the bank. Her clothes now dry and warm, she looks to no avail for her wild rescuer. Not even a paw print or stray hair on the freshly fallen snow....
    The dusky light of the sunset is enough to guide her through the trees and to her door. One last sweep of the woods and still no flick of a tail, no crunch of a paw and she sighs sadly and reaches for the doorknob. Wincing as pain burns across her arm, she looks down at her wrist. Angry scratches burn scarlet and light violet against her still pale skin. The cold air rushes over them, and fire waves itself up to her elbow and back down, and she quickly covers the mark with her coat sleeve. As she shuts the door behind her, a mournful howl breaks the frozen silence of the night.