Wolf of Kind- [1]

You never know when destiny is going to strike. Will it be today, tomorrow, next week? You just never know. I would bet you my life that destiny scared the most crap out of someone with me when it decided to lay claim to me that Saturday evening.1

My little house in the mountains is quaint, to be sure. It has only four rooms, including the bathroom. It's nestled into the mountainside as if it were made from it. In fact, the rear end of the house appears to be so, but it's not. 2

I was walking and basking in the cool night air when I heard it, a low growl, barely perceptible. The leaves seemed to still on their branches, the crickets silenced themselves. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I was not alone, far from it. It came again as I stopped on the game trail, a bit of fear lancing through me. I slowly turned around, knowing full well that I really should have kept walking. You know those people who scream at the people in the horror movies to not turn around? Yeah, I'm one of them. Of course, the people in the movies do, and they get stabbed to death. You'd think I would know better than to finish turning. But what I saw wasn't a deranged killer holding a butcher knife and grinning manically. It was a huge wolf in the shadows, amber eyes gazing intently at me. 3

Wolves usually don't come this close to my house... I thought as I started to slowly back away, my face devoid of emotion. The wolf suddenly leapt forward impossibly fast, closing the distance between us in less than a second. 4

Crap! I backpedaled and my back hit a tree, stopping me from going further. The wolf had followed, a deep menacing snarl emitting from its throat. Scared, I quivered against the oak as the wolf came up to me. It jumped up without warning and planted its front paws on my shoulders. I gasped out loud and tightly closed my eyes.5

God, well, you know me, not-so-religious-Clarice, I never pray much but do you think, just this once that you could....I stopped my mental blabbering as I realized that my face wasn't being eaten off. With my eyes still closed, I felt the wolf's hot breath on my face, no razor canines. Slowly, I opened my eyes and just looked. Amber eyes stared into mine. Wanting to readjust myself, I moved slightly. The wolf growled lowly. 6

Right, no moving, got it. I smiled nervously at it and stayed as still as I could, a bit confused. The wolf stuck its muzzle towards me and sniffed deeply. The coldness of its nose surprised me and I shivered, but it didn't seem to notice. Before I could blink, the wolf was sprinting away, and within seconds, I couldn't see it at all in the dense forest. 7

I took a shuddering breath and collapsed at the base of the tree, clasping my hands together.8

Wolves don't act like that, not wild ones.9

I couldn't relax until I was safely back in my home, doors and windows locked, every blind closed. To make sure I was completely safe, I even put heavy things in front of wolf-sized vents. 10

After finishing all of that, I finally cast aside the fear and puttered around doing homey things like washing the mound of dishes in my tiny sink.211

Ugh, dishes... I thought, and, grumbling, I set about washing and drying them. For half an hour, all I heard was the clinking of china and the rampaging thoughts rattling around in my head.12

Clarice ,get a hold of yourself! You're safe! That wolf, ignore him, at least I thought it was a him....was it? Or was it a girl? No clue, FOCUS! It's long gone, yep no one to bother me for miles, yes indeed all safe and alone in......alone? ALONE? What if he...13

CRASH! I dropped the dish that I was cleaning and it smashed into a million pieces on my wood floor. 14

“Clarice, get a grip!” I yelled at myself, bending down to retrieve all of the pieces so I wouldn't impale my foot on them later. Each piece tinkled as it hit the other ones lying calmly in my palm. I sighed as I reached for the last piece. As I picked it up, I accidentally cut my finger with it. Hissing in pain, I dropped all the shards on the floor, grabbing my bleeding finger with my other hand. I stared transfixed upon the trembling drop of blood that threatened to glide down the length of my finger from the wound.15

So red, so perfect, something in me shuddered in delight, stretching, out..... 16

Mmmm, delicious red, so good to... the thing in me suddenly twisted, making me cry out and tip over onto the floor. Gasping, I looked at my finger again. It looked like a plain finger that happened to be bleeding red stuff, nothing more. Confused, yet relieved that it, whatever the hell it was, had passed and I was me again, I cleaned and bandaged my finger. Leaving the dishes in the sink as a lost cause, I picked up the shards once again and threw them away, careful not to cut myself again.17

I walked into my room and looked into the mirror of my vanity before sitting down. Sighing at the state of my hair, I grabbed my brush.18

As I groomed my long, brown hair in rhythmic strokes, I thought about that alien presence I had felt when I accidentally cut myself.19

What the hell was it? What does it mean? Am I going crazy? I am out here all alone, have been for awhile. It's possible I am going mad... I spared a glance in the mirror above the sink. I looked calculatingly into my own deep, hazel eyes. No blaze of madness in those peepers.20

Just the start of wrinkles at the corners. I sighed and made my way towards my quilted bed. Deciding to forget about the incident for now, I shoved it to the back of my mind. 21

As I drifted off to sleep, I swear I heard a wolf's howl off in the distance, a triumphant message on the success of the night's hunt.22

That night my dreams were filled with dark blood and bright, amber eyes.23