~The Lost Soul's~

' ~ Chapter 2

An odd occurance.

~Present day~

I opened my eyes and tilted my head back to stare up at the dirt ceiling of the crawl space. I sat there for several moments, not thinking about anything in particular until I remembered the beta fish back in the pond I passed on my way here.

{{Maybe I was imagining it?....}}

I thought to myself, sitting there for a moment longer before I decided to get up and go check it out again. I crawled out of the crawlspace without much effort, grabbing my spear as I stood and started walking down the trail. Leaving the burned village as I started thinking about if I was truly insane or not.

{{Surely I would have noticed them before- I would have to had- ... but if its fake, how was I able to touch the water and the fish?...}}

I shook my head, groaning in annoyance as this whole ordeal was starting to cause me a headache. Soon enough, I arrived where I had seen the fish before. And surprisingly, it was gone. Just grass and wildflowers like there always had been.

{....That's it! I'm going crazy!}

I turned and started back towards the village but froze as I saw a Mountain lion now blocking my path. I took a step back, holding up my spear when it turned its head and stared at me with an intensity I hadn't ever seen before. Let alone from any animal in this forest.

It let out a low growl of sorts, and with every step I took back, it took one forward. I definitely couldn't outrun it, and I wouldn't be any safer in a tree or higher up then I would be on the ground.

"..Eas..-"

I didn't get a chance to finish the word, let alone my sentence before a blur of black fur bounded out from the darkness of the forest beside me, taking both myself and the mountain lion by obvious surprise.

It wasn't until I looked at it again that I realized the other creature was a Wolf... A young wolf, at that. At least half the size of what looked like a fully grown mountain lion.

{Why is it alone?... Wolves hunt in packs typically..- and they usually only fight mountain lions to defend their territory-.. But I haven't seen any wolves around here-... Ever-...}

I continued watching this odd scenario before noticing something even stranger. For a brief moment the mountain lion seemed.... Scared? Of such a small wolf it could easily kill? Why would it-

The young wolf suddenly lunged forward, its claws and teeth digging into the mountain lion's neck as the large forest cat let out a pained yowl, flinging its head around in a futile attempt to throw the wolf off. But the wolf was a lot stronger than it initially seemed and held on to the cats neck, raking its claws down and tearing off a large part of its skin and flesh. Not deep enough to reach the bone, but enough to stun the cat and possibly leave it to bleed out.

I stood there, frozen in mild shock and terror as I watched this mountain lion get absolutely mauled by a wolf that couldn't be more than 15 inches tall. By the time the wolf had finished terrorizing the poor cat, the mountain lion had several bite marks and claw marks running from the back of its head, down to its sides and back. Not to mention the horrid injury on its neck. It turned and 'ran' away the best it could, leaving the wolf standing there silently.

I stared at the wolf, shocked, concerned, confused, and slightly scared as it turned and looked at me. But all of my thoughts came to a halt as it looked at me, tilting its head as if nothing had happened. It's tail wagged against the dirt path, throwing up small clouds of dirt before it stood up and took a step towards me.

I flinched and took a step back, which in turn caused it to pause before taking another step. I don't know why. Maybe it was the fact this wolf just possibly saved me from being eaten by a mountain lion, maybe it was the fact I obviously wouldn't be able to fight back or outrun it- or maybe it was the hundreds of unanswered questions that formed faster than I could answer them.

But I just stood there and let it come to me. When it finally reached me, it sat down and looked up at me. And now it was closer, I tilted my head as I looked at it. Swirled smokey grey markings running from its shoulders down its back and sides, soft silver hairs that hid in its undercoat and only were visible when the sun's light hit its fur in a specific way. But what I noticed primarily was the wolf's eye color... bold, bright, Emerald colored eyes staring back into my own. It was such an unnatural eye color for a wolf of this species to have... At least, I would be saying that, if I even knew what species this little wolf was.

"Who..... what... are you....?"

The wolf merely tilted its head once more before barking. As if it were a pet dog or something, its tail wagging again.

".....Today is such a weird day.."

I muttered quietly as I set down my spear and started walking down the path again, back to my home.

I didn't question or really notice the wolf as it followed me most of the way back, but now thinking about it, I probably should have....

~ - Time Skip; 2 weeks - ~

It's been a few weeks now, and by now we have a routine of sorts... I go out and hunt in the day, before returning home at night and spending time with this strange wolf that just decided to.. Stick around.... Thankfully though it fends for itself so I don't have to worry about feeding it. Just on where it goes and when it'll be back..

Today I returned to see a mound of dirt next to the entrance of my crawl space.

"What the- Hey!"

I shouted, catching the small wolf's attention as it came skittering out of the hole it had started digging, its tail in full wag as it sat down and tilted its head "innocently".

"You little rascal- No holes near the–"

Before I could finish, half of the tunnel collapsed on itself, caving in the area I had dug out for myself.

".....-Entrance...."

I sighed before setting down my spear and bag and trying to work on digging out the fallen dirt 'ceiling'. But it was no use. The more I took away, the more that fell.

"Great...."

The wolf walked over, pressing its nose against my hand apologetically. I really couldn't stay mad at it for more than a few minutes before I gave in and just started petting its head softly.

"Alright, Alright. I forgive you."

....

"But we still don't have a home now- Why are you even hanging around here? Don't you have a pack?..."

The wolf looked up at me before shaking its head. And that was when I realized it understood me. Every little gesture and few sentences spoken over the past two weeks- this wolf had responded each time- but I never paid any mind to it.

Until now..-

"...."

"You- ...... you can understand me??...."

The wol- god it needs a name- The wolf looked up at me before standing up and barking. Not loudly or aggressively, just a "Woof!" in response to my confusion. Somehow, that was more of an answer than any words could be.

"....I have to be dreaming..."

I muttered, more so to myself than anything else. I looked down at the strange creature before sighing heavily and laying down on the cold dirt as the sun dipped low behind the mountains, small stars making their appearance across the growing dark sky.

"Such... a weird day..."

I murmured, turning my head as the wolf laid down beside me, curling its tail over its face and paws. My final thought before drifting off into a dreamless sleep was something simple, yet odd.

What are you doing here?...

Word count: [1383]