Wolves smell fear. |
Several white-tailed deer grazed in the dying meadow. The once lush grass was now curling into itself, and turning a sickly brown colour. Storm clouds flitted the setting sun in and out of sight, pulsing the meadow in shadow and dead colour. A wolf howled in the North, the deer pricked their ears, their whole bodies trembling as their muscles coiled, and their heads turned to stare into the dark woods.When no danger was found they returned to their lazy grazing. It was a late winter, mid November and snow had failed to make itself seen. The wolves had been unable to find food, the human hunters had taken advantage of the time to stock on the meats of the deer. But today the wolves will curb their hunger. Not quite a feast, but a nice meal until the next. All deer are safe, that graze in the dead feild, all the birds that hop along the ground are safe, and all rodents that skitter to and fro are safe. The young couple who have ventured too far off the trail, are not. The man; not more the twenty-three, heavy set with muscle, and a bubbling gut, was running for his life. His copper skin kissed by the winter wind as he raced through the trees. Deep blue eyes were wide with fright, they swam in the tears the cold ripped out. Brown hair stuck out in in all directions, and his strong hand was clasped around a tiny young womens. The girl was about nineteen or twenty. She had fire red hair off set by golden- chestnut eyes. Her heart shaped face, made up mouth was scrunched into a wide O, and a horrible death scream filed out of it. The pack of ravenous wolves nipped closely at their heels, bounding through the undergrowth, waiting for their prey to tire and trip. They flew through the woods, a chase of life or death for both. Minutes passed, the man and women's legs shook, their hearts thudded noisly, but the wolves were just streatching their legs. Fifteen minutes in, the girl's shreiks sank into the woods, she could no longer breathe, her legs were failing her. Her boyfriend kept tugging her behind him, but the sweat was making his and her grip slippery. Their hands slide apart, she went tumbling backward into the pack, and was pounced on. The man looked back for a second, seeing her thrashing under fur, a few fingers flew with a sickning scream of pain. A wolf lunged, and nearly missed him, he turned and flew once more. The women kicked out at the creatures. She covered her head with her arms, screaming, sobbing, and blubbering indistinguishable things. She felt teeth sink into her body, warmth dreanched her freezing skin, she knew she was bleeding out. They weren't even waiting till she was dead. Hot breath toutched her side seconds before a thrash tore a chunk of her off. More teeth dug into her body, before tearing peices of her out. She felt a nose snuffing inside her torso. She passed out from the pain of being eaten alive, she didn't wake up again. The man kept running, the trees blurred by his tears now streaming down his face from grief. He heard the under growth crash behind him as his persures gained. A light in the dense trees signled an opening; hopefully safety. He neared it, praying that he would make it home, the branches wouldn't let him see anything but the streaming sunlight. He turned his head as he crashed through the leaves in time to see a large grey wolf spring at him. Then he was falling. Above him, the lip of a cliff toppeled rocks, a grey belly soared right above him, it's fur testing the wind, to land on a small overhang on the other side of the caynon. And he was still falling. Finnaly he was on the ground, bleeding broken, exausted, but alive. He couldn't move his legs and one of his arms was in a funny position, but he was alive! The dark clouds covered the canyon in a shadowy gloom. White flecks drifted down softly. He mourned for his losses, his heart just another part of his broken body. He stared into the dark sky, he didn't know how long he looked up, but eventually his eyes glazed over, and he took his last ragged breath. By morning the new layer of snow was pooled in blood, the frozen body of a young man the source. Five holes in his side with white bones protruding was frozen over with blood. His slightly open mouth filled with snow, and his eyes wide open with greif were dusted in the white powder. |