Rise from the ashes

Chapter 9 -The Wolf of Mystery

"Oh sh-" the wolf cut me off with a yowl.
"Can you please not chase me through the woods and eat me...please?" It didn't respond. This was probably a good thing, because if it did, I might just have walked back into camp. Just then I heard fast footfalls and shouting.
"HE WENT THIS WAY" dang, he almost forgot about those crazies. I looked for a way to run, but my eyes locked on the wolf's. They were almost pleading.
"Do you know the way?" I asked calmly and a little pleading myself. I could have sworn it nodded before taking off between two trees to the right, heading into the thickest part of the woods. I had no choice but to follow, well I had other choices, but they seemed worse than getting eaten, so I ran, trying to be as quite as possible, but utterly failing. I could hear the soldiers behind me, catching up fast, but I still followed the wolf through the curvy path it decided it needed to take, not even looking back once to see if I was following.
I was out of breath and about ready to give up as the wolf decided to dive in the midst of a tangle of bushes, I was all too glad to follow. I heard the soldiers approaching, and fast, screaming threats about death and something about a deer? I sat in silence, legs trembling as I felt the warm coat of the wolf press against me. It helped. I heard the footsteps right outside suddenly stop.
"WHERE DID HE GO?" one asked
"THERE ARE FOOTSTEPS THIS WAY SIR" said a second.
The soldiers continued on their way without a second glance in our direction. I breathed a sigh of relief and peeked out to see if I could see any trace of them left, but they were gone. I crawled back into the bush and lifted my hand, sticky with juice. I looked at the bush closer. Night lock. I was suddenly aware that I was alone in a bush with a wolf. I looked over and saw his eyes gleaming back at me, but oddly, I wasn't scared, I was giddy. I hugged the wolf, who to my delight looked surprised.
"We did it. I'm free, I don't have to live under my Aunt and Uncle's rules anymore, I'm free to do what makes me happy." I smiled at the wolf. "Thank you" To my surprise he bowed back. I scratched behind his ear, which made him swish his tail.
The wolf, who I now have named Thorn, calmly got up and went out the back of the bush, leaving me all alone.
"Thorn, where are you going" I exited the bush right behind him.
"The soldiers could still be-" I stopped in my tracks. "Thorn?" I looked around the dim forest but couldn't see him. I walked around, looking for the wolf.
"Thorn, this isn't funny" I said, laughing to myself. Something was wrong. It was silent, he had lived in this forest all his life and it was never silent, but here he was, the birdsong gone, no breeze ruffling the leaves, and all underbrush silent as snow.
He turned back and was unfamiliar with the sight he saw. It was not a forest he had seen before. Instead of big oaks and tiny saplings crowding what little space they could, he found tall pines and a forest floor covered in a carpet of brown needles. He turned back and found the same thing. He was somewhere he had never been before.
"THORN?" He called out, but the forest was still as silent as before. He started to walk back to the village when a low rumble sounded in the sky. Lightning sparked in the sky, sending off a boom and a bright light. The forest was getting darker, mistier... scarier. He looked down and was surprised at what he saw. Someone had scratched a message in the dirt, but it looked like his handwriting, it read:
For a child of the woods
An army doth seek
To escape their clutch's
True words you must speak
Ancient sounds do
Riddle this land
Listen close, for then
You will take a stand
"Ancient sounds?" I questioned out loud. "There are no sounds" just then the thunder rumbled ahead I looked up in time to be blinded by a streak of lightning and knocked deaf by the boom. "Ah, not so silent I guess" I looked back down to find the message stamped out. "Hm, well this couldn't get much worse" That's when the rain started to come down, in a slight mist at first, but in sheets only seconds later. "Right"
I started walking to where the storm was coming from, already completely soaked from the rain, the rumble from above loud enough I could feel it in my chest. It said ancient sounds and you can't get much more ancient than mother earth.
I was walking past this pine when I saw a ball of fluff at the base of the tree. I went to investigate when it made a squeaking sound and tried to run up the tree, but falling to the ground again.
"Hello" I said gently, reaching my hands to the cowering squirrel. "I only want to help" It cowered against the tree, to wet and weak to run away. I picked it up despite its cry of anguish and held it close to me. "I know I'm wet to, but you need to stay dry and warm" I looked up and saw a hole in the trunk of the tree with tiny noses peeking out. "Your family I presume" I stood on my tippy toes and gently put the squirrel back in its house, earning multiple scratches on my hand. "You're welcome" I said as I walked away, rubbing my stinging hands, letting the rain wash away the blood. The thunder boomed up ahead, louder than it was earlier.
I didn't understand the need to escape the soldiers if they weren't chasing me, but honestly I didn't want to test fate. Or was this even fate? I thought back to who might want to trick me, and could only come up with two answers, my aunt and uncle and the soldiers, which were hired by my aunt and uncle, so basically my horrible family. I looked at the trees, so different from what I was used to. They would have to get a very strong illusion mage, and there were only a couple in my village, none strong enough to pull this off. They would also have to hire a weather mage and they never mingled with my aunt and uncle, so that left one option. I was going crazy.
Lightning light up the sky, drawing my attention to the cave to my right, and more importantly dry warmth. I rushed in cave and leaned against the inner wall. Breathing a sigh of relief I sat down. I was enjoying the dryness of the air as I felt something brush against my leg. I opened my eyes to see a baby brown bear cub, snuggling against my leg. I reached down and petted it, the cub leaning against my hand. "Are you lost, little one?" It huffed at me and walked deeper in the cave. "Of course you want me to follow you" I sigh as I get up and walk behind the bear. The journey was short, but silent, the pressure of the cave pounding on my ears. The baby bear stopped in front of a small boulder and sat down letting out a small hum. The hum was returned with a bigger hum coming from the other side of the boulder. That's when it clicked. "Oh, your mom is trapped behind this rock. Where are dads when you need them" The cub growled. "Fine, I'll help"
I got on one side of the boulder and planted my feet against another rock. I pushed my legs off the rock and the boulder started to roll.
"That was easy" I said once the boulder started to roll on its own. I deep growl came from the new opening. "Right, I'll go now" I waved at the cub as I made my hasty exit out into the rain again. Fate, this was fate. I looked at the giant roll of black cloud in the sky and kept walking towards it, lightning striking the ground off to my right. I kept walking.
"Is this what you want? Whoever you are?" the rumble of thunder replied like it thought I was speaking to it. Lightning struck the ground to my left and the rain came down even harder, concentrated on the clear spot up ahead. The wind picked up as I stepped out into the clearing. I looked up into the sky as lightning hit the top of a tree, it falling to the ground. "IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT" I screamed to be heard over the raging wind. "I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU" I said as the cloud I was looking at lit up. I closed my eyes as bolt of light hurtled toward my face. I tensed, waiting for the lightning to hurtle itself through my body, but everything fell silent.
I open my eyes to see myself in my forest that surrounded my home. I lowered my face to see the guy that I had meet earlier today, the one who showed up right before my Warlock ceremony. He looked at me with a smile on his face. "How would you like to be my apprentice" he asked.