Xavier and the Wolf (Legends of Pinewood 1)

9 If you wake up naked in a cave

My head was pounding. My body felt like it had been folded in a thousand unnatural ways. Like a truck had hit me. And even worse than all of that, I was absolutely freezing. Not exactly the state I wanted to be in when waking up.

Groaning, I tried to blink my eyes open. At first I thought I couldn't do it because everything stayed dark. Then I realised that wherever I was, it was pitch black and that's why I couldn't see.

Pitch black, and smelling of wet dog.

I flinched and turned my head when I hear something skulk in the dark. Immediately, a sharp pain shot through my head, reminding me I'd had an unfortunate run in with... with rocks in the river. I'd fallen off the cliff. There'd been a wolf in the water with me.

A shuddering breath escaped my mouth. Was it in here with me? Moaning in pain, I tried to prop myself up on my elbows and peered in the direction of the sound. My eyes were slowly getting used to the dark. Faint moonlight poured in through what appeared to be a cave opening. The silhouette of an enormous animal stood only several feet away from me.

"N-no," I brought out. I tried to drag my uncooperative body away from the beast as best I could without making terrible spikes of pain shoot through my head.

The wolf let out a soft whine and made itself as small as possible with a lowered head and flat ears. Gingerly, it took a step closer. I tried to scoot away, but it was far faster than I was. My breathing came in spurts and my heart pounded out of my chest as the wolf breathed in my face. I turned my head away from it as far as I could. But then I felt something wet on my cheek.

It... it licked my cheek? I stared at the dark silhouette, wide-eyed. Letting out another soft whine, the wolf nuzzled its head against my shoulder. Then it sat beside me. The heat radiating from its fur felt like heaven against my cold skin. I gave up on trying to move away from the wolf and laid back down. I couldn't escape the animal anyway and moving only caused waves of nausea and dizziness.

Maybe I was caught in a delirious dream and these were my final thoughts before I drowned in the river. I didn't know. All I knew was that I was in way too much pain to move and I was cold. So cold. The wolf's fur was the only source of heat I had, and I had no choice but to accept the warmth I was being offered, delusion or not. Dazed, exhausted, and drowsy, I allowed my eyes to fall closed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next time I blinked my eyes open, it was light. I squinted against the sun which was glaring into my eyes from the opening of the cave. My head was still throbbing, but I definitely felt better than the last time I woke up. I could at least tilt my head without being in excruciating pain.

I felt warm, but when I looked down, I quickly realised I was lying on a pile of straw, which covered the rock floor. And I was wearing nothing aside from my underwear. There was a muscular arm draped around my waist and something, or rather, someone, pressed against me from behind.

Instantly, all my sleepiness was gone. Spreading my eyes wide, I flipped myself on my stomach and looked at who was with me. I found a familiar face. Snoozing behind me was my 'favourite' seventeen-year-old baby tutoring student, Aquila. His eyes were shut, and he seemed fast asleep, snoring quietly into my ear.

I stared for one more second. And I screamed.

"What the fuck, Aquila?" I called out as I shoved his arm off of me and scrambled away from him.

Aquila's eyes shot open as he woke with a start. Because I yelled, he yelled as well as he jumped to his feet.

Covering his ears, Aquila growled at me, an indignant look edged onto his face. "What the hell are you yelling at me for?!"