The Wolf -COMPLETED-

26. Around The Tree

Chapter 26 ~ Around The Tree

I awoke to the deafening sound of silence. Not a cricket chirped, no owls hooted, and not a single howl echoed through the trees. No crunching of sticks on the ground, no rustling of leaves in the breeze. The air itself seemed very still. In the silence, I could hear every single one of my racing heartbeats. I glanced around, trying to work out where I was, or why I was here. It was very dark, and looking up through a gap in the trees, I could make out the moon's silhouette peering through the clouds. I rubbed my damp, swollen face and wondered why I had been crying.

I let out a low whine when I realised what had happened only hours ago. Tears brimmed in the corners of my eyes and I sucked in a deep breath. Trying to ignore the images of her dead body flashing before me, I peered down to see if the wolves were still waiting below the tree to kill me. I couldn't see or hear anything that would suggest so, so with trembling hands, I began to make my way down the tree trunk.

I had made it halfway down safely and was feeling rather proud of myself when I decided to stop for a break. I had hardly built up a sweat, but still wanted to take my time to make sure I wouldn't fall and hurt myself.

As I squeezed the tree trunk tight with my right hand, memories of Brittany helping me to safety flooded my vision. I began to tremble uncontrollably as I felt her phantom touch lift me to safety.

"Stay safe"

I stumbled backwards at the sound of her voice and quickly lost my footing. I let out a scream as I lost my grip on the tree trunk and fell helplessly through the air. I waited for the unforgiving moment I would land on the hard bark ground but that never came. Instead, I found myself on top of something soft, warm, and squishy. It let out a surprised yelp and shifted underneath me. I quickly scrambled off it, and stepped on something long and fuzzy. It too, cried out in pain, causing me to fall back on my butt in shock. Allowing my eyes to adjust to my dark surroundings, I finally saw what I had fallen on. Around the tree I had climbed up, were many many wolves. They must had been waiting for me to climb down.

I quickly covered my mouth to suppress the scream begging to come out. I took a shaky step back, but crunched a stick under my bare foot. The two wolves I had fallen on quickly lifted their heads up and perked their ears towards me.

I began to panic, taking another step back, but lost my footing and tripped on a rock, falling flat on my back. The beasts stood up to their full height and began to sniff the air. Their eyes locked onto mine and they slowly made their way over to me. Their movements were silent and careful, all the while their ears twitching with curiosity.

I held my breath and tried to control my tears begging to escape, with no avail. This was it. This was the end. I failed Brittany, and now I was going to die the same way she did. One of the wolves reached its nose close to my face and opened its mouth. I let out a scream waiting for teeth to connect with skin, but that never came. Instead, a warm slimy wet tongue swiped against my cheek. My scream changed to a whimper of confusion as the other wolf did the same. They began to lick my face and hands, and I began to giggle. The second wolf licked my tears away and the first helped me sit up. It rested its head in my lap and looked up at me with silver beady eyes. It began to pant and rub it's head on my arm while the other one rested its head on my shoulder and licked my ear.

Were these wolves the same as the ones that attacked me yesterday?

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