Don't Wander

Impossible Encounter

Fear struck me, but instead of doing the normal thing, like slamming the window shut and telling my mom, I returned the animal’s gaze. It c****d its head slightly to the side, and after a few seconds of eye contact, it turned away. “Wait!” I blurted, as if this thing could understand me.

Before I could even begin to wonder why I had said that, the wolf turned its head and looked back at me. I felt the air rush out of my lungs as I stared in wonder. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the wolf understood me. It was actually a really beautiful animal. Its pitch-black fur was long and shiny, and I figured it was probably very soft. Its golden eyes were glowing so magnificently that they practically sparkled. The wolf wasn’t nearly as frightening when it wasn’t snarling or chasing after me.

Suddenly, the wolf lifted its huge head and howled. I squeaked in surprise and covered my ears instinctively. The howl sounded like a wail of agony and sadness, and it made me feel sorry for the creature. A chorus of faraway howls answered the call and the wolf trotted into the woods without another glance in my direction.

I went to my desk and jerked open a drawer. After rummaging around for a bit, I grabbed a bulky old flashlight, turning it quickly on and off to make sure it still worked. I knew I was crazy as I ran downstairs and out the back patio doors, but I felt drawn to the magnificent ebony wolf. I slowed as I reached the tall trees marking the edge of the forest and took a deep breath before trudging on into the darkness.

I turned on my flashlight and looked around. There were bugs everywhere, which completely grossed me out, but I could see no other movement. The moon was only a sliver tonight and provided very little illumination, especially through the dense canopy of the forest.

I carefully picked my way through the brush, trying to avoid the claw-like branches that grabbed at my clothes and hair. At some point I realized that I was making a lot of noise, so I stopped moving and just listened. All I could hear was the buzzing of insects and their various songs, along with the occasional snap of a twig.

I took another hesitant step forward and heard a loud rustling of leaves and branches to my right. I whirled and the flashlight illuminated two large, glowing yellow eyes. This was not the same wolf I had seen in my yard earlier. As it emerged from the foliage, I saw that its fur was a reddish brown, rather than black. It barred its fangs at me and growled menacingly.

Gasping, I took several steps back and stumbled on a rock. This caused me to fall backwards and drop my flashlight, plunging me into complete darkness. Before I could feel fangs piercing my flesh, I heard a loud ferocious snarl and then a hard thump along with a yelp. I frantically groped around on the ground with my hands, searching for my flashlight, and then felt the cold metal in my grasp. I snapped it back on and shined the beam in front of me. I couldn’t believe what was happening only a few feet away.

The black wolf from earlier was on top of the reddish wolf, and they were clawing and tearing at each other. As they rolled around, I noticed that the black wolf was much larger than the other, and was seemingly winning the fight. The reddish wolf was covered in wet, oozing wounds, and was now struggling to get away instead of fighting back.

“Oh my God,” I whispered, my body frozen in place, as I witnessed the numerous large, hulking figures that were appearing all around the two sparring wolves. There was an earth-shattering snarl, and the black wolf instantly leaped off of the smaller one, who cowered.

An enormous slate gray wolf materialized from the shadows and looked at me for a moment with its dark gray eyes before turning its attention to the black wolf. They seemed to exchange words through their gazes. The gray wolf was somehow even larger than the black one, although not by much. When the gray wolf looked at the smaller reddish one, it whined and slinked into the ring of wolves surrounding us.

Then they all disappeared at once back into the forest, except for the black wolf. It stood there looking at me for what seemed like an eternity. “Thank you,” I said shakily, hoping it would understand. A growl rumbled quietly in its chest, and it started walking away.

Movement had finally returned to my limbs, and I stood up and looked around. “Crap. I have no idea how to get out of here,” I mumbled to myself. The retreating wolf stopped and looked back at me. I shined my flashlight at it and said, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you could understand everything I was saying.” It gave a long look at where the other wolves had exited before turning and walking in a different direction.

Then the wolf halted and turned its large head toward me, flicking its tail in my direction. “Um, am I supposed to follow you, or will you kill me?” The wolf sat down abruptly and exhaled loudly through its nose. Then it stood up once again and continued walking. I followed nervously, keeping my distance.

After a few minutes, I could see the clearing that was my back yard peeking through the trees ahead. I sighed in relief. I began to walk past the wolf, but then I stopped and said, “Thanks again. I wish there was more I could do. I don’t have a dead rabbit or anything to give you though.” The wolf sneezed and sat down, shaking its head. “You better not be laughing at me. Would you rather a dog biscuit or something?” Its lip curled up into a look of disgust. “Okay, never mind. My point is that I wish there was something I could do to repay you.” It just watched me with its big golden eyes. I laughed then, and the wolf startled.

“Sorry. I’m laughing at myself. I must be completely insane; I’m talking to an animal after all.” Being this close made it painfully obvious how massive the wolf was. Even when sitting, its head towered above mine. I found myself wanting to reach out and stroke the thick black fur of its shoulder.

As if it knew what I was thinking, the wolf looked at me for only a moment longer, and then abruptly stood up and ran back into the woods. Dumbfounded, I made my way back into the house. I snuck over to my mother's closed bedroom door and listened for any sounds coming from within. I was relieved to hear nothing but light snoring and continued to my own bedroom.

After putting up the flashlight and changing into a pair of ratty shorts and a t-shirt, I collapsed onto my bed. What had just transpired seemed impossible. Not only had a wolf tried to kill me, but another wolf had saved me. As if that wasn’t enough, it seemed like the black wolf could comprehend everything I was saying. I knew it was impossible and that it had to be a trick of my mind. At the same time, however, I couldn't explain how even my imagination could come up with such a wild turn of events. Exhausted, I couldn't continue contemplating and instead drifted quickly into a dreamless sleep.