The Last Of Us

Chapter 3 : SafeZone

        I walked from behind the tree, moving slowly on my four feet with my clothes hanging between my sharp teeth. I lower my body to the ground allowing Dani and Jacob to hop on top of me. As they placed a firm grip on my fur, I began to sprint through the large snowy forest. My movements are fluid and without apparent effort. I was blazing through the snow with a burst of speed, paws outset, claws piercing the ground ready to unleash a war upon the flesh of the unknown that awaited us. 

        In the distance, no birds twittered, chirping or calling in distant melodies to their kin. A faint rustling could be heard as small rodents scampered through the snow, though it was drowned out by the greater rustling of the leaves in the gentle breeze. I hear the soft padding of a small fox nearby, the crisp snap of dry twigs underneath her boots and the flapping of wings. Under the snow, the evergreens were still vibrant. They were in varying shades of green: some were darker like the night, some were a limey color like a lush emerald. As I sprinted by way of the snowy area, my brain was once racing quicker than my toes. Twigs and branches assailed my face as I frantically attempted to verify my concerns. Where would we move? Who would support us? It had only just occurred to me that if we were to tell people who we were it would be manslaughter. Every wolf pack has their own unique marks that are passed down to their kin. My people have one on their lower back. Almost like what humans call a “tattoo”. The Lyan pack has a Celtic Druid symbol. To us, it symbolizes family and allegiance. My pack was amongst the most powerful. As we are feared, we are also targeted.

        An ancient looking cabin stood in the clearing. Dani tugged her fur as I went along toward it. I slowed my pace as my legs grew heavier with each squelching step in the snow. I looked back at them and used my nose to gesture them to hop off my back. Slowly, Dani and Jacob hopped down from my back and stood behind me. We approached the cabin, the atmosphere was almost unbearable almost like it was sucking the life out of your body. I let out a stern growl. Dani and Jacob stopped right in front of the door as I had entered. All I could see was the crumbling walls that were nothing more than a ghostly silhouette of some previous existence. The wind whistled through the trees bringing with it the laughter of children who once lived there and the caring call of a mother letting them know dinner was ready. I passed by cracked windows and mouldy, browned wooden walls with water stains painting as scars on skin. Slivers of light from shone from the outside, as if invited in to ignite these dusty hues. I walked through narrow doorways, yet ignored them, my eyes still ensuring safety. I was sure.

        I stopped when I came to a collapsed doorway. Wooden planks barred me from entering, still there from when the northern side of the house, that looked like it had fallen on itself. The boards were cracked and splintery, enough that I could tell it was recent. Still, I  had to check.I approached, peering through the slats, the light streaming in. It looked just like the rest: quaint in size, aging, and creepy. A small bed, fitted for a kid, sat at one end, with a broken night table plopped next to it. The floorboards were caved and broken, leaving the two simple pieces of furniture sloped towards the dirt waiting for them. Then I still saw something...something that in my childhood was very profound.., a tiny ornate music box sitting near the foot of the bed, still polished and clean despite years of sitting in this abandoned house.