Fatal Justice

† Chapter Twenty-Five †

In the most unexpected times, we meet the best people. 

He crouched in the tall grass. 

A fairly large doe grazed obliviously to her impending death. He had been stalking her for a few miles. The further he came north, the sparser the wild game had become. He wasn't starving but he was certainly hunting more and more. Sometimes, he spent all day just hunting for a meal. Not that it bothered him too much but he felt like he was competing with the humans for food. 

Quite a few times, he encountered human hunters in the forest, and they had stolen his deer or his turkey that he had tracked for miles. It angered him but he always turned away and went deeper into the forest. 

Settling lower on his stomach, he was very still as the doe stepped closer. She was within lunging range now and when she extended her neck to nibble at the tall, sweet grass, his coiled muscles sprung him upward. His teeth dug into her throat and he didn't let her struggle, quickly snapping her neck, and her body fell limp. 

He shook out his fur, proud of himself for another successful hunt, and then he settled to eat. The sky was cloudy, threatening with a passing rain shower, and it seemed darker than usual today. He didn't mind as he enjoyed his meal, the only one he had managed to catch up with today. Sometimes the animals could be quick and evasive. 

Suddenly, he wasn't alone. 

He stopped mid-chew when he felt someone's eyes on him. His head snapped up as his eyes zeroed in on the presence across the little meadow. It was another wolf. He hadn't seen his own kind for weeks now, it felt strange seeing another standing nearby. 

The wolf had dark fur, nearly pitch black, but its faded green eyes were bright and alert. He saw scars crisscrossing through its fur and after lifting his nose from the delectable meat, he knew the other wolf was a rogue as well. It carried no pack scent and he also knew it was male, though he could have guessed that just by the muscle mass.

Suspicion rose in his mind. Males weren't the calmest out in the wild, he had learned his lesson about that, and he refused to let his defenses fall. Especially since this strange male was nearly his size. Their strength would be equaled. 

The wolf moved closer. 

He stood, growling low in his throat. A warning that made the wolf pause. He stopped growling, ears perking. Now, his curiosity was peaked. No rogue wolf had stopped its advance at a single warning before. Why was this one different? 

Then, he understood. 

From the way the wolf wasn't showing any aggression, keeping his head lower, and eyes trailing to his fresh kill--this wolf was just as hungry as he. At that moment, his own stomach growled, reminding him to eat his fill, but he didn't take his eyes off the other wolf. 

He took a moment to contemplate his decision. It was very rare for male wolves to share a meal, let alone one that hadn't helped make the kill, but he wasn't one to turn away someone in need. He also tried not to be selfish. Who knows how long this other wolf had been wandering with nothing to eat. From the looks of it, he would guess a few days or more, just from the thin ribs. 

Grumbling under his breath, he lowered his head. Forcing his muscles to relax, he communicated his choice with the other wolf, who understood it immediately. 

He allowed the wolf to draw near and then he chomped his jaws into the flank of the doe. It was a reminder of who was in charge, and a slight threat of what could happen. The wolf was even skinner than he had originally thought up close and he paused his feast once again. 

The wolf bowed his head, thanking him. 

He nodded. 

He watched the wolf dig into his kill with ravenous jaws. In that moment, he felt sympathy for this wolf. He had been starving, too, he knew the feeling. He could already guess what kind of situation this rogue had gone through, clearly still hanging on to his humanity. He had encountered rogues who had completely lost their humanity and this was no one of them. 

But, he also felt a spark of warmth. For the first time, he was genuinely helping someone else, even when his rations would be shortened. He returned to his feasting but he purposefully slowed so that the wolf would be able to eat more. As long as he had something in his stomach, he would be fine, and this wolf needed more than him. 

When the white bones were licked clean, the wolf sat back. He stayed on his paws, just in case, but he tilted his head slightly. The wolf licked its jaw but gratitude glimmered in his eyes. Both of their stomachs were full and he risked a glance at the sky. It would be dark soon and he still had to find a place to lay low. With another careful glance, he began walking with a dominant stride. 

The wolf watched him leave. 

He made it to the treeline, carefully watching his own back, and then he bound off. Just like he always did, he disappeared into the forest like a ghost. He opened his senses and searched for a low hanging ledge, a small cave, or even upturned tree roots to rest for the night. Each beat of his paw sent noise echoing off the land around him and he had grown clever at using his hearing as a guide. 

Night fell and he was lucky enough to stumble across a moss-covered tree stump, its roots had been weathered out and he was able to squeeze his body through. It was a small space inside but he made himself comfortable. He could scent rain on the breeze so he knew a storm was coming and his newly found shelter would protect him. 

He had just managed to doze off when his sensitive ears picked up on a twig cracking nearby. His eyes opened and he remained still as he scanned the dark beyond. It was dead quiet for a while and then he heard sniffing. Opening his own senses, he was bewildered at the newly familiar scent that filled his nose. He had run quite a ways before stopping for the night. 

The very same wolf that he had shared his meal with walked within a few feet of his shelter before stopping and sniffing again. He didn't move. The wolf sighed, sounding akin to relief, and then settled down on some of the moss-covered ground. He stared at the curled-up form of the wolf for a while before he finally allowed his eyes to close again. 

He had no idea why the wolf had followed him. 

But, he felt relieved that he wasn't alone. 

※       ※      ※

Any guesses on who has joined Joel?

 This is so exciting, I have wanted to reach this point for so long! At first, I wasn't sure how their first encounter would go, but then this whole scene just happened on its own and I'm super proud of it.