Wolf Magic

We follow a wolf into the middle of nowhere

I have seen a wolf
I follow her, curious
Her fur like white snow

"AROOOO!" A wolf howled nearby. Asha's head snapped up as she heard it. She listened for it again but the howling had stopped. Asha droned out the teacher's voice and focused on that one howl. After she had written down the homework and as soon as the bell rang, Asha raced out of Thomas Jefferson High. Ignoring her best friend and twin sister Quince's shouts of "Wait up Asha!" She ignored it all.
The flood of students clambering down the steps, the teachers yells of telling the skateboarders off for roaring down the hall, the bell ringing in her ears and the screams of cheering that always came with the end of the school year.
Asha dashed into the forest and ducked behind a tree to finally see the white wolf like the time she'd seen one last year, when she was in ninth grade. That was the second time she had seen a white wolf. The first time was in sixth grade when Asha saw two.
Asha waited for a long time. A bush swished and wavered relieving a pitch black muzzle and a silvery white face. A body of the same white color emerged after the neck and then the legs and finally the tail.
Asha caught her breath and reached for her camera. A 1948 Polaroid, silver and a white color with ten film packs in the film slot. Her friends had teased her about having a 'old timey' camera. In fact, Quince had even gotten her a newer camera for Asha's 13th b-day but Asha had rejected it. She loved her Polaroid. The pictures were physical and wouldn't get lost in the Internet unless she posted them on Facebook. Plus, she'd gotten the camera from her grandmother for her 16th birthday.
"Take good care of it. This camera is for the important moments in your life." Her grandma had whispered. Asha definitely considered this to be an important moment.

A white wolf was standing in the forest of Thomas Jefferson High.

White wolves were very rare because of Asha's father. He was a hunter who wanted to kill all the white wolves for fur. Asha hated it. He had a coat made entirely of a wolf skin that he'd shot a few years ago for wintertime. "It was for the greater good of humanity!" He had said. Asha knew it was to display all his hunting catches. She had taken a picture of the living wolf with her mate before her father had killed her. Why did father have to kill that wolf? Asha thought.
Now Asha caught her breath again as the wolf looked at her, it's unblinking ice blue eyes staring back at Asha's clover green ones. It was like a spell. Then it howled, breaking it and trotted back into the underbrush. But the wolf looked back at Asha and nodded like it wanted her to follow. She made a quick decision. The school year was over and she could tell her parents that she was with her friends.
Except...her only friend was her twin sister Quince and Asha had just ditched her for a white wolf. But maybe Asha could persuade Quince to come with her.

Asha remembered when she had told her Quince about the wolves and even shown her a picture but her sister said it was photoshopped and on a green screen. "I don't even have a photoshop app! Remember? 1948 Polaroid?!" Asha argued with Quince. Her sister had shook her head and walked away.

Yeah, so not gonna work but Asha could still try. Even if it wouldn't work.
She looked back at the wolf. It was standing there, waiting for her. Asha knew it would wait for her. She knew.
The girl sprinted out of the forest calling to her sister. "Quince! Wait up!" Her sister waved and stopped so Asha could catch up. "Hey! Hurry up A! It took you awhile to get those nature pictures. Mom and Dad are gonna freak!" A was Quince's nickname for Asha. Asha grinned and fell into step with her sister. "Haha. Mom is going to freak, but Dad is... Dad might explode." Quince laughed, her golden hair swishing as she turned to look at Asha.

Asha still didn't understand why her sister got their Dad's hair and Mom's blue eyes. Asha got Mom's brown hair and their Dad's eyes. Which were green. Not that Asha was complaining. She had teased Quince about looking like a pop star every morning of eighth grade.

"You're probably right." Quince agreed. "So, any new homework? Ms. Oak gave me a truckload of homework for math."
Asha nodded. "Yeah, she gave me a lot too. Some algebraic expressions and Diamond Problems. Then, Maestra Mariposa gave me a packet of Spanish stuff." Quince giggled. "I still can't believe her name means butterfly."
"Last name." Asha corrected.
"Right."
So, will you do something with me before we go home? I think Mom will understand." Asha said, feeling nervous.
Quince furrowed her eyebrows. "Sure. But within reason. We aren't sneaking off to a end-of-the-year party, are we? Those always end bad."
Asha punched her sister's shoulder lightly. "Um, Q, as I recall that was you, not me. And second, we only did it once. Plus, it's 3:29 in the afternoon. But no. That's not what I wanted to do."
Asha looked at her sister straight in the eye. Quince flinched slightly and regained her composure, adjusting her light green backpack. It gave Asha some satisfaction that she could scare her sister.
"I want you to help me find the white wolves."
Quince stared at her.
"Q, Did you hear me? I want you to help me-"
"I heard you, A. And I'll help you. I saw them too. I saw one this morning."
"Q! Please?"
"I said yes Asha. I'll help you find the white wolves."
"OMG. Please help me Quin-Wait what?"
Quince grinned. "I said I'll help you. I saw some this morning so I might as well go check them out." Asha laughed. "Thank you Q! Come on, text Mom. Tell her that we're looking for white wolves and won't be back until dinnertime. Maybe later." Quince nodded and quickly typed a message on her phone. "Done." "Well, hurry up. Leave your backpack at the edge of the woods when we get there."

The girls reached the forest, dropped their backpacks at the edge and went into the clearing where the wolf was still waiting for them. Quince gasped. Asha took a step forward toward the wolf who howled and turned away, walking off toward the heart of the forest. "Wow." Quince gasped. "Q, it wants us to follow. Come on!" Asha cried, walking off toward the wolf. She felt happy and elated following the wolf that she was sure lead her to a secret paradise. Asha heard her sister sigh and follow behind her.
.........

A wolf watched from the shadows of a bush as two human girls entered the forest with a white wolf leading the way. He growled slightly when the wolf starting speaking to the humans. He recognized the white wolf. It was Isaza. The wolf he had fought with in the Lupus et Humanum bello. She had cast him aside after finding out he was a traitor. I will get revenge. The wolf thought, slinking deeper into the underbrush.