The Wolf and The Rose

The Rose

He awoke in a daze. He couldn't tell if his vision was clear or blurry, was he still in The Darkness? He lifted himself. Weightless. He appeared to have escaped. He attempted to take a step, only to be greeted by the sound of a serpent slinking away through the bramble. The Wolf immediately reeled back, as now more sounds of the breaking bushes attacked his ears. He couldn't see, but he knew he was surrounded.

 The tendrils covered him from ground to sky, moving as he moved. Realizing this he made an attempt to outwit them. He slowly walked forward, the ingratiating sounds of the serpents reacted as expected. He paced himself carefully taking care to listen where they were, they too seemed to want to keep their distance. The Wolf could feel the breath of the forest on his snout as he approached the broken twigs and branches of the bushes. Without hesitation, he charged toward them hoping to lose them, he was no stranger to this kind of pain for survival.             

 To his amazement, he slipped through like a pebble down a hollow log. Rather, the sharp branches seemed to disappear as he ran through. It took him a moment to even question this as he was more concerned with escaping. He could still hear them behind him. What had he awoke from but the first stage of this endless cycle?  He still couldn't see. No matter how far he ran he still couldn't see. 

His movement slowed as the air moistened. Below him he could feel the Earth had become soft and bounced in response to his steps. It was only when he finally stopped moving, that he realized it. He looked up to the sky and confirmed it. It didn't matter what realm he existed in, when he looked to the sky, there was always something to great him. Friend or foe alike. A feeling of warmth slowly began to take over as The Wolf. 

 A translucent ray descended from the sky like a portal to another world. In the center of this great light, was a shimmering bed of water, still enough to be a mirror. The lake rose from a pit, low enough to reveal a small bridge of soil that reach to its center. The Wolf took careful steps toward the lake. Each step revealed how small it actually was.

 As he walked across the bridge, he could feel something sink into his back then disappear. The Wolf was in such a state of trance he hadn't even cared to mind it. He reached the center with anxious breath, wondering what he would find in the lake below. Curiosity...he was glad he was able to have a reunion with this troublesome feeling. He peered into the water shaking in excitement. 

The Wolf. That was all. He inched his nose closer to the water, but that was all there was. He took a few steps back, thinking a second glance would yield better results. As he stepped back he found himself tripping almost falling into the lake. He dropped, his snout touching the water. He somehow hovered right over, forced to stare into his own eyes. Without hesitation, as mysteriously as he had stopped himself he began to pull himself back onto the ledge, still staring at his reflection. This time however, he was able to catch a glimpse of something he hadn't seen before. With each inch that brought him closer to solid ground, the light illuminating the sanctuary began to grow. In the mirror he was able to see it peer past the clouds slowly. Soon the moon was bare for all to see, indistinguishable from the lake. 

 The Wolf took center stage once more. He felt a powerful force emerging from his body, as if the moon itself was pulling at his back. He could feel the scars explode and swell as the water began to roar with waves. They began to appear one by one, each breaking the wind as it waved wildly. Some swept through the lake as if tasting its purity before bursting through it into the sky like a geyser. Others simply shot straight into the sky, catching the droplets that followed them, flailing about celebrating their long awaited freedom. Still anxious, they began to converge, stretching and molding every which way. He was privy to the spectacle despite it taking place in his blind spot, as the lake made an excellent window. 

He dared not close his eyes once. With each convulsion of the thorny vines, The Wolf had felt it return to his chest, this time allowing it to take complete control of him. He had not been patient the last time this rhythm called out to him. But he was free now. It was free now. And as its brilliant red curls emerged from that great wound on his back, The Wolf felt an urge he had long forgotten. He wanted to sing. With a mighty howl, he celebrated the emergence of The Rose.