SHAUNTI [2015 featured story]

Chapter Twenty-Four: Into the Woods

Night closed in on them and the Canadian stars peeked out from the blue canvas.  Knox and Jace had cooked the fish successfully and were satisfied for only a few hours before their stomachs were empty again.  Upon direction, Knox told Jace to go and bring what little left they had of their supplies.  The first aid kit, the water bottles, the flares, and the extra jackets had been swallowed up by the waterfall and what was left were three cans of beans, a pair of wet shoes, a hunting knife, and utensils.

The boys hardly talked to one another, mostly because of the pain they were feeling and the other because they didn’t mind the silence.  In fact, just knowing the other one was there was enough to keep them comforted for days.  Jace did his best to clean Knox’s wounds, which served to be a difficult task since they had no needle or thread.  Using a torn sleeve from a long shirt, he wrapped the leg securely and propped it up on a rock he had hauled back from the shore.

As for Jace’s left hand, it slowly began feeling numb and stung whenever he tried to warm it.  He didn’t want to worry Knox, so he kept it either hidden inside his jacket or tucked under his other arm.  Jace didn’t see any point of telling Knox the state of his hand, even though he was well aware Knox knew how severe the frostbite was.

It was still December and the weather was not forgiving, especially at night.  It snowed several times in one day, smothering their every attempt to start a fire.  Soon, on Wednesday, Christmas eve Eve, the two of them agreed to try and find better shelter.  They hadn’t seen the wolf since Monday, yet, every morning they found either a dead fish or rabbit waiting for them. 

“Where will we go?”  Knox asked, hobbling to his good leg with Jace’s help.

“I don’t know.  A cave would do.”  Jace braced against the ground as he held his friend steady.  He had always known Knox to be a slight, well narrowed fellow, but after toting him around for a few steps, Jace tired faster than he had expected.  Knox was also a good bit taller than him, making the whole balancing process like staking a crooked totem pole.  “I just think we need to let you rest for a few weeks before trying to walk.”

“I guess so.  Which way do we go?  Upstream?”

Jace, like releasing a child on training wheels, slowly pulled his hands away from Knox and then stood there, waiting to catch him if he toppled over.  But seeing Knox had his ground, Jace folded his arms and looked out through the trees at the riverbank.  “I guess so.  I don’t know anymore.”

“Call the wolf.  Maybe he’ll get the idea and continue taking to wherever he’s heading,” Knox suggested.  He strategically planted his weight on his right foot and waited for his friend’s response.  They hadn’t hunted down a good walking stick—something that would’ve made standing much easier.

Jace moistened his lips and whistled a one-note tune.  The musical tone lilted above them and the woods echoed it back in a haunting whisper.  Jace turned to Knox and his brows wrinkled, questioning if he should whistle again.  Knox gave him a “go ahead” nod and Jace whistled again, this time ending with a high pitch. They waited.  The echo rode the wind, fading in the distance until silence took its place.

A few moments passed by and the boys began losing hope in their guide.  Trading each other disappointed expressions, they decided they shouldn’t wait any longer—the sky wasn’t getting any lighter.  However, their steps were not hurried.  It was almost as if they were giving the wolf extra time, knowing somewhere inside that the animal would neither be too late nor arrive too early.  The wolf seemed to know when to appear on time. 

“Maybe we should wait for him?”  Jace asked, stopping.  “He’s going to show up sometime.”

Knox’s lips pressed in impatience and he glanced over at the woods they were leaving behind.  “Fine.  Five minutes, but if he doesn’t—,”

Jace’s face lit up and there, emerging from the forest, was the wolf.  He trotted up to the boys and stopped when he reached his preferred distance between them.  Sitting down, he let his tongue hang out from the side and his dark gums curved up in an almost satirical smile. 

“Well, I guess we’re ready, eh?”  Knox said.  He shook his head slowly and started hobbling off, using the trees around him to move him forward.  From the pensive expression he wore, Jace could tell he was frustrated that he couldn’t figure the wolf out.  Usually Knox was the one to pinpoint a person’s behavior or know how an event would turn out.  But when he couldn’t decipher something, it bothered him greatly, especially when the person—or animal—was of a lower intelligence.  The wolf had outsmarted Knox in more ways than one. 

Jace smirked.  Knox had met his match. 

Patting his thigh, Jace whistled and the wolf promptly obeyed and weaved ahead of them.  He had a new perkiness in his steps that Jace hadn’t noticed before.  It was as if he was happy the two friends were together again and all was well. 

The wolf had never shown signs of affection, and any contact he performed on the boys was all to increase their length of survival.  But in this moment of reunion, the wolf spun around and made a small skip in front of Knox, as if asking him to play with him.  Knox shooed him away, but the wolf ignored him and proceeded to playfully trot in front of him.

 Jace laughed softly to himself and caught up beside Knox.  He placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder and the three of them walked through the woods, each content with the other’s presence.