Wolf Pack

Night.

I was not afraid of the night. Despite the darkness of the forest, I didn't shiver with a hint of fear. Stars dazzled the night sky with a heady light, as if the earth had been sucker-punched by a meteorite.

The trees all around me bent and swayed, trying to obscure my way, trying to keep me from returning to my camp. But the joke was on them. I didn't care one iota about returning to my camp.

Lost.

I wasn't afraid of that either. I ambled slowly, at a leisurely pace. I'd left the path not too long ago, wanting to explore the area a bit before settling in for dinner. I was, just this once, glad to be alone. No one would come looking for me, and I couldn't be missed.

I unbuttoned my coat, letting the mildly chilling wind of the summer evening caress me. A howl bit the night, tearing a chunk out of the peace and quiet, mauling my carefree feelings.

But still, I was not afraid.

Only focused in mind. Come find me, I thought. I didn't know why it should, but the idea thrilled me. Lost in the wilderness of Europe, I hoped for a pack of wolves to find me.

And this they did, with much haste.

There were seven. Seven fearsome beasts, all circling me, gauging their best chance for attack. Their coats of brown, black and silver glistened faintly in the moonlight, as if touched by some primordial forest magic.

I briefly considered my options, rifling through each one like cards on a rolodex. I could run, but they would be faster. I could fight, but they would be stronger. After what seemed like an eternity, I made a plan.

It was a hasty, foolhardy plan. It came from the back of my mind, wedged beneath all common sense, and rumpled slightly by a growing tinge of worry, but it was the only plan I could imagine working.

The alpha. I identified him quickly enough. He was a bit larger than the others, and one could see they deferred to him. I dropped carefully, slowly, to my knees and in the underbrush.

One is often told never to look a wild beast in the eye, lest they see it for a challenge, however that was exactly what I did. I soon found its eyes were mismatched. One golden brown, the other a circle of stolen sky.

Beautiful.

I didn't move or bat my eyes. All around us the wolves continued to growl and circle, waiting for their leader to rip into my flesh.

But no. He didn't lead the charge, or begin to snarl, or raise his hackles.

He whimpered.

The mighty wolf whimpered and lowered his head, then his whole body, till he was laying on the ground in total submission. I knew then why I'd gotten lost and hadn't cared. I knew why I wasn't one bit afraid.

This was where I belonged. These wolves were now my wolves. These woods, my woods. I reached forward and nuzzled the alpha male between the ears.

"I guess I call the shots now," I whispered.

---

Two years later.

I was in love with the pace. Despite the fact that I couldn't always keep up, despite the fact that I wasn't swift enough on my feet, despite my weak human lungs and my poor stamina...I loved it. This was my world, and running was where I belonged.

Usually the wolves kept a lighter pace when they ran with me, in order to let me keep at the heart of the formation. Nonetheless, we moved at an incredibly breakneck speed, and it thrilled me to the bone. I leaped over rocks and around trees, watching as my breath billowed out before me in the early dawn light. It made me grin, this beautifully crisp autumn air, and watching everyone breathing.

A light howl split the air, followed by a bit of sharp barking from the former alpha. I'd had a few wolves scouting ahead, with the rest of the group sticking closer to me. I raised my left fist, signaling half the group to move ahead and investigate, in case the alpha needed assistance. Four wolves scrambled ahead, panting for air.

The rest stayed with me, more of an honor guard really, but I didn't like to be caught surprised and alone. Knowing that they'd discovered something, I upped my speed as much as I could manage. We soon burst into a clearing. Seven wolves already circled, just as they had that day long ago.

A surprise.

It was not a wounded deer or some such thing but a girl. She looked so frail and delicate, laying prone in the grass. I couldn't help feeling moved to sympathy. The wolves looked at me, waiting for the signal to begin feeding on the apparently unconscious girl. I shook my head and waved them off.

"Not this one." I whispered, my voice a bit hoarse. Sometimes I didn't talk for days at a time, but I had a feeling I would soon need my English again.

What was she doing all the way out here alone? I crouched down. She was shockingly pink, and I couldn't believe how weak she looked. But I wondered if perhaps I looked much different in the eyes of a wolf. I couldn't stop staring at her skin. It reminded me of rose-tinted glass, a flush born of the cold. The entire pack began to crowd around now, sniffing at her skin and licking my face and elbows.

I reached down and patted her shoulder, at first too gently. She didn't stir. I shook her again, once again misjudging and being perhaps a little too rough. At once a pair of large, mismatched eyes met mine as she quickly sat up.

The girl's eyes were wide as the sun and moon, one brown and one blue, just like my friend the alpha. I stared deep into them, wanting to tame her as I had the wolves. But her eyes had no give, and something in their depth scared me, ever so slightly.

I broke stares first, chuckling.

"Who are you?" she whispered, sounding understandably nervous. Her gorgeous, disparate irises darted left and right, watching my friends' every move. But her spine was straight, and her voice held no tremble. Only a deepening of red in her rosy cheeks belied her true feelings. Her fear.

I grinned, a smile that reached all the way up to my eyes. I liked this odd, pink creature. She was brave.

"Me? I'm the leader of this wolf pack."