A Collection of Stories

The Wolf

The wind whispered to her as Lavinia ran through the normally bustling streets, now empty. She sprinted, faster and faster, as far away from the remnants of her old house as she could. Away from the sirens, the screaming, and most of all, the people. She passed the morgue, where her parents now lay, still and unmoving as she ran through the city. She looked up at the smokestacks and skyscrapers above, their filthy, putrid smell polluting the area that surrounded them. Lavinia hated them. She hated everything. Especially the people.

"Die!"She screamed. "Why doesn't everyone just die?!" No one could hear her, but she didn't care. No one listened to her anyway. The wind roared in her ears, noticeably louder than before. The sky darkened, and the air chilled. The wind howled again, screaming in Lavinia's ear.

"Your wish is my command," it seemed to say.

Lavinia scowled, blonde hair billowing around her face as she went.

"It's probably nothing," Lavinia murmured, realizing her mistake as everything went black.

Lavinia opened her eyes. Slowly sitting up, she yawned, surveying her surroundings. The sky above her had darkened to a mystical purple-grey colour, flecked with tiny pinpricks of light. Lavinia frowned. She didn't remember moving but clearly, she had. She now sat in a strange, dark forest, birds faintly singing in the distance. The sound of leaves snapping filled the air, and Lavinia stopped. She jumped back in fright as a round, furry face popped out from behind a tree. It was snow-white, with glimmering blue eyes like the ocean and a coal-black nose. Quickly, Lavinia realized it was an arctic fox.

"Hello!" The fox said.

Lavinia looked incredulous. "Y-y-you can talk?" She spluttered.

The fox laughed. "Why wouldn't I be able to talk?"

Lavinia stared. "Animals don't talk."

Fox snorted. "Everyone is an animal here, silly."

"I'm not an animal."

"Well, you're not a plant!"

"Wait...Where are the humans?" Lavina said slowly.

"What are humans?" Fox said.

Lavinia paled.  

"Th-here are no humans?" She whispered, though there was no one around to overhear.

Fox frowned. "I don't think so, but then again, i'm not very smart." His face brightened. "Oh, i know what to do! follow me!"

***

Fox and Lavinia ran through the forest, Fox's bushy tail billowing in the wind. As Fox babbled on and on, Lavinia's face grew with sudden realisation.

"So. Only animals remain on Earth." She said.

"That's right!" Fox said cheerfully.

"We're still on Earth, right?"

"Correct."

Lavinia smiled, turning to Fox, grinning widely.

"Where are we going, anyway?" She said.

"We're going to The Wolf," Fox said.

"That doesn't sound good."

"Oh, he's the best!" Fox bounded forward. "He's super kind!"

"Don't wolves eat foxes?" Lavinia said curiously.

"Oh no. Mister Wolf says he's a vegetarian!"

Lavinia sighed.

The stars danced in the sky as Fox and Lavinia began the long hike up to the peak of the mountain, where The Wolf awaited them. They passed all sorts of strange creatures as they went, from a bespectacled owl, to an overweight lemur daintily nibbling on a piece of kale. Finally, they stopped at a great spire, looming over them in the sky. At the base of it sat a small hole in the ground.

"This doesn't look right," Lavinia said doubtfully. "A wolf couldn't fit through here."

"Mister Wolf has his own entrance!" Fox said excitedly.

Lavinia sighed. "Fine."

Still suspicious, Lavinia crawled through the narrow gap. Eventually, it lead into a wide chamber, crystals faintly twinkling above. In the centre of the room, The Wolf sat. Lavinia felt Fox next to her as she stared into The Wolf's eyes, which were pitch-black pools of darkness. Lavinia instantly felt terrified. The Wolf was a hulking, brutish creature, a strange blue-grey colour Lavinia had never seen before.

"Welcome," The Wolf rasped. "You have found me."

The Wolf tilted it's head slightly, watching Lavinia intently.

"Come closer, child," he murmured.

Slowly, Lavinia crept forward, stopping several metres away from The Wolf.

"Curious," He said, moving closer to Lavinia. "Speak, child. What is your name?"

"Lavinia," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

The Wolf smiled, showing gleaming white teeth as sharp as knives.

Lavinia slowly backed away. "I should be going," she said quietly.

The Wolf growled. "Stop!" In a few bounds, he had blocked her way.

"Humans were destroyed for a reason!" He hissed.

Lavinia paled as The Wolf grew closer. She could see Fox behind him, eyes wide with fear

"Run!" She croaked, The Wolf barely a hair's breadth away.

Lavinia's vision blurred as Fox sprinted off. She could feel her life ebbing away as The Wolf's powerful jaws clamped tightly around her neck. Her life flashed in front of her eyes- she saw her parents, smiling and waving as they beckoned her into the serene clouds of Heaven above. Everything went black, and for once, Lavinia felt truly happy.

Fox ran. He didn't dare stop as he bolted through the forest. He knew there was no point in going back. No one escaped The Wolf. he cursed himself silently for falling for The Wolf's tricks so easily- lives had been lost, guilt burned in his stomach, and he didn't know what to do. If he could turn back time, he would, but he couldn't. He thought of what Lavinia had told him, of a land filled with humans, a land where animals had no voice. He thought of what one wish had done, and what had changed because of it. Slowly, Fox padded on, ready for anything.

Hey guys! Don't have anything to say but have a nice day! Which one of my stories is your favourite? Comment below!

-Olive out!