Was this… really a wolf?
1035 Words
Barely escaping from that treacherous river, I lay on my back in the reeds along the riverbank, drenched from head to toe. My clothes clung to my skin, my chest heaving violently as I gulped down air, desperate to recover my strength.
The massive silver wolf hadn’t left. It stood quietly about a meter away, its tail slightly raised, swaying gently from side to side. Those dark green eyes watched me from above, pupils contracting slightly in the dim light.
It had saved me just now—there was no doubt about that. But I wasn't sure if it had dragged me out of the water out of some rare act of kindness… or simply to steal its prey from the river's jaws, treating me as emergency rations.
After all, no wolf would ever show mercy to its food without a reason.
Faced with this beast, which was over three meters long, I should have had no hope of survival—not even the thought of resisting. And yet, at this moment, it looked… relaxed. Almost leisurely.
Maybe it wasn’t hungry? Maybe it hadn’t decided to eat me—at least, not yet?
That faint hope flickered in my mind, and I latched onto it. I kept my eyes locked on the wolf while scanning my surroundings in search of an escape route.
The riverbank was covered in thick grass, the shortest of which reached up to my waist. Towering trees loomed in every direction, their dense canopies blocking out almost all light. I had no idea which way to run.
Just as despair threatened to creep in again, my gaze froze on something—a cluster of large trees about ten meters ahead, their roots tangled together to form a low, narrow hollow. If I crouched down, I might be able to squeeze inside. And this giant wolf, which stood taller than me on all fours… probably wouldn't fit.
This was my only chance. What else could I do—outrun a native apex predator in an unfamiliar forest?
But there was a bigger problem—I needed my backpack.
Inside were my food, water, and survival tools. Without it, even if I escaped the wolf, I wouldn’t last long.
My eyes locked onto the backpack lying by the wolf’s feet, my mind racing.
The wolf seemed to be watching my expression closely. Then, as if responding to my thoughts, it lowered its head, gently picked up the backpack in its jaws, and took a step toward me.
We were already less than a meter apart, and this step brought it right up to me. My body went rigid. Instinct took over, and I shrieked, “Stay back! Don’t come any closer!”
The wolf froze.
Then, it slowly leaned down, its coarse fur brushing against my right arm as it placed the backpack beside me. After that, it actually stepped back, reestablishing a meter of distance between us.
A ridiculous thought exploded in my mind—could this beast understand human speech?
I swallowed hard and hesitantly tested, “Step… step back a little more. And turn around. Don't look at me.”
And then, the impossible happened.
The wolf took a few more steps back. Then—it turned around, facing away from me.
This was it!
A surge of wild joy shot through me. Without hesitation, I snatched up my backpack and bolted toward the tree hollow.
What I didn't see was that the moment I turned to run, the wolf’s ears perked up sharply, a hint of confusion flashing through its eyes. It tilted its head slightly—then, in no apparent hurry, it started following me.
The moment I squeezed into the hollow, I realized my so-called refuge wasn't as safe as I had hoped. The intertwined roots had created a cramped space where I could only crouch or lie down. The ground was covered in damp, rotting leaves, filling the air with the stench of decay. Worse yet, if I lay completely flat, my feet would be just centimeters from the entrance.
If the wolf reached in with its paw, I'd have nowhere to hide. I curled up in the farthest corner, clutching my backpack tightly. Through the gaps between the roots, I peered outside.
At first, there was nothing but silence. Then—faint rustling in the grass.
It had followed me!
The wolf stopped two meters from the entrance, tilting its head as if assessing the situation.
Then, to my utter disbelief, it stretched out its front legs, lowered its chest to the ground, tucked in its hind legs, and… lay down.
It even half-closed its eyes, looking as if it were getting comfortable for a nap.
…What the hell?!
I was trembling in fear, and it was preparing for a nap? What, was it planning to digest its meal first and eat me later?
A cold wind blew through the hollow, making me shiver violently in my soaked clothes. This wouldn’t do. If I stayed like this, I’d catch a fever before sunrise.
There was no one else around, so I fumbled with my backpack, hands shaking. Thank God—it was waterproof. Everything inside was still dry.
I pulled out a plastic bag containing a spare change of clothes and retrieved a dark blue baseball jacket. Without hesitation, I peeled off my drenched long-sleeved shirt. I hesitated only for a second before stripping off my soaked bra as well, stuffing both into the plastic bag.
Just as I grabbed the jacket—
A sharp sensation pricked at my skin, the overwhelming feeling of being watched.
My body tensed. Heart pounding, I jerked my head up.
Through the gaps in the tree roots, those green eyes were staring straight at me. The wolf's ears twitched at my flustered attempt to cover myself with the jacket. Then—It abruptly turned its head away.
Its ears flattened tightly against its skull. A moment later, it even raised a front paw and covered its own eyes.
Yet, its fluffy tail betrayed it, wagging at an absurdly fast pace, stirring up tiny leaves from the forest floor.
I stared at it in disbelief.
Was this… really a wolf?
- Writer
