New Wolf

6: Bitten

A scream sounded through the silence of the air, although no one seemed to hear it. Karlie thrashed from side to side, trying to get the hands that were pinning her to the ground off. They weren't hands though, they were paws.

She stopped squirming and slowly opened her eyes. Karlie could feel warm air wrapping around her face and something wet. When her eyes were all the way open she saw a pair of piercing grey eyes staring down at her, a black, wet nose grazing her jaw.

Another scream tore through her vocals, the wolf pinning its ears down at the loud, obnoxious noise. Karlie began to panic and struggled to get out of the wolfs grasp, the creature only growling in response. She managed to get an arm free, the limb instantly curling into a fist and swinging at the animal.

Karlie felt satisfaction when the wolf yelped and flinched back slightly, her fist having connected with its left eye. She took this opportunity to slip out from underneath the paws. When her feet planted firmly on the ground she took off running, the sound of rapid footsteps following her after a few strides. She made it to her scooter, but couldn't make it on. The sense of falling hit her as her body tumbled to the ground, the wolf pinning her again.

Pain could suddenly be felt during her struggle to flee from the wolf, it spread through her shoulder and down her arm like wild fire. Another scream tore through the air and she felt like she couldn't breath, her throat was parched and she was disoriented from the fight. Suddenly, the weight was lifted off her and the only sounds that remained was her ragged breathing and the thump of paws running away.

"Bloody hell..." She muttered, wondering why on earth had that beast not eaten her. Karlie tried to push herself up but her one arm couldn't support her completely and she came crashing back to the ground. She could feel the blood oozing out of her open flesh and the pain was almost unbearable. "Come on, Karlie. You have to get up, what if it comes back for more? Or even worse, what if it comes back with more...wolves?"

Her own words gave her the energy to lift herself up. Once she was on her feet she sighed in relief, but looked around quickly to see if anything was still lurking in the shadows. Nothing...it had become eerily silent and that bothered her to the slightest bit. Shaking her head she stumbled onto her scooter, not even bothering to put her helmet on.

Karlie started the engine and took one last glance at the hill, which was shining in the moonlight of a full moon.

~•~

It didn't take Karlie long to get home, it was the "making it through the house without leaving a mess" that was her challenge. Her body was caked in dirt and grime, pieces of grass stuck onto her clothing with her own dried blood. Sweat glistened on her face which was also covered in dirt and her hand was throbbing from the punch she had given the wolf. The worst part was her shoulder, which was now starting to clot but she knew that she would need to clean it out.

Eventually she made it to her room, only leaving a couple drops of blood on the hard wood floor. She rushed over to the washroom attached to her bedroom, instantly closing the door quietly behind her. Karlie stared at her body, not recognizing her own self for a second. She knew she must have looked bad but this was worse then what she had expected.

Slowly, she unbuttoned her shirt and peeled it off her body, wincing in pain as the fabric grazed her shoulder. She looked at the wound clearly for the first time, seeing the distinct holes at where the teeth had punctured her flesh. Her own blood was mixed with dirt and grass, which made it look even more unappealing.

Eventually she took the rest of her clothes off and walked into the shower where she thought she would feel relief. It was the exact opposite. The warm water stung the holes as it brought out the dirt that caked the inside, but the warmth it provided helped relax her tense muscles which she was grateful for.