Picture Perfect Love

Chapter 4- The Black Wolf

Mina didn't take Kennedy's words as seriously as she would've liked. Of course she thought she was exaggerating, just being over-dramatic but Kennedy knew better. Someone had been there while she was swimming. Whether it was the possible teenagers looking for a peep show or something else she didn't know but she was restless the remainder of the day.

Mina had tried to talk to her, but treating her like a petulant two year old who didn't get their way was the wrong way to go about it. It just made her more stressed because her best friend didn't believe her. They were out alone in the middle of the wilderness and Kennedy had never felt so isolated. Sure she hadn't actually seen anyone there, but she felt it and the extra tracks were proof enough for her.

Setting up camp that night, Kennedy was energized and ready for evidence that she wasn't crazy. She rushed through the tedious task of cleaning her equipment, putting away what she didn't need in the knapsack in the tree and cooking dinner. Tonight it was grub worms with wild onion grass and wood sorrel, which they had to be exceptionally careful of due to some parts being toxic. Mina made sure to note such in her journal though they expected to see some growing on their trip. The taste was less than appetizing, the appearance even worse, but it was food.

When Mina laid down for the night, Kennedy snuck out. If she had told her what she planned, Mina would have set up an intervention trying to kindly explain she had lost her mind but still loved her. That wasn't an option. So walking through the woods alone once again, Kennedy pushed aside her fear of the unknown and trampled on.

She found absolutely nothing of importance the first hour of her wandering and began thinking maybe Mina was on to something.

"Alright, I know you're here. Come out, come out wherever you are you little asshole!" she hollered. The hairs on her neck were raised again, a good sign she was right.

Rather than seeing her peeping little teenager though, the three wolves from before emerged. They stayed a good distance away, sniffing the air for signs of danger. They didn't take their eyes off her shivering form until a fierce growl erupted through the night. Their heads snapped towards the direction the sound came from, but they took off running the other direction. Kennedy quickly pulled her camera up, desperately trying to get at least a couple decent shots.

Once they were gone, she wondered what had happened. What the hell was dangerous enough to scare those three wolves away with their tails between their legs? Shit, she needs to leave!

She turned on her heel, preparing to make a run for it when a growl, louder than she'd ever heard sounded directly behind her, a few feet away maximum. Running would be the worst decision she could make right now. Wolves were all about the chase, it was imbedded in their DNA. Slowly she turned, eyes closed, and awaited her fate. The time ticked on and nothing happened.

Opening her eyes, she came face to face with yet again another wolf. It was pitch black and had eyes to match. Unlike the blonde crazed one, this one seemed almost tame. While she could see this wolf was much larger than any of the others, it didn't seem like it was going to hurt her.

"G-good boy," Kennedy stuttered quietly. "Please don't hurt me!"

The wolf stepped back and sat down like a domestic puppy might. What the hell? She slowly raised her camera again, pausing to raise her eyebrow in an unspoken question to continue. The wolf raised his head as if answering her question. She took a couple of just his face, catching the way the moon reflected off his coat in an iridescent glow. His eyes shone with what appeared to be excitement when she began to inch closer. Tentatively she reached out her hand towards his neck. The wolf dropped his head as if consenting to being petted and inhaled her scent deeply a few times before looking back at her.