The sound of growling had me pausing in my tracks. Very slowly, I scanned the area, spinning slowly so I didn’t freak out whatever was tracking me. And there, right behind me, was the source of the shit I nearly fell in.
Not a bear, but a huge gray wolf baring his teeth, looking at me like his next meal.
“O…kay,” I said quietly, taking a step back. “Just…be cool. We’re all good here.”
The growl increased as I stepped back, so I paused. Moving might be the wrong way to go. Maybe I needed to stand stock still.
“Okay, I’m not going anywhere, big fella. I’m just gonna stand here and talk to you soothingly. Sound good?”
The wolf made a confused noise, then cocked his head at me.
“Yeah, you like that?” I asked, my voice turning softer and a little playful. I felt like I was talking to a cat. “It’s all good. I’m just gonna stay here and talk to you for a while. That sound good to you?”
The wolf whined, then let out a big yawn, licking his chops.
“Okay, I gotta be honest with you. I’m not sure which way to go with that. Are you saying you’re tired of looking for food and you want me to lay down and make this easy for you? Or maybe you’re saying you don’t want to fight me. That you’re tired and just need a friend.”
He whined again, this time pawing at the ground.
“What the fuck is with these signals?”
He growled, snapping his jaws at me, though he didn’t move any closer.
“Alright! Alright,” I said in a more soothing tone. “No swearing. You don’t like that, huh?”
Shaking out his fur, he circled before sitting on his butt.
“Okay, I got it. It’s a little weird, but I can understand how you wouldn’t like swearing. I mean, I bet you get that all the time. People are scared of you, right?”
He barked, then whined and dipped his head.
“Poor guy,” I sighed. “Yeah, I get it. You’re misunderstood.”
The wolf laid down, resting his head on his paws, which were crossed in front of him.
The exhaustion from a night tromping across the state had done me in. Maybe I was foolish, but I felt for the guy. Slowly, I lowered myself to the ground, resting on my ass for the first timein hours. Letting out a heavy sigh, I felt like the wolf and I were as one, both exhausted and in desperate need of a break.
“Oh, that’s the good stuff,” I groaned, stretching out my legs. “I could take a nap, you know?”
He huffed, his eyes getting sleepy as he sat a few feet away.
My eyes were heavy as I watched the wolf fall asleep. Damn, what I wouldn’t give for a few hours of shuteye, but I wasn’t stupid enough to be lulled into a false sense of security just because the wolf was currently docile.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
Then I woke up to early morning light shining through the trees and a very heavy paw resting across my face. My eyes widened slightly as I did my level best to stay perfectly still. Which was really fucking hard when I could make out every speck of dirt on the giant paw just centimeters from my eyeball.
Warm fur was pressed against my back, and the steady rhythm of the beast’s heartbeat against my ribs. Was the wolf spooning me?
I didn’t know what to do. I’d never been in a situation like this before. In fact, I was pretty damn sure no human on earth had ever been in this situation before.
Very carefully, I lifted the massive paw off my face, wincing as I imagined the claws coming out and slashing at my face. When nothing happened, I rolled away from the wolf, freezing when I heard him yawn.
I swiveled my head very slowly, careful not to disrupt the big guy. Smiling, I stared into his beautiful blue eyes and fell just a little in love.
Even if he was about to eat me.
“Hey, there, big guy.”