Winter Wolves

Chapter 7

She had given up the fight. She no longer felt hungry, she was in a daze, as if everything was going slow-motioned. She only dug up energy to try and keep the alpha away, but today she wasn't even capable of finding that spark inside of her. The time when the alpha came with a plate of food was very close; he always came at the same time, and she always refused to eat. They had already drugged her once, and she wouldn't allow it to happen again. So, every day, when the alpha came she growled and snapped to keep him away.

She no longer had energy for that, she just laid on the floor, her head resting above her paws. Her breath coming out ragged. She was ready to die, if today were to be the day she met the moon Goddess she would go happily and tear her throat out for forsaken her and all her sisters to the monsters.

She felt her very essence fading away; she was ready lo let go, to break the hold on her wolfs body, when she felt someone approaching. She couldn't even pick her head up. She just took a deep breath. It wasn't the alpha, it was a un unmated female, who smelled young, like honey and cinnamon.

-Hello, I'm Hannah-

The collared she wolf remained still.

-You smell a little like death...What have they done to you? - Her voice sounded a little bit strangled, grief-filled.

The wolf didn't answered, didn't make any move until she heard a light rustle, like the sound made from a rag being rubbed against a metal object. She heard the lid of a pot being open and she squinted her eyes a little. The girl standing in front of her was wearing snow boots and snow pants with a thick jacket.

-They told me to bring you something to eat-

The wolf turned its head away.

-They also told me that it was likely you wouldn't eat anything, but if you don't want to eat that's fine, I can still keep you company.-

The wolf opened her eyes completely and turned towards the stranger, this girl was a mystery for her. She didn't understand her. Everyone had learned to fear and keep away from her since she bit the first wolf fool enough to come near her.

But not Hannah. She was sitting at arms-length on the floor, with her head down, her hair hiding her features and her hands busy while she toyed with a small snow ball. Nobody would come as close as this girl.

-The cook made some meat with boiled carrots for you, she said that she couldn't make anything too heavy or you wouldn't be able to keep it down...You know, since you have been starving for a long time, your body has forgotten what it's like to be fed.- She put her small and delicate hand inside the pot and took out a piece of boiled carrot, then brought it close to her fangs. She snapped, too weak to look menacing, but loud enough to make it clear she wouldn't eat anything that came from them.

-Oh... it's okay, I'm sorry, should've known better...Of course, as you are in wolf form, you'll prefer the meat...So dumb- Hanah turned her head in the wolfs direction, and the wolf was suddenly baffled by two things: One, the girl plopped the carrot straight into her mouth and began chewing. Two, her eyes. They were stark-wite, completely: she was blind. Immediately the wolf regretted snapping at the girl, she was harmless. Also, she hadn't eaten since she was collared out of fear of being drugged, or poisoned. But the girl had taken a piece of food from the pot and eat it. Just then, as if trying to prove a point, she took another carrot and ate. The wolf let out a very low, almost inaudible, whine. But the girl immediately looked at her. She took a piece of beef and stretched her arm towards the wolf.

-Here, eat it. It's good...-

The wolf took the piece of meat between her incisors carefully. Then, she chewed on it. Her snout pooled with saliva and she felt tingles along her jaw, the soft texture and the rich flavor made her ecstatic. She whined again, crawling a little towards Hanah in a submissive way, showing gratefulness with her body language. But then, she reminded that Hannah couldn't see that, so she pressed her wet nose to the girl's thigh.

-You're welcome, here, take another one-

They kept going on the same way, Hannah ate the carrots and fed the wolf pieces of meat until the pot was empty.

Hannah came the next day, bringing another pot of food with her. But this time she also brought a plate and a bowl, she served herself a small portion and then put the rest on the bowl and gave it to the wolf. A couple of days later, she began bringing food three times a day. They would eat together every time, Hanah would ramble about a lot of things, she couldn't see, but she was a very receptive female. She paid attention to a lot of details. Hannah used to describe the smell of the people she knew to the wolf, trying to get her to know the pack members.

-The guy you bit is called Jake, he's a nice guy, but of course, how could you know that? He smells like lemongrass and woodsmoke, with a touch of ocean spray.-

The wolf would just listen, always paying attention because Hannah deserved it.

Two weeks had passed, and the wolf had begun to gain weight. She still looked famine but now she was alert and her eyes had regained their natural glow. She became aggressive one more time, to anyone who came too close, everyone except Hannah.