The Lone Wolf
In a forest far away from prying eyes, it is said that those who fled into its confines to escape their life were never seen ever again. Now, on one peculiar night, a new soul wandered into the dark forest. A young human, fleeing from the horrors of an abusive home...
In a forest far away from prying eyes, it is said that those who once fled into its confines to escape their life, their hearts filled with sorrow and despair for differing reasons, were never seen ever again. Now shrouded with myths and dark rumors, it is shunned by anyone who lives near this cursed forest, and the people were avoiding it at all costs.
Thus, on one peculiar night, a new soul wandered into the dark forest once again. A young human, fleeing from the horrors of an abusive home…
Freezing cold wind was coursing through the trees, the leaves only offering so much protection against the relentlessly pouring rain. Hurried steps splashed upon the dirty mud as a single figure moved through the dark of the night, a ragged breathing sounding from his lungs as the exhaustion had long started to tear at his entire body. But still he did not stop, all until he tripped over a large root on the ground, causing him to trip and fall onto the ground.
The mud scattered upon his clothes and skin, and the tears that were staining his face only mingled with the continuous raindrops. With barely enough strength, he tried to raise his face from the mud, his arms shaking once he balanced himself on them. But without knowing where he truly was, lost amidst the giant trees of the forest, he didn't raise his eyes from the ground anymore as only more and more tears began to drop onto the mud.
What did it matter…? No one would find him…
His entire body was shivering as the cold air and rain mercilessly overcame him, and he trembled once the sudden crack of a thunder rippled through the sky, signalling that it would only grow even worse. With nowhere to go and any last shred of strength having long left him, it wasn't long until he willingly succumbed on the ground, no longer even trying to stay awake before his eyes closed for what he believed to be the last time.
With that, he was free game for any predatory animal that would come across him, and true to that, not long afterwards, the small and almost soundless steps of a certain creature sounded upon the mud before they suddenly stopped.
And from the dark shadows of the night, a piercing pair of eyes came to rest upon the unconscious form of the human upon the ground.
The moment consciousness returned to him, the sounds of the pouring rain and thunder now only a distant and muffled sound outside, his eyes slowly flickered open once more, the memories returning immediately. The tears upon his face had long dried, but upon further notice, his cheeks felt as though they had been carefully wiped with water, for only the slightest stains of mud still remained upon his skin.
Instinctively curling slightly together, his eyes only now adjusting slightly to his new, dark surroundings, he glanced at the stone walls around him, the only source of light shining in through a small entrance into the cave that he found himself in. More and more confusion coursed through his mind, but amidst of it all, he suddenly winced the moment another thunder cracked through the sky outside.
And within that brief moment when the entrance was illuminated in an especially bright light, a creature suddenly emerged through it, shaking itself slightly near the entrance to clear off the water from its fur.
And its eyes settled upon him.
Involuntarily staring at the animal in front of him with fright, he had seen it clearly enough to witness that it was a large wolf, its black fur almost melting together with the shadows of the night as it slowly, almost carefully, stepped closer towards him. And he tried his utmost to keep in place without moving, knowing that it would be best if he died. His inborn instincts were screaming at him to do anything to survive, but he didn't heed its voice, suppressing it with whatever courage he could still muster.
Unable to stare into the piercing eyes of the wolf, a shade of deep crimson, he teared his gaze away before he shut his eyes together. But unbeknownst to him, it suddenly stopped amidst its approach as it witnessed the sheer amount of fear in his expression, his body still trembling in its presence.
And suddenly, a light voice sounded through the cave.
"... don't fret. I will not harm you."
Witnessing the way his eyes widened in pure disbelief, the wolf in question almost glanced at the ground in hesitation, not knowing how to calm him properly…
… she was not used to any kind of interaction.
The human, however, could not believe his own ears the moment he registered her voice, and he was starting to doubt everything around himself. He believed that he must have died already, that this was whatever kind of afterlife existed. But while he was still in a shocked trance, the wolf calmly resumed to carefully step towards him, albeit internally, she was more than uncertain and hesitant.
"May I know your name…?", tearing him out of his trance by breaking the silence once more, the she wolf was trying her best to think of a way to get him to trust her, knowing that he must be more than frightened and confused, judging by the condition in which she had found him. And even as a long moment of silence passed, the wolf coming to a halt a small distance in front of him, she allowed him to simply stare at her to assure him that she meant no harm.
And thus, her ears caught a barely audible whisper.
"... why would you want to know…?", rearing her head back ever so slightly, she was not offended as she rationally pondered about how best to proceed.
"You were alone when I found you… did you lose your way? Were you separated from your pack?", for a brief moment, the human's eyes shifted slightly in what she believed to be confusion, until they lifted back towards her in understanding.
"... I… I left…", once these words escaped his mouth, the wolf's eyes widened for a fracture of a second, multiple sensations and thoughts coursing through her mind. And suddenly, the former hesitation and uneasiness lifted from her ever so slightly, knowing that she had less to be afraid of now.
For now, she realized that they were more similar than she could have known.
Without pressing it any further, the wolf merely stepped a little bit closer towards him, much to his instinctive fear. But she knew that, for now, nothing was more important than for him to rest, to be able to sleep in the knowledge that he was safe and protected from the outside world. More words could be exchanged on the next day…
Thus, the she wolf calmly stepped close to him to place her fur against his cold skin, causing him to shudder with fear in his eyes.
"Lie down, you have endured too much already, you will be safe here.", trying to sound as soothing as possible, her fur warmed him as he was still too weak to resist, even if he wanted to. And so, it didn't take long until his eyes closed in pure and utter exhaustion, slipping back into the world of dreams.
The dark wolf glanced at his face as she watched his breath calming down to a more peaceful rhythm, her gaze flickering to the small stains of mud that were still lingering upon his cheeks. Extending her tongue ever so slowly, she carefully licked them away just as she had done before, grateful that it did not disturb his peaceful slumber.
She knew to be patient, after all, she knew how it felt to be alone, to be forced to fend for herself.
And thus, it would be much easier for her now to speak to him… she was sure of it.
The next morning, the human found that the dark wolf was still curled around his side, and yet, unlike the day before, there was suddenly a small badge of fruits laying on the ground in front of him, along with the last remains of an eaten rabbit, indicating that she had at some point gone out to retrieve something for them both before curling back against himself as if she had never left in the first place.
And once he adjusted to the daylight that was shining through the small entrance to the cave, he realized that she was already awake, her crimson eyes glancing at him until she was sure that he had taken note of her.
"... good morning.", her voice was calm, her eyes reflecting her demeanor as well.
"Morning…", despite his reluctance at the mere thought of hearing a wolf speak, he was a lot calmer than the day before, and, much to her surprise, he took it better than she might have imagined. However, it was not her main concern as she lifted her left front paw to push the badge of fruits closer towards him.
"I am aware of your eating habits, this should suit you I hope.", he was reluctant at accepting her offer, but in the end, she witnessed that he nodded slightly in gratitude before he took small bites from the fruits. The edges of her muzzle curled upwards ever so slightly as she watched the way he tried to appear as polite as possible during the entire process, treating the fruits almost as if they were the most precious thing he could have deserved.
However, after a small while, he suddenly stopped, and she witnessed him glance back at her out of the corner of his vision. It seemed as though he wanted to say something, but was not sure whether or not it would be the right thing to do. Which led to her taking that decision away from him.
"Is there something on your mind?", encouraging him to speak about whatever it was that had occupied his mind, she sometimes forgot that this was the first time he had spoken to another sentient being that was not human. But that would have to wait for now.
"I always thought that wolves would live in a pack…", suddenly, her eyes widened for the fracture of a second, and her gaze shifted to the ground for a moment. But before he had the chance to immediately take back what he said and apologize, she shook her head in reassurance.
"I left my pack when I was barely older than a pub. It is still not that long ago… I couldn't stand to be among them, for many reasons.", witnessing the way his eyes widened as well, the edges of her muzzle curled upwards again ever so slightly.
"You say you have left your pack as well? We are alike in that regard.", however, what she did not mention was the fact that it was this what caused her to feel the way she did towards him. When she had left her pack, she was forced to endure the harsh world alone, without any protection, without the help of anyone else. She did not have someone to turn to that was like her, for to be seen as an outcast by your own pack was to be seen as an abomination by almost any other wolf she could have encountered.
Not that she minded… she couldn't care less anymore what anyone thought of her. She had survived through her own will and determination, and she was going her own path. That, she was proud of.
But to see this human now, who was going through the same process as she had once done… she did not feel the same way about him as she would have about any other creature she might have encountered. She could be exactly what she would have once wished to have…
"Would you mind telling me your name?", with a much better atmosphere than the day prior, she repeated the same question from the night before with the edges of her muzzle still curled upwards, her eyes fixated upon his own in an almost analytical way. And this time, the young human in front of her merely glanced at the ground beside her for a brief moment before his small voice sounded in her ears.
"... Ben…", she witnessed as he looked at her in a different light, the wonder and mild confusion apparent. For it was in the light of day that he regarded her with curiosity, her purely dark fur standing out even more, matching along with the deep crimson shade of her eyes. She knew that she had gained a small part of his trust, and thus, her wolfish smile remained as she built further upon that.
"Well then, my name is Arou. I have not seen one of your kind for a long time…", she regarded him in turn as well. He was young, if she had to guess, very similar to her. And from what it seemed like, they were both reserved when it came to words.
Apart from that, his… second skin, something that she had only once before observed as it was much unlike her fur, it was torn in many places, as well as still stained with dried mud. She feared what would have happened if he had remained within the stormy weather for much longer, and even now, she was unsure if the amount of exposure to the cold would have an effect on him. At least, now he would be safe…
"How is it possible…? I never thought that you could speak…"
"It is a wonder for me as well… no human has come here for a long time. It is a rare occurrence.", she knew not how best to speak further, touching upon his leave from his pack was something that she would prefer to leave untouched, intent to avoid causing him any more pain. However, what she had to mention was the fact that his arrival within this forest… was a one way trip.
"You must know that you have come here at a very special time. Only once in a full moon the path towards this world lies open.", his eyes widened once more, and she remained silent as she allowed him to process what he had just heard. Unbeknownst to the wolf, several images from the night before coursed through his mind, and along with it, all the pain and sorrow that he had felt. He had but one intention as he had left his home behind, as well as those who had hurt him his entire life.
To flee into this forest to never be found again… but he had never known that the myths were true…
Beneath his eyes, Arou witnessed with concern as an internal conflict raged within the human, and she did the first thing that came into her mind. Placing a paw upon his own hand, he suddenly jerked ever so slightly as she tore him out of his trance, his eyes almost shivering. He never wanted to return home ever again, to return to this dreadful place that was holding nothing but pain… and yet, the knowledge that he was now trapped within this world, alone…
"You are not alone…", a gasp escaped him as his eyes met her own once again, almost as if she had read his mind. Regarding his expression carefully, she looked deeply at the human that was embossed by pain and sorrow, and her paw touched upon his hand in a gentle manner. And suddenly, her wolfish smile returned with care.
"... if you want, I can be your guide…"