The Wolf Girl

I have been one acquainted with the night.

I have walked out in rain- and back in rain.

I have outwalked the furthest city light.

~Acquainted With the Night- Robert Frost~

My heart pounded inside my heaving chest. Panic and adrenaline surged through me as the air left my lungs in quick rushes. Thunder growled overhead, but when I looked up, the sky was hidden by the dark webs of canopies. Night had taken over long ago, casting a long bleak shadow over the world. The ominous clouds had rolled in, bringing the flashes of lightening. The forest was thick with fear, and the trees loomed around me in tall shadowy figures. I hadn't seen one sign of life since I'd entered the woods. The animals were hidden in their nests, leaving me cowering out in the open. I found my feet once again and pushed myself faster. I was out of breath, and my lungs threatened to burst, but I couldn't stop now.

I was lost. My vision became blurry, and small whimpers worked their way up my throat, escaping my lips. A sudden roar brought sheets of heavy pouring rain. The cold water soaked into my clothes, my skin, and washed away my sanity. The rain brought pain with it, searing in my joints, making my muscles twitch uncontrollably. The agony was so real, so true, that I came to a sliding stop on the slickened forest floor.

I lifted my pale shaking hands to my face, cold as ice. I dropped to my knees, mud splattering on impact. I sobbed hollowly. The tears streamed down my face, and I felt a white hot power building up inside of me. Somewhere close by I heard the creak of a tree as it came crashing down. The ground quaked and I quivered at the last sharp stabs of pain. I closed my eyes.

Every bone in my body shifted, and I felt more beast than human. The pain and fear was gone, left in its place was a raw power that brought me to all four paws. I stood tall, a long exhilerated howl, ripping itself from my mouth.

My senses sharpened, and suddenly the gray night had vibrant colors. I could feel the electricity stirring in the clouds over head, and feel the heat that a small mammal produced as it hid in a nearby tree. I could hear the tree boughs groan under the beating of the rain. I could feel each individual drop of rain as it hit my body. Renewed with energy, I leapt forward and took flight.