Species- Gabriel

VALLEY OF WOLVES

"There's no good drive without good tunes in the car", Anna thought as she exited the highway and continued on a local road towards the Valley of Wolves.

She loved loud music, a mix of rock and metal. The sound of an electric guitar gave her a dose of adrenaline. She felt excitement, but also a bit of fear - a mix of emotions. She knew she wouldn't be alone. Amanda would come. Maybe her decision was hasty, maybe the wolves would devour her, but at the moment, it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the lightness she felt as if she had rid herself of a heavy burden called Kevin.

Adam, her new boss, seemed very friendly and courteous. At least through email. If nothing else, he was detailed. The instructions he left for her to find the apartment, the key, a link with navigation, the way to the office, popular cafes, and restaurants - everything was elaborated to the smallest detail. It seemed like they were looking forward to her arrival. She didn't have a sense of how long she had been driving, immersed in her thoughts until an external sound, similar to a howl, startled her. She lowered the volume in the car and began to observe the road ahead. The road now led deep into the forest. The tree branches formed a colorful tunnel bathed in copper-red and yellow colors of late autumn. The day was sunny and pleasant. Suddenly, a clearing appeared in front of her, and in the distance, she saw a small town nestled in the valley, right on the edge of the forest. It looked like it was from a fairy tale. She stopped the car and got out for a moment with her phone in hand, deciding to capture a few photos to send to Amanda later. She heard that sound again, a mix of barking and howling. She bristled like a cat. In the distance, she saw a pack of wolves led by a huge, gray wolf. They looked magnificently intimidating. The pack was approaching at great speed. All the feelings of happiness and satisfaction from earlier merged into a unique feeling of fear.

She froze. "This will be it for me", she thought.

"I had a short and nice life, or rather just short and not very nice."

The pack ran right past her as if they didn't notice her while Anna triumphantly played the statue. "They're not hungry", she thought, "I'll survive" until the leader of the pack stopped and looked at her. If he looked impressive from a distance, he looked even more impressive up close. A massive, beautiful creature, with gray fur and golden eyes radiating intelligence. She looked into his eyes, trying not to make the slightest movement. She heard the accelerated beats of her heart, and a drop of sweat slowly trickled down her neck.

"He's a shapeshifter", she thought.

The beast raised its snout, sniffing the air.

"I'm not tasty", she said bravely. "Just a 6 out of 10. No one ever notices me because I'm uninteresting, a complete waste of time", she blabbered, "but I'm an excellent engineer, and I came to work in the Valley of Wolves. So, if you decide to eat me, it will be a big loss for the city and a little pleasure for you, as I'm very tasteless. Have I mentioned that already?" she continued to panic.

At one point, the beast seemed almost entertained. He still watched her with a hint of astonishment. After a short time, he slightly bowed and ran after his pack. Anna's legs gave way, and she sat down on the ground, waiting for her pulse and breathing to return to normal. What a day. "Welcome to the Valley of Wolves", she said to herself.

She slowly got back into the car and started the engine.

"Everything will be okay," she reassured herself.

The apartment was a house on the outskirts of the city, closer to the forest. A beautiful one-story house with a small garden and enough space. After unpacking her things, she filled the bathtub to the brim and lay down. Closing her eyes, totally relaxed, she almost fell asleep. Immersed in her thoughts, she saw only the golden eyes.