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“The man grabbed a long stick, stirring the fire’s embers until sparks flew into the night air and the beast began to back away in fear. The wolf edged forward, his growls low and threatening as he stood between the man he called friend and the beast. The man threw more logs onto the fire, desperate to scare the beast away before he killed them, and as the wood began to flame, the beast lashed out.”
Gregory stopped, making his way slowly back to the stool as every single person in the room waited impatiently, their faces intent. He carefully sat, resting his hands on a cane in front of him. “The wolf yelped in pain as the beast clawed out his belly, and the man charged the beast, a war cry erupting from his throat as he shoved the burning stick he held right into the belly of the beast.”
Gasps erupted around the room and one boy cried out, “The wolf. What happened to the wolf?”
Gregory’s expression grew long. “It was a killing blow. The man fought off the beast with nothing more than a torch, but it was too late for the wolf. His courage had cost him and he lay on the ground, his belly sliced open as his guts spilled out.” Leah’s hand rested on Liam’s stomach where a long gash hinted at his own near death from the same type of wound. “The man fell to his knees by his wounded companion, tears falling from his eyes as he cried out for help, but it was a deep forest, one that had never been explored by man.”
“He feared no one would hear his cries as his friend lay dying, but he wouldn’t leave him. They had been through too much together for him to let his friend die alone. So he laid down next to him.” A single tear slipped down Gregory’s cheek. “The fire burned for three days and nights as the man and wolf laid there, each breath more jagged than the last as the light slowly faded from the wolf’s eyes, but still the man didn’t move, unwilling to let his wolf take his final breath alone.”
More than a few wiped tears from their own eyes, each of us acutely feeling the presence of our wolf. “The fire began to die down as the wolf struggled for breath, his life almost gone, when a cloaked figure entered the small clearing. The man scrambled up, standing protectively over his dying friend as the cloaked figure stopped and drew back the hood covering their face. The man gasped for he’d never seen one such as this, hair white as snow, eyes bluer than the afternoon sky, and his wolf whimpered as the scent of lightning filled the air.”
A chill shivered down my spine at his description and Dom moved restlessly as Gregory continued his story.
The man stared at the woman in shock, positive he’d fallen into a dream for what else could explain a woman here, in this lost forest. She came closer and he fell to his knees at the power that pulsed from her.
He pleaded, asking her, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
She halted in front of him, her eyes glowing unnaturally as she cocked her head. “You called me,” she answered and her hand swept out, gesturing to the dying wolf. “May I?”
Desperation filled him and he nodded, allowing her closer. She kneeled, her hands hovering over the wolf for long minutes before she lowered them, shaking her head sorrowfully. “The wound is too severe. I cannot heal him.”
The man bowed his head, the pain a burden too great to bear. He buried his hands in the fur of the wolf’s neck, meeting the gaze of those intelligent eyes, now cloudy with death. “I’m sorry,” he choked out, despair filling him as the last of his hope faded.
“Your pain does not go unnoticed,” the woman spoke again, her voice echoing oddly in his ears. “I cannot save his life, but I can preserve it.”
The man raised his head slowly, a faint hope stirring in his chest as he met those eerily bright eyes. “What do you mean?”
Her gaze brightened, forcing him to look away. “It will require a sacrifice from you.”
He nodded, his stare going back to the wolf. “Anything,” he agreed without hesitation.
“It will hurt,” she warned and his shook his head dismissively.
“Do it.”
She dipped her head, one hand resting on the wolf and the other going to his head. Heat built inside of him, increasing until it reached a white hot crescendo, and knocking him to the ground. Bone and muscle twisted, arching his back as his mouth opened in a silent scream, and he collapsed back, panting as he detected another presence in his mind – a familiar one. He turned his head, but the wolf was gone, and he forced himself up, panicked until a whisper drifted through his mind. His heart raced as he met the gaze of the woman.
