Beast

The day was unbelievably uneventful, except for the black wolf following me everywhere, as if sensing that I want to leave and not wanting to let me do it.

I came to a conclusion that there are really no people here when I noticed other wolves go in and out of the houses around the clearing all the time. They must have found the abandoned houses and are now using them. For what? I don’t know, and don’t care.

What's been unnerving me for the whole day was the grey wolf. He was watching me just like the guards THERE in the beginning, daring me to do something that would give him an excuse to rip me apart. He usually stays just on the verge of the tree line and watches me and the black wolf.

We are sitting on the front porch of the house I stayed in last time, me on a chair and the black wolf on his belly by my feet. They look a little better, now that I have them clean, wrapped and covered. I cleaned them twice today, each time with the help of the black wolf, as I didn’t find any first aid kit in the house. He didn’t try anything weird, like yesterday, simply licked them clean and I wrapped them in a torn T-shirt. I still don’t know what is that tingly feeling I get when he touches my feet, but I don’t hate it. It just takes some time to get used to. Time I don’t have.

I’m waiting for him to fall asleep and them I’m leaving.

I’ve had this bad feeling whole day. Something is coming. I can feel it. Whether it’s THEM or not, I don’t know, but I’m not going to stay and wait for it. I also can’t put those wolves at risk. I strangely started to feel protective of them, especially the black one. That’s why I have to go.

I actually think I’m going to miss the big black wolf. He eerily reminds me of a puppy my neighbor used to have when I was little. He’s adorable, cuddly, never leaving my side, always demanding to be touched, scratched behind ears or have his head petted. I even cooked the meat over the fire I made after finding some matches in the kitchen of the house and shared with him. After eating he licked my whole face clean, along with my hands then lay down beside me to rest, putting his huge head in my lap for me to pet. Like I said, adorable.

As it gets darker outside, we head inside the house, going straight towards the bedroom - it's literally a room with a bed, so I guess that's what it's called. I lie down on the bed, not getting under the covers so it’s easier to leave. The wolf gets on the bed with me and snuggles into me the same way he did yesterday, with me cocooned by him and his head atop mine as I'm snuggled into his warm soft fur. I let myself relax in his hold and get as much from this moment as I can before I leave him for good.

I wake up after a while to find the black wolf peacefully sleeping. Thankfully he shifted a little in his sleep so I have a little space to maneuver myself out of the bed. I’m a master in sneaking up at my opponents, but I don’t know how well will that work with a wild animal with keen instincts.

And once again, luck is against me, as the wolf, somehow sensing my movement, tightens his hold on me, making it harder for me to get out.

I, miraculously, get out of his embrace after a while and soundlessly leave the bed before going towards the window. I noticed earlier that the bedroom door makes a little squeak when opening, so going through the door unnoticed is impossible. It would definitely wake him up. The window, however, doesn’t even need opening, so it’s the safest option.

With one last quick glance at the sweet wolf, I go through the window and head straight towards the woods. It’s almost black outside, so there’s almost no visibility, but after living in a dark cell for years, my eyes got adjusted to the lack of light, so I can see a little.

I sigh in relief when I don’t hear anyone following me. They haven’t noticed me leaving. Good. Or they noticed, but ignored it. Doesn’t matter now.

I walk through the woods, heading north. Or at least I think it’s north - it’s not easy to navigate in the dark. I occasionally stumble over some fallen logs or branches, keeping my eye on my surroundings, trying to detect any danger that may be lurking around.

After what I assume are few hours of walking I change my direction towards the east. Now I’m starting to feel my feet again. Since I’m barefoot again, the wrap around them got ripped and now my bare feet are touching the forest floor again. Another few hours of walking later I decide to rest a little and rewrap my feet by ripping the shirt I have on. Like the last time, I’m not staying on the ground, so I climb a tree and get as high as possible.

I tear half of my shirt off and rip it into thin strips. While listening to my surroundings closely, I wrap my feet with the cloth. I put the rest of the shirt back on and lean onto the tree and close my eyes.

I’ve successfully gotten away.

Or so I thought.