Kat Lupin: Wolf Girl

Sniffing the ground, the wolf stalks out of the shadows. But it’s no wolf at all.

“Bizbee!” I cry out. I’ve never been so happy to see that goofy mutt in all my life. I hug her tightly and she gives my face a sloppy, slobbery “you’re-welcome” lick.

“Come on, girl,” I say. “Lead me back to camp, okay?”

Bizbee tilts her head at me. She looks confused.

“Find Mom,” I tell her. “Find Mom and I’ll give you a big, fat treat.”

Hearing the word treat, Bizbee whips her tail back and forth like crazy. She barks happily and scampers back into the trees. I chase after her, feeling lucky. A full moon hangs in the sky, so there’s enough light to see where I’m going. My feet ache, but I’m too relieved to even care.

“Hey wait up!” I shout. Bizbee stops, looking back to make sure I’m still following. She looks as happy as I feel. But then something changes in her. She sniffs the air and lets out a pitiful whimper. Her swishing tail stops wagging and drops down between her legs.

“Bizbee? What is it, girl? What’s wrong with…”

I never finish my sentence. Something hits me like a cannonball. Something big, black, and furry. I fly off my feet and hit the ground with a THUD! Then the thing is on me.

I see a flash of white fangs. I raise my right hand to protect my face. A sharp jolt of pain shoots up my arm. The thing… It BIT me!

I jerk my arm out of the thing’s mouth and scurry away like a crab. Warm blood oozes on my skin.

The THING prowls forward into a pool of moonlight. I finally get a good look at it. It’s a wolf. Not just any wolf, but a huge, black wolf at least four times bigger than Bizbee. Its eyes are gray and ice cold.

I’m too scared to move. Too scared to even cry.

This is can’t be happening! It just can’t! My whole body trembles as the beast gets closer and closer. I see blood dripping from its fangs… MY BLOOD. I’m afraid I’m about to see a lot more of it.

Just when I think I’m a goner, a second wolf bursts out of nowhere. This one is smaller with golden brown fur and piercing blue eyes. It crashes into the dark wolf and both of them tumble across the ground. Together, they smack against a tree and separate for a moment. The wolves circle each other. They growl and show off their teeth. Then, at the same time, they leap!

I’ve never seen wolves fight before, not even on NAT GEO. I sit there frozen, staring at the frenzy of fur and fangs. The wolves snarl and snap with those massive teeth. Their claws rake each other’s skin, drawing blood. I can’t look away.

Bizbee nudges me with a cold nose. She lets out a whimper that shakes me out of my trance. I grip my arm. Blood oozes between my fingers.

“Come on girl,” I say, getting to my feet. “Let’s get out of here.”

I’ve never run so fast in my life. In gym class, our coach always calls me turtle girl. But tonight, I’d leave the whole track team in my dust. I sprint down a path through the trees. Fast as lightning. I ignore my aching feet. I ignore the tree branches whipping against my face, stinging my skin. I even forget about the gushing wolf bite on my arm. I just run. And Bizbee is right there beside me. She’s faster than me. She could leave me if she wanted to. But she sticks by my side.

Behind us, the snarling grows louder and louder. I imagine the wolves ripping each other apart. Are they fighting over me? Does the winner get to eat me?

I hear a sharp yelp and the snarling stops. I guess the fight is over. It doesn’t really matter who won. Either way, I’m a late-night snack.

My bare toe catches a rock, and I fall like friggin' Humpty Dumpty. My chest thumps the ground hard and all the air whooshes out of my lungs. I bite my lip to keep from crying out. I want to cry. Really bad. But if I do, the wolf will hear me.

I try to stand. It’s no use. My legs feel shaky and weak. My vision is all blurry.

I’m losing too much blood. I wish my mom was here. I wish Mom would save me.

But I know Mom isn’t coming.

Bizbee nudges me again. I can almost hear her voice begging me. Get up! Get up! I force myself to stand. Stumbling into a clearing, I spot a cave in the side of Wolf Mountain. It’s got grey wood all around it, like a picture frame. No, not a cave. It’s a mine shaft. It’s dark, and I just know there are all sorts of creepy spiders and bats in there. I don’t care.

Me and Bizbee crawl inside the shaft and hide in the darkness. I hug her tight and hold my breath. My heart rattles like a drum beat… boom, boom, boom, boom, boom…

It’ll be okay. I think to myself. We’re safe. It won’t find us here.

I’m dead wrong.

A wolf slinks out of the trees into moonlit clearing. But it’s not the massive black wolf, or the smaller golden brown one. It’s a white wolf, with fur like clean snow. I stare at the animal in awe. It’s noble… beautiful even. Except for its eyes. They’re black as oil yet somehow gleaming in the darkness. I’ve never seen anything like them in my life. No, that’s not true. I saw those eyes earlier at the campsite, watching me from the trees.

A rock sticks out of the ground, splattered with my blood. I grasp my wounded arm, and try not to make a sound.

The white wolf laps up my blood and sniffs the air. Then it turns its furry head and looks right at me.