Shallow Bay

The first thing that hit the girl was the heavy scent of wet stone. It smelled like it just rained. The floor beneath her was hard and freezing cold, and so was her. She tried to open her eyes and it took just a moment for her to successfully do it without difficulty. An ashen sky happily beamed down at her.  Where am I? She thought.  Confused, she lifted her hand and touched her forehead as she stood up, taking in her surroundings. She was surrounded by tall trees. Night time would be coming soon. Thunder clapped overhead the sky. Lightning cracked sending shivers down her spine. As she looked up towards the sky, rain started to pour down real hard.  The little girl hugged herself as each ice-cold raindrops stung her skin, as if torturing her. She found a huge tree near her and went there but the sensation of something slipping down her neck stopped her.  A necklace was lying peacefully on the ground. She picked it up and walked towards the largest tree. Chills run down her spine when a howl blasted through the eerie night. That made her stop on her track again and turned towards where it came from but there was nothing. Silence followed. She could hear her own heartbeat tattooing in her skin as she waited in anticipation for what would happen next.  But nothing followed. The little girl relaxed a little and ran towards the tree. She sat there, back flattened against it and hands tucked in her middle, clutching the necklace in one hand. Harley. That was what the pendant of the necklace said.  The only thing that can be heard was the noise made by the rain and her breathing. The little girl must have fallen asleep because the sound of thunder jarred awoke her. She sat up, blinked until her vision cleared and saw that it was already nightfall. She was soaked and cold. The thin clothes that she wore can do nothing to protect her against the cold wind.  Another howl broke through the eerie night. This time it was loud and long. It reverberated throughout the forest and so much closer this time. The girl clutched the necklace firmly as chills racked up her body. She found solace and comfort on the necklace. She glanced around, taking in the way how the shadows played across the trees. Staring at the way the leaves moved from the sudden gust, caused goose bumps to erupt across her arms. Something snapped.  She looked where the sound came from. Slowly taking in every gap between tree trunks, looking for the noisemaker. Nothing. But the little girl knew there was something out there. She could feel eyes on her, watching her every move. But no matter where she tried to look, nothing came out in the pool of darkness that surrounded her.  A snarl caught her attention. When she looked in front of her, there stood one very angry brown wolf, baring its teeth at her. She stilled, all eyes on the wolf. Her heart pounded hard in her chest, spreading the fear that the little girl was trying to tamped down. The wolf growled as its features became darker. Its brown fur looks almost black because of the darkness that surrounds them. Its bloody eyes were trained on her. Its ears are erect, and its fur bristles. The wolf's lips were curled up that showed its long and sharp incisors.  A deeper growl made her jerk her head to the right. A black mass of fur with eyes of pure ice met her. It bared its teeth and snarled and so did the brown wolf. The black wolf's posture screams predator who's ready to kill anyone who stands in its way. Dominant. It's standing on its hind legs. Ears perked up forwards and its hackles bristles.  It took three steps and the black wolf stood in front of her. It snarled on the other wolf and crouched lowly, ready to attack. A standoff between the predator and the brash. And then, the brown wolf growled and launched itself in the air. The black wolf pounced, meeting the brash wolf midair and shoved it off. Black snarled, showing its dominance, but the brown was a one reckless thing. The brown wolf snarled and tried to launch towards the girl but the black dug its paw on the brown's wolf body and bit down on its neck. Whimpers echoed as the black wolf sank its fangs. Black snarled again and then the brown lower its head, showing its neck for submission. But the black wolf was not yet finished. The black wolf lets go of the other wolf and before it can breathe again, black strikes its claws against the brown's neck. Black lowered its eyes in level with the browns eyes and snarled lowly. Threateningly. The claw that stayed on the brown's heart sinks. Piercing it.  The brown howled. Agony, anger and fear were heard at the howl. Another howl echoed and this time, it came from the black one. Satisfaction could be heard. Black dropped the brown's wolf lifeless body and turned towards the girl.  A gust of cold wind passed through. The pure black fur of the wolf moves a little with wind. Shivers ran down the little girl's spine when their eyes made contact. Its eyes were so intense. It bared its bloody fangs. He was the perfect description for a predator. It took a step towards her and instinct tells the girl that the wolf was dangerous, she took a step back. "Please, don't hurt me," The girl uttered softly. The wolf suddenly stopped on its track and c****d its head, as if a little puppy who was confused with its owner. It wagged its tail and slowly walked towards her. It nudged the little girl's arm and lowered its head. The wolf's wet snout caused goose bumps on the girl's arm. The black wolf whined when seconds after nothing happened. Something urged the girl to pet the wolf. She reached out and touched its head.  A smile appeared on the girl's face when the black purred and lowered its head more.  "Thank you." The girl said to the wolf. And the latter purred again and licked the girl's hand.  The slapping of shoes against the wetland altered both of them. Murmurs of someone talking were heard until the sound of leaves crunching jerked them to their right. The wolf suddenly walked away from the girl and turned around. "Wait…" She whispered-yelled when the wolf started to run but it paid no heed. Then it was gone.  The clicking of the gun made her look at her right and came face to face with a man holding his shotgun. The gun was pointed at her. "Shit." The man cursed when he noticed the girl. He lowered his gun and walked towards the girl. "You lost, little girl?" Wide eyed, the girl looked at the man and shook her head at him. The man frowned and crouched in front of the girl. He looked around and noticed the lifeless wolf. The man's jaw clenched and his body stilled for a moment. The man's sharp eyes softened when he looked again at the girl.  "What's your name?" the man asked. "I-I don't know…" She stuttered. The man frowned.  "Where are you from? Who's your parents?" He asked again. Trying his luck that the little girl might give some answers. The little girl shook his head, "I-i don't know,"  Doing a body sweep, the man noticed the necklace that the girl she was holding to. He tried to take the hand that was clutching the necklace but failed when the girl moved it away from his reach. The man sighed and looked the girl straight in the eyes. "Again, what's your name?" Hesitation flickered through the girl's eyes. He watched as the girl opened her palm, letting him see the necklace. Harley.  So that's her name, he thought. "Okay, Harley. I'm Bernardo and I need you to come with me. Is that good?" The girl nodded and a loud howl echoed, breaking the silent hum of the forest.