Wolves and Men

William threw up his arm to protect his eyes from the blinding white light that now surrounded him on all sides. He stumbled to the left and sat down heavily on the rock face.

The helicopter was talking to him, something about not running, agents would apprehend him and something about ‘shoot to kill’. He had a hard time focusing on the voice over the roar of the rotor blades above him, and the pressure of the wind caused by the rotor wash. He felt the wind force increase, and his sense of hearing was even more drowned out as the helicopter lowered itself closer to him.

His eyes saw very little except the retinal burn from the bright light. But out of the corner of his eyes he was able to see the bushes and trees moving, and not from the rotor wash of the helicopter. Those agents are quick.

William shook his head and with blind rage he threw himself onto all fours kicking off the rock face. Using the momentum from that he picked himself up and ran blindly towards the far clearing. If these cops or whoever they were wanted him, they would have to shoot him. He thought he felt more than heard a bullet ricochet off the rock close to him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt a presence come up from behind him. He forced himself to run faster.

What was behind him darted out in front of him. It was a wolf. Its black fur reflected the white light as it darted ahead of William. The wolf dove head first into the bushes and disappeared. William didn’t have any choice, but if a wolf went in that direction, then the odds of other people being there was almost non-existent. William plunged after the wolf and dove into the bushes, rolling on his shoulder and resting behind the trunk of a pine tree.

The helicopter followed William and the wolf and swept it’s search light over the trees, trying to penetrate the light canopy of the trees. William stayed where he was and from the safety of the shadows, watched the helicopter’s flood light illuminate the forest all around him. He hid himself behind the large tree. He watched as the flood light pivoted and swung back and forth all around him with its harsh light.

A wet rough texture pushed against his arm. Startled, he looked down and the wolf was pressing it’s face into his hand. Having some time to actually look at the wolf, he now saw that it was the she-wolf from earlier and hanging in her mouth was the piece of denim shorts he had been looking for.

He reached down to grab the fabric and the wolf backed away a quick two steps, just out of his reach. He stepped away from the protection of the tree he was hiding behind and took a step toward the wolf. She turned and trotted off several feet away. There was nothing he could do but follow the animal. When the wolf saw that he was following her, she began to trot west through the tree line, going neither uphill nor downhill. The wolf wound her way through the trees, avoiding the sweeping beams of light from the helicopter, and William was careful to follow in her steps.

He followed the she-wolf at a trot. The helicopter’s blades were still loud but it wasn’t as menacing as it had been before. He looked to the north, and he could still see the flood light through the trees, but it was searching in a circular pattern, not following directly after them.

The she-wolf trotted between the trees, almost hopping from one tree shadow to the next. She was following a pattern that he himself had used when he was retreating from the cops and his burrow.

The helicopter must have turned around, because the sound of the rotor blades was now growing more distant faster than he and the wolf were moving through the forest. That was good but where was she taking him? She was still trotting from shadow to shadow going farther west toward the ocean. The ground beneath his feet was cold with the dew of the early morning. He had no idea what time it was, but he knew the sun would rise in a few hours.

He couldn’t see the moon, so he couldn’t get a clear idea about the time. The wolf seemed oblivious to his presence, and he needed to recover the shorts that still hung from her jaws.

He continued to chase after the animal, and he slipped from shadow to shadow in her wake. She was graceful and fluid in her movements. As if she knew with exacting precision what muscle to move when. Her trot was well balanced and easy. She far surpassed the jumpy trot of any dog. As he followed her west, he wondered where they were going. He had never been this far west. He had always assumed that his pack lived on this north side of the valley, and he had never dared to wander too far when he was to transform.

The realization struck him; she’s taking me to her den. The thought of coming face to face with a den full of wolves without being transformed froze him with terror and he stopped still in the shadow of a large nearby tree.

The she-wolf didn’t take long to realize that her charge was no longer following her. She came to a graceful stop and turned around. She trotted back to him. The piece of denim was still hanging from her jaws and she pushed his leg with her nose. He bent his leg with the pressure but didn’t move. Since moving to this forest, he had lost much of his fear and uncertainty; but a den full of wolves was an encounter he could not survive. Running full speed into that situation wasn’t courage, it was a death wish, which he didn’t have.

The wolf pressed against him again and when his leg bent, she growled. A low, dangerous, and primal sound that at once made him look down at her. Her lips were pulled back from her jaws and he could see her teeth as they ripped deeper into what was left of his denim shorts. Her eyes were glaring at him over her nose. He eased his knife in its sheath, ready to draw it at a moment’s need. The wolf seemed to be watching his hands because she growled louder and pushed his leg again.

What did this animal want? Where was she leading him? These questions crowded into his mind and he wasn’t able to think clearly. Could he escape from a den of wolves? Was that where she was leading him too? These thoughts jockeyed for position in his mind and in his mental anguish he forgot to hold his ground and he found himself being moving and pushed by the she-wolf. She was not going to take ‘no’ for an answer.

The she-wolf trotted ahead of him and they resumed their pace. He could barely make out the sound of the helicopter now and he knew that for the moment he was safe from his human pursuers, his animal escort and wherever she was taking him was a different story.