The Cave

a lesson in tender love and care.

The cave sat outside of a small forest village. A quaint place, it was not on any civilized map. The cave was formed into the side of a large earthen shelf that marked the edge of the village’s territory. Within was a large creature. It’s fangs stained red from past hunts, it fur matted and dirty. A wolf without a pack, said to be chained there by a long-dead huntsman. The wolf lay motionless within the maw of the dark cave. All manner of small prey had learned to stay away from that cave, and the wolf was starving. Not so much as a rabbit in months, but all of that was about to change.

As the wolf lie there, lulled to sleep by his own growling stomach, it registered the snap of a twig not far off. It raised it’s head immediately, dark eyes scanning the clearing for the intruder. A young girl stepped into the clearing. She wore a velvet red cloak, and carried a small basket. The wolf growled a deep terrifying warning towards the girl. She faltered a moment, almost dropping the basket, but looked dead center into the wolf's eyes. She took a cautious step forward, and the wolf retaliated. It sprung forward, as far as the metal chain about it’s neck would allow, bringing the wolf merely a meter away from the girl. It snarled and pulled at the chain, loud barks and vicious snarls bellowing from its mouth. It’s claws dug into the earth, trying to get to the girl. The girl, surprised by the attack, stumbled backwards, falling, then being stunned with fear. She sat, her eyes wide and staring at the wolf. She began to back away, when her hand struck her picnic basket. Something changed in her, her eyes seemed more determined as she grasped the basket firmly. She stood and walked forward, coming within a full six inches of the wolf. It barked madly, being mocked that such a treat was a mere half-foot away from him. The girl reached into her basket, removing a small hunk of meat. She threw the meat back towards the cave. Without thinking, the wolf followed, pouncing upon the meat and devouring it almost instantly. It gnawed on the bone, relishing the way it felt upon his fangs. Then it remembered the girl. He turned to her, who had begun to walk forward once more. It stood, planning to rush out to meet her, but she threw out yet another hunk of meat as he began to approach her. As much as he hated the girl for intruding, the wolf was very hungry. It pounced again upon the meat, tearing it from the bone with his long fangs. As he finished, he turned to see the girl, almost upon him, her hand outstretched with a hunk of meat in tow. The wolf took a moment of pause. It looked angrily at her, and she at it. It inched forward, snapping the meat from her hand and pulling it to the ground. As he devoured his third helping, he felt something he’d not felt for a long time. The girl placed her hand on his back. He stiffened, growling at her.

“Oh hush,” She said. “I’m going to fix your matted mess of fur.” She removed a small brush from her basket, tossing the wolf another slab of meat, a larger one this time, as to keep him busy. She brushed gently through his despondent fur, working out knots and tangles that were decades old. Eventually, the wolf began to relax under the girl’s caring hand. She stroked him, and fed him for quite some time, slowly lulling him to sleep. In his waning moments of consciousness, the wolf began to dream of how long the girl would stay.

Reviews

[Marie]

What a very nice telling of the old story.

[Homesick_Nomad]

thank you! ive always been a fan of getting new perspectives on things, and this was a favorite of mine to re-tell. glad you liked it)